Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter, Being made free from the miniftration of death engraven on ftone (Rom. viii. 2), which, he fays, worketh wrath (Rom. iv. 15), he was enabled to perform fpiritual fervice. And, as the law of the Spirit in Chrift revealed to Paul an imputed righteousness adequate to the law, and produced true holiness in Paul, which the law requires; and the love of God fhed abroad in his heart, which the law calls for; Paul knew by these things that the righteousness of the law was fulfilled in him, though not by him; therefore he could do no less than love this law of the Spirit after the inner man.

QUOT. What law? The moral law. Some fay, the law of love. And I grant it; for the moral law and the law of love are fynonymous terms, and mean one and the felf-fame thing.

ANSW. If the moral law, engraven on tables of stone, is the law of love, then no great thanks can be due to him who redeemed them that were under this law; nor are we much indebted to free grace, which delivered us from it. For what yoke can be fo eafy as this law of love? Not the Saviour's yoke, for that is attended with a daily cross, and many fips of the bitter cup, which this moral law of love doth not enjoin. I never knew till now that the moral law was ever called the law of love. God calls it a fiery law-that the fire of it was kindled in his anger-that it worketh wrath, and is the miniftration

of death and condemnation-that thofe who are of the works of it are under the curfe of it; for to him that worketh the reward is reckoned of debt, which he can never pay; and which law is the ftrength of fin, and will imprifon every fuch debtor till the utmoft mite be paid; for heaven and earth shall pass away before one jot or tittle of the law fhall fail; fail of its power, of its unlimited demands, or of the execution of its dreadful curfes. Vain jangling, indeed! The love of God in Chrift Jefus-the bond of the everlasting covenant-the first fruit of the Holy Ghoft-the conftraining power of the law of the Spirit-is here palmed upon the law of Mofes ! Grace and truth, the effects of fovereign love, came by Mofes; but Antinomianifin, and licentioufnefs, according to this book, came by Jefus Chrift. Such publications as thefe may ferve to ease the minds of authors who envy the happiness and fuccefs of God's fervants. They may serve to blacken their characters, to harden carnal profeffors against the grace of Chrift, to ftagger the minds of the fimple, and to keep up the popularity of those whofe emptinefs God is pleafed to discover to his own children; but I believe fuch writers will find the latter end to be bitterness.

If a man, who had tranfgreffed the laws of his country, and who was tried and condemned to death by the fame, and who should receive a free pardon from the fovereign clemency of his king at the place of execution, fhould afcribe his pardon to the love

of

of the law, inftead of the undeferved love of his king; and attribute his falvation from death to the law that dealt the fentence of death to him; he would not only fhew the greatest ingratitude to the grace of his fovereign, but give fufficient proof that he was touched with infanity. The cafe is the fame here. The law was added because of tranfgreffion, that fin by it might appear fin; that the offence might abound; yea, that fin might become exceeding finful; that every mouth might be stopped by it, and the whole world become guilty before God; and that judgment might come upon all men unto condemnation. Here they all lie under the fentence of death, and are children of wrath when grace finds them. And they are pardoned; but pardon is of the new covenant, not of the old. And they are justified; but not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. And they are fanctified; but not through nor by the law, for God doth not minister the Spirit by the works of the law, but by the preaching of faith. And they are faved; but falvation is not of works, for by grace are we faved, through faith, and that not of ourselves. And we are glorified; but, if they that are of the law be heirs of glory, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Salvation and glorification are of fovereign love. And, according to this book, the grand fource of all is to be found in the law, for that is the law of love; confequently thofe which be of the law muft be

heirs; the law muft have the praife, and man's boasting must be established.

QUOT. Neither Paul nor James had any idea that the moral law was abolished and done away.

ANSW. Nor did any real faint ever dream of the moral law being abolished, until this book appeared; which tells us that "the moral law has ceased to exist as a covenant of works:" which is abolishing its commanding and condemning power; and is, in effect, making it void, and doing it away. I fay that we are redeemed from the condemning power of the law by the blood of Chrift; and delivered from its commanding power (which is Do, and live) by the grace of God and the gift of righteoufnefs, The blood of the covenant gives a fatisfactory anfwer to the fentence of the law, by declaring me redeemed from death; and imputed righteoufnefs gives an answer to the precept of the law, by declaring the just shall live by faith. And he that denies this denies the fatisfaction of Chrift, either by his active or paffive obedience. Nor does preaching this faith make void the law, but eftablish it. Redeeming my foul from death, and juftifying me by faith, doth not abolish the law from its feat, but deliver my foul from its yoke, that I might serve God in truth, not with eye-service; from a principle of love to him, not from the fear of damnation from him; in the newness of the Spirit, not in the oldnefs of the

letter;

letter; from a fenfe of pardon, not from fear of punishment; in the ties of gratitude, not in the fhackles of torment; as a dutiful fon, not as a partial hireling. Is the law against the promises of God? God forbid!

vour.

Our present sovereign pardons many condemned criminals, but he doth not abolish his laws by the acts of his grace; but thofe who despise the acts of his clemency, and cleave to the law that condemned them, must die, for the law can fhew them no faSo thofe that turn their back upon the law of faith, and go to the law of works, fall from grace, and Christ shall profit them nothing. If the righteousness of the law be fulfilled in the man that walks in the Spirit, how can the miniftry of the Spirit make void the law? If a woman capable of a numerous progeny marries, and lives ten years with a man, and all that time continues barren, fhe contributes nothing, during all that period, towards populating the nation to which she belongs; and Wifdom fays, In the want of people is the deftruction of the prince. But, if fuch a woman's husband die, and fhe marries again, and, by the second husband, bears ten or twenty children, that are useful in the army, navy, or to society; does the any injury, either to the government or laws of her country, by her fruitfulness? Is fuch an one entitled to the name of an outlaw, or an Antinomian, for this? I fuppofe not. The parallel holds good; for, when we were in the flefb, the motions of fins, which were by the law, did