[SERM. of Grace exempts Us from the Obligation of it. Almost all Enthufiafts ufurp the Liberty of following the unguarded Dictates of their own Fancies, taking them for the Dictates of the infallible Spirit of God; but our Saviour thought not fit to entrust fuch a wild Liberty as this is, with any Perfons whatsoever; he has given us his Holy Laws, as for other Ufes, fo for Helps, and Directions to us, how to examine all our own Notions and other Mens too, and to try what Spirit they are of. They have Mofes and the Prophets, let them hear them: And as the Prophet Isaiah fays, To the Law and to the Teftimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no Light in them. Ifa. viii. 20. And certainly there can be nothing more agreeable to Reason than this Method; for if we had not God's Laws to direct us how to judge of the Spirits, we should be at the Mercy of every bold Pretender to impofe upon us what new Doctrines he thinks fit; nay, to fet up his own Spirit with a paramount Power to repeal or fufpend the Laws of God himself; if there were not fome certain' Bounds fixed, which we are not to tranfgrefs. And what better Bounds can be fet than thofe of the Moral Law, with the Explications of the Prophets in the Old Testament, and of our Saviour and his Apoftles in the New, directing our Duty both to God and Man?

2. The Second Thing contained in this Affertion of the Text is, that an univerfal Obedience to all the Parts of the Moral Law is required of us; for our Saviour's Words exclude all manner of Exceptions; not one fot or Tittle Jhall pass from the Law. It is true, He is here fpeaking

of

of the Doctrine, not the Practice; for his Meaning is not to affert, that there fhall be fuch an exact Holinefs and Obedience in the Chriftian Church, that the Members of it fhall never in the leaft tranfgrefs any of the Rules of the Moral Law; but only that under the Gospel the Authority of the Moral Law shall be preferved in full Force; yet it will follow even from this, that we ought to endeayour after an univerfal Obedience. I hope none of us are fo ignorant, or fo badly inftructed, as to believe that we can compound with God by the Obfervation of fome Duties for the Neglect of others; yet forafmuch as we have, through the Corruption of Nature, and the Byafs of natural Temper, Cuftom, worldly Intereft, and other Temptations, ftrong Propenfities to fome Vices beyond others; we fhould learn from this Doctrine of our Saviour's, to ftudy a fincere Respect to all God's Laws, and more particularly to bend our Care to thofe, where we know we are in the greatest Danger of tranfgreffing: remembring that if we tranfgrefs any one of God's Laws, we trample upon that Sacred Authority which eftablishes the Whole: And therefore it is to be feared, the Refpect we pay to the reft, proceeds not fo much from the Love or Fear of God, as from the Want of the like powerful Temptation to tranfgrefs them.

3. The Third Thing I judge to be pointed at in this Affertion is, that a Nicenefs or Exactness, even in the feemingly moft inconfiderable Parts of the Moral Law, is recommended here by our Saviour, when he fays, that not one fot or Tittle of the Law fhall pass; for the Letter in the Greek, and especially the Letter jod in the Hebrew, D 3

which

which answers it, being the fmallest Letter of the Alphabet, and the Word Tittle fignifying fomething yet fmaller, either a Point, or an Interpunction, or a Corner of a Letter, all this fhews what Regard our Saviour had, and consequently what Regard he requires us to have, to the very smallest and most inconfiderable Parts of our Duty. It is certainly a very great Error in Morals, that we are apt to content our felves with abftaining from grofs Sins, without endea vouring the like Watchfulness and Care against leffer Tranfgreffions. We fhould confider that God requires our Care in the one, as well as in the other; And that the giving Place to the Devil in small Things, and the harbouring of small Temptations, makes Way for greater; and that there is often a very near Connexion between them. A finful Thought harboured, doth quickly bring in a whole Train of finful Imaginations, and thefe do naturally sprout out in finful Actions; fo that the fureft Way to keep off great Sins, is to watch against fmall Ones: And tho' fmaller Sins do not lay waste the Conscience so much as great Ones, yet they defile the Man, they hinder his Growth in Grace, they very much indifpofe him for Prayer, and good Thoughts; and if indulged, make the Difference very small between him and an Hypocrite; for an Hypocrite takes care to keep a fair Outfide, and to abftain from fcandalous Sins; but he has not the fame Regard to God's Eye as to Man's, nor to Confcience as to Reputation; and therefore if we would fecure our Sincerity, let us extend our Care to all the Parts of Duty, tho' after all our Care, we shall be guilty of many Errors, both of

Omiffion

Omiffion and Commiffion. But if we have the Comfort of doing our fincere Endeavour, as in the Sight of God, we need not doubt but that, through the Help of his Grace, we shall be advancing gradually towards Chriftian Perfection, fuch as is attainable in this Life.

So much for the Affertion in my Text, concerning the Perpetuity of the Law, and the Refpect we are to have to all the Parts of it.

And

III. I come now to the Third and laft Thing I observed in the Words, namely, the Limitation of this Affertion; till all be fulfilled. This, which our Tranflators render, till all be fulfilled, in the Original is, till all Things be done, that is, till the World be destroyed, and all Things come to an End. This Interpretation feems most agreeable to the parallel Place in St Luke xvi. 17. It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass, than one Tittle of the Law to fail. And it feems moft agreeable likewife to the Context, which speaks only of the Moral Law, as I proved by feveral Arguments, which is to remain for ever. it is the moft general Interpretation of Interpreters; donec omnia fiant, till all Things be done. But if the Word must be understood (as our Tranflators will have it) in the Senfe of Fulfilling; then we must have Recourfe to the Word Prephets in the foregoing Verfe, taking the Law for the Law or the Prophets, as it was there expreffed; and the Fulfilling must relate to the Accomplishment of the Prophecies concerning Chrift. But the Prophets not having been mentioned here, as foretelling Things to come, but as Expofitors of the Moral Law, I prefer the other Interpretation, for the Reasons abovementioned; namely,

as being nearer the Original, s av nárta Wun), till all Things be done; nearer the meaning of the Context, and the Words of St Luke. So it is but a further Affertion of the fame Thing he had faid before; q. d. Till Heaven and Earth pafs, that is, are changed by the laft Revolution, and all Things are at an End, the Law shall be kept in it's full Vigour and Perfection.

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So now I have done with what I proposed to fpeak to from the Words; but there is an Objection will naturally rife from what our Saviour here fays, which it will be neceffary to remove by Way of further Explication of this Doctrine, concerning the perpetual Obligation of the Moral Law. The Objection is this; If the Moral Law is fo binding upon Christians, then we are yet under the Covenant of Works, which promifed Life only upon the Perfect Obedience of the Law, and threatned its Curfes to all them who continued not in all Things written in the Law, to do them. And if fo, how is Chrift's Yoke eafier, or his Burthen lighter? For Anfwer of this Objection; and for the Explication of this Doctrine, concerning the perpetual Obligation of the Moral Law, we are to confider, that tho' the Moral Law is still binding as a Rule of Duty, and as being a Tranfcript of the Law of Nature, affumed into the Gospel Difpenfation; yet by Virtue of the New Gospel-Covenant we are delivered, both from the Curfe, and Rigour of it; and several more Gracious Terms are allowed us, than by that Law we could have pretended to. All which Terms, notwithstanding, do not tend to the abolishing of the Law, but to the better Obfervance of it: as will be