1. The duty is impossible. So full and exact is that righteousness that is required by the law covenant in order to life, that it is impos- sible for the fallen creature ever to perform it : Eom. viii. 3, ' What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh.' The law proraiseth no good to sinners, but only to the innocent ; it reveals no way of taking away sin past, but only of punishing sin, no way for
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man once a sinner ever to recover himself; therefore it is become weak, that is, impossible, through our flesh. The weakness of the flesh will not permit it to be fulfilled in that exactness which is required of us. If it could be exactly fulfilled for the future, yet there would be no hopes of life, because of sin past ; therefore, to hope our good meanings, good intentions, and endeavours should help us, is to no purpose. A man must, from the first moment of life to the last minute thereof, be perfectly exact with God. Now man, that could not keep himself in innocency, it cannot be thought that he can recover himself when lost.
2. The penalty is intolerable : Gal. iii. 10, ' Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.' The law is a mouth that speaketh terrible things, it curseth a man in his person, comforts, basket, store, in all things that he hath ; all the miseries of this life are included in this curse : Lam. iii. 39, ' Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punish- ment of his sins ? ' Death itself is part of it ; it is ' the wages of sin,' Kom. vi. 23, and the pains of hell : Mark xxv. 41, ' Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.' When the law shall take a sinner by the throat, and say. Pay me what thou owest, alas ! what can a poor creature do to avoid the curse or overcome it ? Every one of us, in thought, word, and deed, have broken the law of God; now wherewith shall we appease his wrath ? We have nothing to give God, or that he will accept at our hands ; we cannot hide or withdraw ourselves from the presence of the Lord, for we must all appear before the judg- ment-seat of Christ. We cannot abide this curse, for who can dwell with devouring burnings ? Oh ! what shall we do then to escape this horrible curse ? There is no way but by flying from the sentence of the law to the throne of grace for mercy and pardon. There is no other hope left us, for they that do not betake themselves to the covenant of grace must stand or fall by the sentence of the law ; so that this is the most powerful engine to awaken men's consciences, and prepare them for Christ. Therefore for good reason Christ sends this confident young man to the law, ' Thou knowest the command- ments.'
Reason 3. There is none passeth into the new covenant till he be driven by the old, and therefore certainly this is the way to prepare a man for Christ, to have some sense and feeling of it in our own heart, and we see we are cursed and undone creatures, and so lie at God's feet with brokenness of heart : Kom. viii. 15, ' Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.' There is a spirit that goes along with every covenant ; the spirit of bondage begets fear in all that are under the first covenant, and the spirit of adoption begets hope in all that are under the second covenant : Gal. ii. 19, 'I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.' Before we can lay hold of the second covenant, we must be dead to the law. Men are slight and careless until the curse of the law puts them so hard to it, that they are made to despair of getting heaven and salvation by obedience to it. Oh ! then, they think of a new life and a new claim. The curse of the law follows them close, makes them utterly despair in themselves ; then they are fit to live unto God. The apostle tells us
442 SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. [Ser IIL
tliis is the great use for whicli the law now serveth: Eom, v. 20, 'The law entered, that the offence might abound ;' Gal. iii. 19, ' Wherefore then serveth the law ? it was added because of transgression ;' that is, to convince sinners of their lost estate, that men might be sensible of their sins, and so forcibly constrained to make after another righteous- ness. None pass from one covenant to another but they have a taste of the first.
Use 1. To inform us how the two covenants agree, and are sub- servient to one another; for these two are not contrary, being both truths revealed by God ; they have a mutual respect. The law serveth to make sin known : Kom. iii. 20, ' For by the law is the knowledge of sin ; ' and the gospel holdeth forth the remedy of sin : John i. 29, ' Behold the Lamb of God, which taketli away the sin of the world.' The law points out our need of Christ, 'who is the end of the law for righteousness,' Eom. x. 4. The gospel maketh an offer of Christ, that in him we may have what we could not attain by the law: 1 Cor. i. 30, 'For of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.' The law dis- covers those duties wherein a man made righteous ought to walk and testify his thankfulness : Eph. iv. 1, 2, 'I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness,' &c. The gospel furnisheth him with spiritual strength to walk in those duties which the law prescribeth : 2 Cor. iii. 6, ' The letter killeth, but the Spirit givetli life.' Lexjuhet groiia jnvat — The law commands, but grace helps us. Thus they fairly agree, and are mutually useful.