Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

Sn c r. XI. in GadsStaftttes,áta keepinghie y'udgeaaentr, laying to their chargethings they neverdid, believing lyes, andmifinterpreting their words and aftioas; and thefe will be, as long as wicked men are in the world: And hence it is, that all godly men are looked upon as Hypocrites, as fuch as will lyeand do falfly, yea, doany thing for their advantages : But theft are paflive fcandals, and thefe offences come from the venimous difpoition of wicked men ; and the godlymay fejoceintheir innocency, while filch crimes are laidupon than. But then there arealtive fcandals, whenmen offtri& pro- feflion, do indeed walk infuch unjuft and unrighteous ways, that thereby the nameof God is blafphemedamong wicked men: Our Saviour faith, Wobe tò that man, ('y 'homfuchoffences came, Match. r6,7. So that we defirethis truth Ihould found aloud in the earsof all thofe who takethemfelvesfor Converts ; their faithand piety muff be accompaniedwith all righteoufnefs and horsefly. Hence whereas converted perfonshave feveral Titles and Attributes, denoting feveral qualities in them ; there isnothingmore frequent andordinary, thento call them Righteous, this is inevery page How then is a Lyer righteous in his words ? how is a breaker of his word and prómife, righteous in his fidelity ? bow is a cheater or anoverreaching man righteous in his dealings? To openthis, confider,That there is a twofold originalfotontain ofRighteeufuefo The foüntauï, towards man: ì.There is the immediatecommand andword of God, and that and rifeof att is called 7us Divinum, Divine Righseoufnefs. 2. There is the Law and Cons- nigh eo fne[s etwn mand ofNature,and that is 7us Humanum,An humane Rightcoufnefs, or Right: a man an And this is, either general, the firft and immediate principles of nature; filth as Humane laws; the Apoftle fpeaketh of, Rom. a. concerning the Gentiles; That they bad a LawWritten in their hearts, verge 7. about juft and unjuft things, and their con- fciences accufing or excufing, upon the omiffïonor commiffionofInch things, orelfe they aremore remote andparticulardiftates,foch as thegoodand whole- fomes Lawsof all Law-givers, in refpeEtiveNations : So what is righteous and jugs between man and man, is to be determined by the Laws ofthat Land where they live : Indeed, if any Law-givers (as tome Heathenifh have) commanded or allowed any thing that is againft the Lawof God, or the univerfal dietates of right reafon; fuck commands are not worthy the name of Laws, they are rather unjuft decrees,and fo do not binde : But otherwife, the Laws of a Land determine what is righteousand juts betweenman and man : for although it be Gods command, That a man Jhould not /teal, yet theyare humane Laws that give the bóunds and proprieties of eftates to men : So that we Chriftians, and the Jews, do fomething differabout the Rules ofRïghteoufnes andEquity; for God was the immediateLaw-giver unto that people : Mofes asa meffenger from God, received from Gods mouth the Judicial Law, which he delivered to them ; fo that the Judicial Law appointed byGod himfelf,was theStatute-Lawof that Realm : TheirLawswere not Humane, as all the Laws of Kingdoms and States arefinte Chats coming, but they were Divine : Their Laws about a Theif, a Murtherer, the Buyer and theSeller, were all DivineLaws,becaufe immediate- ly commanded byGod, though the matterwas meetly hùmane : Now its great- lydifputed, howfar thefe Judicial Laws, commanding Judgement and ;Naito betweenman and man, do binde us Chriftians; and whether all Law-givers and States-men, arenot bound to bring in chofeJudicial Laws ? for whocan de- terminewhat is Righteoufnefs and Equity better then God, a righteous and wife God? Its not pertinent towade into this excellent Qeftion at this time r Though force in this point are very rigid, to make all Obligatory, that are not exprefsly repealed by Chrift; and force again are very remits and lax ; yet all conclude, That the MoralEquity and Reafon that was in every Judicial Law, cloth binde Chriftians as well as Jews; andwith that we (hall conclude this par. titular, whatfoever Law God madeabout Juftice,Reftitution or punifhment rd the Jews, the Equity and reafon of that Law, cloth ftíll binde us, though ndt the particular maser. As for the New Teftament, Chats Kingdoms was not temporal; 'y65

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=