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on the part of Chrift, as to our fellowship with him, in this purchased grace, as to our acceptation with God; it remains that I now fhew, what alfo is required and performed on our part, for the compleating thereof: this then confifts in the enfuing particulars.

1. The faints cordially approve of this righte ousness, as that alone which is abfolutely compleat, and able to make them acceptable before God. And this fuppofeth five things:

1. Their clear and full conviction of the neceffity of a righteousness, wherewith to appear before God. This is always in their thoughts. This in their whole lives they take for granted. Many men spend their days in obftinacy and hardness, adding drunkenness unto thirst, never once enquiring what their condition fhall be, when they enter into eternity. Others trifles away their times and their fouls, fowing the wind of empty hopes, and preparing to reap a whirlwind of wrath. But this lies at the bottom of all the faints communion with Christ. A deep fixed, refolved perfuafion, of an abfolute and indifpenfable neceffity of a righteoufnefs, wherewith to appear before God. The holinefs of God's nature, the righteousness of his government, the severity of his law, the terror of his wrath, are always before them. They have been all convinced of fin, and have looked on themselves, as ready to fink under the vengeance due to it. They have all cried, Men and brethren, what shall we do to be faved? Wherewith fhall we appear before God? And have all concluded, that it is in vain to flatter themfelves with hopes of escaping, as they are by nature; if God be holy, and righteous, and of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, they must

have a righteousness to stand before him: and they know what will be the cry one day, of thofe who now bear up themselves, as if they were otherwife minded, Ifa. liii. 15. Micah vii. 6, 7.

2. They weigh their own righteoufnefs in the ballance, and find it wanting. And this two ways.

1. In general, and upon the whole of the matter, at their first fetting themselves before God. When men are convinced of the neceffity of a righteousness, they catch at every thing that prefents itself to them for relief. Like men ready to fink in deep waters, catch at that, that is next to fave them from drowning, which fometimes proves a rotten stick, that finks with them. So did the Jews, Rom. ix. 31, 32. they caught hold of the law, and it would not relieve them: and how they perifhed with it, the apostle declares, chap. x. 14. the law put them upon setting up a righteousness of their own; this kept them doing, and in hope, but kept them from fubmitting to the righteousness of God. Here many perish, and never get one step nearer to God all their days. This the faints renounce. They have no confidence in the flesh: they know that all they can do, all that the law can do, which is weak through the flesh, will not avail them. See what judgment Paul makes of all man's own righteousness, Phil. iii. 8, 10. this they bear in their minds daily, this they fill their thoughts withal, that upon the account of what they have done, can do, ever shall do, they cannot be accepted with God, or juftified thereby. This keeps their fouls humble, full of a sense of their own vilenefs all their days.

2. In particular: they daily weigh all their par ticular actions in the ballance, and find them want

ing, as to any fuch compleatness, as upon their own account to be accepted with God. Oh! fays a faint, if I had nothing to commend me unto God, but this prayer, this duty, this conquest of a temptation, wherein I myself fee fo many failings, fo much imperfection, could I appear with any boldnefs before him? Shall I then piece up a garment of righteousness out of my best duties; ah! it is all as a defiled cloath, lfa.lxiv. vi. thefe thoughts accompany them in all their duties: in their beft and most choice performances.. Lord what am I in my best estate? How little fuitablenefs unto thy holi nefs is in my best duties? O fpare me! in reference to the best thing that ever I did in my life. When a man who lives upon convictions, hath got fome enlargements in duties, fome conquest over a fin or temptation, he huggs himself, like Micha when he had got a Levite to be his priest; now furely it fhall be well with him, now God will bless him, his heart is now at eafe; he hath peace in what he hath done. But he who has communion with Christ, when he is highest in duties of fanctification and holiness, is clearest in the apprehenfion of his own unprofitableness, and rejects every thought that might arife in his heart, of fetting his peace in them, or upon them. He fays to his foul, do these things feem fomething to thee? Alas, thou hat to do with an infinitely righteous God, who looks through and through all that vanity, which thou art but little acquainted withal; and fhould he deal with thee, according to thy best works, thou must perish.

3. They approve of, value and rejoice in this righteoufnefs, for their acceptation, which the Lord Jefus hath wrought out, and provided for them: this being difcovered to them, they approve of it

with all their hearts, and reft in it, Ifa. xlv. 24. Surely fhall one fay, in the Lord have I righteoufnefs and ftrength. This is their voice and language, when once the righteoufnefs of God in Chrift, is made known to them: here is righteoufnefs indeed, here have I rest for my foul. Like the merchant man in the gospel, Matth. xiii. 45, 46. that finds the pearl of price: I had been fearching up and down, I looked this and that way for help, but it was far away: I spent my ftrength for that which was not bread; here is that indeed; which makes me rich for ever. When first the righteousness of Chrift, for acceptation with God, is revealed to a poor labouring foul, that hath fought for reft and hath found none, he is furprised and amazed, and is not able to contain itfelf: and fuch an one always in his heart approves this righteousness on a fivefold

account.

1. As full of infinite wifdom: unto them that believe faith the apostle, Christ crucified, is the wifdom of God, 1 Cor. i. 24. they fee infinite wisdom in this way of their acceptation with God. In what darkness, fays fuch an one, in what ftreights, in what intanglements, was my poor foul? How little able was I to look through the clouds and perplexities wherewith I was encompaffed? I looked inwards, and there was nothing but fin, horror, fear, tremblings; I looked upwards and faw nothing but wrath, curfes and vengeance; I knew that God was an holy and righteous God, and that no unclean thing fhould abide before him; I knew that I was a poor, vile, unclean, and finful creature, and how to bring thefe two together in peace, I knew not: but in the righteoufnefs of Chrift, doth a world of wisdom open itself, difpelling all difficulties and

dark

nefs, and manifefting a reconciliation of all this. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowlege of God! Rom. xi. 33. and Col. ii. 3. but of this before.

2. As full of grace. He knows that fin had fhut up the whole way of grace towards him; and whereas God aims at nothing fo much as the manifeftation of his grace, he was utterly cut short of it. Now to have a compleat righteousness provided, and yet abundance of grace manifefted, exceedingly delights the foul: to have God's dealing with his perfon, all grace, and dealing with his righte oufnefs, all justice, takes up his thoughts. God every where affures us, that this righteoufnefs is of grace. It is by grace, and no more of works, Rom. xi. 6. as the apostle at large fets it out, Eph. ii. 7, 8, 9. it is from riches of grace and kindness, that the provision of this righteousness is made: it is of mere grace that it is bestowed on us, it is not at all of works: though it be in itself, a righteouf nefs of works, yet to us, it is of mere grace, So Tit. iii. 4, 5, 6, 7, But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he faved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoff, which he hedon us abundantly, through Jefus Chrift our Saviour: that being juftified by his grace, we fhould be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The rife of all this difpenfation is kindness and love, that is grace, ver. 4. the way of communication, negatively is not by works of righteoufnefs that we have done; pofitively, by the communication of the Holy Ghost, ver. 5. the means of whofe procurement, is Jefus Chrift, ver. 6. and

the

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