deeds of that law.

By it the whole world stands guilty before God. Death is its sanction. It was annexed to the positive precept in the condition of the first covenant, but belongs properly and necessarily to the moral law: hence the wages of sin, in general, is death. A law without a sanction, is a mere request, because without the sanction it cannot be enforced, nor the transgressor called to account. Without the law sin had never existed, and without sin death had never been known. The law, armed with the threatening, connects death inseparably with sin, and entails it on the sinner as the reward of his iniquity. "The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law." When the Gentiles acted contrary to the obscure notions which they had of the moral law, they knew that such sins were worthy of death: and Paul tells the supercilious Jew, who held the Gentiles as execrable when compared with himself, that by his sin, he treasured up unto himself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." He assures him that "God will render to every one that doeth evil, tribulation and anguish, on the Jew first, and also on the Gentile." The same Apostle when writing to the Corinthians, denominates the law "The ministration of condemnation and death.” 2 Cor. iii. 7,9. Though he is treating of the legal dispensation, in general, yet in these expressions he refers to the moral law, for he says "it was written and engraven in stones, "which was not the case with the ceremonial part. The moral law, abstract from the dispensation of grace, is nothing else to sinners, than the ministration of death and condemnation. By the violation of it all men fell under condemnation and death; and in this condition it not only leaves them, but detains them.

It is not a ministration of life, as it affords no means leading to it; but necessarily issues in death to all who remain under it. On this account it is opposed to the gospel which is called "The ministration of the Spirit, and of righteousness." We are also told that the law, instead of leading sinners to the possession of the heavenly inheritance, only "worketh wrath." Rom. iv. 15. It pronounces sentence on the guilty, it has wrath in store, and will work it out and bring it forth upon all who are obnoxious to it. Paul must mean the moral law. He shows that Abraham became the heir of the world, of Jews and Gentiles, by virtue of the promise, in opposition to the law, which only works wrath, it must, therefore be that law which included both Jews and Gentiles, and therefore, the moral law.

4. IT is that law by which God teaches sinners the knowledge of sin, and reaches conviction to their consciences. All sin is denominated from that law of which it is a transgression. "Whosoever committeth

sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is a transgression of the law." Whether the law be moral, positive, or ceremónial, the violation of it is sin; and the law so violated, discovers the nature of the transgression. As far as the Apostle had an eye to the ceremonial law, the works of it are excluded, because, in so far as it was broken, it taught the knowledge of sin. But as the gospel had entirely superseded it, for the Apostle to have dwelt upon the exclusion of its works, was unnecessary, as there could neither be obedience to it, nor a violation of it. The knowledge of sin, therefore, is chiefly by the moral law, being the universal rule to all men. It discovers the moral excellence of Jehovah, of which it is a transcript; it cannot

be abrogated like mere ceremonial institutions; and in its very nature is calculated to discover sin. With all the authority of God, it strictly prohibits it, discovers the contrariety of it to his nature and authority, points out its malignity, and unfolds its pernicious tendency. It reaches the conscience, lays hold of it, fixes the charge of guilt deep in it, accuses and condemns. As God, by promulgating the law, told man what evil he was to avoid, so when he has presumed to violate that law, it is proper that its author, by means of it, discover to him the evil he hath done. Conviction of sin being the proper work of the law, the Apostle's reasoning is just, that "by the deeds of it no flesh shall be justified." It cannot sustain the sinner as righteous, while it condemns him as guilty; nor can it pronounce him innocent, while it criminates him as a transgressor; nor can it justify him, while it declares him stout hearted and far from righteousness.

asps

But

we learn from the context, what law is intended, as communicating the knowledge of sin. It is that law which men violate" When they do not seek after God-When their tongues utter deceit, and the poison of is under their lips-When their mouth is full of cursing, their feet swift to shed innocent blood, and no fear of God before their eyes." These are so many violations of the moral law, which stops the mouth of all who are guilty of them. Paul himself tells "he had not known sin, but by the law." When the commandment came, he saw lusts in his heart which had formerly escaped his notice, he felt the power of sin to be much greater than he had ever apprehended, and many things then appeared sinful which did not appear so before. Hence his confession, "The law is spiritu al; but I am carnal, sold under sin."

5. THAT the moral law is principally meant is evi dent from the uniform opposition stated between the works of it and faith in justification. No good reason can be assigned why ceremonial observances should be exclude, as opposite to faith, and the works of the moral law allowed a place, as if these were more consistent with faith. On the part of God free grace is displayed, and claims all the honour; on the part of man, guilt, deformity, and unworthiness constitute his character, and every occasion of boasting is taken away: but this could not be done merely by the exclusion of the ceremonial law; for as the moral law and its works are more excellent, much room for gloriation would remain, were these allowed a place, while faith would be excluded. But the design of faith is to lead the sinner from his own works to Christ, as the Lord his righteousness; all works must therefore be excluded, because to, whatever law they belong, they are something done by the creature and so opposite to faith. "Where is boasting then? Is is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay; but by the law of faith.

Ir is admitted, that the Jews valued themselves much upon their ceremonial observances; but they were equally vain-glorious in their moral duties. The Pharisees, a prevailing party of zealots among them, boasted of their moral righteousness. "God, I thank thee," said one of them," that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.". Luke xvii. 12. They prayed long in public places, and sounded a trumpet when they gave alms. The Apostle in this epistle censures the Jews for boasting in their moral works. "Behold thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of

God"-" Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? Since faith, then, excludes boasting, it must also exclude moral works, as these give occasion to boast. "If Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory." Moral works are meant, as the ceremonial law was not published in his time. Since justification is by faith, and moral works nullify faith, these works must be excluded from any place in it.

6. THAT law to which Christ rendered a substitutionary obedience is the law intended in the text. But that was the moral law, because his obedience to it had the same relation to the Gentiles as it had to the Jews, which could not have been the case, had he been subject only to the ceremonial law. It has been shown that the moral law was the common rule of righteousness to both, and the law according to which God would either justify or condemn them; their justification behoved to rest upon a righteousness consisting in a complete fulfilment of that law. For this very end, therefore, was Christ made subject to it. Gal. iv. 4. "God sent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law; to redeem them that were under the law." He was also made subject to the curse, chap. iii. 13. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." As the whole world of Jews and Gentiles were under one law, and by it guilty before God, the Saviour was made under both in order to deliver them. This could not be the ceremonial law, as no advantage could result to the Gentiles from his being subjected to it; but the Apostle tells us, that Christ's being made a curse was for this end, "That the blessing of Abraham might come