The sound believer. A treatise of evangelical conversion. Discovering the work of Christ's spirit,…

this argues, that you are not to attend the Law unwillingly, as Bond-Men and Slaves, but willingly and gladly, because the Law, even the Law of Love is in your Hearts, 1 John 5.3.

The Place Pledged by some for this Liberty from the Law, viz. the Law is not made for a righteous Man, 1 Tim. 1.9. if well considered, fully dasheth this Dream in Pieces; for there were divers Jewish Preachers of Moses's Law, and they had a World of Scruples and Questions about it, ver. 4. and Paul and others were accounted of, as Men less zealous, because they did not sound upon that String so much; away (saith Paul) with those contentious Questions; for the End of the Commandment is not Scruples and Questions, but Charity and Love (i. e. both to God and Man) out of a pure Heart, and Faith unfeigned, ver. 4. and saith he, The Law is very good, when used lawfully, that is, for this End, and out of these Principles, ver. 8. 'tis not talking, but doing, and that out of Love, which is the End and Scope of the Law; so that note by the Way, you may as well abolish Love as abolish the Law, Love being the End and Scope of the Law. But to proceed; The Law is not made (saith he) for the Righteous, i. e. for the Condemnation of the Righteous, i. e. of such as out of a pure Heart, and Faith unfeigned love God in the first Table, love to show all Duties of Respect to Man in the second Table; and therefore they of all other Men have no Cause to abolish the Law, as if it was a Bugbear, or a Thing that could hurt them, but it's made for the Condemnation of the lawless Anomians, (as the original Word is) or if you will, Antinomians, (Transgressors of the first Command) and Disobedient (Transgressors of the second Command) for Ungodly and Sinners (Transgressors of the third Command) for Unholy and Profane Transgressors of the fourth Command) for Murderers of Fathers and Mothers (of the fifth) for Man-slayers (of the sixth) for Whoremongers and Defilers of Mankind (of the seventh) for Man-stealers (of the eighth) ⟨p. 250⟩for Liars (of the Ninth) and for those that in any Thing walk contrary to sound Doctrine, the Purity of the Law and Will of God (of the tenth.) So that this Place is far from favouring any of those that run in this Channel of abolishing the Law as our Rule; no Beloved, the Love of Christ will constrain you to embrace it as a most precious Treasure. It is the Observation of some, that in the Preface to the moral Law,