2. Righteousness may be interpreted with respect to the sanction, which is twofold — the threatening and the promise.
[1.] With respect to the threatening, and so righteousness is opposite to the reatus poence, the guilt or obligation to punishment; and so a man is said to be righteous when he is freed from the external punish- ment threatened by God, and due to him as a breaker of the law. To this end observe that place, Rom. i. 16-18, ' I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ ; for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.' Mark, there are two revelations which are opposed to each other; there is the law covenant, in which the wrath of God is revealed, and the gospel cove- nant, in which the righteousness of God is revealed, or the way to escape that wrath. In the law, the wrath of God is revealed and denoimced against those that have broken it ; and broken it we have in every table by our ungodliness and unrighteousness, yea, in every
38 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN ni. [Ser. XI.
point and tittle ; yet the law of grace or of faith hath appointed us a remedy in Christ how we may be righteous, and freed from this wrath and vengeance by him, by the righteousness of God, or of Christ revealed by faith. And more particularly in the commination and threatening two things are considerable — the sentence and execution,
(1.) As the commination importeth a sentence or respects a sentence, so we are justified or made righteous when we are not liable to con- demnation: Rom. V. 18, 'As by the offence of one judgment came upon all to condemnation, so by the righteousness of one the free gift -came upon all to the justification of life.' Now who are made partakers of this privilege ? Surely the penitent believer ; that is his first quali- fication : John V. 24, ' He that believeth in Christ shall not come into condemnation.' And new obedience is also considered : Rom. viii. 1, 'There is no condemnation to them' who live a holy and godly life,' who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit/ So that it may be said, ,he that doeth righteousness is righteous, hath an interest in Christ, is .not subject to condemnation.
(2.) As the commination respects execution, so to be justified or made righteous is not to be liable to punishment, or not to be punished ; so the apostle saith, Rom. v. 9, ' Being justified by his blood, we shall •be saved from wrath through him.' The penalty is remitted and taken off. Thus is the godly upright man justified also, for in the last judgment it is said, Mat. xxv. 46, ' These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.' And the righteous there are such as do righteousness, or are fruitful in good works ; these are not punished, but rewarded.
[2.] We come now to the other part of the sanction or the promise ; and so our judicial and legal righteousness, with respect to it, is nothing but our right to the reward, gift, or benefit, founded not in any merit of our own, but only in the free gift of Christ ; partly in the merit of another, the free gift of God, and the merit of Jesus Christ. So they are said to be justified and made righteous who have a title to eternal life : Rom. v. 18, 'By the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all to the justification of life;' Titus iii. 7, ' Being justified by his grace, we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.' Now who have a right but they that do righteousness, and therefore are righteous in the justifying sense? Rev. xxii. 14, 'Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life.' The same light that believers have to their adoption, John i. 12. Well, then, the privilege of them that do righteousness is not inconsiderable, or a matter of small moment; our whole welfare and happiness dependeth on it, our freedom from the curse and title to glory. It is sucii a righteousness as exempts them from the present condemnation ; and at length, when others are doomed to everlasting destruction, they shall be accepted to eternal life.
Secondly, What respect hath holiness to this being righteous ?
1. All will grant it to be a predication of the adjunct concerning the subject, or a sign concerning the signation of the thing signed. It is if any man work righteousness, it is a sign and evidence that he is righteous, that he is one of those who are justified and accepted of God ; and so they think the justified man is described by his insepar-
VeR. 7.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 39
able property, the practice of holiness, or doing righteousness. I refuse not this, for tliis includeth all the justified, and excludeth all the Avorkeis of iniquity; and this well followed will engage us more to the fear of God and working of righteousness than we usually mind and regard ; for would you know that you are exempted from condemnation, and appointed unto life by Christ ? You can never be clear in it till your faith be warranted by 3'our holiness. It is said in one place, that ' God hath no pleasure in the workers of iniquity,' Ps. Iv. 5, and in another, Ps. xi. 7, ' The righteous Lord loveth the righteous.' These are those he approveth, accepteth, delighteth in, and, finally, whom he will take home to himself