intended to give man any title to life ; nor could it possibly give life, because every human being is corrupt, and incapable of rendering to it a perfect obedience*^. The law is a perfect transcript of God's mind and will. It makes known to man the whole extent of his duty ; and requires a perfect obedience to every one of its commands. If transgressed in any one par- ticular, it denounces death : it says to every soul of man, " The soul that sinneth, it shall die." At the same time that it thus rigorously exacts a perfect obedience, it neither imparts to man any strength for obedience, nor provides any remedy for one single act of disobedience : and hence it is called in our text, " a ministration of death and of condemnation." Its voice to all is, " Do this and live : transgress, and perish." But as every man has transgressed it, and consequently can never do all that it commands, it consigns to death every child of man, according as St. Paul has said ; " As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse : for it is written Cursed is every one that contiijueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them®." We must not desire to do them, but " do" them ; not some, but " all ;" not for a time, but for a " continuance," from the first to the last moment of our lives : nor is there any exception in favour of any child of man ; for " every one" must stand or fall, be saved or '* cursed" according to this law ; and consequently, every man being of necessity born under this law, " every mouth must be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God^."]
The Gospel is called " a ministration of righteous- ness and of the Spirit" —
[The law condemning all, the Gospel applies a remedy: it reveals a Saviour, who, by his own obedience unto death, has " made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in an ever- lasting righteousness s." This righteousness is revealed to us in the Gospel to be apprehended by faith"^; and it is actually given " unto," and put " upon," " all who believe" in Jesus'. This righteousness is totally independent of any obedience to the law on our part : it exists in Christ alone, and is imputed unto us by faith'': and, so far from being augmented by any works of ours, it would be made void by the smallest depend- ence on our own works'; and we must renounce all hope in ourselves, before we can have any part or lot in the righteous- ness of Christ™. Hence the Gospel is called " a ministration of righteousness," because it reveals a righteousness commen-
d Gal. iii. 21. with Rom. viii. 3. « Gal. iii. 10.
f Rom. iii. 19. s Dan. ix. 24. ^ Rom. i. 17.
> Rom. iii. 21, 22. ^ Rom. iv. 5, 6.
1 Gal. ii. 21. and v. 4. «> Phil. iii. 9.