I shall a little open the words in particular.
It is a double description of the persons spoken of : — 1. With re ference to their state and condition before God ; they are " righteous men :" 2. With respect unto their state and condition towards men ; they are useful men, " merciful men," who are spoken of.
First, With reference to their state before God : " The righteous perisheth." I know the word is frequently used for a man who is morally righteous, a just man among men. But from what follows in verse 2, as we shall see by-and-by, I rather take the righteous man here to be a justified man, — a man who is righteous and ac cepted with God; a just man, that is, a man justified by the blood of Christ. That is his first description, as to his estate in reference unto God, of whom he speaks : he is a justified person.
Secondly, With respect unto their state and condition towards men. He speaks of " merciful men/' — men of benignity, men of kindness, men of goodness, good men, useful men, men that exercise kin in the earth, who are peculiarly the lovely and desirable men in the world. The apostle makes a distinction between a just man and a good man, Rom. v. 7, " Scarcely for a righteous man will one die" (for a justified man) ; " yet peradventure for a good man" (one who is benign, kind, useful, merciful),— "some would even dare to die" for such a man. Such are the persons who are here mentioned, — a justified man, and a man of benignity and kindness.
Truly, I cannot avoid the application of it; for God by his provi-
558 THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS.
dence at present speaking unto us, it is our duty to apply it unto our case, to the person whom God hath lately taken from this congrega tion, — a justified man ; as I might do to many others who have gone before. I was with him the day before he died, and found him in the exercise of faith upon as noble a principle as ever I would de sire to live and die in, — that view which God had given him of the glory of his wisdom, of his righteousness, of his grace, and love, and mercy, all manifested in Jesus Christ for the saving of his soul. I know no more glorious act of faith. And they are the substance of the words wherein he expressed himself; as, indeed, he had done oftentimes before, when I had conference with him about his spiri tual estate: for he was a person neither afraid of his pastor, nor unfree to communicate his thoughts unto him. And I cannot but give him the other character,— a " merciful man." I see the faces of sundry in this congregation who have spoken of him to me as one full of kindness, love, benignity, ready to serve every one in all their occasions, inquiring how he might serve the meanest, and any other, with great condescension, meekness, and humility. I account this little that I have said due unto him ; and I shall add no more but that it is an instance of God's taking away a righteous man, and of God's gathering in a merciful man. And it is known unto us that the same character, both for faithfulness and usefulness, rnay be applied in a most eminent manner unto several persons of this congregation who have been taken from us. I pray God we may be " followers of them who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises;" that all of us, who profess that we are justified before God, may take care that we be merciful, — that is, kind, benign, and useful, not self ish, not living to ourselves, but ready to serve one another, ready to serve all the members of the congregation, and all others, as we have opportunity. If we are justified persons, let us take care to be good, to be merciful, kind and benign.
But to go on with the words. What is said of this righteous man ? He "perisheth." Absolutely? No; no righteous man perishes eternally. The prophet in the next verse obviates any such objection; for there he gives a distribution of him into his two essential parts. What saith he of him? " He shall enter into peace." There is his soul. What shall become of his body? That shall go into the grave. If the righteous man perishes, it shall be only a dissolution ; — as to their souls, they shall go to rest; as to their bodies, they shall go into the grave. I say he doth not perish absolutely, neither as to soul nor body; but the prophet uses these expressions that he may be said to leave out no justified man, by what way soever or by what means soever they may come to their death, though they may seem to perish, to be cut off. Some die in their youth, in the beginning
THE DEATH OF THE EIGHTEOUS. 559
of their usefulness; some die in their usefulness; — some die under strong pains; some may die by the sword: all which have an appear ance of perishing. This expression comprises whatever way or time God is pleased to take a just man out of the world.