defire, Heb. walking of the foul. This is alfo vanity and vexation of fpirit. What fatisfaction is fought in imagination-fins, luft, revenge, and the like? what reftleffnefs there, 2 Pet. ii. 14. "Having eyes full of adultery, that cannot ceafe from fin." How bufy is the foul oftentimes in imagination, of wealth, and the like, as if, when it had tried all other means in vain, it would try, while awake, to dream itself happy! "The thoughts of my heart," fays Job, chap. xvii. 11. Heb. the paffions of my heart, "are broken off."

3. The other thing in which natural men labour for reft, is the law; compare the text, Matth. xi. 28. with ver. 29. and 30. Emphatically is that labour defcribed, Rom. x. 3. "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness." Go about; the word fignifies, a feeking, like a disputer in the schools, or a tormentor of one upon the rack; to establish, to make it stand itfelf alone. They feek to make it stand, as men that will have a stone to ftand on end, which, at the fame time, is ever coming down on them again. Why all this? becaufe it is their own: "Have not fubmitted."

Chrift offers a righteoufnefs; but to take it, is to them a point of fubmiffion, against which they labour, as the untoward bullock against the yoke. They will never let it on till God break the iron finew of the neck, Ifa. xlviii. 4.

To confirm this, confider,

1. All men defire to be happy, and no man can get his confcience quite filenced, more than he can get the notion of a God quite erased from his mind: Rom. ii. 14. 15. "They are a law unto themselves, their confcience alfo bearing witnefs, and their thoughts the mean while accufing or excufing one another." Peace of mind is a natural defire, which VOL. I. Bb

none

none can diveft himself of. Hence it follows, men cannot but feek inward peace'; and though they may fet themselves to murder confcience for that end, yet feeing it will not do for them totally, they do of neceflity take fome other way. There never was but two ways, either Chrift, or the law. The former they reject, therefore it follows, they follow the latter. Let us view this in three forts of natural men.

(1.) In the profane perfon, who has not so much as a form of godlinefs; it is hardeft to be found in them. But none fo profane, but it will readily be found they have fome one good thing or ano-. ther about them, and fometimes they will compliment their confciences with a denial of fatisfaction to their lufts, which is a labour fo much the harder to them, as they are under the greater power of lufts. This fure they do not with an eye to make themselves miserable, but happy that their confciences may excufe them, Rom. ii. 15. Excufing, even those that are most at the devil's will, are taken captive, as hunters who take their prey alive, 2 Tim. ii. 26. Importing ftill, a confcience labouring in the law, though lufts, as being stronger, do for the most part prevail.-Let us view this,

(2.) In the formal natural man: fome of whom la.bour in the duties of morality; others in thofe of religion; who are at no small travail in the law, if we confider it all for nought. Like the Pharifee, Luke, xviii. 11. they take not the gofpel-way, yet they labour in the law. Sure lufts remain in them in their life and vigour. It furely cofts labour fo far to reftrain them.- Let us view this,

(3.) In the awakened finner. I am not for excluding thefe out of the text, but only that it be not restrained to them: Acts, ii. 37. "Now, when they heard this, they were pricked to the heart,

and

and faid unto Peter, and the rest of the apoftles; What fhall we do?" Thefe mend their hands at this hard labour, and oftimes labour fo, to keep the law, that they are both by themfelves, and others taken for faints of the firit magnitude, and yet it is but ftill in the law, till converting grace come, and fned them off the old root.

2. It is natural for men to labour in the law for happiness, and therefore, till nature be overcome by grace, men will not be put off it. The law was Adam's covenant, who, with his children, were to work and win heaven by their works; tho' they have loft their father's ftrength, yet they will keep their father's trade; though their stock be fmall, yet they will keep the merchandising for heaven, and give God good works for good wages. See nature speaking out of him, Matth. xix. 16: "Good Mafter, what good thing fhall I do that I may have eternal life?" And it often happens, that they who have fewest of good works lay the greateft ftrefs upon them.

3. Confider how this practice has been formed into principles, in the face of the fun of the gofpel. Never was an error yet vented in principle, but in compliance with fome corruption of the heart; therefore is that made the characteristic of true doctrine, that it is according to godlinefs, 1 Tim. vi. 3. No fooner was the gofpel preached, than Cain fets up for works in oppofition to faith: Gen. iv. 4. 5. "And the Lord had refpect to Abel, and to his offering; but unto Cain and his offering he had not refpect." Paul gives the reason: Heb. xi. 4. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent facrifice than Cain." In Abraham's family, to whom the promife of righteoufnefs was more clearly made, Hagar bears her fon; compare Gal. Bb 2

iv.

iv. 24. When the people were in Egypt, the generality of them knew nothing else. They had curtailed the law fo very fhort, as all that labour in it do, that they thought they kept all very well : Rom. v. 13. "For until the law, fm was in the world; but fin is not imputed, when there is no law." For that caufe God gave them the law, as in Exod. xx. Gal. iii. 29. The law was added because of tranfgreffions;" it prevailed in the days of the prophets, in Chrift's days, and from the beginning of the Christian church to this day;hence our fwarms of Papifts, &c.-Confider,

4. They turn the very gofpel into law, as unclean veffels four the sweetest liquor that is put in them. What a real gospel was the ceremonial law to the Jews, holding up blood, death, and tranflation of guilt, from them to the fubftitute, every day before their eyes in their facrifices! But, Rom. ix. 11. "Their very table (that is, their altar, fo called, Mal. i. 12.) became a fnare;" and they went about these things, as if by them they would have made up what was wanting in their obfervation of the moral law. Juft fo was it turned in Popery; yea, and, alas! among Proteftants it is found thus foured, to whom the gospel is the law, and faith, repentance, and new obedience, the fulfilling of the law. But would to God it stood in principles only; but as fure as every unrenewed man is out of Chrift, as fure even these natural men, whofe heads are fet right in this point, in their hearts and practice the very gospel is turned into law, and their obedience, their very faith and repentance, fuch as it is, is put in the room of Chrift. For practice, when fairly traced, will fhew the principles from which it proceeds.

Laftly, Confider, though all would be saved, yet natural men are enemies to the gospel-way of

falvation:

falvation: 1 Cor. i. 23. "It is to the Jews a ftumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishnefs." They must then be in love with the law, for there is no mids; yea, fo cleave they to it, that nothing but death can part Adam's fons and it, and this even a violent death in a day of God's power: Pfal. cx. 3. Rom. vii. 4. " Ye alfo are become dead to the law;" Greek, deadened, killed, or put to death. As long as a foul fees how to shift without Chrift, it will never come to him; add to this, that the godly find the remains of this principle in them to ftruggle againft. Self-denial is the first leffon Chrift gives, but they are a-learning it all their days. If it is thus in the green tree, what fhall it be in the dry?