Light left him, muft needs have; for no Man loves Sin for it felf, nay, he hates it as 'tis in its felf abfolutely an Evil, only he chufes and wills it Comparatively to avoid (as he then thinks) a greater Evil.

10. Thus as the Jewish Doctors did the Law, Mat. 156 6. do thefe Men make the Gofpel, of none affect by their Traditions; and would questionless, were our Lord now on Earth, deferve to have a feverer Woe pronounced against them, as Perverters of a more Excellent, a more Perfect Inftitution. Strange, that Men fhould Corrupt and Ridicule fo admirable a Difpenfation; and turn fo great a Grace of God into Wantonnefs! That there fhould be fome ovóna in the Gospel, which unlearned and unstable Men might wreft to their own De ftruction, is no very hard matter to imagine; but that Men fhould at once pervert the whole Scope and Defign of it, is Prodigious, as well as Antichriftian; a Miftery of Wonder as well as of Iniquity. And have these Men the Face to declaim against the Papifts for leaving out one of the Commandments, whenas, they draw a black Stroke over the whole Table? Nay further, Have they the Face to call themselves Chriftians, and that of the Purer Sort too, who thus evacuate the Mistery of Godliness? By the fame Figure of Speech might the Heathen Emperours affume that Sacred Name, when they endeavoured to Perfecute it out of the World. Nay, much more plaufibly; for they only Lopt off the Branches, but these Strike at the very Root of Chriftianity; they applied their Forces against the Profeffors of the Chriftian Religion, these against the Religion it self; and (what aggravates the Malice) not as open Enemies, but as Treacherous Friends, under the demure pretence of Purity, Orthodoxy, and Saintship. They Cancel the Law of Chrift, and at the fame time pretend to advance his Kingdom; call him Mafter, Kifs and Betray him. And how can it now be expected, that thefe Men fhould be more forward than they are, to yield Obedience to the King, who have found out an Expedient to flip their

Necks

Necks out of Chrift's Yoke; and have made the Gofpel in a worse fenfe, a Dead Letter than the Law?

11. But certainly the Gate that leads to Heaven is much Streighter than these Men are pleased to make it, otherwise there would be no need of striving to enter in at it, Luke 13. 24. There are Things to be done, as well as to be believed and understood under the Evangelical Difpenfation; and Christianity is a Service, as well as a Profeffion. To the Clearing and Establishing of which Propofition, I fhall confider the Gofpel under a double Capacity, ift, Asa Law, and 2ly, As a Covenant. And first, as a Law. 'Tis moft certain that Christ was a Lawgiver as well as Mofes; only as he was an Intro-. ducer of a better Hope, Heb. 7. 19. fo he required better and fublimer Services. The Advantage of Chriftianity, does not confift in having any Abatements of Duty; for Christ was fo far from diminishing or retrenching the Moral Law, (for 'tis of that I fpeak) that he improved every part of it to higher Senfes than the moft Exquifite of the Jewish Doctors understood; or at least, conceiv'd themselves oblig'd to; As is evident from his Divine Sermon on the Mount, which for the Perfection and Sublimity of its Precepts, may be faid rather to ecliple all Philofophy, than to be the Top and Height of it.

12. But to prevent a Miftake which Men are apt to run into upon this Occafion, I think fit here to interpofe this Caution, that when I fpeak of Chrift's improving the Moral Law, I do not mean that he made any Improvement of Natural Religion (with which the Moral Law ought not to be confounded) any otherwife than by fetting its Precepts in a clearer Light, and by inforcing them by stronger Motives, but not by adding any new Precepts of Morality to it, or by raifing its Precepts to higher degrees of Perfection. For Natural Religion, as I understand it, is in the reality of the thing no other than Right Reafon; or if you will more explicitly and diftinctly, à Syftem of fuch Moral and Immutable Truths, as the Reafon of Man, if duely used,

mult

muft needs difcern to be truly perfective of his Nature, and finally conducive to his Happinefs. But now this. feems to be commenfurate to the whole Duty of Man, and adequate to the full compafs and extent of Morality, and confequently not to be capable of any Addition or Improvement. Indeed the Mofaic Religion (meaning that part of it which was Moral) being only a Secundary Tranfcript or Extract of this Natural Religion, may be allow'd to have receiv'd an Improvement in the Precepts of it by Chrift; partly by his adding New Precepts to it, that is, fuch as the Letter of the Law did not exprefly contain, and partly by his raifing the Old to a higher fenfe. But as to Natural Religion it felf, the Original of this Tranfcript, I do not fee how that can admit of any fuch Improvement. Since if what we fuppofe added to it be not according to Right Reafon, then it cannot be any ways better'd or improved by fuch an Addition. But if it be according to Right Reafon, then there is nothing added but what was fuppofed to be contain'd in it before. And fo again there will be no Improvement. The Religion therefore which our Saviour Chrift improved was not, as I conceive, Natural Religion, or the Law of Nature, but the Moral Law as deliver'd by Mofes, which he improved by bringing it nearer, and making it more conformable to the Law of Nature, as the true ftandard and measure of its Perfections.

