before God with the Publican, some though they be but small, yea, though but very small, fruits of thy righteousness. Let the Publican alone, since he is speaking for his life before God. Or if thou canst not let him alone, yet do not speak against him; for thy so doing will but prove, that thou rememberest the evil that the man has done unto thee; yea, and that thou bearest him a grudge for it too, and while you stand before God.

But, Pharisee, the righteous man is a merciful man, and while he standeth praying, he forgiveth, yea, and also crieth to God that he will forgive him too, Mark xi. 25, 26; Acts vii. 60. Hitherto then thou hast shewed none of the fruits of thy righteousness. Pharisee, righteousness would teach thee to love this Publican, but thou shewest that thou hatest him. Love covereth the multitude of sins; but hatred and unfaithfulness revealeth secrets.

Pharisee, thou shouldst have remembered this thy brother in this his day of adversity, and shouldst have shewed, that thou hadst compassion on thy brother in this his deplorable condition; but thou, like the proud, the cruel, and arrogant man, hast taken thy neighbour at the advantage, and that when he is even between the straits, and standing upon the pinnacle of difficulty, betwixt the heavens and the hells, and hast done what thou couldst, what on thy part lay, to thrust him down to the deep, saying, "I am not even as this Pub

lican."

What cruelty can be greater; what rage more furious; and what spite and hatred more damnable and implacable, than to follow, or take a man while he is asking of mercy at God's hands, and to put in a caveat against his obtaining of it, by exclaiming against him that he is a sinner! The master of righteousness doth not so: "Do not think," saith he, "that I will accuse you to the Father." The scholars of righteousness do not so. "But as for me," said David, "when they (mine enemies) were sick (and the Publican here was

sick

sick of the most malignant disease) my cloathing was of sackcloath, I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer (to wit, that I made for them) returned into my bosom. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend and brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother," John v. 45. Psal. xxxv.

13, 14.

Pharisee, dost thou see here how contrary thou art to righteous men? Now then, where shall we find out one to parallel thee, but by finding him out that is called the dragon; for he it is that accuseth the poor sinners before God? Zech. iii. Rev. xii.

"I am not as this Publican." Modesty should not have commanded thee to have bit thy tongue as to this. What could the angels think, but that revenge was now in thine heart, and but that thou comest up into the temple, rather to boast of thyself and accuse thy neighbour, than to pray to the God of heaven; for what one petition is there in all thy prayer, that gives the least intimation, that thou hast the knowledge of God or thyself? Nay, what petition of any kind is there in thy vain glorious oration from first to last? only an accusation drawn up, and that against one helpless and forlorn; against a poor man, because he is a sinner ;— drawn up, I say, against him by thee, who canst not make proof of thyself that thou art righteons: But come to proofs of righteousness, and thou art wanting also. What, though thy raiment is better than his, thy skin may be full as black; yea, what if thy skin be whiter than his, thy heart may yet far blacker. Yea, it is so, for the truth hath spoken it; for "within you are full of excess and all uncleanness," Matth, xxiii.

Pharisee, there are transgressions against the second table, and the Publican shall be guilty of them: but there are sins also against the first table, and thou thyself are guilty of them.

The Publican, in that he was an extortioner, unjust, and an adulterer, made it thereby manifest that he did

not

not love his neighbour; and thou by making a god, a saviour, a deliverer, of thy filthy righteousness, dost make it appear, that thou dost not love thy God; for as he that taketh, or that derogateth from his neighbour in that which is his neighbour's due, sinneth against his neighbour; so he that taketh or derogateth from God, sinneth against God.

Now then, though thou hast not, as thou dost imagine, played at the low game as to derogate from thy neighbour; yet thou hast played at that high game as to derogate from thy God; for thou hast robbed God of the glory of salvation; yea, declared, that has to that there is no trust to be put in him. "So this is the man that made not God is strength; but trusted to the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness or substance," Psal. iii. 7.

What else means this great bundle of thy own righteousness, which thou hast brought with thee into the temple? yea, what means else thy commending of thyself because of that, and so thy implicit prayer, that thou for that mightest find acceptance with God?

