and authority-no conception of its extent and spirituality-nor ány just understanding of its holy strictness and inflexible perfection.

First, To be without the law, supposes a destitution of a proper sense of it on the heart.-An easiness with regard to the law of God, possesses the soul of every unregenerated sinner. What aspect it has upon them, in its obligatory nature, never commanded their consideration. They proceed on in life, without any attention to it as a standard of their behaviour, or containing any condemnatory sanction in its precepts. If they do not fall into gross abominations, or run to any excess of riot, but maintain a good reputation, according to the customs of the community in which they are, they remain as quiet and comfortable. as if no law of God existed, or they were not within the compass of its authority.

Secondly, They are without any feeling apprehension of its condemning power and influence. The curses it denounces against the transgressors of it, are unheeded by them. Its language is, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things "written in the book of the law to do them." The law speaks nothing but vengeance to all the violaters of it. It assigns them over to the hands of inexorable justice, till its demands are fully satisfied, and all its wrongs and indignities duly repaired. They who are without the law, are insensible to all this dreadful influence of its power. Their hearts are impenetrable to all the thunderings and lightenings of Sinai. To all the threatenings of incensed heaven, and to all the storms and tempests of divine vengeance, ready to burst in fiery torrents upon their devoted heads. A blind and unconcerned stupidity makes them as pillars of salt, while dreadful inundations of wrath are collecting inevitable destruction around them.

Thirdly, To be without the law, is to have no just conception of its extent and spirituality. Multitudes of sinners imagine that

the law only respects the outward man; and even this no farther than it falls under the cognizance of their fellow creatures. If they are in a common measure circumspect in their lives, regular and decent in their deportment, do no gross injustice to their neighbour, and preserve themselves free from scandalous enormities, they feel in peace, tranquility and security. Especially, if they add hereto some religious duties of the family and the church, then they enjoy the full approbation of their own minds. They reflect not that the law extends to the inward man; respects the temper, tendency, and sentiments of their souls. All such persons are undoubtedly without the law. When the Apostle makes this declaration of his own experience, he certainly means that he had no sense of its spiritual extent, or that it gave orders in regard to the frame of the heart, and required an internal as well as an external circumspection. An insensibility of this matter, is a sure evidence that a person is without the law; that it never has been effectually applied to, or impressed upon his conscience.

Fourthly, To be without the law, is to have no just understanding of its holy strictness and inflexible perfection. How apt is man to imagine that God, in some manner, is like himself that he will not visit for his iniquities, nor be very strict to mark his transgressions. As they have no sense of the holy dignity or extensive perfection of the law; and although they hear its curses, yet they bless themselves in their hearts, and the hope arises within them, that things will turn out better than what is contained in the threatenings. They cry out, "If these menaces should be executed, Lord help us ; what will become of the world?"

Some conceive, that many things forbidden by the law, if they are sins, are only small ones, and cannot incur all that weight of punishment, the law seems to import. Let it suffice to say at present, this must be a very sandy foundation to build upon.Many think, whatever the law declares, God is too merciful to condemn them eternally, for some idle words, a few irregular

thoughts, or some incidental indiscretions in their lives. These unhappy persons think not, neither do they consider. The law has never come home to their hearts, in its power, spirit, or authority.

I proceed to consider,

Secondly, What is implied in being alive in this situation, or what it is to be alive without the law. It may be proper here to observe, that the Apostle's representing himself as being alive without the law once, that is, while he was in an unconverted and Christless state, influenced his life in its delusive hopes, while he was acting contrary to God, and breathing out persecution against the gospel. The words being alive, imply great ease and security-a vain hope and confidence-a kind of self-enjoyment and satisfaction in these circumstances.

