judgment of God terrified and oppressed, outweighed and thrown down into utter discomfort, almost to the pit of hell, as happens sometimes to God's own dear servants, who have soft and timorous consciences; when such souls, I say, read or hear any such place of scripture which appertains to the law, let them then think, and assure themselves, that such places do not appertain or belong to them; nay, let not such only who are thus deeply humbled and terrified, do this, but also let every one that does but make any doubt or question of their own salvation, through the sight and sense of their sin, do it.

And to this end and purpose, let them consider and mark well the end why the law was given, which was not to bring us to salvation, nor to make us good, and so to procure God's love and favor towards us; but rather to declare and convict our wickedness, and make us feel the danger thereof; to this end and purpose, that we seeing our condemnation, and being in ourselves confounded, may be driven thereby to have our refuge in the Son of God, in whom alone is to be found our remedy. And when this is wrought in us, then the law has accomplished its end in us; and therefore it is now to give place unto Jesus Christ, who, as the apostle saith, "is the end of the law," Rom. 10: 3. Let every true convicted person then, who fears the wrath of God, death and hell, when they hear, or read, any such place of scripture, as appertains to the law, not think the same to belong to them, no more than a mourning-weed belongs to a marriage-feast; and therefore, removing utterly out of their minds all cogitations of the law, all fear of judgment and condemnation, let them only set before their eyes the gospel, to wit, the glad and joyful tidings of Christ, the sweet comforts of God's promises, free forgiveness of sins in Christ, grace, redemption, liberty, psalms, thanks, singing, a paradise of spiritual jocundity, and nothing else: thinking thus within themselves, the law has now done its office in me, and therefore must now give place to its better, that is, it must needs give place to Jesus Christ the Son of God, who is my Lord and Master, Fulfiller and Accomplisher of the law.

Lastly, As we must take heed and beware that we apply not the law where the gospel is to be applied; so must

we also take heed and beware that we apply not the gospel where the law is to be applied, for as the other before was even as much as to put on a mourning-gown at a marriagefeast, so this is but even the casting of pearls before swine, wherein is great abuse amongst many; for commonly it is seen, that those proud, self-conceited, and unhumbled persons, those worldly Epicures and secure Mammonists, to whom the doctrine of the law properly appertains, do notwithstanding put it away from them, and bless themselves with the sweet promises of the gospel, saying, "They hope they have as good a share in Christ as the best of them all, for God is merciful," and the like. And contrariwise, the other contrite and bruised hearts, to whom belongs not the law, but the joyful tidings of the gospel, for the most part receive and apply to themselves the terrible voice and sentence of the law. Whereby it comes to pass, that many rejoice when they should mourn; and, many fear and mourn when they should rejoice. Wherefore, to conclude, in private use of life, let every person discreetly discern between the law and the gospel, and apply to himself that which belongs unto him; let the man or the woman who did never yet to any purpose (especially in the time of health and prosperity) think of, or consider their latter end, that did never yet fear the wrath of God, nor death, nor devil, nor hell, but has lived, and do still live a jocund and merry life; let them apply the curse of the law to themselves, for to them it belongs; yea, and let all your civil honest men and women, who it may be, do sometimes think of their latter end, and have had some kind of fear of the wrath of God, death and hell, in their hearts, and yet have salved up the sore with a plaister made with their own civil righteousness, with a salve compounded of their outward conformity to the du ties contained in the law, their freedom from gross sins,. and their upright and just dealing with men, let these hearken to the voice of the law, when it saith, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them:" but let all self-denying, fearful, trembling souls, apply the gracious and sweet promises of God in Christ unto themselves, and rejoice because their names are written in the book of life.

THE END.

TWELVE QUERIES,

PROPOSED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, 1721, TO MR. JAMES HOG, AND ELEVEN OTHER MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL HEREUNTO SUBSCRIBING, WHO HAD GIVEN IN A REPRESENTATION TO SAID ASSEMBLY IN FAVOR OF THE MARROW OF MODERN DIVINITY:"-WITH THEIR ANSWERS TO THE QUERIES.

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QUERY I. Whether are there any precepts in the gospel, that were not actually given before the gospel was revealed?

