right, and to allow them to do wrong....a little at least: It casts the highest reflection upon his impartial justice, whereby he is infinitely inclined to give every one his due; for it supposes him to release his creatures from giving unto God the glory which is his due, and to allow them to keep back part at least: It casts the highest reflection upon his stability and truth; for it supposes him to alter his law when there is no reason for it: yea, it reflects even upon his goodness itself; for it is so far from being a benefit to his creatures to have this excellent law altered, which is so completely suited to the perfection and happiness of their nature, that it would be one of the greatest and sorest calamities which could happen. Like the altering all the good laws and rules in a family, merely to humor and gratify a rebellious child, who will not be governed. Such a child should be made to conform to the wholesome laws of the family, and not the laws be abated and brought down to a level with his bad temper and perverse humor: And, finally, it casts the highest reflection upon the infinite wisdom of the great Governor of the world; for it supposes him to go counter to his own honor and to the good of his creatures, to counteract all his perfections, and contradict the reason and nature of things; and that merely in condescension unto, and in compliance with the sinful,corrupt taste and inclinations of an apostate, rebellious, God-hating world.

And now, how could the great Governor of the world clear and vindicate the honor of his great name, in making any abatements in this law, which requires us to love him with all our hearts? Would he say that he had before required more love than was his due? Surely, nothing can be much more blasphemous than to suppose this. Would he say that he does not deserve so much as he did? Still it is equally blasphemous to suppose this. Would he say that less than is his due is ALL that is his due ? But this would be to contradict himself in express terms. Or would he openly profess to quit his right and freely allow his creatures to despise him a little, and sin sometimes, in condescension unto and compliance with the corrupt inclinations of

their sinful hearts? But this, in the nature of things, would be infinitely wrong and dishonorable. Upon what grounds, then, could the supreme Governor of the world go about to make abatements in a law so holy, just and good, that only requires us to love him with all our hearts, which, in the nature of things, is so infinitely right and suitable? Or upon what grounds can we possibly desire any abatements to be made, unless we even profess that we do not like the law....that we are averse to loving God with all our hearts....that it is a very tedious, self-denying thing to us, and what we can by no means freely come into; and so, upon this footing, desire some abatements! Or, which is the same thing, honestly own "that we love sin so "dearly that God must tolerate us in it, or we cannot approve "of his government."

But, indeed, God can as easily cease to be, as go about to license and tolerate the least sin; and he had rather Heaven and earth should pass away, than that the least jot or tittle of his law should fail....Mat. v. 18.

How can any body, therefore, once imagine that Christ came down from heaven and died, to purchase this abatement of the law of God, and procure this lawless liberty for his rebellious subjects? What! did he desert his Father's interest and honor, and the honor of his law and government, and spill his precious blood, that he might persuade the great Governor of the world to slacken the reins of government, and give out this impious license to iniquity?-Surely to suppose this, is to make Christ a friend to sin, and an enemy to God.

What, then, do they mean, who, in their prayers, presume to thank God for the gracious abatements which he has made in his law? And what do ministers mean by telling their people, from the pulpit, that the law is abated, and that sincere obedience is ALL that is now required of us?-Indeed, if poor secure sinners are made to believe that this was the great business Christ came into the world upon, no wonder if their impious hearts are pleased, and if they seem to love Christ, and prize the gospel, and give thanks to God for this great goodness and conde

scension; for hereby they are delivered from that strictness in religion which they hate, and a wide door is opened for them to sin without blame: Yea, they have the comfort to think that it is no sin not to love God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their strength : And, generally, a very little matter of religion, they think, will serve. And now it's good times, and they bless themselves. But, alas! They feed upon the wind: A deceived heart hath turned them aside.

But, by the way, to what purpose was it for Christ to die to purchase this abatement? What need was there of it? Or what good could it do? For, if the law really required too much, the Governor of the world was obliged, in justice, to make some abatements: And So, the death of Christ in the case was perfectly needless. And if the law required but just enough, the Governor of the world could not, in justice, make any abatements: And so Christ must have died in vain, and totally lost his end.

