BUT I obferved alfo, that there is a further liberty, wherein the gospel hath placed us Christians, arifing from the relaxation of the rigour of thofe PENALTIES, which were to be inflicted on the tranfgreffors of the law.

The law, indeed, did not threaten death to every fin, but in fome cafes allowed a facrifice for expiation. But wherefoever it did threaten death in express words, it did not allow repentance itself as a condition of remiffion.

To this we may add, that the fame law did threaten death to abundance of feveral kinds of fins, (which it would be almost endless to enumerate), whenfoever they were committed against knowledge. So that whofoever had fo finned in any of thofe numerous kinds, had no difpenfation from the law, no not upon repentance itself; but was, by the fentence of the law, to die, by the hand of God, or of the magiftrate.

Now the gospel, on the other hand, although it threaten eternal death to obftinate and impenitent finners; yet it allows,

and

and accepts repentance, as a condition of pardon in all degrees and kinds of fin, wherein the law did not allow it as to the punishment it threatened. And this is the thing which Saint Paul fuggefts, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man, that is, through Christ, is preached unto you forgiveness of fins, and by him all that believe are juftified from all thofe things, from which ye could not be juftified by the law of Mofes *. There were numerous fins, from which the law did not abfolve the offending perfon. The law did never abfolve, or justify, where a man had wittingly committed a fin, to which that law threatened death; but left him, without any promise of pardon, to the fovereignty of the Lawmaker. Whereas the gofpel, in exprefs words, admits repentance and reformation, as a condition of forgiveness, in all those kinds and degrees of fin. No fin fo heinous in its nature, none fo aggravated by repetition, none fo heightened by long continuance, whereunto the gospel doth not expressly promife pardon, upon the * A&ts xiii. 38.

finner's

finner's return to God.

Here is that grace, which pardons the fenfual and impure, upon their amendment and reformation. Here is that grace, which pardons the violent and injurious, upon repentance and reftitution. Here is that mercy, which forgives the impious and profane, if peradventure they shall reform and return to God by true repentance. A grace, fo great and undeferved, that it is feldom mentioned in fcripture, without expreffions of admiration. A grace, fo fignal, and fo eminent, that when the apoftle had defcribed it in the fifth chapter to the Romans, he found it needful to spend the fixth in caution against the abuse of it. Not that the liberty of the gospel, either in this or the former instance, is really such in its own nature, as that it gives any reasonable grounds for men to indulge themselves in fin; but that they, being bribed by their own lufts, take encouragement to do this, where none is given; that is, (according to the expreffion in my text), they use the liberty given in the gofpel for an occafion to the flesh.

SOME there were, in the apoftle's days,

who,

who, being acquainted with their liberty from the rites and injunctions of the law, earlier than many others were, used the liberty of their confciences, to infnare the confciences of other men; fcorned and cenfured them as weak and ignorant; and by their cenfures and examples engaged them in the neglect of fome laws relating to certain days and meats, before they understood their liberty, or had due time to understand it. And this abuse of Chriftian liberty is cenfured in Saint Paul's writings both to the Romans and Corinthians.

Others, obferving that Saint Paul denied the neceffity, nay in fome cafes forbade the ufe of the works of the law, that is, of the rites before mentioned, in order to juftification; took liberty to abfolve themselves from the works and graces of the gospel; from juftice, mercy, and humility; from love, and patience, and veracity; from the engagements and obligations not only of the laws of Chrift, but even of natural religion itself.

Others again, obferving that the gospel promised pardon, where the law of Mofes had denied it, and judging that the

grace

of

of God was highly magnified by that pardon, took leave to indulge themselves in fin, under pretence of magnifying God's grace. Which is the error Saint Paul cenfures, where he fays, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in fin, that grace may abound? God forbid. God offers no pardon, but to the penitent. The defign of his grace, in offering pardon to the penitent, is to invite men to repentance. And therefore to use that grace, as an encouragement to impenitence, is to use it just against itself, contrary to its own defign as well as against a man's own advantage.

How much of this unthankful folly may yet remain in the Chriftian world, I am not able to determine. But fure I am, that there is fomething like unto it, in very general use; which is, the delay of reformation, grounded upon the promise of pardon to every man that forfaketh his fins, although he hath long continued in them: Which is a great abufe of the grace of God. God promiseth pardon, to prevent despair; these men abuse that promise to prefumption. God admits repentance after fin, to encourage