nant of God in Chrift, and hanker after the Law, as a Covenant of Works! And where they cannot come up to the Law, yet (ftill to make it serve the turn for their Juftification,) they will bring the Law down to them: And (as the Pharifees of old,) they will Adulterate the fenfe, and make it fo Feasible; that they may be Juftified by it; without hanging upon the Satisfaction and Righteousness of Chrift Jefus. Like the many Thousand of Jews; Acts 21. 20. that Believed, and were all Zealous of the Law. But be they never fo many, and never fo Zealous, The Apoftle did not matter their Numbers, nor their Zeal; which he fays, was not according to Knowledge. Rom. 10. 2. But he roundly concludes, Rom. 3. 28. That a man is Juftified by Faith; without the deeds of the Law. Thofe Deeds (according to hin,) have no Efficiency in the Juftification of a Sinner, before the God of Heaven. And fo faith our Church, (Serm. of Salvat.) [No man can by his Own Acts, works and deeds, ( feem they never fo Good,) be Juftified, and made Righteous before God. But every man, of neceffity, is Confirained, to Seek Another Righteousness or Juftification; to be receiv'd at God's own Hands.] And what is that, but the Righteoufnefs of Chrift Imputed? For 'tis in Him, that God Reconciles the World unto himself; not Imputing their Tref paffes to them. 2 Cor. 5. 19. But Saving them from the Malediction of the Law; for

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the Satisfaction made by his Son: that Satisfaction made by his Death; which therefore in this bufinefs, is chiefly refpected by our Faith. And though we Believe in our Commanding Lord, to Follow him: Yet 'tis in our Dying Saviour, that we Believe, to be Juftified by him. And Faith makes us Righteous before God; by thus bringing us into the poffeffion of Chrift's Righteousness. Which becomes Ours, by an act of Divine Grace. And fo according to that of S. Bernard, Man's Righteoufnefs is God's Indulgence: Not a thing which he works by any Doings of his Own; but which he receives by Favour from Above.

Yet this Doctrine will not be endured by them, that are ftill for Patching up a Righteousness of their Own; to do the work, for their Juftification: And will not be beaten out of it, but That fuch Tasks as they perform; and fuch Hardness as they Impose upon themselves, and fuch a Life as they lead, muft needs accomplish the bufinefs; to bring 'em off as Clever as can be. Let Chrift ftand by the while; and do but make them a Lane: And you fhall fee them Run fo excellently; That you cannot but own, They deferve the Prize. So do they Swell with the Conceit of their Own Services; as if they fhould not only make Amends for all their Sins but Oblige God to Save their Souls.

Such

Such a high Rate do they put upon their Doings; that they Truft to them, more than they do to their Saviour. And he shall only have the Name; But the Works they look upon, as their Real Saviours. Inftead of throwing down all at his Feet; and Looking for Juftification and Acceptance only upon his Account: He is Laft thought of, and Least of all Regarded, in all the Reckoning: And if poffible, They will Shift, and do the bufinefs without him.

This is the Pelagianifm, born and bred in the Corrupt Nature of every Lapsed Sinner. And where they deferved to be Damned; yet they are Challenging to be Saved: And think themselves and their Doings fo Confiderable; That they wonder God takes no more Notice of 'em. Ifa. 58. 3. Wherefore have we Fafted, (fay they,) and thou feeft not? Wherefore have we Afflicted our Soul, and thou takeft no knowledge? They think themselves Forgotten; or not Attended according to their high Merits and begin to be Angry and Quarrel; if Heaven be not paid them down, as the due Defert of their Works and not as the Purchase of the Blood of Chrift.

And herein fome that are called Proteftants, feem yet to be more Antichriftian than Papifts: i. e. Greater Oppofers of the Righteoufnels of Chrift; and more haughty Defpifers of his Merits and Satisfaction, in the D 4 bufinefs

bufinefs of their own Juftification and Salvation: Taking their Own Works to be Satisfactory enough; without any SatisfaEtion of his at all. And one would think then, their Works fhould be fome very Wonderful Works; That they fo Stick to 'em, and Lean upon 'em, and Rate themfelves by 'em. When, alas, there's nothing to be difcerned in 'em, above those of their ordinary Neighbours. Yea fome that make fuch a Noife and Cracking of their Probity and Works, come exceedingly Short of others, whom they fo Supercilioufly Difdain, and cry out of; for plucking up all Good Works by the Roots. And after all the Do that they make, to Fftablish their Own Righteousness; The Attempt is moft Silly, and Wicked, and Dangerous.

I. It is a moft Silly Attempt. Not only to Set up that, which really they have not : All their Righteoufnels, when it comes under a ftrict Examination, being even Nothing; or not worth the fpeaking of: Not only Defective, but Polluted: And, (it may be,) hardly fo much, as the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees. A Pitiful business, for men to trouble the World fo much, in Difputing and Contending for! But it is to aim at Unfeasible things: Wherein they are perpetually Baffled; and can make nothing of it. So faith the Apostle, of those here un

der

der Cenfure: Rom. 9. 31. Ifrael which followed after the Law of Righteousness, has not Attained to the Law of Righteousness. They were hard in the Purfuit, (Ainav) Tugging at it, all their days: And yet it would never do. And he tells where they miss'd it; and how they Miscarried; next ver. Wherefore? How came it to pass, that they were fo wretchedly Disappointed? Why, because they fought it not by Faith; but by the Works of the Law. They were refolved to Hew it out of their Own Doings: Though that would not do. And they would not be perfuaded to Look unto Jefus by Faith, to help them

out.

And yet ftill, How frequent do vain men follow 'em here? And will never take Warning: but Build their Caftles in the Air; and beftow all their Labour in vain: To feek the Living among the Dead; and rich Oar, among heaps of Duft, and Dirt, and Rottennefs. For before they are made Alive to God through Jefus Christ our Lord; Alas, all their very Beft Works, what are they better than Dead Works; and fuch as S. Paul calls Lofs and Dung? And yet this is the worthy Stuff, about which they keep fuch a Pother; In which they fo much Confide and Glory; And upon which, they fo Erect their Plumes, and Advance themselves; and call the Righteoufnefs of our Lord Imputed, (in great Scorn,)

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