118 MORAL LAW UNDER THE GOSPEL. breadths, and shews that it reaches to the thoughts of men as well as their actions ? Did he not begin this sermon with, Bles- sedare the poor in spirit; Mat. v. 3. that he might show the why to blessedness wasnot a self-sufficience of soul, and a trust in our righteousness, but a spiritual poverty, that is, a humble sense of our own weakness and sinfulness ? What mean many of his pa- rables, particularly that of the prodigal son returning in rags and sorrow to his father's house? Luke xv: 13-32. Doth it not teach us that the way to be accepted of our heavenly Father is to return to him with a deep sense of our disobedience, sin and misery, with a humble repentance, and asking forgiveness? What is the intent of the parable of the Pharisee and publican going up to pray ? Luke xviii. 10. Is it not to shew us that a humble, confessing, repenting sinner seeking for mercy, is much nearer to justification and the favour of God, than a man who spreads abroadhis own righteousness andjustifies himself ? What means our blessed Lord in his perpetual reproofs of the Phari- sees who trusted in themselves that they were righteous? Verse 9. Did he not frequently talk thus to convince men of sin, and chew them how imperfect their obedience was, and how insufficient to procure acceptance with God, and to let them see that repen- tance and confession of sin, and trust in divine mycy, were the only way to salvation. It is no wonder then if our Saviour had the same design in his eye when he saw a rich young man of a Pharisaical spirit, come to enquire the way to heaven by doing some good work ; it is no wonder thathe begun to talk to him of obedience to the law, in order to convince him of sin, and shew him that he was not sufficiently righteous to obtain eternal life by his righteousness. It is most likely that our blessedLord had a special inten- tion in this place to try the young man, whether he knew his own state and ease as a sinner who wanted pardon, amid whether the was prepared for the gospel or no : Whether he stood convinced of sin, and desirous of true salvation, such as Christ came to pro- cure for those who were sensible of their guilt and danger. I havebefore chewed that the first sentence that Christ spoke to him was with design to try his opinion about himself, the Messiah when he called him good, whether he was one with God or no : And now he tries his opinion about the inward and spiritual per- fection of the law, and about his own power to keep it, and about his own hope of justification thereby: And therefore he at first gives him such an answer as should make him bethink him- self, whether he had obeyed the law of God perfectly or no. If he had found him sensible of his guilt and his imperfec- tions, then most probably the compassionate Jesus would have preached to low the pardoning grace of the gospel, which he came to offer to those who repent of sin, and believe in the
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