Tho' not High enough to Raife 'em to his Heaven. No, He told fuch Juftifiers of themfelves, who were fo opinion'd of their own Worth and Goodness; Matth. 21. 31. That Publicans and Harlots went into the Kingdom of Heaven before them. For fuch noted Sinners will fooner be Convinced, and come to Repentance, and to Faith in Chrift, and fo to Heaven: But Pride deftroys even all that Good which the others pretend to; and they are nothing Sincere in it: For, behold, his Soul which is Lifted up, is not Upright in him. Hab. 2. 4. Such as stand so much upon their own Endowments and Abilities, will hardly ever Submit to the Righteousness of Faith. How can ye Believe, (faith our Bleffed Lord,) who receive Honour one of another? Joh. 5. 44. And nothing hinders fo much, as the Honour, which men think belongs to 'em, for their Righteoufnefs. For 'tis not fo much, Wealth, or Parentage, or Parts, that Commends a man, as Goodness does. This they look therefore most to be Praised for; As Owing all to Themselves. (Propter Virtutem jure Laudamur, & in Virtute rectè Gloriamur : Quod non contingeret, fi donum à Deo, non à nobis baberemus. Tull.) This redounds fo much. to our Honour; (fay the Patrons of Nature,) Because we have not this Probity, as an Infufed Quality; but we draw it out of our own Treafure.

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The Difputers of this World are thus for Wrangling themfelves out of the Righteousness of God: And there's no End of their Cavils against it. While it pleafes God by the Foclifbness of Preaching, to Save them that Believe. I Cor. 1. 21. They that are fo Conceited of their own Righteousness, will never Lofe all the Crop of Praise and Glory which they expect from it. To throw it down, as Refufe Stuff, at the feet of Chrift Jefus. No, The very Arguing of the Apofile, for the Righteoufnefs of Faith, That it Excludes Boafting, Even that fills them with fuch Prejudice against it. Rom. 3. 27. Where is Boafting then? It is excluded. By what Law? Of Works? Nay, but by the Law of Faith. And therefore are they fo much against this Faith; Because it is fo much against their Boafting Trade. As the Jews could not tell how to imagine, That the Gentiles which followed not after Righteousness, fhould attain to Righteoufnefs; When themselves that followed after the Law of Righteousness mifs'd it. Rom. 9. 30, 31. So our Judaizing fort of Chriftians, will never be perfuaded, that the Righteoufnefs of Faith, which they think too Eafily come by, to be Honeft Goods, fhould do more than all the Laborious Righteousness, which they Hew out, and Fabricate themfelves. How Merry can they make themfelves with St. Ambrofe his Adumbration of Chrift's Imputed Righteoufnefs; By Jacob's

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Recommending himself to his Father, and carrying away the Bleffing, in his Elder Brother's Cloaths; of which he fo well Liked the Perfume? I know the mighty Difdain, with which they look upon this Righteousness: So that if they found it lying even in the way, They'd Scorn to take it up; unless to Ridicule and Expose it."

For the Doctrine of Imputation has, of fome late years, grown a Jeft and Derifion; which ever before was own'd and defended by all the most celebrated Divines of our Church, as the only Orthodox Opinion. One of the Greatest and Beft of 'em that ever this Church had, was not afhamed to build all his hopes of Heaven upon it. And in one of his devout Addreffes to the Majesty on high, thus does that fweet Singer of our Ifrael give his sense of the matter,

Hungry I was, and had no meat:

I did Conceit a moft delicious Feast;
I had it frait, and did as truly eat,
As ever did a welcome Gueft.
I owed Thousands and much more;
I did Believe that I did nothing owe,
And Liv'd accordingly: my Creditor
Believes fo too, and lets me go.
When Creatures had no real Light

Inherent in 'em, Thou didst make the Sun
Impute a Luftre, and allow them bright;
And in this fhew what Chrift has done.
HERBERT of Faith.

But now (as a Champion for the oppofite Part told me,) fince the 39 Articles were compil'd, There has been a Turn in our Affairs. I fuppofe it may be, from the Faith of the Gospel, to the admired Theology of old Nature. And the Divines that are ambitious to be thought Modifh, difcourfe now with quite another Air, than what lies fo plain in the Articles of our Faith and Religion; which fmell too much of the Cranmerian Reformation. And therefore they make use of 'em only as a Key, by which they are fain to enter into the Church; But as foon as they have got Poffeffion, fall to Preach 'em down without mercy, as the greatest Abfurdity.

Though all this while, The Self Righteoufnefs in which they fo Ruffle and Glory, (God knows,) is none of the thing, which they would have it taken for: But a forry Ragged, Patch'd covering; Not only full of Cracks and Flaws; but of fuch Deficiencies and Impurities; That 'twill never Abide the Teft of God's holy, Righteous Law. And the highest Pretenders to it, are many times the leaft Partakers of it, Prov. 30. 12.. There is a Generation, that are pure in their Own Eyes; And yet is not Wafbed from their Filthinels. We know of one that was as much his own Spokesman, as any of them; And fet off himfelf in all the fine Trappings of his Own Righteoufnefs. Luke 18. Yet

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the Success which he found does litle encourage others to Follow his Trade. For his Fellow-Worshipper, that took quite a contrary courfe, (though Look'd upon as a Worfe man,) yet far'd much better. The Publican that fcarce durft look up to Heaven; but fmote on his Breaft, and had nothing to fay for himself, but God be merciful to me a Sinner, went down to his houfe Juftified, rather than the other, ver. 14. Yet O how many fill, are for keeping up the Pharifees Humour! And, Alas, What is all the best Righteoufnefs, they fo much ftand upon? What, but fome common Honesty, Sober Living, Upright Dealings, Obfervation of fome Prayers, Kindness to the Poor, Fair and Plaufible Carriage to all? Things, it's true, very Commendable in themfelves: But yet fuch Virtues, as were found in many of the Heathens: And peradventure, in a greater measure, than thefe Righteous men now do poffefs them. But till this is

too fhort for the Cover, and too Weak for the Cure, of a Sinful Soul. All this while here may be no Regeneration; No Principle of New Life; No Heart Right with God; No Spirit of Chrift; None of the true Holiness, without which, no Seeing the Lord. Instead of having thefe, they may Reject 'em, as Unneceflary Precifeness. Or though all these were indeed fuperadded; yet ftill they are in fuch Imperfection here; that

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