The Rising Sun, Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX Containing the second maine Proposition, That Iesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousnesse.
HAving at large shewed, That Jesus Christ is in many respects to his Church what the Sun is to the world. We come now to our second Proposition, to shew how in a more special manner, and by way of Excellency he is the Sun of Righteousnesse. The former sets out his Glory, this his Grace: the former his Person, this his Office: A singular Elogy this, no where in all the Scripture again do we meet with the same expression, though divers like it and to the same effect. He is called, Jesus Christ the Righteous. 1 John 2. 2. 1 Cor. 1. 30 Jer. 33. 23 and 23. 6Our Righteousnesse. The branch of Righteousness. Melchi-zedek the King of Righteousnesse, and Jehovah-tzidkennu, the Lord our Righteousnesse. And to shew that this is Christ his principal Title or proper cognomen or sirname, (as in our common Mariages the wife doth Exuere Parentis, and induere mariti cognomen, changes her owne or fathers name into that of her husband) the Church is called also, Jehovah-tzidkennu. Compare Jer. 23. 5, 6. (Behold the dayes come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, &c. And this is the name whereby [He] shall be called▪ The Lord our Righteousnesse.) with Jer. 33. 15, 16. In those dayes will I cause the branch of Righteousness to grow up unto David,—In those dayes shall Iudah be saved, and Ierusalem shall dwell fafely; and this is the name whereby [She] shall be called, The Lord our Righteousnesse. They have both one name, and this the highest name to both, especially to the Church. This is the new name spoken of Rev. 2. 17. And that other name God promiseth to call his people by, The Lord shall call his people by another Isaiah 65. 15 See Isai. 62. 2name.
Three things shall here be spoken to.
1. How Christ is called the Righteous, or Righteousness.
2. What Righteousness it is we have by and from Christ
3. Why he is called the Sun of Righteousnesse?
1 Christ Jesus may be said to be the Righteous, or Righteousnesse, in a double respect.
1. Of his Person. 1 John 2. 2. Jesus Christ the Righteous. Who in respect of his Divine Nature, is as Righteous as the Father, and the Holy Ghost. This is not that which is so much to us; as our Righteousness extendeth not to God, so this personal Righteousness of GodPsal. 16. 2 extendeth not to us in this sense. And in his Humane Nature he is Righteous also, who never had spot in his soul, guile in his lips, sin in all his life, but one who perfectly fulfilled all Righteousness.Matth. 3. 15
2. Of his Office; his Mediatory Office. This is the meaning of that before mentioned Scripture, This is the name wherewith he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness; that is to say, this is his Office and Businesse.
2. For the second. There is a twofold Righteousnesse we have by Christ.
1. A common, general, original (as I may call it) or imputed Righteousnesse, a Righteousness without us, to which we contribute nothing, we only accept. We put on this Righteousness and it clothes us, as a garment made ready to our hands.
2 A particular, personal, inherent, actual Righteousnesse, which some call imparted (as the other imputed) but not so properly, for both are imparted.
As all are under a double unrighteousnesse, so Believers are under a double Righteousnesse. 1. One common, imputed unrighteousnesse, alike in all, without any Magis & minus, good and bad having a like share of guilt and contagion from Adam, his sin imputed, his corruption imparted and derived to us. 2 A personal and particular, which we call actual unrighteousnesse; and is (besides that imputed guilt and offence,) a particular, vicious disposition of the mind unto evil; and is made up of all those anomalous and sinful actions, which are so many Trangressions of the Law of God. This receiveth a magis and minus in those in whom sin doth not raigne, much more in whom sinne doth fully raign and command: for among those possessed with Divels one had but one, and another seven, another had a whole Legion of Divels.
So is there I say a double Righteousness which Believers have. 1. One common and imputed, which is to speak properly, only Christ his Righteousnesse personally, but ours relatively: His by operation, ours by imputation. 2 Besides this, they have a personal Righteousness which is made up of those gracious inclinations in the heart to every good, and of those many holy actions they perform in conformity and obedience to the Law and Pattern of Righteousnesse; of which two (that is, those gracious dispositions and actions) our personal or inherent Righteousness is made up. Now both these Righteousnesses wee have from Christ; the matter of the one, viz. imputed Righteousnesse; and the principle, power and ability whereby we are carried out and inabled to the other. Concerning which twofold Righteousnesse we shal lay down briefly these few Theses.
