SERMON XIV.

PREACHED AT BRADFIELD ON THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, 1839.

GAL. V. 18.

If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

We know that the law is holy, just and good, not one tittle of the law shall fail. But here we read of it as some great good, that men should be no more under the law. It follows then, that to be under grace,-to be led by the Spirit,-contains within itself whatsoever good was given to men in the law. Accordingly, we find it promised thus, "That God would write His law in men's hearts "." At first it was before them, written on stones, and over them, to judge of their obedience. But now it should be within them, comprehended in that one good and perfect gift that came down from the Father of lights, the gift of the Holy Spirit of promise. If the Spirit of Christ is in them, His law must be in them, for His law is but the expression of His will, and His

a

a Jer. xxxi. 33.

Nay,

Spirit must ever will what He does. more than the written law must be in them although the written law be a more blessed and glorious thing than any man's mind can conceive.

The law was given by itself first, to keep the people of God from falling away from Him, and to put them in a way of preparation, while they were waiting for the coming of the Saviour. Whilst the law stood by itself, they were under it, and were bound by every part of it alike. That is, not only by the precepts of duty to God and man, but also by the ordinances which were but shadows of heavenly things. The sacrifices and washings, and other points of the law, which were to perish in the using, being only types of the sacrifice of our Lord, and of the operations of His Spirit, were yet binding until He came. Of these not one tittle fell to the ground, for He fulfilled them all in their spiritual meaning for us, or still fulfils them to us. Of the other precepts, of which I spoke before, those of duty to God and man, not one tittle falls to the ground, since they are all fulfilled by walking after the Spirit which He gives; or in other words, since every one of them is still contained among those things which a Christian

is bound to do, and will do if he follows where the Holy Spirit guides him. Nay more, every point of it is among those things which a Christian must do, as he would wish to meet his Judge at the last day, with joy and not in terror, for we shall be judged according to the things done in the body.

The difference between being under the law and under grace may then be considered, First, with respect to the commands which men have to obey in the several states. Secondly, with regard to the manner of obeying them. Thirdly, with regard to the promise to the faithful and obedient. Other points of difference might be mentioned, but these will suffice for the present.

First, with respect to the commands which men have to obey. Perhaps few of us have considered how many commands there are in the law of Moses which relate to ceremonies, and with which we have nothing to do except as we can learn from their spiritual meaning, and from reflecting on the order of things amongst those who were under them. The rite of circumcision by which they entered into the legal covenant, the sacrifices, the washings, the going up to Jerusalem three times a year, the laws b 2 Cor. v. 10.

about dedicating the first-born of their cattle, the laws against eating some kinds of meat, the law that any one who touched a dead body should be unclean for a certain time, and the like. All these served a good purpose for a time, and made way for better things, but they are not for us to observe.

Thus far we have less to observe than the Israelites had under the law. But the great law of love to God and mand was given to them, and is given to use also. You will remember that it is to be found in the law of Moses as well as in the New Testament. Our Lord once gave it in answer to the question what is the great commandment in the law, and one of the lawyers' knew it too, and gave it in answer to the like question from Him. But the manner in which this great commandment was to bear upon man's whole life, and what would be the conduct. of one who loved God with all his heart, and his neighbour as himself, was not so clear under the law as in the gospel. Some points of difference may be seen in the Sermon on the mount-which may be called the Christian law. It is stricter than the expresses clearly

old law, or at least it

Deut. vi. 5.

e Matt. xxii. 39, 40.

d Lev. xix. 18.

f Luke x. 27.

duties, which are not mentioned in the old law, but there left to be understood by the dutiful and obedient. The old law forbade men to commit murder, the new law forbids them to give way to anger,—makes it a sin to harbour in the mind those thoughts which may possibly lead to such crimes. The old law forbids adultery, the new law bids men turn away their eyes from beholding vanity, and their very thoughts from unchaste desire.

The old law forbids false-swearing, the new law forbids swearing at all in common talk. Now I do not say that any one who had done his best to live after the old law would not have known something of these points. But they were not there so clearly set down. Since men were once gone astray, it was needful they should know what they must not do outwardly, before their thoughts could be brought under control.

But the points I have spoken of were still rules, and so far like the old law. The new law goes beyond rules, it bids us be followers of Christ, and so makes His perfect example a rule to us. This is what the old law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh. There was no such example to which it

8 Rom. viii. 3.