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Jesus Christ as the end of the law for righteousness. And those whom God calls to the fellowship of his Son, in whom he accepts us, and with whom he unites us so as to make us one with him and by virtue of which union we say for ourselves, In the Lord we have righteousness and strength; such souls are not left there; they have a holy and righteous nature imparted, as well as righteousness imputed. God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." And they must be purged from these inventions, and be made upright again, if ever they seek God with acceptance, or are admitted into his presence. From all their filthiness, says God, will I cleanse them, Ezek. xxxvi. 25. And where this cleansing takes place love is sure to follow; for where much is forgiven the same loveth much, Luke vii. 47. that love God, Song i. 4. of saving knowledge, for, is born of God, and knoweth God." Here is internal rectitude and uprightness restored and secured to all eternity by an immutable covenant. Now, "Love is the fulfilling of the law," Rom. xiii. 10. Thus in Christ Jesus we are renewed in knowledge.

And it is the upright This is another branch "Every one that loveth

2. The robe of righteousness is put on, and

3. A righteous nature, which is the fulfilling of the law, is revealed and shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. These are three of the

highest branches of real morality that any one spiritual and divine law of God ever required.

4. The fourth branch of real morality is holiness; for the law requires holiness as well as knowledge and righteousness. "The law is holy; and the commandment holy, just, and good." Our holiness arises,

1. From the indwelling and inhabitation of the Holy Ghost. We are, "An habitation of God through the Spirit," Ephes. ii. 22. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, 2 Cor. vi. 16. The Bible speaks of the holy land, holy place, holy house, holy mount, holy city, and of holy ground, so called because the presence of the Almighty had been manifested there, though perhaps but for a time. But he dwells in Zion for ever, and with every branch of her mystical family who are of a broken and contrite spirit, and tremble at his word, Isai. lxvi. 2; not for a time, or to pay a transient visit, but to take up his abode with them and dwell in them, and that for evermore. "This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell; for I have desired it."

2. There is true holiness in every member of the new man. "Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." And this new man consists of the different graces with which the Holy Spirit adorns the soul, and every grace of the Spirit is holy;

hence the term, most holy, is ascribed to faith, which is a grace of the Holy Spirit. "But ye, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God," Jude 20.

3. Perfecting holiness in the fear of God is exercising faith which worketh by love; for the apostle declares that we are holy and without blame before God in love, Ephes. i. 4. This is real or true holiness: all besides is either ceremonial, negative, specious, or spurious, which cometh not from God, neither leads to him, or ends in him.

ness.

5. The fifth branch of real morality is good"The law is good." But my reader may be ready to ask why I call this inward glory of the saints real morality, seeing nothing of all this comes by the law, nor from the law? I take this liberty from the authority of the apostle, who tells us that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in them who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, Rom. viii. 4. And, if the righteousness of the law be fulfilled in them, this fulfilment must be real morality, and all other no more than the name, the cant, the fair shew and the varnish of hypocrites. But to return to my subject.

Goodness we must have, because the law is good, and Adam was pronounced very good when God made him: but he kept not God's word, nor God's charge, but broke his commandment. Now

our goodness lies in receiving and keeping God's word, which we must keep by the Spirit. "That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us," 2 Tim. i. 14. This word of truth is called the commandment; "The commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning," 1 John ii. 7. "He that hath my word," says Christ, "and keepeth it, he it is that loveth me: he that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings." The word that God put into Christ's mouth, and the Spirit that he put upon him, is never to depart from Christ, nor from his seed, nor from his seed's seed. This is God's covenant, Isai. lix. 21.. This word of truth, this commandment, Paul calls a good thing; and wherever it comes with power, and in the Holy Ghost, there it makes free. "Receive the truth," says Christ, "and the truth shall make you free." The man that receives this, in faith and affection, receives the word of eternal life into his heart, which is a good treasure; and such a man is by Christ himself called a good "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things." And this truth is witnessed even by the law itself, where God says that he shews mercy unto thousands of them that love him, and keep his commandments, Exod. xx. 6. All love him whom he first loves, and whom he pardons, and none else. All obtain the sure mercies of David who are renewed by the Holy Spirit; for of his mercy he saves us by

man.

"He that hath my

the washing of regeneration. commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me and if a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him," John xiv. 21, 23. Thus, reader, I have shewn thee five branches of real morality; or, in other words, the true heart-treasure of those goodly souls in whom the righteousness of the law is fulfilled. And, in order to make clear work of it, I will prove, from the book of God, that thou shalt never enter the kingdom of glory unless thou art in possession of all these five particulars, which I shall prove from strong and positive assertions.

1. You shall never be saved without the

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knowledge of God. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." "It is a people of no understanding; therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed. them will shew them no favour." And again; "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

2. We must have the righteousness of Christ upon us, which is our surety's obedience to the law. This must be imputed to us; for in him shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and in no other Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. And the righ

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