The perfection of the divine law first claims our careful attention.

If it be asked in what respects the law of the Lord is perfect; the general answer is, in all respects. Like its glorious author, it is light, and in it is no darkness at all. But since an apostle hath said, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and just, and good; it may be proper to illustrate these three perfections of the moral law more particularly.

First then, the law of God is perfectly holy. This appears in its prohibitions, in its requirements, and in its sanctions. I have seen an end of all perfection, says the psalmist, but thy commandment is exceeding

broad.

So extensive is the divine law that it forbids all sin, even in the very inclination of the mind, as well as in all manner of conversation. Human expositions, of old time, had indeed given it a more limited construction; as though, like the laws of man, it respected only overt acts, and the grosser instances of iniquity. But our divine teacher, who was in the bosom of the father, hath expounded it in a latitude becoming the law of the most holy God, who looketh on the heart. In his exposition it forbids not only actual murder, gross adultery, and bearing false witness; but every idle word, every lascivious look, and every first emoion of unreasonable resentment.

Nor hath he explained the law only to forbid all po sitively evil volitions and exercises; as if no positive duty, on the contrary, were required. As if, to him that knoweth to do good, only not to do it, were no sin. As if bare omissions and neglects, were no more criminal in a rational creature, than in stocks and stones. According to our Saviour, and indeed, according to the letter of Moses, the law saith, not merely, thou shalt

not hate; but thou shalt love. Being benevolent and doing good, to the utmost of our capacity, is plainly enjoined; as well as every thing that is positively evil totally forbidden.

The law is likewise glorious in holiness, in its awful sanctions. It requires sinless perfection, as now explained, on no less severe a penalty than everlasting indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. It says, The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The wages of sin, without exception, according to law, is death. The soul's death; its eternal perdition.

Secondly, I am to show that this law is just, perfectly just; in all the strictness of its precepts, and in all the severity of its curse. These will require a distinct consideration. Both are disputed by the carnal

mind.

To the justice of the preceptive part of the divine law, indeed, what can human reason object? May we not justly be required not to sin? Not to sin at all, in omission or commission?-The only objection is grounded on imbecility. "Were we able, doubtless we ought to keep ourselves from all sin, and might justly be so required. But this is by no means possible for the best of men. There is not a just man upon earth, that doth good, and sinneth not. And certainly to require that of us which is not in our power, is palpably unjust."

The objection seems strong, though built upon weakness. It is plausible; but it is not unanswerable. If the meaning be, that more is required of us than would be in our power were we of a perfect heart; I deny that, in this sense, any thing in the commandments is above our capacity. If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted, in all cases; God's perfect law always accepts it, according to that a man hath. Where

much is given, much is required; and where little, so much the less. Whether we have five talents, or two, or one, the perfect improvement of the talents we have, is all that is exacted. However weak our minds, or little our strength, to love the Lord our God with all our hearts-with all our weak minds, and little strength, is the whole of the first commandment of the law. There is none other greater than this, or more difficult to obey. Did we thus love God, we should keep all his commandments; and none of them would be grievous.

But if it be meant, that we have not a perfect heart and willing mind, and therefore sinless perfection cannot justly be required of us; what is this more or less than saying, We have not a disposition to do our whole duty, and therefore our whole duty cannot in justice be enjoined? What is it but saying, We have a great inclination to do iniquity, and therefore we ought to be allowed to do some iniquity, in all reason and righteousness? Is the law sin, because we are sinners! Is that to be condemned because we are disposed to transgress; when it would be altogether reasonable, had we only an inclination to obey! If the divine law, in order to its being just, ought to be lowered at all, on account of the depravity of the hearts of men; for the same reason it must be brought down entirely to every man's heart, however depraved, or it will not be just. Let this objection be carried as far as it will necessarily go, if there be really any thing in it, and it will come to this, that no law can be just, which requires any man to be or do, more or better, than exactly as he is disposed.

I am sensible that it is one of the hardest things in the world, to beat this objection out of the heads and

hearts of men; notwithstanding the stupidity of it is so exceedingly obvious. And no wonder; for as long as any man can wink hard enough not to see the absurdity of such a way of reasoning, from the painful reproaches of his own conscience, he is so far entirely free, and feels completely self-justified; whether an imperfect saint, or a most profligate abandoned sinner. But I believe it will be found at last that there is the same law, as a rule of duty, for the one and for the other. A law which alters not as men alter in degrees of moral depravity. And that according to this law, which requires the wickedest of all mankind to be perfectly righteous, every mouth will be stopped, and all the world, notwithstanding the present boasted plea of being sinful fallen creatures, be found guilty before God. The only question is, which ought to be condemned, an imperfect creature, or a perfect law! The creature, because his heart is set in him to do that which is perfectly wrong; or the law, because it insists upon that which is perfectly right!

We are next to consider the justice of the penalty of God's holy law; and to show, that as he doth not lay upon man more than is right in its perfect requirements, so neither will he in the infliction of its awful threatenings.

Eternal death for every transgression and disobedience, is a dreadful punishment, indeed, and undoubtedly it seems to many, when they seriously think of it, excessively severe. "Can every idle word, every evil thought, every unlawful wish, every deviation, in the smallest punctilio, from perfect righteousness, realty deserve everlasting destruction! Can even any crimes, of a finite creature, committed in a momentary life, justly merit endless misery!"

To this it may be replied. The sins we commit, however little many of them may appear in other respects, are transgressions of the law of the great eternal God. In this the evil, even of the grossest immoralities, as it were, wholly consists. Hence David, when he had been guilty of the atrocious crimes of adultery and murder, says, in his penitential confession to God, Against thee, thee only have I sinned. And hence St. Paul speaks of sin as becoming, by the commandment exceeding sinful. If all the evil of sin consisted in the present injury done to creatures like ourselves, temporal death would be a punishment too great by far for most offences. Were there no God, or had God given us no law in any way whatever, and had our iniquities no respect to him, many of them would be truly very trivial. But Disobedience is as the sin of witchcraft. And the criminality of disobedience is ever supposed to be enhanced, in some proportion to the authority commanding, and the obligation we are under to obey. Now the authority of God our Maker, and the obligations we are under to be obedient in all things to Him, are absolutely infinite. Infinite, therefore, must be the sin of breaking His laws, and dishonouring Him.

This is the common way of vindicating the justice of endless punishments. And certainly, known transgression of an express command of the infinitely great and glorious God, must be sinful beyond conception. But that every moral evil, in the most ignorant rational creature, so far partakes of this aggravation as to be a crime absolutely infinite, is a thing which cannot perhaps easily be made manifest to all men.

I therefore desire that it may be seriously considered, whether the ill desert of sin, whatever may be its ag gravations, be not of such a permanent nature, that it may justly be punished with the fire which never shall

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