Thes. 1. These two Righteousnesses are never separated, as those two former Unrighteousnesses are never separated.
Thes. 2. Imputed Righteousness goeth before, then followeth actual; as is also in the two Unrighteousnesses forenamed.
Thes. 3. Imputed Righteousdesse is alike to all▪ no magis & minus, the strong Believer hath not more, nor the weak Believer less of this: inherent righteousness hath different degrees as actual sin hath.
Thes. 4. Imputed Righteousness is simul & semel, made over to the Believer all at once, and once for all; it admits of no magis & magis in the same person, as of no magis & minus in others Believers. Actual Righteousness is gradual and progressive, and admits both of more and less in divers persons, and of more and more in the same godly persons.
Thes. 5. Imputed is a righteousnesse without us, made ready to our hand, inherent is within us: That costs us nothing, is an Almes or act of pure grace; Inherent asketh us cost of pains, prayers, endeavors.
Thes. 6. Imputed only is perfect in this life, inherent only perfect in another life.
Thes. 7. Imputed is the righteousnesse of our Surety; inherent of our persons.
Thes. 8. Imputed is Righteousness to be pleaded before God; inherent makes us righteous before men, and only to be pleaded before men. If I were righteous (saith Iob) I wouldJob 9. 15 not answer God so, but make my supplication to my Iudg.
Thes. 9. The one is the Righteousness of Iustification, the other of Sanctification, which ever agree, confirming not destroying each other. They touch each other with their wings, as the two Cherubims, and with their faces, look upon Christ as their Authour.
3. For the third, Christ is called the Sun of Righteousness, 1 Because hee is the Spring of it; no light but from the Sun the Fountaine; no water from River or Spring, but what comes from the Sea; in which respect it is said, There is none righteous, no not one; h. e, in himself. None righteous, but one; viz. Jesus Christ the Righteous.Jer. 31. 15 Phil. 1. 11 He the branch of Righteousness, upon which all fruits of Righteousness do grow.
2 In Christ, as in the Sun is a plenitude or redundancy of Righteousnesse: So Beza reads that Rom. 5. 18. Per unam Iustificationem beneficium redundavit in omnes homines ad justificationem vitae. By one Righteousnesse the benefit hath redounded to all men, (all Believers) to Justification of life: and the Apostle calls it, ver. 17 The abundance of Grace, and of the gift of Righteousness, which reigneth in life by one Iesus Christ. The Oyl of Grace, coming from the head of our High Priest, runs down to the skirts of his Vesture, even to the lowest Member of his body. And as that increasing Spring of Oyle in the widowes2 Kings 4 house, which held out till there was no more empty Vessels to receive it, then stopt.
3 He is the Sun of Righteousnesse, because his Righteousnesse is perfect and spotless. The Moon hath her Plenilunium, …ul light, but it is spotted and fading. The Stars are spotless, but their light is finite, though they be far greater then the Moon; such are all the Angels whose Righteousness (so far exceeding mans) is spotless, yet borrowed and finite. Mans best, like the Moon at Full in six Properties: 1. It is the lowest light: 2. The least light: 3. All borrowed light: 4. Spotted. 5. Subject to decay: 6. Without heat; not able to warm the conscience, and cheer the heart before Gods Tribunal; but we must say with Austin, Vae etiam laudabili vitae, &cGal. 3. 10 or with Paul, So many as are of the works of the Law, are under the Curse. But only Christ his garments are seamless, and his Righteousnesse spotless.
Our best teares are foul water, and need washing, sighs unsavoury breath, Prayers Malach. …. 3 Exod. 28. 38and Sacrifice are dung, our holy things have their iniquity; our bloud tainted bloud, needing Christs to cleanse it. We need to sorrow for our sorrow, to mourn againe for former mourning, be ashamed of our shame, and loath our selves for our self-loathing, and repent of our repenting (not in the common sense of some now adayes, who are above all these) but because all is no better. When thou hast prayed for pardon, pray again for pardon of that Prayer: when thou hast confessed many sins, bewaile thy sin in confessing; when thou dost believe most, cry out, Oh my evil heart of unbelief; when thou rejoycest in spirit, bee sad in spirit for such poor rejoycing. When thou art got highest, come down with silence as the Larks after they have been out of sight, singing their Layes nearer heaven, or with this in thy mouth, All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Mans best is vanity.
