S

ERM. would be merciful to returning Sinners, VIII. and accept repentance instead of perfect w innocence; But then thefe hopes were not

founded on the Original condition of the law of God; but either on mens natural notion of the mercifulness and placability of the Divine nature (fuch as the Heathen World has always depended upon;) and these were only probable and hopeful prefumptions; or elfe on the obfcure promifes made to Adam and the Patriarchs of a Meffias to come, (such as the holy and devout men before the giving of the Law of Mofes grounded their expectations of mercy upon;) and these were the first beginnings of the declaration of the Covenant of Grace. The Original law of God therefore, required perfect unfinning obedience; and thereby, fince no man was able to perform it, neceffarily concluded all men under Sin. 2dly, That Law, under which the Jews lived, fo far as it is diftinguished from, and oppofed to, the Grace or Gospel of Chrift; is the fame with the original Law of God in its full Force and Severity. This is evident

from its retaining and confirming all the SER M. moral of Nature, with express VIII. precepts promise indeed that the man which doth thefe things fhall live by them, Rom. x. 5; but with most rigorous threatnings also, that Curfed fhould be every one that continued not in all things which were written in the book of the Law to do them, Gal. iii. 10; not affording any expiation for great and wilful fins paft, but denouncing death without mercy against them; nor indeed allowing any atonement even for fmaller Sins, but fuch as plainly owed all their efficacy, to their being types of the mercy of the Covenant of grace. The fame alfo is clear from the Apostles attributing all those feverities to the Jewish Law, which are properly true only of the Original law of God; and his oppofing it directly to the grace and mercy of the Gofpel-Covenant. The law, faith he, is holy, and the commandment holy, and juft and good, Rom. vii. 12; 'twas fuch as if it were exactly obeyed, would certainly juftify a man,

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i.e.

SER M. i. e. make him appear righteous in the VIII. Sight of God, and intitle him to the reward of obedience; the doers of the law fhall be justified, Rom. ii. 13. But the corrupt eftate of humane nature being fuch, that no man can obey this law in all points without finning, but that in many things we offend all, for all have finned and come short of the glory of God, Rom. iii. 23; hence the law which was ordained to the end that men obeying it might attain life and happinefs, ferved only to their Condemnation, by working in their Confciences a Conviction of their duty which they ought to have performed, and of the Wrath of God hanging over their heads for not performing it: The com mandment, faith he, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death, Rom. vii. 10. And upon this account (I fuppofe) are thofe fo frequent expreffions of the Apoftle; that the law worketh wrath, Rom. iv. 15; that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in the fight of God, Rom. iii. 20; that as many as are

of

of the works of the law are under the curfe, S ERM. Gal. iii. 10. And that the law entred that VIII. the offence might abound, Rom. v. 20; that is to fay, not that it was defigned to that end, but that in fact and by confequence it did become a means of aggravating fin and rendring it more exceedingly criminal; 'Tis true the Law did indeed appoint certain facrifices of expiation for fin; but fuch as had not in themselves Any efficacy to expiate fin, any otherwise than as they typified that great facrifice which was once to be offered for the Sins of the whole World: The Tabernacle was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and facrifices, that could not make him that did the fervice perfect, as pertaining to the confcience; For the law having a fkadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with thofe facrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect, Heb. x. I. Hence though those good men who lived before the coming of Chrift, were indeed justified;

yet

SER M. yet they are faid to be justified, how? not VIII. by the works of the law, but by faith; as St Paul reafoneth in his whole fourth Chapter to the Romans; His meaning is; They trusted not to ritual and ceremonious performances, but looked through the types and thadows of the law to the promised Meffiah, being fully perfwaded that what God had promised he would affuredly perform; and this was counted unto them for righteousness. Thus of Abraham particularly 'tis faid by the Apostle, that he was not juftified by the works of the law, fo as to have wherewith to glory before God; but that he was juftified by Faith: and in like manner all the holy men, who lived under the law, did not expect to be justified in the fight of God by the works of the law, but by their faith in God, and truft in his promises. So the law was their Schoolmafter to bring them unto Chrift; and though they knew that nothing in the law could of it felf avail effequally to the forgiveness of fins, yet they continued with patience walking in the Commandments of God, and waiting

for