who have the Spirit of Chrift within them, the grace of Chrift beltowed on them, and particularly, have the grace of faith, and that in exercise, are best qualified for doing works of real righteousness, and acts of true holinefs: of all men in the world, fuch as have believed in Chrift, as the Lord their righteousness and ftrength, ought to be careful to maintain good works for neceffary uses; and thefe, indeed, are zealous of them, and are heartily defirous of performing more than they do, to teftify their love to Chrift, and to adorn his doctrine; which doctrine of grace teaches them, that denying ungodliness and worldly luft, they fhould live foberly, righteously and godly in this prefent world .

Add to these things, that that faith which is concerned in a finner's juftifica tion, looks to Chrift as the end, the fulfilling end of the law for righteousness; it lays hold upon a righteoufnefs which is every way commenfurate to the law of God; which anfwers all its demands, and gives it all it requires; a righte ousness with which God is well p'eased, justice is satisfied, and by which the law is magnified and made bonourable; a righteoufnels that is complete and perfect, pure and fpotlefs; by which all the feed of Ifrael fhall be justified, and in which they shall glory: wherefore that faith which fpies this in Christ, looks to him for it, and fays, Surely in the Lord have I righteoufnefs and strength; can never be contrary to the law of God, or do any thing by which that is made void and useless.

2. Nor is the law made void by the doctrine of faith, particularly by the doctrine of justification by faith in the righteoufnefs of Chrift. Indeed, according to this doctrine, the law does not juftify, nor can any man be juftified by the deeds of it; the law neither has, nor can it have, any fuch ufe, fince the fall of man; this makes the righteousness of another neceffary, and juftification to proceed on another foot: For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God fending his own Son, in the likeness of finful flesh, and. for fin condemned fin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us . Man, through fin is dead; and he must be made alive before he is capable of working righteoufnefs, or of yielding obedience to the law; there must be life before there can be righteoufnefs. Now if there had been a law which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law but inafuch as there never was any fuch law which could give life to a dead finner, there can be no justification by it. The argument ufed by the apoftle, is fufficient to give fatisfaction to any one that has any regard to Chrift or true chriftianity; if righteoufnefs come by the law, then Chrift is dead in vain; but though this ufe of the law is fet afide by the doctrine of faith, yet all its real and proper ufes continue untouched by it, and remain in full force; we know that the law is good if VOL. I.

h

:

E e

a man

a man ufe it lawfully. There is a lawful and there is an unlawful ufe of the law; the unlawful use of the law is to feek for life, righteousness and salvation by it; the lawful ufes of it, and which are not made void by the doctrine of faith, are fuch as these :

One ufe of the law is, to inform us of the mind and will of God; it is a tranfcript of his holy nature and unchangeable will; and therefore is itfelf boly, juft and good'; as it muft needs be, fince it comes from him; it teaches us what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God; it points out to us our duty both to God and man; what should be done or not done by us; it directs us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, foul, and strength; and to love our neighbour as ourselves; which, in a few words, contain the fum and substance of it.

Another use of the law is, to convince of fin; for by the law is the knowledge of fin; of fin original and actual, of the fin of our hearts and nature, as well as of the fin of our lips, lives and actions: I had not known fin, fays the apostle, but by the law: for I had not known luft, that is, known it to be a fin, and finful,. except the law had faid, Thou shalt not covet". Not that the law can or does of itfelf, really and thoroughly, fpiritually and favingly, convince of fin; for this is the work of the Spirit of God: but then the Spirit of God makes ufe of the law to work in men thorough convictions of their finful, loft, and miferable condition by nature.

