But it is not the Unhappiness of Man to have all his Appetites like thefe, fuch as will either never, or not finally be fatisfied. There are two that are defigned for a full and lafting Satisfaction; the Defire of being happy, and the Defire of being good and vertuous; but still with this material difference between them, That the Defire of Happiness is not abfolutely fecure of Satisfaction, but only upon Condition. The Satisfaction of this Defire is fufpended upon the Quality of our Moral Conduct: But now, the Defire of Goodness and Vertue has, by the Grace and Indulgence of God, an abfolute Title to Satisfaction, and is fure to be throughly gratified: For, fays our Saviour, Bleffed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Shall be filled, without any farther Condition, or Referve.

THAT We may the better comprehend the Senfe and Truth of this Beatitude, it will be necessary

I. To enquire what Righteoufness that is, which if we hunger and thirft after, we shall be filled.

II. WHAT kind of Hunger and Thirst that is, to which this Promife of Repletion is made. III. To make good the Propofition it felf, that those who do hunger and thirst after Righteousness shall be filled.

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To fatisfie the firft Enquiry, I fhall not critically weigh all the Acceptations of the Word Righteousness in Scripture; thinking it fufficient to the Business in hand, to confider the general Kinds and Degrees of Righteoufnels. This therefore may be confidered either in a Judicial, or in a Moral Senfe. Righteoufnefs in a Judicial Senfe imports as much as a Legal Difcharge, whereby the Perfon impleaded becomes Right in the Court, or Righteous. Which Legal Discharge may be again two Ways, either by remitting a Criminal, or by acquitting fufpected or accused Innocence. These are the two Ways of a Legal Discharge; and then is a Perfon judicially righteous, when he is discharg'd either of these two ways, either by the Remiffion of his Guilt, or by the Declaration of his Innocence. The latter of these is properly Juftification; tho' the former be that Juftification whereby Chriftians must expect to ftand in the Judgment of God, fince, in the other Senfe, no Man living fhall be juftified: For we are not juftified as innocent Perfons, but as Sinners; and, accordingly, are not acquitted, but pardoned.

RIGHTEOUSNESS, in a Moral Senfe, may be supposed to import all thofe Divine and Moral Vertues which are required by the Chriftian Law, confifting of the whole Duty of Man, to God, himfelf, and his Neighbour. This latter kind of Righteoufnefs may again be confidered, either Materially and Abstractedly for the bare Vertues themselves, as they are certain fuppofed Actions

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Actions which naturally tend to the Good and Perfection, both of Human Nature, and of Human Society; or elfe Formally and Concretely for fuch and fuch Vertues as fubjected in Man; or for the habitual Will of doing fuch fuppofed Actions, which is formal Vertue, and whereby the Man is denominated vertuous or righteous.

THIS is not one of thofe Diftinctions which are without any Difference: For the Difference is very clear and great. As for Inftance, When it is faid, I love or practife Vertue, and, I am proud of my Vertue, 'tis plain that the Word Vertue does not bear the fame Notion in both Propofitions. For, when it is faid, I love and practife Vertue, there it is plain that Vertue is. taken Materially, for the Abstract Idea of Vertue, which is fuppofed to be the Object of my Love. But when it is faid, I am proud of my Vertue, here 'tis as plain that Vertue is taken Formally, for my Habit of Willing it; whereby I am denominated vertuous: For I cannot be supposed to be proud of Vertue in its Abftract Idea, but only of the Love I have towards it. To be fhort, Moral Vertue may be taken either for the Things which are fit to be done, or for the habitual Will of doing them. The former is the Righteousness of the Law, prefcribing what ought to be done: The latter is the Righteoufnefs of the Man, willing to do what is fo prefcribed. Thefe are the general Kinds of Righteoufness..

Now

Now to the Question; What kind of Righteousness that is, which if we hunger and thirst after, we fhall be filled? I answer, Firft, That the Righteousness here intended cannot be Judicial Righteoufnefs, fince the mere Defire of Pardon or Juftification is not of it felf fuffici ent to procure it, or to avert the Sentence of Condemnation. It must therefore be Moral Righteousness.

IF you ask in what Senfe? Whether as materially, or as formally taken? I think either Senfe may be admitted. But then there will be Difference in the Propofition, according to the Senfe prefumed. For, if Righteousness be here taken Materially, then the Hungring and Thirfting after it will be a fimple and direct Act of the Will: But if Formally, for that Righteousness whereby a Man is formally good and vertuous, then the Hungring and Thirsting af ter it will be a Reflex Act of the Will; that is, a Defire, not of Material Righteousness, but of the Love of Material Righteousness, which is a Man's Formal Righteousness. And this Senfe of Righteoufnefs I take to be most agreeable to the Exigence of this Place, because the Defiring Material Righteousness, by a direct Act of the Will, actually makes a Man formally righteous, and fo prevents and anticipates that Repletion which our Lord promifes as a future Reward and Bleffing. Whereas the Defiring Formal Righteoufnefs, or the Love of Material Righteousness by a Reflect Act, F 4

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fuppofes the Man not yet actually righteous, as he is alfo fuppofed in the Beatitude; and fo leaves him capable of having the Promise made good to him, that he fhall be filled.

Now, as to the Degrees of Chriftian Righteousness, the Mafters of Spiritual Life ufually affign Three. By Degrees, I fuppofe, meaning not all thofe Advances in Righteousness, whereby a Man may exceed either another, or himfelf; for then they might as well have reckoned three Thoufand, there being an infinite Latitude in Goodnefs: But only fuch Advances as imply different Periods, and diftinct States of the Divine Life. These they affign to be Three; grounding this their Divifion upon the Authority of St. John, who, they fay, repre fents Chriftians as under a Threefold State, by bespeaking them under the feveral Titles of Little Children, Toung Men, and Fathers, Joh. 2. 12. By Little Children, meaning young or new Converts, who must be fed with the Milk of the Word, with the plain Doctrins and Principles of Christianity. By Young Men, thofe who are grown up to fome Strength in Holinefs, and have made fome Progrefs in the Mortification of the inferiour Life. By Fathers, thofe who are arrived to a perfect Habit of Goodnefs, and, as far as Human Nature will admit, are fully regenerated into the Divine Life.

But I think this Computation must be retrenched; For, with all the Invention which I