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Yea, curft the heav'nly angel down to hell,
That daring would another gofpel teli *.

Which crime is charg'd on thefe that dare difpenfe
The felf-fame gospel in another fenfe.

Chrift is not preach'd in truth, but in difguife,
If his bright glory half abfconded lies.
When gofpel-foldiers, that divide the word,
Scarce brandifh any but the legal fword.
While Chrift the author of the law they prefs,
More than the end of it for righteoufnefs;
Chrift as a feeker of our fervice trace,
More than a giver of enabling grace.
The king commanding holinels they fhow,
More than the Prince exalted to bestow;
Yea, more on Chrift the fin revenger dwell,
Than Chrift Redeemer both from fin and hell.

With legal fpade the gofpel-field he delves,
Who thus drives finners in unto themselves;
Halving the truth that fhould be all reveal'd,
The sweetest part of Chrift is oft conceal'd.
We bid men turn from fin, but seldom say,
"Behold the Lamb that takes all fin away!"
Christ, by the gospel rightly understood,
Not only treats a peace but makes it good.
Thofe fuitors therefore of the bride, who hope
By force to drag her with the legal rope,
Nor ufe the drawing cord of conqu'ring grace,
Purfue with flaming zeal a fruitlefs chafe;
In vain lame doings urge, with folemn awe,
To bribe the fury of the fiery law:

With equal fuccefs to the fool that aims
By paper walls to bound devouring flames.
The law's but mock'd by their most graceful deed,
That wed not firft the law-fulfilling Head;
It values neither how they wrought nor wept,
That flight the ark wherein alone 'tis kept.
Yet legalifts, DO, DO, with ardour prefs,
And with prepoft'rous zeal and warm addrefs,
Would feem the greateft friends to holiness:

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But vainly (could fuch oppofites accord)
Refpect the law, and yet reject the Lord.
They fhew not Jefus as the way to blifs,
But Judas-like betray him with a kiss
Of boafted works, or mere profeffion puft,
Law-boafters proving but law-breakers oft.

SECT. III.

The Hurtfulness of not preaching Chrift, and diftinguishing duly between law and gospel.

ELL cares not how crude holinefs be preach'd, .

HE

If finner's match with Chrift be never reach'd; Knowing their holinefs is but a fham,

Who ne'er are marry'd to the holy Lamb.
Let words have never fuch a pious fhew,
And blaze aloft in rude profeffors view,
With facred aromatics richly fpic'd,
If they but drown in filence glorious Christ;
Or, if he may fome vacant room fupply,
Make him a fubje&t only by the bye;
They mar true holiness with tickling chat,
To breed a baftard Pharifaic brat.
They wofully the gospel-meffage broke,
Make fearful havock of their Mafter's flock;
Yet please themselves and the blind multitude,"
By whom the gofpel's little understood.
Rude fouls, perhaps, imagine little odds
Between the legal and the gofpel roads :
But vainly men attempt to blend the two;
They differ more than Chrift and Mofes do.
Mofes, evangelizing in a fhade,
By types the news of light approaching fpread;
But from the law of works, by him proclaim'd,
No ray of gofpel-grace or mercy gleam'd.
By nature's light the law to all is known,
But lightfome news of gofpel-grace to none.
The doing cov'nant now, in part or whole,
Is ftrong to damn, but weak to fave a foul.
It hurts, and cannot help, but as it tends
Thro' mercy to fubferve fome gofpel-ends.

1

Law-thunder roughly to the gofpel tames,
The gospel mildly to the law reclaims.
The fiery law, as 'tis a covenant,

Schools men to fee the gofpel-aid they want;
Then gofpel-aid does fweetly them incline.
Back to the law, as 'tis a rule divine.

Heav'n's healing work is oft commenc'd with wounds,
Terror begins what loving-kindness crowns.
Preachers may therefore prefs the fiery law,
To ftrike the Chriftlefs men with dreadful awe.
Law-threats which for his fins to hell deprefs.
Yea, damn him for his rotten righteoufnefs;
That while he views the law exceeding broad,
He fain may wed the righteoufness of God.

But, ah! to prefs law-works as terms of life.
Was ne'er the way to court the Lamb a wife.
To urge conditions in the legal frame,
Is to renew the vain old cov'nant game.
The law is good, when lawfully 'tis us'd*,
But most deftructive, when it is abus'd.
They fet not duties in the proper sphere,
Who duly law and gofpel don't severe ;
But under mally chains let finners lie,
As tributaries, or to DO or DIE.
Nor make the law a fquaring rule of life,
But in the gospel-throat a bloody knife.

