sign ourselves to the will of God; which hath no other design, upon us, but to do us good, to raise and advance our degenerate natures, and conduct us through the kingdom of grace into the kingdom of glory. DISCOURSE VIII. UPON ། 1 JOHN III. 7. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. sense. THESE words are a short and plain resolution of that grand case, viz. how a man may know whether he be in a state of grace and favour with God; or, which is all one, whether he be a good man and a good Christian. The Gnosticks, against whom St. John particularly directs this Epistle, placed all righteousness and goodness in certain pretended illuminations, which had nothing in them but certain swelling words of vanity, and, like gilded bubbles, were blown up with wind, and filled with mystical nonAnd though in their lives and manners they were a reproach and scandal, not only to religion, but even to human nature; yet merely on the account of these their own wild dreams, they vaunted themselves to be the only elect and favourites of God; and imagined themselves advanced to that degree of perfection, as that they were above all law, and freely dispensed with under the broad seal of heaven to live as they listed, and to wallow in riot and voluptuousness. Against these wild men the apostle here seems to forewarn his little children: Suffer not these vile deceivers to impose upon your faith this their damnable error, viz. that by receiving their highflown mysteries and pretended revelations you shall, without any more ado, be constituted per Ꭰ Ꮞ fect and righteous men in the sight of God: for from God himself I do assure you, that he, and he only, that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous, i. e. as Christ is righteous, of whom I just before discoursed. atiares our las super f In the prosecution of which argument, I shall endeavour these two things: L. To shew you what it is to do righteousness in general, too? ness II. What that righteous doing is, which in the sense of Christianity constitutes us righteous men, LI. What it is to do righteousness in general. I answer, it is to give to every one his due; or to perform to God, ourselves, and to all the world, whatsoever is owing from the state of our nature, and the relations and circumstances wherein we are placed. And in this latitude, to do righteousness, is the sum of religion and the whole duty of man. The righteous man therefore, or the man that doth righteousis, in the sense of the text, one that demeans himself so, as in the judgment of right reason he ought to do, towards God, himself, and all the world: that, looking upon himself under the relation of God's creature and pensioner, doth freely render him all that homage, and reverence, and love, and gratitude, and trust, and adoration, that are owing to so great a Creator and so liberal a Benefactor; one that, considering the frame of his own nature, how he is compounded of contrary principles, viz, spirit and flesh, reason and sense, exercises himself in all those human virtues which consist in the dominion of his superior principles of reason over his sensitive, passions, and appetites; such as patience and equanimity, courage and meekness, temperance and chastity: all which are proper to us, as beings made up of contrary principles, from whence spring those contrary appetites and inclinations in us, in the good or bad government whereof, the essence of human virtue and vice consists. In a word, the righteous man is one who, considering his state, and circumstances, and relations in the world, behaves himself in them all as right reason directs and obliges him; that, as he is a member of human society, bears an hearty good-will to the whole corporation of mankind; that is courteous and affable, peaceable and condescending, longsuffering and ready to forgive; that is grateful to those from whom he hath received good, and, so far as he hath opportunity, is ready to do good to others; that is faithful to his promises, sincere în his professions, just and honest in his dealings; that heartily wishes every man were good, and without manifest reason' to the contrary, believes every one to be so; that' when he sees a fault, is ready to excuse it, and where he cannot, silently bewails and laments it; that as a subject, is loyal and obedient to his superiors, and as a superior, is careful of the public good," and just and benign towards all his inferiors, that' as a father, loves his children, piously and wisely educates them, and is provident for their happiness both here and hereafter; that as a child, reverences his parents, and is ready to comfort and assist them' in their needs, and in all lawful things to render them a cheerful obedience; that as a husband, is kind to his wife, compassionate to her infirmities, and easy to be entreated by her; that as a wife, is modest in her behaviour, careful and vigilant in her family, and soft and tractable to the will of her hus band; that as a master, is just and benevolent to his servants, and studious of their welfare, both temporal and eternal; that as a servant, is industrious in his business, and faithful to his trust, and obedient to his master; that in adversity is resigned and contented, honestly industrious to live, and grateful to those that relieve him; that in prosperity, is humble and modest, and full of good works and to name no more, he is a cordial friend, a good neighbour, a faithful correspondent, and a zealous lover of his country. These are the main ingredients that compound a righteous man: and accordingly we find that wherever he is mentioned in scripture, he is always described by such like characters as these. Thus, in the 15th Psalm, where the Psalmist sets himself on purpose to describe the righteous man that should dwell in the tabernacle of God, he is represented as one that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness; that speaketh truth, and is tender of his neighbour's reputation; that freely lends to those that are in need, and will not be bribed against the innocent. So also, Ezek, xviii. 14, 15, 16, 17. he is described to be one that is no idolater, no adulterer, no oppressor; that doth not defraud his neighbour of his right; but is just and liberal to the poor, and freely lends to those that are in need. And Micah vi. 8. the prophet tells us what it is that renders us just and acceptable in the sight of God, viz. doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. So also in the New Testament we are taught, that pure and undefiled religion consists in visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world, James i. 27. And |