age," Gal. iv. 24. This was its proper tendency. But the gospel most directly leads men to a childlike temper, and lays in sufficient provision for it. As far as any thing of a filial disposition, appeared in some saints under the Old Testament, it was not owing to the influence of the Mosaical law: but to the view they had beyond their neighbours of the grace of the gospel, by the light of the promise. And though the gospel be not intended to extinguish fear, yet it more strongly leads to love and as far as a mere servile spirit governs in any good men under the gospel; this arises not from any defect in the gospel, to inspire them with more generous principles; but either is owing to their mistaken apprehensions about the gospel, or about themselves, or to the weakness of their faith in the revelation they have, or to such an imperfection in their obedience as makes their sincerity questionable, or to the distemper of their bodies. The law in its nature terrified; the gospel contains what is fit to relieve every upright mind against those terrors.

2. To describe the dispositions ordinarily prevailing in fact, under both dispensations. A servile spirit more usually governed people under the law; but a spirit of adoption is more generally, and in larger measures communicated to believers now, suitable to the more exalted and refreshing discoveries of the gospel. The apostle very elegantly represents this in Gal. iv. wherein he makes the difference between believers before Christ's coming, and those since to be like that of an heir in his non-age, and an heir grown up to maturity, ver. 1, 2. "Now I say, that the heir as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all, but is under tutors and governors, till the time appointed of the father.” Though the child in his minority may be intitled to an estate by the will of his father; yet he is not actually master of it, but kept in subjection to those to whom the management of him is left, till the time comes which was fixed by his father's will, for his receiving the possession and management of the estate himself. "Even so (ver. 3.) we when we were children," we Jews, when we were under the legal dispensation, were in bondage under the elements of the world; as in a servile state, under the law as our school-master. Ver. 4. "But when the fulness of time was come," the time designed by our heavenly Father, for bringing his church to its fullest

liberty, and greatest perfection in this world: then "God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." To what end? "To redeem them that were under the law;" to redeem the Jews upon their faith in Christ, from the rigour and servitude of the law: "That we might receive the adoption of sons,' ver. 5. That we Christians, whether Jew or Gentile, might be admitted to the privileges of the sons of God. And ver. 6. "because ye are sons, (just as in the text,) God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, (or disposing us to cry,) Abba, Father." Here the ancient church, though declared to be heirs of the same promises, yet are described as under age, and in a state liker to that of servants than that of children; but in opposition to that, by Christ's actual coming and being made under the law, provision is made, that we should receive the privileges which belong to sons come of age. So the apostle's argument requires that we should understand him, and so he expressly sums up the case himself, ver. 7." Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son.' It is observable, that we find not the saints before Christ's coming, ordinarily and directly calling God Father, in their applications to him, but addressing him as Lord or God, or by some such appellation. But Christ directs us to this as the ordinary view we are to take of him under the gospel, "Our Father, who art in heaven."

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We see then, in what sense we Christians may be said not to have received the spirit of bondage, but the spirit of adoption. All who are favoured with the gospel-revelation, have therein received such a discovery of the mind of God, as is fit to cure them of a servile spirit, and to dispose them to the temper of sons: and in proportion to the advances of this latter disposition in us, so much the more we correspond with the evangelical state, and act worthy of the children of God.

II. I am to shew, how the dispensation of the Mosaical law contributed to a servile spirit; and how on the contrary, the gospel leads us to a filial temper. The following instances will abundantly manifest this,

1. The manner of introducing both dispensations, was a natural prelude to the different tendencies of them.

The Mosaical dispensation was ushered in, in a way apt to produce dread and terror. If we look so far back as to the first credentials given to Moses in Egypt, in the miracles he was enabled to work there to prove his mission from God; we shall find them miracles of terrible punishment and vengeance. But the miracles of Jesus, all breathed grace and benignity to mankind, highly suitable to the glad tidings which he was to publish.

If we come nearer to the actual delivery of the law on mount Sinai, the apostle has summed up the circumstances of terror accompanying it, in Heb. xii. 18, 19. It was given out from "a mount that could not be touched, and that burned with fire; with blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet; and the voice of words, which they that heard, intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more." A chain of circumstances, proper to introduce a law of bondage. The author and finisher of our faith, though so much greater than Moses, chose not with his terrors to make us afraid; but veiled the glory of his divinity, and spoke to men in fashion as a man, in the most familiar way, and without any thing apt to make such affrighting impressions. This was perfectly agreeable to the kind and gracious subject of his errand, as the giving of the law, was with a pomp of terror suitable to its nature: For,

2. The law was the ministration of condemnation; but the gospel the ministration of righteousness. So the apostle opposes them, 2 Cor., iii. 9. "The law was given by Moses; but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," John i. 17.

