458 does not speak of them as merely refusing to come to him, but as incenfed against him. In the 2d pfalm, it is afked, "Why rage the Heathen, and

the people imagine a vain thing?" It is certain, that when the enemies of the grace of God have had power to perfecute the defenders of the doctrine of the gospel, that all the other cruelties that ever finful men used against one another, were but tender mercies, compared to the cruelties ufed by Pagans and other enemies against the doctrine of Christ, and his grace; and where, by the goodness of Providence, its enemies had it not in their power to oppofe it by perfecution and violence, that other perfecution has ftill been kept up, cruel mockings. The old dragon, as it were, endeavours to keep up a continual hiffing at that bleffed doctrine of God's grace, which has already given dangerous wounds to his kingdom, and will at laft be the means of its univerfal downfall.

III. In the next place, Ifhall briefly mention fome of thofe fcriptures that give the reafons why the preaching of Chrift, and no other fort of knowledge or wifdom, is bieffed as the means of turning us to God. Many other inventions have been used by the wifdom of men for refining our natures, and bringing us to a ftate of perfection; becaufe all the world have been fenfible of the corruption of human nature. Many remedies have been tried in all ages and places. There are many Naamans, that grudge and fret to be fent to this Jordan, when they think there are many other better rivers in Syria to wash away their leprofy.

One fcripture that gives a plain reafon for it is, Rom. i. 16. after the apoftle has told, that the gofpel is the power of God to falvation, and that he was not aflamed of it, the reafon he adds for it is in the 17th verfe: "For therein is the righteouf "nefs of God revealed from faith to faith." The righteousness

righteoufnefs of God that is here mentioned is the imputed righteoufnefs of Chrift; as is evident from the 3d chapter, y 21. "But now the righteoufnefs "of God without the law is manifefted, being wit"neffed by the law and the prophets; even the "righteousness of God which is by faith of Jefus "Chrift;" and then he speaks of the propitiation through his blood. Here then we are told the reafon why God ftretches out his almighty arm to make the preaching of the gofpel effectual, because therein the righteoufnefs of Chrift is revealed and manifefted. It is by the righteoufnefs of Chrift, by that living ftone Chrift crucified, to the carnal mind foolishness and a ftumbling-block, it is by that he manifefts his infinite glory, manifold wifdom, and his unfearchable grace; and he will not honour any other doctrine to be the means of purifying condemned finful rebels, but the doctrine of that bleffed remedy, that facrifice for their fins, that righteoufnefs that covers them before the prefence of his glory. The reason is further enlarged upon by the apostle, chap. i. 18. : "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodli"nefs and unrighteoufnefs of men." It is not the will of God, that finful corrupt rebels, who only can be fanctified by his grace, thould be fanctified by it, unless they acknowledge that caufe that purchafed that grace, Chrift Jefus, by his righteoufnefs and facrifice.

Another fcripture that gives us at large, not only one, but feveral reafons for it, is 1 Cor. i. 19. “I "will deftroy the wifdom of the wife, and I will "bring to nothing the understanding of the pru"dent. Where is the wife? where is the fcribe ?" &c. Then, in y 21. "For after that, in the wifdom "of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleafed God by the foolishness of preaching to "fave them that believe." From this and feveral other verfes in this chapter, we may fee, that God,

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who is juft in all his ways, and whofe understanding is infinite, has infinitely wife reafons for pouring contempt and confufion on the wisdom of men that defpife the word of God.

The wifdom of men, of every one that feek fanc tification and reformation of heart, otherwife than by the word of God, is really folly. Paul tells us, Rom. i. 21. that after men had departed from God, did not glorify God, neither were thankful, and became vain in their imaginations, then their foolish hearts were darkened; and yet notwithstanding of all, they profeffed themselves to be wife, and fo became fools. But as fome might be ready to think, that though perhaps the thoughts of the bulk of mankind, indeed, fince the fall, are but folly, that there have been feveral eminently wife men without the knowledge of God and his word; therefore the apoftle, I Cor. iii. 20. fpeaks particularly of the wife men: "And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wife, that they are vain ;" that is to fay, all thofe thoughts that are not founded on the word of God, and drawn from it, all other thoughts pretending to bring us to a state of purity and holiness. And this the Apoftle cites out of the 94th pfalm, where it is faid, "The Lord "knoweth the thoughts of men that they are but "vanity;" for that is a principal part of the fcrip tural defeription of man's nature, that the imagination of his heart is evil from his youth.

