I now resume the propofition, "That the law has paffed through feveral editions, and received feveral additions and modifications." With regard to Adam in his original state, it only required of him the du ties naturally binding upon him, and adapted to his condition as an innocent creature, with this one pofitive precept added, that he fhould not eat of the tree of knowledge. This was its model while a covenant of works. But when men fell, it received several additions and modifications adapted to his circumftances and fubfervient to the gofpel, the new plan of life, which was immediately introduced, as I fhall have occafion to observe more fully hereafter. Such was the early inftitution of facrifices, to prefigure the grand atonement of Chrift, which then took its rife, and thence spread through all nations, though they foon forgot its original defign and evangelical reference.Thus the law continued for many hundreds of years, from Adam's fall to the Deluge.* After the Deluge it was given to Noah, with the inftitution of facrifices continued, and the addition of fome new laws, particularly the allowance of animal food, with the exception of blood. And it is this addition of the law that was most strictly univerfal with regard to all mankind, who were the pofterity of Noah, the second root of human nature, and who received it from him; though it was foon forgotten, or adulterated with fuperftitions. After fome time, † when the knowledge and worship of the true God was almoft loft in the world, he was pleased to feparate Abraham from the idolatrous world, to fet up his church in his family, and to continue the former edition of the law, with the addition of the facred rite of circumcifion, as a token of initiation into the church, and of the purification of the heart, and as a seal of the righteousness of faith. And this conftitution continued in the pofterity of AAnd * About 1656 years. Univerfal Hift. Vol. xx. p. 2. † About 427 years, circumcifion was inftituted 451 years after the deluge. braham for about 430 years; when it was new-modelled and improved by a more full edition. A fummary of the moral law was published with the utmost majefty and terror on Mount Sinai, and written by God himself on two tables of ftone. But befides this moral law, and befides the pofitive inftitutions given to Adam, Noah and Abraham, God was pleafed to add a great variety of pofitive laws, concerning the manner of facrificing, and the fyftem of worship, concerning ceremonial pollutions, concerning the Jewish policy, or civil government of that people, and many other things of all which we have a full account in the law of Mofes. pur This difpenfation continued in force from that time for about 1525 years, till the afcenfion of Christ, and the day of Pentecoft, when the more glorious difpenfation of the gospel was introduced. It is often called the Law, by way of eminence; and it is to this moft perfect difpenfation of the law that the apostle particularly refers, when difproving the poffibility of a finner's juftification by the law. And it was to his pofe to have this particularly in view: for if a finner could not be justified by this edition of the law, which was the most complete, and that in which the Jews peculiarly gloried and trufted, it is evident that he cannot be juftified by the law at all, under any form whatsoever. Now, though the gofpel, or the covenant of grace, as I fhall obferve presently, was interwoven with this difpenfation, as well as every other, and it was the great defign of the law to be fubfervient to it, yet there was much of a covenant of works in this difpenfation, and that in two refpects. 1. In the dreadful majefty and terror of the publication from amidst the thunders and lightnings, and darkness of Sinai, which spread fuch a horror through the whole camp of Ifrael, and made even Mofes confefs, I exceedingly fear and quake. This had not the aspect of friendfhip: it did not appear as if God was amicably converfing with an innocent people, and fetting up a conftitution conftitution of mere grace among them. It rather appeared like a difpenfation of a provoked God towards a guilty people, intended to ftrike terror into their impenitent hearts, to make them fenfible of his awful majefty and juftice, of the terror of his law, and of their aggravated breaches of it. There were indeed gracious defigns at the bottom of all this: but they were fuch designs as could not be accomplished, till finners were made deeply fenfible of their dreadful guilt, and the terrors of God and his holy law, which they had broken; and therefore to accomplish them God puts on all these dreadful forms of wrath. Thus the Sinai difpenfation was intended to prepare men for the method of falvation through Chrift, by making them fenfible of their miferable condition by the breach of the covenant of works; and hence it had fo much of the terrible afpect of the covenant of works in its promulgation. This is one thing the apoftle means, when he fays, the law worketh wrath, Rom. iv. 15. that is, it is adapted to impress a sense of divine