will give you a Similitude for the clearing of it; fet the Cafe that I give to my Servant ten Pounds, with this Charge, lay it out for my best Advantage, that I may have my own again with Profit; now if my Servant contrary to my Command, goeth and fpends my Money in a difobedient way, is it any unequality in me to demand of my Servant what I gave him at first ? nay, and though he have nothing to pay, I may lawfully caft him into Prifon, and keep him there until I have Satisfaction. So here, the Law was delivered to Man, at the firft when he was in a Poffibility to have fulfilled it; now then, though: Man may have loft his Strength, yet God is just in commanding the fame Work to be done. I, and if they do not do the fame things, I fay, that are impoffible for them to do, it is juft with God to damn them, feeing it was they themselves that brought themfelves into this Condition; therefore faith the Apostle, What things foever the Law, or Commands faith, it faith to them that are under the Law; that every Mouth may be stopped, and all the World may become guilty before God, Rom.3. 19. and this is thy fad Condition that art under the Law, Gal. 3. 10.

But if any fhould object and fay, but the Law doth not command unpoffible things of natural Man.

I fhould anfwer in this Cafe as the Apostle did in another, very much like unto it, faying, They know not what they fay, nor whereof they affirm: For doth not the Law command thee to love the. Lord thy God, with all thy Soul, with all thyStrength, with all thy Might? &c, and can the natural Man do this? Fer. 13. 23. How can thofe that are accustomed to do Evil, do that which is com

manded

manded in this particular? Can the Ethiopian hange his Skin, or the Leopard his Spots ?

Doth the Law command thee to do Good and nothing but Good? and that with all thy Soul, Heart, and Delight, (which the Law as a Covenant of Works called for) and can't thou being carnal do that? But there is no Man that. hath Understanding, if he fhould hear thee fay fo, but would fay that thou, waft either bewitched, or stark mad.

Sixthly, They that are under the Law, are in a fad Condition; becaufe, that though they follow the Law, or Covenant of Works, I fay, though they follow it, it will not lead them to Heaven; no, but contrariwife, it will lead them under the Curfe. It is not poffible, faith Paul, that any fhould be juftified by the Law, (or by our following of it) for by that is the Knowledge of Sin, and by it we are condemned for the fame, which is far from leading us to Life, being the Miniftration of Death, 2 Cor. 3. and again, Ifrael that followeth after the Law of Righteoufness, hath not attained to the Law of Righteousness: Wherefore? Because they fought. it not by Faith, but by the Law, and by the Works thereof, Rom. 9. 30, 31, 32.

Seventhly, They that are under the Law are in a fad Condition; because they do not know whether ever they fhall have any Wages for their Work or no; they fhall have no Afsurance of the Pardon of their Sins, neither any Hopes of eternal Life: But poor Hearts as they are, they work for they do not know what, even like a poor Horfe that works hard all Day, and at Night hath a dirty Stable for his Pains; fo thou mayeft work hard all the Days of thy Life, and at the Day of Death, instead of having a glorious Reft in the King

dom

dom of Heaven, thou may'ft, nay, thou shalt have for thy Sins, the Damnation of thy Soul and Body in Hell to all. Eternity; for as much as I fay before, that the Law, if-thou finneft, it doth not take Notice of any good Work done by thee; but takes its Advantage to deftroy and cut off thy Soul for the Sin thou haft committed.

Eighthly, They that are under the Law, are in a fad Condition, because they are under that Administration, upon whofe Souls God doth not Smile (they dying there) for the Adminiftration that God doth Smile upon his Children through, is the Covenant of Grace, they being in Jefus Chrift, the Lord of Life and Confolation: But contrariwife to thofe that are under the Law; for they have his Frowns, his Rebukes, his Threathings, and with much Severity they muft be dealt withal. For they brake my Covenant, and I regarded them not, faith the Lord, Heb. 8. 9.

Ninthly, They are in a fad Condition; because they are out of the Faith of Chrift: They that are under the Law, have not the Faith of Chrift in them; for that Difpenfation which they are under, is not the Adminiftration of Faith, The Law is not of Faith, faith the Apostle, Gal. 3. 2.

Tenthly, because they have not received the Spirit; for that is received by the hearing of Faith, and not by the Law, nor the Works thereof, Gal. 3. 2.

Eleventhly, in a Word, if thou live and die. under that Covenant, Jefus Chrift will neither pray for thee, neither let thee have one drop of his Blood to wash away thy Sins; neither fhalt -thou be fo much as one of the leaft in the Kingdom of Heaven; for all thefe Privileges come to Souls under another Covenant, as the Apostle

faith, For fuch are not under the Law, but under Grace; that is, fuch as have a Share in the Benefits of Jefus Chrift, or fuch as are brought from under the firft Covenant, into the Second; or from under the Law, into the Grace of Chrift's Gofpel; without which Covenant of Grace, and being found in that, there is no Soul can have the leaft Hope of eternal Life, no Joy in the Holy Ghoft, no fhare in Privileges of Saints, becaufe they are tied up from them by the Limits and Bonds of the Covenant of Works: For you muft underftand, that these two Covenants have their feveral Bounds and Limitations, for the ruling and keeping in Subjection, or giving of Freedom to the Parties under the faid Covenants. Now, they that are under the Law are within. the Compafs and the Jurifdiction of that, and are bound to be in Subjection to that; and living and dying under that, they muft ftand and fall to that, as Paul faith, To his own Mafter, he fhall fland or fall., The Covenant of Grace doth admit to thofe that are under it, alfo Liberty and Freedom, together with commanding of Subjection to the Things contained in it, which I fhall speak to further hereafter.

But now, that the former Things may be further made to appear, that is, what the fad Condition of all them that are under the Law is; as I have fhewn you fomething of the Nature of the Law, fo alfo fhall I fhew, that the Law was added and given for that Purpofe, that it might be fo with those that are out of the Covenant of Grace.

Firft, God did give the Law, that Sin might abound, Rom. 5. zo. not that it fhould take away Sin in any, but to difcover the Sin which

is

is already begotten, or that may hereafter be begotten, by Luft and Satan; I fay, this is one proper Work of the Law, to make manifeft Sin; it is fent to find Fault with the Sinner, and it doth alfo watch that it may fo do, and it doth take all Advantages, for the Accomplishing of its Work in them that give Ear. thereto, or do not give Ear, if it have the Rule over them. I fay, it is like a Man that is fent by his Lord to fee and pry into the Labours and Works of other Men, taking every Advantage to discover their Infirmities and Failings, and to chide them; yea, to throw them out of the Lord's Favour for the fame.

Secondly, Another great End why the Lord did add or give the Law, it was that no Man might have any Thing to lay to the Charge of the Lord, for his condemning of them that do tranfgrefs against the fame. You know that if a. Man fhould be had before an Officer or Judge, and there be condemned, and yet by no Law; he that condemns him, might be very well reprehended, or reproved for paffing the Judgment; yea, the Party himfelf might have better Ground to plead for his Liberty, than the other to plead for the Condemning of him; but this fhall not be fo in the Judgment-Day, but contrariwife; for then every Man fhall be forced to lay his Hand on his Mouth, and hold his Tongue at the Judgment of God, when it is pafled upon them; therefore faith the Apostle, WhatThings foever the Law faith, it faith to them that are under the Law (that is all the Commands, all the Curfings and Threatnings that are spoken by it, are spoken faith he) that every Mouth may be stopped: mark, I beseech you, it faith, faith he, that every Mouth might be stopped,