from my youth up "Stand by thyfelf,

(fays one), what lack I yet?" come not near to me, for I am

holier than thou." 66

Lo, thefe many years do I ferve thee, and never at any time tranfgreffed I thy commandment, and yet thou never gaveft me a kid that I might make merry with my friends:" And, if fuch come into a profeffion of religion, being drawn by the novelty of the doctrine, the perfuafion of friends, or by the fluency of the preacher, they keep the poor web of their own weaving clofe about them; and, if at any time common convictions lay hold of them, they will immediately take fome of the Saviour's new cloth to patch their old garment with (for they cannot venture upon Christ alone), and fo❝ wear a garment of linen and woollen together;" Deut. xxii. 11; and by this method the rent is made worse. How was the apoftolic church pestered with thefe felf-righteous perfons! it was thefe that wanted the law of Mofes and circumcifion enforced upon the young Gentile difciples; they believed in Jefus, but they were all zealous of the law, not of the gofpel. Falle brethren they are called, and they came in privily to fpy out the liberty of the faints, that they might bring them into bondage. Every fubject of Satan's kingdom is a felf-righteous perfon, whether in the church or out of it, and, will be difcovered as fuch fooner or later. "And, when the king came in to see the guests, he faw there a man which had not on a wedding

garment: and he faith unto him, Friend, how cameft thou in hither, not having on a wedding garment? and he was fpeechlefs. Then faid the king to the fervants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and caft him into outer darkness; there fhall be weeping and gnafhing of teeth." Matt. xxii. 11-13. This wedding garment is the righteoufnefs of Chrift, which God imputes to all believers; and it is no other, as will appear plainly by comparing the following texts together: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that fhe fhould be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteoufnefs of the faints. Bleffed are they which are called to the marriage fupper of the Lamb. And he faid unto me, Thefe are the true fayings of God." Rev. xix. 7-9. Now gospel Zion will tell us what this fine linen is; for fhe triumphs wonderfully on the day of her efpoufals. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my foul fhall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of falvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteoufnefs, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herfelf with her jewels." Ifa. lxi. 10. From this beft robe the felf-righteous Jews were excluded, which was the heaviest judgment that ever fell upon them; for it terminated in the

defolation

defolation of their cities, and in the utter difperfion of themselves; and fo it was predicted: "Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heavinefs and I looked for fome to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me alfo gall for my meat; and in my thirft they gave me vinegar to drink. Let their table [or altar] become a fnare before them; and let that which fhould have been for their welfare become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they fee not; and make their loins continually to fhake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their habitations be defolate, and let none dwell in their tents. For they perfecute him whom thou haft fmitten; and they talk to the grief of thofe whom thou haft wounded. Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not come into thy rightcoufncfs.” Pfal. Ixix. 20, 21, &c. And who does the Saviour palm thefe upon that are not to come into his righteoufnefs? He palms them all upon Satan; nor will he allow them to call themfelves Jews: "I know the blafphemy of them which fay they are Jews, and are not, but are the fynagogue of Satan." Rev.

ii. 9.

But that which appears more fhocking is, that there are whole churches, fo called, even in gofpel days, that are deftitute of, and utter strangers to, the imputed righteousness of Jefus Chrift; of

which he much complains. "Because thou saycft, I am rich, and increafed with goods, and have need of nothing; and knoweft not that thou art wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. iii. 17. She was wretched, being deftitute of grace and truth; fhe was miferable, being in her fin and under the curfe of God; he was poor, being deftitute of that faith which lays hold upon the true riches; the was blind, being ignorant of the anointing of the Holy Ghoft; and naked, being without the wedding garment.

love of the truth,

Fourthly, The next prop of the devil's kingdom is falfe confidence. Satan influences the mind of the wretched finner with an infernal persuasion, and a firm confidence in things which are arrant lies; as it is written, "His coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and figns, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteoufnefs in them that perish; because they received not the that they might be faved. God fhall fend them ftrong delufions, that they fhould believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth." 2 Theff. ii. 9-12. Every fubject of Satan's kingdom, except a few who are in black despair, are equipped with this diabolical faith; and this was the firft feed which the devil fowed in the mind of Eve: "Ye fhall not furely die." This was Satan's lic, and fhe believed

7

And for this caufe

اله

believed it, and made trial. Oh, what a crop ath that feed produced! What a great matter hath that little fire kindled! This falfe confidence is the deceived finner's right hand, by which he feeds himfelf with his own deceivings, and with which he holds faft every lie that Satan begets in his heart; this gives Satan full poffeffion of his foul; nor can he deliver himfelf from his poffeffor, nor does he defire it: "He feedeth on afhes: a deceived heart hath turned him afide, that he cannot deliver his foul, nor fay, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" Ifa. xliv. 20. This is the right hand and the high arm of every idolater, heretic, hypocrite, pharifee, formalift, or heathen, that is, or ever fhall be, found in the dominions of Satan. AH the minifters in the world could never move nor ftagger the confidence of one in fuch a strong delufion. Thousands of the Ifraelites fled at the command of Mofes, but Corah and Dathan ftood their ground; they knew that their caufe was good, and their doctrine true; namely, that the people were all holy, every one of them.

The Roman centurion fmote his breast at the crucifixion of Chrift; the difciples wept; Pilot wafhed his hands from the blood of Chrift; and the very dead which flept arofe, many which 'beheld the fight fmote their breafts and returned: but not fo the fcribes and pharifces; they were at a point; they knew that they were doing God ferC4 vice;