All this, what does it argue, I say, but thy diffidence of God? and that thou countest salvation safer in thine own righteousnes, than in the righteousness of God and that thy own love to, and care of thy own soul, is far greater, and so much better, than is the care and love of God? And is this to keep the first table; yea, the first branch of that table, which saith, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God?" for thy thus doing cannot stand with love to God.

How can that man say, I love God, who from his very heart shrinketh to trust in him? Or, How can that man say, I would glorify God, who in his very heart refuseth to stand and fall by his mercy?

Suppose a great man should bid all the poor of the parish to his house to dinner, and should moreover send by the mouth of his servant, saying, "My lord hath killed his fatlings, hath furnished his table, and prepar ed his wine, nor is there want of any thing, come to

the

the banquet:" Would it not be counted as an high affront to, great contempt of, and much distrust in the goodness of the man of the house, if some of these guests should take with them, out of their own poor store, some of their mouldy crusts, and carry them with them, lay them upon their trencher, upon the table before the lord of the feast, and the rest of his guests, out of fear that he yet would not provide sufficiently for those he had bidden to the dinner that he made?

Why, Pharisee, this is the very case; thou hast been called to a banquet, even to the Banquet of God's grace, and thou hast been disposed to go; but behold, thou hast not believed, that he would of his own cost make thee a feast, when thou comest: wherefore of thy own store thou hast brought with thee, and hast laid upon thy trencher on his table, thy mouldy crusts in the presence of the angels, and of this poor Publican: yea, and have vauntingly said upon the whole, "God I thank thee, I am not as other men are." I am no

such needy man, Luke xv. 7. "I am no extortioner, nor unjust, nor adulterer, nor even as this Publican." I am come indeed to thy feast, for of civility I could do no less; but for thy dainties, I need them not, I have of such things enough of mine own, Luke xviii. 9. I thank thee therefore for thy offer of kindness, but I am not as those that have, and stand in need thereof," nor yet as this Publican." And thus feeding upon thine own fare, or by making a composition of his and thine together, thou contemnest God, thou countest him insufficient or unfaithful; that is, either one that has not enough, or having it, will not bestow it upon the poor and needy; and therefore, of mere pretence thou goest to his banquet, but yet trustest to thy own, and to that only.

This is to break the first table; and so to make thyself a sinner of the highest form : for the sins against the first table, are sins of an higher nature than are the sins against the second. True, the sins of the second table

are

are also sins against God, because they are sins against the commandments of God: But the sins that are against the first table, are sins not only against the command, but against the very love, strength, holiness, and faithfulness of God: And herein stands thy condition; thou hast not, thou sayest thou hast not done injury to thy neighbour; but what of that, "if thou hast reproached thy maker?"

Pharisee, I will assure thee, thou art besides the saddle; thy state is not good, thy righteousness is so far off from doing any good, that it maketh thee to be a greater sinner, because it signifieth more immediately against the mercy, the love, the grace, and goodness of God, than the sins of other sinners, as to degree, do.

And as they are more odious and abominable in the sight of God, (as they needs must, if what is said be true, as it is), so they are more dangerous to the life and soul of man; for that they always appear unto him in whom they dwell, and to him that trusteth in them, not to be sins and tansgressions, but virtues and excellent things; not things that set a man further off, but the things that bring a man nearer God, than those that want them are or can be.

This therefore is the dangerous estate of those that go about to establish their own righteousness, that neither have, nor can, while they are so doing, submit themselves to the righteousness of God, Rom. x. iii. It is far more easy to persuade a poor wretch, whose life is debauched, and sins are written in his forehead, to submit to the righteousness of God, (that is, to the righteousness that is of God's providing and giving), than it is to persuade a self-righteous man to do it: for the profane is sooner convinced of the necessity of righteousness, to save him, as that he has none of his own and accepteth of, and submitteth himself to the help, and salvation, that is in the righteousness of obedience of another.

And upon this account it is that Christ saith, "The publicans and harlots," enter into the kingdom of

heaven