Let us not stand to confer with sense, that it has not its origimi flesh and blood, but, without de- right to direct them in all things, lay, step forward as lights in the whole temper of their hearts the world, holding forth the and practice of their lives. word of life. And," whatsoev-Neither of these apprehensions er things are true, whatsoever is according to truth, and they things are honest, whatsoev- arise from not carefully attender things are just, whatsoever ing to the relation between the things are pure, whatsoever law and the gospel in the sovethings are lovely, whatsoever reign dealings of heaven with things are of good report; if the children of men. David, there be any virtue, if there be who was one of the earliest proany praise, let us think on these phets, informs us that "Mercy things; and the peace of God and truth have met together, and which passeth all understanding, righteousness and peace, emshall keep our hearts and minds braced each other." The law through Jesus Christ." and the gospel are perfectly harmonious in their moral nature, and in their requirements. If it had not been thus, the royal singer of Israel could not have written, Mercy and peace have embraced truth and righteous JOB. Harmony of the Law and Gospel in the salvation of Sinners. HERE is no subject, on ness. Christ tock an early op portunity, in his public miniscorrect kind which have been mentioned. "Verily, I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall pass posed to false conceptions, than the relation which the law and the gospel have to each other, in the government of men to whom salvation is offered. Some ap-from the law, until all be fulpear to apprehend there is a certain kind of opposition between the law and the gospel; that the law and the justice of God are attempting to effect one purpose, while the gospel and divine grace are engaged in a different design. Some apprehend that the gospel is given to lower the requirements of the law, and bring men into a condition, through which they may be happy in the friendship of God with a less degree of holiness than the original commandment required. Others apprehend, that by the gospel, men are taken from the power of the law, in such a filled." It is an easier thing that the whole universe be annihilated; it is more reasonable, and more reconcileable with the eternal perfections of Jehovah, that the whole created universe should be brought to its final destruction, than it is that the law of God should be repealed in any duty which it enjoins, or any penalty which it threatens. There is no other so fixed a purpose in all the counsels of the supreme mind, as it is that the law shall be maintained, shall prevail, shall be executed for ever, without any alteration of its requirements or repeal of its penalties. It is natural for sinful crea- | true and righteous; so doth the tures to fall into error on this gospel. If it be said that the point. Knowing this to be the gospel eminently displays the case, Christ embraced an early goodness of God, in his treatopportunity to forewarn them of ment of creatures; so doth the the danger Unholy minds do original moral law. It was not love the law, they feel an op- goodness which first dictated position to its nature, find that every moral precept, which doth it condemns them, and are ready now, and ever will maintain evto view it as an enemy. They ery precept in its full force. are conscious that the holy dis- That goodness dictated every positions and duties required by precept of the commandment, the original commandment are appears from this, that it is a not pleasing to their hearts; and law, in all respects, calculated when they find a Saviour offer- to promote the happiness of a ing, redemption, on their own universe, and of individuals sinful principles, they imagine which are social and rational in that he is taking part with them their nature. If it was good in against the instrument of their God to create us with such radeath, either by changing its tional faculties, powers and conpure nature, or its awful penal- ceptions as we possess, that ties. But it is so far from these goodness would have been frus ways in which Christ becomes trated, unless he had given a a Saviour, that the gospel gives law by which their exercise strength to the law, and renders might be conducted to the ob it more irrepealable and obliga- tainment of happiness, and tory on creatures, more glorious there is no other rule of moral in itself, and more awful in its conduct, except what we have threatenings against guilty crea- received from God, which will tures than it would have been, if make us happy as individuals, a gospel had not intervened. as members of society, and as subjects of his most wise gove ernment. Therefore the same The following considerations evince the harmony of the law and gospel in all the divine deal-goodness appeared in giving the ings with men. law as in proclaiming the gos. pel of reconciliation. The Lord said that it was his goodness, he made to pass before Moses, when he came down on Mount Sinai to give the law and show his glory. A display of divine goodness is a display of his glory, whether it be made in the law or in the gospel. For God to have left his creatures after he had made them, without giving such a law as he did, would have proved the greatest want of goodness; yea it would have been leaving them to mis Both give us the same representations of the moral perfections of God. In both the same holy nature, will and attributes are manifested. Although the gospel may contain a more full and high display of Godhead, it is by the same attributes as were revealed in the law. In each he appears of one uniform character and will from eternity to eternity, and as unchangeable in his moral attributes as he is in his natural essence. The law describes him infinitely holy, Jesus Christ direc ery, such misery as they now | mind." feel by transgression. Misery ted the same. When it was always goes in company with a enquired of our divine Lord, wicked temper and actions.-"what good thing shall I do The precepts and penalties of that I may inherit eternal life ?” the commandment are equal ev- His answer was, "keep the idence of divine goodness. The commandments.” Let your penalty enforces what the pre- temper and practice be such, in cept in infinite wisdom com- all respects, as the law requires, and you shall obtain eternal life. The holiness required by the law and the gospel is the same. All the representations of a Christian temper describe it as consisting in a conformity to God, and a conformity to God and his law are the same. mands. We have considered the goodness of God as being equally displayed in the law, and in the gospel. Next let us consider his justice. The law denounces the penalty of perfect justice. The gospel reveals a suffering Saviour, enduring the penalty for all who come to him by a holy and saving faith. So that it appears, by attending to the subject, that the law and the gospel represent the moral character of God to be the same, in all respects. The same goodness, the same justice, the same opposition to sin, the same universal holiness in his nature, the same determination to make holy beings happy and sinful beings miserable, are seen in one dispensation as are declared in the other. In giving the law he says, he will by no means clear the guilty, remaining such; and Christ, in declaring his office as a mediator says, that