or the righteousness of one formerly a sinner, a lapsed perishing wretch, who is by it restored into such a state towards God, as he was in before that lapse (in respect of certain great essentials, though as yet his state be not so perfectly good, while he is in his tendency and motion; and shall, by certain additionals, be unspeakably better, when he hath attained the end and rest he is tending to.)

That a reasonable creature, yet untainted with sin, could not but have a temper of mind suitable to such apprehensions as these, viz. That as it was not the author of being to itself, so it ought not principally to study the pleasing and serving of itself, but him who gave it being; that it can no more continue and perfect itself unto blessedness, than it could create itself; and can therefore have no expectation hereof, but from the same author of its being; and hence, that it must respect and eye the great God, its Creator and Maker, as-the sovereign authority whom it was to fear and obey, and-the sovereign good whom it was to love and enjoy, But because it can perform no duty to him, without knowing what he will have it to do; nor have any particular expectation of favours from him, without knowing what he will please to bestow; and is therefore obliged to attend to the revelations of his will concerning both these; it is therefore necessary, that he eye him under a notion introductive and subservient to all the opperations that are to be exerted towards him, under the two former notions; i. e. as the eternal neverfailing truth, safely to be depended on, as intending nothing of deceit in any the revelations, whether of his righteous will, concerning matter of duty to be done; or of his good will, concerning matter of benefit to be expected and enjoyed: That man did apostatize and revolt from God, as considered under these several notions; and returns to him, when a holy rectitude is recovered, and he again becomes righteous, considered under the same: That it was not agreeable to God's wisdom, truth, and legal justice, to treat with man a sinner in order to his recovery, but through a mediator; and that therefore he was pleased in wonderful mercy to constitute and appoint his own Son Jesus Christ, God-man, unto that office and undertaking; that through him, man might return and be reconciled to himself, whom he causelessly forsook; designing that he shall now become so affected towards himself, through the Mediator; and firstly therefore towards the Mediator's own

person, as he was before, and ought to have been towards himself immediately.

Therefore, whereas God was considerable in relation to man, both in his innocency and apostacy, under that forementioned twofold notion of the supreme authority and goodness; he hath also set up and exalted our Lord Jesus Christ, and represented him to sinners under an answerable twofold notion of a Prince and a Saviour; i. e. a mediating Prince and Saviour; to give repentance first, to bow and stoop the hearts of sinners, and reduce them to a subject posture again; and then by remission of sins to restore them to favour, and save them from the wrath to come. Him hath the father clothed with his own authority, and filled with his grace; requiring sinners to submit themselves to his ruling power, and commit themselves to his saving mercy; now both lodged in this his Son: to pay him immediately all homage and obedience, and through him ultimately to himself; from him immediately to expect salvation and blessedness, and through him ultimately, from himself. That whereas the spirits of men are not to be wrought to this temper, but by the intervention of a discovery and revelation of the Divine will to this purpose; our Lord Jesus Christ is further appointed by the Father to reveal all this his counsel to sinners, and is eminently spoken of in Scripture upon this account, under the notion of the truth; in which capacity he more effectually recommends to sinners both his authority and his grace. So that his threefold (so much celebrated) office of King, Priest, and Prophet, (the distinct parts of his general office as mediator,) which he manages in order to the reducement of lost sinners, exactly correspond (if you consider the more eminent acts and properties of each office) to that threefold notion under which the spirit of man must always have eyed and been acted towards God, had he never fallen : and hence this righteousness, which consists in conformity to the gospel, is the former righteousness, which was lost; with such an accession as is necessary, upon consideration that it was lost, and was only to be recovered by a mediator.

Therefore you may now take this short and as compendious an account as I can give of it, in what follows. It includes so firm and understanding an assent to the truth of the whole gospel revelation, as that the soul is thereby brought, through the power of the Holy Ghost, sensibly to apprehend its former disobedience to God, and distance

from him, the reasonableness of subjection to him, and desirableness of blessedness in him; the necessity of a Redeemer to reconcile and recover it to God; the accomplishments and designation of the Lord Jesus Christ to that purpose and hence, a penitent and complacential return to God, as the supreme authority and sovereign good, an humble and joyful acceptance of our Lord Jesus Christ, as its Prince and Saviour, with submission to his authority, and reliance on his grace; (the exercise of both which are founded in his blood;) looking and pitching upon him, as the only medium, through which he and his duties can please God, or God and his mercies approach him; and through which he hath the confidence to venture upon a covenant acceptance of God, and surrender of himself to him, afterward pursued to his uttermost, by a continued course of living in his fear and love, in obedience to him, and communion with him through the Mediator; always, while he is passing the time of his pilgrimage in this world, groaning under remaining sin, and pressing after perfect holiness; with an earnest expectation (animating him to a persevering patience through all difficulties) of a blessed eternity in the other world. That such a conformity to the gospel should be expressed by the name of righteousness, cannot seem strange to such as acquaint themselves with the language of the Scripture. That gracious frame which the gospel (made effectual) impresses upon the soul, is the kingdom of God, in the passive notion of it, his kingdom received, and now actually come with power upon our spirits. And this kingdom (sometimes also by an apt synecdoche called judgment in the same notion) is said to consist in righteousness; whence then result also,1 peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The same holy impressions and consequent operations are mentioned by the apostle under the name of a fruits of righteousness, wherewith he prays his Philippians might be filled. It was Elymas's opposition to the gospel, that stigmatized him with that brand, "Thou enemy of all righteousness." To yield ourselves servants to righteousness, in opposition to a former servitude to sin, isb obeying from the heart the doctrine of the gospel, into the type or mould whereof we have been cast or delivered. And sure, both the seal and the impression, God's revelation and holiness, (however now more explicit and distinctly conspicuous in all their parts,) are the same,