If all the Righteousnesse, Graces, Dutyes, Services, Sufferings of all the Godly from the beginning of the world were in one man, yea if all the holiness of the Angels, were imputed to one man (fallen and defiled with sin) yet it would prove a Garment too narrow to wrap him in, he would need the help of Christ still to make it up.
In the day of Expiation (the solemnest Gospel day Israel had in all the year) four things were done: 1. the Trumpet sounded. 2 Every soul was afflicted, and upon hard dutyLev. 16 of Humiliation. 3 Then were Sacrifices offered. 4. But the chief which made it a day of Attonement, was that the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled the bloud of the Sacrifices upon the MercyLev. 16. 14 Seat, and this he did seven times.
The Holy Ghost hereby shadowed out to them, what was to be done by us in order to an Attonement. 1. The Trumpet soundeth; .i. the Gospel is to be proclaimed.
2. When the Gospel is proclaimed, every Israelite is to afflict his soul for sin, that he may partake of the benefit of the Gospel. He must be in bitterness as for an only son deadZach. 12. 10. 11 yea, killed, (the only Son of God by our sins killed and slain,) and as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo, (where Josias was slaine) bitterly bewailing that our sins have slaine the best King, the Only Anointed of the Lord, the very breath of our nostrils.
3. Then are Sacrifices to be offered, divers Sacrifices; .i. All thy sins for a whole Burnt Offering, thy Praises for a Peace Offering, thy Heart for a Heave-Offering, thy whole man a Living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is our reasonable Service.Rom. 12. 1
4 But chiefly we must look to our High Priests entrance into the Holy of Holies, and that which is done within the Vayl (out of our sight) the bloud of Sprinkling, so often sprinkled on the Mercy Seat, that is to say, again and again applied to us: to this we are especially to look: So that if I had repented better, mourned more, had a thousand more Duties, and a thousaud times more Righteousness, I would cast away all as dung, Phil. 3. 8, 9that I might be found in Christ.
We read Zach. 3. 1. When Ioshuah the High Priest stood before the Angel of the Lord, Satan stood at his right hand to resist him; although he was in his Priestly Vestments. The most holy Person, even in the most holy Service, when in the best dress of Legal and personal Righteousnesse, is clothed with filthy Garments; he needs a Christ to deliver him from Satan, and change of Garments to cover his nakedness. As all unrighteousnesse cannot sink a soul that is in Christ, so all Righteousness of the world cannot save a soul without Christ.
1. This informs us how true and just thatAppli…. 1 Col. 1. 18 foreign. John 1. 9 of the Apostle is, That Christ was in all things to have the Preheminence. He is not a light, but the Light, the true light; foreign. Of Lights, not a Star, but the Sun; of Suns, not the lower, but the higher; the Sun, not of Light, but of Righteousness. He is Bread, not common bread, but the true Bread, John 6. 32. The Bread of Li…e, ver 35. Bread from Heaven, ver. 50. Living Bread, ver. 51. The Bread of God, ver. 33. He the Shepherd, but the good Shepherd: He the Vine, but the true Vine; the Pearle, but the only Pearle of great price: He a Lamb, but without spot. He is the chief of the wayes of God.
2 This shewes us where Righteousnesse is to be had, and where onelyonly. There is but one Sun of Righteousnesse for the Church, as one Sun for the world; we may seek Righteousness and lose by seeking, Rom 9. 31. We may attempt to build a Babel to reach heaven with our own Duties, and God pulls it down. In te stas, & non stas, said St. Austin. But go forth (as David said) in the strength Psalm 71. 16of the Lord; and make mention of his Righteousness, and his only. The weak Ivy climbing up, and clasping about the Oak, lives and continues green all Winter, stands while the Oak stands, though it hath no stem or stalk of his own to bear it. But we are like to little children which learn to go, who having nothing to hold on, hold on their own clothes, which throws them down. Rely alone on Christ for Righteousnesse. A house whose foundation stands partly on a rock, and partly on the sands, stands no firmer then if all stood on the sand, that part puls down the whole. Thou must lose thy own Righteousnesse, that thou maist gain Christ.
