by the which, in the mean time, they are supported from utter despair'. CHAP. XIX. Of the Law of God. GOD gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by bine which he bound him, and all his posterity, to personal , 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 a. II. This not; and when thou art converted, little wrath I hid my face from thee strengthen thy brethren. Job xiïi. 15. for a moment; but with everlastThough he slay me, yet will I trust ing kindness will I have mercy on in him ; but I will maintain mine thee, saith the Lord, thy Redeemer. own ways before him. Psal. lxxiii. 15. Ver. 9. For this is as the waters of If I say, I will speak thus: behold, Noah unto me: for as I have sworn I should offend against the gene that the waters, of Noah should no ration of thy children. Psal. li. more go over the earth; so have I 8, 12. (See letter P immediately be sworn that I would not be wroth fore.] Isa. 1. 10. (See letter P imme with thee, nor rebuke thee. Ver. 10. diately foregoing.] For the mountains shall depart, and Micah vii. 7. Therefore I will the hills be removed; but my kindlook unto the Lord: I will wait ness shall not depart from thee, for the God of my salvation : my neither shall the covenant of my God will hear me. Ver. 8. Rejoice peace be removed, saith the Lord, not against me, O mine enemy : that hath mercy on thee. Psal. when I fall, I shall arise ; when xxii. 1. My God, my God, why I sit in darkness, the Lord shall hast thou forsaken me? why art be a light unto me. Ver. 9. I will thou so far from helping me, and bear the indignation of the Lord, from the words of my roaring? because I have sinned against him, [Psal. lxxxviii. throughout] until he plead my cause, and execute 1. a Gen. i. 26. And God said, judgment for me : he will bring me Let us make nian in our image, forth to the light, and I shall be after our likeness: and let them hold his righteousness. Jer. xxxii. 40. have dominion over the fish of the And I will make an everlasting sea, and over the fowl of the air, covenant with them, that I will and over the cattle, and over all not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my the earth, and over every creep fear in their hearts, that they shall ing thing that creepeth upon the Ver. 27. So God created.' not depart from me. Isa. liv. 7. For a small moment have I for man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and saken thee; but with great mercies female created he them. With Gen. will I gather thee : Ver. 8. In a ii. 17. But of the tree of the know ledge 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 b; the four first commandments con taining kis, bel ledge of good and evil, thou shalt eth into the perfect law of liberty, not eat of it: for in the day that and continueth therein, he being not thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the die. Rom. ii. 14. For when the work, this man shall be blessed in of Gentiles, which have not the law, his deed. James ii. 8. If ye fulfil do by nature the things contained the royal law according to the in the law, these having not the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighlaw, are a law unto theniselves : bour as thyself, ye do well. Ver. 10, Ver. 15. Which shew the work of For whosoever shall keep the whole the law written in their hearts, law, and yet offend in one point, he their conscience also bearing wit is guilty of all. Ver. 11. For he ness, and their thoughts the mean that said, Do not commit adultery; while accusing or else excusing one said also, Do not kill. Now, if thou another. Rom. x. 5. For Me mit no adultery, yet if thou describeth the righteousness which kill, thou art become a transgressor is of the law, That the man which of the law. Ver. 12. So speak ye, doeth those things shall live by and so do, as they that shall be judged them. Rom. v. 12. Wherefore, as by the law of liberty. Rom. xii. 8. by one man sin entered into the Owe no man any thing, but to love world, and death by sin: and so one another : for he that loyeth ano. death passed upon all men, for that ther, hath fulfilled the law. Ver. 9. all have sinned. Ver. 19. For as For this, Thou shalt not commit by one man's disobedience many adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou were made sinners; so by the obe shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear dience of one shall many be made false witness, Thou shalt not covet; righteous. Gal. iii. 10. For as many and if there be any other comas are of the works of the law are mandment, it is briefly conipreunder the curse : for it is written, hended in this saying, namely, Thou Cursed is every one that continueth shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. not in all things which are written Deut. v. 32. Ye shall observe to do in the book of the law to do them, therefore as the Lord your God Ver. 12. And the law is not of hach commanded you : ye shall not faith : but the man that doeth turn aside to the right hand or to them shall live in them. Eccl. the left. Deut. X. 4. And he wrote vii . 29. Lo, this only have I found, on the tables, according to the first that God hath made man upright; writing, the ten commandments, but they have sought out many in which the Lord spake unto you in ventions. Job xxviii. 28. And unto the mount, out of the midst of the man he said, Behold, the fear of fire, in the day of the assenibly : the Lord, that is wisdom; and to and the Lord gave them unto' me. depart from evil is understanding; Exod. xxxiv, 1. And the Lord said II. b James i. 25. But whoso look unto Moses, Hew thee two tables taining our duty towards God, and the other six our duty to man. III. Besides this law, commonly called Moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a church under age, ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances ; partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefitsd; and partly holding forth divers instructions of moral duties All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated under the new testament f. IV. To them also, as a body politick, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that even of stone like unto the first and. I € 1 Cor. v. 7. Purge out therefore will write upon these tables the the old leaven, that ye may be a words that were in the first tables, new lump, as ye are unleavened : which thou brakest. for Christ our passover is Matth. xxii. 37. Jesus said unto sacrificed for us. 2 Cor. vi. 17. him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy Wherefore come out from anong God with all thy heart, and with them, and be ye separate, saith all thy soul, and with all thy mind. the Lord, and touch not the unVer. 