MATT. V. THE principal defign of our Saviour's fermon on the mount, is to declare the true nature of righteousness before God. The Scribes and Pharifees placed it in the works of the law; this they taught the people; who, hereupon, juftified themfelves," as our Lod declares*; and went about to eftablish their own righteousness by the works of the law t." They were convinced in their own confciences, that they could “not attain to the law of righteoufnefs," or that perfection of obedience which it required; but being unwilling to forego their proud imagination of Juftification by their own righteoufnefs, they endeavoured to relieve their confciences, by corrupting and debafing the law, and bringing it down to their own performances. An instance of this we have in the young man, who affirmed, that he had kept the whole law in this fenfe . To eradicate this pernicious error, our Lord gives the true, fpiritual fenfe and intention of the law; and fhews, that it has regard to the regulation of the heart, and that the inmoft thoughts and first motions of concupifcence therein, though not confented to, nor carried into acts of fin, are directly forbidden : this he instances particularly in the feventh commandment ||. He also declares the penalty of the law, on the least fin, to be hellfire, in his affertion of caufeless anger to be forbidden in the fixth commandment. If men would try themselves by these, and other rules of our Lord in this fermon, it would prevent their boafting of their own righteoufnefs. But most of thofe, who plead for Juftification by works, corrupt the fenfe of the law; believe not its spirituality, nor the severity of its fanction, but accommodate it to their own practice. Wherefore, our Lord's defign x. 3. Luke xvi. 15. + Rom. ix. 33. Matt. xix. 20. See Matt. v. 27, &c. fign was to declare the nature of that bedience which God requires by the law, and fo prepare the minds of his difciples to feek after another righteousness; the cause and means of which was not yet plainly to be declared, though many of them, being prepared by the ministry of John, hungered and thirfted after it. But he fufficiently intimates the nature of it, when he affirms of himself, that He came to fulfil the law, that fo the righteousness of it, "might be fulfilled in us;" and if we ourselves cannot fulfil the law, which yet is not to be abolished; if we cannot avoid the curfe and penalty of it upon its tranfgreffion; and if he came to fulfil it for us; all which he declares-then is his righteoufnefs that by which we are juftified before God*. LUKE XVIII. 9—14. THE representation which our Saviour makes of the ways and means, whereby men feek to be juftified, in the parable of the Pharifee and Publican, is a guide to all who have the fame defign. "And he fpake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and defpifed others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. The Pharifee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I poffefs. And the Publican ftanding afar off, would not lift up fo much as his eyes unto heaven, but fmote upon his breaft, faying, God be merciful to me a finner. I tell you, This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for * pafs by thofe places, wherein the foundations of this doctrine are furely laid; fuch as those wherein Chrift is faid "to die for us". "to lay down his life as a ransom for us," &c. &c. because it is not expressly mentioned, though neceffarily inferred. every one that exalteth himself fhall be abafed; and he that humbleth himself fhall be exalted." That our Lord defigned hereby to represent the way of our Juftification before God, is plain, from the defcription he gives of the Pharifees-" they trufted to themselves that they were righteous," or, had a perfonal righteousness of their own; and alfo, from the general rule by which he confirms the judgment given concerning the perfons defcribed-" every one that exalteth himself fhall be abafed," &c. which fhews, That every plea of our own works, is a felf-exaltation, which God defpifeth; and that a sense of fin is the only preparation on our part for acceptance with him on believing. Both thefe perfons, then, are reprefented as feeking to be justified; for fo the issue of their respective addreffes to God for that purpose is expreffed -The one was justified-the other was not. The Pharifee pleads, that he had fulfilled the condition on which he might be justified; he had obferved the law, both as to the moral and ceremonial parts of it, which he fhews in inftances of both kinds: he adds alfo the method he took to further himself in this obedience, by fafting twice a week, which was more than the law enjoined; and it is obfervable that when men begin to feek after Juftification by their works, they frequently refort to the performance of fomething extraordinary, and more than is required of them and this brought forth all the pharifaical aufterities of the papacy. : The Pharifee afcribes all he did to God. "God, I thank thee." Though he had done all this, and thereby differed from others, yet he afcribes it not to himfelf, but owns the goodness of God and the affistance of his grace in all he did. He neither pleads any merit in his works, nor any works performed in his own ftrength without the aids of grace; all his plea is, That by the grace of God he had fulfilled the condition of the covenant, and thereon expected to be juftified. And what whatever words men please to use in their vocal prayers, God interprets their minds according to what they depend upon as to their Juftification before him; and if fome perfons would be true to their own principles, this is the prayer they ought to make. The event was-He was not justified; nor fhall any one ever be juftified on account of his own perfonal righteoufnefs; for when we have done all-when we have the teftimony of our confciences to the integrity of our obedience; instead of pleading it, our Saviour directs us to fay, We are unprofitable fervants *; and he who hath nothing to trust unto but his jervice, will be caft out of the presence of God †. On the other hand, we have the fate and prayer of the Publican, who was engaged in the fame defign of feeking Juftification before God; and the external acts of his perfon are expreffive of his inward frame. "He flood afar off-he did not fo much as lift up his eyeshe fmote upon his breast."-All these represent a man defponding, yea, defpairing in himself. This is the nature, this is the effect of that conviction of fin, which we before afferted to be antecedently neceffary to Juftification. Difplicency-forrow-fenfe of danger-fear of wrath; all are prefent with him. In brief, he declares himself guilty before God, and his mouth is 02 *Luke xvii. 10. 1 Cor. iv. 4. Matt. xxv. 30. ftopped, + If it be faid, he was rejected because he was an hypocrite and a beafter; it will be replied, That it should seem all are fo who feel Juftification by works: for our Saviour only reprefents one that doth fo; neither are these things laid in bar against his Juftification, but only exalting himself. Others fay he was rejected because he trusted in himself and defpifed others. I answer: This charge refpects the tendency of the opinion and not the mind of the perfon, for it includes a contempt of other means and if Abraham had been juftified by works, he might have gloried. Befides, thofe whom the Pharifees defpifed were fuch as the Publican, who placed their whole trust in grace and mercy; and it were to be wished that others of their mind did not the fame. ftopped, as to any apology or excufe. And his prayer is a fincere application of foul to fovereign grace and mercy for deliverance; and in the ufe of the word (haoxopas) be merciful, there is respect to a propitiation. And this contains all that is required, on our part, unto Juftification before God, except that faith whereby we apply ourselves to him for deliverance A few teftimonies from the other EVANGELISTS, in whom they abound, may be added. JOHN I. 12. "AS many as received him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Faith is here expreffed by receiving Chrift; and it includes, 1. A fuppofition of the proposal of Christ to us for fome end and purpofe. 2. That this propofal is made to us in the promije of the Gofpel. 3. The end for which he is propofed to us, which is Salvation. 4. That in the tender of his perfon, there is a tender made of all the fruits of his mediation, as containing the way and means of our deliverance from fin, and acceptance with God. 5. Nothing is required, on our part, to an intereft in the end propofed, but receiving him, *From this parable fome weakly infer, That Juftification confifts wholly in the pardon of fin. But the whole nature of Justification is not here declared, but only what is on our part required thereto. Befides, the Publican prays not for the mere pardon of fin, but for all that mercy and grace which God has provided for finners. Moreover, the Pharifee did not apply for pardon, (he had no fuch errand), but for Juftification; and the term must have the fame meaning when applied to the Publican as to the Pharifee: and therefore, though the pardon of fin be included in Juftification; yet, "to justify," in this place, has a refpect to a righteoufnefs, whereby a perfon is declared just; included, on the part of the Publican, in the procuring caufe, the mercy of God. |