h that might have been dispensed with, yet there is none that are
righteous, none seek after God. No good principles of obedience were in
us, but all are corrupt, and have done abominable works, and all our
righteousness is as a menstruous cloth; and though upright obedience could
have been yielded, yet the law exacted perfect obedience. But now faith in
our Redeemer absolves a man from the curse of the law, so that now he is
not looked upon as an enemy, but a friend; and then it puts a man upon
obedience to the command from new motives and principles: and thus the
righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, who walk after the Spirit,
Rom. viii. 4. And that imperfect obedience is accepted of God, and
received off his hand, by virtue of the sacrifice and atonement of Christ.
The law would accept of no less, no not of nine commandments, if the tenth
was broken. But now God in Christ accepts of endeavours and minting,(464)
and so is the law in some way or other accomplished. And faith leads a man
on till he be perfected. He walks by faith from strength to strength, till
he appear before God, and be made holy as he is holy. Faith in Christ is
the end of the law.

3. Because whatever faith wants of perfect and personal obedience, it
makes up in Christ's obedience, and thus is the law thoroughly
accomplished, for what it wants in the believer it gets in Christ. Paul
would have the Romans take this way, Rom. vi. 11: "Likewise reckon ye
yourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ."
Ye may gather by good consequence, that since Christ hath died to sin as a
public person so ye should die with him unto sin, and mortify sin with
him. And thus may ye have consolation against your imperfect personal
mortification. Ye were thoroughly mortified in Christ. So the believer may
look unto Jesus, as one who hath given obedience even unto the death, and
that, not in his own name but for us, that the imperfect holiness and
obedience of every sound believer, may have his complete righteousness to
cover it, and come next the Father's eye. And thus is the law fulfilled,
and this way doth faith not make void, but establish the law, Rom. iii.
31. And as the law got better satisfaction in the sufferings of Christ,
who became a curse for us, than in all the punishment we could endure, so
it gets more satisfaction to the command by his obedience than if our
personal had been perfect. Christ was "made under the law, that we