veral years; but in the mean time was an utter stranger to Jesus Christ. Now what a great matter is it for a man to forego all this, as if it had no worth in it? But why should not a man be willing to part with it? I count it all but dross and dung, saith the apostle, that I may win Christ, Phil. iii. 8. This blasphemous frame is expressed in Ezek. xxxiii. 10. and it hath reference to the point that I am upon: Therefore, O thou Son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we live? The meaning is this, "The Lord is here, by his severe prophet, plaguing us with "reproofs from the word of God for our sins, and the execu❝tion of God's threatenings are upon us in his judgments; "now if we be sinners, and God deals thus severely with us, "what shall come on us ?" Saith the Lord, ver. 11. "There "is a way of escape, Turn and live; but have a care you do "not trust to your own righteousness: for if you do, you "are gone for good and all." Ver. 13. When I say to the righ teous, he shall surely live, if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it.

(2.) When the sinner once finds that he is forced to forego all that he hath got already, he then also sees that there is no hopes for the time to come; that he hath no hopes at all of a righteousness by the law; and this the poor sinner reckons like the putting him into hell: he is as sorry to part with the rotten props of his own righteousness, as if the taking it away was the casting him into hell; when it is the only way to save him from it. No man can be a believer on Jesus Christ, but he that despairs of righteousness by his own doings. This is the first thing I would have you examine yourselves about, What are your secret thoughts of the law of God? There is no righteousness can come by it; and that is the excellency of the law; it is none of the law's fault, but its glory, that no righteousness can come by it: it is a rule of righteousness, but it is no means to confer righteousness upon a sinner. The law can give eternal life to a sinless man; but it can give no life to a sinner: If there had been a law that could have given life, verily, saith the apostle, righteousness should have been

by the law, Gal. iii. 21. « Righteousness should certainly have "come that way."

2dly, Try what your thoughts are of the righteousness of Christ. By the righteousness of Christ, I do not mean his divine excellency, as he is the Son of God, equal with the Father; nor the excellency of the man Christ Jesus, on whom the Spirit was poured forth without measure: but, I mean, that righteousness that this God-man wrought out for us, as our Redeemer, for our justification, by his life and death; this is called the righteousness of God, Rom. x. 3. And every one may know his state towards God by his thoughts. of this every despiser of it is a stranger to God, and every spiritual admirer of it is a man acquainted with God.

[1] The believer hath high and esteeming thoughts of it, as an only righteousness, and as a very glorious one. Let us compare a little what righteousnesses there are, have been, or can be. The first righteousness lasted but a little while; that of the first Adam and Eve; it may be, it was not a day old; however, it was a very short one. Now, there is no comparison between Christ's righteousness and this: it is true that this comes the nearest to it and the apostle Paul takes notice of this parallel, Rom. v. The first Adam stood in the room of all his posterity, and they all stood in him, and with him as long as he stood; and this was a pretty glorious obedience that the first man performed, and if he had continued in it, the time of his trial, it was to have been reckoned for the benefit of all his posterity; but it was but the righte ousness of a man; it was but the righteousness of a creature ; it was a righteousness that would have continued happiness, but it could bring no happiness to them that had once lost it. If such a thing could have been imaginable, that the first Adam had stood, and one of his posterity had fallen, the first original righteousness would never have been able to have obtained pardon for that sinning offspring of Adam. But the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ is that which brings in a pardon, and a title to eternal life, to them that had forfeited all. There is another righteousness, a little one, hardly worth that name, that is performed by believers, in obedience to the holy of God; but this comes no way near to it. If

we may speak of the righteousness of the law, that is in hell: There are some poor creatures that do not imagine what hell is; they think it is the place that in all God's creation may be best spared: but let me tell you, hell is as useful a place as any it is there where the righteousness of the law is proclaimed every lash that is there given by the justice of God to the damned, proclaims aloud the righteousness and the holiness of the law. But I hope none will make any comparison between that righteousness that the law squeezes from the damned by their punishment, and that righteousness that the law found in Christ when it bruised him for our iniquities. Every believer hath high thoughts of this righteousness

of Christ.

