and officers into his kingdom, not to be found in the book of the manner of his kingdom, difpofing of the external government thereof, as may best fuit their carnal defigns. Such is the enmity of the hearts of men against Zion's KING.

Evid 2 How unwilling are men, naturally to fubmit unto, and be hedged in by the laws and difcipline of his kingdom! As a King, he is a Law-giver, (Ifa. xxxiii 22.) and has appointed an external government, difcipline and cenfors, to controul the unruly, and to keep his profeffed fubjects in order, to be exercised by officers of his own appointment, Matth. xviii. 17, 18. 1 Cor. xii. 28. 1 Tim. v. 17. Heb. xiii. 17. But thefe are the great eye-fores of the carnal world, who love finful liberty, and therefore cry out, Let us break their bands afunder, and caft away their cords from us, Pfal. ii. 3. Hence this work is found to be, in a special manner, a striving against the stream of corrupt nature, which, for the most part, puts fuch a face on the church, as if there were no King in Ifrael, every one doing that which is right in his own eyes.

Evid. 3. However natural men may be brought to feign fubmiffion to the King of faints, yet lufts always retain the throne and dominion in their hearts, and they are ferving divers lufts and pleasures, Tit. iii. 3. None but these in whom Chrift is formed, do really put the erown on his head, and receive the kingdom of Chrift within them. His crown is the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his elpoufals. Who are they, whom the power of grace has not fubdued, that will allow him to fet up, and to put down, in their fouls, as he will? Nay, as for others, any lord fhall fooner get the rule over them, than the Lord of glory: they kindly entertain his enemies, and will never abfolutely refign themselves to his government, till conquered in a day of power. Thus ye may fee that the natural man is an enemy to Jefus Chrift in all his offices.

But O! how hard is it to convince men in this point! They are very loth to take with it. And in a special manner, the enmity of the heart against Christ in his priestly office, feems to be hid from the view of most of the hearers of the gofpel. Yet there appears to be a peculiar malignity in corrupt nature against that office of his. It may be obferved, that the Socinians, these enemies of our bleffed Lord, allow him to be properly a Prophet and a King, but deny him to be properly a Prieft. And this is agreeable enough to the corruption of our nature; for under the covenant of works, the Lord was known as a Prophet or Teacher, and also as a King or Ruler; but not at all as a Prieft: fo man knows nothing of the mystery of Chrift, as the way to the Father, till it be revealed to him. And when it is revealed, the will rifeth up against it; for corrupt nature lies cross to the mystery of Chrift, and the great contrivance of falvation, through a crucified Saviour, revealed in the gofpel. For clearing of which weighty truth, let these four things be confidered.

himfel as his fervant, that must work and win heaven as his wages. Hence, when confcience is awakened, he thinks that, to the end he may be faved, he muft answer the demands of the law; ferve God as well as he can, and pray for mercy wherein he comes fhort. And

thus many come to duties, that never come out of them to Jesus Christ. Evid. 2. As men, naturally, think highly of their duties, that feem to them, to be well done; fo they look for acceptance with God according as their work is done, not according to the fhare they have in the blood of Christ. Wherefore have we fafted, fay they, and thou feeft not? They'll value themselves on their performances and attainments: yea, their very opinions in religion, (Philip. iii. 4, 5, 6, 7.) taking to themfelves, what they rob from Chrift the great High-priest.

Evid. 3. The natural man going to God, in duties, will always be found, either to go without a mediator, or with more than the only Mediator JESUS CHRIST. Nature is blind, and therefore venturous: it fets a man a-going immediately to God without Chrift; to rush into his prefence, and put their petitions n his hand, without being introduced by the Secretary of heaven, or putting their requests into his hand. So fixed is this difpofition in the unrenewed heart, that when many hearers of the gofpel are converfed with upon the point of their hopes of falvation, the name of Chrift will fcarcely be heard from their mouths. Afk them how they think to obtain the pardon of fin? they will tell you, they beg and look for mercy, because God is a merciful God; and that is all they have to confide in. Others look for mercy for Chrift's fake; but how do they know that Chrift will take their plea in hand. Why, as the Papifts have their mediators with the Mediator, fo have they. They know he cannot but do it; for they pray, confefs, mourn, and have great defires, and the like; and fo have fomething of their own to commend them unto him: they were never made poor in fpirit, and brought empty-handed to Chrift, to lay the stress of all on his atoning blood.

