pleasure for the continuance of his happy existence. A right to everlasting life, he could never have procured by his most ardent affection and strict obedience to God and his law; the Lord therefore kindly connected the promise of life with man's natural duty, and threatened death in case of failure. Thus Adam's motives to obedience were increased, being made a trustee for his numerous descendants. In that covenant a small and easy test of his subjection to God was fixed upon. Nothing more than a prohibition of one tree, while the vast and various productions in the garden of God, were liberally granted for his pleasure and profit. In the midst of which likewise flourished that which was an emblem and pledge of the promised blessing, called The Tree of Life, which would serve to confirm his faith in his covenant God, and invigorate his hope, that his obedience might be secured, in order to the enjoyment of the gracious reward, and that he might escape the threatened punishment. But alas! notwithstanding the said agreement was so advantageous in its nature, it was broke by our first parent, whereby all right to life, on the footing of law, was for ever forfeited, according to that covenant; and death, the threatened penalty, was incurred, not only respecting his own person but his posterity also. Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the

world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all, for that all have sinned; Rom. v. 12. Through the offence of one many be dead, v. 15; for by one man's offence death reigned. By the offence of one, judgment came upon all men, for by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, v. 16 to 19. The apostle proves there was a covenant or law before that given by Moses, according to which the whole human race were under the sentence of condemnation, for until the law, (given on Mount Sinai) sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression; Rom. v. 13, 14. The law of Moses was not given that sinners might obtain life by it, for by the law is the knowledge of sin; Rom. iii. 20. It was added, because of transgressions; Gal. iii. 19, that the offence might abound; Rom. v. 20, that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may become guilty before God; therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; Rom. iii. 19, 20. That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by his faith, and the law is not of faith, but the man that doth them shall live in them; Gal. iii. 11, 12. But whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point,

he is guilty of all; James ii. 10, for considering the law as a covenant, one sin destroys a title to legal life, and exposes the guilty to its awful penalty for as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them; Gal. iii. 10. Deut. xxvii. 26. Believers therefore are not under the law as a covenant, their expectation of, and right to eternal life, does not arise from their personal, obedience, nor in their hope of freedom from punishment founded on any compensation which they have made, or can make for their crimes; through Christ they are dead to the law as promising life, or punishing with death, they are neither under its promise or its penalty; their covenant connection with the law is dissolved, and a marriage to Christ commenced, that they might bring forth fruit unto God. See Rom. vii. verse 1 to 7. That real believers are not under the law but under grace, is an undeniable truth. But it is equally evident they are not without law to God, but under the. law to Christ; that there is no contradiction in these scriptural propositions will appear if we consider the following things:

First, That by the term law, we are to understand the rule of moral, and likewise positive obedience. Moral obedience ariseth from our na

tural connection with God, (as the author of our existence,) and with our fellow creatures, and consisteth in supreme love to God, and an equal love to our neighbour as to ourselves; so that the whole law is comprehended in love. Moral commands arise from, and are founded on the natural propriety and fitness of things, and therefore are binding on all rational creatures in this world, and that which is to come. Whilst the relation continues between the creator and his creatures, their obligation to love him as the chief good, and to live to his honour as their ultimate end, can never cease, the law therefore by which such love and obedience are enforced cannot possibly vary. Jehovah does not demand our highest love, merely because of his authority over us, but because of his own infinite excellency and relation to us. He does not become the only proper object of our supreme love, because he hath commanded us so to love him, but his being the only fit object of our superlative affection is the reason why he requires it. The moral law does not make any duty fitting and proper, but declares and requires what is so. Moral commands therefore differ from,

Secondly, Positive appointments; the latter arise simply from the will of God, and are therefore alterable in their nature, being altogether dependent on his pleasure and sovereign determination ;

the propriety of moral obedience, the light of nature, or right reason may discover. But no

idea can be formed of positive obedience, but in consequence of divine revelation, the former is due from every creature, whether angelic or human. The subjects of the latter are particularly described in the holy scriptures. Thus the whole code of ceremonial laws was confined to Israel, as a shadow of good things to come, and was done away in Christ, who was the substance which these laws tended to exhibit, and the end in which they terminated. But the moral law ever was, and ever will be, equally binding on all; it being the rule of that love and obedience which Jews and Gentiles naturally owe to Jehovah, the supreme good and fountain of existence; and to each other considered as his offspring. Notwithstanding the ceremonial law under the Old Testament was accomplished in Christ, and done away by his death, he then as it were nailing it to his cross, yet many Jews who believed in Jesus continued much attached to the shadow, though the substance was come. The apostles therefore laboured to prove the abrogation of that law, by which those ceremonial observances became binding on the church of God, in the former dispensation. These appointments had been revered and justly esteemed, and they were to Israel very beneficial for two