Let finners learn this mystery to read,
We bear to glorious Chrift no precious feed,
Till through the law, we to the law be dead*.
No true obedience to the law, but forc'd,
Can any yield, till from the law divorc'd.
Nor to it, as a rule is homage giv'n,

Till from it, as a cov‘nant, men be driv'n..
Yea more, till once they this divorce attain,
Divorce from fin they but attempt in vain;
The curfed yoke of fin they basely draw,
Till once unyoked from the curling law.
Sin's full dominion keeps its native place,
While men are under law, not under gracet.
For mighty hills of enmity won't move, [love.
Till touch'd by conqu'ring grace and mighty
Were but the gofpel fecret understood;
How God can pardon where he fees no good;
How grace and mercy free, that can't be bought,
Reign through a righteousness already wrought:
Were woful reigning unbelief depos'd,
Myfterious grace to blinded minds difclos'd:
Did Heav'n with gofpel-news its pow'r con-
And finners hear a faithful God but lay, (vey,
No more law-debt remains for you to pay;

Lo, by the loving Surety all's discharg'd, Their hearts behov'd with love to be enlarg'd: Love, the fuccinct fulfilling of the law ‡, Were then the eafy yoke they'd sweetly draw; Love would conftrain and to his fervice move, Who left them nothing elfe to do but love. Slight now his loving precepts if they can; No, no; his conquering kindness leads the van. When everlasting love exerts the sway, (obey, They judge themselves more kindly bound t Gal. ii. 19. + Rom. vi. 14.

Rom. xiii. 10.

Bound by redeeming grace in ftricter sense
Than ever Adam was in innocence.

Why now, they are not bound, as formerly,
To do and live, nor yet to do or die;

Both life and death are put in Jefus hands,
Who urges neither in his kind commands,
Not fervile work their life and heav'n to win,
Nor flavish labour death and hell to fhun.
Their aims are purer, fince they understood,
Their heav'n was bought, their hell was
quench'd with blood.

The oars of gofpel-fervice now they fteer,
Without or legal hope or flavish fear.

The bride in fweet fecurity can dwell, (hell: Nor bound to purchase heav'n, nor vanquish But bound for him the race of love to run, whofe love to her left none of thefe undone; She's bound to be the Lamb's obedient wife, And in his ftrength to serve him during life; To glorify his loving name for ay,

Who left her not a fingle mite to pay
Of legal debt, but wrote for her at large
In characters of blood a full discharge.
Henceforth no fervile task her labours prove,
But grateful fruits of reverential love.

SECT. V.

Gofpel-grace giving no liberty nor freedom to fin, but to holy fervice and pure obedience.

HE glorious Hufband's love can't lead the wife

THE

To whoredom or licentioufnefs of life:

Nay, nay; fhe finds his warmeft love within; The hotteft fire to melt her heart for fin.

His kind embrace is ftill the ftrongest cord
To bind her to the fervice of her Lord.
The more her faith infures this love of his,
The more his law her delectation is.
Some dream, they might, who this affurance
Take latitude and liberty to fin.
(win,
Ah! fuch bewray their ignorance, and prove"
They want the lively sense of dying love;
And how its fweet conftraining force can.

move.

The ark of grace came never in to dwell,
But Dagon lufts before it headlong fell.
Men bafely can unto lafcivioufnefs
Abuse the doctrine, not the work of grace.
Huggers of divine love in vice's path,
Have but the fancy of it, not the faith.
They never foar'd aloft on grace's wing,
That knew not grace to be a holy thing :
When regnant the the pow'rs of hell appals,
And fin's dominion in the ruin falls.
Curs'd is the crew whofe Antinomian dress
Makes, grace a cover to their idleness.
The bride of Chrift will fure be very loth
To make his love a pillow for her floth.

Why, mayn't the fin the more that grace abounds!

Oh, God forbid! the very thought confounds.
When dead unto the law, fhe's dead to fin;
How can fhe any longer live therein*?
To neither of them is the now a flave,
But shares the conqueft of the great, the brave,
The mighty Gen'ral, her victorious Head,
Who broke the double chain to free the bride,

Rom. vi I.

Hence, prompted now with gratitude and love,
Her cheerful feet in fwift obedience move.
More ftrong the cords of love to duty draw,
Than hell, and all the curfes of the law.
When with feraphic love the breaft's infpir'd,
By that are all the other graces fir'd; (frame
Thefe kindling round, the burning heart and
In life and walk fend forth a holy flame.

CHA P. IV.

A Caution to all against a legal fpirit; efpecially to those that have a profeffion without power, and learning without grace.

HY, fays the haughty heart of legalists,

WHY
Bound to the law of works by nat'ral

Why fuch ado about a law divorce? (twifts, Mens lives are bad, and would you have them worfe?

'Such Antinomian ftuff with labour'd toil

Would human beauty's native luftre spoil. • What wickedness beneath the cov'ring lurks, 'That loudly would divorce us all from works? Why fuch ftir about the law and grace?

We know that merit cannot now take place. ' And what needs more?' Well, to let flander Be merit for a little here the scope. (drop,

Ah! many learn to lifp in gofpel-terms, Who yet embrace the law with legal arms, By wholefome education fome are taught To own that human merit now is naught; Who faintly but renounce proud merit's name, And cleave refin'dly to the Popish scheme.

For graceful works expecting divine bliss,
And, when they fail, truft Chrift for what's a-
Thus to his righteoufnefs profefs to flee, (mifs.
Yet by it ftill would their own faviours be.
They feem to works of merit bloody foes,
Yet feek falvation as it were* by those.
Blind Gentiles found, who did nor feek nor
But Ifra'l loft it whole, who fought it fo. (know;
Let all that love to wear the legal drefs,
Know that as fin, fo baftard righteousness
Has flain it's thousands, who in tow'ring pride
The righteousness of Jefus Chrift deride;
A robe divinely wrought, divinely won,
Yet caft by men for rags that are their own..
But fome to legal works feem whole deny'd,
Yet would by gofpel works be justify'd,
By faith, repentance, love, and other fuch:
These dreamers being righteous overmuch,
Like Uzzá, give the ark a wrongful touch.
By legal deeds however gospeliz'd,
Can e'er tremend'ous juftice be appeas'd
Or finners juftify'd before that God,
Whofe law is perfect, and exceeding broad?
Nay, faith itself, that leading gospel-grace,
Holds as a work no juftifying place.
Juft Heav'n to man for righteoufnefs imputes.
Not faith itself, or in it's acts or fruits;.
But Jefus' meritorious life and death,
Faith's proper object, all the honour hath.
From this doth faith derive its glorious fame,
Its great renown and justifying name;
Receiving all things, but deferving nought;
By faith all's begg'd and taken, nothing bought.

*Rom. ix. 32,