that our Lord answer'd him, Mat. 19. 17. If thou wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commands. True, He fhould; upon Performance of that Condition. But it's as True, That this Condition is now Impoffible to any Child of Adam. The Man ask'd, What he fhould Do; Shewing that he fought Life in Works: And then if he did fo; Our Saviour let him know, that it must be by observing the Law of God: Because that is the perfect Rule of Obedience. And no other Works could ferve the turn: And even those alone, he fhould find fuch a Task, as would give him enough of it; And (if ever he came to Understand himself,) make him fain to seek out further.

Such another commonly Miftaken Text feems to be that, Rom. 2. 13. Not the Hearers of the Law are Just before God; But the Doers of the Law shall be Justified. i. e. They fhall be fo; If they do it, as it ought to be done. But what then? Is the Doctrine to be raised from hence, That Juflification cannot be had, without our own Fulfilling the Law of God? And that no Man can be Juftified, but by the Deeds of the Law? So the Sound may feem to carry it: But 'tis plain, That the Apostle's Delign there is quite another thing: Even to Humble the Jews Hearts, and t Stop their Mouths; In fhewing, that as none of 'em Did; fo none of 'em Could, Keep the Law, to their Juftification.

fication. And then he infers from the premifes, Chap. 2. 20. Therefore by the Deeds of the Law there fhall no Flesh be Juftified in the fight of God. No, You inuft be glad to take another courfe: For this will never do: How Often, and how Far foever it has been Attempted; It is not to be Performed. And though many are still Hammering at it; they can make nothing of it: Nor fhall the Exacteft Liver ever be able to work out his Salvation only by this means.

Indeed the God of all Grace did not Intend the Delivery of his Law, to Evacuate and thruft out the Covenant of his Grace; which he was pleas'd to make fo long Before it. As the Apostle affures us, Gal. 3. 17, 18. This I fay, That the Covenant which was before Confirmed of God in Chrift, The Law which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot Difannul; That it should make the Promife of none Effect. For if the Inheritance be of the Law, it is no more of Promife: But God gave it to Abraham by Promife. Wherefore then ferveth the Law? The Apoftle there puts the question; ver. 19. And he answers it himself: It was added, (fays he) because of Tranfgreffions; Till the Seed fhould come, to whom the Promife was made. It was not given, as fuch a Covenant of Works; By coming up to which, Men fhould make their own Paffage into Heaven; So to gain Righteoufnefs and Life Eternal.

No,

No, but it was given, as a perfect Rule of Life; to Inftru&t Sinners in their Duty, and Oblige 'em to do it: And then by fhewing them their Infufficiency, and Convincing 'em, that all their Own Obedience could never do ; To direct 'em into Better Hands: As Hagar, the Handmaid, to lead them unto Sarah, the rightful Mother: Or, (as the Apoftle expreffes it, Gal. 3. 24.) As our Schoolmaster, to bring us unto Chrift. That we might be Juftified by Faith in him: where we could never be Juftified by any Works of our Own. For Chrift is the End of the Law, for Righteoufnefs, to every one that Believeth, Rom. 10. 4. He Effects that for them, which the Law could not. For it only Shew'd them what was to be done; and gave them no Power to do it. But he Fulfils it For them, and In them: And fo Provides, That all the utmost Demands of it fhall be Satisfied to the full. Such therefore as do not take the Law for their Tutor and Monitor, to fend them unto Chrift Jefus, do Mistake it; and are yet to Learn the Meaning of it.

O Sinner! The Law of God is as the Avenger of Blood at thy heels; To drive thee away unto the City of Refuge; and even to Constrain thee, to Fly for the Life of thy Soul, into the Arms of thy Saviour. Take the Warning then; And let the NeC

cefity

ceffity of thy Cafe caft thee upon him: And do not Neglect the Only Remedy. If thou wilt not be Allured, yet at least, be Terrified into it: And let the Rigor of the Law do thee this Kindness, to throw thee into the Bofom of that Bleffed Surety; Who, where thou art Infolvent, and unable to Difcharge what thou Oweft to the Law, has Undertaken for thee; and paid all, even to the utmost Farthing.

II. They that ftick in the Law, and make account to be Juftified by its Righteoufnefs, are Ignorant of its Latitude and Purity; And do not know how Broad and Spiritual, how Holy, and Heart-fearching it is. They think it enough, to be Honeft and Sober; to Hear and Pray, and do fome External acts: As if then they had performed Obedience to the Law Sufficient and fo Brisk up, and conclude, All's well. As S. Paul fays of himself, Rom. 7. 9. I was Alive, without the Law once. Without it! When was he fo, who all along had been Bred up under it? Indeed he was not at all Without it, in the Letter. But it did not before come home, in its Spirit and Power; to Ranfack his Confcience; and to Search all the privy Corners of his Heart. And then he was Alive; and thought himself in good cafe enough. But when it came, and pier

ced

ced into his Soul, with its Purifying Energy; to catch hold of all his fecretelt Motions, Defires, Purposes, Inclinations,and Thoughts; Then he faw he was a Loft Man, by the Sentence of the Law: If he were not found in Christ, and help'd by his Merit and Grace, to answer for all that he had Mifdone; and to do all for the future, in an Acceptable

manner.

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 Unrighteousness under that Righteoufnels of thy Redeemer, which alone is Compleat, and without any manner of Blemish. 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 themfelves a Righteoufnefs of their own, out of Legal Obfervances, to ferve the turn, without the Righteoufnefs of Chrift Jefus; are Ignorant of their Evil cafe and Mifery under the Law: Where again they put themselves under the old Covenant of Works: which