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SERM.

V.

2. Moral perfection, or righteoufneffe, is the glorie and perfection of God himself. Confequently, it must be the chief excellence of all rational beings. I fay, moral perfection is the glorie and perfection of God himfelf. Hereby he is truly excellent and amiable: foraímuch as befide his power, knowledge and understanding, he is a being of unvariable truth, everlasting righteoufneffe, inflexible equity, and abundant goodneffe. When Mofes defired to fee God, the divine glorie and character were reprefented to him after this manner: The Lord paffed by before him, and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longfuffering, and abunPf. xi. 7. dant in goodnesse and truth. The Pfalmift obferves: The righteous Lord loveth righteous

Exod. xxxiv. 6.

9.

neffe: his countenance does behold the upright. ...xcviii. And in another place: Rejoyce before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteoufnele will be judge the world, and the people with equity. In one of the Prophets it is writen: Let him that glorieth, glory in this; that he knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindnesse, judgement and righteoufneffe in the earth. For in these things do I delight, faith the Lord. Our bleffed

Jer. ix.

24.

Lord

V.

Lord recommends it to us, to be perfect, even SER M. as our Father which is in heaven is perfect; that is, to imitate him in truth, righteouf- Mat. v. neffe and goodneffe: to aim at a holineffe, 48. refembling the holineffe of God. And fays St. Paul: that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteoufneffe and true bolineffe.

This clearly fhews the excellence of real holineffe, that it is the perfection of the divine nature and that by becoming truly holy, we gain a resemblance of God himself.

Eph. iv.

24.

3. The excellence and importance of real holineffe, or moral righteoufneffe, are evident from the frequent declarations in Scripture concerning it's abfolute neceffity to our acceptance with God, and our obtaining the heavenly inheritance. We have feen at large, how the neceffity of this holineffe to acceptance with God, is reprefented in this text and context. In the New Teftament, where future recompenfes are more infifted on, it is plainly declared, that without bolineffe no man fhall fee Hebr. xii. the Lord. And blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall fee God. And he that hath this. hope in him, purifyeth himself, as he is pure.

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14.

SERM.

V.

Tit. ii.

14.

4. Virtue, or true bolineffe, is reprefented in Scripture as the end of all ordinances, and of all the revelations of God's will made to mankind. Jefus Chrift gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. And for this purpose was the 1 John iii. Son of God manifefted, to take away our fins, and to destroy the works of the devil. Through the knowledge of Chrift God has 2 Pet. i. given us all things conducive to life and godlinesse, or fuited to promote a godly life: that we might be partakers of the divine nature.

8.

3.4.

I Tim. i. And St. Paul exprefsly fays, that Charity is the end of the commandment.

5.

Hof. vi. 16.

5. This farther appears from the earneftneffe, with which true bolineffe is recommended in every part of the word of God: and from the preference, which is conftantly given to fuch bolineffe above obedience to ritual ordi

nances.

This is evident to every one, who is

at all acquainted with the Scriptures.

God himself fays, he defired mercie, and not facrifice: and the knowledge of himself, more than burnt-offerings.

The feveral branches of moral righteoufneffe are the things principally infifted on by

our

V.

our bleffed Lord in that, which is called his SERM. fermon on the mount. The like things are also earnestly recommended to Chriftians in the later part of all the apoftolical epiftles.

XXII. 40.

Our Lord declared, the love of God and Matt. our neighbour, and not ritual ordinances and appointments, to be the fum and substance of the Law and the Prophets. It is also the fum of his own doctrine, and of the preaching and writings of his Apoftles.

From all which particulars we evidently difcern the excellence and importance of virtue, moral righteousneffe, or righteousnesse and true holineffe.

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III. I fhall now conclude with fome infe-
rences by way of application.

1. We bence perceive the ground of the preference, which is always given by wife men, and by the Scriptures, to righteousnesse and true bolinesse above obedience to pofitive precepts, or ritual appointments. The obligation of thefe is founded in the will of God: but the former are reasonable in themselves, having a real excellence. And befides, they are alfo the will and commandment of God: and his will more especially, and above, and in H 2 pre

SERM. preference to all other laws and command

V.

Matt.

xiii. 49.

ments.

2. We perceive alfo, why mens characters are chiefly determined by the practise of virtue and true holineffe, or the contrarie, and why future rewards and punishments are to be difpenfed accordingly. As our Lord declares, the wicked will go away

into everlafiing xxv. 46. punishment, and the righteous into life eternal. So it will be. And we now perceive, why

The righteous

it muft, and should be fo.
have fulfilled the will of God, and performed
that obedience, which was the end of pofi-
tive appointments, the others not. The right-
eous, the virtuous, have acted right, with
fincerity, in their state of trial. They have
attained fome refemblance of the divine na-
ture, and fome preparedneffe for the heavenly
ftate, of which the others are deftitute.

may

3. What has been faid upon this argument

be of use to fhew, the mistake of those who defpife, and fpeak lightly of morality. Poffibly, they do not thereby mean the fame thing, which thofe do, who magnify it, and earnestly recommend it. But they should confider, that morality, in it's more proper fenfe and meaning, is not merely honefty in the traffick

and

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