THE CITIZEN OF ZION A WORKER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

PSALM XV. 2.

-And worketh Righteousness.—

HERE is the second character of an inhabitant of heaven. He is a worker, not one that standeth idle in the market-place; but a doer of good works: he worketh righteousness towards God and man, making it his business to give both to God and man their due. For the words are general, taking in whatsoever is just and righteous, whether owing to God or man.

The doctrine natively arising from the text is as follows, viz.

DocT. It is he that worketh righteousness now in this world, that shall dwell in heaven hereafter.

In prosecuting this doctrine, I shall,

I. Unfold this character of one that shall dwell in heaven, He worketh righteousness.

II. Confirm the doctrine.

III. Apply.

I. I am to unfold this character of one that shall dwell in heaven, He worketh righteousness. I take it up in three parts.

First, He is a believer in Christ, and righteous by faith. This is a necessary and chief branch of this character, according to our Lord's own testimony, John vi. 29, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." He that does not work this work, works no righteousness at all. The imputed righteousness of a Redeemer is the meat abiding unto everlasting life, which our Lord calls us to work, that is, to get to ourselves by faith, ver. 27. Gr. To be a worker of righteousness supposes one to be in the first place a believer, one laying hold on and embracing Christ for righteousness, and living by faith in him. This appears,

1. A man must first be righteous, before he can work righteousness of life, 1 John iii. 7, "He that doth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." The tree makes the fruit, not the fruit the tree and therefore the tree must be good, before the fruit can be good, Matth. vii. 18. A righteous man may make a righteous work, but no work of an unrighteous man can make him righteous. Now we become righteous only by faith through the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, Rom. v. 1.

2. A soul not united to Jesus Christ, cannot work righteousness, John xv. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. All life and strength

spiritual for sinners, is treasured up in Christ, 1 John v. 11, 12. As the pipe laid short of the fountain, must be empty of water; so is the soul of life and strength, which is not united to Christ. And it is by faith that souls are united to him. So, where there is no faith, there is no life; and where there is no life, there is no working of righteousness.

3. While the conscience is not purged of the guilt of eternal death, the works wrought by the man are but dead works, not works of righteousness, Heb. ix. 14. And it is only the blood of Christ applied by faith that can purge the conscience, remove the curse, which, while it lies on a man, will leave him eternally barren.

4. Lastly, Faith is the spring of all good works. There the man's working of righteousness begins, 1 Tim. i. 5. 1 John iii. 12. How was it that Abel wrought righteousness? The apostle tells us, Heb. xi. 4, "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness, that he was righteous." And without it no man can do a work pleasing to God, and therefore no righteous work, ver. 6. Whatever unbelievers do is but a shadow of righteousness. They are not married to Christ, therefore they cannot bring forth fruit to God; they are not begotten again, and made his children; therefore their obedience is but slavish : they are not partakers of his life, therefore their works are but dead.

Wherefore let men work as they will, if they be not true believers in Christ, they are not workers of righteousness; and, consequently, they will not be dwellers in heaven. Ye must then close with Christ in the first place, and by faith receive the gift of imputed righteousness, or ye will never truly bear this character of a citizen of Zion. A man shall as soon force fruit out of a branch broken off from the tree and withered, as work righteousness without believing in, and uniting with Christ. These are two things by which those that hear the gospel are ruined.

(1.) One is, works without faith; and here the legalist settles. Witness the Pharisee, Luke xviii. 11, 12, "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess." And this he does to his own destruction. He aims at the duties of the law, but neglects the great duty of the gospel. He aims to do good, but never takes the right way, the only way to be good. Hence his religion is no more but a parcel of hypocritical performances, dead works, the man himself being still a stranger to the life of God, because out of Christ.

In opposition to this, the citizen of Zion is a believer, one that

has closed with Christ by faith, and that still lives by faith, Gal. ii. 20, deriving virtue and strength from Jesus, and leaning on his righteousness alone; who was taken, and doth still take Christ for righteousness and sanctification too, Isa. xlv. 24. Agreeable to this first part of the character,

(2.) The other is, faith without works; which is but a dead faith, that will never save the soul. With this carnal gospellers satisfy themselves to their own destruction, James ii. 14, 11, "What doth it profit, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." They pretend to believe in Christ, but are not conscientious in the performance of holy duties. They will take Christ for their Priest to save them from hell, but not for their King to save them from their sins. And so in effect they would make Christ the minister of sin.

In opposition to this, the citizen of Zion, being a true believer, is a worker too, a worker of righteousness. Being married to Christ, he brings forth the fruit of holy obedience; being raised with Christ, he lives to God, and serves in newness of the spirit. This brings me to the

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Second part, He worketh righteousness towards God. He is one that labours sincerely to give God his due, being just and righteous in his dealings with his Maker. There is a duty that men owe to God, by the rule of justice: it is just that we perform it, and it is a wrong done to him, to withhold it, because it is his due from us, Matth. xxii. 21. Render unto God the things that are God's. And thus men are said to work righteousness, Isa. Ixiv. 5. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness. Acts x. 35, In every nation, he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." The true Christian that shall be a dweller in heaven, being furnished from heaven by faith for working righteousness, worketh accordingly, sincerely endeavouring to give God his due. And this part of his character shall be branched out in the following particulars.