3. This shewes us what a difference there is between Adam and Christ. Adam a Sea of Unrighteousness, Christ a Sea of Righteousness. Adam a falling Star, a blazing Meteor, who fell with Lucifer that bright Morning Star, and suffered a total Eclipse; Christ a Sun, a fixed Sun of Righteousness. The two great Luminaries, the Sun and Moon, are only discernably Eclipsed; so these two great Creatures, Angels and Men. The greater Luminary, suffered a final (not total) eclipse; all the Angelical Nature fel not. The less, a total (not a final.) The greater, contrary to what is in the course of Nature, suffered the greater Eclipse. But Adams was a sad Eclipse; He lost all his Righteousness and Light for the time, as did the Angels: He conveyes to us nothing but sin and wrath. We may sadly say, that of the first Adam, which was said of Christ, foreign, (and foreign too) he emptiedPhil. 2. 7 himself and us, and became of no reputation. He was as that wormwood Star, that imbittered all. A very pit or lake of mire to defile us, but Christ a fountain of Righteousnesse opened to cleanse us, and he takes away all unrighteousnesse.
4 How should this consideration, that Christ is the Sun of Righteousnesse, endear him to us, and heighten our esteem of him! Who can give unto God the praises due for the benefit of the aire we breath in, and of the Sun whose light we walk in? But for this Sun of Righteousness, by whom wee are both Justified and Sanctified, enlightned and enlivened, what praises can be given unto God sufficient for such a Mercy? It was Righteousnesse we wanted more then light. The Sun had not lost his light, nor Adam his sight by the fall, but all that Righteousnesse wherewith he was adorned: we needed not a new Sun in the Heaven to lighten the body, but a new Sun of Righteousnesse to enliven the soul. Clothed with this Sun,Rev. 12. 1: Ephes. 5. 27. the Church may present her self before God, and is without spot or wrinkle or any such defect. One Garment made for the High Priests fitted A…ron, and all his successors,Exo. 29. 29, 30 they had no other. One garment of Righteousness fitteth Christ our High Priest, and all his Members.
5. Yet here is a Caution to bee entred. Christ is to all a Sun, not to all the Sun of Righteousnesse; the light of the world; but the Righteousness of Saints, whose propertiesRevel. 19. 8. we shal here set down.
1. That of the Text, only such as fear his Name, have these promises made to them. 1. That he shall be a Sun of Righteousnesse to them. 2. Rise and shine upon them. 3. Embrace and cover them with his wings. 4. And therewith heale them. 5. That they shall grow as the thriving, fatted, wel attended Calves in the stal. But all these shall be made good to none but such as truely fear him.
2. To such as do believe Christ is a Sunne of Righteousnesse, a stone elect and precious; to such as believe not, he is onelyonly a stone of stumbling, and rock of offence. 1 Pet. 2. 7, 8. The righteousness of God which is by faith of Rom. 3. 22Jesus Christ to all, and upon all that believe, for there is no difference: not between believer and unbeliever, (as if asserting Universal redemption) but between a weak believer and strong believer, as asserting an equal Justification of all true believers. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every Rom. 10. 5one that believeth. None but such as have the eye of faith, have benefit by this Sun, as only those who looked up to the Serpent received cure.
3. To whom he is made of God, wisdome and Sanctification; to them he is also righteousness and redemption. He is made to us of God, Wisdome, Righteousness, Sanctification 1 Cor. 1. 30and Redemption. We must not pick and chuse, take two, and leave two. As Christs, so the Christians garment is made up of four quarters; but they must not be divided. Many would be content Christ should be Righteousness to them, who desire not he should be Wisdom; All desire he should be Redemption, few care for his being made Sanctification to them. But Christ will be all or none.
As there is a golden chaine of Decrees, Rom. 8. 30. Whom God hath predestinated, he hath called, whom called justified, whom justified glorified; so that he that looketh to have benefit by the one, must bee sure to hold fast all the other. So there are four other golden chaines laid downe in Scripture.
1. That golden chaine of Graces, 2 Pet. 1. 5 Add to your Faith Vertue, to Vertue Knowledge, to Knowledge Temperance, to Temperance Patience, to Patience Godliness, to Godlinesse brotherly Kindnesse, to it Charity.
2. Of Beatitudes. Mat. 5. 3, 4. &c. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed they that mourn, Blessed are the meek, &c.
3. Of Duties; laid downe, 1 Thess. 5. 16, 17, 18. Rejoyce evermore, pray without …easing, &c.
4. So of Priviledges. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Christ is made to us of God, wisdom, &c. Now in all these golden chains, hold one, hold all; break o… lose one, lose all.
