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to establish their own righteousness, and did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. What righteousness is that 1 Why, " the righteousness of faith," according to the law of grace, Rom. i. 1 7. " They sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law," chap. ix. 32. And the ground of all this is discovered, verse 33. Behold, here are two effects of Christ towards several persons: some stumble at him, and so are not able to walk on with God. Who are they ? He tells you, verse 32. Some are not ashamed. Who are they ? They that believe, and so submit to the law of God's grace. It is evident, then, that men may labour to walk with God, and yet stumble and fall, for want of this humbling themselves to the law of his grace.
Let us see, then, how that may be done, and what is required thereunto. It is, then, required, —
[1.] That the bottom of all a man's obedience lie in this, — that in himself he is a lost, undone creature, an object of wrath, and that whatever he have of God in any kind, he must have it in a way of mere mercy and grace. To this apprehension of himself must proud man, that would fain have something of his own, humble himself. God abhors every one that he sees coming towards him on any other account. Our Saviour Christ lets men know what they are, and what they must be, if they will come to God by him. " I came," saith he, " to save that which was lost," Matt, xviii. 11. "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance," Matt. ix. 13. Verse 12, " The whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick." " I came into the world," says he, " that they that are blind may see, and that they which see might be made blind," John ix. 39. This is the sum : " If you intend to have any thing to do with God by me, know yourselves to be lost sinners, blind, sick, — dead; so that what- ever you have, you must have it in a way of mere grace."
And how was this direction followed by Paul ? Will you see the foundation of his obedience? You have it, 1 Tim. i. 13-15, "I was thus and thus : I am the chief of sinners ; ' but I obtained mercy/ It is mere mercy and grace upon the account whereof I have any thing from God : " — which principle he improves to the height, Phil, iii. 7-9, "All loss, all dung; Christ is all in all." This the proud Pharisees could not submit unto. It is the subject of much of their disputes with our Saviour. To be lost, blind, nothing,— they could not endure to hear. Were they not children of Abraham ? Did they not do so and so ? To tell them that they are lost and nothing, is but to speak out of envy. And on this rock do thousands split them- selves, in the days wherein we live. When they are overpowered by any conviction to an apprehension of a necessity of walking with God (as more or less, at one time or other, by one means or other,
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most men are), they then set themselves on the performance of the duties they have neglected, and of the obedience which they think acceptable, abiding in that course whilst then conviction abides ; but never humbling themselves to this part of the law of God's grace, — to be vile, miserable, lost, cursed, hopeless in themselves ; — never making thorough work of it. They lay the foundation of their obedience in a quagmire, whose bottom should have been digged into; and stumble at the stumbling-stone, in their first attempt to walk with God.
Now, there are two evils attending the mere performance of this dut3^, which utterly disappoint all men's attempts for walking with God: —
1st. That men without it will go forth, somewhat, at least, in their own strength, to walk with God. " Why," say the Pharisees, " can we do nothing? 'Are we blind also?'" Acting in the power of self will cleave to such a one, so as not to be separated ; it will steal upon him in every duty he goes about. Now, nothing is more universally opposite to the whole nature of gospel obedience than this, that a man should perform the least of it in his own strength, without an actual influence of life and power from God in Christ. " Without me," says Christ, " ye can do nothing," John xv. 5. All that is done without strength from him, is nothing. God works in us " to will and to do of his good pleasure," Phil. ii. 18. Whatever a man doth, which God works not in him, which he receives not strength for from Christ, is all lost, all perishing. Now, our fetching in of strength from Christ for every duty, is founded wholly in that subjection to the law of grace whereof we speak.
Zdly. His obedience will build him up in that state wherein he is, or edify him towards hell and destruction: — of which more afterward.