38. This is the first and great clean thing; and I will receive you. commandment. Ver. 39. And the Jude, ver. 23. And others save with second is like unto it, Thou shalt fear, pulling them out of the fire; love thy neighbour as thyself . V. 40. hating even the garment spotted by On these two conimandments hang the flesh. all the law and the prophets. f Col. ii. 14. Blotting out the III. (Heb. Chapter ix.] Heb. x. l. hand-writing of ordinances that was For the law having a shadow of against us, which was contrary to good things to come, and not the us, and took it out of the way, very image of the things, can never nailing it to his cross. with those sacrifices, which they no man therefore judge you in meat, offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect day, or of the new moon, or of the or in drink, or in respect of an holyGal. iv. 1. Now I say, that the heir, sabbath-days: Ver. 17. Which are as long as he is a child, differeth a shadow of things to come; but nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all; Ver. 2. But is the body is of Christ. Dan, ix. 27. And he shall confirin the covenant under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the father. with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall Ver. 3. Even SO we, when we were children, were in bondage cause the sacrifice and the oblation under the elements of the world. of aboninations he shall make it to cease ; and for the overspreading Col. ii . 17. Which are a shadow of desolate, even until the consummathings to come ; but the body is of tion, and that determined, shall be Christ. poured upon the desolate. Eph. ii. 15. Ver. 16. Let Having chun Ver. %. For it is written in the Ver. 18. For verily I say unto you, s that people, not obliging any other now, further than the 6 general equity thereof may require 5. V. The moral law doth for ever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereofh; and that not only in regard of 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 dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation VI. Although Having abolished in his flesh the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle enmity, even the law of command the mouth of the ox that treadech ments contained in ordinances, for out the corn. Doth God take care to make in himself of twain one for oxen? Ver. 10. Or saith he it new man, so making peace ; Ver. 16. altogether for our sakes ? for our And that he might reconcile both sakes, no doubt, this is written : unto God in one body by the cross, that he that ploweth should plow having slain the enmity thereby. in hope; and that he that thrash. eth in hope should be partaker of V. h Rom. xiii. 8, 9. [See above fore love is the fulfilling of the law. him shall the gathering of the peo- Eph. vi. 2. Honour thy father and ple be. With 1 Pet. ii. 13. Submit mother, (which is the first com yourselves to every ordinance of mandment with proniise.) 1 John man for the Lord's sake : whether ii. 3. And hereby do we know it be to the king, as supreme : that we know him, if we keep his commandments. Ver. 4. He that not his commandments, is a liar, mandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from to destroy, but to fulfil. With the beginning : the old commande ver. 38. Ye have heard that it ment is the word which ye have and a tooth for a tooth. Ver. 39. heard from the beginning. Ver. 8, Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you : because the dark. ness is past, and the trųe light now 1 Cor. ix. 8. shineth. as a man? or i James ii. 10, 11. (See in letter b.] eive a Ver. 14. Or unto governors, as 1 con or the prophets ; am not conie hath been said, An eye for an eye, him the other also. shall VI. Although true believers be not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified 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 directs and binds them to walk accordingly."; discovering also the sinful pollutions of their nature, hearts , and lives"; so as, examining themselves thereby, they may best come Till heaven and earth pass, one And by him all that believe are jot or one tittle shall in no wise justified from all things, from which pass from the law, till all be ful. ye could not be justified by the filled. Ver. 19. Whosoever there law of Moses. Rom. viii. 1. There fore shall break one of these least is therefore now no condemnation commandments, and shall teach men to them which are in Christ Jesus, So, he shall be called the least in who walk not after the flesh, but the kingdom of heaven : but who after the Spirit. Boever shall do and teach them, the m Rom. vii. 12. Wherefore the law same shall be called great in the is holy; and the commandment holy, kingdom of heaven. James ii. 8. and just, and good. Ver. 22. For I [See in leiter b before.] Rom. ii. 31. delight in the law of God after the Do we then make void the law inward man. Ver. 25. I thank God, through faith? God forbid : yea, through Jesus Christ our Lord. So we establish the law. then, with the mind I myself serve VI. 1 Rom. vi. 14. For sin shall the law of God; but with the flesh not have dominion over you : for the law of sin. Psal. cxix. 4. Thou ye are not under the law, but under hast commanded us to keep thy pregrace. Gal. ii. 16. Knowing that cepts diligently. Ver. 5. O that niy: a man is not justified by the works ways were directed to keep thy staof the law, but by the faith of Jesus tutes! Ver. 6. Then shall I not be Christ; even we have believed in ashamed, when I have respect unto Jesus Christ, that we might be all thy conimandments. justified by the faith of Christ, vii. 19. Circumcision is nothing, and and not by the works of the law : uncircumcision is nothing, but the for by the works of the law shali keeping of the commandments of no flesh be justified. Gal. iii. 13. God. Gal. v. 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, Christ hath redeemed us from the 21, 22, 23, See in the Bible. curse of the law, being made a ń Rom. vii. 7. What shall we say curse for us : for it is written, Cursed then? Is the law sin? God forbid, is every one that hangeth on a tree. Gal. iv, 4, But when the fulness Nay, I had not known sin but by of the time was come, God sent the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt made under the law, Ver. 5. To by the deeds of the law there shall redeem them that were under the no flesh be justified in his sight; law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. for by the law is the knowledge of Acts xiji, 39. sin, o James 1 Cor. forth his Son, made of a woman, not covet. Rom. iii. 20. Therefore |