ing us to be just. The first doth make an unrighteous and ungodly man just, by converting him, and giving him repentance toward God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ; and pardoning his sins, and giving him right to the heavenly inheritance: this is our first constitutive justification. But when God hath thus made us just by the merits of • Christ's righteousness,

1. He virtually by the law of grace doth pronounce us just, and this against the curse of the condemning law of innocency.

2. And in judgment Christ as our advocate will maintain us just.

3. And Christ our Judge will judge us just, against all that can be brought against us : but how far just? Not such as never sinned; nor such as by imputation of his righteousness are by God accounted never to have sinned, nor such as never deserved death: but such as are not to be condemned to pain of sense or loss, but have right to the free gift of life eternal, because Christ for them satisfied justice, and fulfilled all righteousness, and merited all this for them, even forgiveness, grace and glory, and they being penitent believers have part in him, and sincerely obeyed him to the death.

And if it were never so true, that no actual false accusation would be urged against believers, yet is it true that we shall be justified against even a virtual and possible accusation: and where there is not so much as this, there needeth no justification by plea, by witness, or by sentence.

And if we are accused to have been sinners, it is not to be denied; if it be said that our sin deserved death, it must be granted but if it be said,

1. That we were finally impenitent unbelievers.

2. Or have no part in Christ.

3. Or had no pardon of sin.

4. Or had no right to life eternal.

5. And therefore are to be condemned; all this being false, Christ will justify us against it, and against all other false accusation of men or devils.

Doct. Last. Christ doth not only plead his own righteousness for Mary's justification, but justify her choice of the better part, and decree that it shall not be taken from her.'

I. Indeed all the good that we have is his own as the Gi

ver, though some be also ours as the actors and possessors: and Christ will justify all that is of himself. Nothing but good cometh from infinite good, or him that came to destroy the works of the devil. They that accuse our grace or duty, accuse Christ, his Spirit, and his law. And will he not justify himself? (But of this before.)

II. He that praiseth his servants' holiness and duty, and will praise them in judgment, doth so far justify them. “Well done, good and faithful servant!" Matt. xxv. Yea, he that calleth eternal glory their reward, and the crown of righteousness given by God the Righteous Judge, to such as have fought a good fight, and finished their course, and love the appearing of Christ; and he that is the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him; and will judge all men according to their works, and pronounceth them blessed that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life (2 Tim. iv. 8, 9. Heb. v. 9. Rev. xxii. 14. &c.), doth surely so far justify this personal obedience and righteousness of theirs.

But he justifieth only against false accusations, and not against the charge of culpable imperfection. And do they therefore talk wisely that say, it is no righteousness and no justification, because it is imperfect? Doth any wise man pretend to personal perfect righteousness? And doth not God many hundred times in Scripture call that righteousness and equivalent which is imperfect? And will he justify or save any that hath no such righteousness? Christ was perfectly righteous for us to merit the pardon and salvation of believers, and the acceptance of their imperfect righteousness; and not to bring any to heaven that hath no inherent personal righteousness.

There are some that seem by their arguing to think that so much honour as we give to our holiness and duty, so much we take from Christ, and to praise his saints is to dishonour him. (And yet these men love and look for praise.) But wise men will not believe that the greatness of the gift is a dishonour to the giver, or the excellency of the house or work a dishonour to the builder or workman, or the recovered health of the patient a dishonour to the physician; else what a dishonour will our salvation be to Christ, when we are perfectly holy, without spot or wrinkle, and have no sin! It will be then by the communication of his holi

ness, as motion, light, and heat is from the sun; and so it is now, though we are imperfect: God accepteth, praiseth, and in tantum' proportionably justifieth our imperfect righteousness for the sake and merits of his that was perfect.

I never met with any of this mind, but if one accuse them of less than infidelity, impenitence, impiety, and hypocrisy, they will seek to justify themselves. And why will they justify themselves in that which God will not justify the generation of the just, when malignants call them all deluded hypocrites? And I know no sober man but expecteth that every judge should justify the wrongfully accused and their

cause.

Object. To justify a good cause is not to justify the person.'

Answ. Untrue. It is not to justify him in all respects, but it is to justify him as to that cause.

Object. This is but before men.'

Answ. God doth more hate the condemning of the just than any man doth.

Object. This is but as to a particular cause, and not an universal justification.'