3. The natural man is an eneiny to Chrift in his kingly office. The Father has appointed the Mediator King in Zion, Pfal. ii. 6, And all to whom the gofpel comes, are commanded, on their highest peril, to kiss the Son, and fubmit themselves unto him, ver. 12. But the natural voice of mankind is, Away with him; as you may fee, ver. 2, 3. They will not have him to reign over them, Luke xix. 14.

Evidence 1. The workings of corrupt nature to wreft the govern ment out of his hands. No fooner was he born, but being born a King, Herod perfecuted him, Matth. ii, And when he was crucified, they set up over his head his accufation written, This is Jefus, the King of the Jews, Matth. xxvii. 37. Though his kingdom be a fpiritual kingdom, and not of this world; yet they cannot allow him a kingdom within a kingdom, which acknowledgeth no other head or fupreme, but the royal Mediator. They make bold with his royal prerogatives, changing his laws, inftitutions and ordinances, modelling his worthip according to the devices of their own hearts; introducing new offices

and officers into his kingdom, not to be found in the book of the manner of his kingdom, difpofing of the external government thereof, as may best fuit their carnal defigns. Such is the enmity of the hearts of men against Zion's KING.

Evid 2 How unwilling are men, naturally to fubmit unto, and be hedged in by the laws and difcipline of his kingdom! As a King, he is a Law-giver, (Ifa. xxxiii 22.) and has appointed an external government, difcipline and cenfors, to controul the unruly, and to keep his profeffed fubjects in order, to be exercised by officers of his own appointment, Matth. xviii. 17, 18, 1 Cor. xii. 28. 1 Tim. v. 17. Heb. xiii. 17. But these are the great eye-fores of the carnal world, who love finful liberty, and therefore cry out, Let us break their bands afunder, and cast away their cords from us, Pfal. ii. 3. Hence this work is found to be, in a special manner, a striving against the stream of corrupt nature, which, for the most part, puts fuch a face on the church, as if there were no King in Ifrael, every one doing that which is right in his own eyes.

Evid. 3. However natural mea may be brought to feign fubmiffion to the King of faints, yet lufts always retain the throne and dominion in their hearts, and they are ferving divers lufts and pleasures, Tit. ii. 3. None but these in whom Chrift is formed, do really put the erown on his head, and receive the kingdom of Christ within them. His crown is the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals. Who are they, whom the power of grace has not subdued, that will allow him to fet up, and to put down, in their fouls, as he will? Nay, as for others, any lord fhall fooner get the rule over them, than the Lord of glory: they kindly entertain his enemies, and will never abfolutely refign themselves to his government, till conquered in a day of power. Thus ye may fee that the natural man is an enemy to Jefus Chrift in all his offices.

But O! how hard is it to convince men in this point! They are very loth to take with it. And in a special manner, the enmity of the heart against Christ in his priestly office, feems to be hid from the view of most of the hearers of the gofpel. Yet there appears to be a peculiar malignity in corrupt nature against that office of his. It may be observed, that the Socinians, these enemies of our bleffed Lord, allow him to be properly a Prophet and a King, but deny him to be properly a Prieft. And this is agreeable enough to the corruption of our nature; for under the covenant of works, the Lord was known as a Prophet or Teacher, and also as a King or Ruler; but not at all as a Prieft: fo man knows nothing of the myftery of Chrift, as the way to the Father, till it be revealed to him. And when it is revealed, the will rifeth up against it; for corrupt nature lies cross to the mystery of Chrift, and the great contrivance of falvation, through a crucified Saviour, revealed in the gofpel. For clearing of which weighty truth, let these four things be confidered.

First, The foul's falling in with the grand device of falvation by Jefus Chrift, and fetting the matters of falvation on that footing before the Lord, is declared by the fcriptures of truth. to be an undoubted mark of a real faint, who is happy here, and fhall be happy here. after. Matth. xi. 6. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended 1 Cor. i 23, 24. But we preach Chrift crucified, unto the Jews a ftumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness: but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Chrift, the power of God, and the wifdom of God Philip. i. 3. For we are the circumcifion which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Now how could this be, if nature could comply with that grand device.

in me.

