lation, and receive it as given of God. Perfect obedience is evidently the demand of the divine law, and condemnation is denounced against the breakers of it. "This do, and thou fhalt live, but the foul that finneth, it fhall die.* But none of our race keep the law. "There is not a juft man upon earth, that doeth good and finneth not." The fcripture hath concluded all under fin, that the promise " by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe." Mankind are

"fhut up to the faith in Chrift." This is the way in which God" hath mercy on whom he will have mercy. He that believeth fhall be faved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Therefore the hope of the apostle, in the way of faith, while difcarding hope in any other way. "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 Chrift, and not by the works of the law."

FROM the reasoning of the apoftle, the false teachers at Galatia seem not to have urged obedience to the whole law. Circumcifion they taught to be indifpenfible. St. Paul affures them, that if they were under obligation to receive circumcifion, they were equally obliged to keep the whole law; and that they bound themselves to this by fubmitting to be circumcifed-that if they reverted to the law, and placed their dependence on their obedience to it, they renounced the Christ, and would not be benefited by it.

* Lev. xviii. 5.-Ezek. xviii. 4.

grace

of

"Be

hold, I Paul, fay unto you, that if ye be circumcifed, Chrift fhall profit you nothing. For I teftify again to every man that is circumcifed, that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. Chrift is become of none effect unto you, whofoever of you are juftified by the law, ye are fallen from grace." WHILE fuch was the ftate of those who followed the judaizing teachers, those who retained the gospel as taught by the apostle, had another hope -a hope which would not make afhamed-a hope in divine grace through faith in Chrift-" We through the spirit wait for the hope of righteoufnefs by faith. For in Jefus Chrift neither circum. cifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion; but faith which worketh by love."

SUCH is every Chriftian's hope before God. He "counts all things to be lofs and dung that he may win Chrift; and be found in him, not having on his own righteoufnefs which is of the law; but the righteousness which is of God by faith."

BUT while St. Paul was exhibiting and urging these important truths, on the wavering Galatians, he forefaw, that it would be objected, that the scheme which he advanced, tended to licentious. ness-that if men might be faved by faith without the works of the law, they might indulge themfelves in fin--that this would render Chrift the min. ifter of fin. The fame objection appears to have been made at Rome, where a faction exifted fimilar to this at Galatia. This confequence the apoftle rejected with abhorrence.

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid : Yea we eftablish the law."

THE Levitical code included both the ceremo. nial and the moral law. Though St. Paul declared juftification unattainable by obedience to either or to both, he did not fet afide the moral law, as no longer obligatory, as he did the ceremonial. This latter had answered the ends of its appointment, and was abolished by fulfilment. It was only a fhadow of good things to come, and fled away before that of which it was a fhadow. Chrift had therefore blotted it out and taken it away. But the moral law was not done away. Chrift hath fulfilled it for thofe who believe on him; but it doth not therefore cease to be obliga. tory upon them. It is of univerfal and eternal obligation. The falvation of mankind, doth not, however, depend on their obedience to it. If it did, they could not be faved, because all mankind

have broken it. "Salvation is of grace, through

faith."

INSTEAD of fetting Chriftians free from obligation to keep the moral law, what Chrift hath done for them ftrengthens their obligations to obey it. An increase of mercies is an increase of obligations to ferve the Lord.

BUT yet more is done to fecure obedience from those who are Chrift's-yea enough to fecure it. A change paffeth on them, when they become his, which reconciles them to the law, and causes them to delight in it, and in the duties which it enjoins. This produces a pleafing conformity to it-" his commandments are not grievous." Their obedience is fincere and univerfal. Others may render

a partial obedience, out of fear, but the obediende of the renewed flows from love, and hath refpec to all God's commandments.

REMAINS of depravity abide in the Christian, but they do not habitually govern in him. That they are not wholly purged out of his nature, is to him the occafion of grief-caufes him to go forrowing: But he doth not gain complete deliverance till he puts off the body. He puts on, however, the gospel armor, and maintains a warfare against his own corruptions within, no less than against the powers of darkness without. Though fometimes wounded, and made to go on his way halting, he is, in his general course victorious, rifing fuperior to oppofition, and living unto God. "Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit fin; for his feed remaineth in him, and he cannot fin, because he is born of God"-cannot fin, like oth ers, allowedly and habitually. "How fhall he who is dead to fin, live any longer therein ?"

SUCH is the character of the Christian, as drawn in the bible; fo that all ground of objection to the gospel scheme, as drawn by St. Paul, is removed. Those who are Chrift's inftead of taking liberty to fin, because " they are not under the law, but under grace," are of all men moft careful to do God's commandments; and from the nobleft principles. Their obedience is not fervile, but filial.

THIS is the fpirit of the text. They that are Chrift's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts-HAVE crucified. The change which frees

T

from the governing power of indwelling corruption, and difpofeth to walk in newness of life, hath already paffed upon them. None are Chrift's till this change takes place in them.

BUT while the apostle vindicates the doctrine of grace, and fhews its beneficial influence on the morals of men, care is taken to guard against mistakes on the other hand-not to give occafion to confider renewing grace as wholly eradicating the principles of depravity, and putting an end, at once to the fpiritual conteft. This fubject is treated more largely in the epiftle to the Romans.* But the oppofition of natural and gracious principles, is here mentioned, and fome of its effects defcribed. "The flesh lufteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; fo that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

In every man, whatever may be his character, there are different principles, which struggle and contend with one another. The natural man feels a bias to wickedness, and wishes to indulge his depraved inclinations. But reason forbids, and conscience remonftrates, and warns him to beware what he doth-reminds him that to yield to paffion is wrong to indulge appetite unreasonably is finful that for these things God will bring him into judgment. Thus the principles implanted in the mind, by the God of nature, withstand the finner in his way, and refift him in his course; they hold him back and restrain him from gratify

* Chapter vii.