[2] And not only so, but every believer hath venturing thoughts on this righteousness of Christ: The man not only thinks highly of it, but he builds upon it, and betakes himself to it. The righteousness of Christ is like a curious ark or ship, whereby all that are embarked in it, shall be safely landed in heaven. Now it signifies nothing for a poor man to stand upon the shore, and to commend the ship, and say it is à brave vessel; he must get into it if ever he hath a mind to escape the destruction of the world, he must get into the ark, Christ.-The apostle hath an elegant similitude, Heb. xi. 7. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark, to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Pray observe; The state of Noah, and every man's state by nature are alike. God tells Noah, 120 years hence I will drown this whole world; and not a man, nor beast, nor fowl of heaven, shall escape. Sirs, it is not so long, by one half almost, to that time when we shall be all in eternity! 120 years was but a small time to them, who lived 700 or 800 years. We are just in the same case: warning is given us by the course of nature, and by the word, that in a few years more we may be all turned out of this world and our dying is of equal importance, as to our eternal state, with Christ's coming; what difference is there if thou shouldest die this week, or if Christ should come to judge the world this week?

Thy eter

nal state is equally concerned in both. Now, God tells -Noah, "I have provided an ark for thee; I will drown the "whole world; but I will provide an ark for thee." But after the man had builded it, he must get into it, or he could not be saved by it. Now, here comes in the tidings of the gospel; we are not bid to prepare an ark, but we are told that God hath already prepared an ark, his own Son, who was hewed and framed by the justice of God, that he might be made a fit lodging for poor sinners. Now, the work of all them that would be saved, is to get into Jesus Christ, and to betake themselves to this righteousness, and when they have done so, to rest quietly there. But yet this righteousness of Christ, as much as it is, and should be, spoken of in the preaching of the word, yet multitudes of professors never once thought of it; they often think we must be holy, and that Turks understand as well as you: But pray how do you think to come by your holiness? Without righteousness? Never man shall be holy without the reckoning of Christ's righteousness to him; without which you can never partake of Christ's spirit to sanctify you. This seeking, and studying, and framing a holiness, without employing Christ, doth these two things--it dishonours Christ utterly:-and it renders holiness altogether impossible. It is utterly impossible there should be a spark of true holiness in that heart that is a stranger to faith in Christ Jesus. Morality, and Pagan civility, there may be; but true gospel holiness is a blessed consequence of faith in Jesus Christ.

3dly, Try your state by your thoughts of the grace of God: -what your thoughts of God's holy law are; and what your thoughts of your own righteousness are:-and then what your thoughts of the grace of God are. And wheresoever the grace of God is, there will be right thoughts of it framed in the heart; and they will be many, and serious, and very deep, and reverent; for the matter is very great. What greater thing can a man be exercised about than the grace of God towards great sinners? Oh, what a weighty subject is this for meditation! and this I dare say, that he that hath but few and mean thoughts about the grace of God, never had one dram of the grace of God in himself: for all the grace

that is in believers is but as a little drop from this great fountain; and wherever it is really communicated, the fountain from which it flows will be greatly admired.—There are a few things concerning these thoughts that I would speak a little to.

(1.) See that your thoughts of the law, and of the grace of God, and of the righteousness of Christ, be such as are squared with the word of God:-we must think of these things as God hath spoken of them in his word; and not frame thoughts to ourselves, from our own imagination.What saith the word of God concerning the law, and the righteousness of Christ, and the grace of God appearing therein ?

(2.) Let your thoughts of these things be such as you have when you are nearest to God.-Pray take heed to this: all that are Christians, understand a little of this, what it is to be nearer to God one time than another. If you are true Christians, you will know what this means; if you are not, this direction belongs not to you. There are sometimes when believers are nearer to God than at other times; and always, when a man is nearest to God, his thoughts of the things of God are best-he would be a happy Christian that could always retain the same sentiments and sense of the things of God that he sometimes hath. When a person is near to God, and he hath lifted up upon him the light of his countenance; when the glory of God appears before the eyes of a man, what doth the man then think of the holy law of God, of the righteousness of Christ, and of the grace of God? Oh, there is nothing else that makes any considerable appearance in the eyes of a man at that time. I am very well persuaded that the most confident pleaders of the cause of self-righteousness, the men that plead most for being justified by the righteousness of the law, if God would but speak to them, and bring them near to himself, they would lay their hands upon their mouths and speak no more. Behold I am vile, saith Job, what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon Once have I spoken, but I will not answer; yea, my mouth. twice, but I will proceed no further. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee, therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes, Job xl. 4, 5. and xlii. 5, 6.