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of the One Sacrifice, which taketh away the sin of the world; and circumcision, or the putting away the filth of the flesh, being the proclamation unto the church, of the work of the Spirit to crucify the flesh, with its corruptions and lusts. Here, then, from the deluge, we have the world under a dispensation of universal redemption, with a church in it under the dispensation of particular election and the only difference between our condition and theirs is this, that theirs was prospective, or prophetic,-ours partly retrospective, and partly prophetic; they looking forward unto Him that was for to come; we looking backward, unto Him that is come, and forward unto the same. One that is to come again. Thus, then, the world stood, under general and particular promise of; grace, until the time that the Law was given, Now, be it observed, that the Law was not given unto all the world, but only unto the church, the circumcised church. It went not to the bounds of the covenant of Noah, but was confined within the limits of the covenant of Abraham: and why this limitation? For many reasons, but chiefly for, this, that the Jew might have no reason to boast himself over the Gentile, that they who had the covenants of promise might also have the condemnation of the Law; that, their sins being made to abound through the Law, they might be preserved as much as possible from self-righteousness, and taught to prize the special and peculiar grace which they had in the covenant of circumcision. And the world which was without law, was left to the law written on their hearts, to the excusing or the accusing of their own thoughts ;they that are without law being judged without

law. Hence it is, that the Apostle, in the Epistle to the Romans, being minded to prove all men under sin, and the whole world guilty before God, doth make his case out against the world, in the first chapter, by shewing their sins against conscience, and against nature; but against the Jews, he maketh out his case, by shewing their sins against the Law. The Law is the voice of God, telling us of the evil. When man fell, he came to know both good and evil, whereas formerly he had known only good this goodness, being all departed out of the physical world, had its visible object only in hope of seeing Christ; and being goodness unto the undeserving, it hath the name of grace. Unto the knowledge and desire of good in man, Christ therefore was addressed, and God in Christ. Unto the evil that is in man, the world which is seen was addressed; and thus religion came into controversy with worldliness, and the future into controversy with the present: the object of good being in the future, the object of evil being in the present visible world. Now, with which of these doth the Law rank? Holdeth it of the conscience of good, or of the conscience of evil? I say it holdeth of the conscience of evil. If the Gospel be the voice of God addressed unto the conscience of good, then, I say, the Law is the voice of God addressed unto the conscience of evil. And out of this opposition, between the Law and the Gospel, arose that heretical notion in the primitive church, that the Law was created by the evil principle, and the Gospel created by the good. The Law is by the Apostle absolutely called sin, even as Christ, when under

the Law, is likewise called sin. And that the

Law hath sin, and not righteousness, for its object, is well declared in that passage, Rom. v. 13: "Until the Law, sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed where there is no law." And that it hath not righteousness for its object, is declared in that passage, "If righteousness could come by the Law, then is Christ dead in vain." The Law, therefore, was added, that the offence might abound, and that sin might be shewn to be exceeding sinful.

"But before entering at large upon this subject, I would have it confirmed under sanction of the written word; and to this end, I ask you to turn with me to the seventh chapter of the Romans, from the beginning. "Know ye not, brethren (for I speak to them that know the Law), how that the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth (or it liveth)? For a woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So, then, if while her husband liveth she be married to another man, she shall be called an adultress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adultress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." In these verses the church is set forth, as a wife who hath been twice married; in the first instance to the Law, in the second instance to Him that is raised from the dead; of whom the former husband must be dead before she can be wedded unto the

second. But seeing that we are wedded unto the risen Christ, the Apostle affirmeth, that either the Law is dead or the church an adultress. Now, how doth the Law become dead to us, and we dead to the Law? Himself answereth the question,-By the body of Christ, which nailed the Law along with himself unto the cross, took it into the grave, and left it there, along with his body of sin and death, when he took his body of life and righteousness. And so, bridegroom-like, in beautiful garments he went forth from his chamber, like a strong man rejoicing to run his race of glory and of might. Unto him, then, not in humanity under the Law, but unto him in glory above all law, Lord of all, the church is now married, to the end that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Wedded unto this Husband, branches of this Vine, the church bringeth forth much fruit unto God, whereby the Father is glorified. But being wedded unto the Law, what is the fruit that she bringeth forth? A fruit unto death, in direct contrast to the former. For is it not written in the next verse, "When we were in the flesh, the motions of sin (or as it is in the margin, the passions of sin), which are by the Law, did work with energy in our members, unto the end of fruitbearing for death?" What a word is this to those who will live under the Law! It is here expressly declared, that the Law is the seed of sin, which doth quicken the substance of sin, already in our flesh, and make it bring forth fruit unto death; not unto God, but unto death. Now, this is the reason for which I am setting my face stedfastly against the Law; because it is the masculine parent of sin, and doth awaken and fructify

the passion for sin which is in the flesh. It is the life of the flesh, the joy of the flesh; and where works are preached, the natural man is glad.--Now what saith the Apostle further in this most wonderful and curious discourse, concerning the Law? Verse 6: "Now, however, are we delivered from the Law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." Can any thing be more explicit to declare our deliverance from the Law, and the Law's deadness to us, and our deadness unto it? Can any thing be more joyful unto the uncarnal and spiritual man, than such a deli verance from that which engendereth in the flesh only sin and death?" We are delivered from the law, that being dead," or, as it is in the margin, being dead to that wherein we were held." And what is the fruit of this deliverance? Is it licence? No; but it is liberty. Is it adultery? No; but it is honourable and fruitful marriage. Subjection unto the spiritual Parent of good in our spirit, and deliverance from the parent of sin in our flesh. Yes; there is a service still: but it is service, not known until the Spirit was given, or but dimly known by those who being under the Law, yet forgat not that they were under the promise,-service in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of the letter. The willing obedience of the law of liberty, "written, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but on the fleshly tables of the heart." Hear the divine Apostle, still farther, upon his favourite theme; hear the great law-breaker, the great law-destroyer, and magnifier of the grace of God, who boasteth that he had destroyed the Law, and looketh upon him

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