son, the value of his obedience was proportioned to the glory and dignity of his divine nature; and he has, therefore, by his fulfilling the law, purchased all grace here and glory hereafter, for all who shall believe in him, and be thereby united to him. Thus, then, the believer's first husband is dead, that they are loosed from the law of their husband; and "they are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that they may be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead."

And now, in order to answer the second part of my promise, and show you in what respect the law has still a claim to the believer's observance, I must remind you of what I have formerly observed to you, that the moral law is also to be considered as a rule of living, as the standard or directory of our conduct. As such, it is a copy, or transcript, of the divine perfections; in particular, of his rectitude, justice, and holiness; and therefore is immutable, like the infinitely glorious nature from whence it was derived. It is utterly inconsistent with the infinite perfections of the glorious God, for him to give us a rule of life, contrary to what is contained in the moral law. Should the law in this sense be abrogated and buried, the holiness and justice of God must be buried in the ruins of it. Now, though our blessed Saviour has in this sense also fulfilled the law, he has fulfilled it to establish it, and not to vacate or destroy it. He has fulfilled it as our exemplar, to give us a pattern of obedience, that we may walk in his steps. He hath fulfilled it to glo

rify his heavenly Father, that, in imitation of him, we also may glorify him, by bringing forth much

fruit. In this respect, then, the law retains its full demand upon us. "Do we then make void the law by faith? God forbid! yea, we establish the law." With respect to the law, as a rule of life, our blessed Saviour assures us, that "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than one tittle of the law to fail." How vile and abominable, therefore, are those pretences, that there remains no law to regulate our conduct; that we are under no bonds to obedience; that we have no law to transgress, and therefore no sins to lament! Has the blessed Saviour shed his precious blood to open a door to licentiousness? Has he come to legitimate a lawless, careless, worldly, and sensual life? No! surely he came with a quite contrary view" to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." The law must certainly be either the rule of our conduct while we live, or the rule of o final trial and condemnation in the day of Christ. Though our conformity to the law, as a rule of life, be neither an atonement for our sins, nor a purchase of the divine favour, nor the covenant condition of our pardon and acceptance with God; yet it is, in the nature of things, and in the doctrine of the Gospel, the believer's path-way to eternal life. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." "He that saith, he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk even as he walked.” "Whosoever committeth sin, transgresseth also the law." this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well."

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And now, Sir, it belongs to you to consider, whether the Antinomians have any handle at all for their licentious principles, from the doctrine of our union to Christ, rightly considered and understood. If

no man can have any good evidence of his union to Christ, without a repentance and humiliation for his offences against God, then no man can have reason to be easy and secure in sinning, from a presumption of his union to Christ. If the sins of believers are, by virtue of their union to Christ, more aggravated than the sins of other men, they have more cause than others to lament their sins before God, and to be deeply humbled on the account of them. If believers, as well as others, must repent of their sins, or perish, they have then the same cause which others have to mourn for their sins, and, with the greatest detestation, to renounce and forsake them. If believers, by means of their union to Christ, though perfectly justified, are yet not perfectly sanctified, but in many things do all offend; if Christ has not taken away the pollution of sin, and personal innate guilt, though he has borne the curse, and taken away the penalty of sin from believers: if the law still remains a rule of obedience to believers, and if their deviation from, or violation of that rule, be of the nature of sin, and brings them under guilt and defilement, they have then cause to be humbled for their sins, to groan under the burden of them, and ardently to pant after deliverance from their remaining body of death. All these premises are (I think) fully proved, and the consequences cannot, therefore, be fairly denied. Whence it follows, that whoever quiet their conscience with such vain pretences, expose

themselves to the dreadful consequences of a licentious life, divine rejection, and wrath unto the ut

termost.

Thus I have briefly answered your several pleas, in favour of the libertines of the present age, by reasonings, which cannot fail of giving you satisfaction, if duly considered. You will be pleased to bear with me, whilst I offer one answer more, which will equally obviate all your objections, and discover them all to be groundless, unreasonable, and irreligious.

You will readily allow, if it be impossible, from the nature of things, that one who is truly united to Jesus Christ, should be habitually careless and at ease, indifferent and indolent in a way of sinning, that your objections are then all groundless, and without any rational foundation; and that this is so, may be made abundantly clear and evident.

If a true and sincere love to God be a necessary consequence of our union to Jesus Christ, and be also utterly inconsistent with those licentious conclusions which you have mentioned, it will then follow, that it is impossible, from the nature of things, that any one who is truly united to Jesus Christ should be careless, easy, and indifferent in a way of sinning: that all who are united to Jesus Christ do habitually love God, and dwell in the love of God, is expressly asserted by the Apostle, "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” And it is also necessary, from the very nature of our union to Christ. Being united to Christ, we shall partake of all the graces of the blessed Spirit which are in Christ, as in a fountain or repository, to be

communicated unto us; as I have shown you before, that this need not be insisted on.

Let us therefore proceed to consider, whether the love of God be, from the nature of it, compatible or consistent with a carelessness and indifference about sinning against him. Can we love God, and be careless and indifferent about affronting him, and loading him with indignity at the same time? Can we love God, and yet be content to dishonour his name, violate his laws, and trample his sacred authority and attributes under the feet of our lusts? This cannot be, till love and hatred, friendship and enmity, become the same thing, no ways to be distinguished. Our profession of love would hardly be voted sincere by one of our fellow-creatures, who should find us easy and indifferent about injuring his interest and reputation, and loading him with contempt and indignity. Does not the love of God especially consist in a desire of, and delight in, a conformity to the divine nature and will? That they who love God, dwell in God, and God in them :" that " he is, so are they in this world.” can they delight in a conformity to God, and yet be easy and content when they act most contrary to his will, and in the highest repugnancy to all his glorious and infinite perfections? Does not the love of God consist in a hatred of sin, and of whatever is displeasing in his sight? "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil." And can there be any thing more inconsistent, than being careless and indifferent about falling into such circumstances as are peculiarly hateful and abhorrent to us? Does not the love of God imply a love to his law, and a delight in complying

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