Art thou a legal zealot, soft or rude ? Renounce thy nat'ral and acquired goud. As base deceitful lufts may work thy sinart, So may deceitful frames upon thy heart. Seeming good motions may in fume be found, Much joy in hearing, like the lony ground; * Much lrrow too in praying, as appears In Efau's careful luit with rueful tears. + Touching the law, they blameless may appear, I From spurious views most specious virtues bear. Nor merely be devout in mens esteem, But prve to be sincerely what they seem, Friends to the holy law in heart and life, Suers of heav'n with utmost legal strife; Yet still with innate pride fo rankly spic'd, Converted but to duties, not to Chrift; That Publicans and harlots heav'n obtain t Before a crew fu righteous and fo vain. Soner will those shake off their vicious dress, Than these blind zealots will their righteousness, Who judge they have (which fortifies their pride) The law of God itself upon their fide. Old nature, new brush'd up with legal pains, Such strict attachment to the law retains, No means, no motives can to Jesus draw Vain fouls, fo doubly wedded to the law.

But wouldīt the glorious Prince in marriage have, Know that thy nat'ral hufbard cannot save. Thy belt eslays to pay the legal rent Can never, in the least, the law content. Didst thou in pray’rs employ the morning light, In tears and groans the watches of the night, Pass thy whole life in close devotion o’er ; 'Tis nothing to the law ftill craving more. There's no proportion 'twixt its high commands, And puny works from thy polluted hands; Perfecti in is the least that it demands. 6. Wouldst enter intı life, then keep the law ft;"' But keep it perfectly without a flaw. • Luke viii. 13 + Heb. xii. 17.

# Phil. üi. 6. + Mat. xxvi. 31.

Ff Mat. xix. 17.

It won't have less, nor will abate at last
A drop -f vengeance for the fin that's past :
Tell, funful mortal, is thy stock lo large
As duly can defray this double charge ?

Why these are mere impliles,” sayst thou : Yea, truly f, they are; and therefore now, That down thy legal confidence may fall, Th: law's black doom home to thy bofon call. “ Ľ! I (the divine law,) demand n« less " Than perfect, everlalling righteousness; “ Bit thou hait fail'd, and lost thy lirength to Do: “ Terefore I dom thee to eternal wo ; " In prifin clss to be shut up for ay, “ Ere I be baffled with thy partial pay. “ Thou always didít, and doft my precepts break; “ I therefore curse thee to the burning lake. " In God, the great Lawgiver's glorious name, " I judge thy soul to everlalting shame.” No flesh can by the law be jultified *. Ye darelt thou thy legal duties plead ? As Paul appeal'd to Cesar, wilt thou so Unto the law? then to it thou shalt go, And find it doom thee tv eiernal wo.

What! would ye have us plung'd in deep despair? Amen; yea. God himself would have you there. His will it is that you despair of life, And safety by the law or legal strife; That cleanly thence divorc'd at any rate His faireft Son may have a faithful mate. 'Till this law-sentence pass within your breast, Y\u'll never wed the law.discharging Priest. Y u prize not heav'n, till he through hell you draw;

.
Nor love the g fpel, till ye know the law.

Know then, the divine law most perfect cares
Fir none of thy imperfect legal wares ;
Dooms thee to vengeance for thy finful state,
As well as sinful actions small or great.
If any fin can be accounted fmall,
To hell it dooms thy foul for one and all.

For sins of nature, practice, heart, and way, '
Dainnation-rent it fummons thee to pay.
Yea, nut för sin alone, which is thy shame,
But for thy boalted service too, fu lame,
The Law adjudges thee and hell to meet,
Because thy righicousness is incomplete.
As tow'ring flames burn up the wither'd dags,
So will the fiery law thy filthy rags.

DIRECTION given with reference 10 tbe right use of the

Means, ibat we reft not on obeje instead of CHRIST,

ibe glorious Husbund, in whom our belp lies. ADAM, where art thou * Soul, where art thou now?

Oh! art thou saying, Sir, what thall I dot?
I dare not use that proud fell-raising lirain,
Go help yourself, and God will help you then.
Nay, rather know, o Ifrael, that thou halt
Dettroy'd thyfelt, and can't not in the least
Frım sin nor wrath thyself the captive free.
Tay help, says Jelus, only lies in me 4.
Heav'n's oracles direct to him alone,
Full help is laid upon thy mighty One.
In him, in bim complete falvativn dwells;
He's God the helper, and there is none else to
Fig.leaves won't hide thee from the fiery thuw'r,
'Tis he alone that laves by price and pow'r.

