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CHA P. XIX. Of the Law of God.

GOD gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works,

by which he bound him, and all his pofterity, to perfonal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it; and endued him with power and ability to keep it a.

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nefs, the Lord shall be a light unto me. v. 9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have finned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I fhall behold his righteoufnefs. Jer. xxxii. 40. And I will make an everlafting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they fhall not depart from me. If. liv. 7. For a small moment have I forfaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. v. 8. In a little wrath I hid face from thee, for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, faith the Lord thy Redeemer. v. 9. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have fworn that the waters of Noah fhould no more go over the earth; fo have I fworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. V. IO. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindnefs fhall not depart from thee, neither fhall the covenant of my peace be removed, faith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee. Pfal. xxii. 1. My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me? why art thou fo far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? (Pfal. lxxxviii. throughout.)

I.a Gen. i. 26. And God faid, Let us make man in our image, after our

II. This

likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

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V. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. With Gen. ii. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou fhalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou fhalt furely die. Rom. ii. 14. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves: v. 15. Which fhew the work of the law written in their hearts, their confcience alfo bearing witnefs, and their thoughts the mean while accufing or elfe excufing one another. Rom. x. 5. For Mofes defcribeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doth thofe things fhall live by them.Rom. V. 12. Wherefore as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death passed upon all men, for that all have finned. v. .19. For as by one man's difobedience many were made finners: fo by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Gal. iii. 10. For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curfe for it is written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written

Chap. XIX II. This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfec rule of righteoufnefs: and, as fuch, was delivered by God upon mount Sinai in ten commandments, and written in two tables b; the four first commandments containing our duty towards God, and the other fix our duty to

mán c.

III. Besides this law, commonly called Moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Ifrael, as a church under age, ceremonial laws, containing feveral typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Chrift, his graces, actions, fufferings, and benefits d; and partly

in the book of the law to do them. v. 12. And the law is not of faith but, The man that doth them fhall live in them. Eccl. vii. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have fought out many inventions. Job xxviii. 28. And unto man he faid, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wifdom,and to depart from evil, is understanding.

II. b James i. 25. But whofo look eth into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James ii. 8. If ye fulfil the royal law according to the fcripture, Thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. v. 10. For whofoever fhall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. V. 11. For he that faid, Do not com, mit adultery; faid alfo, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a tranf greffor of the law. v. 12. So fpeak ye, and fo do, as they that fhall be judged by the law of liberty. Rom. xiii, 8. Owe no man any thing, but love one another: for he that loveth another, hath fulfilled the law. v. 9. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou fhalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear

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falfe witnefs, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other command, ment. it is briefly comprehended in this faying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf. Deut. v. 32. Ye fhall obferve to do therefore as the Lord your God hath com. manded you: you fhall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Deut, x. 4. And he wrote on the tables,according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord fpake unto you in the mount, out of the midft of the fire, in the day of the affembly: and the Lord gave them unto me. Exod.xxxiv. 1. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon thefe tables the words that were in the firft tables which thou brakeft.

c Matth. xxii. 37. Jefus faid unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. v. 38. This is the firft and great commandment. V. 39. And the fecond is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. V. 40. On thefe two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

III. d (Heb. ix. chapter) Heb. x. 1. For the law having a fhadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never

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holding forth divers inftructions of moral duties e.
which ceremonial laws are now abrogated under the New
Teftament f.

IV. To them alfo, as a body-politic, he gave fundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any other now, further than the general equity thereof may require g.

with thofe facrifices, which they of fered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. Gal. iv. 1. Now I fay, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a fervant, though he be lord of all; .v. 2. But is under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the father. v. 3. Even fo we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. Col. ii. 17. Which are a fhadow of things to come; but the body is of Chrift.

1 Cor. v. 7. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened: for even Chrift our paffover is facrificed for us. 2 Cor. vi. 17. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, faith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. Jude 23. And others fave with fear, pull ing them out of the fire; hating even the garment fpotted by the flesh.

f Col. ii. 14. Blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his crofs. v. 16. Let no man therefore judge you, in meat or in drink, or in refpect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath-days V. 17. Which are a fhadow of things to come; but the body is of Chrift. Dan. ix. 27. And he fhall confirm the covenant with many for one week and in

V. The

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the midst of the week he fhall caufe the facrifice and the oblation to ceafe, and for the overfpreading of abominations, he fhal! make it defolate, even until the confummation, and that determined fhall be poured upon the defolate. Eph. ii. 15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, for to make in himself, of twain, one new man, fo making peace; 16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the. cross, having flain the enmity thereby.