First, The words imply a great deal of ease and security in certain respects. They are alive in their own feeling; proceeding on jovial and chearful; inapprehensive of danger; and destruction from the Almighty is no terror to them. Any serious concern about their immortal souls, they allow not themselves to meditate upon. Thoughts of this kind would be death to their life. They live along from day to day, and year to year, without any solemn reflections how their affairs stand with God, or what will be their condition in a future world. They cast not their 'thoughts beyond the present state of existence-hence, they feel themselves perfectly easy. The attempt to persuade them that they are dead, while they live, dead in trespasses and sins, they reject with the utmost scorn, saying, "who are so "lively and cheerful as we are?" Their consciences are compleatly still and silent, benumbed with the busy cares and stupifying amusements of the world. The strong man armed, keeps the house, and all within is quiet and composed. They feel no difficulties, perplexities or foreboding fears disturbing their repose. No religious concern molests or assaults their tranquility. While

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many others, in a better state, are deeply afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted; filled with anxious distress least they should at last miss of heaven and life eternal. As to their part, they bless themselves they are strangers to killing exercises of this sort. Perhaps, indeed, there are few unregenerated sinners under the light of the gospel, but alarms of conscience break in upon their peace and quietude; but these remonstrances are soon overcome and reduced to silence. They speedily return to their wonted security and inconsideration. And as they live, so many of them die, and seem to have no bonds in their death. Some appear to exchange time for eternity, the place of hope for a state of punishment, with as much indifference and thoughtlesness, as they change their raiment, or pass from one room to

another.

Secondly, Persons being alive without the law, implies that they enjoy much deceitful hope and vain confidence. They seem not to have a misgiving thought, but that their state is good.What is more common than for dead sinners to imagine themselves rich and increased in goods, and that they need nothing. They possess the conclusion of perfect safety, and at death a direct translation to glory and felicity. Their hopes are strong, and always were so and some are ready to thank God they never had a doubt about their future welfare. If they are enquired of respecting the grounds or reasons of their confidence. Some can give no answer, only they are so persuaded-some will reply, their hope is, God is merciful-others, that their lives are unstained with gross abominations-and others, that they perform their duty to God and man; the duties of the church, devotion, honesty and charity. Thus, they compass themselves about with sparks of their own kindling. Their hopes, though destitute of every scriptural and rational foundation, and have not one property of a gospel hope, yet no arguments can induce them to a relinquishment of them. A christian hope purifies the heart, animates the soul in the service of God, engages and warms the

affections in religion-but theirs bear the full complection of the reverse of all this. They imagine it a most easy thing to obtain heaven, hence the most inconsiderable matters will support their confidence. Those persons are alive without the law. This, the Apostle assures us, was once his case. Before the holiness, strictness, and extent of the divine law came home to his heart, by the powerful application of the holy Spirit, as he was on his way to Damascus, no man entertained stronger hopes of his good estate, and standing high in the favor of God, than he did. All the concerns of his soul, in his imagination, were safe; and he enjoyed himself in perfect security, entirely inapprehensive of danger, and a doubt entered not his mind, but that he was proceeding to heaven.

Thirdly, To be alive, implies a high degree of satifaction and self-enjoyment in present circumstances. The Apostle conceived all things were well with him. Contemplate the extent, fullness, and pleasure of the expression, "I was alive." Life is sweet, joyous, and desirable. The carnally secure in sin, their lives are serene, jovial and merry. Their hearts are whole, their consciences quiet, their hopes strong, and all is apparent happiness with them. They live at ease, their present moments are delight, and their future prospects without a cloud. They rejoice in the business, amusements, and diversions of life, and no inward jealousies about futurity to create uneasiness. When we consider a state of carnal security, it would at first blush, throw out signals for envy and desire. How charming are the ways of sin; they are as the rolling of a sweet morsel under the tongue. They live not only in pleasure, but in hope. But, O their end, their dreadful end, when their refuges of lies are swept away, and their hopes vanish into delusive air. The hope, the vain hope of the secure sinner and hypocrite shall perish. How awful is their case in the midst of all their comforts, pleasures, and fancied prospects, to find the earth opening beneath them, and their son's sinking into the yawning pit? These are