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own, find acceptance with God. Almost every page of Scripture bears testimony to this truth. The whole scheme of revelation takes it for granted. The plan of salvation taught in the Scriptures could have no place upon any other supposition. Jesus Christ came into the world to save that which was lost. Were we not

exposed to danger, there could be no salvation. The Lord declared to the Pharisees that he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. This imports that there are none righteous, for he came to call all men to repentance. He called to all men to repent for the kingdom of heaven was at hand. We read, Mark, i. 14, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel." "When the twelve went out, they preached that men should repent"—Mark vi. 12. In Acts xvii. 30, we learn that God "now commandeth all men to repent." When our Lord, therefore, tells the Pharisees that he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, he insinuates to them, that their pretensions to righteousness were unfounded. They considered themselves as just before God, and despised gross sinners; but our Lord always in addressing them, shows them that he considered their situation as worse than that of those whom they despised. Publicans and sinners shall go into the kingdom of God before you. What a list of woes does he denounce against them-Matt. xxiii. The Lord Jesus Christ teaches most explicitly in the beginning of the 13th chapter of Luke, that all men need repentance, and, consequently, are guilty; and that their guilt is such, that except they repent, they shall perish. "There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Men are apt to think that extraordinary deaths are a sign of peculiar wickedness,

and that none are in danger of God's displeasure but the grossly wicked. Our Lord, however, testifies to all that heard him, that except they should repent, they should all perish-perish, not as the unhappy persons referred to, by an untimely death, but with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power.

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Let us hear the parable, also, which the Lord addressed to those who supposed that they were righteous. It is of the more weight upon this point, that the persons to whom it was immediately addressed did not suppose themselves possessed of natural and perfect righteousness. The Pharisees did not found their pretensions in being wholly without sin, but in the efficacy of their religious observances and attainments to give them such a righteousness as would procure them acceptance with God. When they sinned, they cleansed away their sin by their religious rites. If, then, such a righteousness is denied them by the Lord, much more an original, spotless righteousness, that deserves no punishment from a holy and just God. Yet this righteousness, the parable teaches, no man pos"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves, that they were righteous and despised others."-Luke xviii. 9. Now, let all the philosophers, and pretenders to virtue read this parable, and discover in it their condemnation. If they allow any use in the gospel, it is for the ignorant and the uncultivated. Men of science and of education have no need of it, at least, not so much need of it. They trust in themselves that they are righteous, and despise others. But all their arrogant pretensions to virtue and moral worth will avail them nothing before the tribunal of the heart-searching God. He who needs not that any should testify of man, because he himself knows what is in man, hath levelled all their towering hopes, and placed the proud, self-righteous Pharisees in the same condemnation with publicans and sinners, so much the object of the others' contempt. Have our philosophers and our men of virtue greater pretensions to holiness, or moral worth, than the Pharisees who performed so many works, as a ground of hope, and

who were so very zealous for the interests of religion? Our moral writers in their systems of philosophy, in their treatises on education, and almost in all their works, discover the most ardent zeal for the interests of virtue. Their efforts appear to be zealously directed to guard the innocence and promote the virtue of youth. The world may look upon this as an evidence of righteousness in the authors, and would think it a hard thing even to insinuate a doubt that such persons would not find acceptance with God. Consider the religious attainments or the zeal of the Scribes and Pharisees; and in our Lord's treatment of them, learn the treatment that all our men, who trust in their moral worth, shall meet with, when they come before Jesus in judgment. They were zealous to promote religion and virtue, and would confess sin and love to make a convert; but when he was made, though they might boast of his religious attainments, and of his moral worth, our Lord testifies that he was ten-fold more the child of hell than themselves. In different ages, the names and forms of those things that men suppose efficacious in procuring their acceptance with God, vary, according to the prevailing systems of religion and philosophy; but in all ages, and in all countries, they are substantially the same, whether they are denominated virtue, moral worth, good works, righteousness, religion, holiness, or piety. Whatever of this kind is rested upon for justification before God, is a foundation of sand, and shall assuredly disappoint expectations in the day of trial. To all who trust in such things, I recommend the consideration of what our Lord says on another occasion to the Pharisees" Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God."-Luke xvi. 15. Let not, then, the virtuous man boast of his moral worth; let him not exult in the goodness of his heart. There is One who knows his heart better than he does himself; and the same testifies that these things that are highly prized by men, and dignified with lovely names, are nothing but an abomination with God. Could there be in this kind of righteousness a more perfect example of virtue, and even of piety and religious

