entrance here; for the unrighteous cannot enter the kingdom. But Paul, though one of the ftriétest fect of the Pharifees, had no righteoufnefs to procure an entrance here; it profited him nothing in this cafe: I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works, for they fhall not profit thee, Ifa. lvii. 12. The fupplicating publican, and Mary Magdalen, both entered the kingdom of heaven, but not by their own righteousness. No righteoufnefs but the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed, can procure an entrance, either into the knowledge of God, or into a ftate of grace, which ftands in righteoufnefs, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft; into all which the finner enters by faith in Chrift alone.

Nor can I think that any righteousness, but that of the Saviour, can procure an entrance into glory: not Paul's righteoufnefs, for that (he fays) is dung and drofs; nor Zion's righteousness, for that is filthy rags; nor the righteoufnefs of Peter, James, and John, for in many things they all offended. And fure I am, that an imperfect righteousness can never pave the way, either into God's favour, or into his prefence. The thief went from the cross to Paradife; but his prayer, his confeffion of Chrift, his rebuking his fellow thief, and confeffing the juftnefs of his punishment, is no part of obedience to the Moral Law, which is the Rule of Righteoufnefs; and Chrift's obedience to that Rule, is the Righteousness meant in my text, in which Paul hoped to be found when he should enter the kingdom of

glory:

glory as it is written, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law; but that which is through the faith of Chrift, the righteousness which is of God by faith, Phil. iii. 9. This is the righteousness that God imputed to Paul's faith, and by which he entered into the kingdom of grace; and in this he hoped to enter into the kingdom of heaven itself: "For we, through the Spirit, "wait for the hope of righteoufnefs. by faith," (Gal. v. 5.) which alone can anfwer for us in that day. No creature righteousness, no imperfect righteousnefs, no inherent righteoufnefs, can ever admit a man into the kingdom of grace, or into the kingdom of glory. No righteousness but Christ's spotless obedience to the Law, imputed by God to the finner, can ever give him right or title, procure an entrance or admiffion into grace or glory.

But you you will fay, "There is one word in the "text which you overlook, the word your; Except "your righteousness fhall exceed," &c.

Anfw. What God freely bestows on us, becomes ours: "We receive the abundance of grace, and the "gift of righteousness," Rom. v. 17. And God, who gives this righteoufnefs to us, calls it ours: "This is the heritage of the fervants of the Lord, "and their righteousness is of me, faith the Lord.” Ifa. liv. 17. "They have no righteousness but what "is of me," faith the Lord; and that is an imputed one, freely given, and freely beftowed. And Chrift

himself

himself fhews this plainly in the chapter out of which my text is taken; and that any man may clearly fee that ever was enlightened at all. Blessed (faith Chrift) are they which do bunger and thirst after righteousness, for they fhall be filled. Which fhews three things.

ift, That these poor fouls had no righteousness of their own; feeling which made them hunger and thirst.

Secondly, The righteousness there meant comes by promife: They fhall be filled.

Thirdly, That righteousness must be perfect and compleat, answering every demand of law and juftice and every end and expectation of the diftreffed. finner; fuch as, delivering him from guilt and wrath, fear and torment, death and damnation. And it must procure God's favour here, and secure glory hereafter, otherwise the finner never can be fatisfied, much less filled with it. This is the righteousness meant in my text, that far enough exceeds the righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees. And this righteousness gives right and title to the kingdom: "For Chrift "is made of God unto us wifdom, righteousness, "fanctification, and redemption." No other righteoufness, reader, fhall ever admit any foul living, either into the kingdom of grace, or the kingdom of glory." In this raiment of needle-work fhall the "Church be brought unto the King, and fhall enter "into the King's palace;" and they that are not found in this wedding-garment fhall be caft into

!

outer

outer darkness. Reader, "beware of the leaven of "the Pharifees, which is hypocrify."

The

I come now to fhew the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, and the "excellency of "Chrift's righteousness, which is unto all, and "upon all, that believe." The Scribes were writers and expounders of the Law and the Prophets, and pretended to very extraordinary wisdom. The Pharifees were very observant of the leffer matters of the Law, in which their self-righteoufnefs chiefly stood; and they pretended to no fmall degree of fanctity, on which account others were not allowed to touch the hem of their robes. Scribe and the Pharifee were the two first, in the judgment of the poor and ignorant Jews, that would enter the kingdom of heaven; but Chrift difplaces them, and fets the Publican and the Harlot in their room. They walked in long robes, and were very defirous of it; they made many long prayers; they obferved numbers of feafts and fafts; they loved greetings in the markets, and chief rooms at feafts; they appeared very righteous before men, and loved to be called Rabbi, Rabbi; they practised a deal of washing of feet, hands and head, cups and platters; they compaffed fea and land to make converts, and founded a trumpet before them when they gave their alms; they bound grievous burdens on men's fhoulders, but never touched one part of the load; they got into Mofes's feat, to give laws, and contra

1

dicted in life all that they faid by word. "They fay, "and do not." This was their righteoufnefs; and now you shall see their zeal in defence of it. They were desperate enemies to the power of godliness, the truth of the Gospel, and the wisdom that comes from above. They were implacable oppofers of Antinomians, Bad Spirits, and all that were not the profeffed difciples of Mofes. They ridiculed the God of heaven, calling him Beelzebub; they cursed the objects of his choice, blasphemed the Holy Ghost, and required a fign from Heaven. They traduced Paul as prophaning the Temple, and giving licence to fin, by preaching up evil that good might come; and with teaching people to forfake Mofes, with being a Heretick, a turner of the world upfide down, a mover of fedition, and a ringleader of the fect of the Nazarenes: "But after "the way which they called Herefy, fo worshipped "Paul the God of his fathers." They opposed the Apostles in every city, in every town, in every fynagogue, and in every house, with the doctrine of the Law as the only Rule of Life" Except ye "be circumcifed and keep the Law of Mofes, ye "cannot be faved." They came in privily to spy out the faints liberty, that they might bring them into bondage. They oppofed the Gofpel, rent their cloaths, caft duft into the air, gnafhed their teeth at the faints, refifted and blafphemed, and abused the name of the Saviour upon madmen and devils; and all this in zeal for the Law, for purity,

and