practical manner, as may be most likely to instruct and profit all, even those of lowest capacity. And as it is a matter of infinite importance, that we understand and pursue the right way for acceptance with God, I hope you will give a very constant, impartial and serious attention to what may be offered. I am,

I. To consider what that righteousness is, which the apostle disclaims, and when we may be said to depend upon it.

I think there is no reason to doubt but that by the righteousness of the law, the apostle intends all the submission and obedience which he had paid, both to the moral and ceremonial law, through the whole course of his life. And indeed his submission and obedience to the law, so far as he understood it, had been remarkably strict. "He lived in all good conscience before God." I see no necessity of supposing, as some do, that the apostle, in this place, refers only to the ceremonial law; for it is equally contrary to the method of justification, which the gospel proposes, to rely upon the moral, or the ceremonial law. And in a sense thus comprehensive, the apostle elsewhere often mentions the righteousness of the law, the deeds of the law, and the works of righteousness which we have done; which he declares cannot be at all available to a sinner's justification before God; and therefore, may by no means be depended upon for that purpose. But yet, no doubt, there are many who build their hopes of acceptance with God and happiness in his favor upon this foundation; and the ways in which they do so are various.

1. This is the case with those that depend upon the privileges of their birth and education.

The Jews valued themselves much upon being the children of Abraham, and the knowledge they had of Moses and the prophets; and these things, probably, raised Paul himself very high in his own esteem, before he was made acquainted with Jesus of Nazareth and the method of salvation through faith in his name. He says if any had occasion to boast on account of such things as these, he had more; for he was "circumcised the eighth day, was of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law blameless."

Many, no doubt, under the gospel-dispensation, build great expectations upon privileges, not unlike to these, and which are altogether as insufficient to support their hopes; such as being born of pious parents, being dedicated to God in Christian baptism, and educated in religious families; foolishly imagining the blessings of grace entailed on them, because they descended from godly ancestors, let their temper and behavior with relation to Christ and his gospel be almost what they will. A deceived heart

turns aside from the true way of acceptance with God, and they are in danger of perishing with a lie in their right hand.

2. Those are depending on their own righteousness, who imagine their decent and inoffensive behavior among men sufficient to recommend them to the divine favor, and secure their happiness in the future state. When they think it much, that they are not chargeable with such gross sins as intemperance and uncleanness, injustice and falsehood; when they value themselves upon their courteous, kind and beneficent carriage towards their fellow-men; and hence entertain a fond conceit, that God must be at peace with them, and that they shall certainly reap the reward of these things in heaven; it is a sure sign that they depend on their own righteousness, which is of the law. Much like this was the temper of the young man, of whom we read in the gospel. He addressed himself to Christ with this good question,-"Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Christ, no doubt, to try what notions he entertained of the gospel and of the method of salvation therein discovered, said to him,-"If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments;" and mentioned to him, several of the duties of the second table; upon which he very promptly answered, "All these have I kept from my youth up; what lack I yet?" He herein manifested a strange ignorance of himself and unacquaintedness with the purity and strictness of the divine law; otherwise he must have been sensible that all his attempted obedience to these precepts was attended with sinful imperfections; and accordingly must have owned, that all these he had broken from his youth, and would have sought for justification and life in some other way than by the external regard he had paid to the precepts of the law. And that this regard was no more than external, appeared from the interest which the world had in his heart when he was brought to the trial. He evidently discovered a self-righteous spirit, and all who are like minded are building on their own righteousness.

3. Those, who because they are frequent in their attendance on religious duties, public, private and secret, think, by these things, they shall certainly secure the favor of God, are depending on their own righteousness. This temper and conduct was exemplified in the proud Pharisees. They made long prayers; they sat in Moses' seat; they were remarkably exact and ceremonious, in religious services and yet we find Christ declaring, in the most positive manner, that none shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, whose righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.

We may be stated and constant in our secret and family devotions, and may not forsake the assembling ourselves together, as the manner of some is; we may make public profession of Christ,

and his religion, and attend all holy ordinances; and yet be strangers to sanctifying grace, destitute of any true love to God, or concern for the honor of Christ. These duties, unless performed from truly evangelical principles, cannot be acceptable to God. "Not every one that saith unto Christ, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." Many will in vain plead their relation to Christ, by profession, privileges and duties, in the last day, who will not be admitted into his presence, but banished from it with the workers of iniquity.

4. Those who think they shall not find acceptance with God, because they see their personal righteousness to be very deficient, are greatly governed by legal or self-righteous principles. However such a temper may be supposed to arise from humility, from a modest apprehension of their own performances, and a deep sense of their great sinfulness; it is really of a quite different nature. The pride of their hearts makes them unwilling to be indebted to Christ for their whole salvation; and their strange attachment to the way of life, which the first covenant proposed, renders them very slow of heart to understand, believe and comply with that method of salvation which the gospel teaches. They cannot easily credit this great truth, that God will accept those that have no worthiness of their own, through the infinite worthiness of the Redeemer, and therefore, will endeavor to clothe themselves with some garments of their own righteousness; which they hope will, in some measure at least, cover the shame of their nakedness and help forward their acceptance with God. But such, whether they are sensible of it or not, wholly mistake the gospel-way for a sinner's justification before God. They should realize it, that when sinners come to Christ as a fountain, they must know themselves to be empty and destitute of all good: when they come to Christ as a physician, they must feel themselves sick, diseased in every part, and past all hope of a cure from any but him. The gospel knows nothing of Christ's being a partial or half-way Saviour, a Saviour of those who imagine they are able to make considerable advances towards their own salvation.

