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charity out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned," 1 Tim. i. 5.

The next branch of morality which the law requires is true holiness, in opposition to all ceremonial, negative, or spurious holiness, such as abounds in the present day; and it stands

1. In the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are," 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17.

2. True holiness is ascribed to the faith of the gospel; for, as the mind and conscience of unbelievers are defiled, and to them there is nothing pure; so, on the other hand, the possessors of purifying faith are called the beloved of God, and are exhorted to build themselves up on their most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Jude

20.

The third branch of this true holiness is perfect love, or love made perfect; and they are said to be made perfect in love where love has cast out all fear and torment: hence charity, when mature, is called the bond of perfectness, Col. iii. 14. And this is also the highest branch of true holiness. "According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love," Ephes. i. 4. And thus is the righteousness of the law fulfilled in us who walk not after the

flesh, but after the Spirit. And this was the grand work of the Son of God, who came not to destroy the law but to fulfil. And he did fulfil all righteousness in his own person; and as our covenant head, and head of influence, we are said to be "filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God," Philip. i. 11. This is the real morality which the law requires; and the righteousness of the law is fulfilled, and for ever established, in all those who are thus favoured. And, if by preaching these things I make void the law, then the law is made void through faith, Rom. iii. 31; and the whole law is against the promises of God, Gal. iii. 21; and thus it is with the saints of God, that in them the new covenant maketh the first old; and that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away, Heb. viii. 13, and in time disappears, while we look as through a glass darkly, for this changes us into the image of Christ, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. Under which soul-transforming view every thing old takes flight, and all that succeeds is entirely new. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." And, if preaching this doctrine entitles me to the name of a vile, filthy, and stinking Antinomian, God grant that I never may lose my title till the following promise hath its accomplishment; "He will swallow up death in victory. And the Lord

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God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it," Isai. xxv. 8.

I shall now proceed to shew that all other divine laws, which are essential to salvation, are fulfilled in the souls of spiritual men; and I am encouraged to this by the apostle himself. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts," Gal. v. 22-24.

1. There is a new law or commandment, which was given by Christ himself, and differs somewhat from the old. "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have

loved you, that ye also love one another,"

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John xiii. 34. This law never can be fulfilled in, nor by, any but those who are partakers of the Holy Ghost; for the saints are to be hated of all men for Christ's sake. And he that loves God must first be loved of him, and he that loveth is born of God. Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him," 1 John v. 1. This law was first observed and fulfilled by Christ himself, who so loved us as to lay down his life for us. And so we have the explanation of it by John:

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mandment I write unto you, which thing is true

n him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth," 1 John ii. 8. This commandment was true in him, says John, for, " Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:" and, if it be true in us, "we ought to lay down our lives. for the brethren," 1 John iii. 16; and he that thus loves the brethren is delivered from the powers of darkness, and from that hatred and malice with which the devil inflames the hearts of hypocrites; and of such we may truly say that the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth; for, "He that hateth his brother is in darkness until now," "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him," 1 John ii. 9, 10. This law is in the hearts of all spiritual men.

2. The law of sacrifices and offerings; whether sin-offerings, peace-offerings, burnt-offerings, or freewill-offerings; the truth of all these types is Christ and his one offering. These types served to purify the flesh; but the blood of the Son of God purifies the mind and conscience. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these," Heb. ix. 22, 23. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin; and faith applies the atonement, and purifies the heart with it but it is the Holy Spirit that produces

faith, and that gives it life and all its lively exercises.

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3. The law of the leper, Levit. xiv. 2. The leper was cleansed with blood and water: and Christ came by water and by blood, and from his side both ran. And the truth of all this is in every spiritual man, but in no other. will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh," Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26.

4. "The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death," Prov. xiii. 14. The wise man is one in a pardoned and renewed state, made wise unto salvation through faith in Christ. Faith is the wise man's law; and, as he that believes hath everlasting life, faith in its lively actings and exercises attending the wise man's prayer, praises, thanksgivings, and sacrifices of joy, is called a fountain of life. The sins of men are the snares of death. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares," Psalm xi. 6; that is, heaven shall reveal his iniquity, and the shall rise up against him," Job xx. 27. works, yea and even bad words, are snares. fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul." Sins are called the snares of death, because every sinner is under the minis

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