The legal spirit reigns over all men in their natural state, but does not discover its tryanny until it be opposed; and then so soon as the soul is quickened from a death in trespasses and sins, it begins to fight, trying to keep the poor sinner in bondage by its legal workings and strivings, and putting him upon seeking for some good disposition or qualification in himself, on account of which God should love him. Thus the awakened soul, under the spirit of bondage, always seeks deliverance by the works of that law, which can do nothing more than bring him to the knowledge of sin, discover to him the exceeding sinfulness of it, and the exceeding great punishment which it deserves; by which means it is always nourishing the doubts and fears of unbelief. And after the Lord has in a measure removed them by a clear discovery of the salvation that is in Jesus, and by the gift of faith, yet still this legal spirit will be trying to bring the soul into bondage again to fear, and it too often prevails. Young believers find it the worst enemy they have to deal with! It is a sly, subtle foe, that seems to intend them a kindness, while it is always on the side of the devil and unbelief. It would appear to them to be actuated by a zeal for God, but it is to eclipse th e glory of the Lord Christ, to take away the all-sufficiency of His salvation, and to rob them of their great joy and peace in believing. If anyone should ask how this legal spirit comes to nave such power over mankind, the Scripture informs us.
First, that all men, being God's creatures, are under the law to Him, bound to keep it; or bound, if they transgress, to suffer the threatened pains and penalties. In this state man was created, and in it all men are by nature; and therefore there is in us all a continual leaning to the law, and a desire to attain righteousness by the works of it. We are all wedded to this way of gaining God's favour. The Apostle says there is a marriage union between us as long as he liveth; so that we cannot be married to Christ until that be dead wherein we were held. You may see this in the Jews. How does Moses labour to bring them off from an opinion of their own righteousnessl And a greater than Moses has done the same in His discourses against the Scribes and Pharisees; yea, the apostles of our Lord were forced to write and preach against this leaning to the law, it gave such disturbance to the true disciples of Christ. And notwithstanding the Scripture arguments against it, yet we have great numbers among us who seek for a justifying righteousness by the works of the law. And they are put upon seeking this,
Secondly, from their ignorance of the law. They are not acquinted with its nature; for it demands what they cannot pay. It insists upon an obedience, spirtual, perfect, and uninterrupted; for the least offence, if but in thought, it comes with its fearful sentence. "Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them." On him who does not continue in all things, and not one man ever did, this sentence takes place; and if he was to live a thousand years, he could not do anything to repeal it. The law will always be to him the ministration of condemnation, and the ministration of death, and that is all it can do for him. It provides no remedy, and gives him no hope, but leaves him condemned to the first and to the second death; and yet, such is the blindness of the sinner, that he will be still leaning to the law, and afraid to trust wholly to the righteousness of Christ; and this arises,
Thirdly, from his ignorance of Christ's righteousness, which is infinitely perfect, and wants no works of the law to be joined with it, in the justifying of a sinner; because it is the righteousness of God, wrought out by the God-man for His people, and it is the righteousness of faith. They receive it by faith, without works, so that it is directly opposite to the righteousness of a legal spirit. Hence we have many among us, great professors too, who are ignorant of God's righteousness; they have not been entirely brought off from a legal bottom, and therefore they talk of being justified without a ustifying righteousness; which if God was to do, He would be unrighteous; and which, as He has declared He will not do, their fancied justification leaves them still in their sins. They dare not put their whole trust and confidence in the righteousness of Christ imputed into sinners, and made theirs by faith. They have many fears about imputed righteousness, although the apostle has not scrupled to mention it eleven times in one chapter, Romans 4, and these fears make them read the Scripture with such prejudice, that they say they cannot find the expression, "faith in the righteousness of Christ," in all the Bible. They may find the sense of the expression in Moses, and in all the prophets, and the very words in II Peter 1:1. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them who have obtained like precious faith with us in the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Here is faith in the righteousness of Christ, with several glorious titles to recommend it, namely, it is the righteousness of God, of God our Saviour, of Jesus Christ. From whence can men's opposition to this way of justification arise, but from their not being convinced by the Spirit of God of the necessity of Christ's righteousness? It is His peculiar office to convince us of this truth. No teaching but His can do it. 0, that He may do it in the hearts of those, who out of a zeal for God though not according to knowledge, eclipse the glory of the Lord, and rob afflicted consciences of their comfort, by opposing imputed righteousness! It is a righteousness of so high and heavenly a nature, wrought out by another, and so wonderful a Person is bestowed as a free gift upon the chief of sinners, whereby alone they obtain remission of their sins, and are made partakers of the,kingdom of heaven; and they receive it by faith only, without works, which a legal spirit always wants to mix with it, that not one could ever believe in it, unless it were given him from above. May it be given to those professors who cannot yet submit to the righteousness of Christ, to see their want of it, and with the heart to believe in it unto salvation.