Answ. And the justifying of a believer and penitent obedient saint by his faith, and repentance, and obedience, is but the justifying him in that particular cause, which is the medium of his part in Christ; the merit of whose righteousness and sacrifice procureth the pardon of all his sins, and his right to the free gift of life eternally, and so far justifieth him against the guilt of his sin, and the condemnation of the law.

He that is not first made a penitent believer, and justified against chargeable infidelity, impenitence, and hypocrisy, shall never be justified by Christ's merits and sentence against the curse and penalty of the law.

II. But Christ doth not only justify Mary and her choice, but decree that it shall not be taken from her.' For,

1. He hath by his covenant given the best and greatest things, and that for ever to every one that will but thankfully accept and choose them.

2. And what he offereth and promiseth he decreeth. 3. And what he decreeth and promiseth he performeth. For who is it that should take it from her, or from any believer? Or" who shall separate us from the love of God?"

1. Not the malice of satan; else no believer should be saved. If the devil could deprive us of the Gospel, or of grace, it should be surely done; if he could have kept the world from being redeemed by Christ, it had never been redeemed; if he could keep men unconvinced, unconverted, and unpardoned, he would surely do it.

2. Not any of his malignant instruments; for God will not give them power to make a godly man ungodly, and the devil hath no such power to give them.

3. Not the envy of erroneous zealots, or uncharitable hypocrites. The prodigal shall not be turned out of doors because his elder brother envieth his entertainment. The enof the Jews shall not hinder the blessing of the Gentiles. Resolvedly choose the best, and you shall have it.

vy

Use 1. O that all men would take this sure and necessary direction of Christ for the choice of their comforts, hopes, and happiness, All men had rather be happy for ever, than for a little while; and what else but holiness and heaven, Christ, grace, and glory, will be such a durable felicity? Will you choose the favour of great men, and hopes of preferment and worldly honours; and can you say that this shall not be taken from you? Will you choose lands and money, and the prospering of your endeavours in growing rich; and can you say that these shall not be taken from you? Will you choose mirth and sport, and fleshly lust, and the pleasing of your appetites and fancies; and can you say that these shall not be taken from you? Must not life itself be shortly taken from you, and therefore all the pleasures of this life? If these things be your choice, Christ hath already foretold you what you may expect; fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee, and then whose shall all these things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God;" Luke xii. 19, 20. And Luke xvi. 25. "Son remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented." "Wherefore then do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently to Christ, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto him; hear, and your

"Thou

soul shall live; and he will make an everlasting covenant of sure mercies with you:" Isa. lv. 2, 3. "Labour not for the food which perisheth, but for that which endureth to everlasting life," which Christ will give you; John vi. 27. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust do corrupt, nor thieves break through or steal;" Matt. vi. 19, 20. "The time is short, therefore weep and rejoice, buy and possess, and use the world, as though you did it not; for the fashion of this world passeth away;" 1 Cor. vii. 29-31. O be not as the wicked, who have their portion in this life, in the treasure of their bellies; "for their hopes soon perish as the rush that groweth but in the mire, and as the spider's web, and as the giving up of the ghost;" Psal. xvii. 14. Flesh will fail you, and the world will fail you; but God will be a never-failing portion to all that do but sincerely choose him; Psal. lxxiii. 25, 26. If you drink here you shall thirst again, and if you eat here, you shall hunger again; but if Christ and his Spirit be your meat and drink, "you shall hunger and thirst no more for ever." Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." O do not profanely sell such a birthright for a morsel; you shall have no better than you choose; shew not yourselves unworthy of eternal life, by preferring known vanity before it. If you lost heaven because you could not have it, and would have a Christ and holiness, but could not, your case would not be all so bad, as to be the wilful refusers of your own salvation, and lose it because you would not have it. Do not say, We would be saved, if you would not be saved from your sin, and have that holiness and communion with God which is your salvation; and do not say, we would have God, and Christ, and holiness, if the pleasures of sin seem better to you, and you choose them first! You may as well say plainly, We will have no God, no Christ, no heaven, as say, We had rather have the pleasures of sin; and you may as well say so, as choose so, and do so. There are some deceived libertines that think that every good desire is the mark of a justified soul, especially if it be accompanied with a willingness that Christ's righteousness should justify them, and a belief that