[1.] It is a fixed principle : Epii, iv. 24, * And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.' When the heart is thus constituted and framed, that to be imjust, or to do anything unjust, is as unsuitable to them as it is for venomons berries to grow upon a choice vine. As it is said of such a one that he did good quia aliter facere non poterat, because he could not do other- wise, the same doth the new nature ; it doth more than moral habits : 1 John iii. 9, ' Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin ; for his seed remainetli in him : and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.' Now if the same grace that maketh ns submissive to God maketh us also just and harmless to men, surely it is a great advantage when righteousness is another nature to us.
[2.] It is a supernatural principle. The mere motion of our own human spirit cannot enforce us, and incline us to righteousness so much as the Spirit of God : ' The gentiles do by nature the things contained in the law,' Kom. ii. 14. But here is a divine power, and so a more perfect principle. Take the human spirit as coming from God ut author naturce, as the author of nature : Rom. i. 19, ' Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them ; for God hath showed it unto them ; ' or ut author gratice, as the author of gi-ace, as God hath renewed them, and given them a new frame : Eph. ii. 10. ' We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.' But here is actual assistance : Ezek. xxxvi. 27, ' I will put my Spirit into you, and cause you to walk in my statutes ; and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.' The short is this, nature cannot do as much as grace, nor habitual grace infused so much as grace actually assisted by a divine and powerful assistance.
[3.] It is a forcible and kindly principle ; for it is such a principle as worketh by the love of God, and hopes of glory ; for ' Faith worketh by love,' Gal v, G, as the apostle expresseth it. What will not such a principle do? faith representing what God hath done for us in Chi-ist, and what he will further do. If we look back, what wonders of love dotli faith represent to work us to an obedience to God's will ! If we look forward, what hopes of glory and blessedness are set before us ! Eedemption by Christ and hopes of glory are more powerful and forcible principles than any reasons mere bare nature can suggest. No
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wonder that they who never felt the force of faith and love to God upon their souls do so much cry up bare formality. Take faith as it representeth heaven to us, or our proper felicity in the vision and fruition of God, surely that doth establish righteousness upon sure terms, and advanceth it at a higher rate than all the arguments taken fi'om our worldly interest and conveniences: Acts xxiv. 14-16, ' Believing all things that are written in the law and the prophets : and have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men.' Take the other principle, love to God. Indeed the inmiediate principle of justice is love to man, for all the second table is comprised in this, to ' love thy neighbour as thyself;' but love to man is but a stream from a higher fountain, which is love to God: 1 John iv. 21, 'And this commandment we have from him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also.' Our love to our brother must be both excited and measured by our love to God. We must love all mankind, and all his creatures which bear his imag'e ; his natural image in all men, his spiritual image in his saints.
2. Because it measureth and directeth things by a more perfect rule than the law of nature. Our rule is God's word, which is a more pure and perfect rule than so much of the law as remaineth written upon man's heart after the fall. As natural conscience worketh more coldly than a principle of grace or faith working by love, so it is a more imperfect rule and direction to us, and we have a larger understanding of our duty by what God hath revealed in his word than otherwise we could have. We are told, Prov. xv. 21, 'That a man of under- standing walketh uprightly.' To be thorough in our duty there needeth to be a large, deep, and solid judgment, sufficiently informed out of the word of God. But what instruction doth the word of God give in this point? To tell you that were to transcribe the whole bible, so far as it concerneth this duty of man to man. But in the general —