Watts - Houston-Packer Collection BX5207.W3 S4x 1805 v.3

dS OF THE MORAL LAW, AND THE EVIL OF SIN. [SEAM. V eludes also his authörity, whichobliges us to walk by the rule he gives us. The commands or requirements of the moral lawmay represented in different views, butall agree in the same design and substance. Sometimes the moral law is represented as requiringus to seek after the knowledge of that God who made us, as obliging us to believe whatsoever God discovers to us, and as commanding us to perform those duties he pre- scribes, and to abstain from those. things which he for- bids. Sometimes again this moral law is represented by dis- 'tinguishing it into those duties which we owe to God, to our neighbours, and to ourselves. The duties which we owe to God are fear and love, trust and hope, worship and obedience, prayer and praise, ,doing every thing to his glory, and patience under his providences in life and death. The duties which we owe to our neighbours are submission to our superiors, compassion to our inferiors, truth and fidelity, justice and honesty, benevolence and goodness toward all men. The dutieswhich we owe to ourselves are sobriety and temperance; and in general the moral law requires a restraint of our natural appetites and passions within just bounds, so that they neither Break out to the dishonour of God, to the injury of our neighbour, or to hinder us in the pursuit of our own best interests. There. is yet another general ,representation of the mo- 'ral law, which is used in seripture both in the Old and 'New 'Testament. It is mentioned by Moses: Deut. vi. 5. Lev. xix. 18. and repeated and confirmed by our blessed Saviour Mat. xxii. 37. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and_soul, and thy neigh- bour as thyself; on these two commandments hang all the law and prophets :" And therefore St. Paul, Rom. xiii. 10. tells us, " love is the fulfilling of the law." For he that loves God and his neighbour as he ought, will perform all necessary duties toward them, as well as govern him- self aright in obedience to God his Maker. Having explained what I mean by the moral law, we come to enquire where it is to be found ? I answer, it is found in the ten commands given to the Jews at Sinai; it is -found in the holy scriptures, scattered up and down 4

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