But as to the special use of the moral law to those who are regenerate, as distinguished from all others, it is said to shew them how much they are bound to Christ for his fulfilling it, and enduring the curse thereof in their stead, and for their good. Thus Christ is said to be the end of the law for righteousness, Rom. x. 4. that is, he has answered the end and demand of the law, by performing that obedience which it requires, and thereby procuring a justifying righteousness, which is applied to every one that believes. This lays them under a superadded obligation to obedience, peculiar to them as be lievers; so that they are not only engaged to the practice of universal holiness, from the consideration of the sovereignty of God commanding in common with all others, but from the love of Christ, which does as it were constrain them hereunto, 2 Cor. v. 14. And hereby they are said to be provoked to more thankfulness, as they have greater inducements hereunto than any others; and this gratitude cannot be better expressed than by the utmost care to approve themselves to him in all things. Therefore the grace of God is so far from leading to licentiousness, that all who have experienced it, are hereby put upon the exercise of that obedience which they owe to God as their rightful Lord and Sovereign, and to Christ as their gracious Redeemer, whom they love entirely; and therefore keep his commandments.

I cannot but here take occasion to observe, not only with dislike, but a just indignation, how some, under a pretence of religion, sap the very foundation of it, while they frequently make mention of the gospel, and the liberty wherewith Christ has made his people free, and at the same time abuse it, not only by practising, but pleading for licentiousness. The Epicureans were libertines among the Heathen, and the Sadducees among the Jews; but these were vile and profligate out of principle; either denying the being of a God, or disowning his perfections as well as future rewards and punishments; and therefore it is no wonder they had no regard to the divine raw. But I want words to express the wickedness of those who pervert the gospel of Christ, as though that exempted them from the obligation which all are under to universal obedience.

The apostle had to do with some such in his day; and therefore he represents them as saying, Is the law sin? that is, since we are delivered from the condemning sentence thereof, may we not take encouragement from thence to sin? or, as he elsewhere brings them in as saying, Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? chap. vi. 1. To both which he replies, with the greatest detestation, God forbid. After this, in an early age of the church, the Nicolaitans, Rev. ii. 6. and GnosVOL. III. 3 G

tics, and among them, the Valentinians held these pernicious opinions, and encouraged themselves in the practice of the greatest immoralities*. And Augustin speaks of the Aetians and Eunomians, who lived in his time, who pretended that any one who persisted in the vilest crimes, would receive no detriment thereby, provided they adhered to the sentiments which they advanced t. And there are many, in later ages, whose sentiments have been, in this respect, subversive of all religion; and from their denying the obligation we are under, to yield obedience to the law of God, are justly called Antinomians.

However, that we may not appear to be unjust to the characters of men, let it be considered, that we are not here speaking of the charge of Antinomianism, which some, who defend or oppose the doctrines of grace, bring against each other; as supposing that their respective sentiments lead to licentiousness. The Papists and Pelagians pretend, though unjustly, that the doctrine of predestination, efficacious grace, and the final perseverance of the saints, is liable to this charge; while they on the other hand, lay themselves open to the like charge, by advancing doctrines which have the most pernicious tendency, as subversive of practical godliness, in various instances; particularly their asserting, that God in the gospel-covenant, dispenses with imperfect obedience instead of perfect; and this is no other than what we are able to perform without the aids of divine grace. But this we pass over, leaving each party to defend their scheme from this imputation.

As to others, who are more especially known by the character of Antinomians, these are of two sorts, namely, such who openly maintain that the moral law is not a rule of life in any sense; and that good works are not to be insisted on as having any reference to salvation; and therefore, if persons presume, as they, according to them, ought to do, that Christ died for them, and they were justified before they had a being, they may live in the practice of the greatest immoralities, or give countenance to them that do so, without entertaining the least doubt of their salvation; and that it is a preposterous thing for those who thus presumptuously conclude themselves to be justified, to confess themselves guilty of sin; since that would be to deny that they are in a justified state, or in any sense, to pray for the pardon thereof; since that would argue that it is not forgiven. Neither can they, with any tolerable

Vil. Cov. Hist. lit. Tom. I. Page 30.

Vid. Aug. de Heres. Cap. liv. where speaking of Eunomius, he says, Fertur 'etiam usque adeo fuisse bonis moribus inimicus, ut asseveraret, quod nihil cuique obesset, quorumlibet perpetratio ac perseverantia peccatorum, si hujus quæ ab illo docebatur, fidei particeps esset.

degree of patience, entertain the least exhortations to practical godliness; because they pretend, that they are exempted from the obligation to perform any branch thereof, by their not being under the law. Nay, some of them have been so impudent, and daringly wicked, as to assert, that if they should commit murder, adultery, or any other crimes of the like nature, even this would be no bar in the way of their salvation; nor the most vile sins that can be committed, do them any hurt, or in the least affect their eternal state. I have, indeed, sometimes thought that this representation of Antinomianism was no other than a consequence, deduced from some absurd doctrines that have been maintained; or that so much of hell could never put on the mask or shew of religion in any degree; and that this character belonged to none but those who are open and professed Atheists. But though my lot has not been cast among persons of so vile a character, yet I have been informed, by those whose souls have been grieved with such conversation, that there are some in the world who thus set themselves against the law of God.