z Rom. xiv. 17.

a Phil. i. 11.

b Rom. vi. 17.

with us substantially, and in David's time; whence we need make no difficulty to own this latter, when we meet with it, as here, under the same name. By what hath hitherto been said, it may be already seen in part, how exactly this righteousness corresponds to the blessedness for which it qualifies; whereof we shall have occasion hereafter to take further notice. In the meantime, it will be requisite to show, which was promised to be done in the next place.

How it qualifies. To which I say (very briefly) that it qualifies for this blessedness two ways:

1. Legally, or in genere Morali, as it describes the persons, who by the gospel-grant have, alone, title thereunto. The righteous into life eternal.-The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Say to the righteous it shall be well with them. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him.-In his righteousness he shall live. In which last words, how this righteousness conduceth to life, is expressed by the same preposition as in the text. In this kind it is not at all casual of this blessedness, but 'tis that which the free, and wise, and holy Law-giver thought meet, by his settled constitution, (besides what necessity there is of it, upon another account,) to make requisite thereto. The conformity of our Lord Jesus Christ to that severer law, under which he is said to have been made, is that which alone causes, merits, purchases, this blessedness; which yet is to be enjoyed, not by all indiscriminatim, or without distinction, but by such alone, as come up to the terms of the gospel; as he did fully satisfy the strict exactions of that other rigid law, by doing and suffering for their sakes.

2. Naturally, or in genere Physico. In this kind it may be said to be some way casual, that is, to be a causa materialis dispositiva, by a proper positive influence, disposing the subject unto this blessedness; which that it shall, yet, enjoy, is wholly to be resolved into the Divine good pleasure; but it is put by this holy rectitude in that temper and posture that it may enjoy it, through the Lord's gracious vouchsafement; when without it, 'twere naturally impossible that any should. An unrighteous impure soul, is in a natural indisposition to see God, or be blessed in him. That depraved temper averts it from him; the steady bent of its will is set another way, and 'tis a contradiction that

c Matt. xxv. 1 Cor. vi. Isa. iii. Ezek. xviii.

any (in sensu composito) should be happy against their wills, i. e. while that aversion of will yet remains. The unrighteous banish themselves from God, they shun and hate his presence. Light and darkness cannot have communion. The sun doth but shine, continue to be itself, and the darkness vanishes, and is fled away. When God hath so determined, that only the pure in heart shall see him; that without holiness none shall; he lays no other law upon unholy souls, than what their own impure nature lay upon themselves. If therefore it should be inquired, Why may not the unrighteous be subjects of this blessedness, see God, and be satisfied with his likeness, as well as the righteous? the question must be so answered, as if it were inquired, Why doth the wood admit the fire to pass upon it, suffer its flames to insinuate themselves till they have introduced its proper form, and turned it into their own likeness; but we see water doth not so, but violently resists its first approaches, and declines all commerce with it? The natures of these agree not. And is not the contrariety here as great? We haye then the qualified subject of this blessedness, and are next to consider this blessedness itself.

CHAPTER III.

The nature of this blessedness, propounded unto consideration, in the three ingredients (here mentioned) whereof it consists. 1. Vision of God's face. 2. Assimilation to him. 3. The satisfaction resulting thence. These propounded to be considered, 1. Absolutely and singly each by itself. 2. Relatively, in their mutual respects to each other. The first of these, Vision of God's face, discoursed of. 1. The object. 2. The act.

Now for the nature of this blessedness, or the inquiry wherein it lies, so far as the text gives us any account of it, we are invited to turn our thoughts and discourse to it. And we have it here represented to us in all the particulars that can be supposed to have any nearer interest in the business of blessedness, or to be more intimate and intrinsical thereunto. For (the beatific object supposed) what more can be necessary to actual, complete, formal blessedness, than the sight of it, an adaptation or assimilation to it, (which is nothing else but its being actually communicated and imparted to the soul, its being united and made