Temple of it; in a Word, he is all that is beautiful and glorious: Every Saint hath put on the Lord Jefus, and is perfect thro' his Comelinefs; at leaft, if the Holiness of Spirits of juft Men made perfect, be the glorious Habit above; yet all the Beauty and Glory of it is from Chrift Jefus, whofe Image it is, and the Spirit whofe Work it is. It fhall be ftill true, all our Righteoufnefs, as ours, is filthy, and all Holiness, as it hath a Relation to us, cannot please God; it must be spotted before his pure Eyes, but only it is accepted and clean, as it is Chrift's and the Spirit's, as it is his own Garment put upon us, and his own Comlinefs making us perfect. It is not fo much the inherent Cleannefs of the the Saints Robes that maketh them beautiful in his Eyes, as this, That they are washed in the Blood of the Lamb, Rev. vii. 14. Now from all this we would fpeak a Word to two Sorts of you; there is one great Point of Religion, that is the Principal and Foundation of all other, even free Juftification, by Faith in Jefus, without our own Righteoufnefs: And the moft Part ftumble here in the Entry; it is the greatest Obftruction of Souls com ing to Chrift Jefus, even the ignorant and bland Conceit and Fancy, that almoft e very Man hath of himself and his own Performances; the World will not make many believe the half of the Evil of them felves that is fpoken in the Word. If you have a general Conviction of Sinfulness and Mifery, yet you think to help it. If you fin, you use to make an amends, run to your Prayers and Repentance, to give God a Recompence, and fatisfy your own Confciences: Speak Row, is not this the Way you think to be faved? I fhall do what I can, pray and mourn for Sin, and what I am not able to do, God must forgive; you will do all you are able or can, and God's Mercy muft come in to fupply the Want of your Righteoufnels: But this is to put a new Piece of Cloth in an old Garment, to make the Rent worfe. Many of you have no other Ground of Confidence in the World, nothing to answer the Challenge of Confcience or fatisfy Juftice, but this, I repent, I am forry, I mourn, I fhall amend, I refolve never to do the like again. Now then from this Ground, we would declare unto you in the Lord's Name, you are yet unclean, both in Perfons and Actions unjustified, because you have no other Covering but your own Duties and Performances; and let thefe be examined, and weighed in the Ballance of the Sanctuary, and they will be found light. All your Righteousness (faith the Lord) is Filthiness; you are unclean, you cannot deny, both by Birth and Education, you have often defiled yourselves with Sins you must confeks: Now I ask you, How will you cover that Uncleannefs and Nakedness? How will you hide it from God's Eyes and your own Confcience? You know no Way but this, I will pray, I will repent and amend. So then you cover your felf with Prayer, with Sorrow and Tears, and a Refolution of amending; this thea is all your Covering and Ornament, fomething done by you; as many will make the Wings of two good Works ftretch themselves out fo far, as to cover and hide a Multitude of Offences between them. Therefore I declare in the Lord Jefus his Name unto you, whofe Confcience must go alongs in the Acknowledgment and owning of your Cafe, that you have covered yourfelves with your own Righteousness, that you bare are. have taken as filthy Raggs to cover your Nakedness and Sin with, as your Sins are, and fo you have made an Addition to your Uncleanness, you are more unclean by your Prayers and Repentance than before; and fo God is of more pure Eyes than to look graciously on fuch as you You have gone about to eftablish your own Righteoufnefs, and have not known the Righteoufnefs of God, and fo you have come short of it; you are yet Perfons in a State of Enmity, God is your Judge, you are Rebels; it concerns you much to heed this well, to judge of your own Actions and Perfons as God judgeth of them, for if God fhall judge one Way, and you judge another Way, you may be far miftaken in the End. If you have fo good an Opinion of yourselves and your Duties, that you can plead Intereft in God for them, and abfolve yourselves from fuch Grounds; and if God have not the fame Judgment, but rather think as evil of your Prayers as of your Cur: fing, and abhor the Thing that fatisfyeth you, will it not be dreadful in the End? For his Judgment fhall ftand, and you will fuccumb in Judgment, fince you croffed God's Mind; therefore we would have you folidly drink in this Principle of Religion, That Man is fo unclean, and God fo abhorreth him, that whatever he doth or can do, it cannot make him righteous; that no good Action can make him acceptable, and take away the Uncleannefs of the evil Actions; and that any finful Action taketh away all the Cleannefs of the good Actions. Once believe this, if I fhould fweat out my Life in ferving God, and never rife off my Knees, if I should give my Body to the Fire for the Truth, if I fhould melt away in Tears for Sin, all this is but filthy Rags, and I can never be accepted of God for all that, but the Matter of my Condemnation groweth; if I justify myself, my own Mouth proves me perverfe; God needeth no more but my good Deeds to condemn me for in all Justice and therefore it is a Thing impoffible, I will never put forth a Hand, or open a Mouth upon that Account any more. I will