6o An Expo.fition upon the 2. 3· " bath ,rromifed unto ~hein Eternal Life upon the Condition of their Faith; and they may with full afliltat\ce ofHope, to their unfpcakable joy artd comfort, expect the performance of it. And _therefore, . . ~cOndl_'b To the~ a!~o. the ~oral LaW is abrogated, as _tq i~~ cOnderrlning Power. Though It fentenceth every Smner to Death, and ctitfeth every one who cdntinueth not in all things thaf: are written therein, to do them; yet through the Intervention of Chrift's Satisfaction and Obedience, the Sins of a Believer are graciouOy pardoned ~f!d t~e :r~nom and m~lignity ?f the ~urfe is abOlilT1'd, it being difchargcd whollY Upon Chnft, and recetved all mto h1s Body on the Crofs, Gal. 3· I3· Chrifr httth rede!med ~~from the Cur[! of the Law, being made a Curfe for us ; and thercforC we may tnuml'hant_ly exult With the Apoftle, Rom. 8. t: 'there ii tiow no condemnation to them th~t are in Chrift Jefus. In thefe two refpeets Believers are inde~d freed frorri the Moral L<iw ; As it hath the Obligation of a Covenant; and as it hath a Power of Condcmn:ltion. But Thirdly, As it hath a power of oD1iging the Confcience as a ftanding Rule for our Obedience, fo it remains ftill in its full Vigour and Authority; it fl:i ll direct-s us what we oug.ht to do, binds ~he COnfcienc~ to the perform:t_nc.e of}t, brings .guilt upon the Soul, 1fwe tranfgrers 1t, and reduceth us to the. n~teffity either of bitter Repentance, or ~f Eternal Gonderimation: F?r in this fenfe, Fhavm and Earth jlutll fooner pafi away, than one jo.t . of :~ttle fo~l? pafi. (ro"! the Law. Ani:i therefore the .Antrnonitan is to De dfiommated, that derogates from the value and validity of the Law, ~nd contends, That it is to all purpofes extintt unto Be..: lievers, even fo much as to its preceptive and regt_llating Power; a,nd that no other Obligation to Duty lyes upon them who are in Chrift Jefus, but only from the Law of Gratitude: that God r~uires not Obedience from them upon fo low and ford id an account, as the fear ofhts Wrath and dread Severity, but all is to flow only from the Principle ofLove, and the fweet Temper Of a grateful and ingenuous Spirt. But this is :t moft peftilent Doa:rine which plucks 9-own the Fence of the Law, and Opens~ G~p for alt manne.r of LicentiOnfnefs. and Libe:rtinifm to rufh in upon the ~hrifttan _ World; for feeing that the Moral Law is no other than the Law of NaJ. ture "\VT'it~~n upon Man's heart at the firft, fOrite Politives being only filpct-:J.dded, Upon the fame account as we are Mcn 1 upOn the fame we owe Obedience to the Dio iates of it. And indeed, ~e may find every part of this Law inforc~d in theGofpcl; ~harg'd upOn us with the fame Threatnings, and recommended to us by the ffime ~rom~f~; and a.ll interpreted_to us by our Saviour himfelf to th~ greateft advantage ofStndnefs .an4 Severity. We find the fam~ Rules for otJr. Athons, the fame Du- ~ies required, th~ fame Sins forbidde_n in the Gofpel, as in the Law; only in the Gofpcl we have there Mitigations, Which Were not in the CO\'Cnant of\\lorks: fir{l, That God accepts of our Obedience if it be, [mcero voto & conamine, in earnClt delires and endeavours; although we cannot attain tha t perfect RxaCl:nefs and fiJOticfs Purity \.vhich the Liw requires, }'et we are accepted through Chrift, according to what we have, and not according to what we have not, iffo be we indulge not our felvcs in a wilful Sloth and f'..ontempt of the Law. £condly, The Gofpel admits of Repentance after our Fall, and r eftorcs us again to the Favour of God upon our true Humiliation: but the l.,aw as a Covenant of Works, left no room for Repentance, but required perfeCt Obedience without ~he leaft Failure; and in cafe of Non.performance, nothing was to be cxpeC"red but the Execution of that Death it threatned. Yet with:tl, an higher degree of Obedience' is now required from us under the Di.. fpCnfhion Of the Gofpet, than was expected under ~he morcobfcure and fhadowy Exhibitions of Gofpel-Grace, by legal Types and Ftgures. We confefs, that the Ifaelites l:iefore the coming of Chrift, were no more under a Covenant of \V"orks, than we are now: but yet the Covenant of Grace was more darkly adminiftred unto them: And therefore we having now received both a clearer Light to difcoverwhat is our Duty, and a more plentiful Effufionofthe HOly Ghoft, to enable us to perform it; and better Promifes, tnoreexprefsand fignificative Teftimonies of God's Acceptance, and more full Affurancc ofour own Reward; it lies upon us, having all thefe Helps and Advantag7s above t~em, to endeavour that our Holinefs. and Obedien~c fhould be much fupertoUr td thctrs; and that we fuould ferve God wtth more Readtnefs and Alacrity, fince now by Jefus Chrift our Yoak is made e:tfie, and our Burthen light. . So
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