never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived', and by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair".

:

defile them?-1 opened to my mit fin; for his seed remaineth beloved ; but my beloved bad in him: and he cannot sin, bewithdrawn himself, and was cause he is born of God. Luke gone ; my soul failed when he

22.

32. But I have prayed spake; I sought him, but ! for thee, that thy faith fail could not find him; I called not. Job 13. 15. Though him, but he gave me no an- he flay me, yet will I trust in swer. Pfalm 51. 8, 12, 14. him : but I will maintain mine Make me to hear joy and own ways before him, Pfaim gladness; that the bones which 73. 15. Psalm 51. 8, 21. with thou hast broken may rejoice. Ifa. 5o. 10. -Restore unto me the joy of r Micah 7. 7, 8, 9. Therethy salvation; and uphold me fore I will look unto the Lord; with tby free Spirit.- Deliver I will wait for the God of my me from blood-guiltiness, O falvation: my God will hear God, thou God of my salva. me.-Rejoice not against me, tion; and my tongue shall sing O mine enemy: when I fall, aloud of thy righteousnefs. I shall arise : when I fit in Eph. 4. 30. And grieve not darkness, the Lord fall be a the Holy Spirit of God, where. light unto me, I will bear by ye are sealed unto the day the indignation of the Lord, of redemption. Compare the because I have finned against above with Psalm 77. first ten him, until he plead my cause, verses, and Mat 26. 69, 70, and execute judgment for ne : 71, 72. Pfal. 31. 22. Pfal. 88. he will bring me forth to the throughout, and Ifa. 50. 10. light, and I shall behold his

9 i John 3. 9. Whosoever righteousness. Ifa. 54. 7, 8. is born of God doth not com

I 3

a

G

OD gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of

works, by which he bound him and all his posterity to perfonal, entire, exact and perpetual obedience; promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it; and endued him with power and ability to keep it.

II. This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon mount Sinai in ten commandments, and written in two tables"; the

I. a Gen. 1. 26. And God excusing one another. Rom. faid, Let us make man in our 10. 5. For Mores describeth image, after our likeness:- the righteousness which is of Gen. 2. 19. But of the tree of the law; That the man which the knowledge of good and doeth those things, shall live evil, thou shalt not eat of it; by them. Rom. 5.

12, 19. for in the day that thou eat. Wherefore, as by one man eft thereof, thou shalt surely fin entered into the world, and die. Rom. 2. 14, 15. For death by sin, and so death when the Gentiles which have pissed upon all men, for that not the law, do by nature the all have finned.-For as by things contained in the law, one man's disobedience mathese having not the law, are a ny were made finners; so by law unto themselves. Which the obedience of one, fall fhew the work of the law many be made righteous. See written in their hearts, their also Gal. 3 IC, 12. conscience also bearing wit- 12. and Job 28. 28. Dess, and their thoughts the II, b Jam. 1. 25. But whoso

b mean while accusing, or else looketh into the perfect law of

1

Eccl. 7.

four first commandments containing our duty towards God, and the other fix our duty to mano.

III. Beside this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel,

a church under age, ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions,

, sufferings and benefits"; and partly holding forth

as

com

we

liberty, and continueth therein, shalt love the Lord thy God he being not a forgetful hearer, with all thy heart, and with but a doer of the work, this all thy soul, and with all thy man shall be blessed in his deed. mind. This is the first and James 2. 8, 10, 11, 12. If ye great commandment And fulfil the royal law, according the second is like unto it, Thou to the scriprure, Thou shalt shalt love thy neighbour as love thy neighbour as thyself, thyself.-On these two ye do well. -For whosoever mandments, hang all the law shall keep the whole law, and and the prophets. Exod. 20. yet offend in one point, he is 3 to 18. guilty of all. Rom. 3. 19. III. d Heb. 10. 1. For the Now know that what law having a shadow of good things foever the law faith, it things to come, and not the faith to chem who are under very image of the things, can the law. Rom. 13. 8, 9.- never with those facrifices, Deut. 5.32. Ye shall observe which they offered year by to do therefore as the Lord year ntinually, make the your God hath commanded comers thereunto perfect. Gal. you; ye shall not turn alido

4. 1, 2, 3. Now I say, that to the right hand or to the the heir as long as he is a child left. and chap. 10,4. And he differeth nothing from a ferwrote on the tables, accorde vant, though he be lord of all: ing to the first writing, the-But is under cutors and go-

commandments, which vernors, until the time apo the Lord fpake unto you in the pointed of the father.- Even mount, out of the midst of so we, when we were chil. the fire, in the day of the af- dren, were in bondage under sembly; and the Lord gave the elements of the world; them unto me. Exod. 34, I.

