II. That this is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It must needs be so, because it suiteth with his office and personal operations. The Spirit is to be our guide, sanctifier, and comforter. As our guide, he doth direct and enlighten our minds ; as our sanctifiei-, he doth change our hearts ; and as our comforter, he doth pacify, and clear, and quiet our consciences. Now this fruit of righteousness is couducible to all these ends, or agreeable with these offices,
1. As our guide, he doth enlighten our minds with saving knowledge ; and no knowledge is saving but what endeth in righteousness ; as here: 'You are light in the Lord; walk as children of the light; for the fruit of the S})irit is in all goodness and righteousness ; ' Jer. xxii. 1 6, 'He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me, saith the Lord?' We have no true knowledge of God, either of his nature or of the will of God, till this knowledge influence the duties of our callings and relations ; for God is no further savingly known than he is obeyed, and that in all things which belong to our duty.
2. As our sanctifier, he doth change our hearts ; and the true fruits of repentance and change of heart are the works of righteousness : Isa. i. 16, 17, ' Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil, learn to do well ; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.' This is particularly insisted on as the proper fruit of their change. So Dan. iv. 27, ' Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.' Kepentance is a
VeR. 9.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 275
breaking off our former course of sin. And to a king that was an open persecutor Daniel preacheth righteousness and mercy. They that con- tinue in their former unjust courses never yet repented. So Zech. viii. 16, 17, 'These are the things which ye shall do, Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.' God would have their i-epentance thus expressed. Thus in the general ; but more particularly, the fruit and woi-k of the Spirit tendeth to this end, to make us like God, and amiable to God, to fit us for communion with God, and to gloiify God in the eyes of the world ; and much of this is done by rigliteousness ; cer- tainly nothing is done without it.
[1.] By it we are made like God, and do resemble his divine perfec- tions : Ps. cxlv. 17, ' The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.' There is a perfect holiness in his nature, and a con- decency in all his actions ; and when our natures are sanctified, and all our actions are righteous and holy, we are framed after this pattern : E|)li. iv, 24, ' And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.'
[2.] The work of the S[)irit is to make us acceptable and pleasing unto God. Now the just and righteous man is an object of his com- })lacency : Prov. xv. 9, ' The way of the wicked is abomination unto the Lord ; but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.' The Lord loveth all his creatures with a general love, but with a special love he loveth those that bear his image. He doth not love any be- cause they are rich and mighty, fair and beautiful, valiant and strong, but as holy and righteous. So it is said, Prov. xxi. 3, ' To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.' God hath required both, and men should make conscience of both ; yet the one is to be preferred before the other, though the one be a duty of the first table, the other of the second ; because moral and substantial duties are better than ceremonial. Internal duties are to be ])referred before external, and duties evident by natural light before things of positive institution ; as appearetli by this, that God doth accept of moral duties without ceremonial observances : ' In every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him,' Acts X. 35. But God never accepteth of ceremonial observances with- out moral duties ; he still rejectelh their offerings when they neglected justice : Micah vi. 7, 8, 'Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil ? Sliall I give my first- born for my tran.sgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ? He hath showed thee, 0 man, wliat is good : and what doth the Lord ]-equire of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God ?' Again, he dis})enseth with ceremonials and externals of religion when they come in competition with moral duties, even of the second table ; as David's eating the show-bread when an hungered, Mat. xii. 3, 4. But he never dispenseth with moral duties. Well, then, how right and punctual soever we be in other things, unless we show mercy, and do justice, we are not accepted with God, though we are zealous for or against ceremonies, or ai'e of the strictest party in re- ligion. Indeed, we cannot say they are better than faith, and love, and