SECT. IV.

Damnable Pride and Self-righteousness, so natural to all men, bas little need to be encouraged by legal preaching.

'HE legal path proud nature loves fo well,

THE

(Tho' yet 'tis but the cleaneft road to hell)
That, lo! e'en thefe that take the fouleft ways,
Whofe lewdnefs no controuling bridle ftays;
If but their drowly confcience raise its voice,
'Twill speak the law of works their native choice,
And echo to the roufing found, "Ah! true:
"I cannot hope to live, unlefs I DO."

* 1 Tim. i. 2.

No confcious breaft of mortal kind can trace
The myfl'ry deep of being fav'd by grace.
Of this nor is the nat'ral confcience fkill'd;
Nor will admit it, when it is reveal'd;
But pushe's at the golpel like a ram,
As proxy for the law, against the Lamb.
The proud felf-righteous Pharifaic train
Is, "Bleft be God I'm not like other men;
"I read and pray, give alms, I mourn and faft *;
"And therefore hope to get to heav'n at laft:
"For tho' from ev'ry in I be not free,

"Great multitudes of men are worfe than me.
"I'm none of thofe that fwear, cheat, drink and whore!"
Thus on the law he builds his Babel tow'r.

Yea, ev'n the vileft curfed debauchee Will make the law of works his very plea; "Why, fays the rake, what take you me to be? “A Turk or infidel (you lie) I can't

"Be term'd fo bafe, but by a fycophant;

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Only I hate to act the whining faint.

I am a Chriftian true; and therefore bode, "It shall be well with me, I hope in God. "An't I an honeft man? Yea, I defy "The tongue that dare affert black to mine eye." Perhaps, when the reprover turns his back, He'll vend the viler wares o' 's op'ned pack, And with his fellows, in a ftrain more big, "Bid damn the bafe, uncharitable whig.

Thefe fcoundrel hypocrites (he'll proudly fay) "Think none fhall ever merit heav'n but they. "And yet we may compete with them; for fee, The beft have blemishes as well as we.

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"We have as good a heart (we trufl) as thefe,
“Tho' not their vain fuperfluous fhew and blaze.

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Bigotted zealots, whofe full crimes are bid, "Would damn us all to hell; but, God forbid. "Whatever fuch a whining fect profels, "Tis but a nice, morofe, affected drefs.

And tho' we don't profefs fo much as they, "We hope to compals heav'n a fhorter way;

* Luke xviii. II, 12.

"We feek God's mercy, and are all along
"Molt free of malice, and do no man wrong.
"But whims fantastic fha'n't our heads annoy,
"That would our focial liberties deflroy.

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Sure, right religion never was defign'd

"To mar the native mirth of human kind.

How weak are thofe that would be thought nonfuch!
How mad, that would be righteous o'ermuch!
"We have fufficient, though we be not cram'd:
"We'll therefore hope the beft, let them be damn’d.”
Ah! horrid talk! yet fo the legal ftrain
Lards ev'n the language of the most profane.
Thus devilish pride o'erlooks a thoufand faults,
And on a leghl ground itself exalts.

This DO and LIVE, tho' doing pow'r be loft,
In ev'ry mortal is proud nature's boat.
How does a vain conceit of goodness fwell
And feed falfe hope, amidst the fhades of hell?
Shall we, who fhould by gofpel-methods draw,
Send finners to their nat'ral fpoufe the law;
And harp upon the doing firing to fuch,
Who ignorantly dream they do fo much?
Why, thus, iuftead of courting Chrift a bride,
We harden rebels in their native pride.

Much rather ought we in God's name to place
His great artill'ry flraight against their face;
And throw hot Sinai thunderbolts around,

To burn their tow'ring hopes down to the ground.
To make the pillars of their pride to thake,
And damn their doing to the burning lake.
To curfe the doers unto endless thrall,
That never did continue to do all *.

To fcorch their confcience with the flaming air,
And fink their haughty thoughts in deep despair;
Denouncing Ebal's black revenging doom,
To blaft their expectation in the bloom;
'Till once vain hope of life by works give place
Unto a folid hope of life by grace.

The vig'rous ufe of means is fafely urg'd,
When preffing calls from legal dregs are purg'd;

* Gal. iii. 10.

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