134 MORAL LAW UNDER THE GOSPEL. nearer and brighter view ; in vindicating his own conduct against the accusations of men ; in maintaining his own character, as one sent of God ; in reproving the Jews for their corrupt traditions, for their hypocrisy, for their self-righteousness, for their uncha- ritableness to the Gentiles, and thus calling the world to convic- tion of sin and repentance, and preparing the tvay by his para- bles for the reception of the Gentiles Into the church. When he preached the gospel of his atonement for sin and faith in hit blood, it was rather in secret to his disciples ; or if in public, it was generally indark sayings and parables, and mystical expres- sions, such as, the Son of man being bled up, and drawing all men to him ; John xii. 32. giving hisflesh for meat to the people, and his blood for drink,--chaliter vi. 51-55. Theplainest in- timations, which, I think, Christ ever gave of the salvation of sinners by his own death as a sacrifice, to people who were not his disciples, was in those metaphorical words two or three tithes repeated in the tenth chapter of John, I am the good shep- herd, who giveth his lifefor the sheep ; verses 11, 14, 15. But when his death and resurrection had laid a fairer foundation for the gospel, then he taught it his disciples much more plainly after his resurrection, both by his conversation and by his Spirit, and sent them to publish it to the 'whole world more gloriously than ever he himself taught it to the Jews. See this . explained more at large in the Second Sermon on the Atone-. ment of Christ*. Now, I say, a mistake in the design of Christ's public preaching, may lead many People into someunhappy misappre- hensions about several things, and particularly about theway of salvation by thegospel. For, 1. When we hear Christ preach the law so much, and speak of " entering into life by keeping the commandments," if we, imagine all this to be the clear gospel, we shall seek to be .saved as it were by the works of the law, which the apostle so severely reproves the Galatians for, and the Jews or Jewish christians, who dwelt. among the Romans ; Rom. ix. 31, 32. Gal. iii. 1 O. and iv. 21. and v. 4. And if our opinions and conduct be the same, we shall expose ourselves to the same sa- cred reproof ofthe apostle, and be greatly bewildered in the way to heaven. 2. Such a mistake in the design of Christ's preaching the law, as though he taught it as the *ay for the salvation of sin- , ners, " will incline us to expound the law in so gross and defec- tive a sense, as the Pharisees did of old, that so expounded, . sinners may be able to keep it, and obey the commands of it sufficiently to gain salvation thereby." It will tempt us to re- trench and diminish the perfection of its demands of universal * See vol. I. page 993, Le.
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