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the Father imputing it to us, and by our faith apprehending it, as our juftifying righteoufnefs before God; from whence abundance of peace, joy and comfort arife to our fouls: This is now the fum and fubftance of the first four chapters of this Epiftle; and in this fifth chapter, our apoftle sets forth the ftupendous love of the Father in giving his Son to die, and the inexpreffible love of Christ in fhedding his precious blood for finners, whilft fuch, that they might be juftified by it, and faved from wrath to come; and also takes an occafion to compare the heads of the two covenants, Adam and CHRIST, and fhews how fin and death came into the world by the one, and righteousness and life by the other; and how much the glory of fuperabounding grace appears in our juftification to life by Christ.

And in handling this great doctrine of juftification, he does, as he goes along, obviate those objections which were then formed against it; "that it made void "the law, difcouraged the performance of good works, and countenanced "licentiousness;" which are the very fame objections that are now formed against it; and which, to me, is an evidence of the fameness of doctrine; that is to fay, that the doctrine of juftification by Chrift's imputed righteousness, which we preach and affert, is the fame which the apoftle preached and afferted, becaufe the fame objections are levelled against the one as the other; and confirms me in the belief of this, that the doctrine of juftification by works is not the fcripture-doctrine, because it will not admit the fame objections to be made against it, which that doctrine had. Now I apprehend that there is in the words which I have read, an anticipation of an objection, which might be made against the doctrine the apoftle had afferted, after this manner; If there is no juftification by the deeds of the law, if fin was in the world, and death by fin fo univerfally extended its empire before the law was given, then for what purpose was the law introduced? The apoftle answers, that the offence might abound; an anfwer much like to that which he gives to a like objection in Gal. iii. 19. Wherefore then ferveth the law? It was added because of tranfgreffions. Though it is thought by others, that the apostle having treated concerning the ftate of things from Adam to Mofes, fubjoins those words, left any should think that the law was given to deliver men from fin, and repair the lofs fuftained thereby; however, it is evident from the words, that one end or confequence of the law's entrance was, that fin might abound and fin is permitted to abound, that there might be an opportunity, or an occafion for fuper-abounding grace to manifest itfelf; and grace does thus abound, that fo it might reign.

My time will not allow me to make and improve thofe doctrinal obfervations, which these fruitful words would furnish us with; therefore the method which I shall take in speaking to them, will be to discourse,

1. Concerning

I. Concerning the law's entrance, and the end or confequence thereof.
II. The aboundings of grace over abounding fin.

III. The reign of grace in oppofition to the reign of fir.

I. I fhall difcourfe concerning the law's entrance, and the end or confequence of it; it will therefore be proper to explain these three things in difcourfing on this head.

1. What we are to understand by the law.

2. What by the entrance of it.

3. In what fenfe the offence abounded by it.

1. What we are to understand by the law: By the law is meant either the ceremonial or the moral law; the ceremonial law was a fhadow of good things to

it prefigured the Lord Jefus Chrift, and was the Jews fchoolmafter, which led them to him; it confifted in the obfervation of meats and drinks, and divers washings and carnal ordinances impofed on the Jewish church, until the time of reformation. It may not be amifs if we confider a little, how far the words will bear this fenfe. The ceremonial law entered but for a time, it was not to continue always; and this is thought by fome to be the import of the Greek word wapon; and it is the obfervation of one of the ancients, that the apostle does not say the law was given, but it entered, and that on purpose to shew that the use of the law was but temporary. The moral law abides for ever, as a rule of life, but the ceremonial law was to continue but for a time, even until faith came, that is, Chrift, who is both the object and author of faith; for Chrift the substance being come, those shadows vanished and disappeared: His blood being fhed, which cleanseth from all fin, no more need of the blood of bulls and goats, nor of those divers washings and purifications; this great facrifice being offered up, the daily facrifice ceased; and fpiritual ordinances being instituted, no more need of carnal ones.

d

Again; The ceremonial law was fuperadded to the moral law; it was an appendage to it, it entered in over and above that. The moral law was given to discover the evil of fin; the ceremonial law was fuperadded to it to lead the faith of God's children, under that difpenfation, to a proper atoning facrifice for it.

