altogether unworthy and under demerit, should come to God by a mediator.

Thus the Scripture everywhere seems to represent and hold forth Christ in the forenamed particulars, (without descending into niceties and subtilties, such as the schoolmen and others from them have troubled the world with, in a very full and ample manner), that so the minds of true believers, that are willing to comply with the purpose of God for their own eternal peace, might, in all cases, find something in Christ for their relief, and make use of Him, as much as may be, to encourage and help on godliness: for, by this whole undertaking of Christ manifested in the gospel, God would have to be understood full relief of mind and ease of conscience, as also all encouragement to godliness, and disparagement of sin. And, indeed, the whole business of Christ is the greatest blow to sin that may be; for the world is taught hereby, that there is no sinning upon cheap and easy terms: men may see that God will not return so easily into favour with sinners; but He will have His righteousness acknowledged, and likewise their own demerit. And this acknowledgment He is once, indeed, pleased to accept of in the person of our Saviour: yet, if men will not now turn to Him, and accept His favour, they must know that there is no other sacrifice for sin.

By these particulars, upon which we have briefly touched, to name no more, it may appear, that when we look into the Gospel, we are taught to believe that Christ hath done, according to the good pleasure of God, everything for us that may truly relieve our minds, and encourage us to godliness-a godlike righteousness far exceeding the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.

A

DISCOVERY

OF THE

SHORTNESS AND VANITY

OF A

PHARISAICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS;

OR,

AN ACCOUNT OF THE FALSE GROUNDS UPON WHICH MEN ARE APT VAINLY TO CONCEIVE THEMSELVES TO BE RIGHTEOUS.

And he said unto the Pharisees, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God. Luke xvi. 15.

Πᾶς ὁ ἑαυτὸν ἀποφήνας καθαρὸν, ἀκάθαρτον ἑαυτὸν τελείως κατέκρινε.

EPIPHANIUS adv. Hær. (contr. Cathar. § 6.)

Nulli facilius ad magnam pietatis famam perveniunt, quam superstitiosi vel

hypocritæ.

RENATUS DES CARTES, Princ. Philos. (Epist. Dedic.)

THE

SHORTNESS AND VANITY

OF A

PHARISAICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS,

DISCOVERED IN A DISCOURSE UPON

MATT. xix. 20, 21.

The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus saith unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me.

CHAPTER I.

A general account of men's mistakes about religion. Men are nowhere more lazy and sluggish, and more apt to delude themselves, than in matters of religion. The religion of most men is but an image and resemblance of their own fancies. The method propounded for discoursing upon those words in St Matthew. 1. To discover some of the false mistakes and notions about religion. 2. To discover the reason of these mistakes. A brief explication of the words.

AS

S there is no kind of excellency more generally pretended to than religion, so there is none less known, or wherein men are more apt to delude themselves. Every one is ready to lay claim, and to plead a right in it; like the bat in the Jewish fable, that pretended the light was hers, and complained of the unjust detainment thereof from her; but few there are that understand the true worth and preciousness of it. There are some common notions, and a natural instinct of devotion, seated in the minds of men, which are ever and anon roving after religion; and, as they casually and fortuitously start up any models and

ideas of it, they are presently prone to believe themselves to have found out this only pearl of price; the religion of most men being, indeed, nothing else but such a strain and scheme of thoughts and actions, as their natural propensions, swayed by nothing else but an inbred belief of a Deity, accidentally run into; nothing else but an image and resemblance of their own fancies, which are ever busy in painting out themselves; which is the reason why there are as many shapes and features of religion painted forth in the minds of men, as there are various shapes of faces and fancies. Thus men are wont to fashion and delineate their religion to themselves in a strange and uncouth manner, as the imaginations of men in their dreams are wont to represent monstrous and hideous shapes of things, that appear nowhere else but there. And though some may seem to themselves to have ascended up above this low region, this vulgar state of religion; yet I doubt they may still be wrapped up in clouds and darkness, they may still be but in a middle region, like wandering meteors that have not yet shaken off that gross and earthly nature, which will, at last, force them again downwards. There may be some who may arrive at that book-skill and learning in Divine mysteries, that, with a Pharisaical pride looking down upon the rude and vulgar sort of men, may say, 'This people who knoweth not the law are cursed';' who themselves yet converse only with an airy ghost and shadow of religion: though the light of Divine truth may seem to shine upon them, yet, by reason of their dark and opacous hearts, it shines not into them: they may, like this dark and dull earth, be superficially gilded, and warmed too, with its beams, and yet the impressions thereof

not pierce quite through them. There may be many fair semblances of religion where the substance and power of it is not. We shall here endeavour to discover some of

1 John vii. 49.