forth, and gradually to introduce, the appointed and only availing facrifice of Christ. The law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with thofe facrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. The first tabernacle was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and facrifices that could not make him that did the Service perfect as pertaining to the confcience: which flood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings and carnal ordinances impofed on them until the time of reformation. For there is verily a difannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof for the law made nothing perfect. Sacrifice and offering, and burnt-offerings, and offering for fin, thou wouldest not, neither hadft pleasure therein, which are offered by the law: then faid I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. Every prieft flandeth daily miniftering, and offering oftentimes the fame facrifices, which can never take away fins. For it is not poffible that the blood of bulls and of goats fhould take away fins (c). The perfect obfervance of the Ceremonial Law would have juftified the Jew as to the observance of the ceremonies, but (e) Heb. x. 1. ix. 8—rb. vîï. 18, 19. x. 4—11. no no farther. It never could have removed guilt it never could have made atonement for fin. Hence, when the Jewish converts, after the death of Chrift, were clinging to the abolished ritual; were reviving it as by authority of their own, when it had ceased to have authority from God; were promifing to themselves justification through its ordinances, to the difparagement and desertion of the fundamental principle of the Gospel, that a man is to be juftified exclusively by faith in the blood of his Redeemer: St. Paul fcruples not to denominate these ordinances rudiments of the world, weak and beggarly elements, doctrines and commandments of men (d): affirms that to trust in them is to turn from the Spirit to the flesh (e): and that if a man is entangled again in their yoke of bondage, Chrift fhall profit him nothing (f). It will be manifeft, however, if we examine the language and the reasoning of the Apostle, that when he pronounces that a man is juftified by faith without the deeds of the law, he designs to exclude the Moral Law no less diftinctly and decidedly than the Ceremonial Law, from any share in the office of juftification. (d) Gal. iv, 3, 9. Col. ii. 20, 22. (ƒ) Gal. v. 1, 24 (e) Gal. iii. 3. Attend, Attend, in the first place, to fome prefumptive arguments. The general expreffion, that we are juftified by faith, an expreffion repeatedly used, and repeatedly fupported by equivalent terms (g), apparently excludes from the office of juftification all other things; and therefore the Moral Law. When, to this general expreffion, are added terms unequivocally negative and exclusive; as, not by the works of the law (b)without the deeds of the law (i)-without the law (k)without works (1) ;-and when other phrases, in substance the same with these, are brought into the account (m): the inference, that the whole law, and all legal works, are shut out, is ftrengthened. When, as we proceed in our inquiries, we read that we are justified by the grace of Jefus Chrift our Saviour (n)-that we are justified freely by His grace (0)-(by that gracious plan of Redemption, in which we obtain an interest by faith,) for it is of faith, that it might be by grace; we have access by faith into this grace wherein we (p) ftand-thefe expreffions seem (g) Gal. iii. 24. (b) Gal. ii. 16. Rom. iii. 26. v. i. iv, 13, 14, 16, 24, 25. (i) Rom. iii. 28. (4) Rom. iii. 21. (m) Gal. iii. 11, 12, v. 4. Rom. iii. 20. (0) Ram. iii. 24. (p) Rom. iv. 16. v. 2. F Still still more pointedly to exclude the idea of a concurrent justifying power in any law, in any human work. So alfo the affertion, that we are justified by the blood of Christ (q), in which blood it is faith that gives us an intereft, apparently excludes the concurrence of other means. But let us advance to pofitive proofs. The Apostle, when inculcating in the third chapter of his Epistle to the Romans the doctrine of juftification by faith without the deeds of the law, avowedly comprehends the Gentiles equally with the Jews. He maintains that the Jews are in no wife better than the Gentiles: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under fin. Therefore by the deeds of the law there fball no flesh be juftified in His fight. But now the righteousness of God (the method of justification appointed by Him) without the law is manifefted, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jefus Chrift unto all, and upon all them that believe, (whether Jews or Gentiles,) for there is no difference: for all have finned and come fort of the glory of God: being justified freely by His grace through the (9) Rom. v. 9. and fee Rom, iii. 25. redemption redemption that is in Jefus Chrift, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood. It is one God which shall justify the circumcifion by faith, and uncircumcifion through faith (r). Now the Gentiles never were fubjected, nor defigned to be fubjected, to the Ceremonial Law. If therefore the Ceremonial Law only were intended by the Apostle his reafoning would be, as to the Gentiles,' altogether irrelevant and nugatory. To the Moral Law they were fubject; difcerning by the light of nature the things of the law, fhewing the work of the law written in their hearts, their confcience also bearing witnefs (s). St. Paul's argument therefore, as comprehending the Moral Law, is perfectly relevant; but not otherwise. In addition to the preceding obfervations let it be fubjoined, that the tranfgreffions of the Gentiles, as enumerated in the paffage to which the Apostle alludes (t) when he ftates himfelf to have before proved the Gentiles to be under fin, are all of them breaches of the Moral Law. Obferve, in the next place, the reafoning of St. Paul concerning the justifying faith of (r) Rom. iii. 9, 20-25, 30. See alfo Rom. i. 16, 17. (s) Rom. ii. 14, 15. See alfo Rom. i. 18. and ii. 26, 27. (t) Rom. i. 28-32. F 2 the |