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Scorn,) A Putative Righteousness; yea, Cant, and Mummery: And the Faith in our Lord's Satisfaction, nothing but a Sandy-Foundation. And nothing is more ftudiously Loaded with all their Difgrace; than that only Refuge, which all men in their Wits, will at last, be glad to Fly to: Priding and Juftifying themfelves in the Filthy Rags; which are Abomination in the fight of God. Luke 16. 15. And making but a Mock of the Only thing in the World that fhould Save 'em: And ftill fo void of good Senfe, as to Miftake the Covenant of Grace, for a Covenant of Works: Whenas they are so widely Different, That the voice of the one is, Do this and Live: And the voice of the other, Believe, and thou shalt be Saved. They will by all means, be under the Covenant of Works: None can keep 'em off it. And there they keep the Clutter,to fet up that Righteoufnefs; which no man ever did, or ever fhall, find fufficient. When after all, The Gayeft of 'em is not Arrayed like one of the humble Lillies; that neither Toil nor Spin, to Weave an impoffible Web, (Spider-like,) out of their own Bowels. Thus the Foolish Virgins may make a Flourish with their Lamps: Though when the Bridegroom comes, The Oyl will be Wanting; That Grace which now they do not think worth the Providing; Nay that Grace of the Gospel, which they put from 'em; and

will not Admit of it; Because their own Righteoufnefs must be thrown down, for this Grace to be Set Above it. Thus the God of this World Blinds the eyes of them that Believe not. 2 Cor. 4. 4. And though they fo ftand in their own Light, to Reject the only Saviour: Yet they think they do well in it: and are very Confident in the Delufion : However our Apoftle Labours to Convince the World, That it is of Faith, and not of Works: Still they go on to Contradict; and are as Flat and Peremptory in it, That it is of Works, and not of Faith.

II. This Attempt of Establishing their Own Righteousness, is no lefs Wicked than Silly. 'Tis a Confronting the plain Declarations of the Gofpel: As if nothing at all had been faid; or they Car'd for never a word that our Lord fpeaks, to throw down all Confidence in the Righteoufnefs of Works; and to put men out of it; to take Shelter in the Righteoufnefs of Faith. How do they Defpife the Wisdom of God, in this gracious Method of Salvation, by Faith in Christ Jefus? And Refift the Authority of God, when he Commands 'em to Believe in the Name of bis Son, to the Saving of the Soul? How do they Trample the Son of his Love, whom he gave to Dye, as the Propitiation for our Sins; And not count him Worthy to be Re

lied on? Though he fays, That Believing in him, fhall fecure us from Perishing; and help us to Life Everlasting. John 3. 16. Yet they dare not Truft to that; But think their Own Works are more to be Trufted to: And that they have a Better String to their Bow. And fo, like the Pharifees, Luke 7. 30. They Reject the Counfel of God against themselves; And will have it their Own way; whatever he has faid in his Word: If it do not jump with their Pre-conceptions, and the Systems that they have fram'd in their heads; It's all one to them, as if it had never been faid. The Bread which came down from Heaven, to give •Life unto the World, They fet at naught; To feed upon the Trash of their Own Imaginations: And Tread under foot the Son of God: and do Defpight to the Spirit of Grace; in fetting up a Paganish Religion, above all the Gospel Revelation. And whom God hath fent to make Reconciliation for Iniquity; and to bring in Everlasting Righteousness; Dan. 9. 24. And to put away Sin, by the Sacrifice of himself; Heb. 9. 26. Him they have little Respect to; But run on with their old Rúmble, of attaining Happiness, even in the fame way, as the Ethnic Philofophers taught. As if they had better Light and Information from them; than from all the Revelation of Jesus Chrift: And look upon all that he has Introduced afterwards, as Supervacaneous; and they

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could do even as well without it. For it is but to Lead an Honest, Sober, and Good Life: And that they knew well enough without Book: If he had faid nothing to 'em in his Gospel. But as to their Believing him the only Begotten Son of God: Yea Jefus Chrift, over all God Bleffed for ever; And that we have Redemption through his Blood, even the Forgiveness of Sins, according to the Riches of his Grace. Eph. 1. 5. And that he was made Sin for us, that we might be made the Righteoufnefs of God in him. 2 Cor. 5. laft ver. In these, and fuch like Myftical matters of Faith, They Leave him, and defire to be Excufed; and would be left to the Latitudinarian Liberty, and not Impos'd upon. i. e. Let him fay what he will; They'll Believe what they List. And fo not only Socinus, or Crellius; But Socrates, or Epictetus, is more their Mafter, than Christ Jesus. And what more Impudent, Blafphemous Ufage of the Bleffed Saviour of the World; Than fo to fly in his Face; inftead of Believing in his Name? And if not downright Denying, yet fo rudely Handling the Lord that Bought them: For which we must leave him to deal with them; when he fhall come to call fuch his Enemies to Account, as would not be should Reign over 'em; nor give the Law of Faith, as well as of Works, to 'em.

III. This

III. This Establishing their own Righteoufnefs, is as Dangerous and Destructive to themselves; as it is Silly and Ungodly in it felf. For thus do they turn themselves out of all the Bleffed Benefits, which come by the Redeemer of the World. Seeing Chrift is of no Effect to them, whosoever are Juftified by the Law: They are fallen from Grace. Gal. 5. 4. Why, what if they be? They may hope to do as well without Grace; If they have but the Moral Works. Sit Anima mea cum Philofophis. (In a fenfe worse than Averroes us'd it,) They may wish themselves with the old Philofophers; not fo much to Efcape the Scandalous Lives, as the Unintelligible Faith, of Chriftians. The Gentiles Divinity is even as Wholefome to them as the Gospel. Nay they find more Edification. in the honeft Seneca, than in this Mysterymonger, S. Paul. There they Learn the brave, noble Refolution, enough to make their Worthy Good man. (Unum Bonum tibi fidere.) Not to hang and depend on any other; but Confide and Truft to thy felf only. To Live all upon their own Stock, That's the Happy Life. But O how will they get into that Life Eternal; where none but the Righteous fhall Enter? Why, They are Righteous, Square, and Upright: And that's enough for them. But I doubt, they

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