sanctified, and sent to preach? I am sent to preach, it is plain, because the truth of God hath abounded to his glory by my doctrine; and, if I and my fellow-labourers preach up evil works that good may come of them, what are we better than they? If there is no difference made by grace between us, why doth God get glory by us, and we get reproach by you?

The apostle refers to the Psalms, and brings the declaration from heaven, to confirm his own doctrine, and to stop their mouths; and then applies it to them as the voice of the law, which they contended for. "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Paul still sticks to his text, and declares that the knowledge of sin is by the law; but that justification comes from another quarter, namely, the righteousness of God, which without the law is manifested. And this is no new doctrine; for it is witnessed both by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness which God the Saviour wrought out, and which God the Father accepted, and imputes to the believer in Jesus Christ. This method of justifying a sinner by the righteousness of Christ is to the glory of free grace, and without any injury done to either law or justice; because it comes through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to magnify the law, satisfy justice, appease

the wrath of God, and make reconciliation be tween God and sinners. And, as the law is made honourable by Christ's life, justice satisfied by his death, and the curse of the law fully executed on him as the sinner's surety, God appears still just to his law, and faithful to his threatening as well as to his promise; free grace is exalted, and the sinner brought in debtor to that, and saved freely by it. So God appears strictly just, and yet the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Now, if all have sinned, and by the law is the knowledge of it, and all by that law are brought in guilty before God (for all have sinned, and so come short of the glory of God); and if the sinner is justified by free grace, through the redemption and mediation of another; "where is boasting then? it is excluded: by what law, of works? nay," for the workmonger is always the proudest man, 1 Tim. vi. 4; the most judicially blind, John ix. 40; the greatest boaster, Ps. xciv. 4; the most like the devil, 1 Tim. iii. 6; and the furthest from the kingdom of God, Matt. xxi. 31. Nay, boasting is excluded by the spiritual law of wonderworking faith, that works a sinner out of himself into God his Saviour, and leads him to make his boast of him all the day long. Whatever maketh a man rich, healthy, happy, glorious, and affords him long life, he is sure to boast of. Grace makes him spiritually rich, Rev. ii. 9; healthy, Ps. lxvii. 2; happy, Prov. iii. 13; glorious, Isa. lx. 1; and affords him everlasting life, without any regard to

his deeds as a procuring or meritorious cause thereof. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law." But perhaps you set yourselves up on the account of your being Jews, and having been circumcised. This is but a refuge of lies. "Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also." Your circumcision will not justify you before God without faith, nor shall the uncircumcision of the Gentiles condemn them if they believe in Jesus; "seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith."

Now I suppose you will run off, and declare that we give a loose rein to all sin, corrupt the morals of the people, make void the whole law of God, and destroy all good works, by preaching free grace and free justification by faith in Christ Jesus.

But stop, do not conclude too hastily; we do not injure nor make void the law through faith; God forbid; it is established this way, and no other. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

Having introduced my text, I wish you to be attentive while I offer my thoughts under the following heads:

1. What the law is, and the lawful use of it.
2. What it can, and what it cannot do.
3. What we may understand by faith.

4. Prove that faith establishes the law, and how.

5. Shew who those are that make void the law. 6. Make a modest inquiry whether the law of itself, exclusive of the promise, be a sufficient and scriptural rule for the real Christian's life, walk, and conversation.

And, lastly, whether setting the law perpetually before all ranks of Christians as a rule of life can with propriety be called speaking the language, or doing the work, of an evangelist.

First, what are we to understand by the law of God? I understand the decalogue, or ten commandments, which the Lord gave in the twentieth chapter of Exodus, and which are repeated again by Moses in the fifth of Deuteronomy. "These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount, out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice; and he added no more. This decalogue

is the main root from which all other trunks and branches were drawn by Moses and the prophets. These words were written on two tables of stone, and put into the ark, as God's everlasting testimony against all sin and sinners. Hence the ark is called the ark of the testimony; and to this testimony the tribes went up.

Secondly, the law shadows forth many of the perfections of God; and it is a revelation of a great part of his mind and will, shewing what he willeth, and what he willeth not.

Though it cannot, in the strictest sense, bę called a revelation of all the mind and will of God; for the mystery of his will, to be made known touching the way of life in Christ, is brought to light through the gospel; yet a revelation of God the law certainly is, as many of his glorious perfections shine therein; hence the ministration of death is said to be glorious.

The holiness of God appears in the law; "the law is holy;" and that perfection, shining as a comet in the law, discovers our filthiness; and hence our enmity rises against both the law and the lawgiver: "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

The goodness of God appears in it; for the law is good, because it commends nothing but what we know to be really good, and forbids nothing. but what we know to be evil; therefore it works death in us by that which is good, insomuch that our evil consciences will commend it. "If our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance?" The justice of God appears in the law; the commandment is just, Rom. vii. 12. We see his displeasure revealed against all sin, and his everlasting wrath against all sinners; and not a single ground of hope is to be found in the law of commandments, that he will ever hold any guiltless who transgress the same: nor is there the least