II. Show how this doctrine of faith establishes the law.

I. In order to show that the moral law, as a rule of life, is perpetually binding, and can never be made void, I shall offer the following arguments.

1. To suppose that the moral law is changeable, and might be made void, would be to say that God might either not have given a law to his rational creatures, or might have commanded the contrary things, both of which are absurd. For although God was under no necessity to create rational creatures capable of, and fitted for moral government, it was an act of his mere good pleasure; yet when once they were created, it was impossible that he should lay aside all care of them, and leave them to themselves; one free act may lay an obligation to the performance of another. Thus if God promises absolutely, he is bound to fulfil his promise; if he governs, he must govern justly; if he will have subjects endued with reason, he cannot but be their Lawgiver: so rational creatures being created, it is necessary that God give them a law by which they may be bound to obey and worship him. For rational creatures to exist, and not be subject to God their Creator and Preserver; or be subject to him and not to be ruled by him; or to be governed by him, and not under a law, and that law most holy and righteous, are all equally absurd and impossible. But if the moral law is mutable, then he might not only not have enjoined it upon them to obey, love, and worship him, which is his due, and their most reasonable service, as he is the Chief Good, and their Creator, in whom they "live, move, and have their being," Acts 17: 28; and from whom they have received all their powers and faculties, and to whom they are indebted for every good thing which they enjoy: but have commanded them to hate God, to disobey their Creator, to worship idols, or even the devil himself; to commit all manner of uncleanness, and obey their own lusts and vicious appe tites. Thus blasphemy, idolatry, uncleanness, and the worst of crimes would change their natures, and become virtues, because commanded, which is monstrous and absurd: God cannot command such things without denying himself; he is holy and righteous, and can never command that which is unholy and unjust, without contradicting his own nature. And indeed, if the moral law which is founded on the nature of God, and the reason of things, may be changed; then it follows that there is no natural and essential difference between virtue and vice; but the same temper which we now call vicious, might become virtuous; and that there is no intrinsic excellence in any thing, but as God commands or forbids it: but this certainly unhinges all our notions of the Supreme Excellence, and destroys the moral character even of God himself. It would not have any meaning then to say that he is infinitely holy, just or good.

2.

The sum of the moral law is love to God and our neighor. As our Saviour observes, Mat. 22:37,40. Jesus said

unto him," thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." To love the Lord supremely, and our neighbor sincerely, for God's sake, is the end to which every precept of the law tends; which certainly discovers much of its excellency and perfection, and ought to induce us highly to honor and magnify it as a rule of duty. Besides, it cannot be imagined that a law enjoining this, should ever be made void, neither can it be thought that God, who himself is love, 1 John 4:8. should ever by any succeeding dispensation disannul a law enjoining that which is so agreeable to his own nature, so reasonable and just, and every way conducive to the greatest good of mankind. What can be more reasonable than that rational creatures should love their Creator and Preserver? what more just than that they should be found in the constant practice of all those duties of love and equity; both towards God and their fellow-men, which the law requires? Surely a law enjoining those things, so manifestly tending to promote God's glory, and our own benefit, that our chief happiness consists in a perfect conformity to it in every bent of the heart, can never be made void, but its obligation, as a rule must forever continue.

3. The moral law being the same in substance with the law of nature, which is immutable, and founded on the rational nature of man, must also be unchangeable, and of perpetual obligation. By the law of nature is generally meant those common practical notions of good and evil, (or the light and dictates of natural conscience,) which God has impressed upon the nature of every man, pointing out to him what is his duty and what his sin, and enabling him to descern between moral good and evil. While man continued in a state of innocency this law was perfect and sufficient to answer all the purposes for which it was given; but when sin entered the mind of man became blind, his will per verse, and his affections inordinate, and set on wrong objects. So that this law was much broken, and obliterated, and as it were, only remains thereof are now to be found in the hearts of all, insomuch that it became necessary that God should give a new edition of it, that the law of nature might be more confirmed its defects supplied, and its corruptions rectified. But that there is such a law still remaining, though much enfeebled and dark ened by reason of sin, is manifest from Rom. 2:14,15. For when the Gentiles which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing, or else excusing one another." From this passage, it is plain that the Gentiles, the heathen nations, al though they had not the written law of Moses, yet they had tha

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which was like to it; they had that which directed them what to choose, and what to refuse by the light of nature. By the force of their natural notions, and the dictates of their consciences, they apprehended a clear and vast difference between good and evil: they did by nature the things contained in the law." The light of nature taught them, that God should be worshiped, and their parents honored, that virtue should be practised and vice hated and avoided; and so they became "a law unto themselves:" and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another," according as they observed or violated these natural dictates, their consciences did either acquit or condemn them. All which shows that they were not without law, but had that which was to them instead of a written law, which could be no other than the law of nature impressed upon their hearts. Now the moral law, as to its substance, is the same with this law of nature, the same duties are commanded, and the same sins forbid den; the sum of the moral law, as was before observed, is love to God and our neighbor, and this is plainly impressed on the nature of man. The precepts of the moral law may be partially learned from the light of nature, they all perfectly agree to sound reason, and pertain to all nations, at all times, and are absolutely necessary to human nature to obtain its proper end; wherefore its obligation ought to be perpetual. Since human nature is always the same, and like itself, that which is founded thereon must be so also.

