fection of degrees, a perfection of duration: The condition of the covenant of grace, is Chrift's perfect obedience received by faith. There is much ignorance of this at the root of all the legality that takes place in the world. They are ignorant of the form of the covenant, how by the covenant of works we get a ftrength within ourselves, and by ourselves we could obey it; how by the covenant of grace our ftrength is without us, as well as our righteoufnefs, In the Lord have I frength; and, we are to be ftrong in the Lord, not in ourselves, but in the Lord, and, in the power of his might to be strong in the grace, not that is, in ourselves, but in the grace that is in Christ Jefus.

4 Ignorance of Chrift and his righteoufnefs, is a great cause of men's establishing a legal righteoufnefs, Rom. x. 3. God was about to caft off a whole church, to reject them, and unchurch them. Why? What was the reafon? Because they were fo extremely proud that they would rather be damned with their own righteousness than faved by Chrift's righteousness, or obliged and beholden to him for it. They would not fubmit to it; why? Because they were ignorant of it; they did not fee the glory of it, as it is the righteousness of God; they did not fee the neceffity of it, because their own righteousness was reckoned fufficient; they did not fee the fulness of it, as answering all the demands and commands of the law; they did not fee the value of it, as fufficient to procure the favour of God, and purchase grace and glory; they did not fee the acceptableness of it, as being the only righteoufnefs with which God is well pleased, and that whereby the law is magnified, and made honourable :

nourable: They are ignorant of all this, and therefore they go about to establish a righteousness of their own, and will not fubmit to this. Their ignorance was proud ignorance, and fo it is with all by nature; we are filled with proud ignorance, and ignorant pride; though our power be gone, our pride

remains.

The 4th thing here propofed, was, the evil and danger of a legal temper and legal obedience; why? 1. This legal way is a very unpleasant work, it is a wearifome work; What a weariness is it? fays the man. He is wearied in the greatness of his way, and yet fays he not, there is no hope, Ifa. Ivii. ro. It is true, the law hath fometimes its influences of comfort to its votaries, and ftony-ground hearers may receive the word with joy, and no doubt they may pray and do other duties alfo with joy; but it is only a good temper, that evanishes, having no rooting in Chrift. Can a dead man have pleasure in vital actions? Can a heavy ftone incline upwards? O but the legal foul is a miserable creature! The law drags him to duties, conscience preffes him to work, faying, Faft, pray, pray, man, work for your life, repent, reform, as you would not be damned: But behold, he cannot, tho' they be good duties he is called to; and the legal covenant, the legal minifter, the legal confcience of him cries, Make brick, make brick, make brick; but behold he hath no ftraw, no ftraw, nothing to make it of. He hath no ftrength, no grace, no communication; and fo he tugs, he works, he fweats, but it is a heartless and unpleasant work. 2. Legal obedience is very unprofitable work, as well as unpleasant, Ifa. lvii. 12. I will declare thy righteoufness, and thy work, for they shall not profit thee.

VOL. II.

The

ye

The self-righteous Pharifee may fast twice a week, give alms of all that he hath; he may make long prayers, many prayers; he may both preach and pray frequently and fervently; yea, the poor legalift may work at his fecret devotion and family devotion; he may wait on ordinances, and frequent communions, and run the whole round of duties; and when he hath done thus forty or fifty years, all the profit is, he gets hell for his pains, Ifa. i. 11. To what purpose is the multitude of your facrifices? All is unprofitable. 3. The legal obedience is very carnal, for it is a life wholly deftitute of the fpirit, Gal. iii. 2. This I would learn of you, fays Paul; if you will be doctors of the law, let me have a leffon from you, if you can give it, received the fpirit by the works of the law, or by the bearing of faith? Was it by the works of the law? I believe not; nay, the fpirit is not received in that way It is in and by the gofpel of Chrift. The legalift is deftitute of the fpirit: whatever affectitious holiness he may have, or real holiness he may pretend to, he wants a fanctifying work, fealing work; Senfual, not having the Spirit. 4. Legal obedience croffes the moft glorious defign of heaven, particularly God's defign in giving Chrift, and Christ's defign in coming to the world. (1.) It croffes God's greatest defign; What is that? It is even the exalting of his free grace: What is the great defign of all the great works of God, election, redemption, regeneration, providence? Why does he choofe one, and reject others? Why does he choose a wicked Publican, and caft a righteous Pharifee to hell? Why does he redeem poor, ignorant, ill-natur'd people from their miserable ftate, and let the rich and learned go to hell? Why .does

3

does he regenerate an elect foul, after he hath been twenty or thirty years in the devil's fervice? And after they are regenerate, why does he in providence let them fall into ftraits, wants, fins, manifold temptations, troubles, affliction, desertion, and heavy complaints on thefe accounts? Why? All is to exalt free grace in the iffue. But now the legalift croffes this defign of God; he would have felf exalted, his works exalted, inftead of Chrift and free grace. He puts another rightcoufnefs in the room of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, and fo takes the dung of his own righteoufnefs, as Paul calls it, and cafts it upon the face of free, rich and fovereign grace, to cover, and hide and darken it. Owhat a devilish defign is this, in oppofition to God's glorious defign of making grace thine brightly! (2.) It croffes Chrift's great defign in coming to the world: The grand intention of the fon of God in coming from heaven, was, to bring in an everlasting righte oufness, Dan. ix. 24. But behold, the legalift's defign in establishing his own righteoufnefs, is, to make all Chrift's labour to be loft labour; he fruftrates the very end of Chrift's death, and makes it vain, Gal. ii. laft. If righteoufnefs come by the law, Chrift is dead in vain. Inftead of Chrift's everlasting righteoufnefs, he sets up a righteousness that cannot last half a day, nor half an hour, nay, not a moment. 5. Legal obedience hath the evil of blafphemy in it. It reproaches the righteoufnefs of Chrift, as if it were not fufficient, as if his atonement were not perfect, as if his fatisfaction were not full, as if his obedience were not perfect, unless it be patch'd up with the rags of the man's own righteoufnefs. Is not Chrift's righteousness perfect without your addition? O do

not

not blafpheme the Son of God, and fay in effect, his obedience was not a divine, perfect obedience; for thus you reproach his fulness and fufficiency. 6. Legal obedience iffues in a terrible disappointment; the poor deluded man thinks his prayers and duties, that he hath been performing for so many years, will make an excellent robe to cover him: I hope, fays the man, I have fomething that will contribute to make me die in peace; I have fomething to make me stand in judgment, that others have not; for inany a duty have I performed, many a prayer have I made, these twenty or thirty years, and many times have I prayed with very much warmnefs of affection, and livelinefs of frame; and therefore, I have a good hope, that God will be pleased, and all will be well with me. But, O what a fearful disappointment does the man meet with! Death comes; and if he die in the fame legal dream; he goes down to the grave with a lie in his right-hand. The hypocrite's hope is like the Spider's web; why? What comes of it? The fpider works it out of her own bowels; it is her house, it is her food, it is her fence; there the dwells, there fhe feeds, there fhe fecures and shelters herfelf for a while; but at the clofe of the day, or end of the week, the broom comes along, and fweeps her and her lodging and all to the ground: Even fo, the legalift works a web out of his own bowels, he wraps himself in this garment of his own fpinning; here he dwells, here he works, here he feeds, here he fhelters himself from all challenges, and apprehenfions of danger; but behold, the broom of death and deftruction comes and fweeps him, and his refuge of lies, down to the bottomlefs pit. If his eyes be open on a deathbed,

to