1. He gives God his heart. God requires it, Prov. xxiii. 26. My son, give me thine heart. It is his due, because he made it, and he alone is the fit match for it, and only can satisfy it: and the believer gives it him, saying, as Psal. lxxiii. 25. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee." He gives God his heart, to be his temple, his throne, the holy of holies consecrated to him. He lifts his heart and affections off the world, his lusts, yea even his lawful comforts, and gives it back to the proper owner; not daring to alienate it, knowing that to be sacrilegious robbing of God.

2. He gives God himself, as the Macedonians did, of whom it is said, that they first gave their own selves to the Lord, 2 Cor. viii. 5. The man does not look on himself as proprietor and master of himself. He is the Lord's by creation, and the Lord's by baptismal dedication, by redemption, by daily conservation: and therefore he makes himself the Lord's also by voluntary resignation, saying, I am the Lord's, Isa. xliv. 5. He owns himself debtor to God for his being, and therefore accounts it just that he be for him, Hos. iii. 3. and therefore that soul and body be employed for him, 2 Cor. vi. 20. 3. He gives obedience to God, Luke i. 6. Obedience is his due

from us. He is the Lord, our Creator and Sovereign Lord; our Redeemer; and therefore we are bound to obey him, Exod. xx. 2. He is our King and Lawgiver, our Father and supreme Master, Mal. i. 6. And the conscience of duty owing to him, on all these and other accounts, moves them that shall dwell in heaven to be obedient to him, as his creatures, subjects, children, and servants. And they gave him illimited obedience, as their absolute Lord, not disputing, but doing his commands, as Abraham did, Gen. xxii.; universal obedience, as knowing that all his precepts are right, Psal. cxix. 128; the obedience of the inner man, resigning their souls to the will of his commands and of his providence: and of the outward man, studying a blameless life, Luke i. 6. Psal. xxiv. 3, a cheerful, son-like obedience, with heart and good-will, Isa. lxiv. 5; and constant obedience, Psal. cxix. 112.

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4. He gives God his worship, John ix. 31. He is our God, and therefore it is his due, Matth. iv. 10; and they who will not worship him, would ungod him if they could. But they that shall dwell in heaven, walk in the ordinances of his worship, as well as in his commands of obedience, Luke i. 6. They are universal in his worship, ibid.; they dare not keep back a part of his known worship from him. They give him outward worship, in prayer, praise, &c. They worship him in secret, Matth. vi. 6; in their families, if they have a family, being awed by that threatening, "Pour out thy fury upon-the families that call not on thy name;" and in the congregation of his people. And they join inward worship with the outward, which distinguisheth them from the hypocrite, as the other from the profane, John iv. 24. Phil. iii. 3. The inward worship is the worship of the heart, in faith, fear, love, patience, humiliation, &c.

5. He gives God the use of his talents. It is his due, for they are all his, given to men to improve them for him. They that shall dwell in heaven, know that their time is the Lord's, and they must be accountable to him for it; therefore they dare not squander it

away idly, doing nothing, far less wickedly doing mischief, Psal. xc. 12. Their gifts are the Lord's, given them to profit withal, 1 Cor. xii. 7; therefore they dare neither keep them laid up in the napkin of civility, satisfying themselves that they do no ill with them, as the slothful servant did, Luke xix. 20; nor hide them in the earth of carnality, laziness, and worldly-mindedness, so burying them, Matth. xxv. 25; knowing that both the one and the other are rejected of God, as unprofitable servants; that their wealth, honour, credit, authority, opportunities of doing good, are the Lord's; that God has entrusted them there with for his own service, and they must reckon for the use of them, Luke xvi. 2; and therefore it is their care to honour the Lord with their substance, to improve their honour, &c. for God, 1 Sam. ii. 30. to do good as they have opportunity; that their youth, health, and strength are the Lord's; that these will not last, and therefore they will use them for God, while they have them; knowing that the best is his due.

6. He gives God the praise and thankful acknowledgment of all his comforts and enjoyments, Psal. c. 3. It is his due, for they are all his benefits. Our daily bread we have at his table: he gives us our good things, he gives us the good of them; and nothing can be more comfortable to us than he makes it to be. So while others sacrifice to their own net, and say as Deut. viii. 17. "My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth; they remember the Lord, for it is he that giveth them power to get wealth," verse 18. This thankfulness runs out into a stream of obedience.

7. He gives God the disposal of his lot, Psal. xlvii. 4. It is his due; hence is that, Matth. xx. 15. "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?" So they that shall dwell in heaven are self-denied ones; all they have in the world is at his disposal, their health, wealth, liberty, and life itself, Luke xiv. 26.

8. Lastly, He gives God the chief part in all his duty to man, out of conscience towards God doing his duty to men: his piety is the fountain of his justice, Eph. vi. 7. This is God's due, because he is the best of beings, therefore to be loved for himself, and all others for his sake. Hence he serves God in all his relations, and dealings with men, doing his duty to them as the will of God: so his love to God is the spring of his duty to men.

These are they that work righteousness; and without doubt, it may be seen, that there are few such in the world.

He that shall

Thirdly, He works righteousness towards man. dwell in heaven hereafter, as he believes in Christ, and performs his duty to God in sincerity, so he is conscientious in the practice of his duty to his neighbour; and this completes his character as a