rvf Treatife ofConfcience. wir,hthclawes ofGod. Secondly,~ Iudiciall A ~c9,111mon ,, :~cy,if-it ferue.o!iredlyto eJ<– plaillC a~dconfirmeany of the ten preceptsof tlv;,~cal<;>gue~ o•,ifir fernedir~lytomain~•ine ~od vphold,al)y of the ~hree dl:ates, of the family,the G{)ntlll!ln-wealth,rhe Churoh. Andwhether tl\i&be f~ <;>rn.ot it wi)lappeare, if WF :lo but con(t~~r themm~rofthetaw, & , the reafons or ~oo{jc\<:rations vpon which the LRr<l )ViiS rooouod ~o giue tlw f!llle vnto <he , Iowes. Now t\li)Jake the point in hand more ' plainc,rake an example or two. It is a Iudicial J~wof God thar ~J'herers filould be put to. · death' now the queftion is, whether this law • for fub(lance bee rhe common eq~irieof na– ture binding the cpnfcience of Chriilians or B ne,>? and the ~nfwcr is, that without further dou~ring"ir is fo. For firll of'!ll,rhislaw bath bjn. qy commpn couf< nt of wife law-giuers, enafb:d in m:.tny countries: and .kmgdomes be(ldesthe Iewes.It wa.Hhel..w.ofthl' EgypaBurip. t_i~nf~ld ,.. old Grecians, of Draco;J of NMm4, in H<eu- andofm3ny of th~ R<>m;uw J,;,np~rours. Sc– ~"Z ~o- condly, this law (Qrlll:~ c\ir-el'!lyr9m~inr~ine A~dud, o~e~i~nce to r,fi< Ctxth comllJ~od>menr: and !,3 c . de lthe confid.eratiop vpoo whillll the law Wa$ P.pir. au~ mude is fo weighti~, chat wjthou~ it acom– d,en. mon"~wcalrh capn~ O:and. T~1e murtht;!rers blood mull bethed(f<irh the Lord, Nttmb·35 · i i> 34·) bcC4uft the whole l•ndif defiled with blood, and rcmaineth vnclqnftd till his blood bdh~d- Agai~1e, it was aiudicialllaw among c the.fcwe~ , tpat tiW ;;dulterer ~nd adulrereffe fhO!Jiddie rhe~th: nqw~tthequellionbe whether ~his la\\',.~9PCer..ne gther nations, as being deriued f<:<;>Jj) -the common law of na– rucc:and it feemcst<>be fo. l'o~ fi~fl:, wife men by the lig~t ofre.a(on and natprall,:onfcience haue bdgcd thi~ p;mifh ment ~quail and iuft. lud4hbetore rh~ i~dici>lllaw w~s giuen by Ge...,.?g• Mofu 3 appuintedT4marh,isd 1 mghre.r in Jaw •.. robe burnt to de~rh for pl 0 ying?h< whoore. !or, >9, '!>(eb14Chadnez.<ar b~rnt Ech•d am\ Zedtchi.u the Iewes,andth~ obedience ofit wasthetrue worfhip ofGod, Butit did notthen bind the covfcicnceoftheGentiles: for it was rhepar– tition wall betweene them and the Iews.A~:d itdid continuno bind the1ewestiil the very death and afcenfion of Chrifr. For then the hand-writipg ofordinances which was againll vs,was n~iled on thecroffeandcan<;elled.A,nd when Chri(t faith , thar the Law andthe.Pro– phet, endnredtialohn, Lu~16.x6. his meaning is not, the ceremoniall Iawended then : but that things foretold by the Prophets, and ob– fcurely prefigured by thecercmonialllaw, be– gan then more pl<inely to bee preached and made manifeft. The fccood time wa~ from the afccnGon of Chrift,till about thetime ofthe dellruction of the Temple and the Citic: in which, ceremonies ceafed to bind confcicnce, and remained indiff'erente Here.upon PaN! circumcifedTi- Afl:,t6.3 mothy' the Apoftles after Chrifrs afcenfion, as occafio~1 was offered were prefent in rh~ Temple, AEt+'· And the Councillof lerufalem ter.dcring the weaknes offome beleeuers, decreed that the Church for a time fhould abfl:aine from things ftraogled, and blood. A<'l, I 1· And there was good reafon of this, becau~ ' 9• the Chur~hof the Iewes was nor yet fufliciently conuided, that an end was putto the ccremoni~lllaw by the death ofChrift, Inthethird time, which was after the publifhingof oj-le Gofpel,cercmonies ofthe Iewes Church beca_m~ vnhwfull, and fo !hall conri~ nue to tbe worlds end. By this ir.ppeares, what a monftrous &mi– ferable Religion the Church of Rome rea– cheth and maintainerh, which llands in cere– monies, partly heathenifh, and partly Iewifh, AsforthcGofpel, Itakeitforrbatpartof s,a, 1 _ the word of G~d which promifeth righreouf. Of the ncffe and life eucrlafting to all that beleeue in Gofpd Chrift and withall commandeth this faith. bmdmg. That we may the better know how the Gofpel binds confcieoce, two points muft be con– fidered: one touchingthe pcrfons bound, the othertouching the manner ofbinding. ' l· r. bec.tufe they ~om;njrted ~dulterie with their lull. ja. neighbourswi11es. .ByDr4coes lawafllongthe l~:n. ex: Grecia11S this fin11e was dca,th, and ~ifo by the pub!, iu. law ofthe RQm..nes. Again~, tbi1law ferues die. direel:ly to roaintaine neceffary oPedience to the feauemh co\li)-q_andement: a(ldtbe conG– derations vpoo which the law was giuen are pcrpetuall, and ferue to vphpld thecommon weairh, Lmit.,o. zz. Ye (faith the Lord)fl,a/1 k!epea/1 my_ordimwces•ndmy iudgmmits (the law of adulteriebeeingoneofthe.m.) Now marke thereafon~, I• L eft thel•ndfPueyo#out. z. For thtfomeji1mes Iha1teabhorrfdtf;enarions. Se<V. The Ceremouj~ll law is that which pre– Of ,,, ICribes rites and orders in the outward wo,. c~:r~lllrh 'fi1 ip ofGod. b:~~ 1 l,w 1 lt muil: be confidered in three times. The Au:~fr • firft,is the time before thef;omminga1Jd4eath cp.~,. ;d ofChrifr: ~he fecond, the tim.eof publifhing H"mo, t.be Gofpe! by the Ap,ofrles : the third , the tHn~ aher theppbli01ing.ofthe<;iofpel. In~h.efirll:, itdid binde thcconfcienc.~sof Perfonsareof two forts: fomeboecalled, D fome·be vocalled. Perfons called are all fuch to whom God in his mercie hath offered the meanes offaluation,& bath renealed rhe Gof– pcl in fome meafure more or leffe , by meanes either ordinary or extraordinary. All fuch I rhinke are flraightly bound in canfcience ro beleeue and o)>ey the Gofpel. For that 1vord ofGod whereby men fhall beciudged in the day ofiudgement,moll firfr of all binde their confciences inthis life, confideringabfolution and condemnation is acc0rding to that which isdone in this life : but by the Gofpcl, all men that haue beene called, fhall be iudged asPaul (aich,Rom.z.x6.God fh•lliudgetheftcreu of men bylefmChrijl, 4ccording to my GofPel, And our Sauior Chrift faitll, t.h, 3·t8.Hethatbeleeuuh noti& Already cendcmned. Itremaines t~ereforc thatthe Gofpe! binds the confciences of fuch men
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