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IV. g (Exod.xxi. chapter. Exod. xxii. 1. to the 29th verfe: See both in the Bible). Gen. xlix. 1o. The fcepter fhall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him fhall the gathering of the people be. With 1 Pet. ii. 13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's fake : whether it be to the king, as fupreme: v. 14. Or unto governors, as unto them that are fent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praife of them that do well. Matth. v. 17. Think not that I am come to deftroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to deftroy, but to fulfil. With v. 38. Ye have heard that it hath been faid, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. v. 39. But I fay unto you, that ye refift not evil: but whofoever fhall fmite thee on thy right

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Chap. XIX. V. The moral law doth for ever bind all, as well juftified perfons as others, to the obedience thereof h; and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in refpect of the authority of God the Creator who gave it i. Nei ther doth Chrift in the gofpel any way diffolve, but much ftrengthen this obligation k.

VI. Although true believers be not under the law as a covenant of works, to be thereby juftified or condemned; yet is it of great ufe to them, as well as to others;

cheek; turn to him the other alfo. 1 Cor. ix. 8. Say I these things as a man? or faith not the law the fame alfo v. 9. For it is written in the law of Mofes, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that tradeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? v. 10. Or faith he it altogether for our fakes? for our fakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth fhould plow in hope; and that he that threfheth in hope, should be partaker of his hope.

V. Rom. xiii. 8. 9. (See above in letter b). v. 10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Eph. vi. 2. Honour thy father and mother, which is the firft commandment with promife. 1 John ii. 3. And hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. v. 4. He that faith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. v. 7. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning: v. 8. Again a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darknefs is paft, and the true light now Thineth.

Jam. ii. 10. 11. (See in letter b), k Matth. v. 17. (See in letter g).' v.18. For verily I fay unto you, Till heaven and earth pafs, one jot or one tittle fhall in no wife pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. v. 19. Whofoever therefore shall break one of thefe leaft commandmerts, and fhall teach men fo, he fhall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whofoever fhall do, and teach them, the fame fhall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Jam. ii. 8. (See in letter b before). Rom. iii. 31. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

VI. / Rom. vi. 14. For fin fhall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Gal. ii. 16. Knowing that a man is not juftified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jefus Chrift, even we have believed in Jefus Chrift; that we might be juftified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be juftified. Gal. iii, 13. Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us: for it is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Gal. iv. 4. But when the fulnefs of the time was come, God fent forth his Son made of a woman.

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107 others; in that, as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly m; difcovering also the finful pollutions of their nature, hearts, and lives n; fo as, examining themfelves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against fin o; together with a clearer fight of the need they have of Chrift, and the perfection of his obedience p. It is likewise of use to the regenerate, to restrain their corruptions,

made under the law. v. 5. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons. Acts xiii. 39. And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from the which ye could not be juftified by the law of Mofes. Rom. viii. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

m Rom. vii. 12. Wherefore the law is holy; and the commandment holy, and juft, and good. v. 22. For I delight in the law of God, after the inward man. v. 25. I thank God, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of fin. Pfal. cxix. 4. Thou haft commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. v. 5. O that my ways were directed to keep thy ftatutes! v. 6. Then fhall I not be ashamed, when I have refpect unto all thy commandments. 1 Cor. vii. 19. Circumcifion is nothing, and uncircumcifion is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Gal. v. 14. 16. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. See in the Bible.

n Rom. vii. 7. What fhall we fay then? Is the law fin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known fin, but by the law: for I had not known luft,

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except the law had faid, Thou shalt not covet. Rom. iii. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be juftified in his fight: for by the law is the knowledge of fin.

James i. 23. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glafs: v. 24. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and ftraightway forgeteth what manner of man he was, v. 25. But whofo looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continu eth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man fhall be bleffed in his deed. Rom. vii. 9. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, fin revived, and I died. v. 14. For we know that the law is fpiritual: but I am carnal, fold under fin. V. 24. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death!

p Gal. iii. 24. Wherefore the law was our fchoolmafter to bring us unto Chrift, that we might be juftified by faith. Rom. vii. 24. (See before in the letter o v. 25.. in letter m). Rom. viii. 3. For 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 for fin condemned fin in the flesh : V. 4. That the righteousness

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