Again; Another ufe of the law, not made void by the doctrine of faith, is,. to be as a glafs to believers themselves; to behold therein by the light of the divine Spirit, the deformity of their fouls by fin, and the imperfection of their obedience; whereby they grow out of love with themfelves, and quit all dependence on their own righteoufnefs for juftification. So the apostle Paul, comparing himself, his heart and services, with the pure and holy law of God, thus expreffes himself; We know that the law is fpiritual; but I am carnal, fold under fin. In this view of things the pfalmift David was able to make fuch an obfervation as this; I have feen an end of all perfection; thy commandment is exceeding broad; that is, "I fee that the law of God is fo large and broad, and my obe"dience to it fo fhort of it, and fo imperfect, that I defpair of ever attaining perfection by the deeds of it." It was, no doubt, by the light of the Spirit, and as beholding herfelf in the glafs of the law, that the church faw, and fo faid, that her righteousness was as filthy rags, and herself as an unclean thing. Hence,

66

There is a farther ufe of the law to believers, and that is, to make the righteousness of Chrift more dear and valuable to them: for when they fee how imperfect their own righteousness is, and how far fhort of the demands of the righteous law of God their obedience comes; and when they behold what an ever

* 1 Tim. i. 8. Rom. vii. 14.

Rom. vii. 12.

n Chap. vii. 7. + Ifai. lxiv. 6.

Rom. iii 20.

P Pfalm cxix 96.

lafting

dafting righteoufnefs Chrift has brought in; how perfect it is in itself, and how agreeable to the law; infomuch that it is not only fulfilled by it, but magnified and made honourable; they are at once delighted with it, fix upon it, and defire to be found in Chrift; not having their own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Chrift; the righteousness which is of God by faith. Once more; Another use and office of the law is, that it is a rule of life, that is, of action, walk and converfation to the faints; who are not without law to God, but under the law to Christ': and as it is in the hands of Chrift, and held forth by him, as King of faints, and lawgiver in his church, it is to be obferved and attended to by them; and as perfons born again, being under the influences of the bleffed Spirit, and having his gracious affiftance, they delight in the law of God, after the inward man; and though with the flesh, they fometimes, to their great regret and forrow, ferve the law of fin; yet, at other times they are enabled chearfully, and with the mind, to ferve the law of God'.

To fay no more; though God's justified ones are, as fuch, delivered from the wrath and condemnation of the law; Chrift having redeemed them from thence by being made a curfe for them"; and having the fentence of condemnation executed upon him, which their fins deferved; so that there is now no condemnation to them that are in him"; they are paffed from death to life, and fhall never enter into condemnation: yet the law remains a curling and damning law to others; it lies against Chriftless finners; it pronounces them guilty, and accurfes them; it fays to them that are of the works of it, and are under it, Curfed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them; yea, it is the killing letter, the miniftration of condemnation and death unto them. Thus the law, as to these uses of it, both to faints and finners, is not made void by the doctrine of faith.

Perhaps it will be asked, Is not the law, in fome fenfe, deftroyed and abolished? Does not the apoftle fay to believers, Ye are not under the law, but under grace? Yea, he affirms that they are become dead to the law by the body of Chrift; and that they are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein they were held". And elsewhere, he argues from the former glory of the law, to the more excelling glory of the gospel, thus; If that which is done away, that is, the law, was glorious, much more that which remaineth, that is, the everlasting gospel, is glorious. To which I answer,

་་

That the law, as a covenant of works, is abolished, and done away; in this fenfe, it is made void to believers. Adam was a covenant head and reprefentative of all his pofterity, in which he was a figure of him that was to come;

