Never be fo Vain then, Bankrupt Sinner! as to think, that thou, (out of thy poor Stock and Strength,) canft Satisfy all the Precepts of fuch a Righteous, Exact, and perfect Law. For when thou haft done thy very utmoft, Thou wilt be ftill exceedingly Short: and haft extreme Need to look out further; To Shelter thy Unrighteoufnefs under that Righteousness of thy Redeemer, which alone is Compleat, and without any manner of Blemifh. O wo to the moft Laudable Liver, fhould he be Tried and Doom'd by this Law, Naked, without the Covert of a Mediator!

III. They that are for Working themselves a Righteousness of their own, out of Legal Obfervances, to serve the turn, without the Righteoufnefs of Chrift Jefus; are Ignorant of their Evil cafe and Mifery under the Law: Where again they put themfelves under the old Covenant of Works: which brings them into the faddeft Bondage, to do the whole Law. Gal. 5. 3. Which because they can never do; So they fall under the Sentence of fuch guilty Malefactors, as are out of the compafs of the Promife: and will be caft out of doors, as Slaves; and none of the Children. For we are the Children of God, only by Faith in Chrift JeLus. Gal. 3. 26. But as many as are of the Works of the Law, are under the Curfe: For it is written, Curfed is every one, that continues not in all

things which are written in the Book of the Law, for to do 'em. ver. 10. And as it follows there,) That no man is fuftified by the Law in the fight of God, it is evident; For the Fuft shall Live by Faith: And the Law is not of Faith; But the man that Doth them, fhall Live in them. He fhall Live in them, if he Do them. But that no man ever did, or can do. And there men ftand in their Own Names; and must bear their Own Sins; and abide by their Own Righteousness. Which if it be not Perfect, The Law that requires Perfection, condemns them: And they have no Mediator, to Relieve them. For their Covenant which they are under, admits of no fuch Referve: And fo they lye open to all the burning Wrath due to Sinners: From which they have nothing to Skreen 'cm: No Defence, to ftand between 'em. And fo wretched a cafe as this, Is it not wonder, that any men in their wits, should ever Chufe to be found in Yet fuch a Blindness and Infatuation is upon all men naturally; that they do not, (will not,) fee the Mifery: But there lye fhort of Chrift Jefus; and instead of taking care to come out of that State; take pains rather to Defend themselves in it.

O that you would open your Eyes, Sinners, and fee the Wrath of God hanging over you, and abiding upon you; Till you get from under the Law, and the Covenant of Works; to come under Grace, and the Covenant of Promife! For the Law worketh Wrath. Rom. 4. 15.

It gives no Hope to any, but fuch as come quite up to its Demands, in every particular. You know not then what you do, when you lye out of Chrift; and there think to come off well enough; by fome works of Honesty, Sobriety, Church-going, and Praying; which, alas, have no Sufficiency, to Abfolve the Guilty; and to give you a Title to the Heavenly Glory. If you be not endued with that Righteoufnefs, which is by the Faith of Christ, you are ftill Children of Wrath; and under the Curfe. And if ever you will be Wife for your Souls, and Secure the Effects of your Eternal Salvation; you must Renounce all Confidence in the Flefh, and in any the best things that you can do for your felves: and refolve to Truft all that ever you have, in this only Bottom of Chrift's Righteoufnefs; and defire no fuch Recommendation in the World, as to be found in Him; and to have his Righteousnefs Imputed unto you. For Bleffed is the man, to whom God Imputes Righteousness, without Works. Rom. 4. 6. The Inheritance being not by the Law, but by Promife: And therefore it is of Faith, that it might be by Grace; and the Promife be Sure to all the Seed. ver. 16. For alas, What Affurance could there be, if it depended upon fuch an Uncertain thing, as their Obedi ence? But when God declares his Righteousness, in Fuftifying the Believers on Jefus; Rom. 3. 26. Then it depends upon his own Promise, and Faithfulness; which is Sure and Never-failing.

Again, They are Ignorant of this Righteousnefs, who offer to fet up any other, to build their Justification upon. They do not know its Neceffity, nor its Excellency.

nor

I. Not the Neceffity. But think they can appear well enough before the Tribunal of Heaven, in their own Names: Because they are fo and fo qualified; and thank God, they are not like fuch and fuch: No Swearers Drunkards, nor Adulterers, nor Sabbath-breakers, nor Thieves, nor Murderers, nor any Notorious Sinners: But lead Sober and Honeft, yea Good and Religious Lives. And upon this Foundation, they lay all their Hopes of Salvation. When, alas, Such Righteous ones Christ did not come to Call. So he fays, Mat. 9. 12. They shall see more Need of him, and be more Sick for him; before ever they shall have him. As Good as ever the boafted Virtues are, They'll not be at all for their Good; whom they keep from the only Saviour. When they think, they want even Nothing; Alas, They want the Main of all. They want a Mediator, to Intercede for their Offending perfons: They want the Holy One of God, to Purge their Defiled Natures: They want an infinite Propitiation, to Atone for all their Sins: Nay they want a moft Powerful Advocate, to Recommend their poor Imperfect Services; And an Almighty Saviour, to bear the Iniquities of all

their Holy things. And they want the Sense of all these Wants; to fee the extreme Need they have of the Lord Jefus, to be their Righteouf

nefs and their Redeemer.

O Sinners! There's no other Righteousneß, that will ever Justify you. There's no other Name given under Heaven to Save you. But if you fail of this, you Lofe All: And being without Chrift, you have no Hope. Eph. 2. 12. Look about you then in time; And Seek to the All-fufficient Helper, which God in mercy hás Provided to Help you. O let all go, to make Sure of this One Needful Good; which is more than the All of this World. Like the Merchant, feeking Goodly Pearls; Mat. 13.46. Who when he had found one Pearl of greatest Price; went and Sold all that he had, and Bought it: O be contented to let go, not only deareft Relations and Fruitions in the World; but even all Wisdom and Goodneß in your felves. I mean not, to let them go, as to the Poffeffion and Practice of 'em; But as to any Truft in 'em, or Dependance on 'em; (Exclufive of Chrift's Righteousness :) Rather Beg Pardon, than hope to be Saved, for them. And rest all your Faith and Expectation, upon him that Died for your Sins, and Rofe again, for your Fuftification: and who alone is Able to Effect that Eternal Redemption for you; which could never else be wrought by any other Perfon or Merit in all the World.

II. They