way to adorn the Gospel" ; this is the way to answer all God's purposes of love towards you. Remember this, then, I pray you. And as I am " charged of God to teach no other doc- trine among youx," so I must charge you, in the name of God, to receive no other amongst yourselves. You will find per- sons without number ready to obtrude upon you some matters of doubtful disputation ; yea, and within your own bosoms you will find much to contend with that is contrary to love. But set the Lord Jesus Christ before you. See how love burned in his bosom, till " his zeal had even consumed him," and till he had surrendered his life upon the cross y. So grow ye up into him in all things: and as ye have been taught of God to " love one another, see that ye increase more and more2."]
u Gal. v. G. x ver. 3.
y John xiii. 1. Eph. v. 2. z 1 Thess. iv. 1,9, 10.
1 Tim. i. 8. We know that the law is good, if a man use it
lawfully.
TO live under the government of laws that are wisely enacted and well administered, is a blessing of no ordinary kind. But the best of laws, if per- verted to ends which were never contemplated by the legislature, may be made sources and instruments of the most grievous oppression. In like manner, even the law of God itself may be abused, and, through the perversion of it, be made injurious to the souls of men. Of this there is abundant evidence in the passage before us ; where we find persons turning the Scriptures into an occasion of dispute ; and occupying themselves with subjects which mi- nistered to " vain jangling," rather than to " edifica- tion in the faith of Christ8." This, however, afforded no just objection to the law itself; for that was good, and " must ever be good, if only it be used lawfully," according to the ends for which it was given.
a ver. 4, 6.