Mult we do nothing then, will mockers say,
But rest in futh till Heav'o the help convey?
Pray, Itnp a little finner; dun't abuse
God's awful word, that charges thee to use
Means, ordinances, which he's pleas’d to place
As precious channels of bis pow'rful grace.
Restless improve all these, until from heav'n
The whole falvation needful thus be giv'n.
Wait in his path according to his call,
On him whofe pow'r alone effecteth all.

+ Mark &. 170

Gen. iii. 9.
+ lla, xlv. 22,

Hor. xiii. 9.

Would'st thou him wed? In duties wait, I say ;
But marry not thy duties by the way.
Tovu'll wotully come fhrt of laving grace,
If duties only be thy relting place.
Nay, go a little further * through them all,
To him whufe uffile is to save from thrall,
Thus in a gospel-manner hopeful wait,
Striving tenter by the narrow gate t;
So irait and narrow, that it won't admit
The bunch up in thy back to enter it.
Notnly bulky lusts may ceale to press,
But ev’n the bunch of boafted righteousnefs.

Many, as in the sacred page we see,
Shall Itrive to enter, but unable be I:
Becaule, miltaking this new way of life,
They push a legal, not a gospel strife :
As if their duties did JCUOVAH bind,
B.cause 'ris written, " Seek, and ye shall find t."
Perverted fcripture does their error fence,
They read the letter, but neglect the fenfe.
While to the word no gospel-gloss they give ;
Their feek and find's the same with d, and live.
Hence would they a connection native place
Between their moral pains, and saving grace :
Toeir nat’ral poor essays the Judge won't miss,
In juitice, to infer eternal bliss.

Thus commentaries on the word they make,
Which to their ruin are a grand millake:
For, through the legal bias in their breast,
They fcripture to their own destruction wrest.
Why, if we seek, we get, they gather hence;
Which is not truth, fave in the scripture sense.
There Jesus deals with friends, and elsewhere faith,
These seekers only speed that alk in faith **.
“ The prayer of the wicked is abhorr’d,
“ As an abomination to the Lord tt.”
Their suits are sins, but their neglects no less,
Which can't their guilt diminish, but increase.

Song iii, 1,-4.

+ Matth, vii. 13, 14. Luke xiii. 24. Matth. vii. 7. ** James i. 6. tt Prov. xv. 3. xxviii. 9.

9.

They ought, like beggars, lie in grace's way;
Hence Peter taught the forcerer tu pray *;
For thugh mere nat’ral mens address or pray’rs
Can no acceptance gain as work of theirs,
Nur have, as their perfirmance, any fway ;
Yet as a divine ordinance they may.
But [ptiess cruth has bund itlell to grant
The suit of nune but the believing saint.
In Jefus persons once accepted, do
Acceptance find in him for duties too.
For he, whose Son they do in marriage take,
Is bound to hear them for their Husband's fake.

But let no Chriltless fvul, at pray'r appear,
As it JEHOVAH were oblig'd to hear :
But use the means, because a fuv’reign God
May come with alms in this his wonted road.
He wills thee to frequent kind wisdom's gate,
T, read, hear, meditate, to pray and wait;
Thy Spirit then be on these duties bent,
As gospel means, but not as legal rent,
From these don't thy falvation hope nor claim,
But from Jehovah in the use of them.
The beggar's fpirit never was so dull,
Wiile waiting at the gate call'd Beautiful,
To hope for fuccour from the temple-gate,
At which he daily did so careful wait :
But from the rich and charitable frt,
W0 to the temple daily made refurt.
Means, ordinances, are the c mely gate,
At which kind heav'o has bid us confiant wait:
Not that from these we have our alms, but from
Tie lib’ral God, who there is wont to come.
If either we these means shall dare neglect,
Or yet froin these th'enriching bliss expect,
We from the glory of the King detalk;
Who in the galleries is won't to walk;
We move not regular in duties road,
But base, invert them to an idol-god.

Seek then, if gospel-means you would essay, Through grace to use them in a gospel-way :

Acts viii. 22,