righteous dealings in the world, you will fee how the world is carryed on in unjuftice, and unrighteousneffe that prevailes in the world, but in the meane time this will goe neere to your hearts, it will be a paine and griefe to your foules to fee the unrighteou carriages of things in the world, and you will long for the time wherein righteouneffe may prevaile in the world and rule among men; well blefled are you, doe not you meddle with their unrighteous dealings,but when you fee it among others, let your longing defires be for the time wherein righteoufneffe ihall prevaile in the world,and blessed are you that do thus hunger and thirst, this I verily doe beleeve is a fpeciall thing that Chrift intends in the pronouncing of this blettednes, and therefore I muft not pafle over this fo lightly as many doe in handling of this bleffednefle. I confeffe the other righteousneffe, the most of your latter men that especially fpeake of this ina preaching way, they looke to that that they thinke tobe molt fpirituall, as thus, that hunger and thirft after the righteoufneife of Jefus Chrift, Bleffed are they that have earnest, ftrong and unfatisfying defires after the righteoufneffe of Chrift, that they may be cloathed with the righteoufneffe of Jefus Chrift; and ftand righteous before God, through the righteoufnelle of his Son, Bleffed are they.

And then, Bleed are they that doe hunger and thirst after the power of righteoufneffe in their owne hearts, to be delivered from the power of fin, and to have further degrees of fanctification in their hearts, this is ordinarily, and I fuppofe in most of your thoughts that have minded this Scripture, you have rather looked upon this righteoufneffe to be meant the righteoufneffe of juftification by Jefus Chrift, and the righte oufneffe of fanctification by the work of the Spirit in the heart, and thefe two are very Godly Interpretations, very fpiritual, and we must not exclude them, but fhall fpeake likewife to either of thefe two': But for this exercife I fhall speak only of the fifft.

That hunger and thirft after righteoufneffe, after righteous dealing: :And though the other are more excellent in themselves, yet I doubt much whither Chrift had not this in his

thoughts,

thoughts, even firft, speaking to his Difciples that were like to be in a poore and meane condition, therefore he begins with thofe that are poore in fpirit, we Interpreted the meaning of that, and fo now you are like to meet with much unrighteous dealings, but blessed are you that are content to fubmit to fuch a condition that you are like to meet withall, and yet fend up your defires to heaven from God to cleer your righteousness, as if Chrift should fay, the world will accufe you and revile you for being troublesome, factious and turbulent among them, but bleffed are you, can you appeal to God for your righteoutneffe, and defire, Lord while the world doth thus revile us, and account us to be hypocrites, to make a fhew of Religion, and yet to have no truth in us, Lord do thou judge our righte ons caufe, Lord we appeale to thee, why faith Chrift,Bleffed are you while you do thus, Ile look upon you, and have an eyeto you, when others fhall fay that you are falfe, and that you falfifie your trust that is committed to you, you can appeale to God and defire him to come and judge your righteous cause, Lord let righteousneffe appeare, let it appear that under thefe accufations that I have behav'd my felfe righteously, bleffed are you, be not now troubled:-And fo when the world accufes you of making a trouble in the world, you can appeale to God and fay Lord thou knoweft that there is nothing that I de fire more then peace, and fo far as I can fee it to be thy mind I can yeeld in any thing, and therefore Lord appeare and manifeft my righteoufneffe before the world; Bleffed are you faith Chrift, be not overmuch troubled that you are thus acc fed: you hunger and thirft for the time when the Lord fhall make your righteoufneffe appear:- And fo if the world fhall accufe you of felfe-feeking, that in all things that you doe you doe but aime at your felves in all, why you can appeale to God of the righteoufneffe of your hearts in these things, and you thirst after the time when God will come to discover the fecrets of all mens hearts, Lord thou haft a time for to manifeft the fecrets of hearts, and then it thall appeare whether I fought my felfe or thy glory:Bleffed are you if you can do fo,and hunger after the manifeftation of Gods righteoufnelle in this:

I

If they shall accufe you for partiallity, or wronging others, it may be fuch accufations are upon you, why ftill you hunger after the time for God to cleare up righteouineffe, There is nothing more ordinary in the world, then for the wicked of the world to caft afperiions upon the Sains of God for fome evill or other to darken them in their holy profefion,but if they bear what this caft upon them patien ly, and long for the time that the righteous God will appeare to manifest their righteoufneffe, Blefjed are you when you thus hunger and thirst even after this righteoufneje.

Bleffed are you, for

Firft, You have the teftimony of your owne confciences when men doe accufe you.

Secondly, You have the teftimony of God, God witneffes for you.

Thirdly, Bleffed are you, for God is working for you all this while, while you lye under thefe acculations.

