The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 10
MEDITAT. X. Of the Pretenders to Righteouſneſs.
AS the Righteous Lord loveth Righteouſneſs, ſo certainly the predominant Lovers of Righteouſneſs are Lovers of the Righteous Lord. Looking upon theſe, one cannot but love them at firſt ſight, as it's ſaid of Chriſt. This Righteouſneſs is ſuch a qualification, as without which no man can have the confidence to lay any claim to the Goſpel Character of a good man. It ſeems to be ſo famous a Species of Vertue, that it is in Scripture Tropology put for Goodneſs or Vertue in general, as Fortitude was amongſt the Heathens, Fortes creantur fortibus & bonis.
Sacrifices were of divine inſtitution, and an honourable way of mens drawing nigh to God; and rightly offer'd up, were very acceptable to him, yet Charity is prefer'd before them, (I will have mercy, &c.) and yet Righteouſneſs ſeems to have the precedency of Charity it ſelf. If the obligation to Juſtice be not ſtronger than the obligation to Mercy, yet it ſeems to have a priority, and requires to be firſt ſerved, if there be a competition; for Charity it ſelf looks like a kind of Felony, if it antevert Righteouſneſs, being a giving away of that which is of right another mans.
But as there are many things call'd unrighteouſneſs, which indeed deſerve not to be ſo clamor'd againſt, (which I think will fall under ſome of my future Meditations) ſo I doubt there is a great deal that is magnified for Rightouſeneſs that deſerves not to be ſo celebrated.
For ſuppoſe one of theſe pretenders to Righteouſneſs be never ſo exact in matters of dealing with his Neighbour, Juſt in matters of Bargain, Faithful in matters of Truſt, Punctual in payment of Debts, Wages, Promiſes, if yet he be unjuſt to God in with-holding his Heart from him, to whom it is due, and entertain the World or Carnal Self, in the higheſt Room, there he is a Lover of the World, and not of the Father; as truly as a Wife is unrighteous, who allthough ſhe does not waſte her Husbands Eſtate, yet gives her ſelf away from him, and opens her Boſom to a Stranger.
The Righteouſneſs that will Denominate a Man a lover of God, muſt be in Conjunction with Faith, Meekneſs, Temperance, Charity, and Purity; If our Righteouſneſs be not ſo, it's ſome Spurious, or Mechanical thing.
But is it poſſible that a Man ſhould be thus exactly Righteous, and yet not a Lover of the Father?
Why not, That Self-love, the Lord of the World, may be the very Spring from which External Righteouſneſs does flow, to be ſeen of Men, acepted of Men, to Maintain a good Reputation amongſt Men, and to have a good Credit with them, was the beſt Principle from which the Righteouſneſs of the Phariſees proceeded; which yet was as exact as moſt Men can pretend to, ſo exact, that they would not Cozen the Levite of a little Mint, or Cummin.
How many of theſe Righteous Men may we ſee every where, who not withſtanding their Pretenſions to Juſtice, make no Conſcience of Robbing God of the Time which he has Conſecrated for his own Service, and the Poor of that part of their Eſtates which God has Aſſigned for their uſe,
They are ſo Punctual in matter of Commutative Juſtice, that they Challenge any Man to ſay Black is their eyes, and yet all their Neighbours know them to be black mouth'd; which they ſhew by their prophane Curſing or Swearing, whereby they wrong God, or their Reviling Calumniations, Back-bitings and Detractations, whereby they wrong their Neighbour.
However Righteouſneſs is a lovely Character and a Character of a Lover of God, yet 'tis very neceſſary we ſhould examine well whether our Righteous Converſation proceed from a Righteous Principle, whether it be univerſal and permament, and whether it be accompanied with the Faith and Charity which go for the Conſtitution of it; or whether it be not ſuperſtitiouſly deſigned as meritorious of Favor and …riendſhip at the hands of God: If ſo, thy Righteouſneſs becomes Unrighteouſneſs.