13. And that he thus improv'd the Law of Afofes befides the Evidence of Comparifon, we have his own exprefs Word for it, Mat. 5. 17. I come not to destroy the Law, but to perfect, compleat, or fill it up. For fo the word (Haru,) properly fignifies. The Eyeggia, or rude draught, was Mofes his part; but the eyespecié Teid, or the Painting to the Life, was Chrift's. Moses drew out the main Lineaments, the Skeleton of the Pisture, but 'twas Chrift that fill'd up all its Intervals and Vacuities; and gave it all its Graces, Air, and Lifetouches. And this is no more than what the Analogy of

M

the

the Chriftian Difpenfation required. The great End and Defign of God Incarnate was, to Perfect Holiness, as well as to Retrieve Happinefs, to Advance the Intetefts of the Divine Life, and make us Partakers of the Divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. Heb. 1. 3. and accordingly as he himself was the exprefs Image of his Father's Perfon, fo'twas requifite he fhould confign to us an Exprefs Image, or Correct Copy of his Father's Will. He was to make us better Men; and accordingly, 'twas fit he fhould give us a better Law; a Law that could not be fatisfied, but by fuch a Righteoufnefs as fhould exceed even the Strictest among the Fers, that of the Pharifees. So that we are by no means Releafed, but rather more deeply Engaged in Duty by the Gofpel, as 'tis a Lam.

14. Nor Secondly, Are we Releafed by it, as 'tis a Covenant. Here indeed, begin the Abatements of the Gofpel, not as to Duty and Obligation, for the Gospel makes all that our Duty which the Law did, and more; only (which in fhort is the true Difference between the Two Covenants) it does not make the ftrict and exact Performance of it the Meafure, the ultimate Measure whereby we are to Stand or Fall; but admits of Pardon, which the Law knew nothing of. Not of Abfolute Pardon, for then the Gospel would be a Covenant without a Condition; nor of Pardon without Repentance, and actual Reformation of Manners; for then the Gofpel as a Covenant, would Interfere with its felf as a Law, but upon the fole Conditions of Faith and Repentance. For 'tis a great mistake to think that we are actually Juftified or Pardoned by the Satisfaction of Chrift; this wou'd be the most ready Expedient to verifie the falle Charge of the Scribes and Pharifees, and make him in their Senfe a Friend to Publicans and Sinners; to Encourage all manner of Vice and Immorality, and to Turn the Mystery of Godliness, into a Mystery of iniquity. No, Christ in this Senfe has Redeemed no Man. All that he either did, or could in Wisdom do for us as Satisfying,

Was

was in fhort, to inftate us in a Capacity and Poffibility of Pardon and Reconciliation, by procuring a Grant from his Father, That Faith and Repentance fhould now be available to Juftification; which without his Satisfaction, would not have been Accepted to that Purpose, Whereby it appears, that he was fo far from fuperfeding the Neceffity of Repentance and Good Works, that he defigned only to make Way for the Succefs of them; He did to much, that Repentance might not be in Vain; and he did no more, that it might not be Needlefs. And thus does the Wisdom, as well as the Goodness of God, tead us to Repentance; by fo ordering the matter, that we may obtain Pardon with it, and not without it; which are the two strongest Engagements to Action in any Concern, that our Reafon either Demands, or our Deliberation can Suggeft.

15. This I conceive, to be the true Hypothefis and State of Chriftianity; which I might yet further Confirm, by infinite Authorities from Scripture; which every where preffes the Neceffity of good Works, as Conditions to our Fuftification and Acceptance before God But I think the more rational and unprejudiced Part of the World, are pretty well fatisfied in that Point; and know how to accommodate St. James and St. Paul, better than fome late Reconcilers. And befides, The Wif dom of the Hypothefis fufficiently Approves it felf; 'Tis fuch, as becomes the Perfections of the Divine Nature' to Exhibit to the World; and which the Angels may well defire to look into, 1 Pet. 1. 12. For 'tis at once, fitted to the Neceffities of Man; and to the Honour of God; to the Infirinities of the Animal Life; and to the Advancement of the Divine; to the Relief of the Sinner, and to the fuppreffion of Sin. Here Mercy and Truth meet together, Righteousness and Peace kifs each other. The Sacrifice of the Altar, does not prejudice the Ballance of the Sanctuary; and the Divine Juftice is fo fatisfy'd, that the Neceffity of Holinéfs and Obedience femains fecured. Much is forgiven, and much is to be