C

A

I can do all things through Chrift which ftrengtheneth me, Phil. iv. 13. And that the Fruits, all the Fruits of Righteoufnefs, are by Jefus Chrift, or come from him, Chap. i. 11. who therefore in this refpect alfo may well be termed the Sun of Righteouf nefs.

To which we may likewife add, that as the Works which God hath made. upon Earth by his Power, although they have no light in themfelves whereby they can be feen, yet they appear in all their Beauty and Colours by the Sun reflecting his light upon them; fo the Works which his Servants do, by his Affiftance and Grace, although they have no real worth, nor are exactly righteous in themselves, yet by the Sun of Righteoufnefs reflecting his Righteousness upon them, they feem or are accounted righteous in the fight of God, or as St. Peter fpeaks, they are acceptable to God by Jefus Chrift, 1 Pet. ii. 5. without whom therefore there could be no fuch thing as Righteoufnefs feen upon Earth, no more than there could be Colours with out light. But as by one man's disobedience many were made Sinners, fo by the Obedience of one many are made righteous Rom. v. 19. both fincerely righteous in themfelves, and accepted of as righteous before God, by his Righteousness imputed

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to them. So that all Righteousness, both as it is performed by Men, and as it is approved of by God, comes only from Jefus Chrift. And this feems to be the great reafon wherefore he is here called in a peculiar manner the Sun of Righteoufnefs, and promised to arife to his faithful People with bealing in his wings, that they may grow up as Calves in the stalls; to fhew that it is by him only that they are healed of their Infirmities, and reftored to a found mind, fo as to grow in Grace, and bring forth the Fruits of Righteousness, fuch Righteoufnefs as by him is accepta ble to God, from whom they fhall therefore at the last Day receive the Crown of Righteousness, that Crown which this Sun of Righteousness hath procured for them.

UPON thefe, among many other accounts, Jefus Chrift the Saviour of Mankind may truly be called the Sun of Righteousness, as he is here by the Spirit of Truth itself, for our Admonition and Comfort. For hereby we are put in mind how to think of our bleffed Saviour, and to exercise our Faith in him, fo as to love and honour him with all our Hearts, and to put our whole Truft and Confidence in him for all things neceffary to our eternal Salvation. Forafmuch as we are by this

means

means given to understand, that what the Sun is to this lower World, the fame is Chrift to his Church. But the Sun, as we have heard, is the most excellent, and moft glorious thing that we fee in the World. It is the next Caufe, under God, of all the Light that is in the Air, and of all the Life that any Creatures live upon the Earth. It is that which refrefheth the Earth, and makes it fruitful. It is that alfo which gives a luftre to all things that are about us, fo as to make them pleafing and delightful to the Eye.

AND accordingly, whenfoever I think of my bleffed Saviour, the Sun of Righteoufness I apprehend, or rather by the Eye of Faith I behold him in the highest Heavens, there fhining in Glory and Splendor infinitely greater than any mortal Eye can bear, invested with fupreme Majefty, Honour and Authority over the whole Creation. I behold him there furrounded with an innumerable Company of holy Angels, as fo many fixed Stars, and of glorified Saints as Planets enlightened by him; all his Satellites or Servants waiting upon him, ready upon all occafions to reflect and convey his benign Influences or Favours to his People upon Earth. I fee him yonder, by his own Light; I behold him difplaying his bright Beams, and diffufing

his Light round about, over his whole Church, both that which is triumphant in Heaven, and that which is militant here on Earth; that all the Members of it may fee all things belonging to their Peace. I behold him continually fending down his quickening Spirit upon those who are baptized into, and believe in his holy Name, to regenerate them, to be a ftanding Principle of a new and divine Life in them. I behold him there manifefting himself, and caufing his Face to fhine upon those who look up to him, fo as to refresh and cheer their Spirits, to make them brisk and lively, and able to run with Patience the race that is fet before them. I behold him there continually iffuing forth his Holy Spirit, to actuate and influence the Adminiftration of his Word and Sacraments; that all who duly receive them may thereby grow in Grace, and be fruitful in every good Word and Work. I behold this Sun of Righteoufnefs fhining with fo much Power and Efficacy upon his Church, that all the good Works which are done in it, though imperfect in themfelves, do notwithstanding appear through him as good and righteous in the fight of God himself, and are accordingly rewarded by him. In fhort, as the Sun was made to rule and govern the Day, fo I be

hold this Sun of Righteoufnefs as governing his Church, and ordering all things both within it and without it, fo as to make them work together for the good of those who love God, till he hath brought them all to himself, to live with him in the higheft Heavens, where they alfo fhall by his means, fhine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their Father for ever, Mat. xiii. 43.

COULD we keep thefe and fuch like thoughts of our bleffed Saviour always fresh in our Minds, could we be always thus looking upon him, as the Sun of Righteousness fhining continually upon us and his whole Church, what holy, what heavenly, what comfortable Lives fhould we then lead? We fhould then defpife the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World, as nothing, as lefs than nothing in comparifon of this moft glorious Sun and his Righteoufnefs. We fhould then with St. Paul, count all things but lofs for the excellency of the knowledge of Jefus Chrift our Lord, and fhould count them but dung that we may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having our own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Chrift, the righteoufnefs which is of God by faith, Phil. iii. 8, 9. We should then leave gazing upon the trifles of this lower World, and fhould be always lookZ 2

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