the righteousness of the law; and thus it addreffes the anxious enquirer. Say not in thy heart, Who shall afcend into heaven? that is, to bring Chrift down from above; as though he had not appeared in human nature, to perform a righteoufnefs for the juftification of finners. Nor does it bid thee enquire, Who fhall defcend into the deep? that is, to bring up Chrift again from the dead; as if he had not perfectly paid the debt, for which, as a furety, he became refponsible; and received in his refurrection, from the hand of his Father, an acquittance in full, for himself and his people. But what faith it, what then is its language? The word of the gofpel, which reveals this righteoufnefs, is nigh thee, finful and wretched as thou art. near, as to be in thy mouth to proclaim its excellence, and in thy heart to enjoy its comforts; that is the word, the doctrine of faith which we preach. And it further informs us, That if thou shalt confefs, with thy mouth, the Lord Jefus, as dying an accurfed death for thy redemption; and fhalt believe in thine heart that God hath raifed him from the dead, as a divine teftimony that the atonement made was accepted, and for thy juftifiCation nou shalt be faved, from eternal mifery, and exalted to the joys of heaven *. Even fo Here we have the language of this divine righteoufnefs defcribed, both negatively and pofitively. Negatively: We are not commanded by it, to do fome ar◄ duous work in order to obtain acceptance; nor are we required to do any thing at all, for that purpose. For believing in Chrift, which is here mentioned, is, in the bufinefs of juftification, oppofed to works and doings of every kind t. The faith here defigned, is to be confidered, as the receiving of Chrift and his righteousness; or, as a dependence on him alone for falvation. Believ ing the gospel-report, we receive the atonement; we * Rom. x. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. t. Rom. iv. 5, 16. Gal. iii. 12, 13. enjoy the comfort; and have the earnest of future glory. But as the awakened finner is ever difpofed to imagine, that he muft do some great thing in order to obtain the pardon of fin and peace for his confcience; therefore the language of this righteoufnefs is alfo defcribed pofitively. Here it declares, that the obedience, by which alone there is favour with God and an hope of happiness, is already performed: and, that the anxious enquirer, is not left to a dubious peradventure, how he may come at it; for it is brought near him in the word of grace, with a free welcome to rely on it and ufe it as his own, to the everlasting honour of its divine Author. Before we take our leave of this inftructive text, we may obferve, by a comparison of what the apoftle fays about the righteousness of faith, with what Mofes fays concerning the righteoufness of the lawThat wheerbl thinks of doing any good work, as the condition of life, is ignorant of that obedience which the gofpel reveals; is under the law, as a covehant; is a debtor to perform the whole; and, as a breaker of it, is obnoxious to its awful curfe. This is his cafe even when, with the pharifee in the parable, he gives thanks to God for affifting him to perform the fuppofed condition, whether great or fimall. For the righteoufnefs of the law, and the righteousness of faith, here diftinguished, are directly oppofed. This is evident from the fcope of the place in general; and, especially, from the adverfative but, with which what is faid, about the righteousness of faith, is introduced. Nor is this excellent obedience lefs ufeful to the finner than perfect in itself. For here we behold that holy law, which we have broken, highly honoured; and that awful juftice, which we have offended, completely fatisfied. By this righteoufnefs the believer is acquitted from every charge, is perfectly justified, and fhall be eternally faved. In this confummate work, Jehovah declares himself well pleafed *, and in it all the glories of the Godhead fhine.-Yes, the obedience of our adorable Sponfor, is great, as the wisdom of God could devife; perfect, as infinite rectitude itfelf could demand. Excellent righteoufhefs! Who would not, with Paul, defire to be found in it? and who, that is confcious of an intereft in it, can ceafe to admire and adore, the grace that provided, and the Saviour that wrought it? And is the obedience of the Lord Redeemer, fo glorious in its nature, fo excellent in its properties, fo free in the manner of its communication to the finner, and fo extensively useful to all who poffefs it? What encouragement, then, has the miferable finner to look to it! How fafely may he confide in it, as allfufficient to justify his ungodly foul! For, be the demands of the divine law and infinite juftice ever fo great, or numerous, or dreadful; the work of Chrift completely anfwers them all. There is greater efficacy in the grace of God, and the work of his incarnate Son, to juftify and fave from deferved deftruction, than there can be in the offence of the creature, to expose to it. And it Nor can it seem ftrange that the work of Chrift fhould be thus efficacious. For, God the Son performed it, in the capacity, and under the character of a furety. God the Father declares his delight in it, and treats as his children all those that are vefted with it. is the principal bufinefs of God the Holy Spirit, as a guide and a comforter, to teftify of it. So that every other righteoufnefs, in comparifon with it, is quite infignificant. If fet in competition with it, is viler than drofs, and worfe than nothing. The faints of old declared, that they would go forth in the firength of the Lord, and make mention of his righteoufnefs, even of his only. Yes, in this righteoufnefs, Chriftians in all ages have gloried, both living and dying, as the only Ifaiah xlii. 21. ground of their hope. In this most perfect obedience, believers here are exalted, and the faints in light triumph. For the work finished on the crofs, is the burden of their fongs.-But who can point out all its beauties? Who can fhew forth half its praife? For, after all that has been written or faid about it, by prophets or apostles, here on earth; after all that has been fung or can be conceived, by faints or angels in the world of glory; we may affert, that confidered under its divine character, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JEHOVAH, it exceeds all poffible praife. The inhabitants of the heavenly world must be confcious, that their loftieft ftrains, though expreffed with feraphic ardour and the most rapturous devotion; fall vastly short of displaying all its glory. So that, "When Gabriel founds these glorious things, "He tunes and fummons all his ftrings." 1 CHAP. XIII. Concerning the CONSUMMATION of the glorious Reign of Grace. S divine grace is glorious in itself, and infinitely A fuperior to all that is called by that name, or can be exercifed, among meu; and as the way in which it reigns is abfolutely without a parallel, and fuch as will for ever endear it to all who are interested in it ; fo the end of its benign agency and triumphant government is equally glorious; for it is eternal life. ETERNAL LIFE! reviving thought! This is the end which God defigns, in fubordination to his own glory, in all his gracious difpenfations towards his people. The expreffive phrafe is ufed in fcripture to fignify, An everlafting jtate of complete holiness and confummate happiness, in the vifion and fruition of God, in all his perfons and perfections. Such is the blissful ftate, to which Grace, as a fovereign, infallibly brings her fubjects, through the perfon and work of Imma nuel. In order to affift our feeble and contracted minds, in forming fome faint ideas of this fupreme bleffednefs, and to inform us who fhall enjoy it; it is compared, in the facred writings, to the most delightful and glorious things which come under our notice in the prefent world. For inftance: To denote its fuperabounding delights, it is called paradife *, in allufion to the Garden of Eden. For, at God's right-hand are pleasures for evermore.-To fignify its grandeur, magnificence and glory, it is called a crown and a kingdom t. As a crown, it is unfading and incorruptible. To intimate that none fhall enjoy it, but in virtue of the Redeemer's obedience, it is denominated, Luke xxiii. 43. 2 Cor. xii. 2, 4. |