Crown of Righteousness, which thou haft laid up for all that love thee, and expect thy Second and more Glorious Appearance.

To thee, O Eternal Son of God, thou great Lover of Mankind; to Thee, who tookeft upon thee to deliver Man, and did not abhor the Virgin's Womb; to Thee, who overcameft the Sharpness of Death, and didft open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers: To Thee, O moft dear, O moft beloved, O moft adorable Jefus, be for ever given by us, and by all the Souls whom thou haft redeemed, and by all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth, All Honour, and Glory, and Praife, all Service and Love, and Obedience, henceforth and for evermore.

SER

SERMON XII.

Preached before the

QUEEN,

A T

WHITE-HALL,

On EASTER-DAY, 1692.

PHIL. iii. 10.

That I may know him, and the Power of his Refurrection.

W

E fhall eafily fee the Defign of these Words, and what use we are to make of them, if we look at their Connexion

with the Difcourfe that goes before. St. Paul, in this Chapter, fets himself to fhew the Excellency, and the great Advantages of the Knowledge of Jefus Chrift, and how inconfiderable, how unworthy to be named in Comparison therewith, all thofe Things were, that the Jews his Country-men fo much gloried in.

His Difcourfe, upon this Occafion, is fo very remarkable, that it will be worth our while to run over the Particulars of it.

I alfo (faith he in the 4th Verfe) might have Confidence in the Flesh. If any other Man thinketh that he hath whereof he might truft in the Flesh, I more. As if he had faid, Think not, OPhilippians, that I therefore speak lightly of those Privileges and Advantages, which the Jews among you fo much boaft of, upon this Account, because I have none of them myfelf: No, on the contrary, if I would value myself upon fuch outward carnal Things, I have as much Reason as any. Nay, there is not a few among you, that, perhaps, can fay fo much on his own behalf, in this refpect, as I can..

འ

For (as he goes on in the fifth and fixth Verfes) I was circumcifed the Eighth Day of the Stock of Ifrael, of the Tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the Law, a Pharifee: Concerning Zeal, perfecuting the Church: Touching the Righteoufnefs which is by the Law, blameless.

That is to fay; I have not only the Character of a Son of Abraham, upon me, being Circumcifed, but I am alfo of the Race of Ifrael, which all the circumcifed Children of Abraham are not. 5 Adora d

Nay, further, I am an Ifraelite of the Tribe of Benjamin, that Benjamin which our Father Ifrael fo dearly loved, and of that Tribe, which, together with fuduk, kept firm to the Houfe of David, and the true Religion, when the other Ten Tribes revolted,

Nay,

Nay, more, I am an Hebrew of the Hebrews 1 Not fprung from Profelytes, as many among you are, but all my Ancestors, both by Father and Mother, being natural-born Jews...

And then, as to my Profeffion in Religion, it was the ftricteft among the Jews; for I was a Pharifee. And ye all know, That Sect of all others to be the moft eminent for the Reputation of Precifenefs and Sanctity.

Neither did I in my Zeal for the Law of Mofes come fhort of the strictest Pharifee that is among you; for who was more busie, more eager, more violent in perfecuting Chriftianity than I was ?orostet

And laftly,: To fum up all, As to the Righte oufness which is by the Law, I am blameless. So punctual have I always been, in obferving the Precepts of Mofes his Law, that none can reprove me in that Point; but I may truly, in the Jewish Notion of Righteousness, be accounted a Righteous Perfon.

But now, am I much the better for all thefe Things? Have I any great Reason to glory upon the account of them? No, verily, (as he goes on in the Seventh Verfe) but what Things were Gain to me, thofe I counted Lofs for Chrift All these outward Advantages, my Birth, my Profeffion, my Sect, my Reputation, my ftrict Way of Living, which might have proved very beneficial to me, in all worldly refpects; when I once came to the Knowledge of the Chriftian Religion, I defpifed them all For in Truth, I found that they were fo far from being real Advantages to me, that they were

rather

rather Hindrances in the Way of Virtue and Piety.

Yea, doubtlefs (as he goes on in the 8th Verfe) I account all Things but Lofs for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord, for whom I have fuffered the Lofs of all Things, and do count them but Dung, that I may win Chrift: That is to fay, not only the above-named Privileges, but all other Things whatsoever, Wealth, Greatness, Fame, Friends, and Life itself, I account them all very pitiful Things, if they be compared with the ineftimable Advantages of being a Chriftian. As I have once, fo I will again readily forfake all, part with all Things that the World holds moft dear and valuable, nay, I will trample them under my Feet, like Dirt and Dung; provided I may obtain the Favour of Chrift,

7

And (as he goes on in the 9th Verse) that I might be found in him, not having my own Righteoufnefs, which is of the Law, but that which is by the Faith of Jefus Chrift, the Righteousness which is of God by Faith. This Paffage hath been frequently misunderstood, and interpreted to a Senfe that I believe St. Paul did not think of. St. Paul doth not here oppose an inherent Righteoufnefs to an imputed one; but an outward, natural, legal Righteoufnefs to that which is inward and Spiritual, and wrought in a Man by the Spirit of God. The Righteousness which the Apoftle here defires to be found in, is not the Righteoufnefs of Chrift made his, or imputed to him; but a real Righteousness produced in his Soul by the Faith of Jefus Chrift.

The