"Well, then, upon these grounds you see the execution is not only judgment, but the very law is judgment. A man that is to be examined and tried for life and death would fain know how it would speed with him, and how matters shall be carried beforehand. God will not deal with you by way of surprise ; he bath plainly told you
64 SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. [SeR. VIII.
accordinf^ to what rule he will proceed : saith lie, ' The word which I have spoken, the same shall judge you at the last day/
Use. I would apply this first term, judgments, thus : to press us to regard the sentence of the word more. If you cannot stand before the word of God, how wnll you stand before Christ's tribunal at the last day ? Many times there is a conviction in the ore, though not refined to full conviction, and that discovers itself thus, by a fear to be tried and searched : John iii. 20, ' They will not come to the light, lest their deeds should be reproved.' They that are loath to know are loath to search : you can have no comfort but what is according to the tenor of the word, and no happiness but what is according to the sen- tence of the word. What the word doth say to you, as sure as God is true it will be accomplished to a tittle. God stands upon his word more than anything: when 'heaven and earth shall pass away,' and be 'burned like a scroll,' 'not a jot of the word,' either law or gospel, ' shall pass away.' If we did think of this with seriousness, then one part of the word would drive us to another ; we would run from the law to the gospel. Sinners could not lie in a carnal state : this law is not only my rule, but my judgment; and believers could not be so listless, and secure, and negligent as they are in their holy calling. Their doom in the word, this would make them seek more earnestly for pardon and grace, and make them strictly watch over their hearts and ways. Either we do not believe that the Avord is true, or that God will be so punctual and exact as he hath declared. We dream of strange indulgences for which we have no cause, or else Ave would be more frequent at the throne of grace, and more exact and watchful in the course of our conversations.
Secondly, The next term to be opened is righteousness, another title given to the word in this psalm: it is so called, Heb. v. 13, ' Unskilful in the word of righteousness ;' and 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17, it'is ' profitable for instruction in righteousness.' But why is the word called right- eousness? Because it shows how a man shall be justified, and how a justified man should approve himself both to God and man.
1. It shoAveth how a man shall be justified and accepted as right- eous before God ; therefore the word is called righteousness. This is a great secret and riddle which was hidden from the Avise men of the world ; they could never have found it out by all the profound re- searches and inquiries of nature into n'atural things ; unless the w^ord of God had made it known, it should still have been in the dark. For righteousness to plead for you, and to find acceptance, alas we should, be thinking of going up to heaven, and going down into the deep ; no, no, ' the word is nigh thee,' Eora. x. 8. This notion of the right- eousness of Christ was the best notion the world Avas CA'er acquainted with ; that when we all lay guilty, obnoxious to the Avratli of God, and to the revenges of his angry justice, that then the Lord should reveal a righteousness, ' even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe ; ' as the apostle amplifies it, Rom. iii. 22. What a rich and glorious discovery was this of the mind and counsel of God to poor sinners, that he hath revealed such a righteousness !
2. The word is called righteousness, because it shows how a justified
VeR. 7.] SERMONS UPOX TSALM CXIX. 65
man should approve himself both to God and man, by a holy con- versation. It is the rule of moral righteousness: 1 John iii. 7, ' He is righteous that doth righteousness/ in the judgment of the word. There is not only righteousness wrought by Christ for believers, but also righteousness wrought by Christ in believers, when a man doth exercise liimself in performing his duties to God and man.
Use. Well, then, if we would be skilful in the matters of righteous- ness—
1. Consult often with the word, Avliich is the copy of God's most righteous will, A man need go no further either for direction, quick- ening, or encouragement. The world despiseth the plain directions of the word, and crieth up the notion of things, and looketh for quainter conceits, and things of a more sublime s])eculation. If we should only bring scripture, and urge men by God's authority, and call upon them in Christ's name, and by Christ's arguments, this would be too low for them. But this is to tax the wisdom of God. He that ' hath the key of David ' knew what kind of wards would fit the lock — what directions, what quickening notions and encouragements were fittest to be used. in the case, to gain men to a sense of tiieir duty both to God and man, and bring them into a way of righteousness.