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War, fet our Saviour at naught, and mocked him; when Arrayed in Another's Coat: Luke 23. 11. So thefe Myrmidons make but a Jeft of one Cloathed in that White Rayment, which the Lord Counfels us to get of him. Like as a Proud Gentleman, though Decayed, Infifts ftill upon his Quality; And this and the t'other he Scorns; and would keep up his Port, and be as Great as ever: When yet (Poor man,) he has nothing to Support and Maintain the Dignity. And fo, but makes himself the more Contemptible; In Refufing the Helps which he might have; and Aiming at the High things, which he can make nothing of. Juft fuch Wife Gentlemen in Religion are they, that value themfelves upon the Pedigree and Endowments of their Rational Nature, (however Sunk and Vitiated;) And will be fo much Men, that they cannot find in their hearts to be Chriftians. Because they will be Independent upon Jefus Chrift: And fo fet up for Themfelves; that they need not Truckle to him. No, They would not have you think, that it is yet fo Low with 'em; To come Labouring and Heavy Laden to him; and to caft their Burden upon him. He came to Seek and to Save the Loft. True, But they are none of those. He shall ftay for their Submiffion; Till they think it time to Acknowledge that. And they fhall ftay for his Salvation; till they do come down, fo to See, and Own it. E

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For fuch Rich ones, fo Full of Themfelves, he fends Empty away; And Scorns the proud Beggars, as much as they Scorn the only Saviour. He chufes the Poor of this World, Rich in Faith. Jam. 2. 5. Which to them is fuch a kind of Fanciful Wealth, as only ferves them, to make themfelves Merry with. The Poor in Spirit he pronounces Blessed; and fure of his Kingdom. Mat. 5. 3. But thefe Over-weening Admirers of themselves, are too High-fpirited, to take the Kingdom of Heaven, as his Sole Purchase, and God's Free Gift. They will not be fo Bafe, to Wear it, till they have Won it. They are fo High and Lofty, as to Soar up, and Fly upon it, by the Strength of their own Noble Faculties. And then what need to Kifs the Son; and all this Cringing to Jefus Chrift? Faith is the Abafing, and Self-Emptying Grace: that fends us away, out of our felves, to the Lord our Righteoufnefs. Jer. 23. 6. Therefore he that will not give his Glory to Another, will yet Truft it to Faith; rather than to any thing elfe, that is in us. For 'tis a Recciving from without; Receiving Chrift Jefus the Lord; And Receiving the Atonement, and Abundance of Grace, and of the Gift of Righteousness, by him, and from him. 'Tis the poor empty Pitcher, that we carry, to be Replenish'd out of his Infinite Fulness: Our Looking to Jefus; As the Ifraelites to the

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Brazen Serpent; Our Coming to Chrift, who Calls us to him; and Flying for Refuge, to the Hope fet before us. Heb. 6. 18. Being made Righteous by the Obedience of Another, Rom. 5. 19. Another Fulfilling the Law for us, and in us. And this our Faith is Imputed to us, far Righteoufnefs; as Abraham's was. Rom. 4. 24. But the Imputation of Chrift's Righteouinefs to us for our Juftification;

'Tis (Fada, Execranda, Pernitiofa, Deteftanda;) A Filthy, Curfed, Baneful, Abominable Doctrine, Saith Socinus. The man was fo full of Bitterness and Vengeance, against the only Way of his Salvation; He pours out, as if he knew not what to fay Bad enough of it.

And hence we may Learn, At what Fountain the wild Sect among us have been dabbling; When W. P. and G. W. (in the Serious Apology, p. 148.) Pronounce in the name of the Lord, Juftification by the Righteousness which Chrift fulfilled in his own Perfon for us, wholly without us, to be the Doctrine of Devils, and an Arm of the Sea of Corruption, which does now Deluge the whole World. Such Blafphemy cannot be lefs Harfh and Hideous in all Believers Ears; than this kind of Juftification was in theirs. But when are these Exalters of themselves like to come down out of their Altitudes, to fetch in Righteousness from Another, Though it be from the Son of God himself? However the Scri

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ptures tell us of the Unfearchable Riches of Chrift, Eph. 3. 8. All the Infcrutability to them is, That they know not what to make of fuch Treasures. And though the fame Scriptures draw us to the great Author and Finifber of our Faith; and throw us upon him, as our Life, and our All; In whom divells all Fulness, Col. 2. 10. Yet to come unto Chrift,. as poor Bankrupts, that have not a Mite of our own; In us no Good thing, to Recommend us unto God; But Expecting all from Him; (as is the guife of Faith and Humility;) To confefs we are Unclean, and Weak, and Loft, and Dead; And that Chrift is our Righteoufnefs, our Strength, our Saviour, and our Redeemer; yea that we are Worfe than Nothing, without him; and that we have all things given us only With him; and In him: (And if it is not our Free-Will, but his Free Grace, that makes us to Differ: How ill then will it befeem us, to Arrogate the Glory of our Lord to Our felves? But) O when will they fo Magnify Chrift, and as Rev. 5. 12. Think the Lamb Worthy to Receive all Glory; and in all things to have the Pre-eminence; who are readier to Side with the Malevolent Factions of proud Rebels; that would fpoil him of his Deity, his Dominion, his Satisfaction, and his Righteousness; as the Meritorious Caufe of our Juftification? Of whofe Righteousness (in

this Cafe,) and of that Only, all his humble Retainers do make mention; and take all their Happiness, as Purchased by him; and not at all Deferved by them. But this the Enemies of Grace, and the Undervaluers of Chrift Jefus will never endure : Because it spoils all the Glorying and Triumph in any thing of their Own; whereof they are ftill fo Fond, and have it in Admiration above all. And thus

II. Pride hinders mens Submitting to the Righteousness of God; By the High Conceit they have of their Own Righteoufness: As that which they think may pafs very well, and ferve the turn, without Looking any further. Chrift's Righteoufnefs, which is compleatly Perfect, they put away from 'em: But their Own, they would have Imputed to 'em, as Perfect; which is fo extremely Short of Perfection: and feem confident alfo in the opinion, That God, (whofe Judgment is according to Truth,) will yet make the fame Erroneous Computation as they do. No doubt, but Paul himself, before his Converfion, fuppofed fuch a Sufficiency in his own Righteoufnefs: Though when grown a Better man, he was lefs Affuming: And inftead of Depending upon any Righteousness of his Own, for Juftification;. Difclaim'd it all. I Cor. 4. 4. Phil. 3. 9. And here he

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