4. Christ is the Sun of Righteousnesse only to those who disclaim all other Righteousness and stick to his. I count all but loss and dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own Righteousness which Phil. 3. 9is of the Law; but that which is of the faith of the Son of God, the Righteousness of God by faith. We must make loss of our Righteousness, (durus sermo) or it will lose us; and make dung of our Righteousness (foetidus sermo) defiling the Tophet of our Sacrifices, or it will defile us. Dung might do well in the field, not in the streets; in the streets better then in the house; in the house better then in the Church, and on the Altar. It makes a bad perfume, an ill sacrifice, therefore GodExod. 29. 14▪ Lev. 8. 17 commanded the dung and skin of the beast sacrificed should be carryed out of the Sanctuary, and burnt in the field. Our Righteousness and Goodness may extend to men, not to God; may benefit the Commonwealth, but not fit for a Sacrifice: It is all but skin and dung, which we must carry and burne without the Camp. In this sense that mayCave non tantum à malis operibus, sed etiam à …bonis. …. Job 9. 30, 31 pass for Orthodox. Bona opera sunt perniciosa ad salutem. If I should wash my selfe with snow water (said Job) and make my hands never so clean, yet thou shalt plunge me in the ditch, and mine owne cloathes shall make me be abhorred. Mordecai might not come into the Kings Court in sackcloth, nor we into Gods in our owne Humiliations; nor the fairest virgins come into the same Kings presence,…sther 4. 2 2. 12. till besides their own native beauty they had been purified according to the Kings appointment. The Priests were to put off their own, and put on the holy Garments, whensoever they came into Gods presence. Kings suffer no Money to go in their Dominions, but what hath their own Stamp. God will be paid in no Coyn but Christs. He that ran to the City of Refuge, was to leave all houses and Castles of Strength, and only abide in his Sanctuary, if taken out of it, he might dy. Over the Ark was the Mercy Seat, overNumb. 35, 26, 27 the Mercy Seat a covering. Law and Works need Mercy, Mercy needs a covering; that Gods Mercies which are over all his owne works, may cover even our best works.
5 If Christ be the Sun of Righteousnesse let us (as followers of him) bee Stars of Righteousness. Righteousnesse makes one man more excellent then his neighbor. It is theProv. 12, 26 glory of God, called oft the Righteous God; of Christ, he called Jesus Christ the Righteous; of the Holy Ghost, whose fruit is in all Goodness, Righteousness, and Truth; It is the paving of Gods Church; The Kingdome Rom. 14. 17of God is Righteousness and Peace. The members of the Church Militant must be all Righteous, Isaiah 60. 21. And all in the Church Triumphant are called the Righteous Mat. 25. 37.
Righteousness is Gods clothing; our Ornament, the Priests Vesture, Psal. 132. 9. the Brides attire, Rev. 19▪ 8. The Christians Armor on the right hand, and on the left, 2 Cor. 6. 7.
But we must distinguish here; there is a twofold Righteousness,
1. Dangerous.
2. Safe.
1. There are four kinds of Righteousness which are dangerous.
1. The seeming Righteousnesse, which is not real, but counterfeit. Simulata Sanctitas▪ duplex iniquitas. Sincerity commends Sanctity, and Truth Righteousness; the one is the warp, the other the woof of the Christians garment; if the plague of Hypocrisie foreign. Ephes. 4. 24. Lev. 13. 32had taken the warp or the woof, the whole garment or web was to bee burnt.
2 Semi-Righteousness, which is partial, not universal. In this sense true Righteousness must not be single, but double; to God and man. Moses came with the two Tables Deut. 9. 1… 2 Cor. 6. 7in his two hands. Our Armor of Righteousness must be an the right hand (to God) and left (to man.) The Pharisees were double hearted and double tongued, and but one handed Professors, paid Tyth Mint, Rue andMatth. 23. 23 Cummin, their petty Tythes, but kept back the greater Tythes; the sheaf of Mercy, Truth, Righteousness.
3▪ The desaying Righteousness, which was as a morning cloud, or the morning dew, growingHosea 6. 4 lesse and lesse till the cloud is vanished, and the dew dryed up, not as the morning light which shines more and more to a perfect day. This hath many a terrible Threat denounced against it, more then any unrighteousness. See Ezek. 3. 20. and 18. 24, 26, 27.
