And, indeed, fuch as plead for works done by the grace of God to juftify them, may as well plead, that all manner of works, without diftinction (counted good) should justify them; because they ufe fo to confound nature and grace, that, according to them, even a man's rational faculty, and his natural ability to work at all, is as much of grace, as any peculiar qualifications wrought by the Holy Spirit. And fo we muft leave them (if they will) to quarrel with the Apoftle, for making any difference at all between our own righteoufnefs and the righteousness of God.

However, when it is the mercy of God, and the merit of Chrift, that juftifies the undeferving; methinks it is no fair thanking the Lord, for enabling them to do any good works, to go and fet thofe works in the place of his grace, and give them the honour due to that. And I muft confefs, it would be as difingenuous and wicked to arrogate this glory of juftification to our faith, which others confer upon their works. For though faith dignifies us, in receiving that righteousness of our Saviour, by which we are juftified, and by which the imperfection of our works is covered, and our own righteousness made fignificant, to ftand us in any ftead; yet, all this while, it is not faith, as our work; no, but only as the veffel which God gives us to receive the treasure. And in itself, what is it, but like an earthen pot, filled with gold and jewels? And then if faith itself, by which we are faid to be juftified, (as it ap prehends the righteousness of Chrift which does it,) yet has fo poor a fhare in the matter, (though it be all that can be done on our parts ;) O what part or honour will here be left for works, which the Apof tle utterly excludes, as having nothing to do in the bufinefs of juftification, but only come after, as the fruits and confequents of that faith which does the work!

All

All this I do here fo much inculcate, becaufe I know what pains the felf-jufticiaries are at ftill, to bring in fomewhat of their own to do the business; and how much they are aggrieved to be ftript of all their own plumes, that Chrift may be all in all. If they cannot get it one way, they will have it another. If one fort of felf-righteoufnefs will not do for their juftification, another fhall. Thus they go about to fet up fome righteousness of their own; and they will not be put off it, but attempt it over and over. Like one that would (ra) fet up a dead carcafe to ftand by itself; but that will not fadge, it cannot be accomplished. However, still they are trying at the unfeasible thing; and this they would fain have to do their business, without any righteousness of Chrift imputed to them.

And fo" they have not submitted themselves to "the righteousness of God." That which is of his chufing and ordaining, they do not approve, and like well of it; they will not yield and subscribe to it, as the best and only way of falvation. No, but they dispute and cavil, and are full of their exceptions against it. They find great fault with it; and they make but even a mere mock of it. It is foolishness to them, to look for life and falvation from another's death and paffion. To be fo beholden to the Son of God, and take all as a gratuity from him, this will not down the ftout ftomachs. So to receive the kingdom of God, as "little children,” (which our Saviour fays all muft do, that will enter there,) they will not be fuch babies. No, they think themselves to be more men, and to know better things. They will not therefore vouchfafe to yield unto God's way of juftifying and faving finners, only through the merits and righteoufnefs of his Son, apprehended and applied by their faith.

And thus it is expreffed here, "will not fubmit,' to fhew with how much ado the natural man is

brought

brought to accept of mercy and happiness at God's hands, for Chrift's fake. Such will ftand it out as long as ever they are able. They will fee what they can make of it in themfelves, and will fearch all the world over for righteoufnefs, before they will come to the Saviour of God's appointing; come to him, labouring and heavy laden.

And again, it is to fhew, what meekness and low. liness is requifite to make one the true difciple of Je. fus, to receive the faving benefit by him, and humbly to rely and depend upon him. Before it comes to this, there must be felfenptying, and self-denial; great abafement and humiliation. A man must be hard bestead, and fore put to it, and even thrown down to the ground, (as our Apostle was,) ere he will become fo fubmiffive and tractable, and ask, "Lord, what wilt though have me to do?" Before that, he lays down the law himfelf. Thus it muft be; and fo I will have it my own way; it can be no other way. No, he will hear of none elfe. All is nonfenfe that you talk to him of a righteoufnels transferred from one to another. Though it be the way of God's prefcribing, no matter for that; he makes a fcorn of it, and will "not fubmit to the " righteoufnefs of God."

