SERMON XI.
Little children, let no man deceive you : he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. — 1 John iii. 7.
The apostle had hitherto reasoned against the committing of sin ; lie now persuadeth them to the contrary, the practice of holiness. As there is a positive part in religion as well as a privative, so a bare abstinence from sin is not enough, but we must also exercise ourselves unto godliness, or walk in newness of life : ' Little children, let no man deceive you,' &c.
In the whole verse observe these things —
1. A caution against error.
2. A description of a righteous man. First, He is described by his own practice ; secondly, By his confornjity to Christ : ' Even as he is righteous.'
Let me open these branches.
1. The caution against error, ' Little children, let no man deceive you ;' this is premised, because such mistakes are suited to the corrupt heart of man : we may be deceived ourselves, or suffer ourselves to be deceived by others.
[1.] That we may not deceive ourselves ; frequent warnings are given against this deceit: 1 Cor. vi. 9, 'Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
VeR. 7.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 33
drunkards, shall inherit the kingdom of God;' 1 Cor. xv. 33, 'Be not deceived ; evil communication corrupts good manners : awake to righteousness and sin not.' So Gal. vi. 7, ' IBe not deceived, God is not mocked ; for what a man soweth, that shall he reap.' Once more, Eph. V. 6, ' Let no man deceive you with vain words ; for hecause of these things cometli the wrath of God upon the children of dis- obedience.'
[2.J Not deceived by others. There were false teachers in the apostle's days, that said a man might be righteous and yet live in sin. Simon Magus taught that bare profession of faith, without a strict life, was enough to salvation, which poison was also sucked up by others, the Basil ides and the Gnostics.
2. The description of a righteous man ; he is described — (1.) By his ordinary practice ; (2.) By his conformity to Christ.
First, By his ordinary practice : ' He tliat doetli righteousness is righteous.' In which proposition there is —
1. The subject, ' He that doeth righteousness.' This needeth to be explained, because many boasted that they were righteous who yet did not live righteously.
Here I shall inquire — (1.) What is righteousness; (2.) What it is to do righteousness.
[1.] What is righteousness ? Kighteousness is sometimes taken strictly for that grace which inclineth us to perform our duty to man, with all the acts and duties thereunto belonging. So Eph. iv. 24, ' The new man is created after God in righteousness and true holi- ness ; ' where righteousness referreth to man, holiness to God : Luke i. 75, 'In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life ;' where there is the same reference. So 1 Tim. vi, 11, 'Follow after righteousness, godliness.' Which words comprise the duties of the fii-st and second table. Sometimes more largely for all newness of life, or all those holy actions which are required of a christian. So Mat. iii. 15, * It behoveth me to fulfil all righteousness ; ' that is-, whatsoever is required by the law or commanded by God. In this large sense it is taken here.
[2.] What it is to do righteousness. It is to love righteousness, or to carry on a constant tenor of all holy and righteous actions ; for to do righteousness is opposed to committing sin ; therefore it supposeth us to lead a godly and righteous life, or that we exercise ourselves unto and be fruitful in all good works.
2. For the predicate, ' Is righteous.' Here we must inquire in what notion the term ' righteousness ' is used ; for a man may be said to be righteous in a twofold respect — either with respect to sanctifica- tion or justification. In the first sense it is taken morally for an upright disposition of heart and mind ; in the second sense, legally and judicially, for a state of acceptation, or the ground of a plea before the tribunal of God.
[1.] The righteousness of sanctification, ' He is righteous ; ' that is» a holy and upright man : 1 Peter iii. 12, ' The eyes of the Lord are towards the righteous ; ' 1 Peter iv. 18, ' If the righteous be scarcely paved;' 2 Peter ii. 7, 8, 'He delivered righteous Lot;' and again^ ' that righteous maa vexed his righteous soul.'
VOL. XX r. C
34 SERMONS UrON 1 JOHN III, [Ser. XL
[2.] Righteousness is taken for a forensical or court righteousness, as it belongeth to justification: Eom. v. 19, 'As by one man's dis- obedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous;' that is, deemed as such, counted as such, rewarded as such. Now the question is, which of these senses is to be chosen here. For the first, the case is clear, that a holy and upright man is known by his holy and righteous ways and actions, or he showeth the truth of his regeneration by his godly life, 1 John ii. 29. In the close of the former chapter, which is the beginning of this whole discourse, the apostle said, ' If ye know that he is righteous ; every man that doeth righteousness is born of hira.' But for the second sense, as the term 'righteous' respecteth justification, I cannot see why it should be excluded; for the sanctified are also justified; and what a respect and subordination there is of the moral righteous- ness to the judicial, we shall see by and by. Certainly these are deemed by God, accepted by God, rewarded by God as righteous, Mark but these two scriptures, Luke i. 6, where it is said of Zachary and Elizabeth, that ' they were both righteous before God, walking in all the ordinances and commandments of the Lord blameless/ Mark, that they having their conversations without blame, tiiey were right- eous, and righteous before God. So Acts x. 35, ' He that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him.' There the right- eousness is one ground of acceptation with God.