A77854:395
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.
First, because the people of Israel coming out of Egypt, had 1defiled themselves with their ways: and we see, while they were in their journey in the Wilderness, what horrible gross impieties they plunged themselves into: therefore God, to restrain their impiety and idolatry, giveth them this Law, to repress ⟨p. 142⟩all that insolency, so Rom. 5. and Gal. 3. The Law came because of transgressions. But,
First, because the people of Israel coming out of Egypt, had 1defiled themselves with their waies: and we see, while they were in their journie in the Wildernesse, what horrible grosse impieties they plunged themselves into: therefore God, to restraine their impietie and idolatry, giveth them this Law, to represse ⟨p. 142⟩all that insolency, so Rom. 5. and Gal. 3. The Law came because of transgressions. But,
- 11. Because, being come out of Egypt, they were to be restrain'd of their impiety and idolatry.
Secondly, I conceive the great and proper reason why God at 1this time, rather then another, gave the Law, was, because now they began to be a great people: they were to enter into Canaan, and to set up a Common-wealth, and therefore God makes them laws, for he was their King in a special manner; insomuch that all their laws, even political, were divine: and therefore the Magistrates could not dispense in their laws, as now Governors may in their laws of the Common-wealth, which are merely so; because then they should dispensare de jure alieno, which is not lawful. This therefore was the proper reason, why God at this time set up the whole body of their Laws, because they were now to grow into a Common-wealth. Hence Josephus calls the Common-wealth of the Jews [Greek or Hebrew], a place where God was the Governor.