warned you to flee from the Wrath to come? bring forth therefore Fruits meet for Repentance: and think not to fay_within yourselves, we have Abraham to our Father: for I fay unto you, that God is able of thefe Stones to raise up Children unto Abraham. So much for the Defcription of the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees.

II. I proceed now, in the next Place, as I propofed, to confider what further Degrees of Perfection our Saviour requires of his Difciples. This Part ought not to be flightly paffed over, it being a Thing of the greatest Confequence to have a right Notion of that Evangelical Righteousness, which is required as the Condition of our Salvation. We have several Descriptions of it in the New Testament, for indeed it comprehends the whole Duty of Man, as there described; at prefent I fhall confine myself to the Description in my Text, which is taken from the Comparison between it and the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees which I fhall endeavour closely to purfue.

1. First then, whereas the Scribes and Pharifees contented themselves with the Exteriour of Duty, there is no Quality more effential to Evangelical Righteoufnefs, than that it chiefly regard the Heart and Inner Man: and that it go about all Duty with a pure Eye to God. Our Saviour has been very plain, full, and particular upon this Subject. Instead of those Devotions which were performed by the Pharifees ftanding in the Synagogues, and at the Corners of the Streets, to be feen of Men, he recommends to us to enter into our Clofets, and to fhut the Door behind us, and to VOL. IL

G

pray

pray to our Father in fecret. So when we faft,
he forbids a fad Countenance, and a demure
down-look, which were put on by the Pharifees,
that they might appear unto Men to faft; but
but pre-
fcribes the Anointing of the Head, and the Wafh-.
ing of the Face, and the behaving ourselves fo,
as if we defired our Fafting fhould be known on-
ly to our heavenly Father in fecret. And fo for
our Charities and Alms-Deeds, inftead of found-
ing the Trumpet, and hunting for the Applaufe
of Men, as they did, we are directed not to let
the left Hand know what the right Hand doth. In
fhort, in all Duties, all worldly Regards and Con-
fiderations are so to be laid afide or poftponed,
that it is manifest the chief Regard is to be had
to Almighty God; and that the Interiour is
reckoned by our Saviour the Life and Soul of all
Duty; it is this Setting God always before us,
which is the chief and main Property of our
Gospel Obedience, whereby it is distinguished
from this Pharifaical Righteousness in the Text.

2. Another Character of Evangelical, whereby it is diftinguished from Pharifaical Righteousness, is, that it lays no great Strefs on Ceremonials, or other Circumftantials of Religion; though it uses them for Decency and Order; but referves it's Zeal for the more Subftantial Matters of it: for, as St Paul obferves well, The Kingdom of God is not Meat and Drink, but Righteousness, and Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghoft: for he that in these Things ferveth Chrift, is acceptable to God, and approved of Men, Rom. xiv. 17. Not that a good Chriftian neglects any the fmalleft Duty, but he is moft zealous for the beft Duties, and fuch as are of greatest Importance.

3. A Third Character of Evangelical Righteoufnefs is, that it delights in the Study of the holy Scriptures; and the good Chriftian forms his Practice by that Model. He endeavours to be well rooted and grounded in the found Principles of Faith, and holy Maxims of Duty, which are there contained; and this fortifies him against the Wild-fire of Enthufiafm, the Seduction of Hereticks, the idle Stories of Tradition, or whatever elfe would lead him afide from his plain Duty.

4. A Fourth Character of Evangelical Righteoufnefs is, that it feeks for, nor admits of, no Evafions or Subterfuges, whereby to decline or fhift-off Duty, remembring that God is not mocked, and he that doth Righteousness is righteous, and no other. And though the Solifidian, and Antinomian, and rigid Predeftinarian; though the loose Cafuift, and the Delayer of Repentance, and a great many more fuch Underminers of Chriftian Morals, do attack the good Chriftian in his Principles; and the World, with all it's Cares and Lufts, and bad Examples, endeavours to corrupt his Practice, he keeps that Chriftian Simplicity and Sincerity, which guards him against all Trick and Fraud, and Diffimulation in his Duty, continually exercifing and training himself to have al ways a Confcience void of Offence, both towards God and towards Man, Acts xxiv. 16.

5. A Fifth Character of Evangelical Righteouf nels is, that it is well guarded against all the Effects of blind Zeal, and by Moderation and Humility is preferved from many Rocks the Pharifaical Righteoufnefs fplits upon. Howsoever zealous a good Chriftian may be for propagating the Truth, he understands the Chriftian Spirit better G 2

than

than to propagate it with Fire and Faggot, or by any other Methods of Perfecution; and though he will neglect neither Prayer, nor Sacraments, nor Fafting, nor any of the other Means whereby Christian Graces and Virtues are obtained, he ftill remembers that the Virtues themselves are of more Value than the Means of obtaining them; and therefore will be far from valuing himself, or making Oftentation to others of his Fafting and Mortification, and his other Attempts to bring himself to an Habit of Virtue; but humbly waiting on God, he importunately intercedes with him, through the Mediation of Chrift, who refifts the Proud, and gives Grace to the Humble.

6. The laft Character I fhall mention of the Righteoufnefs of a good Chriftian, as diftinguished from that of the Scribes and Pharifees, is, that the good Chriftian believes God to be no Refpecter of Perfons, but in every Nation he that fears him, and worketh Righteoufness, fhall be accepted by him. And therefore trufting to no such external Privileges, he works out his Salvation with Fear and Trembling, watching and praying that he enter not into Temptation, and taking Care left by Negligence and Difufe of his Talent, he provoke God to take it away from him.

So much for the Second Thing I proposed to confider from the Words. I find Time will not allow my going on to what I farther proposed; I fhall therefore refer the Confideration of it, together with the Practical Inferences from the Whole, to another Opportunity.

SERMON

SERMON VII.

MATT. V. 20.

For I fay unto you, that except your Righteoufnefs Shall exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye fhall in no cafe enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Seventh Sermon on this Text.

T the laft Occafion, I explained to you

AT

the Meaning of thefe Words, which being the Foundation of what was then faid, and what is now farther to be faid upon them, I fhall again give you the Sum and Subftance of it in this fhort Paraphrafe; as if our Saviour had faid, Except ye my Hearers take Care to obferve the "Moral Law more exactly than the Scribes and "Pharifees require in their Interpretations of it,

ye fhall be judged unworthy to be Members of "the Chriftian Church here, or to go to Heaven "hereafter." In fpeaking to which Propofition, I propofed to do thefe Five Things.

I. To enquire into the Defects of the Pharifaical Righteoufnefs, by fhewing what Sort of Obedience it was which they required to the Law.

II. To fhew what farther Degrees of Perfection' our Saviour requires of his Difciples, as to this Point of Obedience to the Moral Law.