UPON THE

MORAL LAW.

DISCOURSE II.

ROMANS vii. 12.

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good.

THE great Creator and possessor of heaven and earth, hath an indisputable authority to make laws for the government of his creatures, and to require their obedience. Since every thing that they have is received from his hands, and held under him at his pleasure, it therefore behoves them to enquire upon what terms they hold it. And if God has given them any laws, it is their duty to study them, and their interest to obey them. If there be any sanctions to enforce these laws, any rewards or punishments, they should enquire, where these things are to be known, and by what means discovered, that they may obtain the reward and escape the punishment.

Whenever a serious unprejudiced person desires to be satisfied in these points which so nearly concern his present peace of conscience, and his future happiness, he will soon be convinced that God has made a gracious provision for his instruction. God has opened his mind and will in this matter. He has recorded his laws, and published them. The sacred volume of di

vine statutes is in our hands, and in our mother tongue. It is so very short that none can want time to peruse it, and it is so very plain and intelligible, as to the rule of duty, that none can plead ignorance. He that runs may read it, and the simple may understand it, and learn knowledge: for upon a very cursory view of this divine treatise, it will appear, that there are three distinct bodies of law mentioned in it; namely, the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the law of faith. We are all highly concerned to enquire into the nature of these laws, and therefore I purpose, through God's assistance, to enquire into the scope and design of each of them. At present I shall confine myself to the moral law, which alone is spoken of in my text. The apostle is treating of its usefulness 'to discover the sinfulness of sin: "I had not known sin," says he, "but by the "law;" the law must first lay down a rule, before it can be known what sin is, which is the transgression of that rule: "For I had not known lust," and that the very first rising and motion of evil in the heart was a sin, "unless the law had said, thou shalt not covet." This is the law of the tenth commandment: from whence it is very evident that St. Paul is here treating of the moral law, which is of such perfect purity, as to reach to the desires and covetings of the heart, and which, by restraining them, makes them appear more sinful, and grow more outrageous. "But sin taking "occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence: for without the law sin "was dead," although it be in us, yet it is not perceived, until it be held before the holy spiritual law of God, and then it begins to stir and rage: for as it follows, "I was once alive without the law," says the apostle, when I knew not the law I thought myself alive, my conscience never troubled me nor did I apprehend the deadly nature of sin, "but when the com"mandment came," when I began to understand the commandment in its spiritual nature, and it came to my conscience, and was applied with a divine power to

66

my heart, "then sin revived, and I died," I found myself dead in trespasses and sins: " for the same com"mandment which was ordained unto life was found "to be unto me unto death: but sin took occasion by "the commandment," not through any fault in the commandment, but entirely through my own fault, “deceived me, and by it slew me. What shall we say

"then? Is the law and the commandment sin? God "forbid. The law is holy," all the fault is in us, who abuse the law," and the commandment is holy, and just, and good." The occasion of the words and the context thus in part opened and explained may help us to determine,

First, What the moral is.,

Secondly, whether it be still in force.

Thirdly, Whether we have all kept it, and if not. Fourthly, What is the penalty due to the breach of it; and then I shall draw some practical inferences from these particulars. And may the Spirit of the living God apply what shall be spoken. May he enlighten all your understandings with a clear view of the spiritual nature of the moral law, that by it you may be brought to the knowledge of sin, and to see and to feel your want of a Saviour. Under the teachings of this good Spirit let us consider,

First, What the moral law is. I define it to be the holy, just, and good will of God made known and promulged to his creatures in all these particulars, wherein he requires their perfect obedience, in order to their happiness. The law is the discovery of his will: for the almighty Creator and sovereign Lord of heaven and earth governs all his works and creatures according to the good pleasure of his own will. His will is the absolutely perfect law of the natural world. He hath given to the inanimate works of his hands a law which shall not be broken. The active powers in nature shall work, and passive matter shall obey by an unalterable rule until the heavens be folded up like a

scroll, and the earth and all the works therein shall be burnt up. And his will is as absolute a law to his rational creatures, as to the natural agents: because he can enact no laws, but what partake of his own adorable perfections. His law is his will made known. It is a copy of his infinitely pure mind. It is a fair transcript of his holiness, justice, goodness, and of every other divine attribute: for by the law he discovers to his creatures what it is his will they should be and do, in order to preserve his favour. He would have them holy, just, and good, and the law makes known to them the rule of their obedience; by an exact conformity to which they are holy, just, and good. The will of God revealed in the law is holy, and conformity to it is holiness. Holiness, in the Old Testament language, signifies a separation from impurity, and when applied to the divine nature, it rather expresses what God is not, than what he is. It is a negative idea, denoting an entire separation from every thing which can defile. Holiness in God excludes all possibility of pollution. In him there neither is, nor can be, the least impurity. He is of purer eyes than to behold the least iniquity. He cannot even look upon any thing which is in the least unclean: for without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Now the law is an exact copy of God's holiness. It is the outward discovery of his most holy mind and will, informing his creatures how perfectly pure they must preserve themselves, if they would preserve his favour. The law discovers to them what God is, and shews how like him they ought to be in holiness. And since God cannot behold the least impurity, consequently his law cannot, because it is his mind and will revealed concerning this matter. will not suffer any deviation from his law, no, not in thought; for the language of the law is positive and express out of the mouth of the supreme law-giver himself" Be ye holy, for I am holy." And are you, my brethren, thus holy? This should be a matter of close examination. Are you what the law requires you

He