in his Surety's righteoufnefs; that the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in him, and that all other branches of righteoufnefs fpring from hence: which is, in effect, telling us, that whatfoever is not of faith is fin; and that he that believes not shall be damned, be who he may, or do what he will.I come to the fecond general head, or weighty requirement of the Law, which is→→→→

Mercy. Mercy, here, is intended to fhew, that all good to men, all good in men, all good by men, and all good from men, is owing to the fovereign clemency of Heaven. Mercy is a perfection, or attribute, of God, which in a way of providence, or in a way of grace, is exercised over all his works. Sometimes it fignifies God's kind providence: "God

give you mercy," fays Jacob to his fons, "before the "man." Gen. xliii. 14. And again, Abraham's fervant obferves it, in his fuccefs of taking Rebekah to Ifaac: "God hath not left deftitute my master of "his mercy." Gen. xxiv. 27. But, in a spiritual sense, God fhews it in the gift of his Son, and in the pardon of fins: "God hath raifed us up a horn of "falvation, in the remembrance of his mercy, (Luke,' "i. 54.) to give the knowledge of falvation, by the "remiffion of fins, through the tender mercies of "our God." Luke i. lxxvii. 78. Deliverance from the curfe of the Law, from the power of fin, and from the precept, Do, and live, and all this by the Spirit of God, is called Mercy revealed: "But ac

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"cording

"cording to his mercy he faved us, by the washing "of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Tit. iii. 5. Preaching the pure Gospel faithfully; revealing the whole counsel of God, and not fainting in it through oppofition, temptation, and perfecution, that may befal us in exercifing the mercy (of God received) in the discharge of the ministry, is owing to mercy: Having obtained mercy, we faint not. Receiving courage to be faithful and fingular in an apoftate and degenerate age, is owing to the mercy of God: Having obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful, 1 Cor. vii. 25. This is the fure mercies of David given to Chrift, and entailed upon the houshold of Faith by the decree of God, which fecures the falvation of all the elect; and in their glorification Mercy will be built up for ever. therefore, that is a stranger to the mercy of God in the gift of his Son, and to the knowledge of falvation, by the pardon of fin; a stranger to regeneration, by the gift of the Spirit; is a stranger to, and deftitute of, this weighty matter of the Law. He is in his fin, a wicked man, and the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel, therefore little worth. Such a man fees not the End of the Law, that it was intended to train a finner up to mercy, and to fhew him the need of mercy. And he is a stranger to the door of hope that God threw open by Moses, when he prophefied of Chrift, and faid, God will be merciful to whom he will be merciful. I go to the next weighty ecu rement, which is

He,

Faith. For although the Law is not of Faith, nor Faith of the Law, yet the word of Faith, and the righteousness of Faith, are witneffed both by the Law and the Prophets. Befides, the whole Old Teftament is often included in the word Law: "But this cometh to pass, that it might be fulfilled "that is written in their Law, They hated me with

out a caufe." Which words ftand in the Psalms; and in which it appears plain that Jesus himself is one of the brethren that the Pharifees were angry with without caufe. Furthermore, the Lord brings in Faith as a weighty matter of the Law, because the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in them that believe, and without Faith it is impoffible to please God; and because Faith goes before Love, and always works by it: which Love is the fulfilling of the Law; for it is the grand hinge upon which hang all the Law and the Prophets, and without which no works can be performed but dead works, no obedience can be given to God, nothing but the eye-service of a bond flave. Faith is a bleffed fruit of the Spirit, and is produced under his operation. It generally lays a faft hold of the Law and the Justice of God first; and the finner believes that he is the character described and condemned by the Law: he views it and feels it in all it's fpiritual meaning and dreadful confequences: "I have be"lieved thy commandments," fays the Pfalmift. He belieyes, and trembles, and calls upon God in his trouble:

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trouble: and "he that comes to God, muft believe " that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that "feek him." God, by faith, leads the finner from death in the Law, to life in Chrift: "None can (6 come to me, except my Father draw them.” Faith deals with Chrift's blood for pardon, righteousness, and peace; and makes application of it. Faith mixes it's power with the word, and brings the promises home. Faith is a looking to Jesus for every needful help, and a going out of felf to the Saviour's fulness to fetch it in. It is by the hand of Faith that all our spiritual provisions are brought in. And it is by the assurance of Faith that the ftrong chriftian finds himself confirmed and fealed: "After that ye believed, ye were fealed with the "holy Spirit of promife:" under whieh impreffion a comfortable degree of affurance (touching one's perfonal interest in Chrift) is enjoyed. Which leads me to the next weighty requirement of the Law, which is

Love. The fovereign and everlasting love of God is the grand fpring-head, or fountain, from which every stream of mercy flows; and Christ crucified is the only medium or channel through which every fream flows. There is no love to God for his holiness, purity, or beauty, as fome talk. No appearance, or view of God, will ever draw love to him from a carnal heart, that is enmity against him. It is God's love to us, shed abroad in the

heart

heart by the Holy Ghoft, that draws the heart to love God. "Not that we loved God, but that he "first loved us. We love him, because he firft "loved us." This love, in the enjoyment of it, always follows pardon of fin. "I love the Lord, "because he hath forgiven the iniquity of my fin. "Mary's fins are many, and they are forgiven, and " she loveth much.-And where little is forgiven, "the fame loveth little." This love will teach us to love all them that love our Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity and in truth, and one's neighbour as one's felf; for anger can never reft in a heart bleffed with the enjoyment of everlasting love; and he that walks in love, as Christ hath loved us, walks by faith, and in all the commandments of the Lord, blameless. We have seen what the Saviour means by the leaft commandments, and what he means by the weightier matters of the Law; and he that doeth and

Teacheth them, fhall be called great in the kingdom of beaven. He that doeth them; he who is a righteous, or juftified perfon; whofe judgment is paffed; who hath judgment of the goodness of his own state; who has a good judgment of God's ways, of God's word, and of men's hearts; and who is capable of judging between truth and error, right and wrong, and between man and man; and preaches fo.

He that hath obtained covenant mercy of the Lord, and preaches the fure mercies of David; being merciful to the bodies and fouls of men, as God is merciful.