Theses Sabbaticæ, or, The doctrine of the Sabbath wherein the Sabbaths I. Morality, II. Change, III. Beginning. IV. Sanctification, are clearly discussed, which were first handled more largely in sundry sermons in Cambridge in New-England in opening of the Fourth COmmandment : in unfolding whereof many scriptures are cleared, divers cases of conscience resolved, and the morall law as a rule of life to a believer, occasionally and distinctly handled / by Thomas Shepard ...

Thesis 82.

[ 82] The bloud of Christ was never shed to destroy all sense of sin and sight of sinne in Beleevers, and consequently all attendance to any rule of the law, by which means chiefely sinne comes to be seen: but he dyed rather to make them sensible of sinne, for if he dyed to save men from sin (as is evident, 1 Iohn 3.5. Tit. 3.14.) then hee dyed to make his people sensible of sinne, because hereby his peoples hearts are chiefely weaned and sever'd from it and saved out of it (as by hardnesse and unsensiblenesse of heart under it, they chiefely cleave to it and it to them) and therefore we know that godly sorrow workes repentance, never to be re∣pented of, 2 Cor. 7.10. And that Pharaoh's hardnesse of heart strengthened him in his sin against God unto the last gasp, and hence it is also that the deepest and greatest spirit of mourning for sin is poured out upon Beleevers, after God hath poured out upon them the spirit of grace, as is evident, Zach. 12.10, 11. because the bloud of Christ which was shed for the killing of their sinne, now makes them sensible of their sinne, because it's now sprinkled and applyed to them, which it was not before, for they now see all their sins aggravated, being now not onely sinnes against the law of God, but against the bloud and love of the Son of God: It is therefore a most accursed doctrine of some Libertines, who imagining that (through the bloudshed and righteousnes of Christ in their free justifica∣tion) God sees no sinne in his justified people, that there∣fore

themselves are to see no sinne, because now they are justified and washed with Christs bloud; and therefore lest they should be found out to bee grosse liars, they mince the matte••, they confesse that they may see sinne by the eye of sense and reason, but (faith being crosse to reason) they are therefore to see the quite contrary, and so to see no sinne in themselves by the eye of faith; from whence it fol∣lowes that Christ shed his bloud to destroy all sight and sense of sin to the eye of faith, though not to the eye of rea∣son, and thus as by the eye of faith they should see no sin, so (it will follow) that by the same bloud they are bound to see no law, no not so much as their rule, which as a rule is index sui & obliqui, and in revealing mans duty declares his sinne. I know that in beholding our free justification by the bloud of Christ, we are to exclude all law from our consciences as a covenant of life, not to see or feare any con∣demnation for sinne, or any sinne able to take away life: But will it hence follow that a justified person must see no sinne by the eye of faith, nor any law as his rule to walke by, to discover sinne? and is this the end and fruit of Christs death too? Surely this doctrine, if it be not blasphemous, yet it may be knowne to be very false and pernicious, by the old rule of judging false Doctrines, viz. if either they tend to extenuate sinne in man, or to vilifie the precious grace of Jesus Christ, as this Doctrine doth.