This being "the lavv^" in the sense of the apostle, and those with whom he had to do, our next inquiry is. What was their sense of "tuorks," or "works of the law?" And I say it is plain that they intended hereby the universal sincere obedience of the church unto God, according unto this law. And other works the law of God acknowledgeth not; yea, it expressly condemns all works that have any such defect in them as to render them unacceptable unto God. Hence, notwithstanding all the commands that God had positively given for the strict obsei'vance of sacrifices, offerings, and the like; yet, when the people performed them without faith and love, he expressly affirms that he " commanded them not," — that is, to be observed in such a manner."^ In these works, therefore, consisted their personal righteousness, as they walked " in all the command- ments and ordinances of the Lord blameless," Luke i. 6; wherein they did " instantly serve God day and night," Acts xxvi. 7. And this they esteemed to be their own righteousness, their righteousness according unto the law; as really it Avas, Phil. iii. 6, 9. For although the Pharisees had greatly corrupted the doctrine of the law, and put false glosses on sundry precepts of it; yet, that the church in tliose days did, by " the works of the law," understand either ceremonial du-
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ties only, or external works, or works with a conceit of merit, or works wrought without an internal principle of faith and love to God, or any thing but their own personal sincere obedience unto the whole doctrine and rule of the law, there is nothing that should give the least colour of imagination. For, —
1. All this is perfectly stated in the suffrage which the scribe gave unto the declaration of the sense and design of the law, with the nature of tlie obedience which it doth require, and was made at his request by om- blessed Saviour. Mark xii. 28-33, " And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?" (or as it is. Matt. xxii. 36, " Which is the great commandment in the law ?") " And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord ; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself And the scribe said unto him. Well, Master, thou hast said the truth : for there is one God; and there is none but he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices." And this [is] so expressly given by Moses as the sum of the law, — namely, faith and love, as the principle of all our obedience, Deut. vi. 4, 5, that it is marvellous what should induce any learned, sober person to fix upon any other sense of it; as that it respected ceremonial or' external worJcs only, or such as may be wrought without faith or love. This is the law concerning which the apostle disputes, and this the obedience wherein the works of it do consist ; and more than this, in the way of obedi- ence, God never did nor will require of any in this world. Where- fore, the law and the works thereof which the apostle excludeth from justification, is that whereby we are obhged to believe in God as one God, the only God, and love him with all our hearts and souls, and our neighbours as ourselves; and what works there are, or can be, in any persons, regenerate or not regenerate, to be performed in the strength of grace or without it, that are acceptable unto God, that may not be reduced unto these heads, I know not.
2. The apostle himself declareth that it is the law and the works of it, in the sense we have expressed, that he excludeth from our justifi- cation. For the law he speaks of is " the law of righteousness," Rom. ix. 31, — the law whose righteousness is to be " fulfilled in us," that we may be accepted with God, and freed from condemnation, chap, viii. 4 ; — that in obedience whereunto our own personal righteousness
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doth consist, whether that we judge so before conversion, Rom. x. 3 ; or what is so after it, Phil. iii. 9 ; — the laAV which if a man observe, " he shaU Hve," and be justified before God, Rom. ii. 18; Gal. iii. 12; Horn. X. 5 ; — that law which is " holy, just, and good," which dis- covereth and coudemneth all sin whatever, chap. vii. 7, 9.
From what hath been discoursed, these two things are evident in the confirmation of our present argument: — first. That the law in- tended by the apostle, when he denies that by the works of the law any can be justified, is the entire rule and guide of our obedience unto God, even as unto the whole frame and spiritual constitution of our souls, with all the acts of obedience or duties that he requireth of us ; and, secondly. That the works of this law, which he so fre- quently and plainly excludeth from our justification, and therein op- poseth to the grace of God and the blood of Christ, are all the duties of obedience, — internal, supernatural ; external, ritual, — however we are or may be enabled to perform them, that God requireth of us. And these things excluded, it is the righteousness of Christ alone, im- puted unto us, on, the account whereof we are justified before God.