f employment, but the fpirit led him into the field to a duel with Satan for fourty days together, where this Breft-plate of proofe was a fufficient wall about his vital parts, and did preferve him against Satans fury and force. And we that are his fouldiers, who must ambulare ficut ille, walk as he,we are taught by the Apoft le,both to get and put on this righteoufne fe as a Breft plate. The benefits that this righteoufne ffe doth bring with it, are many. 1. It is a proofe against temptations; for howsoever our af1. Benefit. fections do receive fome titillations from the outward fenfes to affect them with evil, our understanding like Gofben will always fee the Sunne, although the reft of our Ægypt be benighted. Howfoever our Will may be corrupted for a time, our conscience will continue zealous of good works. 2.Benefit. In our minds we fhall ferve the law of God, and this will keep our heads always above water, that though we be put to it to ftrive and labour hard for life in the deep waters, both of temptations and afflictions, yet through many dangers and painful fruglings, we fhall at length recover the fhore. The diftreft confcience troubled with the terrour of fin, though it cannot escape Satans fifting, and buffeting,and wounding, yet can it not fall into final defpair, because this righteouf neffe cannot be loft. 2. This maketh our calling and election fure; for if we be truly regenerate, we shall be faved certainly; and this righteousnefle is a full affurance of our regeneration as the Apostle faith, ( Bloh. 2.29 Te know that every one which doth righteoufneffe is born of hims So that righteoufneffe is the earneft of our falvation, it is fa las in femine, falvation in the feed here; it is falus in Meffe, in the harveft,hereafter;for St. James faith, Iam.3.18. The fruit of righteoufneffe is fown in peace. For where righteoufneffe is once rooted, there is peace and affurance both of grace and glory. 3.This righteoufaeffe doth honour God in this world; for 3.Benefit. when men live in the confcience of their ways and in the holy fear of God, abftaining from evil all they can,doing all the good they can, rather fuffering and forgiving then doing and revenging injuries, ftriving to bear themselves uprightly before God and men, our Saviour faith, Others feeing their good works will glorifie their father that is in heaven. 4. This righteousneffe is the only witneffe of our fincerity in the love and fervice of our God; for let no unrighteous man fay he loveth God or ferveth God;the proud, the covetous, the wanton, the breaker of the Sabbath,the drunkard, let thèm come to Church, & hear and receive the Sacrament now and then,let them not deceive themselves; without this righteousnes no man shall please God. Neither fhall the Church efteem fuch as members of the body of Chrift; for we are taught, that no adulterers, fornicators, covetous perfons, &c. fhall inherit the Kingdome of heaven. 4. Benefit. But fanctifie the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reafon of the bope 1Pet.3.15 that is in you with meekneffe andfear. Having a good confcience, that whereas they speak evill of you as of evil doers, they may be ashamed that fally accuse your good ConvCation in Chrift. Let mennt for fame and reputation in the way or NO DE and high place, in a way of great dependance, or of riches: if they be ungodly and want this righteoufneffe, they want the falt that fhould pickle them keep; the just shall be in everlafting remembrance, their candle doth not go out by night:their name thall be like to precious unguent: But let the ungodly do what they can, the name of the wicked shall rot. Verf. 16. 5.This righteousnes upon a death-bed wil comfort, when nei- 5.Benefit. ther meatnor medicine will down with us; for there follows after righteousnesse a gracious traine, a comfortable sequence. The Kingdome of God is righteousnesse and Peace, and joy in the Rom. 14. Holy Ghoft. 37. Mark the upright man, and observe the just, for the end of that PS37·37• man is Peace. What a joy of heart was it to Hezekiah? he did notfay, I have reigned a King over thine inheritance fo many years: I have gotten fo much riches and treafure, I have fubdued fo many enemies, but, Remember Lord I beseech thee now how I have walked 11. 38. 3. before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, &c. CC 2 Thus Thus having learnt what this righteoufneffe is, and having furveyed the benefits that attend it, let us take a few neceffary cau tions to order and regulate both our judgement and our life, 1 Caution. 