Now from this place of fcripture, I shall obferve, I. How dark-fighted even the wifeft men are by nature, in God's way of justifying and faving finners, ignorant of God's righteoufnefs."

II. How abfurd is the attempt to fet up our own righteoufnefs; "going about to establish their own " righteoufnefs."

66

III. What a hinderance is pride to their happiness, who ftand upon their terms with God, and will not fubmit to his righteoufnefs. They will not have it his way, and they shall not have it their own. I. Obferve here,

How dark-fighted even the wisest men are by na

ture,

ture, in God's way of justifying and faving finners; "ignorant of God's righteoufnefs."

It was fpoken of the Jews, that had the oracles of God, and their rabbies, and schools of the Prophets, scribes and Pharifees, counted the most intelligent learned perfons then in the world. Yet, in this most material point, they were at the fouleft lofs, and even in grofs ignorance. What a bungler did Nicodemus (one of their leading men) fhew himself in the bufinefs of regeneration? John iii. 9. To be born again? born of the Spirit? what ftuff was this to him? he could not devife' how any fuch thing could be. And fo, the preaching of Chrift crucified, what a ftumbling-block was it to the Jews? 1 Cor. i. 23. They cannot get over the block to this day, nor ever bring themfelves to believe, that falvation should come to them from one that was condemned and executed as a malefactor; and that any fhould be juftified in the fight of God, through faith in his blood. Here ftill does it ftick fo hard with them, and with so many Judaizers among ourselves, who yet name the name of Chrift. Nay, this the Gentiles rejected as a ridiculous ftory. It is to the "Greeks foolishness." The Athenian wits fcorned St. Paul as a babbler, for preaching any fuch doctrine among them, Acts xvii. 18. Where is the "wife? (fays he,) where is the fcribe? where is "the difputer of this world? Has not God made "foolish the wifdom of this world?" I Cor. i. 20. and ver. 26. "Ye fee your calling, brethren, how "that not many wife men after the flesh are called.” No, all their parts and abilities (though rifing never fo high) cannot reach up to this "hidden wifdom "of God," 1 Cor. ii. 7. " which he hides from the "wife and prudent, but reveals even unto babes," Matth. xi. 25. And this is the reason, that the most profound and fharpeft men cannot be mafters of it, with all their improvements and fearches, and infight

T

into

into natural things; because it is to be known only by divine revelation. The righteousness of God is "revealed from faith to faith," Rom. i. 17.

We

are to receive it as purely an object of faith, where in, we are gradually to grow and establish ourselves: and therefore it may be faid to be "from faith to "faith," i. e, from one degree of it to another. For it hangs all upon the revelation of God: both the righteousness itself, and the manner of imparting it, are taught us only in the holy fcripture, and by the Spirit of God. And therefore the mafters of rea fon are fo averfe to receive what all their reafon could never discover. For though natural light, and our rational faculties, can teach us, that we fhould act righteously towards God and man; yet for the imputed righteousness of Chrift, it is only the Spirit of God can convince the world of that: John xvi. 8. "He fhall convince the world of righteoufnefs." Therefore our Apoftle (as quick-fighted, and as great a fcholar, as the highest pretender, yet he) knew nothing of it, till the " light from heaven" came and

fhewed it to him; and "God revealed his Son in him," Gal. i. 16. For there is not only a revealing of Chrift in the gospel, but a revealing of Chrift alfo in the foul, as "the Lord our righteoufnefs," which is needful to inftruct us well in this point of justifi cation by faith in him. And for all that is laid in the gofpel, of this righteousness of God, and being juftified by the faith of Chrift, men will fnaggle and wrangle on ftill, to gainfay and evade it, till God reveals it in them, and the Spirit of God comes to convince them. Before fuch revelation and conviction, even the acuteft men grope in the dark, as to these things of the Spirit, and reject and difdain them, yea, ridicule and blafpheme them: and are ignorant both of the law of God, and the righteouf nefs of God.

I. They