SERMON II.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN BY THE LAW.

For by the law is the knowledge of sin.-Rom. iii. 20.

THE Jews, and particularly the Pharisees, prided themselves on the high privileges they enjoyed, as being the chosen people of God, sealed with his seal, the objects of a special providence, and the descendants of Abraham, the friend of God. They seem, therefore, to have entertained the flattering opinion, that they were in a safe state, and that the threatenings contained in the Scriptures did not relate to them, but to the heathen, and apostates. The apostle in this epistle, takes great pains to convince them of their error; and after having proved, by a reference to known facts, the desperate wickedness of the heathen, proceeds to show, by irrefragable arguments, that the Jew was really in no safer condition than the Gentile; that both were naturally under condemnation; that all had sinned, and come short of the glory of God. insists upon it, that the curses denounced against sinners, in the written law, related rather to the Jews, than to the Gentiles; "for," says he, "what the law saith, it saith to them that are under the

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law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." The necessary inference from this universality of sin and guilt is, that by the deeds of the law no flesh can be justified in the sight of God: for the evident reason, that "by the law is the knowledge of sin." That law which convinces of sin, must of necessity condemn, but cannot justify. A sentence of justification is grounded on the fact, that the law has been perfectly obeyed, or has been fully satisfied. But if every man may be convicted of sin by the law, then, evidently, the impossibility of being justified by the deeds of the law, that is, by our own obedience to the law, is manifest.

Our object, in the following discourse, is to make some observations on the nature of the law-and to consider the import of the declaration, that "by the law is the knowledge of sin."

Another apostle gives us a comprehensive definition of sin, which coincides exactly with the import of our text. "Sin," says he, "is the transgression of the law." By transgression here, we should understand every want of conformity to the law, for this is the true meaning of the original term here used.

The definition, therefore, includes sins of omission, as well as of commission. Sin has no existence but in relation to the law; for, as the apostle reasons, "where there is no law, there is no transgression." The law may be compared to a straight rule. Sin is the deviation from this rule, and the enormity of the sin may be measured by the degree of obliquity in any act. Laws are of different

kinds, according to the nature of the subject regulated. The universe is under law, for the Creator is a God of order; and acts uniformly in the gov ernment of his creatures, when they are placed in the same circumstances. But our inquiry, at present, relates to the law given to man, as an accountable moral agent. This law was originally written on the human heart, where vestiges of it are still discernible. It has, therefore, been called, the law of nature. But as through the prevalence of ignorance and error, this law has been greatly defaced in all men, and in the minds of some, almost obliterated; it pleased God to make a full revelation of it, comprehending all moral duty, under two great commandments, enjoining love to God and our neighbour; and to show how these general precepts were to be carried out in their application to practice, ten commandments were engraven by the finger of God, on two tables of stone. These summarily comprehend the whole duty of man.

But as the spiritual and perfect nature of the law was misapprehended by the Jews, and many of the precepts set aside by the false glosses of the Scribes and Pharisees, our blessed Lord, in his public discourses, gave the true interpretation of the law, and repudiated the erroneous opinions of moral duty, which had been long inculcated on the people, by their teachers. Many, in our day, also, entertain very inadequate ideas of the nature and obligations of the law. By some it is believed and taught, that the strictness of the moral law is now relaxed, and that a milder and more indulgent rule of life, has succeeded to the law given to our first

parents, while in a state of innocence. But no conclusion is more certain from both reason and Scripture, than the indispensable, immutable nature of the law. As it arises from the nature of God, and the relation of man to him; and is really, a transcript, as far as it goes, of the moral attributes of God, it never can be relaxed, nor undergo any change in its principles. As God is infinitely noly, he never can require less holiness in his creatures, than they are capable of. The idea of bringing down the law to adapt it to the ability of fallen man is absurd; for on that principle, the more any man was under the dominion of sin, the less would the law require of him. This principle would go far to nullify the law altogether, and render it utterly impossible to ascertain precisely what it requires. It is a sound principle, that any inability arising from a depraved nature, has no tendency to alter the demands of the law. The law, therefore, ever remains the same, to the man in innocence-to the man under sin-to the man partially sanctified, and to the saint in heaven. It is the standard of human perfection, and its moral obligation can

never cease.

Antinomians hold, that in consequence of Christ's perfect obedience, the law has no demands on those in whose place he obeyed. They pretend, therefore, that the moral law is not obligatory on Christians, to whom the righteousness of Christ is imputed. This is a gross abuse of a cardinal doctrine. And if the thing were true, it would be no privilege, but a real detriment to the believer; for he finds that the keeping of the commandments of God,

even in this world, is attended with a great reward.

Others, again, entertain the opinion that the law was altered and improved by our Lord; and they refer to the sermon on the mount. But the alteration is not in the law itself, but in the interpretation of the law; the erroneous opinions respecting some things were set aside, in that discourse. But our Lord, when he lays down the precepts of the law, gives us precisely the great principles of duty which are found in the law of Moses. God is the same from everlasting to everlasting, and his law must be the same.

The law of God is not an arbitrary rule, but, as was said, is founded on the nature of man, and the relation in which he stands to God, and his fellow creatures. Reason dictates, that a rational, choosing agent, should employ all his faculties, and direct all his actions, to the glory of his Creator; and as this end can in no other way be attained, than by obeying the will of God, therefore, the manifestation of the divine will must be the law of all rational creatures. And as to the measure of obedience required, it is evident, that there can be no limit to its perfection, except that which necessarily arises from the limited nature of the faculties of creatures. The idea intended to be communicated is, that all the faculties and affections of every rational creature, are reasonably put into requisition, to glorify the Creator. It cannot be supposed, that any thing less than entire devotedness to the will of God should be required; or when required, that there