tence; fenfible it can urge no plea in it's own behalf, nor make any reply against the expected execution. This is real meeknefs and quietude. Come life, come death, come heaven, or come hell, fuch a foul appears as if he should no more refift. The Saviour, who was meek and lowly-and of whom we are all to learn, exercised this grace in the highest, when he faid, "Not my will, but thine, be done." This is the last stage at which the awakened finner arrives before the bleffing comes. This brings him fenfibly into the way of life. "The meek will he guide in "judgment, the meek will he teach his way." With meeknefs the ingrafted word is received; and a meek and quiet fpirit, in the fight of God, is of great price. But this meekness is of the Spirit of God, (Gal.v. 23.) The fruit of the Spirit is meekness, temperance. This grace comes with the Spirit from the fulness of the Saviour, and is called his. I Cor. x. 1. I beseech you by the meekness of Chrift. It is a grace exercised toward him, under his hand, and in his caufe; and is always attended with self-dislike, with lowlinefs of mind, and with quietude of heart, Bleffed are the meek

For they fhall inherit the earth. Not the prefent earth, as it now stands, for this is given into the band of the wicked, (Job, ix. 24.)-but rather the new heaven, and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs, and no wickedness; or righteous men, and no finners. This is the heavenly country that

Abraham

Abraham fought, the land which is very far off, where the King is to be feen in all his beauty.

Bleffed are they which do bunger and thirst after righteoufnefs. The finner that hungers after righteoufnefs, is fenfible that he has none of his own; he is condemned on every hand for the want of righteoufnefs; if he reads the Law, it condemns him for his tranfgreffions; if he reads the Gofpel, he is condemned because he cannot believe; if he looks to Confcience, it ascufes him of unrighteoufnefs. He condemns himself in every thing he does; if he hears the word, he is condemned in the congregation of the righteous, and he knows and feels, that the unrighteous cannot enter the kingdom. The fentence of condemnation awakens a whole troop of terrors against him; and servile fear, with a train of torments, attend him; Mofes, Satan, and Confcience, accufe him, and he has no righteoufnefs to anfwer for him. His nakedness, guilt, and fhame, confound him; and the thoughts and terrible apprehenfions of appearing before God, angels, and faints, in fuch a predicament, in the great and terrible day, distract him. Thefe dreadful views, fenfations, and expectations, make him hunger, thirst, and pant, for righteousness, as the chaced hart for the water-brook; for he knows he muft perish without it, and he cannot reft till he has it. And bleffed are fuch hungry fouls, for they fhall moft furely

Be

Be filled. Not with their own righteousness-for human performances can never fatisfy the capacious defires of an immortal foul, which are kindled by the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning-for he cannot ftand before a divine law, without a divine righteousness. "Man's iniqui"ties are infinite," (Job, xxii. 5.) "commit"ted against an infinite Being," (Pfalm cxlvii. 5.) and he that redeems and justifies, must be an infinite perfon. The Saviour's obedience to the Law, and not the finner's own, is that in which he must be found, if ever he appears righteous. The dignity of the person that obeyed in the finner's room, makes his obedience of infinite value. "He "thought it no robbery to be equal with God, yet "took on him the form of a fervant, and became "obedient;" and by the obedience of this Holy One shall many be made righteous: with this righteousness God is well pleased; this he accepted on our account; the Gospel reveals-it as the righteoufnefs of God; God brings it near, and imputes it; Faith puts it on; and the Spirit lets us know it is done, and bears his witness to the glorious work. We are justified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God. This righteousness, and only this, can fill the foul, as the text fays. When this change of raiment is put on, Satan skulks off, filled with the furious rebukes of God, like a betrayed, malicious villain, as he is; Mofes, with

his accufations, vanishes, and is loft in the glorious vifion, and we know not what is become of him and being so taken up with the King in his beauty, we neither afk, nor wish to know where he died, nor where he was buried; Jefus is all in all, and at fuch times he leaves no room for another. This righteoufnefs enables the finner to lift up his head to God, and to look Confcience out of countenance; yea, to look to the day of judgment with celestial triumph, mercy rejoicing against judgment. The fiery Law appears quenched in a Saviour's blood, and the everlafting Gofpel fhines like a million funs. "Surely the light of the moon "shall be as the light of the fun, and the light of "the fan fhall be fevenfold, as the light of feven "days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the "breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their « wound." Ifai. xxx. 26. What poor, patchedup, pitiful linfey-woolfey garments of righteoufnefs, do those preachers bring forth, who are ftrangers to the King's wardrobe!" a bed too

Short for a weary foul to reft on, and a " covering too narrow for a foul convinced of it's "nakedness to wrap itself in." Isai. xxviii. 26. Souls once enrobed with the royal raiment of needle-work, will never fetch their apparel from Rag-fair; for the nakedness and beggary of fuch preachers appear confpicuous enough (to fouls thus enlightened) in all they fay, in all they do,

in all they preach, and in all they write; none covet their state, or envy their happiness, but fools and blind.

Bleffed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Not the mercy of carnal men is meant, for the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel; and though finners love finners, and give to finners, yet they have not the reward of eternal inheritance for that; it is not done to the least of Chrift's brethren, and so it is not done to him. Natural men, by their liberal acts, may procure a fort of ceremonial confecration on what they have; as the Saviour faid to the Pharifees, "Give alms of fuch "things as ye have, and behold all things are "clean unto you." But "though this righteouf*ness may profit the fons of men, what does fuch "a perfon give to God?" Job, xxxv. 7, 8. These things can neither merit, nor procure the fure mercies of David-they come without any procuring caufe in man; befides, whatsoever is not of faith, is fin; and without faith it is impoffible to please God, much less merit at his hands. More over, these bleffings are pronounced on the difciples of Chrift, who believed in him, and followed him, and who themfelves bad obtained mercy fo to do. Merciful men, in the language of Scripture, are righteous perfons and heirs of Heaven. "The righte"ous perish, and merciful men are taken away, none ་་ confidering that the righteous is taken from the " evil

B 2