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of darkness was in him. These put darkness for light; and the Jews, who called the Son of God Beelzebub, put the true light for darkness. And, as the light of nature errs so fatally as to put darkness for light, so their thoughts and conscience err also, both among Jews and Gentiles. "They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service," John xvi. 2. Paul's thoughts and conscience also acquitted him for blaspheming the Saviour and murdering the saints, which confirms what Paul says of himself, that he was alive without the law, and that sin was dead; for God's law never countenances, much less justifies, blasphemers and murderers. Nor can it be supposed that the Gentiles, which sacrificed to devils and not to God, ever had that law in their hearts which allows of no God but one, and demands love to him with all the heart and soul.

2. Nor had any of the non-elect among the Jewish pharisees any one law of God ever applied to them, although they pretended to this. "Then they reviled him [the blind man], and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses; as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is," John ix. 28, 29. The whole of this boasted claim was an arrant lie, for a real disciple of Moses is a man taught out of Moses' law, and one who imitates his master in learning and knowledge, and who

treads in his master's steps. Hence Moses' law is called a schoolmaster. "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith," Gal. iii. 24. Observe here that the apostle does not call the law their schoolmaster; it is not the schoolmaster of reprobates, or non-elect persons; but he calls it our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith: "But after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster." According to the above passage the law is intended as a schoolmaster to God's own elect, and is applied to them as such. "Whom God foreknew, he also did predestinate; and whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified," Rom. viii. 30. Now, if the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of him, then it never was as a schoolmaster applied to any of the non-elect, even among the Jewish pharisees; therefore their calling themselves Moses' disciples was an arrant lie; for they never had been sent to his law to school; they never had. learned experimentally one lesson from him, neither moral nor evangelical; for, instead of sitting at Moses' feet to be taught of him, they jostled him out of his chair. "The scribes and the pharisees sit in Moses' seat," Matt. xxiii. 2. And, as to Moses' law, they made the word of God, by Moses, of none effect through their own traditions, Mark vii. 13. Yea, instead of embracing

the instructions of Moses in his law, they rejected it altogether. "And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." So far were they from submitting to Moses' tuition, that they rejected his commandments, turned him out of his seat, and set up their own traditions above his law: for all of which Moses became their accuser, instead of their teacher. "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust," John v. 45. There never was one self-righteous pharisee among the Jews, nor yet among the Gentiles or Britons, that ever had the law of God applied to them, or that ever had the law of God in them. Let us hear what the Holy Ghost himself says upon this head; and what he says he speaks by the mouth of one who was once a pharisee of the first magnitude, a Pharisee of the Pharisees. "For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." Here the Holy Ghost affirms that during the time of Paul's continuing a Pharisee, and while in an unconverted state, he was without the moral law. And he mentions this twice. "For without the law sin was dead; for I was alive without the law." And the Spirit confirms this still further, by asserting not only twice that he was without it, but takes notice of the application of the law to him, and that by God himself. "I was alive

without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died," Rom. vii. 9. All that the non-elect, or unconverted among mankind, can pretend to, is,

1. That they are without the law.

2. That sin is dead, not purged; and,

3. That they themselves are alive without the law; that is, they are alive to sin, alive to the flesh, alive to themselves, alive in their own righteousness, and alive to their own ends and aims, which is their own applause.

Having thus proved that all heathens, and the best of all Jewish and British Pharisees, are without the moral law of God in its morality, in its power, and in its spiritual operation, as applied by God himself; so take notice further, that it is God's prerogative to apply the law: man cannot do it. It is not only God's work to apply the law, but also to teach it, or to teach men out of it; to pick lessons out of the law and apply them, so as to make men know and feel them. "Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law, that thou nayest give him rest," Psalm xciv. 12. If they, and only they, are blessed, whom God teaches out of the law, then it is plain that all are cursed who receive their teaching out of the law not from God, but from men only. They are ministers of the letter, and the letter killeth; therefore it is no wonder, for they are nothing else but

blind guides. "The priests said not, Where is the Lord? And they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal,” Jerem. ii. 8. There is a veil upon the heart of these pretenders to the law, that blinds them to the last degree, which no pharisee is acquainted with. Hence we read of some who said, "Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou," Isa. lxv. 5; of others, who affirm that they have kept all these things from their youth up, Matt. xix. 20; and others who never at any time transgressed God's commandment, Luke xv. 29. And sad teachers of the law must these be, seeing the Lord declares that publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before them, Matt. xxi. 31. But I shall now,

3dly. Go to another set of men, and see if the moral law is to be found in them. These are the gifted men that appear under the gospel; and we may call their name Legion, for they are many. By these I mean such as got into the primitive church and were called believers. "Thou seest,

brother [Saul], how many thousands of Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the law," Acts xxi. 20. Now these are called ministers of the letter, being destitute of the Spirit of God, and so are distinguished from those ministers which God sends out. "But our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us able ministers

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