On the Law

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Subsection

Natural
Positive
Judicial
Ceremonial
Expositions of 10 Commandments

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Order of Contents

Articles  6
Moral  7
Moral-Natural  2
Moral-Positive  2
Law & Gospel  3
Latin  1


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Articles

1200’s

Aquinas – questions 90-108  in 2nd part, part 1  of Summa

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Anthology on the Post-Reformation

Heppe, Heinrich – ch. 13, ‘The Covenant of Works & the Righteousness of the Law’  in Reformed Dogmatics  ed. Bizer, tr. Thomson  (1950; Wipf & Stock, 2007), pp. 281-301

Contains excerpts and references from: Cocceius, Heidegger, Eglin, Martin, Maresius, Marck, Mastricht, Witsius, Braun, Olevian, Lampe, Amyraut, Wyttenback, Polanus, Wolleb & Ames.

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1600’s

Polyander, Johannes – 18. ‘Concerning the Law of God’  in Synopsis of a Purer Theology: Latin Text & English Translation  Buy  (1625; Brill, 2016), vol. 1, pp. 432-52

Maccovius, John – ch. 2, ‘On the Law’  in Scholastic Discourse: Johannes Maccovius (1588-1644) on Theological & Philosophical Distinctions & Rules  (1644; Apeldoorn: Instituut voor Reformatieonderzoek, 2009), pp. 85-97

Maccovius (1588–1644) was a reformed, supralapsarian Polish theologian.

Rijssen, Leonard – ch. 9, ‘The Law, the Fall & Sin’  in A Complete Summary of Elenctic Theology & of as Much Didactic Theology as is Necessary  tr. J. Wesley White  MTh thesis  (Bern, 1676; GPTS, 2009), pp. 82-100

Rijssen (1636?-1700?) was a prominent Dutch reformed minister and theologian, active in theological controversies.

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1700’s

à Brakel, Wilhelmus – ‘The Law of God: General Considerations’  in The Christian’s Reasonable Service, vol. 3  ed. Joel Beeke, trans. Bartel Elshout  (1700; RHB, 1992/1999), pp. 35-84


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On Moral Law

Articles

1200’s

Aquinas – Summa, 2nd part, part 1, question 91, ‘Of the various kinds of law’

article 4, ‘Whether there is a Divine Law’
article 5, ‘Whether there is one Divine Law or several’

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1600’s

Palmer, Herbert & Daniel Cawdrey – Sabbatum Redivivum, or the Christian Sabbath Vindicated…  (1645), Part 1

ch. 1

sections 1-2, pp. 1-3
sections 13-14, pp. 7-9

ch. 3, ‘Every Law of the Decalogue is a Moral & Perpetual Law’, pp. 37-48
ch. 4, ‘The Exceptions to the Former Argument Answered’, pp. 48-56

ch. 7, ‘General Considerations about Time & its Profitableness in Reference to Moral Actions of Importance’, pp. 83-105

Roberts, Francis – ‘On the Moral Law & the Law of Nature’  PDF  (1675)  3 pp.  being Book 3, Chapter 4, Aphorism 1, Question 6 of his The Mystery & Marrow of the Bible: God’s Covenants with Man

Turretin, Francis – ‘Whether there is a natural law, and how it differs from the moral law.  The former we affirm; the latter we distinguish.’  †1687  in his Institutes of Elenctic Theology  Buy  vol. 2, Eleventh Topic: The Law of God, pp. 1-7

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Quotes

London Presbyterians

The Divine Right of Church Government…  (1646), p. 76

“What moral goodness nature teaches, that same does the Moral Law teach, so the one excludes not the other.”

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Francis Turretin

Institutes of Elenctic Theology (P&R, 1994), vol. 2, 11th Topic, ‘On the Law of God’, Question 24, ‘What was the end and use of the ceremonial law under the Old Testament?’, section 3, p. 146

“Hence arises a manifold difference between the moral law and others [ceremonial and judicial] both in origin (because the moral is founded upon natural right and on this account is known by nature; but the others upon positive right and on this account are from free revelation) and in duration.

The former is immutable and eternal; the latter mutable and temporary.  In regard to object, the one is universal embracing all; the others particular applying only to the Jews…  In regard to use, the moral is the end of the others, while the others are subservient to the moral.”

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Richard Muller

Dictionary of Greek & Latin Theological Terms  1st ed. (Baker, 1985)

pp. 173-4

“In substance, the lex moralis [moral law] is identical with the lex naturalis [natural law], but, unlike the natural law, it is given by revelation in a form which is clearer and fuller than that otherwise known to the reason.”

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pp. 174-5

“The universal moral law either impressed by God upon the mind of all people or immediately discerned by the reason in its encounter with the order of nature.  The natural law was therefore available even to those pagans who did not have the advantage of the Sinaitic revelation and the lex Mosaica [Law of Moses], with the result that they were left without excuse in their sins, convicted by conscientia [conscience].

The scholastics argue the identity of the lex naturalis [Natural Law] with the lex Mosaica or lex moralis [Moral Law] quod substantiam, according to substance, and distinguish them quod formam, according to form.  The lex naturalis is inward, written on the heart and therefore obscure, whereas the lex Mosaica is revealed externally and written on tablets and thus of greater clarity.”


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On Moral-Natural Laws

Article

Palmer, Herbert & Daniel Cawdrey – Sabbatum Redivivum, or the Christian Sabbath Vindicated…  (1645), Part 1

ch. 1

sections 14-19, pp. 9-11
section 28, p. 16

ch. 6, ‘Solemn Worship is Moral-Natural, both solitary and conjoined in families and churches, and how far’, pp. 73-82


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On Moral-Positive Laws

See also ‘The Sabbath is Partly Moral & Partly Positive’.

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Articles

Palmer, Herbert & Daniel Cawdrey – Sabbatum Redivivum, or the Christian Sabbath Vindicated…  (1645), Part 1

ch. 1

section 14, p. 9
sections 20-28, pp. 11-16

ch. 2, ‘Rules to Know a Law to be Moral, though but Positive’, pp. 17-37


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On the Law & Gospel

Article

2000’s

Johnson, Charles – Lex Semper Accusat? The Law & the Gospel in Melanchthon’s Loci Communes  (2020)

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Latin Article

1600’s

Alsterd, Johann Heinrich – ‘On Law & Gospel’  in Tomus Quintus Encyclopaediae…  (Herborn, 1630), p. 1,614  tr. Michael Lynch

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Latin

1600’s

Alsted, Johann H. – ch. 8, ‘On the Law of God’  in Theological Common Places Illustrated by Perpetual Similitudes  (Frankfurt, 1630), pp. 49-53

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