And you thall be fatished one day, you fhall be cleered, God will cleere your righteoufneffe, and he will make it break forth as the noon day. Now you are befpattered, as if Chrift hould lay you are all to be meered with accufations from EVI men, but you shall be cloathed with white linnen, in the 19. Rev: 8. ver: And to her (that is, to the Church) was granted, that the should be arrayed in fine linnen,cleane and white,for the fine linnen is the righteoufneffe of Saints, white linnen, it's true, it is the righteoufnetfe of Chrift, but it may have reference to this righteouineffe that I am fpeaking of: as if fo be that a Matronly woman being in the ftreete, fhould have mad people caft dirt upon her,when the comes home the hath clean linnen to put upon her, fo though the Saints here are befpatter'd with dirt to make their names to be odious in the world, yet Jetus Chrift hath ne linnen tout upon them, and they shall appear righteous before the Saints and Angels, before all the world another day, and fo in the 13 Matth: 4. 3. 2er there's a promite, That the righteous fhall one day shine for has the Sun, in the Kingdome of their Father. It's true they hall hine forth. then in a great deale of glory put upon them, but this glory of

their righteoufneffe fhall be as the fhining of the fun, befides the other glory of their great reward in the Kingdome of their{ – Father: Now they are in the kingdome of the world, and they are where the kingdome of darkneffe doth prevaile, but when they come to the Kingdome of their Father they shall thine, forth as the fun; It's meant of all righteounefle, either that perfect righteoufneffe of Chrift that they shall be cloathed withall,or the perfection of Sanctification,or this righteousness whereby they shall be cleer'd from all afperfions that are caft upon them: Bleffed are they for they fhall be cleer'd.

J

Yea bleffed are they for they fhall be fill'd, you shall be recompenced for all thofe accufations that are unrighteously caft upon you now, you fhall be rewarded fo much the more, it will encrease your glory, therefore bleffed; Look upon your felves as bleffed creatures when you are accounted thus unrighteous, for you shall be honoured fo much the more, therefore we have that notable Scripture in 1 Pet. 4. 14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory and of God refteth upon you. God will certainly recompence you for all that you thall fuffer this way.

But further, Thofe that hunger and thirst after righteousness, not only that God would clear their righteoufneffe (that's one kind of righteoufnefle that they hunger and thirft after) But that there might be righteoufneffe among men in generall, that righteoufneffe might prevaile in the world; Bleffed are they that have their hearts pained when they fee the unrighte oufnelfe that is abroad in the world; I fay, fuch as find their hearts pained at the fight of that unrighteoufneffe that is in the world, and fo they do long after righteoufneffe, and cry out to God that he would appeare and fet up righteoufneffe to rule in the world; Such as are griev'd in their hearts to fee the unrighteous dealings among the children of men; This is that that Chrift aimes at, faith he indeed you will fee a great deale of unrighteoufneffe, but you that are my Difciples, it will trouble your hearts, and you will long for that time when righreoufneffe fhall prevaile, Bleffed are you... G g

For

For First, The people of God cannot but be pained in their hearts when they fee unrighteous dealings in the world, as much pain'd as a man is that wants bread, it more troubles them then all their perfecutions, then all their afflictions, and there is nothing in the world that they long for more then the coming of Jefus Chrift to this end,not only that they themfelvs may be faved, but that then righteou netle may prevaile.

For First, When the Saints fee unrighteous dealings in the world, by that they fee the honour of God is much eclipsed; why they think thus with them elves, is not God a righteous God, & then what a difhonour is this to fuch a righteous God, that there should be fo much unrighteoufneffe in the world as there is.

Secondly, This unrighteoufneffe that they fee among men is very unfutable to their fpirits, for the Lord hath pur righteoufnelle into their hearts; In fome measure their hearts are for righteoufneffe, now when they fee men in publick place, er men that make profeffion of Religion to carry things unrighteously, this paines them, 'tis that that is unfurable, to that gracious frame that God hath put into their

hearts.

Thirdly, By this unrighteousnefe of men, they fee how the godly fuffer, how precious fervants of God are troden under foot,and bow wicked and ungodly men they thine and profper, and they are made of, now this cannot but grieve their hearts to fee fuch a disorder, ye

Fourthly, By the unrighteoufneffe that they fee in the world, there are many temptations to a great deale of evill, ye fomeimes temptations that doe in fome degree prevaile with fuch as are truly godly, as they did with David, with his righteous foul, in the 73 Pfalm, when he faw the wicked profper, and bow the godly were afflicted, David began to faile, and his foote began to flide; When fuch as are godly fee that men that carry things unrighteously, and yet have their defignes, and proffer, and that others that are truly godly, that walk according to rule, they many times fuifer much, this is a great temptation even to thofe that are godly; now. they long for

the