Classic Poem

Paragraph I.

The Place and Station of Law and Gospel in general

When we the sacred record view,
Or divine Test'ments old and new;
The matter in most pages fix'd,
Is law and gospel intermix'd.

Yet few, ev'n in a learned age,
Can so resolve the sacred page,
As to discern with equal eye,
Where law where gospel sever'd lie.

One divine text with double clause
May speak the gospel's voice and laws:
Hence men to blend them both are apt,
Should in one sentence both be wrapt.

But that we may the truth pursue,
And give both law and grace their due,
And God the glory there display'd;
The following rules may give us aid.

Where-e'er in sacred writ we see
A word of grace or promise free,
With blessings dropt for Jesus' sake:
We these for gospel-news may take.

But where a precept strict we find
With promise to our doing join'd,
Or threat'ning with a wrathful frown;
This is the law we justly own.

Paragraph II.

The Place and Station of Law and Gospel in particular. Where the Difference is noted betwixt the Gospel largely viewed in its Dispensation, and strictly in itself; and betwixt the Gospel and faith receiving it.

Wouldst thou distinctly know the sound
Of law and grace, then don't confound
The dispensation with the grace;
For these two have a distinct place.

The gospel thus dispens'd we see,
“Believe, and thou shalt saved be;
If not, thou shalt be damn'd to hell,
And in eternal torments dwell.”

Here precepts in it are dispens'd,
With threat'nings of damnation fenc'd;
The legal sanction here takes place,
That none may dare abuse free grace.

Yet nor does that command of faith,
Nor this tremendous threat of wrath,
Belong to gospel strictly so;
But to its dispensation do.

The method of dispensing here,
Does law and gospel jointly bear;
Because the law's subservient,
Unto the gospel's blest intent.

Precepts and threat'nings both make way
The gospel blessings to convey;
Which differs much, though thus dispens'd
From laws and threats whereby 'tis fenc'd.

“Believe and thou shalt saved be,”
Is gospel, but improperly;
Yet safely men may call it thus,
Because 'tis so dispens'd to us.

But sure the gospel-news we sing,
Must be some other glorious thing,
Than precepts to believe the same,
Whatever way we blend their name.

The gospel-treasure's something more
Than means that do apply the store:
Believing is the method pav'd;
The gospel is the thing believ'd.

The precious thing is tidings sweet,
Of Christ a Saviour most complete,
To save from sin, and death, and wrath;
Which tidings tend to gender faith.

Faith comes by hearing God's record
Concerning Jesus Christ the Lord;
And is the method Heav'n has blest
For bringing to the gospel-rest.

The joyful sound is news of grace,
And life to Adam's guilty race,
Through Jesus' righteousness divine,
Which bright from faith to faith does shine.

The promise of immortal bliss
Is made to this full righteousness:
By this our right to life is bought;
Faith begs to right and buys it not.

True faith receives the offer'd good,
And promise seal'd with precious blood:
It gives no title to the bliss,
But takes th' entitling righteousness.

This object great of saving faith,
And this alone the promise hath;
For 'tis not made to faith's poor act
But is the prize that faith does take:

And only as it takes the same,
It bears a great and famous name;
For self and all its grandeur down
It throws, that Christ may wear the crown

But if new laws and threats were all
That gospel properly we call,
Then were the precept to believe,
No better news than Do and Live.

If then we won't distinguish here,
We cloud, but don't the gospel clear;
We blend it with the fiery law,
And all into confusion draw.

The law of works we introduce,
As if old merit were in use,
When man could life by doing won,
Ev'n though the work by grace were done.

Old Adam in his innocence
Deriv'd his power of doing hence:
As all he could was wholly due:
So all the working strength, he knew,

Was only from the grace of God,
Who with such favour did him load:
Yet was the promise to his act,
That he might merit by compact.

No merit but of paction could
Of men or angels e'er be told;
The God-man only was so high
To merit by condignity.

