2. Hence see the reason why the devil opposes the doctrine of grace fo much, and cares not tho' the law, as a covenant, be ever fo much preached up, because it is the gospel doctrine that tends only to true godliness, while the law and legal doctrine tends to keep men ftrangers to the life of God. The devil cares not how much you be in duties, providing you keep off from Chrift, who is the end of the law for righteousness, for then he knows you would be holy alfo; but he is an unholy devil, and therefore he opposes the gofpel, and its doctrine. The devil knows that he hath a fure hold of you, fo long as you have a hold of the law; but that he hath loft you, if once you have got to Chrift For if once you get Chrift for juftification, as having fulfilled the righteousness of the law for you, then you will also get him for fanctification, to fulfil the righteousness of the law in you. devil knows, that tho' in seeming holiness you fhould be transformed to an angel of light, like himself, yet you lie under the heavy vengeance of God, and curfe of the law, and under the power of fin too, fo long as you are under the law. Therefore,

The

3. Hence fee the reason why the most part of the world are living to fin, living to felf, living to the world, living to the devil; Why? because they are not dead to the law. They only that are dead to the law, do live unto God; and furely then, they that are alive to the law, and not dead to it, are living to the devil. No man that is alive to the law, can be a holy man, or a godly man: Nay, what is the reafon of all the ungodlinefs and unrighteousness, all the profanity and wickedness of this generation? Why? People are ftrangers to Christ, and are still under the irritating power

of the law, which is the strength of fin. The world is crying up morality, as if the preachers of Chrift and his righteoufnefs were enemies to the moral law, as a rule of holiness; and behold, in the righteous judgment of God, there was never a generation left to greater immoralities; a juft punishment of mens defpifing Chrift, and his law-biding righteousness, through the faith whereof only true holiness and conformity to the law can be attained. O when the believer gets to fee by faith, that he hath nothing to do with the law as a covenant, this makes him delight in the law of God, as a rule of holiness; when he fees he hath not a farthing of debt to pay, either to the precept, or threatning of the law as a covenant, because that debt was paid by Chrift's obedience to the death, this makes him find himself under the moft grateful obligations to ferve the Lord, in obedience to his law, as a rule; yea, under a greater obligation than ever Adam was in the ftate of innocency; but the rest of the world that are utter ftrangers to this freedom, are in bondage to the law, and fo in bondage to their lufts.

4. Hence we may fee the neceffity of a lawwork of conviction and humiliation, and how much of it is neceffary, even as much as will render him dead to the law, that he may live unto God. So much conviction is neceffary, as will unbottom the man from the covenant of works, and make him disclaim his own righteousness, and cry out, Unclean, unclean, guilty, guilty; that thus his felfconfidence may be killed, and he through the law may be dead to the law, and may creep under the covert of the blood of the lamb, under the covert of the righteoufness of Chrift for justification, that

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being dead to the law, he may live unto God.
While men are without this law-work, rendering
them dead to the law, they are at beft but efta-
blishing a righteousness of their own, which will
keep them out of heaven, as much as their fins will
do. And this makes the gate of heaven to be in-
deed a strait gate, because many seek to enter in, in
a legal way, and fhall not be able, Luke xiii. 24.
And this makes the way broad that leads unto hell,
fo broad, that it lets in all that are out of Chrift,
both the openly wicked, and the felf-righteous.
There is but one way to heaven, and that is Chrift:
But there are many ways to hell; especially thefe
two, fome walk in a more cleanly way of self-
righteousness, and others in a more dirty way of
open wickedness, but both meet together at the
end of the way, and that is the center of damnation.
O what need, then, is there of a law-work, to con-
vince the wicked of their fins, and the felf-righteous
of their need of a better righteousness, that being
dead to the law, they may live to God!

5. Hence we may fee whence it is that believers
live fo little to God, and are fo untender and un-
holy: It flows from this, that they are not perfectly*
dead to the law, nor perfectly freed from it: Much
of a legal spirit remains; and the more that takes
place, the more unholy they are. Tho' they have
fhaken off, in converfion, the authority of the co-
venant of works as a prince, which is a great mat-
ter; yet they are many times under the autho-
rity thereof as an ufurper, by reafon of the old
legal nature, which is but partly renewed in time:
And hence the voice of the law speaks many
in the believer's confcience, and he is terrified at

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times

the voice of it; for it prefumes to curfe him, and to bid him do, or else be damned; and so it weakens his hands, and makes him think God is a hard master: Whereas the voice of the gospel in his confcience, is the ftill, calm voice, fweetly intreating, and alluring the heart to its obedience, conveying a fecret ftrength to obey, and making the foul delight in the Lord's way, Song i. 4. Draw me, we will run. But what fhould the believer do, when the law comes to chide him, and command him to obey upon pain of death, or to curse him for his difobedience? Why, he may even fay in the words of Luther, who, upon the point of juftification, was as found as any fince his day, O LAW, Chrift is my righteousness, my treasure, and my work; I confefs, O law, that I am neither godly nor righteous, but yet this I am fure of, that he is godly and righteous for me. His obedience answered both the godlinefs required in the first table of the law, and the righteoufnefs required in the fecond table. The believer may fay to the law, O law, I am dead to thee, and married to another husband, even Jefus Chrift; and therefore cannot bring forth any children, any fruit, any acts of obedience to thy threatning commands: But, behold, I run to my fweet hufband, who hath fugared and fweetned the law, with a gofpel-drefs and form; which giving ftrength to obey, and fhewing the believer's freedom from the wrath of God, encourages the believer (as our confeffion of faith fpeaks) being free from the curfe of the moral law, and delivered from everlafting damnation, to yield obedience to God, not out of flavish fear, but a child-like love and a willing mind.

6. Hence

6. Hence fee how it is, that holiness is neceffary to falvation. Why, it is the very life of the juftified man, being dead to the law, to live unto God: He is not holy that he may be juftified, but justified that he may be holy. I do not here meddle with the question, whether regeneration or juftification be first in order of nature? For I am speaking mainly, not of habitual holiness, or the firft habit of grace, but of actual holiness, whether internal in the exercife of grace, or external in the performance of duty. Thus holiness, I fay, is neceffary to falvation, as being the native, neceffary, and infeparable fruit of juftification, or dying to the law; it is the justified man's way of living, or walking towards heaven, They that turn the grace of God into wantonnefs, pervert the right end of grace, which teaches us to deny ungodlinefs, and worldly lufts; and they that give up with the law as a rule of holiness, because they are, or think they are delivered from the law as a covenant of works, pervert the very end of that freedom, which is that they may live unto God; and no doubt, many among believers themselves are in danger of this fin: For I know no fin but what a believer is liable to, if he be left to himfelf. And because many of them abuse grace, therefore God keeps the lawfpur at their fide; for it is with many, as with dull lazy horfes, fo long as the fpur is in their fide, they ride quickly, but when that is removed, they become dull and heavy, and are ready to ftand ftill : So while the law exacted rigid obedience, and threatned damnation and hell, they were diligent, and durft not balk a duty, they were tender in their walk: But now being delivered from this

spur