ferve God, because it is my Duty but Life I will not expect by my Service, when I have done 'all, it is wholly Mercy that I am accepted; my good Works shall never come in Remembrance, I refolve to be found, not having my own Righteoufnefs; I will appear among the ungodly Sinners, as one that hath no Righteousness, that I may be juftified only by Faith in Jefus Chrift. I fay, drink in this Truth, and let it fettle in your Hearts, and then we would hear Numbers cry, O what shall I do to be saved? Now as for you who have fled unto Chrift's Righteoufnefs only, and have caft away your own as Dung and Drofs, as filthy Rags; as you have done right in the Point of Juftification, judge fo likewise after it. We would exhort you to judge fo of your best Actions that are the Fruits of the Spirit, judge fo of them as you have a Hand in them. All our Righteoufnefs: Mark Ifa. iab a holy Prophet joineth himself in with the Multitude. And the Truth is, the more Holiness, the more Humility and Self-abafing; for what is Holiness, I pray you, but Self-denial, the abafing of the Creature, and exalting of Chrift Jefus. This is the Crofs that the Saints must all bear, Deny yourself, and follow me. Grace doth not fwell Men above others, it is Gifts, fuch as Knowledge, that puffeth up; Charity or Love puffeth not up. Men are naturally high-minded, for Pride was the first Sin of Adam, and Grace Hhbhs Cometh cometh to level Men, to make the high | Duties, made the Ground of your pleadMountains Vallies for Chrift's Chariot;ing Intereft? Give you Liberty and Acit maketh Men stoop low to enter the Door of the Kingdom: Therefore, if you have attained any Measure beyond others, if you would prove it real Grace and Holiness, do not exalt yourselves a above others, be not high minded, come down and fit among the ungodly, among the unclean, and let not Grace given dimiith the low Eftimation of yourfelf in your felf. There is a Growing, that is but a Fancy and Mens Conceit; when Men grow above Ordinances, above other Chriftians, and can fee none or few Chritians but themselves, fuch a Growth is not real, 'tis but Fancy, 'tis but Swelling and Wind, and must be pricked to let it out. A holy Prophet came in among an unclean People, he did not fay, Stand by, I am bolier than thou. Such a Man as can find no Chriftian about him, even though to the Judgment of all others, they feek God more than he, fuch a Man hath not real folid Grace, his Holiness is profane Holiness, and proud Holiness; for true Holiness is humble Holiness, and in Honour preferreth others. There is a great Fault among thofe who have fled to Chrift's Righteoufnefs in Juftification, that they use to come forth From Duties, as a Stomach from a Honeycomb. Oft times we make our Liberty and Accefs to God the Ground of our Acceptation; and according to the Ebbings and Flowings of our inherent Righteoufnefs, fo doth the Faith and Confidence of Juftification ebb and flow: Chriftians, this ought not to be; in fo doing, you make your own Righteoufnefs your Righteoufnefs before God; for when the Unfatisfaction in the Point of Duty, maketh you question your Intereft fo often, is not the Satisfaction of your Minds in cefs, you can believe any Thing; remove it, and you can believe nothing. Certain ly this is a fandy Foundation, you ought to build nothing on Performances, you thould be as vile in your own Eyes, and think your Nakedness as open, when you come nearest God, when you have moft Livelinefs, as when he hideth his Face, and Duty withereth; will filthy Rags be your Ornament? No Chriftians, be more acquaint with the unfpotted Righteoufaefs of the immaculate Lamb of God, and find as great Neceffity of covering your cleaneft Duties with it, as your fJuleft Faults, and thus fhall you be kept still humble and vile in your own Eyes, and have continual Imployment for Chrift Jefus: Your best Eftate fhould not puff you up, and your worst Estate should not caft you down; therefore be much in the Search of the Filchinefs of your holy Actions. This were a fpiritual Study, a noble Discovery to unbowel your Duties, to divide them, and give unto God what is God's, and take unto yourselves what is your own: The Discovery of Filthiness in them, needeth not hinder bis Praife; and the Discovery of Grace in them, needeth not mar your Shame. God hath moft Glory when we have moft Shame, thefe two grow in juft Proportion, fo much is taken from God, as is given to the Creature. Thirdly, We would also press you from this Ground to long much to be cloathed upon with Immortality, to put off the filthy Rags of Time, and Earthrighteoufnefs, and to be cloathed upon with the white Robs of the Righteoufaefs of the Saints. As you would dwell near the Fountain here, and be ftill washing your Garments, and offering all your Sacrifices in him who fanctifieth all, fo would you pant and thirst for this spotlefs Garment of Glory: Glery is nothing but perfect Holiness, Holinefs wafhen and made clean in the Lamb's Blood: Your Rags are for the Prifon and for fojourning; when you come to your Father's Houfe, your Raiment shall be changed. Therefore Chriftians, every one of you aspire higher, fit not down in Attainments, forget what is behind, and prefs forward: Let perfect Holiness be in your Eye and Purpose, fit not behind it: All our Timeduties have much Filthinefs, long for the Stream that waters the City above: pure