the law was given to him and to all mankind in him, promifing life on condition of obedience, and threatening with death in cafe of tranfgreffion. Adam soon broke this covenant, whereby fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and so death paffed upon all men! for in him all have finued, God's elect themselves not excepted. Thefe were confidered in Adam, their natural and federal head; they finned in him, and fell with him; the sentence of death paffed on them as on others; the reafon why it was not, and never will be executed upon them, is, because Chrift, in the everlasting covenant, became their furety and substitute; engaged to bear the punishment of their fins, and make fatisfaction to the law and juftice of God for them; which he has done by his fufferings and death; and fo has delivered them from the law, as a covenant of works; and from all that mifery, deftruction and death, it entailed upon them: wherefore they are not under the law, as a covenant of works, but under grace, the covenant of grace. Again; The law is abolished and done away, as to the form of administration of it by Mofes. The whole frame of the Mofaic oeconomy is broke to pieces; which was fignified by the two tables of ftone being caft out of his hands and broken, when he came down from the mount; which were afterwards renewed, and put into the ark, a type of Chrift; in whofe hands, and not in the hands of Mofes, is the law to be confidered. The Jews faid to the poor blind man, that was cured by Chrift, Thou art his, that is, Chrift's difciple; but we are Mofes's difciples. They valued themselves upon the latter; we chriftians upon the former. Mofes, indeed, was a faithful fervant; but he was only a fervant: Chrift is a Son over his own houfe; and it is he that we are to hearken to. When Mofes and Elias were with Chrift on the mount, at the time of his transfiguration, a voice was heard, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear je him3;. not Mofes and Elias, but hear the well-beloved Son!'

Moreover, the law is deftroyed as a yoke of bondage. As it was a covenantof works, and as administered under the former difpenfation, it tended to bondage, and induced a fervile fpirit on thofe that were under it. It was not only a rigid schoolmafter, but a fevere task-mafter; not only fetting hard leffons, but requiring ftrict and perfect obedience, without giving any ftrength to perform, or directing where it is to be had; but now, in Chrift's hands, it is a perfect law of liberty; and fuch as are called by grace, are made a willing people in the day of Chrift's power upon them; not only to be faved alone by him, but to yield a chearful obedience to the law, as given forth by him. In this view of it, its commandments are not grievous; this yoke is eafy, and this burden is light; the faints ferve it with pleafure, not in the oldness of the letter, but in newness of Spirit '.:/ Likewife,

Likewife, As has been already observed, the people of God are freed from the malediction of it, and condemnation by it, and fo from the terror of it; it is a terrifying law, as it is a curfing and damning one; wherefore, to fuch, who defire to be under it, it may be said, what the apostle did, Do ye not hear the law? it speaks wrath and vengeance, curfing and bitterness; it is a voice of words, of terrible words; which they that heard at mount Sinai, intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more; for they could not endure that which was commanded. But now the cafe is different with us under the gofpel-difpenfation; the scene is altered; the face of things is changed; we hear a different voice; love, grace and mercy, instead of wrath and vengeance; bleffing and falvation, in the room of curfing and condemnation: we are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempeft; but we are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerufalem; and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general affembly, and church of the first born, which are written in heaven; and to God the Judge of all; and to the spirits of just men made perfect; and to Jefus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of Sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of bel":

Once more; The law is abrogated and made void, with refpect to juftification. We are not to feek for, and expect life and righteousness by obedience to it; and fhould we, our feeking would be in vain, and our expectation would be disappointed.. Ifrael, which followed after the law of righteousness, bath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? because they fought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the law. The fame fuccefs attends all thofe who pursue the fame scheme, and take the fame methods; by which they discover their ignorance, vanity and pride; their ignorance of the ftrictness of the justice of God; their vain opinion and conceit of their own righteoufnefs; and their haughty and contemptuous rejection of the righteoufnefs of Chrift; all which is expreffed in these few words; For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish a righteousness of their own, have not fubmitted themselves. unto the righteoufnefs of God. This is to act contrary to God's declared way and method of justifying finners. There can be no justification by the deeds of the law; this ufe of the law is entirely abolished; we are not to obey it with any fuch view, or for fuch a purpofe; no, we are to yield obedience to it, as in the hands of Chrift, from a principle of love to him; and to exprefs our gratitude for the numerous mercies we receive from him, and through him; and to teftify our profeffed fubjection, and our fenfe of obligation to him..

But now, though the law is made void as a covenant of works, it ftill continues a rule of action, walk and converfation; though it is done away as to the

form.

Rom. ix. 3, 32.

* Rom x. 3...

g Gal. iv. 21,

♪ Heb. xii. 18—20, 22—24,