threatened to disobedience-" Cursed is he, who continueth not in all things, that are written in the book of the law, to do them;" -this curse draws after it all the pains and penalties of the broken law in earth and in hell. Under this law of works, Adam was placed; and under it all his descendants are born. He and they are bound to keep the law in their own persons, if they would receive the promise; or liable to suffer the penalty, if they transgress. Adam broke the law of works, and we all in him; for in him all have sinned. We were all in his loins, when he fell, and forfeited in his attainder. By the offence of that one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation. The righteous judge passed the sentence, and decreed, that by the law of works, no flesh living should be saved: for he has proved in his word, both Jews and Gentiles to be under the law, and under sin, which is the transgression of it. Whereby every mouth is stopped, and all the world is become guilty before God: therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. In the law of works there was no provision made for a surety; but it did not absolutely exclude one: therefore it left room for the covenant of grace, in which a provision was made in the person of Jesus Christ, for securing the divine honour of this holy law. He undertook to stand up in man's place and stead, to magnify the precepts of the law in his life, and to glorify the penalties of the law in his death, that not one jot or tittle of it might fail, till all was fulfilled. And as he was God over all, blessed for ever, his life and death put everlasting honour upon the divine law. His obedience was of inestimable value, and his sufferings were infinitely sufficient to take away sin. Christ is now the end of the law for righteousness. He answered the end of the law for his people, by obeying and suffering for them: and every one of them can now plead, by faith, a perfect fulfilling of all the precepts-a perfect suffering of all the penalties, in the person of their divine surety. God the Father is faith ful and just to his word and engagements with his son: he has made known his will in the immutable record of his grace-" that whosoever believeth in Jesus should not perish, but should have everlasting life." How can he perish? Jesus died for him. He shall live with God in everlasting life; because Jesus lived for him. And this is the declared will of the Father, concerning all that believe in his only begotten Son. Remember, then, O my soul, that thou art not under the Law, but under grace. Thou art saved from the law, under the form of a covenant of works. Thou art not bound to keep its precepts, in order to have life for thy obedience; nor yet to suffer its penalties for thy disobedience. Thy surety undertook to act and suffer for thee. He was to answer the law in its commands and demands to every jot and tittle. And he did. Whatever it required, whatever it threatened, was perfectly fulfilled in the person of thy God and Saviour: and he has absolutely discharg ed thee from it, as a law of works. art to have nothing to do with it in that view; Thou nay, he has forbidden thee to keep it, in hopes that thou mayest live thereby. The irreversible decree entered in the records of heaven has enacted-BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED. Thou art now to look upon the law in the matter of justifying and giving life, as a woman looks upon her dead husband. her dead husband. She is freed from the marriage contract with him, and may now give her heart and hand to another; so art thou freed from the bond of the legal covenant. Thou art become dead to the law by the body of Christ, who has espoused and betrothed thee to himself, that serving him in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter, thou mayest bring forth fruit unto God. This is thy high privilege. Thy first husband is dead: happy for thee, thou art lawfully married to another-Thy husband is thy maker, Jehovah of hosts is his name. The word made flesh has paid all thy debts, suffered thy punishment, wrought out a perfect righteousness, and won a crown of pefect glory for thee. O what a divine honour has he put upon thee! Thou art now one with Immanuel in a bond of everlasting love. He has given himself to thee, with all he has and all he is; and it is thy happiness now, not to be thine own, but the Lord's-not to follow thine own will, but his. The law of thy Lord is liberty. As taught by his spirit, and performed by faith, it is perfect freedom. Whilst thou walkest with him in obedience to it, and leanest on thy beloved every step, thou wilt find deliverance from all spiritual tyranny and bondage, and wilt enjoy the light of his countenance, and the love of his heart. When the Son has thus made thee free, thou art free indeed-free, now thy heart is set at liberty to run with Jesus in the way of his command ments. In this view, O my soul, thou canst look with delight at the most holy law. Attend to it closely, and study it carefully. In order to obey, as a christian, these following considerations should be well understood and digested; because under the influence of thein every step of thy walk is to be ordered. O |