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Gal. iii. 1 6 ; Rom. ix. 7, 8. 4. Christ is not called the mediator of the new covenant because he declared the will of God concerning it, but because he gave his life a ransom for those with whom it is made, 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6 ; and the promises of it were confirmed in his blood, Heb. ix. 15, x. 16-20. 5. This covenant was not first made and re- vealed when Christ taught in his own person. It was not only made but coufii'med to Abraham in Christ four hundred and thirty years before the law, Gal. iii. 1 7 ; yea, ever since the entrance of sin, no man hath walked with God but in the same covenant of grace, as elsewhere is declared.
Let us see what follows in Mr B. Says he, —
Q. You have already showed that Christ was like unto Moses in seeing God, and hearing from him the things which he spake: but Moses exceeded all other prophets likewise in that he only was a lawgiver; was Christ therefore like unto Moses in giving of a law also, and is there any mention of this law?
A. Gal. vi. 2, " Fulfil the law of Christ;" Rom. iii. 27, "By the law of faith;" James ii. 12, "By the law of liberty;" James i. 25.
1. That Moses did not see the face of God hath been showed, and Mr B. confesseth the same. That Christ was not rapt into heaven for any such end or purpose as is pretended, that he is not com- pared to Moses as to his initiation into his prophetical office, that tliere is not one word in the Scripture giving countenance to any of these figments, hath been evinced ; nor hath Mr B. showed any such thing to them who have their senses exercised to discern good and evil, what apprehensions soever his catechumens may have of his skill and proofs.
2. What is added to this question will be of an easy despatch. The word "law" may be considered generally, as to the nature of it, in the sense of Scripture, for a revelation of the mind of God ; and so we say Christ did give a law, in that he revealed fully %nd clearly the whole mind of God as to our salvation and the obedience he requireth of us. And so there is a law of faith, that is, a doctrine of faith, opposite to the law as to its covenant ends, simply so called. And he also instituted some peculiarly significant ceremonies to be used in the worship of God ; pressing, in particular, in his teaching and by his example, the duty of love; which thence is peculiarly called " a new commandment," John xiii. 34, and "the law of Christ," Gal. vi. 2, even that which he did so eminently practise. As he was a teacher, a prophet come out from God, he taught the mind, and will, and worship of God, from his own bosom, John i. 18, Heb. i. 1, 2. And as he was and is the king of his church, he hath given precepts, and laws, and ordinances, for the rule and government thereof, to which none can add, nor from them any detract. But take the word " law " strictly in reference to a covenant end, so that he which performs it shall be justified by his performance thereof, so we may say he gave
OF Christ's prophetical office. 361
tlie law originally as God, but as mediator lie gave no such law, or no law in that sense, but revealed fully and clearly our justification with God upon another account, and gave no new precepts of obe- dience but what were before given in the law, written originally in the heart of man by nature, and delivered to the church of the Jews by Moses in the wilderness; of which in the chapter of justification.
For the places quoted by Mr B., that of Gal. vi. 2, " Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ," speaks only of that one command of brotherly love and forbearance which is called peculiarly, as I said, " a new commandment," though the Jews had it from the beginning, and the " law of Christ," because of the emi- nent accomplishment of it by " him who loved us, and gave himself for us," transmitting it anew to us with such new motives and in- ducements as it had not received before, nor ever shall again. The " law of faith," mentioned Rom. iii. 27, is no more but the doctrine of the gospel, and of justification without the works of the law, — that is, all works commanded, by what law soever; as the whole doc- trine of the word of God is called " the law " near an hundred times in the Psalms. The " law of faith" is that which is opposed to the " law of works," as a means of obtaining righteousness, which is not by obedience to new commands.
The places in James ii. 12, i. 25, speak directly of the moral law; which is manifest by that particular enumeration of its precepts which we have subjoined, chap. ii. 10-12.
3. But Mr B.'s masters have a farther reach in the asserting Christ to have given a new law, — namely, whereas they place justification as a consequent of our own obedience, and observing how impossible it is to do it on the obedience yielded to the moral law, the apostle having so frequently and expressly decried all possibility of justifica- tion thereby, they have therefore feigned to themselves that Christ Jesus hath given a new law, in obedience whereunto we may be jus- tified ; which when they attempt to prove, it will be needful for them to produce other manner of evidences than that here by Mr B. insisted on, which speaks not one word to the purpose in hand. But that this is the intendment of the man is evident from his ensuing discourse.