110 MORAL LAW UNDER THE GOSPEL. III. It is hardly to be thought Christ should direct a man to fulfil the commands of the moral law, as the proper way for him to obtain eternal life, when through the weakness of our sinful nature, he knew the law could not give life to men in their fallen estate, and he himself wassent to provide another way for them to obtain life. Rom. viii. 10. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the ,flesh, God sent his own Son to do for us. Rom. iii. 20. By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh he justified in his sight. This does not arise from any weakness or insufficiency of the law itself, for it still promises life; and would secure it to any man who was perfect without sin. But as the apostle says, it is become weak through the flesh, that is, be- cause man is so much immersed in flesh and sin, that he cannot perfectly fulfil it. Thelaw cannot give the favour of God and eternal life, because man cannot obey it. And upon this account the law of ten commands, which was engraven in stones, is called the ministration of condemnation 'Lind death; 2 Cor. iii. 7 -9. and not the ministration of life and r ghteousness ; that is thepeculiar glory of the gospel. The law indeed, is holy, and just, and good, and it was originally ordained for life to innocent man : But when the apostle Paul carne to have his conscience awakened to a sense of sin by the law, he found it to be unto death; Rom. vii. 10. partly by shewing him his imperfection of obeli:ence, as well as by irritating his indwell- ing sinful inclinations. So far is the law from giving life to sinners. God honours his laws so much that the scripture assures us, If there had been a law whichcould have given life, eternal life, verily righteousness, justification and happiness should have come by the laww; Gal. iii. 21, 22. Bnt the scripture hath concluded all under sin, and condemned them by the law, and has shewn the insufficiency of the law to save, that the promise of eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ mightbe given to them that believe. It is not to be supposed therefore, that Jesus Christ the Son of God, who was sent into this world to give, or further reveal this pro- mise of eternal life by faith, and to provide another way to salva- tion and eternal life for fallen man, because the law was unable to give it ; I say, it is not to be supposed that this very Son of God should preach obedience to the commands of this law, as the pro- per anddirect way fora sinner to obtain eternal life. This would be like building up again the hopes of sinners to obtain salvation by the law, which hopes he came to destroy, and to provide a a much surerfoundation for hope. IV. It is'much more probable that Christ in these words designed to lead this young man to a sense of sin and guilt, and self-condemnation, by preaching tohim the law of God, rather than to give him immediately the direct and plain advice how a
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