Again; The ceremonial law was an indication of that great evil which is in fin; God's requiring facrifices to be offered for the typical expiation of fin, does manifeftly shew how highly he refented it, and of what an evil nature it is; and if you will but confider the frequent reiteration of thofe facrifices, and how there was, notwithstanding them, a remembrance of fin made every year; also how far Short

a Heb. ix. 10.

Chryfoft. in Lud. de Dieu in loc.

Gal. iii. 23, 25.

• Heb. z. 1-- 4o

d Supervenit, Caftalio. Præterea introit. Beza.

short of perfection these facrifices left the comers thereunto, and how impoffible it was that the blood of bulls and goats fhould take away fin; you will then easily observe the vile nature of fin, and how it abounded, and became exceeding finful by this law.

Laftly, As the defign of this law was to lead the faith of God's children' to the perfon, blood, righteousness, and facrifice of Chrift; fo it was not only to fhew us what fin is, and how highly displeasing to the great God; but also how much his fuperabounding grace appears in the remiffion of it, through the blood and facrifice of Chrift prefigured thereby; so that where fin abounded grace did much more abound. But then,

By the law may be meant the moral law, which was given by Mofes, and is mentioned in oppofition to that grace and truth which came by Chrift. The law was given by Mofes, but grace and truth came by Jefus Chrift. The fum of which law is love to God, and love to our neighbour; as appears from the answer which Chrift gave the lawyer who put this question to him; faying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jefus faid unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment: And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments, bang all the law and the prophets. Hence it is that the apostle Paul fays, that love is the fulfilling of the law. And this is the law which I apprehend is meant in the words of my text. I fhall now therefore confider,

2. What is meant by the entrance of this law. We may confider the law as it entered into the world by Mofes, as it was ordained by angels in the band of a mediator on mount Sinai, and alfo as it enters into the confcience of a poor finner.

The entrance of the law by Mofes, does not fuppofe that there was no law previous to that which was given by him; for there was a law of nature which was infcribed on Adam's heart, and continued there during his innocent state; some broken remains of which are yet to be found, even in the very Heathens, as is manifeft from Rom. ii. 14, 15.

Besides this, there was also a positive law given to Adam as a covenant-head, recorded in Genefis. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eateft thereof, thou shalt surely die '. Through the tranfgreffion of which law he ruined himself and all his pofterity, and that for ever, had it not been for the kind interpofition and efficacious mediation of the Lord Jefus Chrift. Thus then there was a law antecedent to the law's being given on mount Sinai.

Nor

f John i. 17.

8 Matt. xxii. 35-37

Rom. xiii. 10.

i Chap. ii. 17.

Nor does it fuppofe that this law, which entered into the world by Mofes, is of a different nature from that which was infcribed on Adam's heart, in his state of innocence; but only that it was delivered in another manner, the one was written upon the fleshly table of the heart, the other upon tables of stone; the one was given to Adam to be kept by him, the other was put into the ark, which ark was a type of Chrift; the one was delivered as a covenant of works, the other only as a rule of life, to fhew what is to be done, and what to be avoided, to discover the nature of fin, and the creature's inability to keep that law; in order that fouls under a sense of these things, might make application to Christ, who was made under this law, and is become the fulfilling end of it for righteoufness to every one that believes: fo that the law of nature, and the law of Mofes, for substance, are the fame. Again:

