Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…

The Law that Christ was subject to, and obeyed, was in some Sense the same that was given to Adam: There ⟨p. 69⟩are innumerable particular Duties that are required by the Law only conditionally; and in such Circumstances, are comprehended in some great and general Rule of that Law. Thus for Instance, there are innumerable Acts of Respect and Obedience to Men, which are required by the Law of Nature, (which was a Law given to Adam,) which yet ben'• required absolutely, but upon many prerequisite Conditions; as that there be Men standing in such Relations to us, and that they give forth such Commands, and the like: So many Acts of Respect and Obedience to God, are included, in like manner, in the moral Law conditionally, or such and such Things being supposed▪ as Abraham's going about to sacrifice his Son, the Jews circumcising their Children when eight Days old, and Adam's not eating the forbidden Fruit; they are virtually comprehended in that great general Rule of the moral Law, that we should obey God, and be subject to him in whatsoever he pleases to command us. Certainly the moral Law does as much require us to obey God's positive Commands, as it requires us to obey the positive Commands of our Parents▪ And thus all that Adam, and all that Christ was commanded, even his observing the Rites and Ceremonies of the jewish Worship, and his laying down his Life, was virtually included in this same great Law.^*

1. *Thus Mr. Locke in his Reasonableness of Christianity, as deliver'd in the Scriptures, Vol. 2d. of his Work, p 478. Nay whatever God requires any where to be done. without making any Allowance for Faith, that is a Part of the Law of Works. So that forbidding Adam to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, was Part of the Law of Works: Only we must take notice here, that some of God's positive Commands being for peculiar Ends, and su•ed to particular Circumstances of Times, Places and Persons, have a limited, and only temporary Obligation, by Virtue of God's positive Injunction: Such as was that Part of Moses's Law▪ which concerned the outward Worship, or political Constitution of the Jews, and is called the ceremonial and judaical Law. Again, p 4. 9. Thus then, as to the Law in short, the civil and ritual Part of the Law delivered by Moses obliges nor Christians, though to the Jews it were a Part of the Law of Works; it being a Part of the Law of Nature, that Men ought to obey every positive Law of God, whenever e shall please to make any such Addition to the Law of his Nature.