ner. Hence the Father's counsel to his children, "Turn to the strong hold, ye prisoner's of hope;" and Christ's advice is, Abide in me, for those that turn from me to their crooked ways, my Father will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity; and those that depart from the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead; and, if you go over to the law, either for righteousness or perfection, I shall profit you nothing; therefore abide in me, for he that abides in me, and I in him, brings forth much fruit, and my Father purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Those that are making their boast of the law, and bringing the believer under it as his rule, little think what they are doing; they have no experience of these things, nor has God revealed these to them, nor have they the Spirit to lead them, and therefore know not what they say nor whereof they affirm. And I know several, whọ have been for years labouring at the law, not lawfully, but against the gospel, who by their countenances shew what hands they are fallen into; they feel something of it, but do not understand it, and therefore call it temptation, the workings of unbelief, and the trial of faith; but the truth is, it is the bondage of the law, the wrath of God, and the fearfulness of hypocrites; for, "As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse." Paul, in his explanation of this mystery in this chapter, doth not palm the glory upon Moses, but upon the law. The glory, which appeared

upon the face of Moses, was to give a sanction to the law; and it was a miracle of the lawgiver to confirm the law to Israel, that it was of God, divine, and authentic. Paul takes the glory from the face of Moses, and puts it upon the tables of stone; "But if the ministration of death written and engraven upon stones was glorious;" "For if the ministration of condemnation be glory." The law, which in the seventh verse is said to be glorious, is in the ninth verse emphatically said to be glory: but that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because it made nothing perfect, and because of the glory that excelleth, which is the bringing in of a better hope; "For, if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious." Hence it is plain that the glorious ministration of death engraven on stones; the glory called the ministration of condemnation; is excelled, done away, and abolished, by the gospel. And, although in the last clause of the seventh verse it is written, "which glory was to be done away," that word, glory, is not in the original text, nor has it any business there; for Paul is not opposing the glory of the gospel to the glory on Moses' face, for these glories in the mystery are one in Christ; but to the moral law he opposeth the gospel; and tells us that the one is done away and abolished, that the other which excels may remain. And certainly it is shaken, waxed old, decayed, and vanished away; that the kingdom

which we have received may stand by itself, and which shall never be shaken. "The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."

Not long since, at a friend's house, I got hold of the Bishops' Bible; wherein it is twice declared, in the chapter out of which my text is taken, that the law is abolished. In the same house I saw a learned commentator on the Bible, who dropped many pretty things on this chapter, but skipped entirely over the words, done away, and abolished; to escape, as I suppose, the name of an Antinomian. But many are my godfathers and godmothers who have given me this name; and therefore, as I have no good name to lose, I shall, with Paul, use great boldness and plainness of speech, and endeavour to shew mine opinion.

Some time ago, I borrowed the comments of the learned Dr, Gill. I found he was strenuous for the law as the saint's rule; and in the following extracts he makes some very learned and nice distinctions: What is ceremonial, or purely relative to the Jews, whilst in their civil polity in the land of Canaan, is done away; but, as to what is purely moral, is, as to the matter of it, still obliging. Distinguish between the law as a covenant of works, and as a rule of walk and conversation; as a covenant of works it is done away, as a rule of walk and conversation it still continues. Distinguish between persons and persons. To them that

are redeemed from it, it is done away. To them that are under it, it remains. And, lastly, distinguish between a right and wrong use of it,'

&c. &c.

God knows I have no learning but what he has taught me; and I must confess that I do not understand all these distinctions, nor do I find them supported by scripture proof: nevertheless, I shall not presume to contradict so great, so able, and so learned a man. I shall do as the apostle Peter bids. me; that is, "Minister as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glori fied through Jesus Christ." Nor do I believe that the moral law is any part of the rod of Christ's strength which came out of Zion, and by which he rules his saints in the midst of Jerusalem: if it is, David had no call to pray so earnestly for the coming of it, seeing it had been already in the world some hundreds of years.

Some say that 'the law is in the hand of Christ,' and that 'we are under the law to Christ;' for the support of which this text is generally brought in;

Being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ." But where the text stands that tells us the law is in the hand of Christ, I know not; for I believe the moral law is a rod in the hand of God the Father, as will appear in this piece, and no part of the sceptre of the Mediator by which he rules his saints. Dr. Gill, in his comment upon the above text, supports the notion of the law as a rule, their being not without law to God, or the

law of God, the moral law: for, though he was delivered from the curse and condemnation of the law, and as a covenant of works, and the ministry of it by Moses, yet not from the matter of it, and obedience to it as a rule of walk and conversation.' And upon the same text the Doctor says, 'but as one that was under the law to Christ, or under the law of Christ; that is, the law of love.'

It is true the believer is not without law to God, nor can he be, because God promises to make a new covenant with him, not according to the old; in which covenant forgiveness of sins is promised, a new heart, and a new spirit also: and this new covenant is to be written in the heart and put in the mind. Now what is this new covenant that promises all these things? The scripture says it is the covenant of grace, and of promise. And what is promised? Forgiveness of sins. How does pardon come? By faith; he that believes receives the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ. And how comes this new heart? By the regenerating operation of the Spirit. And does God minister the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? By the hearing of faith. And what laws are these that are to be written in their hearts, and put in their minds? What Isaiah speaks of when he says, "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." What is this law and this testimony? Not the moral law; for we are sure that those who are under that have