definitely difpenfed to finners, that they may look unto and rely upon this conquering power and drawing grace of God. By this law of faith, I fay, the houfe is delivered. Again,

3. There is a law by which the houfe is governed; namely, the law of love: I mean, the moral law, as it is a rule of life and holinefs, not a rule of acceptance, (this were to make it a covenant of works) but a rule of obedience, in the hand of Chrift. This is the law, which, by Mofes, is reduced to ten words, ten commandments and I call it a law of love, because our Lord Jefus reduced it into two words; namely, love to God, and love to our neighbour: And the apofile reduced it to one word, viz. Love; "The end of the commandment is love," 1 Tim. i. 5. And again, "Love is the fulfilling of the law," by which the houfe is governed. It may be called a law of love, becaufe, as love is the cord, by which God draws his houfhold to obedience; fo love is the motive that engages them to obey it: they obey, not from flavifh fear, like thefe that are under the yoke of the law, as a covenant: but love, which cafts out fear. Chrift's yoke is eafy, because it is a loving yoke; not driving by violence, but drawing them kindly by the cord of love in every duty; not requiring rigoroufly, under pain of death and damnation, but conftraining fweetly with delight to do the will of God. It is not a grievous law, requiring obedience, but giving no ftrength, and feeking brick without ftraw; but a gracious law, lined with love and grace, promifing ftrength to obey, working in them both to will and to do. Hence his commandments are not grievous; duties are not gravamenous; ordinances are not a heavy burden; but rather like a chariot paved with love for the daughters of Jerufalem. This is the law by which the houfe is governed pleasantly and peaceably; for he that hath the government upon his fhoulders, is the Prince of peace.

The confideration of thefe three laws may clear your view about the law of the houfe: the law, from which the house is delivered, is the law of works, or covenant of works; the law, by which the houfe is delivered and recovered, is the law of faith, or covenant of grate; VOL. V. + U

and

and the law, by which the houfe is governed, is the law of love, or moral law, as a rule in the hand of a loving Jefus. Now, by the violation of the first of these, holiness was loft; by the publication of the second, holinefs is reftored; and by the promulgation of the third, holiness is required and established as a rule, for directing the houfhold in the way of holinefs. This leads me,

2dly, To the fecond queftion here, viz. How bolinefs is the law of the houfe? For clearing this, it is neceffary to remember, that the threefold law that I have mentioned, is fitly prefented to us in the word of God. For, by the firft, we are convinced of our unholinefs; By the law is the knowledge of fin: By the fecond, we are enlightened to fee where holinefs is to be had, namely, in the holy covenant, the holy Jefus, whom God hath given to be the covenant of the people, as the gospel declares By the third, we are directed in the way of holinefs. The firft is not the law of the houfe; for, they are delivered from it; only God makes ufe of it as a mean fubfervient to bring finners to Christ, or to bring them to his houfe, where the only law is the two laft; the law of faith, and the law of love. Now, the fpiritual house of Chrift is a holy building, where holy faith and holy obedience, comprehend all the holinefs of the houfe; and, becaufe it is to be built up in the moft holy faith, therefore the law of faith, or covenant of grace, is the law of the houfe, difcovering the object and the ground of faith and, because it is to be built up in a moft holy obedience, therefore the law of love, or moral law, as a rule, is the law of the house, directing and binding them to this obedience: in the former, holinefs is promised; in the latter, holiness is injoined.

1. As to the law of faith, or the gofpel, holiness is to be confidered as the privilege of the houfe; and by this law of faith it is viewed as a purchased privilege, as a promifed privilege, as a privilege freely conferred, and a privilege freely continued.

2. As to the law of love, or moral law, holiness is to be confidered as the duty of the houfe: for, holiness is the matter of the law; holinefs is the end of it; holiness

is the fum of it: it forbids nothing but unholiness, it requires nothing but holinefs; " As he that has called you is holy, fo be ye holy in all manner of converfation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy," 1 Pet. i. 15. The law of love must be a holy law; for, as all unholiness is comprifed in enmity to God and man, fo all holiness is comprised in love to God and man.

3dly, The third question here was, Why is it ingeminate and doubled? This is the law of the boufe; Behold, this is the law of the boufe: Why is it twice proclaimed in the text?

1. It imports, That this law of the houfe, refpecting holinefs, is an indifpenfible law: therefore it is notified; and again notified with a bebold, that none may pretend ignorance. The moral law, materially confidered, is eternally binding.

2. It imports, That ye are deaf and dull of hearing; or, "Hearing, we do not hear; but, like the deaf adder, ftop our ear at the voice of the charmer :" and at the beft are ready to forget that this is the law of the house. Therefore we are affured of it again and again.

