of but with all the horrors of defpair, were they not foothed with the views of a throne of grace, which they seem so loth to owe their all to.

On these views it will be eafy to perceive the reason of the question the Apostle puts, verf. 19. and the justness of what he gives in anfwer to it. That poor thoughtless people had fo far loft fight of the promises made to the fathers, except that lowest one of the gift of Canaan, that they knew no other use of the law, but to make out a fort of a title to life by their obedience. He gives a very different account of that tranfaction: It was added, he fays, because of tranfgreffions; or on account, as the particle may be rendered, i. e. for the fake, of tranf greffions. It might be asked, For the tranfgreffions of what law or rule? for himself gives it as a plain truth, That where there is no law, there is no tranfgreffion. And by the word he uses, the law was added, it appears there was fomething fubfifting before that law which might have answered all the purposes of life without it, had it not been for tranfgreffions. The native import of the word tranfgreffion is, going befides, or out of way; which fuppofes fuch a way to be G g 2 fome

the

fome how or other lying before them. Thofe interpreters who make what they call the moral law the rule, and that the turning off from, or tranfgreffing it, is what the Apostle means, find themfelves much difficulted to make good fenfe of the Apostle's words. For befides what this fame Apostle tells us, Rom. vii. 7. et feqq. the law was fo far from mending the matter, that fin was rather irritated and strengthened by it; and all it could do was to difcover fin, and flay the finner. But if it even could do any thing, why was it limited to the time that the feed fhould come, who had the promised bleffing to bestow? as he plainly fays it was.

This, if I mistake not much, gives the true key to what he fays of the law, that "it was added because of tranfgreffion." I need not obferve, that it is the law of Mofes he fays was added; and that it is a system fo exactly framed by perfect wifdom, and fo clofely compacted, one part to answer another, and forward the defign of the whole, that however different the parts may appear, yet they cannot be feparated or taken apart, without deftroying the fyftem. We must likewise carry along with

us

:

grace

in

us the revelation of the system of
the first promise, the universal apostasy
which brought on the deluge, the reno-
vation of the promise of God's BeRiTH to
Noah, who became heir to the righteouf-
nefs of faith, the apoftafy which foon
took place among his defcendents, and
was like to become general, when God
made a new grant of his BeRiTH to A-
braham in the promise of the feed. By
the time the Ifraelites were brought out of
Egypt, the apoftafy had prevailed almost
univerfally; and that the knowledge of
God and his BeRiTH, or eternal falvation
in the promised feed, might not be entire-
ly loft, that people were placed in the land
of Canaan to be witnesses for him, and a
law given them, bearing the most perfect
reprefentation that could be made of the
state of mankind, as God had established
it in the conftitution of grace, or law of
faith, as the Apostle calls it. The belief
of the promise naturally, and I may fay
neceffarily, inferred returns of gratitude
and love. The tranfgreffing this great
law of love was ftrongly cautioned a-
gainst in that part of the law which is
called moral. Death was the penalty; the

moft

1

most serious repentance could not secure pardon. Recourse must be had to the facrifice which God had appointed; and when that was wilfully neglected by any, that foul was to be destroyed without mercy. I need not spend words to fhow how all this was what the Apostle calls a figure for the time then prefent, Heb. ix. 9. and how well fitted for keeping up the knowledge of the way of life. But when the seed came, with the fullness of the bleffing in his hand, there was no more occafion for figures and models. The way of life by faith in Jefus Christ, and the free sovereign gift of grace, was fairly laid open, and the whole counfel of God was notified to the world with the greatest plainness of speech.

What follows in this and in the next verfe, which is vifibly an inference from this, or rather the improvement of it to the purpofe he intended to serve by it, has occafioned a great variety of conjectures about the true fenfe and meaning. The word he ufes, Sarays, is fomewhat ambiguous, and may be conftructed, either to refer to the giving of the law at Sinai, or to the internal frame and constitution of it, and the order established by it.

Moft

Moft interpreters take it in the first view, and find difficulties next to infuperable in almost every word. Our tranflators have made use of a word which is certainly too strong for the connection in which they have placed it. It was, fay they, ordained by angels; which feems naturally to point us to them, not as ministers or fervants, but either as the authors and contrivers of it, or at least those by whofe authority that law was given. But as this is too grofs for any one to furmife, it could not be the meaning of the translators, much less that of the Apostle.

The furtheft, then, that any one can venture to fay, is, that it was given by the miniftry of angels. But the difficulty casts up, What ministry, or what part to affign them in that folemn transaction? Mofes, it is evident, takes no notice of any creature employed there, but thunder and lightning, flaming fire and thick smoke. And when he tells us exprefsly, that JEHOVAH fpake all thefe words, it would feem too daring boldnefs for fuch a puny being as the most learned man is, to take upon him to fay, it was not JE

HOVAH.