358 Chríftianity doth not deFtroy, &c. Vol. I Willput myLaws into their minds, andwrite them in their hearts. And Chap. io, r he (hews the inefficacy of their Sacrifices for the real expiation of Sin, the Law having but a fhadow ofgood things to come, and not the lively reprefentation of the things themfelves, can never with thefe Sacrifices which theyoffer'd year by year con- tinually,; make the comers thereunto perfehf ; for it is not poll;ble that the blood of Bulls and Goats fhould take away fins. I fhould now have proceeded to the Third Particular ; namely, that the Chri- ftian Religion hath fupplied all the defe&s and weaknefs and imperfe&ion of the Jewifh difpenfation i but that I fhall not nowenter upon, but make one plain infe- rence from the fubfianceof what I have already difcourfed upon this Argument. If our Saviour came not to difolve and loofen the obligationof MordDuties, but to confirm and eftablifhiit, and to enforce and bind the pra&ice of thefe Duties more ftrongly uponus, then they dowidely and wilfully miftake the defign ofChriftiani- ty, who teach that it difchargeth Men from the obligation ofthe Moral Law, which is the Fundamental and avowed Principle of the Antinomian Doctrine, but direly contrary to this Declaration of our Saviour in the Text, that he came not to deflroy the Lawand the Prophets, but to perfe&and fulfil then: ; (for to take away the obli- gation ofa Law, is plainly to defiroy and make it void;) and contrary to the Apo- ftle's folemn refolutionof this matter, Rom. 3. 3 r. Dowe then make void the Lam through Faith? That is, does the Gofpel deftroy and take away theobligation of the Law ? God forbid, yea we efiablifh the Law; the Chrifftan Religion is fo far from defigning or doingany fuch thing, that itgives new ftrength and force to it. But furely they that teach this Do&rine, did never duly confider that terrible threatning of our Saviour after the Text, which teems to be fo dire&ly levell'd at them ; whofoever (hall break one of thefe leafs Commandments, and fhall teach Men fo, he(hall be call'd the leafl in the Kingdom of Heaven; for how can Men more effe- dually teach the violation, not only of the lea.li, butof thegreateíl of God's Corn- mandments, than by declaring that the Gofßel bathfet Menfree from the obligation of the Moral Law ? which is in effe& to fay, that Chriftians may a& contrary to all the Duties of Morality, that is, do the molt impious things in the World, with- out any offence againft God, and notwithftanding this, continue to be his Chil- dren, and highly in the favourof God. And all the fecurity they have againft this impious Confequence, is that weak and (lender pretence, " that gratitude and love to God, will preferve them from " making this ill ufeof the graceof the Gofpel, and oblige them to abftain from " Sin, and to endeavour topleafe God as much as any Law could do. But then they do not confider the nonfenfe of this; for there can be no fuch thing as Sin, ifthe obligationof the Law be taken away g for where there is no Law, there can be no Tranfgreffion, as the Apoftle, and common Keaton likewifetells us; fo that the Law being removed and taken away, all A&ions become indifferent, and one thing is not more afn or offence againft God than another. And what then is it they mean that Gratitude will oblige Men to, or preferve them from ? When there can be no fuch thing as fin or duty, as pleating or offending God, if there be noLaw to oblige us to the one, or reftrain us from the other. And what is, if this be not, to turn the grace of God into wantonnefo, and to make Chriftian Liberty a Cloak, for all forts of Sins? A Man cannot do a greater defpite to the Chriftian Religion, nor take a more effeûual courfe to bring it into con- tempt, and to make it to be hifs'd out of theWorld, than to reprefent it as a lewd and licentious Do&rine, which gives Men a perte& dilcharge from all the Duties of Morality, and obligeth them only to believe confidently, that Chrifl bath purchafed for them a liberty to do what they will, and that upon thefe terms, and no other, they are fecure ofthe favour ofGod in this World, and Eternal Salvation in the other. This is the rum and the plain refult of the Antinomian Do&vine, the molt pernicious Herefse, and molt dire&ly deltru&ive of the great End and Defign of Chriftianity, that ever yet was broached in the World. But ye have not fo learned Chrift, if fo be ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in yefus, that ye put ofconcerning your former converfation, the old Man, which is corrupt according to deceitful Lulls, and thatye be renewed inthe fjirit ofyour mind, andput on the new Min, which after God is createdin Righteoufnefs, and true Rolinefs. SEK-
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