a comprehensive notion of righteousness as is inclusive of all other virtues, is not unknown. But in Scripture, it is its much more ordinary acceptation. To give instances, were to suppose too much ignorance in the reader; and to enumerate the passages in which this term is taken in that extensive sense, were too great an unnecessary burden to the writer. It were indeed to transcribe a great part of the Bible. How familiar is the opposition of righteous and wicked, and righteous and sinners, in sacred language! And how fully co-extent righteousness is in the Scripture notion of it, to the whole law of God, that one passage sufficiently discovers; where it is said of Zacharias and Elizabeth, that they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. Luke 1.5, 6. It is true indeed, that when the words godliness or holiness are in conjunction with this term, its significancy is divided and shared with them, so as that they signify, in that case, conformity to the will of God in the duties of the first table, and this is confined to those of the second: otherwise, being put alone, it signifies the whole duty of man, as the other expressions also do in the same case especially the latter of them.

As it seems not to be within the present design of the context to take notice of any imputed wickedness of the opposite sort of persons, other than what was really in them, and whereby they might be fitly characterized so, I conceive, that imputed righteousness is not here meant, that is inherent in the person of the Mediator; but that which is truly subjected in a child of God, and descriptive of him. Nor must any think it strange, that all the requisites to our salvation, are not found together in one text of Scripture. The righteousness of him, whom we are to adore as made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him; hath a much higher sphere peculiar and appropriate to itself. This of which we now speak, in its own inferior and subordinate place, is necessary also to be both had and understood. It must be understood by viewing it in its rule, in conformity whereto it stands; which must needs be some law of God. There hath been a twofold law given by God to mankind, as the measure of a universal righteousness, the one made for innocent, the other for lapsed man; which are distinguished by the apostle under the names of the law of works, and the law of faith. Rom. 3. 27. It can never be possible, that any of the apostate sons of Adam should be denominated righteous by the former of these laws, the righteousness thereof consisting in a perfect and sinless obedience. The latter therefore is the only measure and rule of this righteousness, namely, the law of faith; or that of the gospel-revelation which contains and discovers our duty, what we are to be and do in order to our blessedness; being, as to the matter of it, the whole moral law, before appertaining to the covenant of works, attem

pered to the state of fallen sinners, by evangelical mitigations and indulgence, by the super-added precepts of repentance and faith in a Mediator, with all the other duty respecting the Mediator, as such; and clothed with a new form as it is now taken into the constitution of the covenant of grace. This rule, though it be in the whole of it capable of coming under one common notion, as being the standing, obliging law of Christ's mediatory kingdom; yet according to the different matter of it, its obligations and annexed sanctions are different. As to its matter, it must be understood to require :

(1.) The mere being and sincerity of those gracious principles, with their essential acts (as there is opportunity) expressed therein, in opposition to the nullity and insincerity of them.

(2.) All the possible degrees and improvments of such principles and acts, in opposition to any the least failure or defect. In the former respect, it measures the very essence of this righteousness, and enjoins what concerns the being of the righteous man as such. In the latter, it measures all the super-added degrees of this righteousness (which relations, where they have a mutable foundation, admit,) enjoining what concerns the perfection of the righteous man. In the former respect, righteousness is opposed to wickedness, as in that of the Psalmist, I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God-therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness. (Ps. 18. 21. 24.) In the latter to sin, with which the apostle makes unrighteousness co-extent, in these words, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, &c. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Accordingly are its sanctions divers. For wherein it enjoins the former of these, the essence of this righteousness, in opposision to a total absence thereof, it is constitutive of the terms of salvation, and obligeth under the penalty of eternal death. So are faith, repentance, love, subjection, &c. required: If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins, He that believeth not, is condemned already.-The wrath of God abideth on him. (Joh. 8. 24. Chap. 3. 18, 36.)—If ye repent not, ye shall all likewise perish. Repent, that your sins may be blotted out.-Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sins. (Luke 13. 3, 5. Act. 3. 19. c. 5. 31.) If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha. (1 Cor. 16. 22.) He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me, &c. (Matt. 10. 27.) If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, (that is, as the former scripture expounds this, loves them not less than me,) he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14. 26.) that is while he remains in that temper of mind he now is of, he must

needs be wholly unrelated unto me, and uncapable of benefit by me, as well as he is indocible, and not susceptible of my further instructions, neither capable of the precepts or privleges belonging to discipleship. He is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him, and will come in flaming fire to take vengeance of those that know not God, and obey not his Gospel; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, &c. Heb. 5. 9. 2 Thes. 1. 8, 9. &c. Where it is only the sincerity of those several requisites, that is under so severe penalty exacted and called for; inasmuch as he that is sincerely a believer, a penitent, a lover of God or Christ, an obedient subject, is not capable of the contrary denomination, and therefore not liable, according to the tenor of this law, to be punished as an infidel, an impenitent person, an enemy, a rebel.

