chapter before us, presenting himself to us as our precursor in the course to be pursued for the attainment of the full salvation that is in Christ, and to which he had been led by the hand of sovereign grace. His life had been one laborious effort to obtain a justifying righteousness by his conformity to the divine law. On this self-righteousness, till he had discovered its primary and radical deficiency, he prided himself. But now that the loveliness and glory of Christ's obedience appeared to his view, to be reckoned as ours through our faith in him, he relinquished all his confidence in his own obedience to embrace that of Christ, and exulted in the exchange. He was the merchant in the parable seeking after goodly pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. "What things were gain to me," he says himself, "those I counted loss for Christ;-for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ; and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." And he adds,-"let as many of us as be perfect, be thus minded. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample."

How well was this doctrine understood, and how joyously embraced by all the early believers!

No mention was made by them of any name but that of Christ in their pleadings with God for all the blessings of the new covenant, and for eternal life. Christ was made of God unto them, not only wisdom to enlighten them, but righteousness to justify them. "Being justified by faith they had peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" and not only peace, but hope-a rejoicing hope-" rejoicing in hope of the glory of God." Those were the halcyon days of the church. In the Lord men had righteousness and strength, and in the Lord did they glory. The bridal song penned by Isaiah was put into their mouths, on this espousal of their souls to Christ by faith. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God. For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

Nor has this doctrine ever been lost to the church, though it was greatly obscured and tarnished by the errors of Rome. Men returned again to the meretricious ornaments of their own righteousness, and either substituted them for this costliest of heaven's gems, or debased it, by associating them with it, vainly supposing that they were thereby adding to its lustre. But the Reformation brought this doctrine out of its concealment. It shone into Luther's soul, from the

pages of the newly found Testament, at the college of Erfurt, and with it he enlightened thousands of souls sitting in Romish darkness. It was the constant theme of his preaching and writing. His letters, some of which are still extant, were full of it. Thus he speaks: "Learn, my brother, to know Christ; Christ crucified, Christ come down from heaven to dwell with sinners. Learn to sing the new song 'thou Jesus art my righteousness, I am thy sin. Thou hast taken on thyself what was mine, thou hast given me what is thine." He published Theses, and offered to sustain them against any disputant; he announced his theme, CHRIST OUR STRENGTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS. Thus did he attack rationalism, before he attacked superstition, and proclaimed the righteousness of God, before he denounced the additions of men. Multitudes flocked to hear a doctrine so new, and expounded with such a convincing eloquence. "It seemed," says Melancthon, " as if a new day had risen in christian doctrine, after a long dark night. The eyes men were directed to the true sun of righteousness, as arisen upon them-and many saw and felt it with healing in his wings."

of

Luther was another Paul without his inspiration. His experience coincided with that of the "chosen vessel" in the great question of justification and with both, the experience of all sound believers in every age will be in accor

dance. Yes, we must be divested of all selfrighteous appendages. We must see that our gold is but dross, our fine raiment but filthy garments. Our beauty is not the warm glow of health, but an artificial compound, put on to disguise the appearance of a sickly and ghastly hue-offensive and disgusting to those who are made aware from scripture of the deception. This is the picture of the self-righteous sinner drawn by that Divine Spirit who comes to emancipate him from himself, and make him sensible of the munificence of God, and of his own deep misery. "Thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent."

3. There is yet another mark of conformity in the experience of believers, to that of the inspired writers of the New Testament. It is found in their actual and progressive sanctification. This is the fruit of a justified state, and grows out of it, from the moment of our translation into it. Imputed righteousness is followed with an engrafted one, as the requisite qualification for the

enjoyment of that heaven to which it entitles us, and a prelibation of it in the present world.

The evangelical holiness of christians has two features, in both of which the holiness of Christ is distinguished from it, and leaves it in a lower state of resemblance to that of those who were its first participants. It is in combination with a nature still partially evil, and in opposition to it, which was not the case with Christ, who was perfectly and absolutely holy from his birth; and whose nature continued throughout a fountain of purity, goodness and truth, without a taint of corruption, a shadow of defilement, or trace of imperfection. But we have all been sinners before we were saints; and though this superinduced holiness disputes the dominion of sin in us and threatens its extermination, yet its being remains and struggles incessantly to gain the ascendancy. It mingles with our holiest thoughts and mars our brightest actions, and makes them of a mixed and imperfect character, rendering abortive all our attempts at perfect purity. Hence we find ourselves, at an advanced period of the christian life, like the venerable Apostle, still in a state of warfare, having to put off the old man with his deeds, and daily to crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts. Paul is still

a combatant when writing to the Corinthians; and a combatant with one part of himself, the old man, or remaining portion of the body of