victions, unattended by the 1pirit of life, terninate in felf-pity, in hatred to truth, in hatred to the faints, in difhonefty at heart, in enmity to God, in love to human applaufe, in worldly grief, in infernal pride, and in defperate forrow. All of which are fruits unto death, or dead works. But the spirit of life from God quickening the foul and making interceffion with unutterable groaning for it, and the wrath and terrors of God by the law blafting and withering all human glory, foon ftrips the finner of his rags, if it does not strip him of all reliance on his own arm, and always brings him to hunger and thirst after righteousness, and he labours hard to work one out; but, as foon as he hears from the gospel of Chrift that there is fuch a thing to be had as an imputed righteoufnefs, O how he longs for it! And fure I am that this divine life in the foul, which makes the finner hunger and thirft, fhall terminate in his juftification unto life. "For, if by one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufnefs, fhall reign in life by one, Jefus Chrift." Rom. v. 17. Selfrighteousness is the boast and glory of every class of profeffors of natural religion; and nothing but an application of the law, attended with life and convictions by the Spirit, will ever ftain this pride of human glory. "The grafs withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of God

bloweth

bloweth upon it." Satan will prop up and fwell with pride every foul that trufts in himself that he is righteous, for fuch are his own children. All the scribes and pharifees among the Jews, whom Chrift declared were of their father the devil, were fuch as went about to establish their own righteousness; but the righteoufnefs of faith the hypocrite cannot endure : he is an enemy to God who provided it, to Chrift who wrought it out, to the gospel which reveals it, to the Spirit who applies it, to faith which apprehends it and puts it on, to those minifters of righteousness which preach it, and to all that feek it or follow after it. In this beft robe the Father embraces the returning fon; in this wedding-garment Chrift receives his spouse; and the devil knows this and hates the match. If God juftifies, who can condemn? This makes Satan's accufations and charges groundiefs, and faps the very foundation of his kingdom. Grace fhall reign, but then it is "through righteoufnefs, unto eternal life, by Jefus Chrift our Lord." Rom. v. 21. When juftification is paft, glorification is fure; whom God juftifies, them he also glorifics; and where the Sun of Righteoufnefs rifes, there he never goes down, All the time that Jofhua ftood before the Lord in the filthy garments of his own righteoufnefs, Satan ftood at his right hand to accufe him, reproach him, calumniate him, tempt him, confound him, and refift him. You

may

may fee here the infolence of the devil, in prefuming to take the upper hand even of God's high pricft, and when in the prefence of God, and when attending upon his function. But Satan pays no regard to facred offices nor ecclefiaftical orders; whether it be Jofhua the high-prieft under the law, or Judas the apofile under the gofpel, he will have the pre-eminence as long as the filthy rag of human righteoufnefs is kept on and trufted in; for "as many as are of the works of the law are under the curfe." And "he that believeth not is condemned already." And this Jack Ketch will have the afcendency over malefactors. But, when the Lord faid, "Take away the filthy garments from him;" and added, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pafs from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment;" this made the devil knock under and relinquifh all claim to his prey. "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" Zech. iii. 2. A brand plucked out of the fire, à rotten limb of a barren, corrupt, and dry tree, half burnt up: but now plucked out of the fire of divine wrath, and out of the fire of Satan's rage, and from the fire of hell. Hence it is plain that the devil hath no better column to his empire than felf-righteousness. Witness the many thousands that Satan has raifed up to preach it-among the Papifts, among the Arminians, among thofe of the establishment, and

4

among

among a great number of the diffenters: and no wonder, for, "if Satan be divided against himfelf, how fhall his kingdom ftand?" Another prop of Satan's kingdom, which the Lord demoliches, is

Falfe confidence. Satan pays particular attention to this branch of his empire, for he knows that unbelief and damnation are infeparably connected; and that wherever this pillar ftands faft Satan is fecure in his ftrong hold. This was the firft feed of Satan that Eve conceived in her mind, and by this Satan ufurped his power and authority, and where this ftands faft Satan hath full poffeffion: "He that believeth not is condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on him." Falle confidence credits every lie that Satan applies, and gives the lie to all that God fays. When God gives a man up to falfe confidence, it is that he may believe a lie and be damned. 2 Theff. ii. 11. And this is evident, look which way you will. Let Simon Magus give out to the city of Samaria that he is the great power

of

God, and the whole city believe it and refpect the impoftor; let Barcocab tell the Jews that he is the Meffiah, and he is received; let the pope but promife abfolution and heaven to a whole nation of natural men, and there are but few doubts or fcruples about it; let the foldiers which kept watch over the Saviour's tomb tell Pilate, that when they were fast asleep they saw the disciples

of

of Chrift fical away the body of our Lord, and he believes it as foon as the high prieft begins to perfuade him But, though this falfe confidence never staggers at a lie, yet it can give no credit to what God fays. It makes God a liar. 1 John v. 10. Yea, and fpeaks it out too. Elifha told the Shunamite fhe fhould embrace a fon, and The faid, "Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid." The fame prophet predicts a measure of fine flour for a fhekel, and two measures of barley for a fhekel, in Samaria; and an infidel replied, "If the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be." Jefus faid, "I am the light of the world, he that followeth me fhall not walk in darknefs" the Jews replied, "Thou bearest record of thyfelf, thy record is not true." John viii. 12, 13. · God told Eve, in the day that the ate of the tree of knowledge the fhould furely die; the devil told her fhe should not, but she fhould be as God-fhe caft away all the confidence the had in God's threatening, but embraced both the lies of Satan. This is one of the high things in Satan's ftrong hold that exalteth itfelf against God, and against the knowledge of him; but Chrift, by the fpiritual weapons of our warfare, pulls down Satan's ftrong hold, and this barrier of it among the reft. Whatever God fends with a divine energy to the fouls of his elect, the grace of faith, by the Spirit, is one in gredient