When it enjoins the latter, namely all the subsequent duty, through the whole course whereof the already sincere soul must be tending towards perfection; though it bind not thereto under pain of damnation, further than as such neglects and miscarriages, may be so gross and continued, as not to consist with sincerity: yet such injunctions are not wholly without penalty; but here it obliges, under less penalties, the hiding of God's face and other paternal severities and castigations. They that thus only offend, are chastened of the Lord, that they may not be condemned with the world. 1 Cor. 11. 32. Their iniquity is visited with the rod, and their transgression with stripes, though loving-kindness be not taken away. Ps. 89. 32, 33. Yea, and while they are short of perfect holiness, their blessedness is imperfect also; which is to be acknowledged a very grievous penalty, but unconceivably short of what befalls them that are simply unrighteous. That it obliges thus diversly, is evident; for it doth not adjudge unto eternal death without remedy, for the least defect; for then what other law should relieve against the sentence of this? or wherein were this a revealing law? Yet doth it require perfection, that we perfect holiness in the fear of God; 2. Cor. 7. 1. that we be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. Mat. 5. 48. And otherwise, did it bind to no other duty than what it makes simply necessary to salvation; the defects and miscarriages that consist with sincerity, were no sins, not being provided against by any law that is of present obligation (unless we will have the law of nature to stand by itself as a distinct law, both from that of works, and of grace; which is not necessary; but as it did at first belong to the former, so it doth now to the latter, as shall further be shown by and by.) For to suppose the law of works in its own proper form and tenor, to be still obliging, is to suppose all under hopeless condemnation, inasmuch as all have sinned. And besides, it should oblige to cast off all regard to Christ, and to seek blessedness without him; yea, and it should oblige to a natural impossibility, to a contradiction,

to make that not to have been, which hath been; a sinner to seek happiness by never having sinned. It cannot therefore entirely, it its own form, as it was at first made and laid upon man, be of present and continuing obligation to him. But in what part aud respect it is or is not; comes now more distinctly to be shown. Here know, the law of nature, with fit additionals, became one formed constitution; which being violated by the apostacy, became unuseful to the end it was made for, the containing of man within the bounds of such duty as should be conjunct with his blessedness. Therefore was the new constitution of the law of grace made and settled, which alters, adds to, takes from it, relaxes, or re-enforces it, according as the matter of it, the exigency of man's case, and God's gracious purpose and design could admit, and did require. For the promise (implied in the threatening) it ceased; sin having disobliged the promiser. For the precept the expressed positive part is plainly abrogate, 1 Tim. 4. For the natural part as it was not necessary, so nor was it possible it should be so; its foundations being more stable than heaven and earth. For the commination, we must understand two things in it: first, that for every transgression, a proportionable punishment must become due: secondly, that this debt be in the event exacted: or, that God do actually inflict the deserved penalty entirely and fully upon the offending person.

The former of these is in the strictest and most proper sense natural, and therefore also unalterable. This dueness arising immediately from the relation of a reasonable creature offending, to his Maker. Whence also it is discernible to mere natural light. Pagans are said (Rom. 1. 32.) to have known the righteous judgment of God, that they who commit such things (as are there mentioned) are worthy of death. And hence was the mention and dread of a Nemesis, and an Exdov öupa a vindictive Deity, and a revengeful eye over them so frequent with them. "If therefore (as the learned Grotius speaks) there had never been a penal law; yet a human act, having in itself a pravity, whether intrinsical, from the immutable nature of the thing; or even extrinsical, from the contrary command of God, had deserved pnnishment, and that very grievous." Now what an arbitrary constitution did not create, it could not nullify; but might add strength, and give a confirmation to it. But now for the latter, that this debt be entirely and fully exacted of the sinner himself; though that be also natural, yet not in the strictest and most proper sense. That is, it is convenient and agreeable to the nature of the thing; not what it doth so necessarily require, that it can upon no terms be dispensed with. It is so natural, as that the son inherit from his father, which yet may, sometimes, for just causes be ordered otherwise. It is what, if it were done, justice could not but approve not what it doth strictly and indispensably require; or, is a debt which it might exact, but which

may, without injustice, upon valuable considerations be remitted. The former of these, therefore, the new constitution doth no way infringe or weaken, but confirm and reinforce. The latter it so far dipenses with, as that, for the satisfaction made by the Redeemer, the debt incurred by sin, be remitted to the sinner that truly repents and believes, and continues sincerely (though imperfectly) to obey for the future. So that his after-delinquencies, consisting with such sincerity, do not actually, or in event, subject him to other penalties, than the paternal rebukes and chastenings before-mentioned. But this latter part, considerable in the commination, the determination of the full penalty, to the very person of the transgressor, it doth not dispense with to others (that is of the adult, and of persons in a present natural possibility of understanding the Law-giver's pleasure herein) than such before described; but says expressly, he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him : (Joh. 3. 36.) That indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, shall be upon every soul of man that doth evil.-Rom. 2. 8. 9.

Therefore the morally preceptive part of the law of works, is not in force as man's rule of duty, considered in conjunction with the promise; that is, it doth not now say to any man, “Do this, that is, perfectly obey without ever having sinned, that thou may'st live." Both which he was obliged to eye conjunctly; the former, as containing the rule; the other the end, in part, of his obedience: but it is in force even by the new constitution itself as God's rule of judgment, considered in conjunction with the commination, upon all whom the law of grace relieves not, as not coming up to the terms of it; whom also this supervening law brings under a supervening aggravated condemnation. For where the obligation to obedience is violated, the obligation to punishment naturally takes place. We see then how far the law of works is in force, it is to be looked on as taken into the new constitution of the law of grace, is evident. For it is new modified, and hath received a new mould and stamp by this law: which is now become (so far as it is promulgate) the standing rule of government over the lapsed world. The principal modifying act herein, is dispensation. Now this, it is true, may be so understood, or may be taken in such a sense, as wherein it will only belong to the executive part of government: that is, when it is not the act of the same power that made the law; as where only the execution of a deserved penalty is dispensed with, which may be done, in some cases, by a Judge that is only a minister of the law, and not the maker of it; being (as may be supposed) enabled thereto by that law itself or by an authority annexed to his office; or by virtue of instructions, which leave to him some latitude of managing the affairs of his judicature in a discretionary way, as present occasions shall dictate. And yet by none of

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