A77854:554
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 third is of the Socinian mentioned afterwards. These rocks avoided, we come to consider the place: and first I Error 3 may demand, Whether any under the Old Testament were made partakers of Gods Spirit, or no? If they were, how came they by it? There can be no other way said, but that God did give his Spirit in all those public Ordinances unto the believing Israelites; so that although they did in some measure obey the Law, yet they did it not by the power of the Law, but by the power of Grace.
The third is of the Socinian mentioned afterwards. These rocks avoided, we come to consider the place: and first I Errour 3 may demand, Whether any under the Old Testament were made partakers of Gods Spirit, or no? If they were, how came they by it? There can be no other way said, but that God did give his Spirit in all those publique Ordinances unto the beleeving Israelites; so that although they did in some measure obey the Law, yet they did it not by the power of the Law, but by the power of Grace.
Again, in the next place, (which hath always much prevailed with me) did not the people of God receive the Grace of God offered in the Sacraments at that time? We constantly maintain against the Papists, that our Sacraments and theirs differ not for substance. Therefore in Circumcision, and the Paschal Lamb, they were made partakers of Christ as well as we: yet ⟨p. 198⟩the Apostle doth as much exclude Circumcision, and those Jewish Ordinances from Grace, as any thing else. Therefore that there may be no contradiction in Scripture, some other way is to be thought upon, about the exposition of these words. Some there are therefore that do understand by the Spirit, the wonderful and miraculous works of Gods Spirit: for this was reserved till the times of the Messiah, and by these miracles his doctrine was confirmed to be from Heaven; and to this sense the fifth verse speaketh very expressly: and Beza doth confess, that this is the principal scope of the Apostle, though he will not exclude the other gracious works of Gods Spirit: And if this should be the meaning, it were nothing to our purpose.