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. God. I guard what I say on this head, that it must be a good work in the sight of God, that so the hope of the Pharisee, and mere moralist may be cut off. And let it here be observed, that the expectation of the Pharisee ariseth not from faith upon the obedience of Christ: his offering must be made in its own intrinsic merit. But I will examine his boasting of his good works, a little more particularly. "God I thank thee;" what an appearance of sanctity and thankfulness of heart! the name of God stands in the front: the language of gratitude instantly follows. What! (say some) is not this religion? The name of God is here; thankfulness is here; the uplifting of hands; and the casting of the eye to Heaven is here; is not this enough? is not this acceptable to God? By no means: for the name of God is used somewhat too irreverently; God. mention is made of the attributes, perfections, and holiness of God, and the immense distance between himself and his creatures; but an impudent freedom accompanies the mention of his name; no remenìbrance of Christ as a Mediator; but a sudden rushing as it were to God himself, as if the Supreme Being must do nothing else but attend to this Pharisee. I thank thee. I thank thee. O how pleasant is thankfulness! But why is this Pharisee thankful? Is it for food and raiment, for the blessings of Providence and the bounties of Heaven? Is it for the riches of grace in Christ Jesus? No, for these are far from his thoughts. "God I thank thee, that

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"I am not as other men are." What art thou then O Pharisee, for which thou hast so much cause to be thankful to God? Hath he endowed thee with more blessings in Providence than others? Hath he given thee more excellent gifts, powers, and capacity of mind? Then thank God, and humbly enjoy his blessing. But stay, is this the cause? By no means. What then? we must read further; "That I am not as other men are: extortioners, un"just, adulterers." Alas! O Pharisee, this changeth God might have blessed thee more in outward things; or might have endowed thee with more powers of reason, and embellishments of mind, or with any other desirable qualifications in temporal things. But dost thou thank him, for exempting thee as thou supposest from mental and moral transgressions? Alas! how vain; "there is

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none that doeth good, no not one." Will any say that the Pharisee might yet have cause to boast: seeing he might not be an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer. Granted, he might not outwardly practise extortion or adultery. But might he not have been guilty of coveting his neighbors goods? Might he not have so looked upon a woman to lust after her, as to have come within the meaning of our Saviour's exposition of the word adultery; for how many are there who lust after a forbidden object, who yet are restrained by a regard to decency or worldly reputation, or held back by the checks of

natural conscience which in some is alive to gross sins, from thus openly committing them. But what had the poor publican done, who like the Pharisee went up to the temple to pray, that he should be ranked with adulterers, &c. in this opprobrious language," or even as this publican?" And further, the Pharisee added, "I fast twice in the week, I give tythes of all that I possess," Luke xviii. 11, 12.

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And what of all this? Could these atone for sin or purchase the favor of God? No, rather the Pharisee went down void of that justification which the publican obtained, who only "Smote on his "breast and cried, God be merciful to me a "sinner." How full of zeal is the language of Paul over his brethren, the Jews, for their mis'guided contempt of Christ, in all that he did and suffered for the good of his people; "Brethren, (says he) my heart's desire and prayer to God for "Israel is, that they might be saved. For they "being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going "about to establish their own righteousness, have “not submitted themselves to the righteousness of "God. For Christ is the end of the law for

righteousness to every one that believeth,” Rom. x. 1.3, 4. But faith as producing good works must be more particularly considered. "He that "believeth on me (saith Christ) the works that I "do he shall do also. Now, first it behoveth us

to observe what are the works of Christ, and also what of those works faith in him enables us to perform.

Now the works of Christ are of three kinds, viz. 1st. His divine works; 2d. His miraculous works; 3d. His mediatorial works: the two last might well be joined together, seeing his miracles were pérformed, whilst he dwelt in his mediatorial character here below: but I separate them for distinction's sake; because all his miracles were connected with his work of redemption only in this way, that by shewing his power to heal the inveterate disorders of the bodily frame of man, they shewed the inveteracy of sin in our inental frame, and typified the power of Christ to heal the same. Now these

three works of Christ may be briefly considered, as also how far we by faith can perform them.

Now the first works of Christ are his divine works-"Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid "the foundation of the earth, and the Heavens "are the works of thine hands," Heb. i. 10. Now if Christ by his power could make the Heavens and the earth, it may reasonably be supposed, nay it may be fairly inferred, that Christ can also make those inhabitants that dwell therein. Inferred do we say? It is the very language of scripture; "Who maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire," Psm. civ. 4. Not only doth he make them, but he maketh them spirits, possessing a never ending existence, from the moment when

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he calleth them into being: and though as far beneath his own essential dignity as light is from darkness, yet still so bright as to be likened unto a flaming fire.

Now further, also the divine works of Christ are employed in those instruments of terror, death and destruction, which he hath prepared for the confusion and punishment of all his foes: the thunder and lightening of divine vengeance are his; for "at

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thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder "they hasted away." I speak not this to set up Christ as a law giver, and so to fill the mind of the simer that wishes to approach him with indescribable awe; but to shew what he is in his divine nature, without what he is in his mediatorial one. What Christ is, as being consolatory and full of mercy to his people, he is in consequence of an immutable covenant with the Father: it is his officerelations to us as our kinsman-redeemer, intercessor, and friend, that make him that friend that he is: for as God the Father out of Christ is a consuming fire; so God the Son out of his eternal covenant and office-relations to us is a consuming fire also. Take away the human nature of Christ in his voluntary assumption of the manhood; and he standeth a God inexorably just; he with the Father sustaineth the honor of, and avengeth the insult done to, an offended Godhead, without being a ransom, and without sustaining by imputation, the sin of offending man. Take away his Godhead, and he hath no

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