in Chrift abundantly enjoy under the chriftian law. Tho' it is not to be doubted, that all good men amongst the Jews were enlightned and affifted by the holy Spirit of God, for of our selves we can do nothing; and even bad men reftrained by the fame Spirit from being worse; yet this was not the matter of any formal and explicit promife under that difpenfation; nor were those bleffed influences fo freely, frequently, and eminently poured out, as fince the coming of our Saviour. Remission of fins was but fparingly propofed to them, at no fmall trouble and expence in facrifices; and even this was ftill but for offences of a second rank. But there were many greater evils, from which-the criminal Few could not be justified by the law of Mofes: for in the twentieth chapter of Leviticus, and elfewhere, we find excifion threatned to feveral impieties, either by the immediate hand of God, or by the magiftrate. In these cafes the Jew had no place left for expiatory facrifices, tho' God might nevertheless, where true repentance intervened, be merciful to him in another world, thro' the intended future facrifice of Chrift. And to this after-difpenfation by Chrift, was referved that general and publick promise of pardon for all fins, even blafphemy it felf, except the blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft. This our Saviour himfelf proclaimed while he was on earth, and commanded his Apoftles alfo, that repentance and remiffion of fins should be preached in his name among ft all nations, beginning at Jerufalem, who accordingly published this great advantage of the Gofpel where-ever they came, declaring, that tall who believe are justified by Chrift from all things from which they could not be juftified by the law of Mofes. Again, what Mofes and the Prophets promifed to the Jews for their

*

*Mat. xii. 31. Luke xxiv. 47.

† Acts xiii. 39. obedience,

obedience, was only with regard to this prefent life; a long and happy establishment in the land of Canaan, the outward bleffings of providence, health and riches, a numerous pofterity, a fruitful foil, a flourishing and profperous ftate. And what they threatned upon difobedience, was only oppreffion from their enemies, captivity, a temporal death, and other things contrary to the rewards juft mentioned. But the Gofpel rewards and punishments are of infinitely greater confequence, even eternal life and happiness in heaven, or everlasting mifery in hell. It was Chrift who brought life and immortality to light through the Gofpel. He clear'd the doctrine of the refurrection both by arguments and inftances, by raifing others from the dead, and rifing again himself. He repeated and confirm'd the promises of it in plainer expreffions, revealed the future judgment, and defcribed the state of the juft and unjust which should follow thereupon, as far as was any ways neceffary to guard the obfervance of his precepts, to excite men to piety and virtue, by the affurance of a crown of never fading glory, joy, and peace in heaven, to the obedient; and deter men from the love and practice of fin by the moft dreadful and perpetual punishments that will attend it in another world. And by all this added a strength and fanction to the christian law, very far above that of the Jewish.

3. AND laftly, He improved it in the extent and compass of its jurifdiction, or the number of fubjects under the obligation of it. The law of Mofes was given but to one particular nation, and demanded not obedience from any other, except thofe few religious foreigners who fhould from time to time become voluntary profelytes. The reft of the world were left to live by the dictates of mere natural confcience, and the dim light of reafon, fometimes improved, but oftner perplex'd by the various and

uncertain

uncertain schemes of philofophy. But the Church of God, which for fo many ages was confined to a corner of the earth, the land of Canaan, was to be extended to all nations without diftinction, when the Meffiah should appear. His law was to be univerfal, and to oblige the whole race of mankind, And no law could be better fitted for that purpose: The whole burden of ceremonies being laid afide, the inftitution of Chrift is fuch as flows from natural and eternal right; is agreeable to the reafon and capacity of all mankind; a plain and practicable inftitution; and the fitteft of any that could be contrived to fuit with all the various circumstances of those that are to be governed by it; and to make all focieties, under what political form foever, fafe and happy in the due obfervance of it. This revelation therefore was in its own nature too great, too general a bleffing to be engroffed by any one particular people. "Twas adapted to the good of all, and all who would fhould have the benefit of it: For fo the Prophets long before Chrift came had prophefied: * Behold my fervant, whom I uphold, fays God, mine elect, in whom my foul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not fail nor be dif couraged till he have judgment in the earth, and the ifles fhall wait for his law. Accordingly the Apoftles of Chrift were fent by him with a general commiffion to preach the Gospel in all nations, not only in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, but unto the uttermost part of the earth. And this, bleffed be God, we find in a great part accomplifhed, and wait for the more compleat accomplishment thereof, when the fulness of the Gentiles fhall come in. Having now discharged my felf

*Ifa. xlii. I, 4. Rom. xi. 25.

Luke xxiv. 47.

As i. 8.

of

of the firft general head, and fhewn you, that by our Saviour's fulfilling the law and the Prophets, is here meant his perfecting the moral law; which not only needed, but expected fuch an improvement from the Meffiah, and actually receiv'd it, as ye have seen in many particulars; I must now direct your thoughts to confider,

II. In what inftances our righteousness muft exceed the righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees.

(1.) WE must go upon a right bottom and foundation of practice, we must not mistake and do unrighteous things for righteous. The Scribes and Pharifees, notwithstanding that they were teachers of the law of God, were notorioufly under this fundamental error; they trufted in themfelves that they were righteous, pretended not only more than others, but even exclufively of others, to that excellent character; and yet the zeal, which they made fuch a figure with, was but fo much the greater a violation of the true righteoufnefs, because they mistook in the application of it; under a false idea of ferving God they perfecuted the Son of God, and with the utmost bitterness rejected the only true religion, for religion's fake. St. Paul alfo, while he continued a Pharifee, did the fame, fuppofing himself the more righteous for his feverity against the Chriftians; for, fays he, *I verily thought with my felf, that I OUGHT to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth. And fo he teftifies of his countreymen the Jews in general, that they had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. It was an ignorant zeal, and wrong grounded, miftaking evil for good, and good for evil. 'Tis eafy to difcern how fatal fuch a mistake

* Acts xxvi. 9.

† Rom. x. 2.

muft

muft be, and that the greater progress men make in fuch a fort of righteousness, the farther they are wandering from the true way to heaven. But the Scribes and Pharifees are not the only bigots that have been thus mistaken. The hiftories of the Church, and the experience of late and prefent ages can fhew, that the fame fpirit of delufion has poffefs'd too many Chriftians; who having first been drawn afide into errors of the greatest confequence, have under the notion of righteoufnefs, not only obftinately defended and improved thofe errors, but furiously prefs'd them upon others; imagining all this while, that by inhumanity they were doing God good fervice. Others there are, who, having cherish'd in themselves many weak and unreafonable fcruples, have wrought their minds to fuch an acquired blindness, as to make a duty of a notorious fin, and maintain fchifm and diforder, even by dint of confcience. It is of the utmost moment therefore, that we fhould guard against fuch dreadful mistakes; and be fure that what we do under the fuppofition of righteoufnefs, be really fuch according to the rule of righteousness, which God has given us.

(2.) THE defign and end of our good actions must be righteous alfo; for where this is wanting, there is a defect in the very life and fubftance of the duty. Where the intention is indirect, and what we do is but the iffue of fome fecret schemes for reputation or fecular intereft, there may be policy in it, but there is no religion; our righteousness is no better than that of the Scribes and Pharifees. For these, our Saviour tells us, did all their good works purely to be feen of men: They prayed, and fafted, and gave alms, but it was to gain them applaufe *among the people; that they might be

* Mat. xxiii. 5, 6, 7.

publickly