to stand and perseverse in this way of sin: and they are sins, because they proceed from the ungodliness of their hearts. And, as saith the wise man, What truth will be spoken by a liar, or what godliness will be done by the ungodly?

Christ however has in these points given us excellent instruction, when he has taught us, that they are to be known by their fruits. And they have two sorts of works; some which he calls sheep's clothing; which are not their proper fruits, but feigned according to their counsel and ways. But, when you touch them and touch them and oppose them, then, behold, their proper fruits burst forth; wrath, clamour, pride, backbiting, evil-speaking, self-excusing, envy, blasphemy, and the like enormities: nor can you ever gather other fruits from these thorns, than these most sharp thorns. And such, as you may see, are our ceremonial work-mongers.

And hath not sat in the seat of pestilence.

Yet this the Jews do, departing from Christ: under whose lips is the incurable poison of asps, and their vine is the gall of dragons: for they must of necessity teach contrary to Christ. These other heretics follow, under another name and person indeed, but with the same pestilence of ungodliness.

And, to come to our own times, they sit in the seat of pestilence, who fill the church with the opinions of philosophers, with the traditions of men, and with the counsels of their own brain, and oppress miserable consciences, setting aside, all the while, the Word of God, by which alone the soul is fed, lives, and is preserved. Whence it comes to pass, that men are ignorant of every other righteousness but that which is obtained by works; whereas this is ungodliness and sin in the sight of God. For it is impossible that you can teach the works of any laws whatever without peril, unless, by the better doctrine and the better labour, you first teach faith in Christ. In the fifth to the Galatians Paul teaches faith; and in the sixth, life and conversation: and he does the same in his other Epistles. And Christ in the Gospel requires faith only.

VERSE 2.

But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law will he meditate day and night.

THE GRAMMATICAL AND THEOLOGICAL EXPOSITION OF THIS PASSAGE.

See that thou distinguish (to tell thee once for all) the "law of the Lord" as widely and as differently as possible from all laws of men; and take heed with all thy care, that by confusing all in one chaos, (as the teachers of pestilence do,) they do not miserably destroy thee; while they attempt to make the traditions of men the law of God, and the law of God the traditions of men. Let me give thee an example or two of this.-The law of God is, "Honour thy father and thy mother." Out of this law the pharisees have made this tradition : The gift which is brought to the altar is better than that which is given to the parents;' as you read Matt. xv. Again despising God in the true commandment, they honour him according to another commandment out of their own law, thus establishing a law for God. For the elders had said, 'Wash thine hands when thou eatest:' and not to hear the elders is the same as not hearing God. Therefore saith Christ in the same chapter, "Ye hypocrites! well did Esaias prophecy concerning you, saying, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

Thus at this day matters aré come to such a pass, that they daringly affirm, that the voice of the Popes and of the Roman council alone are to be heard with fear and trembling. When all the commands of God are at the same time laughed at, yea held in contempt: and not more so by any set of men than by those very characters who boast of the to-be-feared voice of the great council. In a word, they have carried these most impious superstitions to that extremity, that mass-priests

are every-where to be found, who imagine that they have sinned the sin unto death if they have celebrated mass without their stole or maniple, or any external that is attended to. Or, if they have made any like mistake or omission in the canonical form of celebrating mass, it is considered a most awful sin. But I am ashamed to proceed any farther in the enumeration of those ridiculous trifles with which the mass-priests and other religious ones of the same kind terrify their consciences. Whereas, all the while, if they have been lying under the sins of lust, wrath, envy, covetousness, and pride, and that for the space of many years together, and have despised God, they feel nothing of it whatever.

The term "will" here, does not imply any power in man: nor does it signify that inert habit which our modern theologians have dragged into their divinity out of Aristotle, to the subversion of a man's true understanding of the scriptures: nor, again, does it signify that act which they say is allured forth out of that power or habit. No human being under heaven has such a "will" as is here signified: it must be given him from above. For since the nature of man is intent on, and prone to evil, as the divine authority asserts (Gen. vi. 5;) and since the law of God is "holy and just, and good," Rom. vii. 12; it follows, that the will of man is against the law, hates the law, and flees from the law. And even if at any time from the fear of punishment, or from a want to get at what is promised, it pretends a love for the law, yet, the natural hatred of the law still remains within; nor can such a will love the law freely; for it does not love it because it is good, but because it seems to promise some advantage.