wrath upon the minds of the guilty. Hence he calls that difpenfation the miniftration of death and condemnation ; 2 Cor. iii. 7, 9. that is, it had a tendency to excite a fense of death and condemnation; and he makes Hagar, the bond-woman, an allegorical representation of this Sinai covenant, Gal. iv. 24, 25. because it was calculated to excite in finners a fpirit of bondage, or to ftrike them with a fenfe of flavery, terror and condemnation. This view alfo clears up the meaning of several things which he says of the Jewish law, as that it was added because of tranfgreffion; Gal. iii. 19. that is, it was annexed to the covenant of grace, because it was neceffary that finners fhould be made deeply fenfible of their guilt and condemnation by the breach of the law, in order to their feeking falvation in the way of grace through Chrift. And hence, fays he, the law was our Schoolmaster, to bring us to Chrift, ver. 24. that is, the painful difcipline and fmarting rod of the law were neceffary and conducive to conftrain us to fly VOL. III. G g to to Chrift as the only Saviour, without whom we were Thut up under irreversible condemnation. And again, Rom. v. 20. the law entered, that the offence might abound; that is, that it might appear that the offence had abounded, and overfpread the world; and therefore, that they stood in the utmost need of a Saviour. Thus you fee the difpenfation of the law at Sinai had the appearance of a broken covenant of works, and in this view was fubfervient to the gofpel. But this was not all; for, 2. If we confider that covenant as the conftitution of the Jewish church and state, and the model by which they were to govern themselves in the land of Canaan, it was properly a covenant of works. As a visible national church and civil fociety, God would reward or punish them in temporal things, according to and for their works. While they continued obedient to the external forms and inftitutions of this law, they were to hold their poffeffions in the land of Canaan; and, when they publickly violated this covenant, they were caft out of their poffeffions, and brought into flavery. Thefe temporal poffeffions they held upon the footing of a covenant of works; though fuch of them as were good men were faved by a quite different conftitution, even in the way of grace, and faith in Chrift, as we are now; as I may have occafion to observe hereafter. This remark will explain fuch places in the law and in the prophets, where we meet with fuch declarations as this, If a man obferve my ftatutes, he fhall live in them; of which you have more inftances than one in the xviiith chapter of Ezekiel. They are faid to be juft," &c. as members of the Jewish church and state, because they had obferved the externals of that law, which was the conftitution of their republic, and which in that view only required an external obedience, which it was in their power to yield; and therefore they where entitled to life and its bleffings, in the land of Canaan, according to that conftitution. Indeed God feems to have governed not only the Jews, but all all the kingdoms of the earth, confidering them as civil focieties, very much in this manner, upon the footing of a covenant of works. Spiritual and im-mortal bleffings are beftowed upon individuals in every age in a way of grace, without regard to their perfonal works; and the holiness neceffary to the enjoyment of them is not merely outward, but in the whole foul; and it is God only that can work in them. But nations, as fuch, are under a kind of covenant of works, the condition of which is an external obfervance of the laws of God, which is in their power, without any special affiftance from him; and, as they perform or break this condition, temporal rewards and punishments are diftributed to them by divine providence. This thought brings me in mind of thee, O Virginia! O my country! for if God deal with thee upon this plan, how dreadful must be thy doom!But to return. This fuggefts to us another reafon why the apostle fo often speaks of the Mofaic law as a covenant of works: namely, because, confidering it as the conftitution of the Jewish republic in temporal refpects, it was really fuch, but it was never intended that the Jews fhould feek or obtain fpiritual or immortal bleffings by it under this notion. I have been fo much longer than I expected on this propofition, that I must be the fhorter on those that follow. The next propofition is, IV. That the law of God requires perfect, perpetual and perfonal obedience. This holds true with regard to every law of God, whatever it be. If it requires purely moral duties, it requires that they be performed exactly according to its prescriptions. If it requires evangelical duties, as repentance or fincerity, it requires perfect repentance, perfect fincerity. If it requires the observance of any ceremonial or facramental inftitutions, as facrifice, circumcifion, baptism, or the Lord's fupper, it requires a perfect obfervance of them. Men have got the notion into their heads of a divine law that does not require perfect obedience, |