2. When they depart from the law as the rule of their life — ■
[The law, though set aside by the Gospel as a ground of our hope, remains, in all its pristine force, as a rule of life. It must be obeyed, and obeyed from the heart too, as much as if we were to obtain justification by it: nor is there any other standard by which our lives must be regulated, in order to please and honour God. The Gospel proposes nothing new in respect of morals. It adds to our motives for obedience, and gives us a more complete pattern : but it enjoins nothing beyond the requirements of the law. The law enjoins us to love God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves : and beyond that we cannot go. The Gospel informs us, that " God was in Christ recon- ciling the world unto himself;" and, consequently, all the faith and love which we are taught to exercise towards God, we exercise towards our adorable Emmanuel ; and all the love which we manifest to man, we manifest it for Christ's sake, and in conformity to the pattern which he has set us : but beyond the demands of the lata we cannot go ; nor short of those demands are we alloived, to stop. If, therefore, we see any one relaxing in his obedience to the law, we declare to him, that " faith has not in him its perfect work." His heart must be right with God : he must labour to " walk in all things as Christ walked :" he must, if not in absolute attainment, yet in desire and endeavour, be " holy as God himself is holy, and perfect as his Father which is in heaven is perfect." There must be no sin, though dear as a right eye or useful as a right hand, retained : and if we see a man proposing to himself any lower standard than this, we must, of necessity, " stand in doubt of him ;" and fear, so far as he is concerned, that we have bestowed on him labour in vainb.]
Let me, then, point out to you,
II. The awful state of a people that are so circum- stanced— Truly, 1. Their responsibility is great —
[It is here taken for granted, that the Gospel has been faithfully preached to them. And I hope this may be said with respect to you, my brethren. Yes ; you will bear me witness, that " Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth crucified among you, even as it were before your eyesc." Now, our blessed Lord said to his hearers, that " if he had
b Mark ix. 43 — 47. with Jam. ii. 10. c Gal. iii. 1.