--Labour, I say, to retain the same impressions of these great things of God, that you had when you was nearest to God.

(3.) Labour to have such thoughts of the law of God, and the righteousness of Christ, and the grace of God, as you find exercised souls have. Labour to entertain the same thoughts of these things, as you find the generality of exercised souls have. What a learned scholar saith of these things, is not so much to the purpose; for they may mistake in many things; but what is the current, general sense of all them on whose consciences God ever wrought; in whose consciences there is any light? What is the general sense that they all have of these things? Labour for that. Was there ever any Christian under the hand of the Spirit of God, that had any difference in this point? Never one in this world: they all forsake the law, and despair of life by it: they all commend the righteousness of Christ, and betake themselves to it: they all admire the grace of God, and venture their all upon it. Whatsoever difference there may be about this or the other ordinance, or in other lesser things, yet as to those things, in which the very nature and heart of the new creature lies, there is no scruple at all about them.

(4.) Labour for such thoughts of these things as you know you must have, and will have when you come to die. Labour for such thoughts of the law of God, and of the righteousness of Christ, and of the grace of God, as you will have when you come to die. Dying thoughts are commonly the truest. When a man is launching into eternity, when the man hath, as it were, put one foot off from the shore of time, and is leaving this world-what a poor mean thing is this little cottage of self-righteousness? It is as nothing in the man's eyes; but that great palace of the righteousness of Christ, and the great tenor of free grace, in bestowing it on the unworthy-what a glorious thing doth it appear to be? Dying people do not use to brag of their lives, and their great attainments: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, saith dying Stephen, A cts pii. 59. "I am waiting for one good turn more from "Christ. Now, I am dying, Lord, take my soul." Although VOL. IV.

my house be not so with God, saith dying David, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: this is all my salvation, and all my desire, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.

:

(5.) Labour to have such thoughts of these things as all men will have, both good and bad, both on the right hand and on the left hand of the Judge, at that great day. The world will once be all of a mind, that is questionless; in the main things all believers are of one mind now and in the main things all unbelievers are in one mind; and unbelievers reckon Christ crucified weakness and foolishness and all believers reckon him the wisdom and the power of God. but when the last day comes, they will be all of one mind exactly, both good and bad; they on the right hand, and they on the left hand too. If this question were to go round to all the miserable assembly at the Judge's left hand, What think you of the law of God?" Oh! it is a holy, powerful, dreadful law," would they say. "We lie under it for evermore, and feel the lashes " of it." What think you of the righteousness of Christ? "It is a safe garment, happy they that are clothed with it; "we have refused it, and therefore we are destroyed." The despised grace of God is there precious to them; we use to say, "Truth is the daughter of time:" if I may reflect upon the words, "Truth is the daughter of eternity;" and this day of eternity will bring forth truth to all men, as to these three points: The holiness of the law of God-The virtue of the righteousness of Christ-and, The dominion of the grace of God. These are points that all the damned in hell, and all the glorified in heaven, will eternally have the same sentiments of; but with wonderful difference as to their share therein. The damned hear nothing but the curse of the law but it is the happiness of the glorified in being delivered from it. Rom. v. 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death, so grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. The word's just going before are, (yer. 20.) Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. There are two great things that have filled this world :-there were but two men in it that are worth talking of-the first Adam and the second; and if you know these well, it is no great matter what you are ignorant of. The first Adam is the law; the second

Adam is the gospel: to the former belongs hell; and to the latter heaven. Now, these two great men brought in two great things: the first man brought in that woeful thing we call sin; and the second man brought in that brave thing we call grace; and both these are great principles: sin reigns, and all that it reigns over it destroys; it reigns unto death: and grace reigns, and all it reigns over it saves; Grace reigns unto eternal life, through righteousness, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

I

SERMON V.

GAL. ii. 21.

[Latter Clause.]

If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

DO not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then is Christ dead in vain. You have heard of the connection of this verse with the preceding part of the chapter: and of its relation to the scope of the apostle, and to that point of gospel doctrine that he is there proving; and that is, That a man is not justified by the law, but by Christ, or by faith in him. And this verse cont ins two arguments, the first of which I have already spoken to, and finished. In he former part of the words, I do not frustrate the grace of God, would the apostle say, "If I seek righteousnsss by the works of the law, I should frustrate the grace of God;" and from this I have spoken at some length to four points of doctrine. 1st, The grace of God shines gloriously in justifying a sinner by faith in Jesus Christ.

2dly, That it is a horrible sin to frustrate the grace of God.

3dly, That all who seek to be justified by the law, do frusfrate the grace of God.

4thly, This is a sin that no godly man, no sound believer, can be guilty of;-and this I observed from the apostle's sayjng, I do not frustrate the grace of God. And this was spoken

by him as he was a believer, and not as an extraordinary offcer of the church.

I am now to enter upon the apostle's second argument, in the latter part of the words, For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. You may see, by the different character, that the word come, is there added by our translators, to make the sense more smooth: according to the running of the word in the original, it is, If righteousness by the law, the Christ is dead in vain.-"If it be by the law, if it "come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." There are implied, and contained in these words two negatives, and two positives; and I would speak a little to each. The two negatives are these:

I. That the righteousness that justifies a sinner comes not by the law.

II. That Christ died not in vain.

The two positives that are contained in the words are these:-

I. That if righteousness came by the law, then Christ died in vain.

II. That it is a horrible sin to make Christ's death to be in vain. And how a sinner can be guilty of it, you shall hear.

I. The first negative in the text is, That righteousness comes not by the law; and this is implied, when the apostle . speaks of it, as a principle from whence so absurd a conclusion would follow it is plainly intimated that righteousness comes not by the law, because the apostle saith, if it did do so, Christ was dead in vain.

I would speak a little to this--that the righteousness of a sinner for justification before God, comes not by the law. There is nothing that a man doth according to the law, there is nothing that a man suffers according to the law, that can be his righteousness before God; and there is something of both these attempted by men, but both in vain. This I would prove, that no sinner can have righteousness by the law.

(1.) The law discovers sin, and that is the apostle's argument, Rom. iii. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no fiesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of

strict rule discovers the

By the law is the know

sin. There is no sin in the law; but the knowledge of sin by the law, is the knowledge of a contrary by its contrary. The law is perfectly holy; but this crookedness that is in man's heart. ledge of sin, Gal. iii. 11. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident, for the just shall live by faith: It was evident to Paul, and it is evident to believers, but it can never be evident to an unbeliever, that no man is justified by the law, or by the works of it.

(2.) No man can be justified by the law, because the law condemns every sin, and every sinner for every sin. The law of God is so strict, that it condemns every sin. Now, that which condemns, cannot justify; for these two are contrary, Gal. iii. 10. As many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse. The apostle Paul was a bold divine, he spoke the truth of God boldly, and cared not what men thought of it. Had the apostle said, “As many as break the law, are under "the curse," we would have thought that pretty tolerable; but saith he, As many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse. Why so? Because their works are not perfect: for it is written, saith the apostle, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. The law curseth every one that cannot fulfil it; if a man could fulfil the whole law of God, and transgress but in one point, yet that one sin would be condemned by the law, and the sinner for it.

(3.) No man can be justified by the works of the law, because every man is a sinner. Rom. iii. 19, 20. What things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may become guilty before God: therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. The question that the apostle is there upon, is on this point, that is so great a point in the Christian religion: How shall a sinner be justified before God? It is not how a holy man may be justified ;-it is not how a man that never sinned may be justified: but it is, How shall a sinner be justified? A man that is flesh be justified? Now, saith the apostle, there no flesh justified in the sight of God.