212 Cfhe Harmony of the 'Divine Attributes '-"'-"' our feve rely forbids the putting the Wife away aud marrying another, as a violation of Chap.I7.Conjugal Honour. 1./V"\..1 4· Our Redeemer hath improved the Obligations of the Moral Law, by a clearer d ifcovery of rhe Pmity and extent of itsPrecepts, and by a peculiar and powerful Enforcemen ts. In his Sermon on the Mount, he clears it from the darket. ing gloffesofthe l'harifeu, whoobferved the LetteroftheLaw, but not the Defign of the Law-giver. He declares that not o nly the grofs Af.t, but all things of the fame allian ce are forbidde n; not only Murder but rafh Anger, and villifying.words which wound the Reputation: Not only af.toa l Pollution, bot the Impurity of the Eye, and the fi aining of the Soul with uncl e:m Thoughts, are all comprifed in the Prohibition. He informs them that every Man in Calamity is their Neighbour, and to be relieved, and commands them to love their deadliefi Enemies. Briefly, He tells the Multitude, (Mat. 5· 20.) That 11nlejs their Righteoufi;efs exceed the Rightcoufncfs of the Scribes and Pharifw, that is, the utmofi that they thought themfelves obliged to, they foould 11ot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Befides, our Saviour hath,fuperadded frecial Enforcements to his Precepts . The Arguments to perfwade Chrifiians to be univerfally Holy, from Chrifl's redeeming them for that great end, was not known either in the Oeconomy of Nature, or th e Law: For before our lapfed fl:a te, there was no need of a Redeemer, and he was not revealed duriag the Legal Difpenfation. His Death was only !hadowed forth in Type s, and foretold in fuch a manner as was obfcme to the Jews. The Gofpel argues new Reafons to increafe our averrion from Sin, which neirhef AdavJ nor Mofes were acquainted with. So the Apofil e dehons Chrifiians from Uncleannefs, becaufe their Bodies are Membm of Chrift, alld Te1i1ples of the Holy Ghojl, 2 Cor. 9· 19, 20. ' and therefore fhould be inviolably con- , fec rated to Purity. If the Utenfils of the Temple were fo facred, t hat the employing them to a common ufe, was revenged in a miraculous manner; How mu ch forer Punifhment fhall be inflif.ted on thofe who defile themfelves, after they werefanllijied by the Blood of the Covenant? Heb. 10. 19. The Gofpel alfo recommeods to us Love to one another, in imitation of that admirable Love which Chrift: expreft to us, and commands the hi ghere Obedience even unto Death when God requires it, in con formity to our Redeemers Sulferings. Thefe and many other Motives are derived fr om a pure vein of Chri~ia!'ity, and exalt the Moral Law to a higher pitch, as to its Obligation upon Men. than m 1ts firfi dehvery by Mofes. 2. The Laws of Chrifi exceed the Rules which the bere Mafiers of Morality in the School of Nature have prefcribed for the Government of our Lives. 'Tis true there are remaining Principles of the Mor<l Law in the Heart of Man; fome warm Sparks are rem left which the Philofophers laboured to enliven and cheri!h. Many excellent Precepts of Morality they delivered, either to calm the AffeClions and lay the Storms in our Breafls, whereby the more Men are guilty and miferable, or to regulate the civil Converfation ~(.fo~~:~;' ~::~ ~t~~:~~s t~~~e~~c~' t~~~0{l~il~gf~~ecti~~t f:~;e:~~~~~i~~~~~}.' t~;; u;~~~;atrc~~~~ ~~:;~t;~;;~fi~%1e~~~%~::~a~~r,b;hgn~~~,~~~~~~~i~~d~,1 !~~rt~~:g:;ret~ rou~~ep!7;u~~: 1p~:f: fp~ria~; iJ~as Ction, They became vain in their Thoughts, and their foolifo Heart was dark,_ned. Although ;;~u:~'::Ci1• the vulgar Heathens thought them to be Guides in the fafe way, yet they were Cornpaanu Mfwrati nions- \Vith them in their wanderings; and Truth infiruCls us, that when the Blind leads ''~· "t"1" the Blind, f,oth faU into the Ditch. I will briefly fhew that their Morals are defell:i ve, and ::~:~J::~ mixt with falfe Rules: Only premifing three things. . c;,~:ft.u~'~i: 1. That I !ball not infi!l: on their Ignorance of our Redemer, and their Infidelity in •<>doV~dt. refpell: of thofe Evangelical Myfieries that are only difcovered by Revelation ; for that Rei. chnfi. precifely confidered, cloth not make them guilty before God : But o nly take notice of their Defef.ts in Natural Religion, and Moral Duties, to which the Law written in theHeart obliges all Mankind, Rom. 2. 15. 2. That Vertue is not to be confounded with Vice, al though 'tis not affi fled by fpecial Grace. Thofe who performed Af.ts of Civil Jufiice, and Kindnefs, and Honour, were not guilty as thofe who violated all the Laws of Nature and Reafon. Their Heroick All:ions were praife-worrhy among Men, and God gave them a T emp oral Reward; al- :f~nu~~r ~~: ~~~~~,.~~;;n!~r~J.~?¥o~Z: ~~~~~~tab~e~~:~ ~l~~t~n~nd an holy Inten- ''' '""' ' ' ' ' 3· Their highefl Rule, viz. To live according to Nature, is imperfell: and infufficiE~~~;:::i-. ;~~ i~t?~ ~~~~:;:~:t~\~~~~r~~~~~~;h~~;d'a~~ri:~g~~:~i~~dt~s~i;~~P~~f~~~~~~~~~~:i ~Jffi;. ~toid Duty. 'Tis as poffible to find all the Rules of Architeffure in the Ruins ofa Building, ~~~
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