midst of their most strenuous exertions to serve and honour God, renouncing all dependence on them- selves, and '' glorying only in the cross of Christ :" the one, a compound of pride, unbelief, and hypo- crisy; the other, of humility, and faith, and heavenly- mindedness. Whatever may be thought by those who know not how to appreciate the motives and principles of men, we do not hesitate to apply to these parties the distinctive characters assigned them by Solomon, and to say, that " Wisdom excelleth folly, as much as light excelleth darkness"."
II. If now we proceed to the second point of our inquiry, and ask, Why our righteousness must exceed theirs ? the text furnishes us with a sufficient answer : If we be no better than they, the Lord Jesus assures us, " that we shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Under the expression, "■ The kingdom of heaven," both the kingdom of grace on earth, and the kingdom of glory in heaven, must be compre- hended ; for they are, in fact, the same kingdom ; and the subjects in both are the same : only in the one, they are in an infantine and imperfect state, whereas, in the other, they have attained maturity and perfection : but from both shall we be alike ex- cluded, if we possess not a better righteousness than theirs : the Lord Jesus will no more acknowledge us as his disciples here, than he will admit us into his beatific presence hereafter.
We cannot then without this be partakers of the Mngdom of grace. The Lord Jesus Christ has told us plainly, that he does not regard those who merely *' say unto him. Lord ! Lord ! " however clamorous they may be, or ostentatious of their zeal for him : he approves of those only " who do the will of his Father which is in heaven." We may assume the name of his disciples, and be numbered amongst them by others ; we may associate ourselves with them, as Judas did, and be as little suspected of hypocrisy as he ; we may even deceive ourselves as well as others, and be as confident that we are Abraham's children as
n Eccl. ii. 13.