For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. —Romans 11:36
Burgess delivered these lectures in the midst of the Westminster Assembly’s discussion and debates regarding the law of God, and Vindiciae Legis provides exegetical and theological rational, consonant with the teaching of chapter XIX of the Westminster Confession of Faith. In the midst of much contemporary confusion and misunderstanding that surrounds this most important loci, Burgess brings us right back into the thick of the discussion and expounds for us the biblical-theological logic typical of the Assembly members. The Westminster Confession is just that—a confession. It does not purport to give us more than conclusions drawn from a process—a process which we are able, in part, to observe through one of its principal architects.
In his own preface to the work, Burgess explains that his polemical concerns would be addressed in three successive stages. He planned to consider the law as it was given to Adam, then “as promulgated by Moses to the people of Israel” and finally in relationship to the gospel of the New Testament. Along the way Burgess addresses a number of critical issues of contemporary interest including natural law, the covenant of works, the nature of the Mosaic covenant, and the nature of the relationship between the law and the gospel.
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There is a law of Nature inscribed in the hearts of men. If this law is not abolished and believers are bound to follow its direction and obligation, how can the Antinomian argue that the Moral Law, in terms of its commanding power, ceases to be valid?
