cross was the ceremonial law, the Jewish mode of
worshipping God. The first covenant the law of God, is here transcribed
from the tables of stone and placed on our hearts; see Rom. ii: 15: Heb.
viii: 10. This entirely changes the mode of worship, and shows us "without
faith it is impossible to please God." If the law of God is not the same
in both covenants, with Jew and Gentile, tell me if you can the chapter
and verse for the second, or new law of God. It is the very same that
Jesus had given in Matt. xxii: 39; the last six commandments. Here he
closes this chapter by contrasting the works of the flesh with the fruits
of the spirit, and then in the 6th chapter, 12th, 13th and 15th verses, he
alludes again to circumcision, and says, in 15th verse, "For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision," &c.,
showing conclusively that the great burthen of his argument from first to
last, was to abolish circumcision and vindicate God's law, instead, as you
and your adherents will have it, abolish the commandments in the law. I
say then in the 5th chapter, 14th verse, he has positively taught us that
the law of God was untouched in his argument. Suppose we take his letter
to the Romans, to explain how he sustains this law. "If there be any other
commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself." xiii: 9. "Therefore love is the fulfilling
of the law." In the first place he is here showing us our duty to our
neighbor, (not to God), 8-10 verses--for he has quoted only five of the
commandments from the second table of stone. Will you say that because he
omitted the fifth one, it is abolished; see his letter to the Ephesians,
four years after this: "Honor thy father and thy mother, which is the
first commandment, with promise," vi: 2. Now Paul has here quoted from the
tables of stone, and this is proof positive that these six are not
abolished. But because he has not quoted the first four, will you say
_they_ are abolished? If you say they are, then you make void the
Saviour's words in Matt. xxii: 37, 38; and also Paul's in the 7th chapter,
12th verse, where he says "the law is holy and the commandments holy, just
and good." Again, because Jesus, in Matt. v: 19, 21, 27, 33, only quoted
the 3d, 6th and 7th commandments, are the other seven abolished? If so,
how strange that he should add three more, respecting love to our
neighbor, in chapter xix: 18,