Were life now promised to our act,
Or to our works by paction tack'd;
Though God should his assistance grant,
'Tis still a doing covenant

Though Heav'n its helping grace should yield,
Yet merit's still upon the field;
We cast the name, yet still 'tis found
Disclaim'd but with a verbal sound.

If one should borrow tools from you,
That he some famous work might do;
When once his work is well prepar'd,
He sure deserves his due reward;

Yea, justly may he claim his due,
Although he borrow'd tools from you:
Ev'n thus the borrow'd strength of grace
Can't hinder merit to take place.

From whence soe'er we borrow pow'rs,
If life depend on works of ours;
Or if we make the gospel thus
In any sort depend on us;

We give the law the gospel-place,
Rewards of debt the room of grace;
We mix heav'n's treasures with our trash,
And magnify corrupted flesh.

The new and gospel covenant
No promise to our works will grant
But to the doing of our Head,
And in him to each gospel-deed.

To godliness, which is great gain,
Promise is said to appertain:
But know, lest you the gospel mar,
In whom it is we godly are:

To him and to his righteousness
Still primar'ly the promise is:
And not ev'n to the gracious deed,
Save in and through the glorious Head.

Pray let us here observe the odds,
How law and grace take counter roads,
The law of works no promise spake
Unto the agent, but the act;

It primar'ly no promise made
Unto the person, but the deed;
Whate'er the doing person shar'd,
'Twas for his deed he had reward.

The law of grace o'erturns the scale,
And makes the quite reverse prevail:
Its promise lights not on the deed,
But on the doing person's head;

Not for his doing, but for this,
Because in Christ his portion is;
Which union to the living Prince,
His living works and deeds evince.

Good fruits have promise in this view,
As union to the B RANCH they shew:
To whom the promises pertain,
In him all Yea, and all Amen.

Observe, pray; for if here we err,
And do not Christ alone prefer,
But think the promise partly stands
On our obeying new commands:

Th' old cov'nant-place to works we give,
Or mingle Grace with Do and Live;
We overcloud the gospel charms,
And also break our working arms.

More honour to the law profess,
But giving more, we give it less:
Its heavy yoke in vain we draw,
By turning gospel into law.

We rob grace of its joyful sound,
And bury Christ in Moses' ground;
At best we run a legal race
Upon the field of gospel-grace.

Paragraph III.

Gospel no New Law; but a joyful sound of Grace and Mercy

Law-precepts in a gospel-mold,
We may as gospel-doctrine hold,
But gospel-calls in legal dress,
The joyful sound of grace suppress.

Faith and repentance may be taught,
And yet no gospel-tidings brought;
If as mere duties these we press,
And not as parts of promis'd bliss.

If only precepts we present,
Though urg'd with strongest argument,
We leave the weak'ned sinner's hope
In darkness of despair to grope.

The man whom legal precepts chase,
As yet estrang'd to sov'reign grace,
Mistaking evangelic charms,
As if they stood on legal terms.

Looks to himself, though dead in sin,
For grounds of faith and hope within:
Hence fears and fetters grow and swell,
Since nought's within but sin and hell.

But faith that looks to promis'd grace,
Clean out of self the soul will chase,
To Christ for righteousness and strength,
And finds the joyful rest at length.

Proud flesh and blood will startle here,
And hardly such report can bear.
That Heav'n all saving store will give
To them that work not, but believe.

Yet not of works, but 'tis the race
Of faith, that it may be of grace:
For faith does nothing but agree
To welcome this salvation free.

“ Come down Zaccheus ; quickly come,
Salvation's brought unto thy home;
In vain thou climb'st the legal tree;
Salvation freely comes to thee.

“Thou dream'st of coming up to terms,
Come down into my saving arms;
Down, down, and get a pardon free,
On terms already wrought by me.

“Behold the blessings of my blood,
Bought for thy everlasting good,
And freely all to be convey'd
Upon the price already paid.

“I know thou hast no good, and see
I cannot stand in terms with thee,
Whose fall has left thee nought to claim,
Nor aught to boast but sin and shame.”

