THIS has been, and now is, the fad cafe of multitudes under the gofpel. They hope and expect to be faved by Chrift; they peak much of the grace of the gofpel, and the wonderful mercy of God to finners: but they at the fame time are ignorant of the divine law, and never were reconciled to it as holy, juft and good; fo never faw fin in its true odioufnefs and ill defert. Let fuch rife as high as they will in their admiration of gofpel grace, and though they are affected even to raptures, they are wholly ignorant of the true grace of God, of their need of a Mediator, and of the way of falvation by him. So important are right notions of the law! He who fails here, must be in darkness with respect to the whole fyftem of religious truth; the true gospel will be hid from him; and to him Chrift crucified will be nothing but a tumbling block, and the most perfect foolifhness. There are many who speak out and fay, "we do not believe there is now any fuch "law binding on men, which requires per"fect obedience on pain of eternal damna"tion. This law is wholly fet afide by the

gofpel, and we never were under it; nor "indeed would it be just in God to hold us " to it. Chrift, blessed be his name, has in"troduced a more mild difpenfation, so that 46 we are now not under law, but under grace." But pray! What grace is there in abolishing and freeing you from a law, which

which you never could be justly under, and which therefore ought in juftice to be fet afide? And what need of a Mediator to die, to deliver you from this law, and introduce a more mild difpenfation? Muft there be fo coftly a facrifice to induce the great lawgiver to give up that which he could not justly infift upon, it being in itself unreasonable! But if it is in itself reasonable, being founded in the reason and nature of things, it cannot be given up and abolished on any confideration. whatfoever. Surely fuch, however they may" defire to be teachers of the law, un"derstand neither what they fay, nor where"of they affirm.*" When will such horrible jargon and blafphemy be banished from the chriftian world! How far are fuch from knowing their own character as finners, and the true grace of the gospel whereby the finner is faved!

AND fuffer me to add here, a hearty submiffion to, and acquiefcence and delight in the law of God, rightly understood, and fo a true hatred of fin, muft take place in order to any degree of true approbation of the gofpel, and faith and truft in Chrift. For fo far as we are from approving of the law of God in our hearts, and a fenfe of the hatefulness and ill defert of fin, just so far fhall we always be from being pleased with the atonement of Chrift, rightly understood,

1 TIM. i, 7.

in

in which the law is fet up and honored as most excellent and glorious, and fin is condemned in the higheft poffible degree, and its infinite odiousness and ill defert fet in the moft clear and ftriking light imaginable. Indeed this approbation and fenfe of heart is implied in a true idea and knowledge of the law in its excellence and glory, and of fin in its true odioufnefs and ill defert; for the very idea of beauty and excellence confifts in a sense of heart, and is itself a pleasedness with that beauty and delight in it. And there can be no diftinction between feeing the true hatefulness of an object, and hating it.*

HENCE it appears of great importance that the law fhould be preached up, and kept in view, as this is abfolutely neceffary in order to give a right idea of the gofpel. Many public teachers, and profeffed preachers of the gofpel grofsly fail here.

They

* THUS evident is it that the finner who comes to Chrift for falvation, comes as a true penitent; and that repentance, which moft effentially confifts in a fenfe of heart of the true odioufness and ill defert of fin, is not only implied in faith in Chrift; but is necessary in order to this faith; and the former takes place before the latter, as there must be the knowledge and approbation of the divine character and law, and a fight and fenfe of the ill defert of fin, before there can be any true knowledge of the Mediator, and faith in him. Thus it is only the humbled, contrite, broken-hearted penitent, who is revived and comforted by Christ, as none but fuch ever did, orever will, know his true character, or

are

They never in all they fay, bring the law of God into view; but always keep it out of fight. And it is not uncommon for them to say many things which are directly, or in fair conftruction, in oppofition to God's law,

rightly

are prepared to receive with approbation and joy the good news he proclaims. This is foplain and demonftrable that it may be reafonably concluded that many who have objected to the notion, that repentance towards God is antecedent to faith in Chrift, and before it, as being heretical and abfurd, have done it through fome mifunderstanding of the matter.

There are thofe who zealously contend that a fight and belief of the grace of God through Chrift, and a view of God as reconciled to the finner by him, is the firft and only thing that begets love to God and his law, and repentance of fin: and that it is impoffible that the finner fhould be reconciled to God and the divine law,

in

any other view. I leave the attentive reader to obJerve and reflect upon the abfurdity of fuch a notion. It is certain to a demonftration that they who are not heartily reconciled to God and his law, and do not hate fin or abhor themselves for it, do not know, and are not reconciled to the grace of God, through Chrif.Nor can they attain to the latter, if not first brought to the former; but will remain eternal enemies to both. -They therefore who have never been reconciled to God and his holy law in any other way, but by first fecing and believing in the grace of God through Chrift, are yet ignorant of the true grace of God, and enemies to it. And all their love to Chrift, and fuppofed reconciliation to God; all their repentance, religious affections, and rapturous admiration of the love and of God, is nothing but mere enthufiaftic delufion, bottomed an that Jelfishness which is perfect enmity against God.

C

grace

1

rightly understood. They who are fo un happy as to fit under fuch teachers, never will have the true knowledge of fin, nor understand the gospel of Chrift, if they learn no more than they are taught by them.-Whatever they may fay in favor of the gofpel, and however much they may seem to magnify the grace of God, ufing many high founding phrafes, and pathetic expreffions; they are in truth words without a meaning, and convey no proper idea of the true grace of God; and the real gofpel of Chrift is overlooked and neglected. It is impoffible there fhould be any folid fuperstructure on the fandy foundation on which they build.*

II. THE foundation of all the great and hurtful errors with refpect to the gospel, which takes place in the chriftian, is ignorance of God's law, and mistakes about it. If all were agreed, and right, in their fentiments about the law of God, and would be confiftent with themselves, they would foon be agreed in all the important truths of christianity; and an end would be put to most of our disputes about the doctrines of the gofpel. This remark may be illuftrated by inftancing in a few particulars.

* THE reader may find this point more fully illuf trated in BELLAMY'S

glory of the gofpel;" SECTIONS.

66

Ellay on the nature and especially in the five first