thee on the one cheek, turn to him the other.-If be fue thee at the law for thy coat, give him thy cloak alfo. If he compels thee to go a mile, go twain. If be afks, give; if he will borrow, lend to him. If he is your enemy, love him; if he curfe you, do you bless bim; if he hate you, do good to him; if he perfecute you, and ufe you defpitefully, pray for him—THAT YE

MAY BE THE CHILDREN OF YOUR FATHER WHICH IS

IN HEAVEN. By children, here, is not meant reprobates, for Chrift never calls them children of his heavenly Father: nor does he allow them to call themselves fo, but calls them children of the devil. This application fhews plain enough, that it is the children of God that are hated, perfecuted, and flandered; and that it is pharifees, hypocrites, and falfe teachers, that break the commandments, and teach men fo; and fuch are, and fhall be, called the least in the militant church, or kingdom of heaven: and fure I am that fuch are the fartheft, of all men, from the triumphant church, or kingdom of glory. We go on

But whosoever shall do [thefe commandments] and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. We will enquire,

1. What the Saviour fays about the great things of the Law.

2. What by doing these things.

3. What by teaching them. And,

4. In what fenfe fuch a Teacher may be faid to be great.

First, What the Saviour fays about the great things of the Law. We will follow his advice; we will swallow the camel firft, and ftrain at the gnat afterward. The Lord Jefus begins: "Woe unto

you Scribes and Pharifees, hypocrites; for ye pay "tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin; and have

omitted the weightier matters of the Law, judg"ment, mercy, and faith: these things ought ye to "have done, and not to leave the other undone. "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and fwal"low a camel." Matt. xxiii. 23, 24. According to this text, the natural inference to be drawn is this, that every preacher who is deftitute of judgment, mercy, and faith, is a carnal scribe, a felfrighteous pharifee, an hypocrite, and a blind guide; and his preaching is nothing but fly-catching, or, as Chrift fays, it is straining at gnats: for the Lord does not fay, that he catches the gnat. In Luke, xi. 42. it is thus worded: "But woe unto you Pha"rifees, for ye tithe mint, rue, and all manner of "berbs; and pass over judgment, and the love of God. "These things ought ye to have done." According to our dear Lord's preaching, judgment, mercy, faith, and the love of God, are the great things of the Law, which all good preachers must do. These things ought ye to have done. And these things are to be preached to others, by them that are great in the kingdom. Whosoever shall do, and teach them, he Shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Here

we

we fee, as in a glass, who is great in the kingdom,

and who is the hypocrite and blind guide. Now we will take notice

1. Of Judgment.
2. Of Mercy.
3. Of Faith.

4. Of the love of God.-For, if we are desti tute of these things, our profeffion, or preaching, is nothing but a noise.

He that has no Judgment, is an ignorant man, that knows not God: and "He that made him will "have no mercy on him; and He that created him "will fhew him no favour."

He that hath not Mercy, is in a carnal, hardened ftate. God hath mercy on whom he will, and "whom he will he hardeneth."

He that hath not Faith, "is condemned already, "and cannot please God. The righteousness of the "Law is not fulfilled in him," nor one precept kept by him; "for whatsoever is not of Faith, is " fin."

And he that hath not the Love of God, or Charity, in his heart," is nothing but founding brass, or a "tinkling cymbal." I come to the first head.

First, What is Judgment? Why, in the first place, it fignifies the righteous fentence of the Law executed on the Saviour, who ftood as man's Surety; by which Justice got Satisfaction, and the Law got judgment done. "He was taken from prifon,

"and

"and from judgment." This was done, that a throne of grace might be erected, without any injury to Law or Juftice. Justice and Judgment are the babitation of his throne; Mercy and Truth shall go before bis face.

Secondly, Judgment fometimes fignifies God's arraigning an elect finner at the bar of the Law, and appearing (according to the finner's views) in a judicial way against him: "He is convinced of all, "he is judged of all; and thus are the thoughts of "his heart made manifeft; and fo falling down on "his face, he will report that God is in you of a

truth." Which trial ends in a fatherly chaftifement, and in the juftification of the foul: "But when

we are judged, we are chaftened of the Lord, that "we should not be condemned with the world."

Thirdly, It fignifies the Law of Faith, or the Gospel; which, to the believer, is the Saviour's judgment of him, of every body's state, and of every thing in doubt about his ftate-which the elect finner receives, in which he believes, to which he yields his obedience, by which he is ruled, by which he lives, by which he walks and worships, and by which he rules all his actions. "Hearken "unto me, my people, and give ear to me, O my "nation; for a Law fhall proceed from me, and I "will make my judgment to reft for a light of the people." Ifa. li. 4.

Fourthly,

Fourthly, It fignifies the inward and righteous fentence of a perfon who knows the Scriptures, and the power of God; who JUDGES not according to appearance, but judges righteous JUDGMENT. For the want of which the Saviour rebuked the Jews: "Nor "even of your own felves judge ye not what is right?"

Fifthly, It fignifies the knowledge that a faint has of God, of his word and ways, and of his own worfhip, faith and practice; for the want of which the ignorant are complained of: " There is no JUDG"MENT in their goings."

Sixthly, It fignifies fhewing the fentence of Scripture, between any of God's children who may have a doctrine, a practice, or a wrong, in difpute.. "What,

is it fo, that there is not one wife man among you, "that is able to judge between his brother? but "brother goeth to law with brother, and that before "the unbelievers?"

Seventhly, It fignifies the judicious proceedings of a juft Judge, who has his eye to God and to justice, and accepts no man's perfon in judgment. For the want of which integrity God complains: "How "long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the per"fons of the wicked? Ye fhall be destroyed, every "one of you." Hence wrong JUDGMENT proceedeth. By this firft weighty matter of the Law, the Saviour fhews, in a fpiritual fenfe, that when the finner's mouth is ftopped, himself brought in guilty before God by the Law, and he is juftified by faith