Col. 2. 17. Which are a fhzc Mat. 22. 37, 38, 39, 40. dow of good things to come ; Jesus laid unto him, Thou

ten

divers instructions of moral duties. All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated under the New Testament.

IV. To them also, as a body politic, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any other, now, further than the general equity thereof may require.

V. The moral law doth for ever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof"; and that not only in regard of the

unto

are

for us.

ceive you.

but the body is of Christ. Heb. self of twain, one new man; 9th chap.

so making peace; and that he e I Cor. 5. 7. Purge out might reconcile both therefore the old leaven, that God in one body, by the cross, ye may be a new lump, as ye having flain the enmity thereunleavened:

for even by. Christ our passover is sacrificed IV. g See Exod. 21st chap.

2 Cor. 6. 17. Where- and 22d chap. if to the 29th fore come out from among versc. Gen. 49. 10.

'The them, and be ye feparate, faith sceptre shall not depart from the Lord, and touch not the Judah, nor a lawgiver from unclean thing: and I will re- between his feet, until Shiloh

come; and unto him fball the f Col. 2. 14, 16, 17. Blot- gathering of the people be. ting out the hand-writing of Mat, 5. 38, 39. Ye have ordinances, that was against heard, that it hath been said, us, which was contrary to us, An eye for an eye, and a tooth and took it out of the way, for a tooth: but I say unto nailing it to his cross. Let no you, that ye resist not evil. man therefore judge you in i Cor. 9, 8, 9, 10, meat, or in drink. Which V. h Rom. 13. 8, 9. See are a shadow of things to come; above in letter b. 1 John 2. but the body is of Christ. 3, 4, 7, 8. And hereby do Eph. 2. 15, 16. Having a- we know, that we know him, bolished in his flesh the en- if we keep his commandnity, even the law of com. ments.He that saith, I know mandments, contained in or- him, and keepeth not his com. dinances, for to make in hin- mandments, is a liar, and the

matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator who gave it'. Neither doth Christ in the gospel any way diffolve, but much strengthen, this obligation

VI. Although true believers be not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby juftified or condemned'; yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in that, as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, It direets and binds them to walk accordingly" ; "discovering also the finful pollutions of their na. ture, hearts and lives"; so as, examining themselves

m

truth is not in him. Brethren, of heaven. Jam. 2. 8. Rom. 3. 1 write no new command. 31. ment unto you, but an old com- VI. I Rom. 6. 14. For fin mandment which ye had from Mall not have dominion over the beginning. Rom. 3. 31. and you: for ye are not under the 6. 15. Do we then make void law, but under grace. Rom. the law through faith? God 8. 1. There is therefore now forbid: yea, we establish the no condemnation to them law.-What then? shall we which are in Christ Jesus, who sin, because we are not under walk not after the fleh, but af. the law but under grace ? God ter the Spirit. See also Gal. forbid.

4.4, 5. and Acts 13. 39. i Jam. 2. 10. 11. See in let. Rom, 7. 12, 22, 25. ter b.

Wherefore the law is holy; k Mat. 5. 18. For verily and the commandment is hoI say unto you, Till heaven and ly, and just and good. Pfal. carth pass, one jot or one tit. 119. 5. O that my ways were tle fall in no wise pass from directed to keep thy statutes! the law, tili all be fulfilled. v. I Cor. 7. 19. Circumcision is 19. Whosoever therefore shall nothing, and uncircumcision is break one of these leaft com. nothing, but the keeping of mandments, and shall teach the commandments of God. men so, he shall be called che Gal. 5. 14h 18, 19, 20, 21, Jeast in the kingdom of hea. 22, 23. ven ; but whosoever shall do, n Rum. 7. 7. What shall we and teach them, the same shall say then ? is the law fin? God be called great in the kingdom