fication hath upon this vivification; or, the influence that juftification by faith alone, and not by the deeds of the law, hath upon fanctification of heart and life, or living to God, in the particle that: I am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. Now, might the apoftle fay, how falfly do you charge my doctrine, as opening a window to licentioufnefs, while I in the name of all believers declare, that this doctrine of juftification by faith alone, or our being dead to the law in point of juftification, does open the door to true holinefs; for none can live unto God, till, they be dead to the law. I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. But I fhall endeavour further to explain the words upon the following observation.

DOCTRINE. That to be dead to the law in the point of juftification, is necessary in order to living unto God, in point of fanctification. I through the law, &c.

Now, upon this doctrine, I fhall endeavour, through grace, to explain the feveral branches of the text; and the general method fhall be, 1. To clear and confirm the doctrine. 2. To fpeak of the believer's death or mortification here intended; I through the law am dead to the law. 3. To fpeak of the believer's life or vivification, his living unto God. 4. Of the neceffity of this death in order to this life, or the influence that our being dead to the law hath upon our living unto God. 5 Make fome application.

FIRST HEAD.

First, to clear and confirm the doctrine; at the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word jhall be fablished.

eftablished. But, to fhew that we are not ftrained to find out witneffes to atteft the truth of this doctrine, I fhall produce more than two or three. Ift witness that I cite, is that Rom. vii. 4, 5, 6, where you fee, that to be dead to the law, and married to Chrift, is neceffary in order to living to God, and bringing forth fruit to him, and ferving him in newnefs of fpirit. 2d Witness I cite, is very like to this, Ifa. liv. 1, 5. compared: Sing O barren-for more are the children of the defolate, Gentiles, than the children of the married wife: Why, ver. 5. Thy Maker is thy bufband. Being dead to the law, and divorced from it, and married to Chrift, the barren woman becomes a fruitful bride. And, left you fhould think I put a wrong glofs upon this text, and miftake the meaning of it, you may compare it with a third witness that I cite, whereby this very glofs that I give it is confirmed, Gal. iv. 27. For it is written, rejoice thou barren. Now, we would confider what is the fubject here fpoken of: The apoftle is fetting forth believers freedom from the law by the gofpel, or their juftification by faith without the works of the law; and he confirms it by an allegory, fhewing, that our liberty from the law was prefigured in the family of Abraham, that we are not children of the bond-woman, or bond-men to the law, but children of the promife, as Ifaac: And the apostle explains the prophet, and fhews his allegory to be founded, not only on the former hiftorical, but alfo on this prophetical fcripture. The gofpel-church, including all believers among Jews and Gentiles, is called the bride, the lamb's wife: And as this bride in general, being divorced from the law, and married to.Chrift, is a fruitful bride, bearing many children, many fons and daughters to I 3

Christ,

Christ, and more under the new difpenfation of the covenant of grace, than under the old legal adminiftration thereof before Chrift's coming; fo every particular believer, being dead to the law, and married to Chrift, is by this means fruitful in bringing forth the fruits of holiness and righteoufnefs, to the glory of God; as the apostle, in profecuting this discourse, further fhews, ver. 30. Caft out the bondwoman and her fon. Strange that the law fhould be called a bond-woman, and then caft out the bondwoman; this was ftrange language: Nay, but in the cafe of juftification, Mofes and his tables must give place to Chrift, as Luther fays; Yea, he adds in this fenfe, I will fay to thee, O law, Be gone; and if it will not be gone, thrust it out by force; caft out the bond-woman. Further, the apoftle adds, Chap. v. 1. Stand fast therefore, &c. read ver. 4, 5. 6. where you fee, that the believer being free from the law, and having the fpirit of life, and the fpirit of faith, bringeth forth fruit to God; of which fruits of the fpirit of Chrift, in oppofition to the fruits of the flesh, you read, ver. 16, 17. and downward. 4th witnefs that I cite, is, Col. ii. 13, 14. You being dead in your fins-bath be quickned

Now, by what means does this quickning, or being made alive to God, come about? It is by the blotting out of the band writing-nailing it to his crofs; intimating, that there is no living unto God, without being dead to the law, and having the law dead to us, by viewing it crucified with Christ, and nailed to his cross. 5th witnefs is, Col. iii. 3. For ye are dead, that is, dead to the law, as he had cleared before, and fo dead to fin, felf, and the world, and your life is hid with Chrift in God; and when Chrift, who is your life, fhall appear, &c. Mor

ify therefore your members which are upon the earth." The believer is faid to be dead with Chrift, ver. 20. of the preceeding chapter, and fo dead to the law, which was nailed to the crofs of Chrift. And ver. 1. of this chapter, the believer is faid to be rifen with Christ, and so he fits together with Chrift in heavenly places. But tho' his best part is above, even his glorious head, whom he will follow; yet he hath members on earth, which he is called to mortify; which mortification of fin is, you fee, the native fruit of his being dead with Chrift, and risen with him. 6th witness that I cite, is, Rom. iii. 28, 31. We conclude that a man is juftified by faith, without the deeds of the law, and fo he is dead to the law. Now, does this doctrine deftroy our living to God? Nay, Do we make void the law thro' faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law; we establish it as a covenant of works, while we believe in Chrift for righteoufnefs, to be imputed for our juftification; and we establish it as a rule of life, and holiness, while we believe in Chrift for ftrength, to be imparted for our fanctification; and fo being dead to the law in point of juftification, we live unto God in fanctification. 7th witness that I cite, is, Rom. vi. 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not, &c. Where you fee, that a man's being under grace, and not under the law, is the very means by which he comes to be delivered, and freed from the dominion of fin, and fo lives unto God. Here is the privilege, deliverance from the dominion of fin; and the means of it is, by the grace of God in Chrift Jefus, by which we are delivered from the law: For as the motions of fin, Rom. vii. 5. are faid to be by the law, fo the law being dead to us, and we by grace

being married to another husband, we bring forth fruit unto God; The grace of God, that bringeth falvation, teaching us to deny ungodliness, Titus ii, II. While the law hath power over a man, he cannot but be bringing forth fruit unto death, Rom. vii. 5. There was never yet an effectual course taken for the mortifying of fin, but by the gospel and the grace of Chrift, which yet fome ignorantly think leads to licentioufnefs, as they thought in Paul's days, ver. 15. Nay, while we are under the law, we are the fervants of fin; but now, ver. 22. being made free from fin, and become fervants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlafling life. 8th witnefs that I cite, is, Rom. viii. 2, 3. For the law of the Spirit of life in Chrift Jefus, hath made me free from the law of fin and death. Why? how comes that about? ver. 3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh. Where ye fee the quality of every believer, he is one that lives to God, and walks not after the flesh, but after the fpirit. And now, what is the foundation of this? even freedom from the law, which thro' our weakness could not justify us; but our help was laid upon one that is mighty, who having come under the law, did, by a facrifice for fin, condemn fin in the flesh, that the righteoufnefs of the law might be fulfilled in us, both in point of justification and factification. 9th witnefs is, 2 Cor. v. 15. read alfo ver. 14. For the love of Chrift constrains us, -that he died for all, that they which live, fhould not henceforth live to themselves, but to him that died for them. There is true fanctification, and living unto God; but how came, it about? The means thereof is the death of Chrift, which we have been celebrating in the facrament of the

Lord's