CHAPTER
19
Of
the Law of God.
I. God gave to Adam a law, as
a covenant of works, by which he bound him, and all his posterity, to
personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience; promised life
upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it;
and endued him with power and ability to keep it.a
a Gen. 1:26,27 with
Gen. 2:17; Rom. 2:14,15; Rom. 10:5; Rom. 5:12,19; Gal. 3:10,12; Eccl. 7:29;
Job 28:28.
II. This law, after his fall,
continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered
by God upon mount Sinai in ten commandments, and written in two tables;b
the four first commandments containing our duty towards God, and the other six
our duty to man.c
b
James 1:25; James 2:8,10-12;
Rom.
13:8,9; Deut. 5:32; Deut. 10:4; Ex. 34:1.
c
Matt. 22:37,38-40.
III. Beside this law, commonly
called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a church
under age, ceremonial laws, containing several typical
ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces,
actions, sufferings, and benefits;d
and partly holding forth divers instructions of moral duties.e
All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated, under the New Testament.f
d
Heb. chap. 9; Heb. 10:1; Gal. 4:1-3; Col. 2:17.
e
1 Cor. 5:7; 2 Cor. 6:17; Jude ver. 23.
f
Col.
2:14,16,17; Dan. 9:27; Eph. 2:15,16.
IV. To them also, as a body
politick, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state
of that people, not obliging any other now, further than the general equity
thereof may require.g
g
Exod. chap. 21; Exod. 22:1-29; Gen. 49:10 with 1 Pet.
2:13
,14; Matt.
5:17
with ver. 38,39; 1 Cor. 9:8-10.
V. The moral law doth for ever
bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof;h
and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also
in respect of the authority of God, the Creator, who gave it.i
Neither doth Christ in the gospel any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation.k
h
Rom.
13:8-10; Eph. 6:2; 1 John 2:3,4,7,8.
i
James 2:10,11.
k
Matt. 5:17-19; James 2:8; Rom.
3:31
.
VI. Although true believers be
not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified,
or condemned;l
yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in that, as a rule of
life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs
and binds them to walk accordingly;m
discovering also the sinful pollutions of their nature, hearts, and lives;n
so as, examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of,
humiliation for, and hatred against sin;o
together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and the
perfection of his obedience.p
It is likewise of use to the regenerate, to restrain their corruptions, in
that it forbids sin;q
and the threatenings of it serve to show what even
their sins deserve, and what afflictions in this life they may
expect for them, although freed from the curse thereof threatened in the law.r
The promises of it, in like manner, show them God’s approbation
of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the
performance thereof,s
although not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works:t
so as a man’s doing good, and refraining from evil, because the law encourageth
to the one, and deterreth from the
other, is no evidence of his being under the law, and not under grace.u
l
Rom.
6:14; Gal. 2:16; Gal. 3:13; Gal. 4:4,5; Acts
13:39;
Rom.
8:1.
m
Rom.
7:12,22,25; Ps. 119:4-6; 1 Cor. 7:19; Gal.
5:14,16,18-23.
n
Rom. 7:7; Rom.
3:20
.
o
James 1:23-25;
Rom.
7:9,14,24.
p
Gal.
3:24
; Rom.
7:24
,25;
Rom.
8:3,4.
q
Jam.
2:11; Ps. 119:101,104,128.
r
Ezra 9:13,14; Ps. 89:30-34.
s
Lev. 26:1-14 with 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 6:2,3; Ps. 37:11 with Matt. 5:5; Ps.
19:11
.
t
Gal. 2:16; Luke 17:10.
u
Rom.
6:12,14; 1 Pet. 3:8-12 with Ps. 34:12-16; Heb.
12:28,29.
VII. Neither are the forementioned
uses of the law contrary to the grace of the gospel, but do sweetly comply
with it;w
the Spirit of Christ subduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely
and cheerfully which the will of God revealed in the law requireth
to be done.x
w
Gal. 3:21.
x
Ezek. 36:27; Heb.
8:10
with Jer. 31:33.
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Westminster
Confession of Faith (index)