Grace is not in its native Place, it is corrupted and mixed here: Heaven is the own Element of it, and there is Grace without Mixture. Undervalue all yout Performances, till you be above, where that which is in Part fhall be done away. where no unclean Thing entereth. Fourthly, This likewife holdeth out to you a continual Neceffity of Washing. You must take up House beside the Foun tain opened in the Houfe of David; and never look on any Piece of inherent Righteoufnefs, but fee a Neceffity of dipping it in the Lamb's Blood; and therefore fhould you pray always in Chrift's Name, that the Prayer which of itself, would be caft as Dung on our Face, may have a fweet Savour from him. Cover your Holiness with Christ's Righteousness, and make Mention of it only. SERMON XVII. Ifa. lxiv. 6. And we all do fade as a Leaf, and our Iniquities, like the Wind, have taken us away. ERE they join the Punishment with the deferving Caufe, their Uncleanefs and their Iniquities, and fo take it upon them, and fubfcribeth to the Righteoufa.is of God's Dealing. We will faythis much in general, first, No Body needeth to quarrel God for his Dealing, He will always be juftified when be is judged. If the Lord deal more fharply with you than with others, you may judge, there is a Difference between your Condition and theirs, as well as in the Lord's Difpenfation, even as this People do, Ver. 5, 6. It is a strange Say ing, Lam. iii. 31. The Lord doth nor afflict willingly, nor grieve the Children of Men. That is, (as we conceive) the Lord hath not fuch Pleasure in trampling on Men, as he might do on the Duft of his Feet. Tho' he be abfolute fove. reign Lord of the Creature, and Men be but as the Duft of his Feet, and he may do with his own what he pleaseth, and none ask, What doft thou? Yet the Lordufeth not to walk according to his own Abfolutenefs, he hath another ordinary Rule whereby he worketh, a Rule of Juftice and Equity; efpecially in the punith might have slept to Death. And this wholsome Counsel got Job of his Friends, to ftay his murmuring and grudging at God's Difpenfations, Job xi. 6. Why doft thou complain Job? Know but thy Sins, and there fhall be no room for Complaint; look but unto God's Secrets of Wisdom, and his Law, and fee it is punishing of Men, he ufeth not to afflict Men for his Pleafure, as Tyrants ufe to destroy their People. The Lord exerceth bis Sovereignity another Way, and if he be abfolute and illimited in any Thing, it is in fhewing Mercy on Men: But in Judgment, there may be ftill fome Reafon gotten for it in the Creature befide the Will of God; fo that (to speak with Re-double to what you have known, your verence of his Majefty) Strokes are often Obligation is infinite more than you drawn out of his Hands, he getteth fo thought upon, and then how great and much Provocation ere he ftrike, and numberlefs muft Iniquities be? Know holdeth off fo long, threatneth, and giveth therefore, faith Zopbar, God exacteth of Warning thus before Strokes, as if it were thee lefs than thine Iniquities deferve; God against his Will to lay on, as if his Heart exacteth not according to Law, he crav were broken with us. eth not according to the Obligation, but bids write down fifty in his Bill of Affiction, when an hundred are written in our Bill of deferving: So then complain not, it is Mercy that Life is faved. Are you Men and living Men? Wonder at this, and wonder not that you are not wealthy, are not honourable, feeing you are Sinners: All that came on Ferujalem maketh not Ezra think God out of Bounds, Chap. ix. 13. As we are lefs than the leaft of God's Mercies, and all our Good. nefs deferveth none of them, fo is the leaft Sin greater than the greatest of all his Judgments, and deferveth still more : Nay, if there were no more but original Corruption common to Men, and the Filthinefs that accompanieth Mens good Actions, yet is God righteous in punish ing feverely, and this People acknowledge it fo. You use to enquire what Sin bath fuch a Man done, when fo terrible Judg ments come on? Nay, enquire no more, he is a Sinner, and it is Mercy, there is not more, and it is ftrange Mercy that it is not fo with you allo. You ufe to fpeak foolishly when God's Hand is upon you, I hope I have my Punishment here, I hope to fuffer here for my Sins: Poor Secondly, If Men knew themselves and their own Sinfulness, they would not challenge God with Unrighteoufnefs, but put their Mouth in the Duft, and keep Silence. And it is from this Ground, that this People do not charge God. Sin is of fuch infinite Defert and Merit, be cause against infinite Majefty, that God cannot go beyond it in Punishment; and therefore Jeremiah, when he is wading out of the deep Waters of fore Temptation and fad Difcouragement, he pitcheth and cafteth Anchor at this folid Ground, It it of the Lord's Mercy that we are not confumed, Lam. iii. 22. What do I mean, thus to charge God, as if he dealt rigorously? No, no, It is his Mercy that a Remnant is left, our Strokes are not pure Juftice, our Cup is mixed, Mercy is the greatest Part: Whatever is behind utter Destruction, whatever is below the Defert of Sin, which is Hell and Damnation, all this must be reckoned up to Mercy That I am yet alive, and fo may have Hope, this is Mercy, For why Should a living Man complain? Ver. 39. That a Rod is come to awake us out of Security, this is Mercy, for we Souls |