ANSWER. The passages in our representation, marked out to us, for the grounds of this query, are these; "The gospel-doctrine, known only by a new revelation after the fall. Par. 2. Of the same dismal tendency we apprehend to be the declaring of that distinction of the law, as it is the law of works, and as it is the law of Christ, as the author applies it, to be altogether groundless. Par. 5. The erroneous doctrine of justification, for something wrought in, or done by the sinner, as his righteousness, or keep. ing the new and gospel law. Par. penult. Now, leaving it to others to judge, if these passages gave any just occa sion to this question, we answer,

1st. In the gospel, taken strictly, and contradistinct from the law for a doctrine of grace, or good news from heaven, of help in God through Jesus Christ, to lost, selfdestroying creatures of Adam's race; or the glad tidings of a Saviour, with life and salvation in him to the chief of sinners, there are no precepts; all these, the command to believe, and repent, not excepted, belonging to, and flowing from the law, which fastens the new duty on us, the same moment the gospel reveals the new object.

That in the gospel, taken strictly, there are no precepts, to us seems evident from the holy scriptures. In the first revelation of it, made in these words, "The seed of

the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent,” Gen. 3: 15. we find no precept but a promise, containing glad tidings of a Saviour, with grace, mercy, life, and salvation in him, to lost sinners of Adam's family. And the gos pel preached unto Abraham, namely, “In thee, (i. e. in thy seed, which is Christ) shall all nations be blessed." Gal. 3: 8. compared with Gen. 12: 3. 22: 18. Acts 3: 25. is of the same nature. The good tidings of great joy to all people, of a Saviour born in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord, brought and proclaimed from heaven by the angels, Luke 2: 10, 11. we take to have been the gospel, strictly and properly so called, yet is there no precept in these tidings. We find likewise, the gospel of peace and glad tidings of good things, are in scripture convertible terms, Rom. 10: 15. And the word of the gospel, which Peter spoke to the Gentiles, that they might believe, was no other than peace by Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and exalted to be judge of quick and dead, with remission of sins through his name, to be received by every one believing in him, Acts 15: 7. 20: 36-43. Much more might be added on this head, which, that we be not tedious, we pass. See Luke 4: 18. compared with Isa. 61: 1, 2. Acts 20: 24. 2 Tim. 1: 10. Of the same mind, as to this point, we find the body of reformed divines; as, to instance in a few, Calvin, Chamier, Pemble, Wendelin, Alting, the professors of Leyden, Witsius, Mastrich, Maresius, Troughton, Essenius.

That all precepts (those of faith and repentance not excepted) belong to, and are of the law, is no less evident to us: For the law of creation, or of the ten commandments, which was given to Adam in paradise, in the form of a covenant of works, requiring us to believe whatever God should reveal, or promise, and to obey whatever he should command; all precepts whatsoever must be virtually and really included in it: So that there never was, nor can be an instance of duty owing by the creature to God, not commanded in the moral law, if not directly and expressly, yet indirectly and by consequence. The same first command, for instance, which requires us to take the Lord for our God, to acknowledge his essential verity, and sovereign authority: to love, fear, and trust in

JEHOVAH, after what manner soever he shall be pleased to reveal himself to us: and likewise to grieve and mourn for his dishonor, or displeasure; requires believing in JEHOVAH, our righteousness, as soon as ever he is revealed to us as such, and sorrowing after a godly sort, for the transgression of his holy law, whether by one's self, or by others. It is true, Adam was not actually obliged to believe in a Saviour, till, being lost and undone, a Saviour was revealed to him; but the same command that bound him to trust and depend on, and to believe the promises of God Creator, no doubt, obliged him to believe in God Redeemer, when revealed: Nor was Adam obliged to sorrow for sin ere it was committed: But this same law that bound him to have a sense of the evil of sin in its nature and effects, to hate, loath, and flee from sin, and to resolve against it, and for all holy obedience, and to have a due apprehension of the goodness of God, obliged him also to mourn for it, whenever it should fall out. And we cannot see how the contrary doctrine is consistent with the perfection of the law; for if the law be a complete rule of all moral, internal and spiritual, as well as external and ritual obedience, it must require faith and repentance, as well as it does all other good works: and that it does indeed require them, we can have no doubt of, when we consider, that without them all other religious performances are in God's account as good as nothing; and that sin being, as the scripture, 1 John 3: 4. and our own standards tell us, any want of conformity to, or transgres. sion of the law of God, unbelief and impenitency must be so too: And if they be so, then must faith and repentance be obedience and conformity to the same law, which the former are a transgression of, or an inconformity unto; unbelief particularly, being a departing from the liv ing God, Heb. 3: 12. is, for certain, forbidden in the first command; therefore faith must needs be required in the same command, Isa. 26. 4. according to a known rule. But what need we more, after our Lord has told us, that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law, Matth. 23: 23. And that it is not a second table duty, which is there meant, is evident to us, by comparing the parallel place in Luke chap. 11: 42. where, in place of FAITH,