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it to him in his surety, magnified and made honourablemagnified infinitely in his life-made everlastingly honourable in his death: so that the Father can get the fullest glory to every divine perfection, even to his justice, by saving sinners through faith in the righteousness of his Son; he can be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly. The believer persuaded of this is reconciled to God. Being no longer under the law, as a covenant of works; but under grace, he loves the law, and walks with God in sweet obedience to it. He sets out, and goes on every step, in faith-trusting to the acceptance of his person, and of his services in the beloved. does not work now, in order to be saved; but he works, because he is saved. And he ascribes all he does to the praise of the glory of free grace. He works from gratitude, and the faith of God's elect always does. It never fails to shew itself by love. The Holy Spirit wins the heart by revealing to it the love of God, and thereby draws out the affections after him. When the commandment comes, "My son, give me thy heart.” The son is ready "Lord, take, it, and seal it thine for "ever." And whatever inbred enmity may remain against giving it to the Lord, the Holy Spirit has undertaken to subdue it. It is his office to take away the stony heart, and to create an heart of flesh, soft and willing to receive the impression of this grace. With the same finger, which once wrote the holy law upon tables of stone, it is now written upon the fleshly tables of the heart. And then the love of God, and the love of man are clearly taught, and effectually enforced. What a change does this make in obedience! Hard things are now done with ease. Rough ways are made smooth. Painful things become delightful. The labour of love is sweet labour: because the heart is in it. The feet run; the hands work: all the faculties are ready to exert themselves, when love commands.

O my God, let it be thus with me. Thou hast given me an earnest desire to walk with thee in the ways, guide me in them by thine almighty Spirit. Let him

abide with me, Holy Father, as the Spirit of adoption, that I may always serve thee, as thy reconciled child, not under the law, but under grace. I would gladly walk with thee every step by faith, and that faith working by love to thee and to my whole will. O God, give me grace sufficient for thy holy walk. Let thy faithful promise be daily fulfilled: write thy law still plainer in mine inward parts, and let it be more fairly copied out in my life. I want to love thee more, as thou knowest. O my God, keep my heart sensible of the exceeding riches of thy love to me, and let the growing sense of this increase mine to thee. In the strength of thy good Spirit enable me to overcome inward and outward opposition to my walking with thee in love. Let him strengthen me mightily in the inner man for every labour of love. From him cometh power to embrace and to cleave with full purpose of heart unto the ways of God-to love what he loves-and to hate what he hates. O thou blessed Spirit of the Father and of the Son make me willing, keep me able to enjoy the Father's love in his Son: and let it be a growing love, abounding yet more and more in knowledge, and in all sensible feeling, that I may run and not be weary, may be going on to the end and not be faint. Even so. Let it be done unto thy servant according to thy word, wherein thou hast caused me to put my trust. Let me have fellowship with the Father in his love through the salvation of his Son by thine influence upon my heart, now, henceforth, and for ever. Amen.

CHAP. VI.

The walk of the believer in the way of duty.

It is very hard to go on in a strait course and for any length of time. The hinderances are many. To understand the nature and obligations of duty, to enter

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upon it with right motives, to perform it in a proper temper, to go through it without backwardness or weariness, not by constraint, but willingly, and to find the true end of doing it answered; these are great difficulties: but they will be removed in some measure out of the believer's walk; if he attend to what was said before of obedience in general, and if he be enabled to bring it into practice.

It cannot be too often repeated, that the true believer is not under the law, as a covenant of works→ bound to keep the precept for life, or liable to the penalty of death. He is not under the law in this respect; but under grace. He is one with Christ, who kept the precept, and suffered the penalty for him, as his surety, and in his stead. He has put in his plea, and taken the benefit of Christ's suretyship. His plea has been admitted; and therefore he is in a state of perfect acceptance. He stands in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made him free. Grace reigns in him, and over him, and renders his obedience perfect freedom. He obeys, but it is all in faith. He works, but it is from a sense of the Father's love to him in his Son. Gratitude taught by the Holy Spirit influences his heart and life. His heart has the love of God written upon it, and his life manifests it. He serves God with a thankful mind and without fear, and cheerfully does all the good he can to man for God's sake.

