the sinfulness of his own heart, nor the glory of God in the gospel scheme. "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not." 2 Cor. iv. 4.

Fourthly.-Men are often led to indulge selfrighteous hopes by comparing themselves with others. 2 Cor. x. 12. This, indeed, is not wise. The rule of final judgment will not be the life of our fellowman but the perfectly holy law of God. Yet many say, If I am lost, what will become of these sinners. around me? The correct answer is, Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, or you shall all perish together. Yet how many are found full of selfrighteousness, saying like the Pharisee, God, I thank thee, I am not as other men, or even as this publican.

Fifthly.-Probably not a few mistake gifts for graces; and because they are fluent in prayer, they think they have the spirit of prayer; or because they have prophesied in the name of the Lord, and in his name done many wonderful works, or commended his gospel with great earnestness to their fellow-men, they think themselves safe.

Sixthly. Others say, "We have Abraham to our father." They expect to go to heaven because of their pious ancestry, or relations. They cannot conceive how the descendants of so good people as their parents should ever come short of heaven.

Let us, therefore, not imitate the wretched example of those, of whom Paul speaks, when he says, "They being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

Rom. x. 3. Let us rather follow the example and utter the prayer of David when bowed down with a just sense of his heinous guilt, he cried, "Enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." Ps. cxliii. 2.

CHAPTER XI.

ANTINOMIANISM.

NTINOMIANISM is opposition to law. The

precise in

its meaning. Strictly speaking, Antinomianism is the doctrine, which asserts that under the gospel dispensation the moral law is not binding. In a more extended sense it is any system of doctrine, which, if fairly carried out, would destroy belief in the necessity of good works, or of a holy life.

The sect, called Antinomians, arose in the 16th century. Their founder was John Agricola. He reduced libertine principles to a system. His followers were at one time numerous. They were pests to society in many places. They can hardly be said to have a separate existence now.

But opposition to the law as a rule of life is coeval with the fall of man. Antinomianism has its seat in the deep depravity of the human heart. "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. viii. 7. Its spirit is of the essence of sin. The Old and New Testaments, and indeed all histories, are full of records showing the deadly hostility of men to the restraints of the divine precepts. Solomon, Jeremiah, Hosea

and many others tell us of men, who by anticipation were followers of Agricola. Pr. vii. 14-18; Jer. vii. 9, 10; Hos. xii. 7, 8.

The principles of Antinomians are variously stated. A thorough-paced Antinomian holds that if Christ finished his work, there is nothing left for us to do, that the moral law is no rule of duty to Christians, that the transgression of its precepts by God's people is not sinful; that the law is of no use under the gospel, and that of course it is not of binding obligation. The reasoning of Antinomians is something like this: salvation is wholly by grace; man is impotent to good himself; God's grace is sovereign, so that it is not of him. that willeth nor of him that runneth ;. therefore we are not under law, even to Christ; all our endeavours are useless, and we may give a loose rein to all our corruptions.

Richard Baxter describes three classes of Antinomians in his day. There were the libertines, who said "The heart is the man; therefore you may deny the truth with your tongue, you may be present at false worships, (as at the mass,) you need not suffer to avoid the speaking of a word, or subscribing to an untruth or error, or doing some little thing; but, so long as you keep your hearts to God, and mean well, or have an honest mental reservation, and are forced to it by others, rather than suffer, you may say, or subscribe, or swear anything which you can yourselves put a lawful sense upon in your own minds, or you may comply with any outward actions or customs to avoid offence or save yourselves."

Then there were regular Antinomians who said that "The moral law is abrogated, and that the gospel is

no law; that the elect are justified before they are born, or repent, or believe; that their sin is pardoned before it is committed; that God took them as suffering and fulfilling all the law in Christ, as if it had been they that did it in him: that we are justified by faith only in our consciences: that justifying faith is but believing that we are justified: that every man must believe that he is pardoned, that he may be pardoned in his conscience; .. that all are for

:

given that so believe that it is legal and sinful to work or do any thing for salvation that sin once pardoned need not be confessed and lamented, or at least we need not ask pardon of sin daily, or of one sin oft," &c., &c.

The third class described by Baxter are the Autonomians, who claimed that they were a law unto themselves. "They equally contend against Christ's government, and for their own. They fill the world with war and bloodshed, oppression and cruelty; and the ears of God with the cries of the martyrs and oppressed ones. They are the scorners and persecutors of strict obedience to the laws of God, and take those that fear his judgments to be men affrighted out of their wits; and that to obey exactly is but to be hypocritical or too precise: but to question their domination, or break their laws, this must be taken for heresy, schism, or a rebellion like that of Korah and his company."

These are

The world abounds with Antinomians. of three classes; 1. Speculative Antinomians. They are such as embrace some of the leading principles set forth above. They may hold but one or two of them; or they may receive the system. 2. There are Anti