A77854:197
Vindiciæ legis
Vindiciæ legis: or, A vindication of the moral law and the covenants, from the errors of papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more especially, Antinomians. In XXIX. lectures, preached at Laurence-Jury, London. / By Anthony Burgess, preacher of Gods Word.Vindiciæ legis: or, A vindication of the morall law and the covenants, from the errours of papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more especially, Antinomians. In XXIX. lectures, preached at Laurence-Jury, London. / By Anthony Burgess, preacher of Gods Word.
London: printed by James Young for Thomas Underhill, 1646
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The second grand consideration is, That the light of Nature is necessary in religious and moral things, though it be not sufficient. We speak of the light of Nature in the first consideration, as it is the residue of the glorious image of God put into us (for of the later, as it is informed by Scripture, it is no question.) Now ⟨p. 70⟩this is absolutely necessary two ways: 1. As a passive qualification of the subject for faith; for, there cannot be faith in a stone, or in a beast, no more then there can be sin in them: Therefore Reason, or the light of Nature, makes man in a passive capacity fit for grace; although he hath no active ability for it: And, when he is compared to a stone, it is not in the former sense, but the later. And secondly, it's necessary by way of an instrument; for we cannot believe, unless we understand whether knowledge be an act ingredient into the essence of faith, or whether it be prerequisite: all hold there must be an act of the understanding, one way or other, going to believe. Hence knowledge is put for faith, and Hebr. 11. By saith we understand. Thus it is necessary as an instrument.
The second grand consideration is, That the light of Nature is necessary in religious and morall things, though it be not sufficient. We speak of the light of Nature in the first consideration, as it is the residue of the glorious image of God put into us (for of the later, as it is informed by Scripture, it is no question.) Now ⟨p. 70⟩this is absolutely necessary two waies: 1. As a passive qualification of the subject for faith; for, there cannot be faith in a stone, or in a beast, no more then there can be sin in them: Therefore Reason, or the light of Nature, makes man in a passive capacity fit for grace; although hee hath no active ability for it: And, when he is compared to a stone, it is not in the former sense, but the later. And secondly, it's necessary by way of an instrument; for we cannot beleeve, unlesse we understand whether knowledge be an act ingredient into the essence of faith, or whether it be prerequisite: all hold there must be an act of the understanding, one way or other, going to beleeve. Hence knowledge is put for faith, and Hebr. 11