deemed too strict by any real Christian, that there is not a true Christian in the world that would wish any one of the command- ments to require less than it does. A spiritual man does not complain of the strictness of the law, but of the wickedness of his own heart : and his desire is, not to have the commandments of God lowered to his attainments, but his attainments elevated to the utmost height of God's commandments.
Let this then be the desire and endeavour of us all : let there be no sin harboured, not even in thought ; nor any duty ne- glected, whatever difficulties we may have to encounter, or whatever trials to endure. If we " have a hope of salvation through Christ, we must purify ourselves even as he is pure."]
Matt. V. 19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
IT must be confessed, that amongst those who profess a high regard for the Gospel, there are some who speak of it in terms, which, to say the least, have an antinomian and licentious aspect. In their zeal against self-righteousness, they are apt to re- present the law as altogether abolished : knowing that we are no longer under the law as a covenant, they express themselves as if we were freed from it also as a rule of life. But we must never forget that the Gospel is a " doctrine according to godliness ;" and that *'the law, so far from being made void through faith, is established by it." In the words preceding the text, our blessed Lord had said, that " he came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them : and in the words before us, he teaches us to infer from thence the undiminished authority of the sacred code.
To elucidate his assertions, we observe,
I. That the commandments of God are universally to be obeyed —