The word here used may denote the time of its entrance, it intervened', it came, as it were, between Adam's fin, and Chrift's facrifice for it; the offence was committed long before the law entered; and the law entered long before Christ's facrifice was offered; it entered into the world between them both. The offence is permitted, and after fome confiderable time the law is given, that the offence might abound; and after as long a time, Chrift comes to atone for this offence, that grace might fuperabound. Quickly after the offence was committed, a promise of grace was made; now between that promife, and the fulfilling of it, the law entered. But we may confider the law, as it enters into the conscience of a poor finner, and thus it enters privately, fecretly, and as it were by stealth; and in this fenfe is the word ufed, where we read of falfe brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily, wagondon, crept in, as it were by stealth, to spy out our liberty; now the law as given by Mofes, did not enter in such a manner; there were prefent ten thoufonds of faints, that is, Angels. And fo also when the Lord fpake the ten words, all the people faw the thunderings, and the lightenings, and the noife of the trumpet, and the mountain fmoaking "; so that the law was not given in a private manner, but in the prefence of angels and But when the law comes and enters into the confcience of a man, it is fuddenly, at unawares, and it immediately caufes fin to abound. An instance of this, we have in the apoftle Paul; for I was alive, fays he, without the law once; but when the commandment came, fin revived, and I died". He thought himself, before the commandment came, as good, holy and righteous as any man, and in as fair a way for heaven; but when the commandment came nearer to his confcience, and he saw the perfection, and fpirituality of it, and was thereby powerfully convinced of the filthinefs of his nature, and the imperfection of his VOL. I. obedience,

men.

* Rom. x. 4.

X X

m

1 Пage. Hoc eft quafi media inter reatum illum (i. e. Adami) & hanc Chrifti gratiam conftitit. Vorft. in loc. Rom. vii. 9.

m Exod. xx. 18.

obedience, immediately fin revives, abounds, and appears exceeding finful, and he becomes a dead man in his own apprehenfion; thus the words may be referred to the ufe of the law; though I am rather inclined to think they are to be understood of the law's entrance by Moses. Thus much for the law's entrance; we fhall now confider,

3. The end or confequence thereof; that was, that the offence might abound: By the offence, we may understand either the fin of Adam, or any, or all other fins, and tranfgreffions; there is fome reafon to believe that by the offence, the apostle primarily intends the fin of Adam; because it is that fin which he particularly treats of in the preceding verfes, as alfo the word naela, which the apostle makes use of here, fignifies a fall, and fo may intend what we commonly call the fall of Adam; though, I confefs, the word is fometimes used for actual fins and tranfgreffions. But however, it may not be amifs to confider how this offence of Adam's abounded by the entrance of the law of Mofes.

ft, The guilt of Adam's fin has abounded to all his pofterity, being imputed to them; for in the preceding verfes we are told, that by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; and that by one man's disobedience, many were made finners. Now the apoftle afferts, in Rom. iv. 15. that where there is no law, there is no tranfgreffion; and in chap. v. 13. that fin is not imputed where there is no law; fo that the objection then is, how could fin exift, and be imputed, and death by it reign over the fons of men, when there was no law given? I answer, There was, as I have before obferved, a law of nature written upon Adam's heart, the fame in fubftance with the law on mount Sinai; which law was broke, through the violation of a pofitive command, and thereby fin did exift, and was justly imputed by God; Adam then ftanding as a common perfon, and representative of all mankind; but by the fall, this law and light of nature became weak and dim, fo that the existence and imputation of fin did not appear fo manifeft; wherefore the great God thought fit to renew the law on Sinai, that the offence might be more confpicuous, and the imputation of it appear more juft; thus the law entered, that the offence might abound.

2dly, Not only the guilt of this fin is imputed, but a corrupt nature is propagated to all his pofterity; for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one: This corruption of nature, which is fometimes called by the apostle, six, and fin that dwells in us, abounds in every man, and by the law abounds more and more, according to what the apostle fays in Romans vii. 8. But fin taking occafion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupifcence; that is, "This inherent corruption of my nature took the opportunity, through the law's prohibition of fin, to ftir up in me the lufts of the flesh, and carnal de

• Job xiv. 4.

"fires

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