he came not only to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, but the day of the vengeance of our God on all who remain in unbelief. The subject may be illustrated further by considering, that the whole which Christ did when he came into the world to save men, was to glorify the law. giver and to magnify the law through his own sufferings and obedience. Thus he made an atonement, and purchased the Spirit for our sanctification. The sufferings of Christ, when he stood in the place of sinners, under the government of infnite wisdom, answered the same purpose, as would have been effected by their enduring the pains of eternal death. The graces and virtues oft life, were his obedience to the law. He encourages salvation only to those who are renewed and sanctified by his Spirit. The design of his purchasing the Spirit was, through this influence, to restore his people to that personal holiness, which the On this subject it may be fur-law hath from the beginning ther observed, that the law and required; neither without this the gospel require the same can they ever attain the happitemper, character and practiceness of heaven. in men.. Moses said, "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, strength and The Christian salvation is so far from encroaching on the rights of the law, that, with respect to those who are saved, it is fully honored. It has condemned them, it has declared them dead in trespasses and sins, and has executed the penalty in the person of Jesus our Redeemer. There hath been no repeal of the penalty, for it hath been suffered by the Lamb of God, for all his redeemed ones, and before they attain complete redemption, they shall be brought to a state of perfect obedience. So that the way in which men are saved by the gospel is by bringing the law and its irrepealable obligation more fully into view than it ever was before; by appointing it an eternal rule of the Christian temper and obedience; by Christ's enduring the penalty, in its full intention, for all those who believed in him; and by their restoration, through the Spirit, to the same temper which the law originally enjoined. time, brings with it a sancti→ fying power to deliver from sin, and consecrate the whole soul a minister of righteousness unto God and the praise of his grace. The preceding reflections admit many salutary inferences. The gospel does not encourage any one with final salvation, until he is brought into conformity to the divine law, and made partaker of a Christian temper. All men ought frequently to propose to themselves the following questions: I read the gospel, have I any right to hope therefrom? The gospel is a proclamation of peace to a world of guilty sinners, on certain conditions. I am committed to my own care, and it is infinitely interesting to me that I be saved. Does this gospel extend to my case, and deliver me from my wretched condition by nature? Certainly, every man ought to propose these question to himself, and the subject of this paper leads to a correct answer.➡ If the temper of our minds is restored to conformity with the law; if we love and practise all In this view of the perfect harmony between the law and the gospel, what hath the latter done for sinners that the former could not? The law could not furnish a substitute to suffer and die in our stead; this the gos-that holiness which it requires; pel hath done: The law could if we have become of a disposinot promise that God would ac- tion that we can say, "Oh! how cept the sufferings of a substi- I love thy law for it is my daily tute in the stead of the believer; delight, and the meditations of this the gospel hath done: The my heart thereon are sweet," law could not furnish an awa- then we are in a safe state, thro' kening, renewing and sanctify- the gospel of reconciliation. If ing Spirit to recover our hearts we have been renewed in the into a conformity to its own pre- temper of our minds, and decepts; this is done by the pur-light in the divine determination chase of Christ in the gospel. to maintain his commandment The law could only teach men in its full glory; then the gostheir duty, and condemn them pel will preserve us from everfor not doing it; but the gospel lasting death. If there be any doth more. It enjoins the same rebellion in our hearts against duties, condemns all who do not the commandment, there is the perform them; at the same same against the gospel, for they sweetly coincide concerning all human duty. Some apprehend there is no condemnation in the gospel; but this is a great mistake. The gospel condemns every exercise and action which is forbidden by the law; yet with this great difference. The law condemns without a power of recovering; the gospel follows, condemning the same things, but offers a restoration to the favor of God on certain conditions. Those conditions are that we again love and obey the Son which we disobeyed; be-newal of our hearts, from the come of the same temper which creatures possessed before their apostacy; and look to God, through the merits of his Son for the pardon of all iniquity, and the influences of his Spirit" that I say unto you, ye must to renew our hearts and preserve "be born again." Also, when us in a holy temper. he said, "Verily, verily, I say This subject proves that the doctrine of a renewal and sanctification of our hearts by the Spirit of God, is essential to the christian scheme of grace. Rejecting this doctrine with respect to ourselves, amounts to a rejection of the whole gospel. The law could have made us happy, and conducted us to eter nal glory, if we had not by apostacy violated its precepts: the gospel is designed to recover us by a restoration to obedience. This can be done only by a re natural and unholy state of men. Jesus Christ knew his own gospel, and the purpose to which he was consecrated by the Fath er, when he said, “Marvel not If God was just in condemn-" unto you, except a man be ing creatures who rebelled a-" born of the Spirit, he cannot gainst his original command-" enter into the kingdom of ment, he must be the same in "God." If this be true, and rejecting those, who refuse the Christ in his holy word hath moral purity of the gospel; for said it, the influences of the holy the holiness of each is the same; Spirit, which practical disbe except it be in degree, there is lievers deride, are necessary no difference between the holi- for our salvation. The law left ness of Paradise and of Heaven. us condemned, under the wrath We must then look to the affec- of God, and the power of a hard tions of our hearts and the prac- heart. When infinite goodness tice of our lives, which is a dis- conceived that design of saving tinguishing mark of their mor- fallen men, which now amazes al nature, to determine whether angels, he saw our need of asthe gospel hath delivered us sistance in returning to him.— from the reigning power, and In the gospel, he made provisthe destroying guilt of sin.-If ion for our help. There is as we have a beginning but a sen- much need of the Spirit to assist sible sanctification from sin; a us in returning to our duty, as conformity to the holy nature of there was of a Saviour's blood God and his law, we may hope to expiate our guilt. Those for a final redemption; and it persons, although they may is only by this rule we can deter- profess to be Christians, who mine whether our condition is think lightly of a work of the safe or the contrary. Holy Spirit on our hearts, do |