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" they may do so, will find himself in a fatal er"ror; for he shall never enter into that eternal "glory, which is the reward of pious and obedi"ent fouls: But they, and they only, who adhere " both in their life and doctrine to them, shall be " received into the kingdom of heaven. For fo "far am I from abrogating any of those duties, "and virtues, which your doctors teach you from "that law, that whatever they bid you observe " with regard thereto, I also require you to observe " and do; and not only so, but I tell you plainly, "that ye have much more to practise than they "teach you; and whosoever from henceforward " shall expect eternal happiness, they must go be"yond the Scribes and Pharifees, both in the righ"teousness of their lives, and their instructions 66 too.

In farther explaining of this paragraph, there will be no neceffity of enlarging upon the meaning of these words, Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the Prophets, I am not come to destroy, because they will be clearly and fully explained, from what will be faid on the two following heads.

I. WHAT must be here understood by our Saviour's fulfilling the law and the Prophets. II. IN what instances our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees.

I. WHAT must be here understood by our Savibur's fulfilling the law and the Prophets. Our blefsed Saviour may be said to have fulfilled the Prophets, in that he accomplished all things, which the Prophets foretold of him. Hence we meet with this expreffion frequently in the Evangelifts, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets. And he may be faid to have fulfilled the law,

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law, in that he transgressed no one commandment of the law. For thus he speaks of himself to the Jews, Which of you convinceth me of fin? And thus to his Disciples, || The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But the meaning of his fulfilling the law and the Prophets, in this place, is according to the sense of the Fathers and best expofitors, that he compleated and perfected the moral law delivered to the Jews by Mofes and the Prophets; refining upon the several precepts of it, and extending them to fuch a compass of obligation, as was either wanting or undiscover'd there before. To clear this matter it will be requifite to shew,

(1.) THAT the Jewish moral law was not defigned by God to be the last and most perfect revelation of his will: But that the farther improvement and perfection thereof, was reserved for the times of the Meffiah. Tho' the Almighty, to keep up the knowledge of himself as the only true God, call'd the pofterity of Jacob to be his peculiar people; and to affert his right of government, delivered them a law by Moses; yet he dealt with them therein as a hard-hearted stubborn race, receptive only of the outward forms of religion, but averse to the spiritual and inward substance of it. For this reason their law turn'd chiefly upon pompous ceremonies, and external observations; that the parade and splendor of idolatry in the countries round them, might make the less impreffion upon the fancy of a people, that knew not how to relish a plain and fimple way of worship; and that the mystical prescriptions of heathenism might not attract their confciences, who were exceedingly inclined to fuperftition. They had also several political constitutions laid down to regulate them as a separate state;

† John viii. 46.

|| John xiv. 30.

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and some few moral precepts: But these last so sparingly delivered, and in such general terms, as shews they were only to lead the way to a future and fuller instruction, a compleater revelation which should be made by the Messiah. For that such a revelation more compleat and perfect was referved for Chrift, even Mofes, their own great law-giver, foretold, and charged them ftrictly with obedience to it. * The Lord said unto me, I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words into his mouth, and he Shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. This is exprefly in the † New Teftament applied to Christ; and what is here said, that he should be like unto Moses, imports, that he should be a Law-giver to his people, as Moses was, the Author of a new dispensation and revelation of the will of God. And the excellency of his law is intimated in that expreffion, I will put MY WORDS in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them ALL that I SHALL COMMAND him. It's true, the law of Mofes was the word of God, and he delivered nothing but by command from him: Yet as this prophecy is most visibly in the intention of it, a gracious promise, and a great fignification of the divine favour, as also a fecond instance of extraordinary revelation, it must in reason be supposed, to be more perfect and excellent than the former: For if it was not, if they had not sufficient instruction by the law of Mofes, where would be the benefit that should make it the proper fubject of a promife? If a second revelation be not more perfect than the first, there would be no need of it. And that this more

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perfect revelation promised here by Mofes, and reserved for that great Prophet whom he speaks of, has reference more especially to the moral law, and to the improvements that should be made therein, appears from the declared * occafion of making that promife to the Jews. It is grounded upon the terror that the people were under from the thundrings and lightnings, the found of the trumpet, and o ther awful signals of God's prefence, when he spake to them from mount Horeb, or Sinai; and their defire thereupon, that God would no more reveal himself in that dreadful manner to them. God approved their request, and promised he would for the future deliver his commands by Moses, and af ter him more fully by the Meffiah. Now when was it that God so spake to them, and his terrors made them so afraid, but when the † ten commandments, or the moral law, was delivered? Which plainly intimates that the Meffiah should in after ages enlarge, explain, and perfect those command ments. I will therefore now proceed to shew,

(2.) THAT Christ did thus improve the moral law of Mofes, and the Prophets; and that,

1. As to the doctrinal and perceptive part of it, in feveral instances, which were either wanting in the former dispensation, or at least unknown and undiscover'd there, and not obligatory, till they were revealed by him in the chriftian system. For proof of this I shall need to have recourse no farther than to his fermon on the mount, which is now under our confideration. And I shall but just name the instances, because they will be treated of more largely in their proper place. The third commandment, which the Jews restrain'd to the cases of blafphemy and perjury, he has extended to all prophane, and rash or needless swearing. The

* Deut. xviii. 16.

† Exod. xx. 18, 19.

fixth, against murder, he has enlarged to a prohibition of all causeless and immoderate anger or resentments, tho' only cherish'd in the breast; but if they proceed fo far as to vent themselves in passionate and reviling language, he has represented to us what was before unknown, the finfulness and dan ger thereof with regard to the punishments of another world: And the neceffity of reconciliation with an offended brother, in order to the acceрtance of our prayers with God. Upon the seventh commandment, which the Jews thought concerned only the outward and compleat acts of lewdness, he has introduced an interpretation, that makes the very looking upon a woman with lustful fancy and defires, criminal. The permission of divorce, which for the hardness of their hearts the law of Moses had indulged them, our Saviour has restrained to the case of fornication only, and reduced the sacred ties of marriage to their original strictness. Retaliation of injuries had been allowed by the Mosaical law; but Christ has here forbidden it, commands us to love our enemies, and to return good for evil, In these, and several other precepts, which might be gathered out of this fermon, and from other parts of the Gospel, our Lord has raised the duty of a Chriftian to fuch a pitch of excellence, as the Jewish morality knew little or nothing of. But this was not all the advantages introduced above the law of Moses. For,

2. HE improved the moral law in respect of the Sanction also, the promises and encouragements annex'd to the observance of it; viz. the assistance of the holy Spirit of grace, the full and free remission of fins, the reward of everlasting life, and the penalty incurred by obstinate disobedience, eternal mifery in hell. The Jews had no such promises made them of divine afssistance by the holy Spirit, to enable them to obey, as we thro' the mercy of God

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