The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

If you pretend not to any such certainty, but rely upon your own judgment of your case; are you sure you are neither mistaken in the notion of the righteousness required, nor in the application of it to your own souls?

If you pretend not to any such certainty, but rely upon your own judgment of your case; are you sure you are neither mistaken in the notion of the righteousnesse required, nor in the application of it to your own souls?

Possibly you may think your self, because in your ordinary dealings you wrong no man (your self being judge) a very righteous person. But evident it is, when the Scripture uses this term as descriptive of Gods own people, and to distinguish between them that shall be saved, and perish, it takes it in that comprehensive sense, before explained. And however, it requires, at least, much more of thee under other expressions, as thou canst hardly be so ignorant, but to know. And do but use thy reason here a little, and demand of thy self. Is he to be accounted a righteous person that thinks it fit to avoid wronging a man, but makes no conscience at all of wronging God? More particularly. Is it righteous to ⟨p. 220⟩live all thy days in a willing ignorance of the Author of thy being, never once to enquire where is God my Maker? ¹Is it righteous to forget him, days without number, not to have him from day to day in all thy thoughts? Is it righteous to estrange thy self from him, and live as without him in the world? while thou livest, movest, and hast thy being in him? not to glorify him in whose hands thy breath is? to be a lover of pleasure more then God? a worshipper, in thy very soul, of the creature, more then of the Creator? Is it righteous to harden thy heart against his fear and love? to live under his power, and never reverence it, his goodness, and never acknowledge it? to affront his Authority, to belie his Truth, abuse his Mercy, impose upon his Patience, defy his Justice? to exalt thy own interest against his, the trifling petite interest of a silly worm, against the great all comprehending interest of the common Lord of all the world? to cross his will, to do thy own? to please thy self, to the displeasing of him? whence hadst thou thy measures of Justice, if this be just?