where to repent, because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that Man whom he hath ordained, whereof be hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead, Acts xvii. 30, 31. The clear discovery and perfect affurance of a future judgment, calls loudly upon all men to leave their fins, and turn to

God.

Fifthly, The covenant of the law had no spiritual promises contained in it, of the grace and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, for the mortifying of fin, and enabling men to their duty, and fupporting them under fufferings but the gofpel is full of clear and exprefs promises to this purpose. Our Saviour hath affured us, that God will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him, Luke xi. 13. and this the Apostle tells us is actually conferred upon all true Chriftians, those who do fincerely embrace and believe the gofpel, Rom. viii. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his. Hence the gofpel is called by the fame Apoftle, the law of the spirit of life in Chrift Jefus, ver. 2. of that chap. The law of the spirit of life in Chrift Jefus hath made me free from the law of fin and death; and in the next words he tells us, that herein manifeftly appeared the weakness of the law, that it left men deftitute of this mighty help and advantage (at least as to any special promife of it) What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God fending his own Son in the likeness of finful flesh, and by making him a facrifice for fin condemned fin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirits that is, that that righte oufnefs which the law aimed at, and fignified, but was too weak to effect, might be really accomplished in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; that is, who are acted and affifted by a high. er and better principle than men either have in nature, or the carnal difpenfation of the law did endow men withal. And becaufe of this great defect, the law is faid to be a state of bondage and fervitude; and on the contrary, the gofpel, by reason of A a 3

this

this mighty advantage, is called a state of adoption and liberty, ver. 15. for ye have not received the Spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father; and 2. Cor. iii. 17. where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And to this very thing St. Paul appeals, as that whereby men might judge whether the law or the gospel were the more excellent and powerful difpenfation, Gal. iii. 2. This only would I learn of you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? As if he had faid, let this one thing determine that whole matter; were ye made partakers of this great privilege and bleffing of the Spirit, while ye were of the Jewish religion, or fince ye became Chriftians? And ver. 14. he calls it the blessing of Abraham; that is, the bleffing promised to all nations by Abraham's feed, namely the Meffias; that the bleffing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jefus Chrift, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

And then, for the fupporting us under afflictions, the gofpel promifeth an extraordinary affiftance of God's Holy Spirit to us, 1 Pet. iv. 14. If ye be reproached for the name of Chrift, happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory and of God refteth upon you.

But were there no good men under the difpenfa tion of the law? Yes certainly there were, and they were fo, by the grace and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit but then this was an effect of the divine goodnefs; but not of any fpecial promife, contained in that covenant, of divine grace and affiftance to be conferred on all thofe that were admitted into it. But thus it is in the new covenant of the gofpel; and therefore the law is called a dead letter, the oldness of the letter, and the miniftration of the letter oppofition to the gofpel, which is called the miniftration of the Spirit. And this the Apoftle lays fpecial weight upon, as a main difference between thefe two covenants, that the first gave an external law, but the new covenant offers inward grace and af fiftance to enable men to obedience, and hath an inward and powerful efficacy upon the minds of men,

; in

ac

accompanying the miniftration of it, Heb. viii. 7, 8, 9, 10. For if that first covenant had been faultlefs, then fhould no place have been fought for the fecond. For finding fault with them he faith, Behold the days come, faith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Ifrael, and with the houfe of Judah, not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, &c. For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Ifrael after thofe days, faith the Lord; I will put my laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts.

And of this inward grace and affiftance we are further fecured, by the powerful and prevalent and perpetual interceffion of our High Priest for finners at the right hand of God; not like the interceffion of the Priefts under the law, who being finners themfelves, were lefs fit to, intercede for others; but we have an High Prieft that is holy, harmless, undefiled, and feparate from finners, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, to purchafe for us thofe bleffings which he intercedes for. The Priests under the law were interceffors upon earth; but Chrift is entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the prefence of God for us, Heb. ix. 24. The Priests

under the law were removed from this office by death; but Chrift, because he continues for ever, bath an unchangeable priesthood, and is an everlafting advocate and interceffor for us, in the virtue of his most meritorious facrifice continually prefented to his Father, where he is always at the right hand of God, to prefent our prayers to him, and to obtain pardon of our fins, and grace to help in time of need, and by his interceffion in heaven, to procure all those bleffings to be actually conferred upon us, which he purchafed for us by his blood upon earth; wherefore be is able to fave to the utmost all those that come to God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them, as the fame Apostle fpeaks, Heb. 7. 25..

And thus I have, as briefly as well I could, fhew ed how the Chriftian religion doth fupply all the weakneffes and defects and imperfections of the Jewish religion,and confequently does in no wife contradict or in

terfere

terfere with the great defign of the law and the Prophets, but hath perfected and made up whatever was weak or wanting in that inftitution, to make men truly good, or, as the expreffion is in the Prophet Daniel, to bring in everlasting righteousness; that is, to clear and confirm thofe laws of holiness and righteousness, which are of indifpenfible and eternal obligation.

And if this be the great defign of our Saviour's coming, and the Chriftian doctrine be every way fitted to advance righteoufnefs and true holiness, and to make us as excellently good as this imperfect ftate of mortality will admit, fince it hath many advantages incomparably beyond any religion or inftitution that ever was in the world, both in refpect of the perfection of its laws, and the force of its motives and arguments to repentance, and a holy life, and in refpect of the encouragements which it gives, and the examples which it fets before us, and the powerful affiftance which it offers to us, to enable us to cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and Spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God; what a fhame is this to us, who are under the power of this excellent inftitution, if the temper of our minds, and the tenor of our converfation be not in fome measure anfwerable to the gospel of Chrift! The greater helps and advantages we have of being good, the greater things may justly be expected from us; for to whomsoever much is given, of him much fhall be required.

Christianity is the fulfilling of the righteousness of the law, by walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, by mortifying the deeds of the flesh, and by bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness and temperance. The righteousness of faith doth not confift in a barren and ineffectual belief of the gofpel, in a mere embracing of the promises of it, and relying upon Chrift for falvation; in a faith without works, which is dead; but in a faith which worketh by love, in becoming new creatures, and in keeping the commandments of God. The righteoufnefs

of

285 of faith Speaking on this wife. This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jefus Chrift, and love one another, as he gave us commandment, 1 John iii. 23. and, this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God,love his brother alfo, 1 John iv. 21. That we approve the things that are excellent, being filled with the fruits of righteoufness, which are by Jefus Chrift,to the glory and praife of God, Phil. i. 10. 11. What foever things are true,whatfoever things are honeft, whatsoever things are just, whatfoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, mind these things, Chap. iv. 8.

And then confidering what abundant provifion the gofpel hath made for our attainment of everlasting falvation, we are altogether without excufe, if we perifh. Since God hath raifed up fo mighty a falvation for us, how fhall we efcape? If we dy in our fins, it is not becaufe God would not forgive them, but because we would not repent and be faved; the fault is all our own, and we owe it wholly to ourselves, if we be loft and undone for ever. If, when life and death, heaven and hell, are fo plainly fet before us, eternal mifery and perdition fall to our lot and portion, it is not because we were not warned of our danger, or because happiness and the things of our peace were hid from our eyes, but becaufe we have made death and deftruction our obftinate and final choice.

But, beloved, I hope better things of you, and things which accompany falvation, tho' Ithus fpeak. Only let your converfation be as becometh the gospel of Chrift; and if we be careful to perform the conditions which the gofpel requires on our part, we fhall not fail to be made partakers of that eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, hath promifed to us, for his mercy's fake in Jefus Chrift.

SER