r, ,. The Covenant of Works Cha p.8. the force of it lies. He fometimes calls it a Law, fometimes a Commandment, or ten Commandments ; Is it a Law, and doth it not ligare ? and mandatum, and does it not mandare ? A Com- mandment in force without power of 'commanding is indeed a dead force and a dead Commandment. Matter Powell farther faies,that the Law ú a difcoverer of, andconvincezof fn to beleevers, page 220. It is a curb to the pride and prefumption of beleevers as well as of unbeleevers, page 22.And if a husband cannot by rea- fon of death command his wife, howc an he convince her of her faults, or be a'curb or reftraint to her? yob was in right of com- mand over his wife, as long as he had power of reproof to tell her of her folly, and to endeavour to put a flop to it. If Matter Powell can reconcile all that he affirmes of the ufe of the Law, with this that he here denies, I (hall fay Matter Jacye did much wrong him to affirme in an open Congregation, that Ma- fter Towells gift did not lie in difputing. Matter Powell in his anfwer of an objeäion, page 234. fates, Though the Law fhould be dead to a beleever, and a beleever dead tothe Law, yet it doth not thence follow that they fhoule) fin, muff fin, or Will fn ; upon this fuppofition I fay there is not in them a capacity of fin, or pofli- bility of finning. He fajes well,page 183. There Would be no fanne (were it not for a Lam) for the Law gives (if I may fo terme it) a being to fin, and therefore is called the ffrengsh of fin, for if a man Jhould fwear,covet, or kill, and there fhould be no Law prohibiting the fame, doubtleffe it Would not be evill, for ¡he Law makes it evill. And if the Law bath loft its commanding power, then it can give fin no more being, yea, it bath loft its own being, power of com- mand being of the of fence of it. If that Law, Thou Jhalt not /ill, have no power of command, then I fin not if I kill. If that Law, Swear not at all, have no power of commanding, then our RANTERS high oaths are no more fins, then our eating of (wines flefh,or our not obferving the Feaft ofthePafíeover;where there is noLaW, there ú. no tranfgrefon : and a Law antiquated and repealed, that the power of command is gone (as in the laves before mentioned) is no Laws If Matter Powell prefle that fi militude of the Apoftle that a dead husband bath no power of command, but the Law to a beleever is a dead husband, Firft, I fay, if he will b` pleafed to informe me how a dead husband rips up his wives faults, how he curbs and keeps her in, (which he confeffes:;:.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=