The believer will never get on in the way of duty, unless he learns to obey upon these gospel principles. He will stand in need of their assistance at every step: For he will meet with constant opposition to them. The flesh will not come under grace. The carnal mind is always legal. The old man of sin knows nothing but working for life, and will not submit to any other way. Our sinful nature is altogether for the covenant of works, Jews, Turks, heathens, and nominal christians are all upon one plan: they expect God will be merciful to them for their doings. And the children of God are exercised with this self-righteous spirit more or less all

their days. Is it not, O my soul, thy grief and burthen? Art thou not daily plagued with it in thy duties? And though thy principles be very evangelical, yet they too often fail thee in practice. O beg of God then, earnestly and often, that thou mayest be cast into the mould of the gospel, quite evangelized in thy mind, and mayest. perform all duties,. upon such motives, as he himself requires and approves.

Duty is a debt owing to God-due from the creature to the Creator. The obligation to it arises from the absolute dependence of the one upon the other: and it consists in acknowledging this in the appointed way by a perfect and continual service ofevery faculty-the creature being entirely subject to the will of the Creator, and living in a never-failing conformity to it: for the will of God doth bind all men on earth, and angels and glorified spirits in heaven. It is an unchangeable law obliging for ever all creatures to obedience, not only on account of the matter contained in it, but also with respect to the sovereign authority of the almighty law-giver. And this obligation Christ in the gospel has not in the least dissolved, but on all occasions has confirmed and strengthened. How decisive are these words! Think not that "I am come to destroy the law, and the prophets, I am "not come to destroy, but to fulfil," to fulfil the law in mine own person, as the surety for my people, and to put the love of it into their hearts, and to engage them and to enable them to practise it in their lives: though not for the same end, for which I fulfilled it.

Duty is always one and the same-a debt always dué to God. But the debt of obedience being withheld, and the death of suffering being incurred, the believer, is taught to plead his discharge from suffering under Christ and his fulfilling of obedience in the righteousness of Christ. With this faith he has a delightful prospect of duty. God is now at peace with him. God loves him in his Son. It is his high privilege to enjoy the sense of those distinguishing favours. For this end he is admitted to walk with his God. What an honour is this!

Having received the adoption of sons, he is blessed with his Father's love, and is taken into near fellowship with him. What a happiness is this!" Son, all that I have "is thine, it is freely given to thee in Jesus, and thou 66 art now called upon to enjoy me and mine in thy holy walk." Here duty becomes his privilege. It is exalted and spiritualized into a gospel grace. He is bound to it, but it is by the cords of love. The pleasing bonds of gratitude tie his heart to obedience, to a free, holy, evangelical obedience. He obeys, not as a slave, but as a son-not for fear, but because Christ has set him at liberty-not that God may accept, pardon, and justify him, but because God has done all for him, and will do all in him—not that he may have heaven for his obedience, but because heaven is reserved for him, and he for it. He therefore looks at duty, as greatly refined by the gospel. Every act of it, done in faith, is an act of fellowship with the Father and with the Son; and by the grace of the Spirit every act brings the Father's love through the Son's salvation into experience. He has communion with his God in all he does. ennobles duty. It is hereby raised to a divine honour: For it is hereby made, to them who are in Christ, the highest privilege they can have on this side of heaven.

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When the Holy Spirit writes the law upon the heart, he then teaches this obedience of faith. He does not abolish duty, but he enforces it upon right motives, and directs it to a right end. The same duties remain in the gospel, but not upon the same obligation. Law duties, as conditions of life, cannot be fulfilled. The judge himself has decreed, that by the works of the law there. shall no flesh be justified in his sight. Therefore the law as a covenant of works does not enter into the believer's obedience. He obeys, because he is freed from this covenant-not freed from doing the same duties, which this covenant required, but freed from doing them upon law motives, neither expecting the promised life on account of keeping the precepts, nor fearing the threatened penalty on account of not keeping them.