kind, for Men flealers, Liars (look to it Liars,) for perjured Perfons, and (in a Word) if there be any other Thing that is not according to found Doctrine. Thefe are one fort of People that are under the Law, and fo under the Curse of the fame, whofe Due is to drink up the brim-ful Cup of God's eternal Vengeance, and therefore I beseech you not to deceive yourfelves. For know you not that the Unrighteous fhall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Effeminate, nor Abufers of themfelves with Mankind, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor Extortioners, Shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. Poor Souls, you think that you may have your Sins, your Lufts and Pleafures, and yet you fhall do pretty well and be let to go free in the Judgment-Day: But fee what God faith of fuch in that 9th of Deuteronomy, at the 19th and 20th Verfes, Which fall bless themfelves in their Heart, faying, I fhall have Peace, I shall be faved, I fhall do as well as others, in the Day when God fhall judge the World by Jefus Chrift (but faith God, I will not fpare them; no, but my Anger and my Jealousy ball fioke against them. How far? even to the executing all the Curfes that are written in the Law of God upon them: Nay, faith God, I will be even with them; for I will blot. out their Names from under Heaven. And indeed it mult of Neceffity be fo, because fuch Souls are Unbelievers,in their Sins,and under the Law,which cannot, will not fhew any Mercy on them; for it is not the Administration, of Mercy and Life,but the Adminiftration of Death and Destruction (as you have it, 2 Cor. the 3 Chap. the 7, 9. Verfes}

thofe, every one of them, that are open

pra

propha e and fcandalous Wretches, are under it and have been fo ever fince they came into the World to this Day; and they will for certain live and die under the fame Difpenfation, and then be damned to all Eternity, if they be not converted from under that Covenant, into, and under the Covenant of Grace (of which I shall speak in its Place) and yet for all this, how brag and crank are our poor Wantons, and wicked ones, in this Day of Forbearance? as if God would never have a Reckoning with them, as if there was no Law to condemn them, as if there was no Hell Fire to put them into: But Oh! how will they be deceived? when they fhall fee Chrift fitting, upon the Judgment-feat, having laid afide his Priestly and Prophetical Office, and appearing only as a Judge to the Wicked? When they fhall fee all the Records of Heaven unfolded and laid open; when they fhall fee each Man his Name out of the Book of Life, and in the Book of the Law; when they fhall fee God in his Majefty, Chrift in his Majefty, the Saints in their Dignity; but them felves in their Impurity, what will they fay then? whither will they fly than? where will they leave their Glory? Ifa. 10. 3. O fad State!.

Secondly, they are under the Law, alto, who do not only fo break and disobey the Law, but follow after the Law, as hard as ever they can, feeking Juftification thereby? that is, though a Man fhould abftain from the Sins against the Law, and labour to fulfil the Law, and give up himfelf to the Law; yet if he look no further than the Law, he is ftill under the Law, and for all his Obedience to the Law, the Righteous Law of God, he fhall be destroyed by that Law. Friend, you must not understand that none but prophane

Perfons are under the Law: No, but you must understand that a Man may be turned from a vain, loofe, open, prophane Converfation, and finning against the Law, to a holy, righteous, religious Life, and yet be in the fame State, under the fame Law, and as fure to be damned as the other that are more prophane and loose. And tho' you may fay this is very ftrange, yet I fhall both fay it, and prove it to be true. Read with Understanding that Scripture in Romans 9. at the 30, 31. Verfes, where the Apoftle fpeaking of the very fame Thing, faith, But Ifrael which followed after the Law of Righteousness; mark, that followed after the Law of Righteousness; they notwithstanding their earneft Purfuit, or hunting after the Law of Righteousness, fell short of the Law of Righteousness. It fignifies thus much to us, that let a Man be ever fo earnest, fo fervent, fo restless, so ferious, fo ready, fo apt and willing to follow the Law, and the Righteoufnefs thereof, if he be under that Covenant, he is gone, he is loft, he is deprived of eternal Life, because he is not under the Miniftrafration of Life (if he die there ;) read alfo that Scripture, Gal. 3. 10. (which faith) For as many as are of the Works of the Law, are under the Curfe; mark, they that are of the Works of the Law: Now for to be of the Works of the Law, it is to be of the Works of the Righteousness thereof; that is, to abftain from Sins againft the Law, and to do the Commands thereof, as near as ever they can for their Lives, or with all the Might they have; and therefore I beseech you to confider it, for Mens being ignorant of this, is the Caufe why fo many go on, fuppofing they have a Share in Chrift; "because they are reformed and abftain

from

from the Sins against the Law, who, when all comes to all, will be damned notwithstanding, because they are not brought cut from under the Covenant of Works, and put under the Covenant of Grace.

Object. But (can you in very deed make thefe Things manifeftly evident from the Word of God?) methinks to reafon thus is very strange, that a Man fhould labour to walk up according to the Law of God, as much as ever he can, and' yet that Men notwithstanding this, fhould be ftill under the Curfe. Pray clear it.

Anfw. Truly this doth feem very ftrange, I do. know full well, to the natural Man, to him. that is yet in his Unbelief? Because he goeth by. beguiled Reafon: But for my Part, I do know it is fo, and fhall labour alfo to convince thee of the Truth of the fame.

First then, the Law is thus ftrict and fevere, that if a Man do fin but once against it, he (I fay) is gone for ever by the Law, living and dying under that Covenant: If you would be fatisfied, as touching the Truth of this, do but read the third of the Galatians at the 10th Verfe, Where it faith, curfed is every one (that is, not a Man fhall miss by that Covenant) that continueth not in all (mark in all) Things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them: Pray mark, here is a Curfe in the firft Place; if all Things written in the Book of the Law be not done, and that is, continually too, that is without any failing, or one Slip, as I faid before. Now there is never a one in the World but before they did begin to yield Obedience to the leaft Command, they in their own Perfons did fin against it,by breaking of it: The Apostle methinks i

very notable for the clearing of this in that third of the Romans, and alfo in the fifth; in the one he endeavours for to prove that all had tranfgreffedin the first Adam, as he stood a common Perfon representing both himself and us in his standing and falling, Rom. 5. 12. Wherefore (faith he) as by one Man Sin entered into the World and Death by Sin and fo Death paffed upon all Men; mark that, but why? for that all have finned; that is, for as much as all naturally are guilty of Original Sin, the Sin that was committed by us in Adam: So this is one Caufe why none can be juftified by their Obedience to the Law, beTaufe they have in the firft Place broken it in their firft Parents. But fecondly, in cafe this fhould be oppofed and rejected by quarrelsome Perfons, though there be no ground for it, Paul hath another Argument to back his Doctrine, faying, For we have proved (already) that both Jews and Gentiles are all under Sin. Firft, As it is written, there is none Righteous, no not one. Secondly, They are all gone out of the Way, they are together (mark, together) become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one. Thirdly, Their Throat is an open Sepulchre, with their Tongues they have used Deceit, the Poifon of Alps is under their Lips. Fourthly, Their Mouths are full of Curfing and Bitterness Fifthly, Their Feet are fwift, to fled Blood. In aWord, Destruction and Mifery are in their Ways. And the Way of Peace they have not known. Now then, faith he, having proved thefe Things To clearly, the Conclufion of the Whole is this, That what Things foever the Law faith in both fhewing of Sin and Curfing for the fame) it faith (All) to them that are under the Law,

that