Tho' not High enough to Raife 'em to his Heaven. No, He told such Juftifiers of themselves, who were so opinion'd of their own Worth and Goodness; Matth. 21. 31. That Publicans and Harlots went into the Kingdom of Heaven before them. For fuch noted Sinners will fooner be Convinced, and come to Repentance, and to Faith in Christ, and fo to Heaven: But Pride destroys even all that Good which the others pretend to; and they are nothing Sincere in it: For, bebold, his Soul which is Lifted up, is not Upright in him. Hab. 2. 4. Such as stand so much upon their own Endowments and Abilities, will hardly ever Submit to the Righteousness of Faith. How can ye Believe, (faith our Bleffed Lord,) who receive Honour one of another? Joh. 5. 44. And nothing hinders so much, as the Honour, which men think belongs to 'em, for their Righteousness. For 'tis not so much, Wealth, or Parentage, or Parts, that Commends a man, as Goodness does. This they look therefore most to be Praised for; As Owing all to Themselves. (Propter Virtutem jure Laudamur, & in Virtute rectè Gloriamur: Quod non contingeret, fi donum à Deo, non à nobis baberemus. Tull.) This redounds fo much. to our Honour; (fay the Patrons of Nature,) Because we have not this Probity, as an Infused Quality; but we draw it out of our own Treasure.

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The Disputers of this World are thus for Wrangling themselves out of the Righteousness of God: And there's no End of their Cavils against it. While it pleases God by the Foclishness of Preaching, to Save them that Believe. I Cor. 1.21. They that are so Conceited of their own Righteousness, will never Lose all the Crop of Praise and Glory which they expect from it. To throw it down, as Refuse Stuff, at the feet of Chrift Jesus. No, The very Arguing of the Apostle, for the Righteousness of Faith, That it Excludes Boasting, Even that fills them with such Prejudice against it. Rom. 3. 27. Where is Boafting then? It is excluded. By what Law? Of Works? Nay, but by the Law of Faith. And therefore are they so much against this Faith; Because it is so much against their Boafting Trade. As the Jews could not tell how to imagine, That the Gentiles which followed not after Righteousness, should attain to Righteousness; When themselves that followed after the Law of Righteousness miss'd it. Rom. 9. 30, 31. So our Judaizing fort of Christians, will never be perfuaded, that the Righteousness of Faith, which they think too Easily come by, to be Honest Goods, should do more thanall the Laborious Righteousness, which they Hew out, and Fabricate themselves. How Merry can they make themselves with St. Ambrose his Adumbration of Chrift's Imputed Righteousness; By Jacob's

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Recommending himself to his Father, and carrying away the Bleffing, in his Elder Brother's Cloaths; of which he so well Liked the Perfume? I know the mighty Difdain, with which they look upon this Righteousness: So that if they found it lying even in the way, They'd Scorn to take it up; unless to Ridicule and Expose it.

For the Doctrine of Imputation has, of some late years, grown a Jest and Derifion; which ever before was own'd and defended by all the most celebrated Divines of our Church, as the only Orthodox Opinion. One of the Greatest and Best of 'em that ever this Church had, was not ashamed to build all his hopes of Heaven upon it. And in one of his devout Addresses to the Majesty on high, thus does that sweet Singer of our Ifrael give his sense of the matter,

Hungry I was, and had no meat :

I did Conceit a most delicious Feast;
I had it ftrait, and did as truly eat,
As ever did a welcome Guest.
I owed Thousands and much more;
I did Believe that I did nothing owe,
And Liv'd accordingly: my Creditor
Believes so too, and lets me go.
When Creatures had no real Light
Inherent in'em, Thou didst make the Sun
Impute a Luftre, and allow them bright;
And in this shew what Christ has done.

HERBERT Of Faith.

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But now (as a Champion for the oppofite Part told me,) fince the 39 Articles were compil'd, There has been a Turn in our Affairs. I suppose it may be, from the Faith of the Gospel, to the admired Theology of old Nature. And the Divines that are ambitious to be thought Modish, discourse now with quite another Air, than what lies so plain in the Articles of our Faith and Religion; which smell too much of the Cranmerian Reformation. And therefore they make use of 'em only as a Key, by which they are fain to enter into the Church; But as foon as they have got Poffeffion, fall to Preach 'em down without mercy, as the greatest Abfurdity.

Though all this while, The Self Righteousness in which they so Ruffle and Glory, (God knows,) is none of the thing, which they would have it taken for: But a forry Ragged, Patch'd covering; Not only full of Cracks and Flaws; but of fuch Deficiencies and Impurities; That 'twill never Abide the Test of God's holy, Righteous Law. And the highest Pretenders to it, are many times the leaft Partakers of it, Prov. 30. 12.. There is a Generation, that are pure in their Own Eyes; And yet is not Washed from their Filthiness. We know of one that was as much his own Spokesman, as any of them; And fet off himself in all the fine Trappings of his Own Righteousness. Luke 18. Yet the

the Success which he found does litle encourage others to Follow his Trade. For his Fellow-Worshipper, that took quite a contrary course, (though Look'd upon as a Worse man,) yet far'd much better. The Publican that scarce durft look up to Heaven; but fmote on his Breast, and had nothing to fay for himself, but God be merciful to me a Sinner, went down to his house Justified, rather than the other, ver. 14. Yet O how many ftill, are for keeping up the Pharisees Humour! And, Alas, What is all the best Righteousness, they so much stand upon? What, but fome common Honesty, Sober Living, Upright Dealings, Observation of fome Prayers, Kindness to the Poor, Fair and Plaufible Carriage to all? Things, it's crue, very Commendable in themselves: But yet such Virtues, as were found in many of the Heathens: And peradventure, in a greater measure, than these Righteous men now do poffess them. But still this is too short for the Cover, and too Weak for the Cure, of a Sinful Soul. All this while here may be no Regeneration; No Principle of New Life; No Heart Right with God; No Spirit of Chrift, None of the true Holiness, without which, no Seeing the Lord. Instead of having these, they may Reject 'em, as Unnecessary Preciseness. Or though all these were indeed fuperadded; yet ftill they are in such Imperfection here; that

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