4. That the moral law still remains in force, as a rule of life, is manifest from several passages of scripture, particularly from Mat. 5:17,18, where our Saviour in his sermon on the mount, when he was about to clear the law of the false and carnal interpretations of the Scribes and Pharisees, and open it up in its extent and spirituality, plainly asserts the continual obligation thereof. "Think not," says he "that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven." From whence it is clear that the law was not abolished by Christ, but fulfilled; so neither is it abolished and become useless to us who live under the dispensation which he instituted. Had our Saviour intended that it should be of no more use to his people, he would certainly have told them so, and left it on record, but so far is he from that, that in Luke 16:29. he says, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;" and if we hear them, we must obey their commands, else hearing would be in vain. And as Christ has not, so neither have his apostles destroyed the law, but rather confirmed, and com mended it to all to be observed and honored. Rom. 13:8,9. - Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that

For this, thou shalt not

oveth another hath fulfilled the law. commit adultery. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Again, love, which is the sum of the law, is called by the apostle John, 1 John 2:7,8. both an old and a new commandment. I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment, which you had from the beginning. Again a new commandment I write unto you. It was old with respect to its first promulgation under the old testament dispensation, but that it might appear to be still in force under the new testament, he calls it a new commandment. And in our text it is expressly affirmed that the law is not made void, but still farther established by the gospel dispensation. Besides the moral law, or the law of nature which is the same, being the rule whereby God will judge the world at the last day, and according to which every one will receive their final doom, Rom. 2:12, &c. must likewise be the perpetual rule of man's obedience, else how could the equity of God's proceedings in judgment be vindicated, and made manifest before men and angels at the great day.

II. I come now to the second thing proposed, which was to show how faith, or the doctrine of justification by faith, establishes the law.

If by faith in the text we understand that grace which unites us to Christ, and gives us a right to his person and all his benefits, then it establishes the law in the following respects. 1. By conviction, which is antecedent to believing; where conviction, or a faith of the law goes not before, no justifying faith can follow. The Spirit first convinces of sin, then of righteousness, John 16:8. Conviction of sin principally consists in an inward feeling of our lost and miserable estate by nature, and of our exposedness to the everlasting wrath and curse of God denounced in his law, as the just demerit of our aggravated guilt. The divine law is brought home to the conscience, by the agency of the Holy Spirit, which is hereby awakened out of its slumbers, and made to speak for God, against the sinner, in a more faithful and awful manner than ever heretofore. Conscience being God's deputy in the soul, takes account of things which are done against the law of God, and when the Spirit comes to awaken the sinner, it opens these awful records, and brings in clear, full, and terrible accusations against the poor trembling creature. Secret as well as open transgressions, with all their aggravations, are brought in, and set in order before him, and they come with such clear and full evidence that he can no longer defend himself. Conscience is instead of a thousand witnesses against him, he becomes self-convinced and speechless, like the man that was found without the wedding garment. Mat. 22:12. The soul being thus accused and convinced of aggravated guilt, conscience

pronounces the sentence of condemnation against him, "cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." Gal. 3:10. The soul now stands trembling and condemned before God, and in effect acknowledges that all the precepts of his law are just and righteous, and owns the equity of its condemnatory sentence. Else, whence arises that horror which seizes the soul, and these awful self-reflections that are found in convinced sinners; they know that they are guilty before God, that they have broken an holy and righteous law, and deserve the punishment therein threatened. Therefore their mouths are shut, and all their pleas are silenced, they have nothing to say in their own vindication. Moreover the moral law is the ordinary means of conviction of the need of a Saviour, for by it "is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3:20.

2. The very nature of faith confirms and establishes the moral lair: For the very essence of saving faith is the soul's receiving or accepting Christ as he is offered in the gospel entirely and undividedly, as clothed with all his offices, priestly, prophetical and kingly: this is plainly implied in John 1:12. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God; even to them that believe on his name." As many as received him, that is his person, as he is clothed with his offices, and not only his benefits and privileges; to as many as thus received him," to them gave he power to become the sons of God." And since faith receives Christ as a King, it must also receive and submit to the moral law, which is his rule of government. Faith accepts of Christ as a complete Saviour, to free not only from the guilt, but also from the power and pollution of sin, which to every true believer is an heavy, loathsome burden, under which he often groans, earnestly longing for deliverance. The renewed soul breathes as earnestly for holiness as for pardon. And faith embraces Christ, who came both by water and by blood, 1 John 5:6. not only for righteousness, but for sanctification also, 1. Cor. 1:30. Therefore, faith in its very nature implies a love for, and a willingness to yield obedience to the moral law, the rule of holiness.

3. The effect of faith also establishes the law; I shall instance in a few particulars.

1. Deep sorrow for sin, and evangelical meltings of heart under the apprehensions of grace and mercy, are fruits and effects of true justifying faith. The scripture often makes mention of this, and sets it forth in the strongest expressions: in Ezek. 7:16. it is said, "all of them shall mourn, every one for his iniquity." Zech. 12:10. And "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born." When believers through faith