3. It imports, That there is danger in neglecting this advertisement; and, in being remifs and flack in the ftudy of holinefs, it endangers the houfe; for, tho' the houfhold of faith are all well intitled to heaven, and well fecured from hell, yet the law of the houfe hath a fanction fuitable to the children of the family; "If his children forfake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my ftatutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I vifit their tranfgreffions with the rod, and their iniquity with ftripes," Pfal. lxxxix. 30,-32. The rod of God is terrible, even to his children.

4. It may import, That this is the beginning and the end of true religion: therefore, that this is the law of the house, is both at the beginning and the end of the text. Here is the preface, This is the law of the boufe; here is the conclufion of the whole matter, Behold, this is the law of the boufe. This boundary is fet fet round about the houfe of God; and, Holiness to the Lord, must be the motto of the house, from the top to the bot tom thereof. This leads,

IV. To the Fourth thing propofed, namely, The extent of this law of holinefs: Upon the top of the mountain, the whole limit thereof round about shall be moft boly.— I think, in general, this fpeaks out the univerfality of that holinefs God calls for in his houfe.-It fhould be univerfal fubjectively, the whole heart, and all the faculties of the foul, fhould be engaged in the fludy of holinefs; we are to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, foul, ftrength, and mind.-It fhould be univerfal objectively, with refpect to all the commands of God; "Then fhall I not be afhamed, when I have refpect to all thy commandments," without exception, without limitation. It fhould be univerfal intenfively, with the utmost intenseness of foul; "Following the Lord with full purpofe of mind.-I faid, I will take heed to my way. I have fworn, and I will perform it, That I will keep thy righteous judgments."-And it must be univerfal extenfively, with refpect to all times and feafons, companies and occafions, places and circumftances.-The law of the house binds to holiness univerfal in all these refpects.

But more particularly, the extent of this holinefs in the houfe of God,. as here expreffed, Upon the top of the mountain, the whole limit thereof round about, feems to me to import an univerfality, respecting every thing that relates to the houfe of God, the church of God: the expreffion fuits the Old- teftament difpenfation, while the material temple flood upon the top of the mountain; but the gofpel-meaning thereof, as it refpects the New-teftament church, feems to be, that every thing about God's house, from the top to the bottom, fhall be moft holy, as becomes the fpiritual temple of God. It fays,

1. That all the officers fhall be most holy; minifters, elders, deacons; all that bear any veffels in God's house; 'Be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels of the Lord,' If. lii. 1 1. And hence, when God comes to purge and purify his church, he is faid particularly to purify the fons of Levi, Mal. iii. 3. Surely we, whofe office is to go up to the top of the mount, ought to have holy feet to tread fuch a holy place; that it may be faid of us, "How beautiful, on the mountains, are the feet of them that preach the gofpel of peace!" Alas! many officers in God's houfe,

among

among us, that have most of the beauty of holinefs about them, God is fast taking them away. He feems to be taking away the gold and filver, and leaving the drofs; and, when he is taking down fuch as were props and pillars in the house, what fhall we think, but that the houfe is like to fall about our ears, and heavy judgments at the door, when the righteous are taken away from the evil to come! But,

2. It fays, that all the members of the houfe fhall be moft holy, all the children of the family; "Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy falvation cometh; and they fhall call them the moft holy people, the redeemed. of the Lord," Ifa. lxii. 11. Every inhabitant of the houfe, every believer, every member of Christ, every profeffor of Chrift, every one that nameth the name of Chrift, muft depart from iniquity. It fays, that, not only ministers should be holy, but people fhould be holy; not only the top of the mount, but the whole limit thercof round about. All that enter within the walls of Zion must be holy, otherwife they are not indwellers, like children; but only incomers, like dogs; that fhall be banifhed out with difgrace, and never admitted to the higher house.

5. It fays, That all the courts and judicatories of the houfe should be most holy; Synods most holy, and General Affemblies of the houfe, moft holy; Upon the top of the mount, the whole limit thereof round about. When thefe courts and judicatories of the house, or Assemblies of the church, whether inferior or fuperior ones, are moft holy, and purged with the fpirit of judgment, and fpirit of burning, then they are intitled to Heaven's protection; "The Lord will create upon every dwelling-place in mount Zion, and upon her affemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the fhining of a flaming fire by night,” Ifa. iv. 4, 5. But when in days of degeneracy, corruption, and defection, like ours, they become moft unholy, then they are expofed to ruin and defolation.

* At the time when this Sermon was preached, matters, both in the church and ftate, were in a most deplorable condition: error in principle, and immorality in practice, every-where abounding; a relifh for true religion, and genuine piety much on the decline; a deviating from attained to Reformationpurity, and a falling from first love, greatly upon the increase.