attainments, than we find in the rich young man that came to Jesus? There is not a wise man, nor scribe, nor disputer of this world, however different their sentiments from one another, but would have sent him to heaven with an abundant entrance; yet, mark the reception our Lord gave him, with all his sincerity, with all his religion, with all his humility, with all his piety; nay more with all his reverence for Jesus himself. Mark x. 17-" And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life ?" Could such humble piety fail of acceptance?-on his knees! A man rejected on his knees in prayer! Why, the world would say a man was mad, who could doubt, that a man, who was in the habit of praying to God for salvation, might, after all, be condemned. What piety is here what reverence for the divine teacher!-Good Master! Yet all this did not please the Lord, whom he ignorantly addressed. He was, indeed, good; but he knew that though this young man called him good, he was ignorant of his character, and did not know the reason why he was entitled to the epithet, good. The young man considered him as indeed a teacher sent from God, but did not know him to be the Son of God. Our Lord therefore repliesWhy callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God." Had the young man known the character of Jesus, he could have replied “ Truth, Lord, there is none good but God; yet thou art good, for thou art the Son of God." But our Lord's answer shows that the young man meant, by this word, a compliment to Jesus as a religious teacher; and in this verse we are taught how very improper are all those titles of reverence that human wisdom and superstitious piety have bestowed upon religious teachers. Such titles are due to God alone. Many, still, hail Jesus by the title of Master, Lord, Saviour, Redeemer, who, like this young man, are ignorant of his character as the Son of God; and while they bestow upon him all the epithets that the Scriptures apply to him, and which are properly applicable to none but God, they yet deny him to be God. Many men give him all these titles, and

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confess him to deserve them, in their proper sense, who yet are as ignorant as the others of the true character of God as manifested in him. The addresses of all such are nothing but empty and useless adulation. Jesus will reject them in the day of trial. But let us attend to the sincerity of this young man-a young man of fortune, inquiring about the way of salvation with the utmost earnestness. A Daniel-a Daniel in Babylon. Could the most narrow-minded bigot deny salvation to such a devout youth? Here is sincerity-here is the perfection of sincerity; he is willing to do any thing reasonable, and more, surely, God cannot require. Yet, with all his piety, correctness, and sincerity, he is rejected. What think ye of this, ye who substitute sincerity for perfection? If you reply, that he was not perfectly sincere, as he did not comply with Christ's injunction, I answer again, that this is a trial to which few are put; and if none have the proper sincerity, but such as comply with this injunction, I dare say there will never one of these sincere people enter the kingdom of God. If the sincerity of this young man does not come up to the theological standard, that standard is above the attainments of human virtue, at least ordinary human virtue. If a rich young man would now-adays only attend church with tolerable regularity, speak honourably of religion, and give freely to pious and charitable uses, the most stubborn divine could not refuse to transmit him safe to heaven. But if, in addition to this, he should make particular and earnest inquiries about salvation, even the most rigidly righteous sects would hail him as a Josiah, and all others would think him mad. The gravest philosophical divines would recommend to his friends to try what effect amusement and exercise, and a change of air might have upon him. This young man, like all our pretenders to virtue and righteousness, thought to obtain heaven by works. Jesus, therefore, upon their plan, gave him the standard of working, and the standard to which the works of all who seek salvation by the deeds of the law must be properly confined, or by law they never can have eternal life. When our Lord ran over the commandments, this young man replied with confi

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