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The
Righteous man fpoken
of,
who.Lek.t
8.
CAP. XV
11.
upon
by
the
power
ofconvidion
from
the
Law
of
God,
and enabled
in fome
409
meafure
With
common guifts and Graces,
do
goe
forth
in
fuch
a
way
to the
performance
of
the command,ofGod,
as
to the
fubftance,
and
matter
of
them,
(wherein allo they are
not
Hypocriticall
in
the
and
fence
of
the word
but
fincere) and
fo
are called and counted
righteous,
comparatively
fo, in
refpe
t
of
thofe,
who
live in
openrebellion againftthe Lord and
his
wayes: And
fuch
as
thefe
they
fay,
as
they are often
times ufefull in
their
Generations,
and
bring
Glory
to God
by
their
profeflion, fo (efpecially
under the
old
legali
difpenfation
of
the Covenant) they
were
rewarded in
a
plentiful)
manner
of
God
in this Life,
in the enjoyment
ofthe
abundance
of
all things in peace and
quietneffe.
Ofthis
fort
of
men,
that
is
men
upright and
righteous
in
their
dealingswith men,and
in
the world,
confcientious
in
their
truff, yeilding pro
-
feffed
fubjedion to the judgements
and inítitutions
of
God, performing
out-
wardly
all known duties
of
Religious men,theyfay,that after they have made
a
profeffion
of
fome
goodcontinuance,having never attained
union with
God
in Chrift,nor
being
built
on the rock,many
do
fall
into
all
manner
offpirituall
&
fenfuall
abominations,expofing themfelves
to
all
the Judgements andVen-
geance
ofGod
in
this life,which allo
under the
old
Teftament
generally over-
took them,God
being(as.here he pleades) righteous
therein:
In this
defcripti-
on
of
the
Righteousperfon
here intended, there
is
no
occafion in
the leaft
ad-
miniftred to Mr
Goodwin
to
relieve himfelfe againft it, by
that
which
in
the
dole ofthis
Sellion
he
borrows from D. Prideaux,nia.
-
Thatifthe
Righteous
man, fheuld
torn
himfelfe
away
from
his counterfeit
and
Hypocritical' righteouf-
neffe, he
fhould rather live tban
dye:
For they
fay
not
that
this
Righteoufneffe
is Hypocricall
or
counterfeit,
but
true
and
fincere in its
kind; only the
perfon
himfelfe
is
fuppofed,
not to
be
partaker
of
the
Righteoufneffe
of
God in
Chrift,and
a principle
of
life
from
him
,
which fhould
alter
his
Obedience,
render it fpirituall and acceptable to God
in
the
Sonne
of
his
Love.
What
more
(ayes
Mr
Goodwin
unto
this
expofition
of
the words
?
With
many
fcornefull expreffions cart
both
upon it (as
by himfelfe
ftated
and lay'd
downe)
and the
Synod
ofDort,
he
tells you
it
was
rejected
by
the
Synod.That
fome in
the
Synod
looking on it perhaps under
fach fence and apprehenfioti
as
Mr
G.
propofeth it in, did not
fee caufe
to
dole
with it,may be
true:
Yet
that
it
was
rejected by the Synod,Mr
Goodwin
can by no meanes
prove,what-
ever
he
is
pleafed
to
fay,
and to infult thereon,
upon the judgements
ofvery
learned
men,whom he
hath no
reafon
upon
any account
in
the world,to def-
pife:
The
labours
of
very
many
of
them
praifing
them
in
the
gates
of
Syon,
exceedingly
above the cry and clamour
of
all
Reproaches whatever muttered
to
their
difhonour.
But
to
let
paffe
thofe poore contemptible wretches, let us
fee
how this
Ma
fier
in
our
ifrael,
in his
indignation
deales
with
this
filly
fhift,
whereby
poore men
ftriveto
avoid
his
fury.
Saies
he
then.
And indeed the
whole
feries and
carriq«e
of
the Context from
v.
20.
to
the
4.
14,
end
of
the Chapter,demonfiratively evinceth,
that
by
the Righteous man
all
along,
k
meantfuch a man, as was
or
k
truly
righteous,
and
who,
had
he
perfever'd
in
'that
way
of
Righteoufneffe,
wherein
he
sometimes
walked , fbould have
worne
the
Crowne
of
Righteoufneffe,
and received
the
reward
of
a Righteous man.
As
by
the
wicked man
all
along
oppofed to
him, is meant
not
a
perfon
feemingly
wicked,
but
truly
and
really
fo
(
as
is
acknowledged on
allhands)
fo that
the
AntitheIs
or op-
pofition between the righteous
and
the wicked,
running
fo vifibly quite through
the
body
of
the Dircourfe, mull
needs
be
diffolved,
if
by
the Righteous man fhould
be
meant,
a
Perfon
feeming
y
righteous only,
he
that
is
Righteous
in
this
fence
be-
ing
truly
and
really
wicked.
Anf.
The
tyaineferies
and
context
ofthe
Chapter,
without
the leaft
endea-
G g
g
your,