ChaR. 35. an Expofstionupon the l;oo,{;,of J O s, Verf. 7. agrant, ifnot an affirmation, that a man may be righteous ; For though all men naturally, o- in nature, are unrighteous, yet tho- rough grace all men, that is, all men who receive grace are nigh. teous : And they who receive grace are righteous under a three- fold notion. Fira, they are righteous by an imputed righteouf nefs, or by the righreoufnefs of another accounted to them ; and thus every godly man is righteous, becaufe freely juflu1 ed. Se- condly, they that have grace are righteousby an Inherent Righ- teoufnefs, by a flock or a principle of Righteoufñefs planted in them at their Converfiou. In convertion, nor only the a ts, but the bate and nature of aman ischanged. He who before was nothing. but a bundle of unrighreoufnefs, becomes a righteous man ; that is , he hash a righteous, principle planted in him and a- biding with him. Thus a godly man is righteous, becaufe he is fanddified. Thirdly,everyman that bath grace, is a Righteous man by a righteoufnefs flowing out from him, or by a practical righ- teoufnefs ; he is righteous by the doing of Righteoufnefs ;1 The former is Righteoufnefs by Converfion, this is Righteoufnefs by Converfauon ; and this flows from the former, as the A- pofile iohn Beaks in his firft Epifile ( Chap. 3. 5.) He that loth rìghteoufnefi , it rightcotu ;. that is, he is in a righteous flare through Juftification, and bath righteoufnefs planted in him through San&ification ; And he that is thus righteous in his fine,. is alto a practicer of Righteoufnefs in his way. Ask is laid of that wortlVpaire Zachary andElizabeth, (Luke r. 6.) They were both Rightesul,walkj g inall the Ordinances andCorrsmandeneent t ofGod,? blamelefe. Here was practical Righieoufnefc, they were righteous workers,rheircourfe was a courfe of Righteoulnefs,as themlelves were in a flare of Righteoufnefs. And thus, 1 conceive, eau is chiefly to be underflood here; becaufe righreoufnefs in this place is oppofed to unrighteous aótions. If those wert Righteosu ; that is, if thywayes or thy courfes were as righteous, as thou hall often reported and afherted them to he ( for ob in the 27tliChap. Paid,, Hewould not letgo hid Rigbteoufnef he we eld hold it till he dyed ; he would never giveup his Integrity, howmuch foever bisfriends accufedhim ; he would no more give it up, than give iE off, Now faithElihse, Ifthouart righteosts, as thou fayefi, and ftaodel} fo muchupon ir, let it be granted, fitting thou wilt needs have ir fo, that thascart righterue, The Septuagint render fo,, Seeing thouart- Rightea. 39
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