In the Mosaical law, God was pleased to revive and represent anew to the people of Israel that original law, for the substance of it, which had been delivered at first to mankind; and that in all the strictness of its terms, and with all the rigour of its sanctions; and so to make it a part of their national covenant. Such the moral law was, of which the ten commands are a summary. And promises and threatenings

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were annexed, in such a strain as if man had been still innoMoses describes the righteousness which is of the law, says St Paul, Rom. x. 5. "that the man which doth these things, shall live by them;" (referring to Lev. xviii. 5.) that is, he who doth them perfectly. On the other hand, the

threatenings were in the same rigorous strain, Gal. iii. 10. "As many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them" referring to Deut. xxvii. 26.

The church indeed had then a promise of the Messiah, which might relieve them against this condemning sentence of the law. This promise had been given out upon the fall, and often renewed afterwards, particularly to Abraham four hundred and thirty years before the giving of the law; and therefore, as the apostle argues from this priority of the promise," the law could not disannul the covenant [with Abraham] that it should make the promise of none effect," Gal. iii. 17. If it should then be asked, wherefore then served the law? The same apostle answers, ver. 19. It was added to the promise, "because of transgressions:" to shew men their transgressions and the desert of them, and so to lead-them to value the promise; and to put some check and restraint upon all in the practice of sin from the terror of punishment.

Now, where the law had the most kindly effect, to recommend the promise, yet it was only by being first the administration of condemnation to them, that is, convincing them of their miserable state without the relief of the promise. The law itself could go no farther. But it had quite another effect upon the generality; they so attended to this new constitution of the law, as to lose sight of the promise; and to them it was a ministration of condemnation in the worst sense, Rom. ix. 31, 32. "Israel, which followed after the law of righte ousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness." While they looked upon the law as a practicable method of sinners' justification before God, they missed their end: Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, in the promised Messiah, who was the end of the law for righteousness; but as it were by the works of the law; that is, merely by such imperfect obedience as they performed to the demands of the law. And though the law might lay some restraint upon them in their sins, yet this could proceed only from a servile spirit.

But while the gospel explains the rule of man's duty in the greatest strictness and spirituality, it most expressly brings in view an everlasting righteousness. It discovers Christ "re

deeming us from the curse of the law, by being made a curse for us, "Gal. iii. 13. The gospel confirms the truth of this, that the moral law was holy, just and good, and denounced no more than was due for sin: the highest honor is paid to the law and the law giver, by Christ's perfect obedience to it, and bearing the extremest sufferings for our violations of it. But at the same time provision is made by his perfect righteousness and satisfaction for our justification by faith, and for the acceptance of our sincere, though imperfect obedience. This has the greatest tendency to produce an ingenuous disposition.

3. The manner and way of access to God under the two dispensations, must be understood to contribute to these different tempers.

There is another sort of freedom and liberty, to come at God under the gospel, than was allowed under the law. All Christians are made "an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Pet. ii. 5. Every Christian hath a greater freedom of access to God now, than even the priests had under the law. The Levites might come nearer than the people while the Levites were to pitch around the tabernacle in their marches in the wilderness, the body of the people must take care that they 'keep their distance, "lest wrath should come upon the congregation," Numb. i. 52, 53. The priests might come nearer than the Levites: For the "Levites must not go in to see, when the holy things were covered, lest they should die," Numb. iv. 20. The ordinary priests might approach to the altar of burnt-offering to minister, Exod. xxx. 20, 22. But the high-priest only was allowed to enter into the holiest of all and that, not whenever he pleased, or at all times, on pain of death, Lev. xvi. 2. He had that liberty only once a year. At such a servile distance did God keep his church in those days, which would not fail to produce much of a servile spirit in them: The Holy Ghost, as the apostle tells us, Heb. ix. 8. "hereby signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while the first tabernacle was yet standing;" that the way of the freest and nearest access to God was not discovered and laid open to all under the Jewish dispensation. But every Christian now, has a privilege above the high priest then. We have boldness, the