occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence; for without the law sin was dead." "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." Therefore the sinner must become dead to the law by the body of Christ, and be married to another, before he can bring forth fruit unto God. Terrible as this law is, the Saviour sent every self-sufficient inquirer to it, as his only rule of life; but he never sent one humble suppliant, or sensible sinner to it, during the whole of his ministry. However, the

soul that is espoused to Christ sees his old man, yea, the whole body of the sins of the flesh, condemned in his surety, and crucified in his death; and he feels the old man put off when Christ takes possession of the heart. A new creature is formed, and the old man is dethroned. The will, mind, heart, and affections, are made loyal to Christ, and take part with the new man; while the old man, like a rebel in alliance with Satan, wars against both the believer and his grace: "Now then it is no more I that do it," says Paul, "but sin, that dwelleth in me." But my blessed master goes on to preach, and his own servant follows him, to catch what he can.

"Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery." Fornication is unlawful connexion between unmarried people,

This crime, when committed by married persons, is adultery, not fornication. The sin for the which such a woman might be divorced, appears to have been committed previous to her marriage. The husband finding her not a virgin, and finding himself deceived and imposed on by a vitiated person; in such a case, the marriage seems to be void, according to Deut. Chap. xxii. And, indeed, such a woman, in the sight of God, is the wife of him who first humbled her, Deut. xxii. 29; though perhaps the Saviour, by fornication here, includes adultery also. However, if she had been guilty of fornication with one man, and afterwards marries another, the marriage is null and void, for she is the wife of the first man; and if she commits adultery afterwards, she breaks the marriage-bond herself. In such cases, and only such, might she be put away. The Lord goes on; "Swear not at all;" "Resist not evil;" "Love your enemies," &c. In all which he explains what he means by breaking one of these least commandments. He that is angry with his brother without cause; he that calls him vain, empty fellow; he that calls him a wicked reprobate; he that has eyes full of adultery, &c. He that breaketh the least of these commandments,

we say

"And shall teach men so." What, then, shall of them who hate the ministers that Christ hath sent! and in whose hearts envy has rested for years together! and who call them antinomians, bad spirits, devils, bubbles of the day, and

blackguards, without any just charge either of error or immorality! Is not this breaking the commandments, and teaching men so? Did I ever tell you, in the course in the course of my ministry, that you should have more Gods than one? that you should make images, take the Lord's name in vain, profane his day of rest, ridicule parents, kill, steal, commit adultery, bear false witness, and covet your neighbour's goods? Did you ever see any thing of this in my practice, or did you ever hear any thing of it from my mouth? I trow not. I have enforced regeneration by the Spirit, as the only way to make men holy; and I have preached up a divorce from the law, and union with Christ, as the only way to make men fruitful. I have insisted on a walk in the Spirit, as the only way for men to escape fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. And I have urged a life under the influence of grace, as the only way to get disentangled from the reign of sin and that sin shall have dominion only over them that are under the law; it shall not have dominion over them that are under grace. But can this be called breaking the commandments, and teaching men so? What, does the grace of God encourage sin? Or is the law against the promises. of God? Or does this doctrine make void the law? Nay, it is established this way, and no other. Again, do you find the advocates for free grace, who are sound in their principles, and experimental in their souls, loose livers? Do you see those who are in the closest connexion with me,

breakers of God's commandments, and, by example, teachers of the same? Nay, so far from it, that if you would find an ignorant, uninformed people; if a dead, sleepy congregation; if a light, vain, frothy community, who are envious in their minds, empty in heart, and scandalous in life, you must look for them among those who have little or nothing but the law of Moses set before them. The law worketh wrath, the law makes nothing perfect, but the better hope does. The Hagarenes shall never beat the children of Zion at good works, for root and branch are both wanting. Then what is all this desperate outcry against me for? Why, for this one voice that I cried among them, The law of Moses is not the saint's rule of life. For this word I am made an offender; and they that make it such an offence, cannot bring one text in God's book against it. Yea, further; the best commentators now extant, who have advanced the law as the saint's rule of life from one text, have themselves contradicted it from another, as plainly as calling light darkness, and darkness light: and though all commentators have followed one another in that track, not one, that ever I have seen, has proved it from God's book. The master's commanding will is the bondservant's rule; it is the creditor's handwriting, and the debtor's account-book; but the goodwill of the Father is the son's rule. These are the two covenants. And what the law requires, the gospel gives; and what Christ commands, he works in his saints by

his Spirit to obey, and their obedience is the obedience of faith. Neither justification, sanctification, salvation, hope, or help, life or love, come from the law, or by the law. Ministers of the Spirit, and those evangelical servants who serve God in the newness of the Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter, are not breakers of God's commandments: they are delivered from the law, and wedded to Christ, that they might bring forth fruit unto God. He that breaks the least of these commands,

"And shall teach men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven." He that is angry at a brother without cause; he that calls him vain fellow; he that calls him a wicked reprobate; he that has eyes full of adultery; he that swears; he that resists evil with evil; he that smites the just; he that, to gratify his malice, sues him at the law for coat or cloak, &c. these things are breaking the commandments, and by speech and example they teach others to do the same. The names antinomian, and bad spirit, that have been cast at me, are in the mouths of thousands of poor ignorant souls, who know no more what they mean by such names than the image of Jupiter that fell from the moon. And their hearts are filled with malice against me, and their mouths with reproach, who never heard me, but having learnt it from the pulpit. And wo be to him, and to them, through whom the offence or scandal cometh; for they that live in such sins, and teach men so,