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The Difference betwixt the Law and the Gospel.

THE law fuppofing I have all,

Does ever for perfection call.

The golpel fuits my total want,
And all the law can feek does grant.
The law could promife life to me,
If my obedience perfect be:
But grace does promife life upon
My Lord's obedience alone.

The law fays, Do, and life you'll win;
But grace fays, Live, for all is done :
The former cannot eafe my grief;
The latter yields me full relief.
By law convinc'd of finful breach;
By gofpel-grace I comfort reach:
The one my condemnation bears;
The other juftifies and clears.

The law fhews my arrears are great;
The gofpel freely pays my debt:
The firft does me the bankrupt curfe;
The laft does blefs and fill my purfe.
The law will not abate a mite;
The gospel all the fum will quite :
There God in threat'nings is array'd,
But here in promifes difplay'd.
The law and gofpel difagree,
Like Hagar, Sarah, bond and free:
The former's Hagar's fervitude;
The latter Sarah's happy brood.

than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accurfed. Zeph. i. 4. -I will cut off-ver. 5-them that worship, and that fwear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham. Acts xv. 7. And when there had been much difputing, Peter rofe up and faid unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago, God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth thould hear the word of the gospel, and believe. Ver. 10, 11. Now, therefore, why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the difciples, which neither our fathers nor we are able to bear? But we believe that, through the grace of the Lord Jefus Chrift, we shall be faved even as they. Gal. v. r. Stand fast therefore in the liberty where with Chrift hath made us free, and be not intangled again with the yoke of bondage. Ver. 4. Chrift is become of none effect unto you, whosoever of you are jullified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

To Sinai black, and Zion fair,

The word does law and grace compare.
Their curfing and their bleffing vye
With Ebal and Gerizzim high.
The law excludes not boafting vain,
But rather feeds it to my bane:
But gofpel-grace allows no boafts,
Save in the King, the Lord of hosts.
The law fill irritates my fin,
And hardens my proud heart therein;
By grace's melting pow'r renews,
And my corruption ftrong fubdues.
The law with thunder, Sinai-like,
Does always dread and terror speak:
The gospel makes a joyful noise,
And charms me with a ftill, calm voice.
The legal trumpet war proclaims,
In wrathful threats, and fire, and flames:
The gofpel-pipe, a peaceful found,
Which spreads a kindly breath around.
The law is weak through finful flesh;
The gofpel brings recruits afresh:
The first a killing letter wears;
The laft a quick'ning fpirit bears.
The law that feeks perfection's height,
Yet gives no ftrength, nor offers might;
But precious gofpel-tidings glad
Declare where all is to be had.

From me alone the law does crave,
What grace affirms in Chrift I have:
When therefore law-purfuits inthral,
I fend the law to grace for all.
The law brings terror to moleft,
The gospel gives the weary reft.
The one does flags of death difplay,
The other fhews the living way.
The law by Mofes was expreft;
The glorious gofpel came by Chrift:
The firft dim nature's light may trace;
The laft is only known by grace.

The law may roufe me from my floth,
To faith and to repentance both :
And though the law commandeth each,
Yet neither of them can it teach.
Nor will accept for current coin
The duties which it does injoin:
It feeks all, but accepts no less
Than conftant, perfect righteousness.
The gofpel, on the other hand,
Although it iffue no command,
But ftrictly view'd, does whole confift
In promises and offers bleft;

Yet does it many duties teach,
Which legal light could never reach:
Thus faith, repentance, and the like,
Are fire that gofpel-engines ftrike.
They have acceptance here through grace,
The law affords them no fuch place:
Yet ftill they come through both their hands,
Through gofpel-teachings, law-commands.
The law's a house of bondage fore;
The gofpel opes the prifon-door:
The first me hamper'd in its net;
The laft at freedom kindly fet.
The precept craves, the gofpel gives;
While that me preffes, this relieves ;
And or affords the ftrength I lack,
Or takes the burden off my back.
The law requires on pain of death;
The gofpel courts with loving breath:
While that conveys a deadly wound;
This makes me perfect, whole, and found.
There viewing how difeas'd I am,
I here perceive the healing balm :
Afflicted there with fenfe of need,
But here refrefh'd with meet remede.
The law's a charge for what I owe;
The gospel my difcharge to fhow:
The one a scene of fears doth ope;
The other is the door of hope,

An angry God the law reveal'd;
The gofpel fhews him reconcil'd:
By that I know he was difpleas'd;
By this I fee his wrath appeas'd.
The law thus fhews the divine ire,
And nothing but confuming fire.
The gofpel brings the olive-branch,
And blood the burning fire to quench.
The law ftill fhews a fiery face;
The gospel fhews a throne of grace;
There Juftice rides alone in ftate;
But here fhe takes the mercy-feat.

In SUM:

Lo! in the law JEHOVAH dwells,
But Jefus is conceal'd;
Whereas the gofpel's nothing elfe
But Jefus Chrift reveal'd.

SECT. III.

The HARMONY betwixt the Law and the Gospel.

HE law's a tutor much in vogue,

TH

To gofpel-grace a pedagogue;

The gospel to the law no lefs
Than its full end for righteoufnefs.
When once the fiery law of God
Has chas'd me to the gofpel-road;
Then back unto the holy law
Moft kindly gofpel-grace will draw.

When by the law to grace I'm school'd;
Grace by the law will have me rul'd:
Hence, if I don't the law obey,
I cannot keep the gospel-way.
When I the gospel-news believe,
Obedience to the law I give :
And that both in its fed'ral drefs,
And as a rule of holiness.

Lo! in my Head I render all
For which the fiery law can call:
His blood unto its fire was fuel,
His Spirit fhapes me to its rule.
When law and gofpel kindly meet,
To ferve each other both unite:
Sweet promifes, and ftern commands,
Do work to one-another's hands.
The divine law demands no lefs
Then human perfect righteoufnefs:
The gofpel gives it this and more,
Ev'n divine righteoufnefs in ftore.
Whate'er the righteous law require,
The gofpel grants its whole defire.
Are law commands exceeding broad?
So is the righteoufnefs of God.
How great foe'er the legal charge,
The gofpel-payment's equal large:
No lefs by man the law can bray,
When grace provides a God to pay.
The law makes gofpel-banquets fweet;
The gofpel makes the law complete;
Law-fuits to grace's florehoufe draw;
Grace decks and magnifies the law.
Both law and gofpel clofs combine,
To make each other's luftre fhine:
The gofpel all law-breakers fhames;
The law all gofpel-flighters damns.
The law is holy, juft, and good;
All this the gofpel feals with blood,
And clears the royal law's juft dues
With dearly purchas'd revenues.
The law commands me to believe;
The gofpel faving faith does giye:
The law injoins me to repent;
The gofpel gives my tears a vent.
What in the gofpel-mint is coin'd,
The fame is in the law injoin'd
Whatever gospel-tidings teach,
The law's authority doth reach.
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