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But, indeed, Christ never came into the world upon this design; as he expressly declares, in Mat. v. 17, 18.... Think not that I come to destroy the law or the prophets : I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. And this is the very thing he condemns the Pharisees for, through all this chapter, that they, in effect, taught this doctrine, that the law was abated: that they taught, that although the law did forbid some external and more gross acts of sin, yet it did not the first stirring of corruption at heart, and some lesser iniquities: For instance, that they must not commit murder; but that it was no harm to be "angry without cause, and speak reproachfully, and keep a se"cret grudge at heart....(verse 21-26.) That they must not "commit adultery; but that it was no harm to have secret las"civious thoughts....(verse 27-30.) That they must not be "guilty of perjury; but that there was no harm in little petty "oaths in common conversation....(verse 33-37.) That they "must not hate their friends; but there was no harm in hating K

"their enemies ;" (verse 43-47.) These, and such like allowances, they taught, were made in the law; and so, that such things were not sinful. But our Savior condemns their doctrine, as false and damning; and insists upon it, that the law is not abated, and never shall be; but says, it still requires us to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect....(verse 48.) and declares, that if our righteousness exceedeth not the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, (who were so much for abating the law) we shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven...(verse 20.) so far was our blessed Savior from any design to abate the holy law of God, or lessen our obligations to a perfect conformity to it: And indeed, if Christ had died, and should die a thousand times, to purchase an abatement of the law, (if it be lawful to make such a supposition) it would be to no purpose; for it cannot be abated, unless God ceases to be what he is: For so long as God is infinitely lovely, we shall necessarily be under an infinite obligation to love him with all our heart, and with all our strength; and it will necessarily be infinitely wrong not to do so. The truth is, that God's sending his Son into the world to die for the redemption of sinners, instead of freeing us from our original natural obligations to keep the law, binds us more strongly so to do; as we shall afterwards see. Psalm cxix. 160.... Thy word is true from the beginning: And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever : (Ver. 128.) I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right. (Ver. 144.) The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting. (Ver. 152) Thou has founded them forever. And therefore (ver. 160,) Every one of them will endure forever; as if the Psalmist had said, "The thing required in thy law “is, in its own nature, right, everlastingly right; and, there"fore, as Governor of the world, thou hast by law forever set"tled and established it as duty-by a law never to be altered, "but to endure forever: And forever, therefore, will it en"dure."

OBJ. Put is it fair and just for God to require more of his creatures than they can do?

ANS. What are we come to, in this apostate world, that we cannot see it to be just and fair, in the great Governor of heaven and earth, the infinitely glorious God, to require us, as his creatures, so much as to love him, with all our hearts? What! Is this too much? Is this more than he deserves from us? Or does the truth lie here....that we hate him so, that we cannot find it in our hearts to love him; and therefore cry, "He must "not insist upon it; or, if he does, he deals unjustly, and is "very hard with us?" But is not this the very thing those citizens did, who hated their Prince, and sent after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us ?....Luke xix..14. These hints may serve as an answer for the present: But of this more hereafter.

But while some are pleading, that Christ died to purchase an abatement of the law, others carry the point still further, and say that Christ died entirely to disannul it; and that now it wholly ceases to be a rule of life to believers: whenas one great and declared design of Christ's coming into the world was to recover his people to a conformity thereto : (Tit. ii. 11, 12, 13.) Oh how men love their corruptions, and hate God and his holy law, and long to have it cashiered and removed out of the world, that so they may live as they list, and yet escape the reproaches of their consciences here, and eternal punishment hereafter! But GoD sitteth King forever, and will assert the rights of his crown, and maintain the honor of his majesty, and the glory of his great name, and vindicate his injured law; although it be in the eternal damnation of millions of his rebellious subjects: Luke xix. 27....But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. And here, by the way, we may see what an aversion men have to right thoughts of God and divine things; and may be convinced of the absolute necessity of a superna tural, all-conquering light, to remove these prejudices, and make men see and believe the truth, and love, and cordially embrace it. (John viii. 47—I Cor. ii. 14.) A holy God does not appear infinitely glorious and amiable to an unholy heart; and