The law of heavy hard commands
Confirms the wak'ned sinner's bands;
But grace proclaims relieving news,
And scenes of matchless mercy shews.

No precept clogs the gospel call,
But therein grace is all in all;
No law is here but that of grace,
Which brings relief in ev'ry case.

The gospel is the promise fair
Of grace, all ruins to repair;
And leaves no sinner room to say,
“Alas! this debt I cannot pay;

“This grievous yoke I cannot bear,
This high demand I cannot clear.”
Grace stops the mouth of such complaints,
And store of full supply presents.

The glorious gospel is (in brief,)
A sov'reign word of sweet relief;
Not clogg'd with cumbersome commands,
To bind the soul's receiving hands.

'Tis joyful news of sov'reign grace,
That reigns in state through righteousness,
To ransom from all threat'ning woes,
And answer all commanding Do's.

This gospel comes with help indeed,
Adapted unto sinners' need.
These joyful news that suit their case,
Are chariots of his drawing grace.

'Tis here the Spirit powerful rides,
The fountains of the deep divides;
The King of glory's splendour shews,
And wins the heart with welcome news.

Paragraph IV.

The Gospel further described as a Bundle of Good News, and gracious Promises.

The first grand promise forth did break
In threats against the tempting snake;
So may the gospel in commands,
Yet nor in threats or precepts stands:

But 'tis a doctrine of free grants
To sinners, that they may be saints:
A joyful sound of royal gifts,
To obviate unbelieving shifts:

A promise of divine supplies,
To work all gracious qualities.
In those, who pronest to rebel,
Are only qualify'd for hell.

Courting vile sinners, ev'n the chief,
It leaves no cloak for unbelief;
But ev'n on gross Manassehs calls,
On Mary Magdalens and Sauls.

'Tis good news of a fountain ope
For sin and filth; a door of hope
For those that lie in blood and gore,
And of a salve for ev'ry sore.

Glad news of sight unto the blind;
Of light unto the dark'ned mind;
Of healing to the deadly sick;
And mercy both to Jew and Greek.

Good news of gold to poor that lack:
Of raiment to the naked back:
Of binding to the wounds that smart;
And rest unto the weary heart.

Glad news of freedom to the bound
Of store all losses to refound,
Of endless life unto the dead,
And present help in time of need.

Good news of heav'n, where angels dwell,
To those that well deserved hell:
Of strength to weak for work and war,
And access near to those afar.

Glad news of joy to those that weep,
And tender care of cripple sheep:
Of shelter to the soul pursu'd
And cleansing to the hellish-hued:

Of floods to sap the parched ground,
And streams to run the desert round;
Of ransom to the captive caught,
And harbour to the found'ring yacht:

Of timely aid to weary groans;
Of joy restor'd to broken bones:
Of grace divine to graceless preys,
And glory to the vile and base:

Of living water pure, that teems
On fainting souls refreshing streams;
Of gen'rous wine to cheer the strong,
And milk to feed the tender young:

Of saving faith to faithless ones;
Of soft'ning grace to flinty stones;
Of pardon to a guilty crew,
And mercy free, where wrath was due.

Good news of welcome kind to all,
That come to Jesus at his call;
Yea, new of drawing pow'r, when scant,
To those that fain would come and can't.

Glad news of rich mysterious grace,
And mercy meeting ev'ry case;
Of store immense all voids to fill,
And ree to whosoever will.

Of Christ exalted as a Prince,
Pardons to give a penitence;
Of grace o'ercoming stubborn wills,
And leaping over Bether hills.

Faith comes by hearing these reports:
Straight to the court of grace resorts,
And, free of mercenary thought,
Gets royal bounty all for nought.

Faith's wing within the clammy sea
Of legal merit cannot flee;
But mounting mercy's air apace,
Soars in the element of grace.

But as free love the blessing gives
To him that works not, but believes;
So faith, once reaching its desire,
Works hard by love, but not by hire.