Those that are afraid they shall not find acceptance with God, because they are conscious of nothing amiable and deserving in themselves, do not duly attend to the freeness of the grace of the gospel they have yet to learn, that sinners cannot bring any price in their hands when they apply for the important blessings of Christ's purchase; that they must "buy, without money and without price;" and that all their hopes of the favor of God must be built upon his free benignity through the merit of his Son. When sinners know by a practical and affecting knowledge, that "they are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and

naked," they are in the most proper temper of mind to apply for the gifts of grace. A sense of their unworthiness should be so far from keeping them back from Christ, that it should hasten their flight to him, and they will meet with acceptance accordingly.

A striking representation of this, we find in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, who went up into the temple to pray. The Pharisee had no small degree of confidence, thought and spoke many good things of himself, and therefore seemed little to doubt of the divine approbation. But not so the Publican;-he was deeply sensible of his sinfulness,-humbly confesses his unworthiness, and accordingly casts himself entirely upon God's free mercy and grace. "God be merciful to me a sinner,"-was his humble, fervent prayer. You need not be told the acceptance they respectively met with.

It is evident therefore, that while any indulge such thoughts as these in their minds,-"We are great sinners, have contracted enormous guilt, and therefore cannot hope for an interest in the mercy of God through Christ, until we have made ourselves better, have reformed our lives and thereby rendered ourselves more deserving of his favor;" they are depending on their own righteousness, which is of the law: and this temper, continued in, will most certainly exclude them from Christ and the benefits which he has purchased by his blood. Christ came to save those that are lost, those that see themselves lost to all intents and purposes without his help; and accordingly turn their attention from every other object to him, and cry to him, as Peter, when beginning to sink, "Save, Lord, I perish.'

5. Those, who under awakenings and convictions of conscience, betake themselves to prayer and other neglected duties, and reform some irregularities of behavior and content themselves herewith, are certainly depending on their own righteousness.

Is not this a common case? There are many, who, when they are awakened by word or providence to some serious concern for their souls, when their consciences accuse them of this and the other sin, and they are afraid God's anger will for ever rest upon them, and are brought into great horror and distress of mind, will for relief immediately apply to the practice of many duties which they had until then disregarded, and forsake many sins which before they freely committed: and in this way, they gain ease and peace again they fancy God's anger is turned away and their state is become safe.

But is this the right method to obtain peace to our troubled minds! Is this the way to quiet our accusing consciences! Let me assure you, the peace thus obtained, can be none other than the false peace of the hypocrite and the self-righteous person,

which is built upon a fond deception of himself, and will be no security at all from God's everlasting wrath. In all this, there is no believing application to Christ, as the only Saviour of lost sinners.-There is nothing of that method of obtaining peace with God and peace in our own breasts, which the gospel teaches. There is only a slight wounding by the law, and healing by the law. Such persons continue strangers to the covenant of grace and are seeking life by the covenant of works, the tenor of which is, Do this and thou shalt live. Have we not reason to fear there are many, who go no farther than this? Many, who satisfy themselves with such a vain hope? They cry peace when there is no peace. They speak peace to themselves, though God has never spoken peace to their souls through Christ, who has made peace by the blood of his cross. Persons who have thus gained ease and quietness of mind, are generally very unwilling to have the concern about their souls renewed, or to call in question the safety of their state. They practise religious duties, make profession of Christ's religion, avoid open sins, and so imagine all is well. Though they are sensible they come short in many things, yet this gives them no great uneasiness, since the best have their failings, and they hope God, for Christ's sake, will forgive those which they are conscious of.

In such ways as I have mentioned, many have raised expectations of heaven and happiness. But all such expectations are illfounded, having no firmer basis than their own righteousness to support them. The insufficiency of this support will appear by considering the second head of discourse; which was,

II. To show why our own righteousness, which is of the law, must be renounced, as bearing no part in our justification before God. The plain reason for this is, because it is wholly insufficient for the purpose. The righteousness by which we are justified must be perfect. The satisfaction by which we obtain pardon and peace with God, must be equal to our guilt, must be adequate to our offence. But who will pretend that any thing we can do, is so? There certainly can be no room for such a pretence, unless we can both yield perfect obedience to the law of God for time to come, and make full satisfaction for past offences; neither of which is possible for us to do. For by the entrance of sin into the world, we have all lost the moral rectitude of our natures, and consequently our power to keep the law. "In many things we offend daily. There is none that doth good, no not one." Equally impossible is it for us to make satisfaction for guilt already contracted. We owe ten thousand talents, and have nothing to pay. In order to estimate the guilt of our offences, we have to consider, not barely the badness of the actions in themselves, but also the object