There are others, indeed, who are styled Antinomians, whose conversation is blameless, and are not therefore to be ranked with these men, or judged Antinomians in practice; who, nevertheless, do great disservice to the truth; and, it may be, give occasion to some to be licentious, by advancing unguarded expressions, which will admit of a double construction, without condescending to explain some bold positions, which they occasionally lay down.

Thus when they maintain eternal justification, without considering it as an immanent act in God, or as his secret determination, not to impute sin to those who are given to Christ; but ascribe that to it, which is only to be applied to justification, as it is the result of God's revealed will, in which respect it is said to be by faith: and when they encourage persons from hence, to conclude that their state is safe; and to maintain that it is the duty of every one to believe that he is thus justified; this has certainly a tendency to lead some out of the way of truth and holiness, whether they design it or no. And when others speak diminutively of good works as though they were in no sense necessary to salvation, because they are not the matter of our justification. This may give occasion to some to think that they may be saved without them.

And when others deny the law to be a rule of life, or assert that believers have nothing to do with it; though, it may be, they understand nothing else by it, but that it is not that rule, according to which God proceeds in justifying, or giving his people a right to eternal life; or, that a believer is not under the law, as a covenant of works; yet many would be ready to

think the words had a different meaning, and so be led out of the way thereby, how far soever this might be from their intention. And if a person seems studiously to avoid confessing of sin, or praying for forgiveness, some would be ready to judge of his sentiments by his practice; and certainly our denying this to be a duty in any sense, is not only contrary to scripture, but inconsistent with that humility and faith which are essential to practical godliness. Or when persons deny that self-examination is a duty; and speak of all marks and evidences of grace, though never so just and agreeable to the scripture-account thereof, as legal, or a low way, in order to a person's coming to the knowledge of himself; or suppose that they are unnecessary, as being inconsistent with the Spirit's testimony: This has a tendency to lead to presumption, which is a degree of licentiousness.

Moreover, when they assert that God is not angry with his people for their sins, nor, in any sense, punishes them for them, without distinguishing between fatherly chastisements, and the stroke of vindictive justice, or the external and sensible effects of that hatred which God cannot but exercise against sin, and his casting them out of a justified state: Such doctrines as these lead some persons to licentiousness, whatever be the secret meaning of those that advance them.

We have an instance of this, as the historian observes*, in Agricola, who was Luther's towns-man, and great admirer; who, as it is probable, did not thoroughly understand what he maintained concerning the subserviency of the law to the gospel, and its having no place in the justification of a sinner; or else, from some unguarded expressions, which he was sometimes apt to make use of; this friend of his took occasion to advance some Antinomian tenets, viz. that repentance ought not to be urged from the consideration of the breach of the law; and that the gospel ought to be preached to sinners before they are brought under conviction by the law; and that how scandalous and debauched soever persons be in their lives, yet, if they do but believe the promises of the gospel, they shall be justified. In this, Agricola was followed by a party of men; and accordingly Antinomianism is said to have taken its rise, in this part of the world, from that time. Luther, on the other hand, was forced to take a great deal of pains to rectify his mistakes; which, though it tended to his conviction, yet it did not put a stop to the spread of his errors, which he had before propagated.

As for those who were charged with Antinomianism in England, in the last century, such as Dr. Crisp, Eaton, Salt

See Slied. Comment. de Stat. Relig. & Repub. Lib. xii.

marsh, Town, and others, whatever their design might be, and how much soever they were remote from the charge of Antinomianism in practice; though it be alleged in their vindication, by some, that the principal thing they had in view, was to bear their testimony against the prevailing doctrine of Arminianism, that was studiously propagated by some persons of great character and influence in the nation: Nevertheless, we cannot but conclude, that they had done more service to the cause of truth, had they been more cautious in explaining their sentiments, and saved those, who had favourable thoughts of them in other respects, the trouble of producing some expres sions out of their writings, to convince the world that they did not hold those dangerous notions which were charged upon them and it is too evident to be denied, that many have taken them in the worst sense; who have from hence been ready to charge the most important doctrines of the gospel, as leading to licentiousness, and this has made some more spar ing in defending those truths which ought to have been insisted on, and explained, though in other words more intelligible and unexceptionable.

QUEST. XCVIII. Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?

ANSW. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten commandments, which were delivered by the voice of God upon mount Sinai, and written by him in two tables of stone, and are recorded in the twentieth chapter of Exodus; the four first Commandments containing our duty to God, and the other six our duty to man.

AVING considered the moral law, as written on the

Heart of man at first, and the knowledge thereof, in some degree attainable by all who exercise their reasoning powers: We are in this, and some following answers, led to consider that epitome, or abstract thereof, that was given to the Israelites by the voice of God upon mount Sinai, which is contained in the Ten Commandments.

But since we are considering this instance of divine condescension to them, it may not be reckoned altogether foreign to our present design, for us to give some brief account of those other laws which God gave, together with the moral law; most of which were communicated from mount Sinai: And therefore we may observe, that together with the moral law, there were several forensic or judicial laws given by God for the government of the people of Israel, which more especially