perfection of the divine law, is alfo borne in the New Teftament. When CHRIST delivers that summary of it, Mark xii. 30, 31, under the two heads of the love GOD with all the heart-and the love of our neighbour as of ourselves-He saysThere is NONE OTHER Commandment greater than thefe. So Paul, (Rom. vii. 12.) The law is holy, and the commandment holyjust-and good. And again (ver. 14.) The law is fpiritual. Enter not into judgment with thy fervant, O Lord, faith the Pfalmift, for in thy fight fhall no man living be juftified. Pf. cxliii. 2.-For by the deeds of the law there fhall be no flesh juftified in his fight, faith the apostle, Rom. iii. 20. And again, Rom. iii. 19. Whatfoever things the law faith, it faith to them, that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before GOD. After all this, to talk of

a more excellent law-a more pure and perfect rule of life," goes beyond folly, it borders upon madness.

But as madness is ufually allowed to be fo far confiftent with itfelf, as to argue right, though from wrong principles, we muft obferve that this fcheme of abrogating the old law, and of introducing a new one, was a neceffary and confiftent part of the Socinian plan-to fuffer a rule of

life to remain, which, from its purity: and holiness, concluded all men under fin, and condemnation, fo that no flesh could be juftified by it-and, at the fame time, to deny the neceflity of a vicarious fatisfaction and atonement (which is the very marrow of the Socinian herefy)-was to render the falvation of man impoffible. Socinus, therefore, to establish a confiftent plan, abrogates the divine law as delivered by Mofes, by which man cannot be faved, and introduces a new law, (called the law, of CHRIST) by which he might be faved.. This made way for the reft of the Socinian scheme, fo that the divinity of CHRIST's perfon-His vicarious obedience --Sufferings atonement and fatisfaction -being rendered unneceffary, were all truck out of the Socinian gospel. Thus the pride of fallen man's reafon, or rather the reasonings of his pride, are made to triumph over the wifdom of GOD. But as in all wickednefs there is folly, fo in this; for if no man could be justified by a law less excellent, pure, and perfect, how could he be faved by one that is more fo? This has been feen by the Socinians; therefore-fincerity is their gofpel obedience, and if they fail here (as fail they must) a fincere defire to obey will ferve the turn. — Thus ends the Socinian, with the Mahometan,

in

in the deftruction both of the law and the gofpel and CHRIST, like Mahomet, is to annihilate Mofes and the prophets!

If we attend to our Saviour's preaching, and especially to that heavenly difcourfe delivered from the Mount, we fhall find Him a moft zealous advocate for the law of Gop, as delivered by Mofes We fhall find Him ftripping it of the falfe gloffes, by which the Jewish rabbies had obfcured or perverted its meaning, and reftoring it to that purity and spirituality by which it reacheth even to the thoughts and intents of the heart. For instance, when He is about to enter upon a faithful expofition of the moral law, left his hearers fhould imagine, that what he was about to fay, was contrary to the law of the OldTeftament, being fo different from the teaching of the Scribes and Pharifees, He prefaces his difcourfe with those remarkable words-Matt. v. 17-20. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets, I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil; fon verily I fay unto you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall not pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. So far from abrogating the old rule of life delivered from GoD by Mofes, no one fingle part of it, not a fentence a word-a lettera bit of a letter, was to be deftroyed. Whosoever, therefore, fhall break one of thefe leaft com

mandments,

mandments, and fhall teach men fo, he fhall be called the leaft in the kingdom of heaven; but whofoever shall do and teach them, the fame shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. What commandments were these? The fequel fhews that they were the commandments of the moral law, or rule of life, delivered from God by Mofes. For except your righteousness (or conformity to those commandments, which ought to be internal and spiritual) exceed the righteous nefs of the Scribes and Pharifees (which was merely outward and formal) ye shall in no cafe enter into the kingdom of heaven. He then enters upon an expofition of the fixth commandment, which He vindicates from the bare, outward, literal construction, received by old tradition, and taught by the Scribes and Pharifees-Ye have heard that it was faid by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill, and whofoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment-but I fay unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment and whosoever shall fay to bis brother, Race, Shall be in danger of the council: but whofoever shall fay-Thou fool

fhall be in danger of bell-fire.-This"I fay unto you'does not imply that CHRIST meant to abrogate GOD's law against murder, and to fet up a new law of His own instead thereof-but to fhew the

people,

people, that what they had been taught by the Scribes and Pharifees, after the tradition of the elders, namely, to look upon the fixth commandment as reaching only to the outward act of murder, was falfe, for that, in the fpiritual view and intendment of that law, it forbad every temper which refembled it, or could lead to it; fuch as violent, causeless, unprovoked anger, or any malicious inclination of the heart, breaking forth and fhewing itself in opprobrious and injurious language; thefe are as contrary to the law of the fecond table,

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf-in their nature and tendency, as murder itfelf. So I John iii. 15. He that hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

CHRIST then proceeds to explain the feventh commandment. Ye have heard that it was faid by them of old time, Thou shalt pot commit adultery. But I fay unto you, that, whofoever looketh upon a woman to luft after her, bath already committed adultery with her in his heart. This " but

"I fay unto you" does not imply that CHRIST meant to repeal the feventh commandment, but to explain it, as he had done the fixth, and to fhew that it not only meant to forbid the act of defiling another's wife (yvvama) but even indulging in the heart an evil defire towards her.

Whereas