verfe, bleed them that did hunger and thirst after righteoufnefs, and faid they fhould be filled and then goes on to tell them, that he came to fulfil the Law. Which fulfilling obedience of his was to fill them that hungred and thirfted after righteoufnefs. And without this excellent obedience of his being imputed to them, (which exceeds all the obedience of the Scribes and Pharifees) they could in no fenfe be filled, nor in any cafe enter into the kingdom of heaven. It is righteoufnefs, Sir, that gives us a right and title to the kingdom; and it is fanctification that gives us a meetnefs for it. Righteoufnefs, and not Sanctification, is what the text means.

QUOT. "There is a meaning in these words, and it must "be a folemn one: Except your righteousness exceed the "righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye shall in no

cafe enter into the kingdom of heaven. And now I will be "bold to fay, that the righteousness of Chrift, here mentioned, "is this: that when the Pharifees thought they should be justified by an external righteousness of their own per"formance, our Lord gives them to understand, that a

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man will never enter into the kingdom of heaven, that "does not talk of being juftified by it. But he will never : go to heaven, he will never be in a kingdom of grace in "time, he will never be in glory to eternity; unless in his "perfonal ftate, through the operation of the Holy Spirit, "he is made more righteous than a Scribe or a Pharifee, inwardly, and experimentally, and internally. That is "the meaning of my text."

ANSW.

ANSW. I muft confefs, reverend and dear Sir, that I do not understand this. You here call it the righteousness of Christ mentioned. Before, you said, that it was not Chrift's righteoufnefs meant in the text, &c. It is Juftification that brings a man into a state of grace, and it is the fame that gives a man a title to heaven: The righteous nation, that keepeth the truth, shall enter in.-Whom God juftifies, them be glorifies. This act of juftifying includes fanctification, both by the blood of Chrift and by the Spirit of God, for it is always accompanied with it. It is the Spirit that works faith in the heart to believe; it is the Spirit that applies the atonement; it is the Spirit that takes the righteousness of Christ, and fhews it to us, and reveals it in us, and bears his foul-fatisfying witness to the glorious work: "We

are juftified in the name of the Lord Jefus, ard "by the Spirit of our God." The righteousness of Faith, and the teftimony of the Spirit, always go together: "He that believes hath the witness in "bimself."

QUOT, "I am fpeaking of Mr. Hart's Hymns: and, was he to rife out of the grave, and his dear elect foul "again to be embodied, I am fure, at this prefent day, "thofe things that many people of lax and wanton dispo"fitions are likely to fall into, he would draw forth fuch

a fword, and brandifh it in fuch a manner, as would

"give you to understand there is no fword fo well calculated to cut down fin to the very ground, as the glorious

fword

66 fword of a free grace Gospel, through Jefus Christ. "So that I fimply ask you to look at the meaning of my text, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness

of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye fhall in no case enter "into the kingdom of heaven."

ANSW. I do not rightly comprehend this, Sir. You fay, at one place, that the text means Sanctification. 2dly, You fay your text hath a meaning, and it must be a folemn one. 3dly, To be made righteous by the Spirit internally, is the meaning of the text. And, 4thly, The Sword of a Free-grace Gospel is the meaning of it—which you go on to confirm.

QUOT. "I preached from this text not long ago before: " and I was saying to one, a worthy, good minister, I often "wondered why people are fo unobserving, not to know "the meaning of that text. "Why," fays he, "I confefs,

to my fhame, when reading it fo a little while ago, I "was fo grieved to think I fhould fancy that word could "mean any thing but Regeneration: "Except your righteoufnefs exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes," &c. &c.

ANSW. This, Sir, is all the explanation that you have given of the text; and it hath left me full as dark as the good minister himself. However, I will be bold to say, that the Law is by no means, nor in any sense, established by this Difcourfe; not one truth made plain, nor one doctrine that I hold either difproved or touched. And you may call me Antinomian,

nomian, Devil, an Encourager of Sin, a Fellow, a B-kg-d, or what you pleafe; your tongue is your own, and you may depend upon it that I fhall never fue you for damages-but I declare before God, that I would not be found standing up in God's name, and thus darkening counfel by words without knowledge, for a million worlds.

QUOT. "Why does it not ftrike you as being horrid, "that a man fhould make out a licence to commit fin?”

ANSW. Yes, Sir; this is enough to ftrike any good man with horror. And was I to ftand up in a congregation, as you did, and throw out fuch reproachful hints as these against a fervant of God, who i knew in my confcience exceeded me in experience, power, knowledge, ufefulness, and converfation, I fhould have thought that I had "made "out a licence to commit fin," with a witness. For in the fifth chapter of Matthew's Gofpel, this is called "breaking the commandments, and teaching "men fo." It is "hating a brother without a caufe, "which is murder." And Chrift fays, the man that thus reprobates the just is in danger of hell-fire. And I will leave you to judge who the man is that does thefe things. I have been in the miniftry almost nineteen years, and you can prove no charge of evil against my life or doctrine; nor could you overthrow, by the Scriptures of truth, one doctrine that

I hold,

I hold, if you was to preach or write a thousand years.

Nor was I ever once fo left of God in the whole course of my miniftry, as to deliver fo inconfiftent a Difcourfe as this. If you will lay afide your prejudice, and controvert the point, I will undertake to prove to your face, that there is not one page confiftent with the oracles of God in it.

QUOT: "Don't you think that man preaches like a devil"fent minifter, that teaches men that they may break "God's commandments, that breaks God's command"ments himself," and teaches men the fame?"

ANSW. These are the charges, but I defy him to bring one proof. This is the good man that keepeth the Law, that threatens men with profecution for a libel! Who fhall vindicate their character and doctrine, and prove a falfe accuser to be what he really is? This is an heavier charge than was brought against Paul; whose accusers said, "We have found "this man a peftilent fellow, and a mover of fedition <c among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the fect of the Nazarenes; who also "hath gone about to prophane the Temple: whom

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we would have judged [or profecuted for a libel] "according to our law; but Captain Lyfias took "him out of our hands." Alts, xxiv. 5, 6.But you go on