The "will," therefore, here signified, is that delight of heart, and that certain pleasure, in the law, which does not look at what the law promises, nor at what it threatens, but at this only,--that "the law is holy and just, and good." Hence it is not only a love of the law, but that loving delight in the law, which no prosperity nor adversity, nor the world, nor the prince of it, can either take away or destroy: for it victoriously bursts

its way through poverty, evil report, the cross, death, and hell, and, in the midst of adversities, shines the brightest. And this "will" springs from faith in God through Jesus Christ. Whereas, that will which is extorted by the fear of punishment, is servile and violently forced and that which is drawn forth by a desire after the reward, is mercenary and feigned. But this, is a free, spontaneous, and happy will. And hence it is that the people of Christ are called in the Hebrew NEDABOTH, that is, spontaneous, voluntary, and free.'

From all which things it is manifest, that this Psalm is to be understood of Christ only. He is the mark and the goal to which the man that is "blessed" is to direct all his aims: for there is no one in this life who does not want something of this "will," on account of the law and will in his members, which are contrary to it; as the apostle saith (Rom. vii. 23); which latter will, according to true theology, is to be crucified; but which, according to philosophy, is to be accounted a virtue.

To "meditate," as it is generally understood, signifies to discuss, to dispute; and its meaning is always, confined to a being employed in words: as in Psalm xxxvii. 30, "The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom." Hence Augustine has, in his translation, "chatter:" and a beautiful metaphor it is,--as chattering is the employment of birds, so a continual conversing in the law of the Lord, (for talking is peculiar to man,) ought to be the employment of man.-But I cannot worthily and fully set forth the gracious meaning and force of this word: for this meditating' consists first in an intent observing of the words of the law, and then in a comparing of the different scriptures: which is a certain delightful hunting, nay, rather a playing with stags in a forest, where the Lord furnishes us with the stags, and opens to us their secret coverts. And from this kind of employment, there comes forth at length a man well instructed in the law of the Lord to speak unto the people.

For instance: "Thou shalt not kill," if you pass it

over in a cursory manner, is a frigid sentence: by which, according to the sound of its letters, you merely understand that the act of murder is prohibited. But stop and meditate a little. It is not said, Thy hand shall not steal, but Thou shalt not steal. And what art thou? soul and body; and having many members and faculties in each; hand, eyes, tongue, mind, will, &c. When, therefore, thou art forbidden to kill, art thou not thereby forbidden to kill either with thy hand, or thy tongue, or thy will? for which soever of these shall kill, it is Thou that killest. Therefore, we are not to be angry, we are not to wish evil, we are not to speak evil, we are not to calumniate, we are not to turn away our face, we are not to despise, we are not to injure, we are not to wish to injure: but, on the other hand, we are to love, to bless, to do good. What then is the purport of this scripture, Thou shalt not kill? Why this,-that thou art not to be bitter and angry with, but kind and gentle to, thy neighbour. Therefore, look into what the scriptures teach concerning love, kindness, suavity, benevolence, goodness, and tenderness; and when thou hast collected and compared them all, hast thou not then well chattered and meditated in the law of the Lord?

With respect to "day and night," whether you understand them literally, or figuratively for assiduously, or allegorically for in adversity and prosperity, it matters not at all: for the righteous man, even when sleeping, loves and thinks upon the law of the Lord.

David saith then of this man that is "blessed," that his "will" will be in the law of the Lord. He will neither look at, nor love, nor hate any created thing whatever, either good or evil, but will, by this "will," be entirely raised above all things that are created. What wonder therefore is it, that such a man should be blessed, who, being endowed with this heavenly will, has no taste whatever for those things by which the ignorant judges of blessedness are dashed to and fro. Moreover, as such an one is by this his will now made one with the Word of God, (for love always unites the lover and the object loved,) he must of necessity taste how good,