seasonableness of a Difcourfe upon fuch a Subject to fuch an Auditory, and upon fuch an Occafion.

I must confefs, I do not much admire to have things of a Controverfial Nature in Sermons; whose bufinefs feems rather to lie in perfwading and ftirring up Men to the Practife of Piety and good Life, than in stating and deciding Questions. But whatever may be thought of the particular Controverfies in Religion, many of which were perhaps better let alone than even rightly determin'd; fure the Notion of the Gospel in General, though a Notion, is yet fo concerning and important a one (the whole Practice, as well as Theory, of Christianity depending upon it) that I cannot but prefume, that a clear and rational Account of this matter may be acceptable and ferviceable front the Pulpit, as from a Divinity-Chair; efpecially in an Age, when not only the particular Points of the Chriftian Religion are corrupted, but the whole Design of it is mistaken, and its general Idea altogether perverted and mifrepresented, by á fort of Men, who give fuch an Account of Christianity, as to overturn all Morálity ; and so explain the Gofpel, as wholly to evacuate the Law.

And fincé in behalf of this odd and abufive Account of Christianity, they alledge fome fingle Paffages out of St. Paul's Epiftles, abstracted from the Scope and Occafion of them; I have the rather thought fit to confront it with a paffage from the fame Divine Writer. A paffage that feems directly level'd against the Solifidian Hypothefis,and which

1

one would think should serve as a general Key to the Apostles meaning in all his Difcourfes about Juftification; and wherein he feems to have laid in a Caution against all fuch grofs misconstructions of it, as fuppofe him to diffolve the Force and Obligation of the Law, by Preaching up the Faith of Chrift. The very fuppofition of which extravagant Conceit,the Apoftle here rejects with all the Indignation, and all the abhorrence imaginable: Do we then make void the Law through Faith? fays he, God forbid; yea, we establish the Law.

The words confift of a Queftion,and an Answer. The Question is, whether the Law be made void through Faith? That is, by the Goffel, or by that Account which the Apostle had given of the Gofpel. To which the Anfwer is fo far in the Negative, that 'tis said to be rather establish'd by it.

By Law here, I fuppofe, is meant truly and chiefly the moral Law. For, that Law must be here af ferted not to be made void, by which it was before afferted that Men are not Juftified; this being the only pretence of fufpicion that the Law is made void, becaufe Men are fuppofed not to be Juftify'd by it. Do we then make void the Law, fays the Apostle. Then, as much as to say in virtue of the Conclufion we have now laid down, that Men are not Juftified by the Deeds of it. That Law therefore which is here faid not to be made void,must be one and the fame with that, whereby Men are said not to be Juftified. Thus much is

clear.

clear. But now what Law is that? Is it not the Moral Law? Yes, it is. For the Apoftle is here. treating, not of the Juftification of the Jews only, but alfo of the Gentiles. He is treating of Juftification in General; and setting down the standing Terms upon which, not this or that Person or Nation, but Mankind in the Lump,must expect to be juftified. Now, 'twould have been but a very empty Frigid Affertion to have faid,that Mankind in general (which will comprehend Gentile as well as Jew) is not justify'd by the Ceremonial Law. For, what has the Gentile to do with the Law of Ceremonies? Or how could it be imagin'd, that they should expect Juftification by a Law which was never given to them, and by which they never were obliged? That Law therefore by which all Men, the Gentile as well as the Jew, are here faid not to be juftified,must be some Common Law between them both, a Law of Univerfal Extent, and Unlimited Obligation. And what Law can this be,but the Moral Law? what other Law is common to all Mankind? And that this is the Law here meant, is further plain, from the Reafon given why Men are not justified by it,namely,their present inability to keep it; which the Apostle concludes from the general Corruption and Immorality of Mankind. For we have before proved, ver. 9. fays he, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under Sin. Upon which occafion he quotes and applies a paffage out of the Pfalms,defcribing the general Corruption of Markind. As it is written, There is none Righteous, no

not one. There is none that underftandeth, there is none that feeketh after God They are all gone out of the way,they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one: Their Throat is an apen Sepulcher, with their Tongues they have used Dereit, the Poifon of Afps is under their Lips.Whofe Mouth is full of Curfing and Bitterness: Their Feet are fwift to shed Blood. Deftruction and Mifery are in their ways, and the way of Peace they have rot known. There is no fear of God before their Eyes. Which are all of them inftances of Immovalities, or Tranfgreffions againft the Moral Law. Again, fays he, Ver. 19. that every Mouth may be flopp'd, and all the World may become guilty before God: Which could not be in respect of the Ceremonial Law; because that did not oblige all the World, but only a little part of it, and that too for a little time. Therefore by the deeds of the Law, fays he again, ver. 20. there fall no Fleft be juflified in his sight, for by the Law is the knowledge of Sin. Which muft neceffarily be meant of the Moral Law,because of that impoffibility of keeping it, which he had before (poken of, and illutrated by thofe inftances of general Immorality; and which he again inculcates, by faying, that by the Law is the knowledge of Sin. And fo again, All have finn'd and come fort of the Glory of God. Ver. 23. Which must needs be understood in refpect of the Maral Law, there being no other Law by the tranfgreffing of which all could fin and be guilty in the fight of God. From all which, it clearly appears, that the Law by which

Men

Men are here faid not to be justified, is truly the Moral Law.

Thofe Learned Men who will have the Apo ftle, when he afferts that we are not juftified by the Works of the Law, to be understood only of the Ceremonial Law; are led, I prefume, into this Senfe,upon the Suppofition, that not to be justi fied by the works of the Moral Law, would infer the nullity of that Law, and the non-neceffity of those works; and fo countenance the abfurd conceits of Antinomianism and Solifidianifm.But there is no need for fuch a Jealoufie,or fuch a Scruple; for, the reafon given by the Apostle why Men are not juftified by the Law, being their inability to keep it, their being all concluded under Sin; 'tis plain, that when he affirms that they are not juftified by the Works of the Law, by Works he means Perfect Works, or exact unfinning Obedience. They are not justified by the Law, that is, by their keeping the Law; and that because they do not, cannot keep it. Now not to be justified by the Works of the Moral Law, in this Senfe, (meaning by Works, Perfect Works,) does by no means infer the nullity of that Law, or the unneceffity of those Works, as Conditions to Juftifi cation;but only the impoffibility of Perfect Obedience, or living abfolutely without Sin; I fay, it does not infer a nullity of the Moral Law, as shall be made appear in the Process: But it does infer an Appearance,a Seemingnefs of fuch a thing, which is the ground upon which the Apostle raifes this Objection here:-Do we then make void