Secondly, Corrupt nature is the very reverse of the gospel contriv ance. In the gospel, God promifeth Jefus Chrift as the great means of re-uniting man to himfelf: he has named him as the Mediator, one in whom he is well pleafed, and will have none but him, Matth. xvii. 5. But nature will have none of him, Pfal lxxxi. 11 God appointed the place of meeting for the reconciliation, namely, the flesh of Chrift; accordingly, God was in Chrift, (2 Cor. v. 29.) as the tabernacle of meeting, to make up the peace with finner; but natural men, tho they fhould die for ever, will not come thither, John v. 40. And ye ·will not come to me, that ye might have life. In the way of the gospel, the finner must ftand before the Lord in an imputed righteoufnefs: but corrupt nature is for an inherent righteoufnefs: and therefore, fo far as natural men follow after righteoufhefs, they follow after the law of righteoufnefs, Rom. ix 31, 32 and not after the Lord our righteousness. Nature is always for building up itfelf, and to have fome grounds for boafting: but the great defign of the gospel is to exalt grace, to deprefs nature, and exclude boafting, Rom. i 27. The fum of our natural religion is, to do good from and for ourselves, John v. 44. The fum of the gofpel religion is, to deny ourfelved and to do good from and for Chrift, Philip i. 21.

Thirdly, Every thing in nature is against believing in Jefus Chrift. What beauty can the blind man difcern in a crucified Saviour, for which he is to be defired? How can the will, naturally impotent, yea and averfe to good, make choice of him? Well may the foul then fay to him in the day of the fpiritual fiege, as the Jebufites faid to David m another cafe, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither, 2 Sam. v. 6. The way of nature is to go into one's felf for all; according to the fundamental maxim of unfanctified morality, That a man should trust in himself; which according to the doctrine of faith, is mere foolishnefs; for fo it is determined, Prov. 'xviii. 26. He that trufteth in his own heart is a fool. Now faith is the foul's going out of itself for all: and this nature, on the other hand, determines to be foolishness, 1 Cor. i. 18, 23. Wherefore there is need of the working of mighty power, to caufe finners to believe, Eph. i. 19. Ifa. liii. 1. We fee promifes of welcome to finners, in

the

the gospel-covenant, are ample, large, and free, clogg'd with no conditions, Ifa. lv. 1. Rev. xxii. 17. If they cannot believe his bare word, he has given them his oath upon it, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. And for their greater affurance, he has appended feals to his fworn covenant, namely, the holy facraments. So that no more could be demanded of the most faithlefs perfon in the world, to make us believe him, than the Lord hath condefcended to give us, to make us believe himself. This plainly speaks nature to be against believing, and these who flee to Chrift for refuge, to have need of strong confolation, (Heb. vi. 18.) to blame their ftrong doubts, and propenfity to unbelief. Farther, also it may be obferved, how, in the word fent to a fecure, graceless generation, their objections are answered aforehand; and words of grace are heaped one upon another, as ye may read, Ifa. lv. 7, 8, 9. Joel ii. 13. Why? Because the Lord knows, that when these secure finners are throughly akned, doubts, fears, and carnal reasonings against believing, will be going within their breafts, as thick as du in a house, raised by sweeping a dry floor.

Laftly, Corrupt nature is bent towards the way of the law, or covenant of works; and every natural man, fo far as he fets himself to feek after falvation, is engaged in that way; and will not quit it, till beat from it by divine power. Now the way of falvation by works, and that of free grace in Jefus Chrift, are inconfiftent, Rom. xi. 6. And if by grace, then it is no more of works; otherwife grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace; otherwife work is no more work. Gal. iii. 13. And the law is not of FAITH; but the man that DOTH them hall live in them. Wherefore, if the will of man naturally incline to the way of falvation by the law; it lies crofs to the gofpel-contrivance. And that fuch is the natural bent of our hearts, will appear, if these following things be confidered. 1. The law was Adam's covenant; and he knew no other, as he was the head and reprefentative of all mankind, that were brought into it with him, and, left under it by him, tho' without ftrength to perform the condition thereof. Hence, this covenant is ingrained in our nature and tho' we have loft our father's ftrength, yet we ftill incline to the way he was fet upon as our head and reprefentative in that covenant; that is, by doing to live. This is our natural religion, and the principle which men naturally take for granted, Matth.xix. 16. What good thing fall I DO, that I may have eternal life?

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2. Confider the oppofition that has always been made in the world against the doctrine of free grace in Jefus Chrift, by men fetting up for the way of works; thereby difcovering the natural tendency of the heart. It is manifeft, that the great defign of the gofpel-contriv ance is to exalt the free grace of God in Jesus Christ, Rom. iv. 16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace. See Eph. i. 6. and chap. ii 7, 9. All gofpel truths center in Chrift: fo that to learn. the truth is to learn Christ, Eph. iv. 20. And to be truly taught, is to be taught as the truth is in Jefus, ver. 21. All difpenfations of

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