4. Thy Self-conceited-Righteousness, or any Righteousness of thy owne confided in. Our Saviour in the Parable of the Pharisee and Publican, doth cut down all this Righteousness: He spake the Parable to such as trusted Luke 18. 9in themselves, that they were Righteous. They were their owne Creed, and their owne Saviours. The like Ezek. 33. 13. When I say to the Righteous, he shall surely live; if he trust in his own Righteousnesse,—all his Righteousness shall not be remembred. Better no Righteousnesse at all, then so much as to trust in. Be not righteous overmuch. WeeEccles. 7. 16 pity the ignorance of such as make the Creed a Prayer; they are as much to blame who make the Decalogue a Creed. Our best Righteousness makes but a bad Saviour. It may be an evidence of Sanctification, not an Advocate for Justification, not the Surety for our Satisfaction, but our Security for our Sanctification. When the Moon, full of her owne light, goes from the Sun, she loseth all; and when in her wain she approacheth the Sun and keepeth following him, she reneweth and increaseth her light againe to a fulness.
2. There is a good Righteousness, whereof there be four kinds or degrees. 1. The Philosophical: 2. Pharisaical. 3. Evangelical. 4 Divine, or Righteousness of God. Two of these are External, two Internal, all of them together make perfectly righteous before God and men.
1 The first and lowest Righteousness, is that we call Civil, Moral, or Philosophical. The Righteousness of Nations, taught in their Schools, and practised in their Polities. This alone is enough to make one to become bonus Civis, but is the lowest ingredient, which joyned with the other three, makes also the bonus Christianus. This is not to be spoken against; the world is not so full of it. The Prophet complaineth that God had a Controversie with his people for want of moral honesty. There is neither Mercy, nor Truth, nor knowledg of God in the Land, but swearing, Hosea 4. 1, 2…ying▪ killing, stealing, and committing Adultery and bloud touching bloud. Say not this is Heathenish Divinity; it is Christian too; but is their highest point in Divinity and our lowest; where theirs ends, ours is to begin. It is not to be neglected then, but outstripped, neither to be rested in nor laid aside. The Heathen shall sooner be saved with this, then the Christian without it.
2. of Duties, Matth. 5 20. That Philosophical, this Pharisaical; that good, this better; that the effect of the Law unwritten, unless on the stony Table of Mans heart, this of the Law written in Tables of stone. This we call legal Righteousness, or Righteousness of Works, which is not to be spoken against neither, but countenanced. Religion teacheth not to lay aside Holy Duties, but perform them better; not to fail in one▪ but abound in all; not to call any Duty or Commandment little. This was the Righteousness of Zachary and Elizabeth, who walked Matth. 5. 19 Luke 1. 6in all the Ordinances of God blamelesse. Of this the Apostle speaketh, He that doth Righteousness 1 John 3. 7is righteous.
3. The third Righteousness is of Graces: This an inward Righteousnesse, better then both the former, and that which commends them. This the Evangelical Righteousness, made up of Evangelical Graces, Faith, Love, Repentance, Obedience, good Conscience, &c. This the Righteousness of the Gospel, or Law of Faith. This exceeds the Righteousness of Philosophers, and of Scribes and Pharisees. They had the outward works of the Law, without an inward work of Grace: But this Righteousness Grace advanceth and urgeth, The grace of God which Titus 2. 11, 12bringeth Salvation, teacheth us, that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world. And Rom. 5. ult. Grace doth raign by righteousness to eternal life. Yield your members servants to Righteousness unto Holiness.
4. The fourth and best of all, is the Righteeusness of faith, or the Righteousness of Christ, which commendeth all the former and exceeds them. This is called the Righteousness of God for three Reasons. 1 Wrought by the Son of God. 2. Accepted by thePhil. 3. 9 Father. 3. Applyed by the Spirit of God.
The Christians garment is made up of these four; the three first insufficient without this. We must not as the Souldiers, make four of one, but one of four; dividing these and take each one of us a part, (the Heathen Civility, Pharisees duty, the Professors Piety, and the Believers imputed Righteousnesse) but make up a whole garment of these four quarters,Deut. 22. 1… Num…. 15. 39 as the Israelites garment was to be, and bound about with one border or fringe of sincerity.
Christ and all his followers are cloathed alike; he in white, sitting on a white horse, Revel. 19. 11. They so, ver. 14 And the Lambs wife hath the same garment also; all in white, this difference only, that Christ his Garments are white as snow or wool (native, undied) the purest white; ours of linnen, not white naturally, but (made so) by washing. These have washed their garments in the bloud of the Lamb, and made themRev. 7. 14 white.