1. Let us not take that for righteoufneffe which is no fuch matter; for all that gliftereth is not gold; Satan hath good skill in varnishing, and guilding, and painting, to make things that are not feem as though they were. I do not think but the Pharifees thought themfelves just men, and that opinion was held of them abroad; and that Christ seemed a frange Preacher, that told the People, Except your righteoufneffe exceed the righteoufneffe of the Scribes and Pharifees &c. for Saint Paul doth call their fect ancıßisa. AЯa 26.5 την αίρεσιν We muft exceed that,or elfe no falvation; yet if that righteoui neffe which confifted in great chaltilement of the flesh, in great aufterity of life, in fo many real acts of devotion, would not ferve: Beloved, that cheap, and foft, and tender Religion, that eats and drinks of the beft, and wears foft garments, and lically: caring much, and knowing fomething, and talking of good things, and an outw. formal reprefentation of goodneffe, will never paffe for righteoufneffe before God. This doth not come near the righteoufneffe of the Scribes and Pharilees. Their Doctors were never out of Moses chair, they were faith. ful and painful in teaching the law. Alas,many of our labourers loyter. Their auditors were frequent and attentive; when they knew of the fitting of their Rabbies, they would tell one another, and call one another to it, as ferom faith, faying, (νι σόφοι δευτερῶσι The Wife repeat ; And they would haften thither. They compaffe fea and land to make Profelytes to their fect; We by our evill Conversation lose many from our Congre gations. It is the complaint of them of the feparation, that our evill life is one great caufe of their forfaking of us; and though that do not excuse them, yet it doth accuse us, and we cannot plead not guilty to that enditement. They They gave God a quarter of their life in prayer.Let every mans own confcience Ipeak within him how farre he out-goeth them in this. They read, they ftudied, they repeated, they carried about them alwayes fome part of the Law, and were expert în the understanding of it. And do not Pamphlets of newes, vaine Poems, and fuch like froth of human brains devour much of the time the holy Bible fhould have bestowed upon it. Beloved, the righteoufneffe that fhould be in us to fill us with true love of God and our neighboar,is wanting in moft; it is im. perfect in the beft, in too many it is but feeming. In Religion zeale is gone; fome falfe fires there are yet in the Church, that boaft themselves to be zeal, and are good for nothing but to finde faults and pick quarrels; true devotion which had ufe to fhew it felf in all outward holineffe and reverence,is fo retired, that many are more homely at Church in prefence of God and the holy congregation, then they dare to be in the private houses of many that are here present. Qui heads are grown fo tender, that even boyes must be covered at Church; In prayer our knees are too ftiffe to bend; we grow droufie in hearing; the very face of Religion hath loft the complexion that it had, when knowledge was yet but coming out, as if we would revive that Romish fancy, that ignorance is the mother of devotion. In civil converfation how is righteousneffe turned into a cry? the words once paft,of our forefathers, though ignorant,were fafter tyes then bonds, recognizances, ftatutes, oaths now are: It was once the imputation of one Nation, as Tully chargeth the Greeks, Da mihi manuum teftimonium;It was once Romes (hame, omnia Roma venalia; Templa facerdotes altaria. It was once the Grecians infamy, Κρῆτες καὶ ψεῦσαι, κανα θηρία, γαςέρες αργά. There have been many National fins which one Country hath upbraided another withal. But how is it that fince the light of the Gospel in our Land, we have made prize of the fins of all Nations, and made them free Denisons amongst us. Schifme in the Church, corruption of justice, bribes, gluttony, drunkenneffe, contention, pride, out Jandish Titustaz appeare landish manners, oppreffion, that Tyrus and Sidon will quanta te Therfore try your wayes, and make your paths even and strait, before he come qui juftitias judicabit. If your righteoufneffe be not right, the light that in them is darkneffe, and then nebra? how great is that darknesse ? Caution. z. 2. When you have examined your righteousnesse, and finde it to be a fincere reddition of due to God and man, take heed that you truft not in it. Gen, 30. 33. Caution.3. When Jacob came to a new Covenant with Laban for wages, he faid to him, do this, So fhall my righteousnesse answer for me in time to come, for my hire before thy face.. Our upright dealing with men may juftifie us to the face of man;but our righteoufneffe in the court of heaven is a poor plea; let no man reteine it for an Advocate to answer there for him,it will be speechleffe in that prefence. So much of it as is ours is foul, and immerent, deferving no fayour at the hand of God. We have two things to do. 1. A debt to pay to God. 2. A Kingdom to be purchased in heaven, We are broken for the debt, our righteouineffe cometh nothing near the clearing of the debt; and can we hope of doing any thing toward the purchase? Nature it felf cannot wish them more unhappy then they are, that truft in their own righteoufneffe; for the reed they lean up. on will firft wound them, and then break under them. 3. Yet let it go for a caution too, do not fo under value thy righteousneffe, as to think there is neither need nor ufe of it, because it meriteth nothing at the hands of God; for God is graci ous to accept from us that which deferveth no fuch good liking from him. Thus he accepted the humiliation of Abub, and he rewarded it; thus he accepted the repentance of Niniveh; and the chiefe upon the crosse that confested Christ, and shortly after died, re |
