SECTION III. 121 Christ was not always bound to speak the gospel to this people in as plain words as he could, for reasons that thewisdom of God was well acquainted with, reasons that the justice of God righteously determined, and the goodness of God did pot think fit to oppose. And it is no wonder at ali that he doth speak in this way to those men who came with curious questions and with evil purposes to ensnare him, as the lawyer did in this account. of St. Luke. Objection II. But can we 'suppose that Christ would deceive a. young man, who carne seriously to enquire the way to eternal life ? Can we imagine' that Christ, in whom dwells all wisdom, truth and love, should give such directions as could never bring a man to heaven, and especially consider- ing that he came into the world on purpose to bring life and immortality to light among men, 'and to show them the true way to heaven ? Answer I. That we may secare the goodness of God, -and the mercy of Christ from any reproach in this case, I say fur- ther, that Christ did take a very wise and regular method with this young man to bringhim to salvation, if he would have stayed to attend to it, and hadnot been full of evil prejudices, ofself- righteousness, and the -love of this world. Forthe first thing to be done in order to bring sinners to heaven, as I hinted before, is to convince them ofsin, and this is done by the law. This the apostle Paul sheweth at large in his epistle to the Romans, that men by beholding the perfectionof the law, and their inability to perform it, might be dead to all hope from the law, as he was when he says, Gal. ii. 19. I by the law amdead to the laze; and that they night not expect life by the law, but that they might seekfor salvation by the. way of repentance and faith, or trust in Christ; and obtain forgiveness ofsins through the free grace of God in the gospel. Answer II. "Though this young man had a vain., eonceitof. his own righteousness, yet there was something in hint naturally pleasing, agreeable and engaging, so that Christ as man " looked upon him and loved him ;" Mark x. 21. He had some liking to such a towardly and hopeful youth, and preached the law to him, to convince him of sin, in order to his salvation : But when he professed himself to be so right- eous in his own eyes, as to have kept all the commands of the law, his divine wisdom then saw it proper to put a harder trial upon- him, viz. to sell all that he had and give to the poor, and to becomea fóllower of Christ. Now if this young man had loved God so well as he pretended, and believed Christ to be ¡prophet come fromGod, he ought to have obeyed him, even in this difficult and self-denying command; which command was put upon him, partly to convince him that he did not love God so
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