S E C r. I I Ì. Falfe Sdgas ofGrace. 181 took all this profpericyas a reward of their piety. NowMofes retnoveth thofe foundations they built upon, ¡nitrating them that this mercy befell them, not becaufe they were fo good, but their enemies fo bad. So that in theText you have the fin forbidden, a falte conceit of their'righte oufneffeand uprightneffe, amplified with their confidence therein; Speak not in thyheart, &c. The foul can talk to it felf, and though man cannot hear what it (peaks, God doth, Thus7ohnto the Pharifees, Saynot in yotrhearts; and the ex- hortation in a good fenfe is, to commune with our own hearts ; This lahrafe cloth excellently imply, what difcourfes and appreher,fions men are ready to frame to themfelves, and although chefe lie in thebreak, and cannotbe difcovered by men, yetGod takes notice ofthem co punifh them. When Mores excludes righceoufnes and uprightneffe of heart, by the former'hemeanech all outward actions of rigbte, oufneffe, and by the latter all inward intentions and purpofes of heart, though they fad fometimesexternally; Nowas Canaanwas a type of heaven, fo as the introduâion of the Ifraelites thereunto wasonivof Gods grace, fo is ourpofí fli. onof heaven. This their groundled: appreheniiim to make outward biellings a fign of their righteoufneffe, Mores confuteth, by attributing this to other rattles, .asórfk, the impiety and wickednefleof their adverfaries; as for their righteouf- neffe it moved not God,but the horrid tranfgreffionsof the'Canaanite's, they pro- 'yoked him é The iniquity of the±Rmoriue, was now fall, nor the righteoubnfl of theIfraeliees. Another esule was Gods Oatbhnd promife, which he made to their fathers, whereby though be was not a debtor CO their righteoufnefle, yet rte was obliged to his own truthand fidelity : Hence Deat.7,7;Theoriginali of all the bleffings votichfafed to them, is reduced to Gods love meetly,. not any excellency in them. Now that this fnfu!! perfwafion mightnot abide in them, fee howthe Scripture followerh it over and over again in chefe three verfcs : Speak not that it is for thy righeeoufnelfe,cdc. ver. y. Not for your uprightneffe, ver. s. Underhand therefore thatit is not for thytighteon!seffe; v 6. That menarevery prone to makethe orsswardprofferit and encreafe which rod glycol them,an argament of their righteoafere, andJò of Godslove to them, toPave them. They think it impoffible that teeing God hath fo bleffed them here, he fhoold damn them hereafter. This falfe ligo doch not belong to every one, but to thofe who have abundanceofoutward mercies; efpecially if brought to partake them from a low and indigent condition. The more their change is admirable, the more tellimony they thinkof Gods goodneffe to them, and their own inherent goodneffe. For the difcovery of the weakneffe of this prop, take notice fill of chefe particulars. Firlt, That profpericy, wealth and fuccefie,'they are in themfelves bleffings, r. mercies, and fogood thingsto becleared. Hence the Scripture Both fo often ufe Wcalch and them as incouragements and incentives to holineffe, If you obferve thefe, you 1h11 be bided athome and abroad, feeDent.29, and left we fhould think, that °ood things to outward wealth and profperity were only co be regarded in the Old Tellameut, c do úd. becaufe they hadnot fucha meafure of Gods Spirit, wefee what Pasi faith in the new, It is more bleffed to give then receive , and he fpeaketh ofit as a fpeech that the LordJefus was wont to ufe, though theEvangelifls do not. record it : fo that outward mercies are in tbemfelves bleffrngs, and the want of them by thé Scripture is made amifery andaflidion : Arifforle made the outward affluence of wealth neceffury to that Beatitude he fpeaketh of, but Chrifl his difcipline is otherwife. Hereupon our Saviour whenhe fpeaks of feverall blellédne(fes to fve- tall graces, with fpirituall happinefle he reckoneth temporall, 'Blefedare the meek for theyflallinherit the earth. Hence we reade of the people of God praying for their earthlymercies, and wehave a dire&ion for it in the Lords Praier, when wè pray for dailybread; which although Tome learned men underhand of heavenly bread, and tranflate is fuperfubfantiali, yet that hath no próbability. It is true indeed the very petition doth much limit and moderate our defires, for it is af- Aa 3 tee
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