After confidering this, the reafon of the doctrine is plain. We need not afk, why God will not honour vain imaginations to be the means of turning us to him. The Lord hates vain thoughts, and we ought to hate them likewife, but to love his law. There is an expreffion, Job xv. 31. "Let not him that is deceived, truft in vanity; for vanity fhall be his recompence." Since all other ways and inventions of men for bringing us to God, except by his werd, and the doctrine of Chrift, are foolfhnefs and vani

ty, it is wisdom and juftice in God to declare them to be fo, and to discountenance them. There is this further to be confidered, that as it is foolish nefs, fo it is a proud and haughty foolishness, joined with a great deal of felf-conceit. Profeffing to be wife, they became fools. Pride is that which the Lord abhors. Not only is pride joined with it, but there is alfo joined with it oppofition to God, oppofition to his word and gofpel. The carnal mind is enmity to God; and to the natural man, the things of the Spirit of God are foolishness. While, therefore, a man in his heart, and in his thoughts, looks upon the things of the Spirit of God to be foolifhnefs, while his heart does not fee the wisdom and glory of God in his word, it is no wonder that the Lord fhould pour confufion on that wisdom that exalts itself, not only againft, but, as it were, above God. Thefe confiderations fhould excite us, therefore, to take care, that all our thoughts concerning true happiness and holiness, and the mortification of our paffions and corruptions, be agreeable to the thoughts of God, and to his holy will; and that we have a due efteem of the doctrine of Chrift Jefus, as the beft, the only means, of bringing us to God, and of purifying our hearts and natures, both upon account of its own excellency, and fitnefs for it, and alfo because it is the power of God, that which we may expect the power of God will be joined to. When a man endeavours to have the word of God dwelling richly in him, to have his thoughts concerning fin, and the remedy of fin, agreeable to it, then his confcience may tell him, providing he be fincere in the work, that he is chufing the best way to glorify and to honour God, by honouring his word. There is a woe a gainst them that are wife in their own conceits, truft to their own understanding, and lean to their own imaginations' and inventions. If a man would fet himself down, in order to find out fome way to

bring him to God, and to his favour, and only truft to his own invention, without confulting the bleffed word of God, he puts one of the greatest affronts he can upon God, confidering that he has among his hands, God's best advice to him, if I may fo exprefs it, and yet prefers the vain imaginations of his own heart.

The ufe that we ought to make of this branch of the doctrine, concerning the inftrument of believing and of turning to God, is even to have a high esteem of that blessed inftrument, the word of God; not to be ashamed of it, but to value it for that reafon, because it is the power of God to falvation, and because the righteoufnefs of God is revealed in it. And as to the other branch of the doctrine, concerning the great, the powerful caufe, that makes the word of God effectual, the ufe we ought to make of it is, that our eyes wait upon his hand as the eyes of a fervant to the hand of his mafter, and as the eyes of a handmaid to the hand of her mistress. This is a certain truth, that the hand of the Lord is for good upon all that feek him.

There is not time at present to confider the abufes made of this doctrine, and the prejudices that arife in the carnal mind against it. Through God's grace these shall be confidered afterward; but only, by the by, we ought to confider, that one of the moft foolish ufes that fome are ready to make of it is, that because it is God's power that can make us repent and believe, therefore we ought to do nothing. The neceffity of grace is the very thing that ihould make us earneft in feeking after it, and ufing all means for it. In other cafes, the abfolute neceffity of a thing, inftead of hindering us from feeking after it, is the very motive to make us earneft to the utmoft. In other cafes, we think it madness for a man to fay, that fuch a thing is abfolutely neceffary for me, therefore I will be negli

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