222 THE LAW AND THE cHst'Et. last, and best, and brightest edition, and the alaninistratîon of it by Jesus Christ, and his Spirit ? As it is expressed and explained in Heb. viii. In, 12. Have we not sometimes had an awakening and painful sense of guilt? Have we never thought ourselves sinners,. and feared theeternal anger of God, andcried out for salvation, from the condemningsentence of the broken law. And when we have resolved, and watched, and laboured again to fulfil theholylaw of God, and failed inmany instances, havewe not bewailed ourselves, asweak and impotent creatures as well as under the guilt of so many offences, repeated and abounding ? O what abundant reason have we to blessGod, for the gospel of his grace, through Jesus Christ, wherein our only hope lies, and all our salvation ! Even all our hopes of pardon and acceptance with God, as well as all our strength to do the will of God, and obey his law, so far as christians are enabled and expected to do in this life. Let us fly from the law and its curses, and condemnation, to the refuge and hope which the gospel has set before us, and.live there daily, by faith in the Son of God the Saviour ; for there only lies our safety from the wrath of God, and eternal destruction. &What a glorious harmony will appear in thereviewof all thedispensations of God at the last day, between the law and the gospel ! The lawwas the instrument of God's government of his creatures, and the rule of his justice, from the beginningof theworld to the end : But the gospel is the instrument of his grace for our salvation. The law is the rule, guiding and teaching all the saints in the ways Of holiness, convincing of sin, and condemning all sinners, and driving them to seek_ refuge in grace And the gospel is the noble and divine remedy, discovering that grace, whereby alone we can be saved. And why may not these sentiments be part of our trans- porting and beatifying contemplations in the heavenly state ? It is generally agreed by our divines, that the various providences of the life and state we have past through in this work whether they have been painful or pleasant, shall be the matt. r of our delightful review and meditation ; especially so far as ti 1y have been thehappy means of our sanctification, and our pre, ,aration for the final blessedness of the heavenly state. I am well :.ssured there will he abundant matter of joy and thankfulness, found in these different dispensations of God, in. his bringürg many sons to glory; and there will be ample instances of his providential care, and glorious examples of his righteousness and his grace, in a thousand particular transactions of the blessedGod, andour Lord Jesus Christ his Son, with thechildren of his grace : And perhaps there shall be such discoveries made to us, of the yigh- teousnessand the grace of God in his holy law and his gospel,
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