An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

But you will say, what is it to give or ascribe righteousness to God?

I answer, It is to acknowledge, that God is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 'Tis mans duty to justify God, to ascribe that righteousness to him, which is properly his own. 'Tis Gods grace, his free-grace to justify man, to ascribe that righteousness to him which is properly another's. David made profession of the former as his duty, (Psal. 50.3, 4.) I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me; that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and clear when thou judgest: That is, I'll confess my sin,¹ that all the world may see the righteousness of thy dealings with me, though thou shouldest deal never so severely with me, though thou shouldest speak the bitterest things against me, & pronounce a sentence of heaviest judgement upon me. The Apostle referring to this place in the Psalms, quotes the words in a passive form and sense, not of God judging man, but of God judged by man, (Rom. 3.4.) Let God be ⟨p. 148⟩true, but every man a liar; as it is written, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. As if David had said, according to the Apostles reading out of the Septuagint, (which yet as learned Beza in his Annotations affirmeth,² ought to be expounded actively, as if, I say, David had thus expressed himself) Lord, I know some men will take the boldness to question thee, yea and to condemn thee of rigour, when they see thy afflicting hand heavy upon me; therefore, either to prevent such rash judgements of man, or that thou mayest gain the day, and have the better in the opinion of all good and wise men, over thy Judges, Behold, I here freely confess my great sin, with all the aggravating circumstances of it, and surely they who know, or shall hear, how greatly I have sinned against thee, cannot but justify thee, how great soever my sufferings may be. To speak thus is to ascribe righteousness unto God, in all that he doth, whether with respect to his public judgements upon Nations, or particular, upon persons, in any way of affliction he is pleased, and seeth need, to exercise them with.