these things the hypocrite minds not, regards not. The righteousness of an hypocrite is not only imperfect, but impure, a rag, a filthy rag ; and therefore he that rests upon such a righteousness must needs miscarry to all eternity, Isa. Ixiv. 6. O sirs ! who will say that that man needs a saviour, that can fly to heaven upon the wings of his own duties and services ? If a man's duties can pacify an infinite wrath, and satisfy an infinite justice, then farewell Christ,. and welcome duties. He that will rest upon his own righteousness for life and justification, must needs sit down on this side salvation. ; he that rests upon his duties, and that rests upon a gift of knowledge, a gift of utterance, a gift of memory, or a gift of prayer, though he may come near to heaven, and bid fair for heaven, yet he will never be able to get into heaven. Now, how sad is it for a man to lose himself and his soul in a wilderness of duties, when he is upon the borders, yea, the very brink, of the holy land. He that rests upon anything in him, or done by him, as a means to procure the favour of God, or the salvation, of his soul, will put such a cheat upon himself as will undo him for ever. Non-submission to the righteous- ness of Christ keeps Christ and the hypocrite asunder. Christ will never love nor like to put the fine, clean, white linen of his own right- eousness upon the old garment, the old rags of an hypocrite's duties, Rev. xix. 7, 8 ; neither will Christ ever delight to put his new wine into such old bottles. Mat. ix. 16, 17. An hypocrite's confidence in his own righteousness turns his righteoasness into filthiness, Prov. xxi. 27. But now a sincere Christian, he renounces his own righteousness, he re- nounces all confidence in the flesh, Philip, iii. 3 ; he looks upon his- own righteousness as dung, yea, as dogs' meat, as some iutei'pret the word cxufSaXa in that Phihp. iii. 8- ;^ he will say no more to his duties, to the works of his hands, ' Ye are my gods,' Hosea xiv. 3. When they look upon the holiness of God's nature, the righteousness of his- government, the severity of his law, the terror of his wrath, they see an absolute and indispensable necessity of a more glorious righteousness than their own to appear before God in. A sincere Christian sets the highest price and value upon the righteousness of Christ : Ps. Ixxi. 16, ' I will make men- tion of thy righteousness, even of thine only.' Mark the em<phasis doubled, ' of thine,' and ' thine only.' A sincere Christian is convinced of the nature, worth, and excellency of the righteousness of Christ, and therefore he cries out, ' I will make mention of thy righteousness, of thine only.' The costly cloak of Alcisthenes, which Dionysius sold to the Carthaginians for an hundred talents, .was indeed a mean and beggaidy rag in a sincere Christian's eye, to that embroidered mantle of righteousness that Christ puts upon his. A sincere Christian rejoices in the righteousness of Christ above all : Isa. Ixi. 10, 'I will greatly re- joice 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.' It is matter of joy, and a sign of great favour from the great Turk, when a rich garment is cast upon any that comes into his presence.'' Oh then, what matter of joy must it be to a sincere Christian to have the rich and
' ■s.n.i^a.xa, dicuntur quasi, KvrlfixXa.. Vide Bezam ; vide A-Lapide. 2 Kuolles' Hist, [as before. — G.]
Chap. IV.] a cabinet of jewels. 445
royal garment of Christ's righteousness cast upon him ! Isa. xxviii. 16. A sincere Christian rests on the righteousness of Christ as on a sure foundation : Isa. xlv. 24, ' Surel}-- sliall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength.' It was a very sweet and golden expression of one, when he thought himself to be at the point of death : * I confess,' said he, ' I am not worthy ; I have no merits of mine own to obtain heaven by ; but my Lord had a double right thereunto ; an hereditary right as a Son, and a meritorious right as a sacrifice ; he was contented with the one right himself, the other right he hath given unto me, by the virtue of which gift I do rightly lay claim unto it, and am not confounded.'' A smcere Christian looks upon the righteous- of Christ as that which renders him most splendid and glorious in the eyes of God : Philip, iii. 9, ' 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.' ' The church,' saith Marloratus, ' which puts on Christ and his righteousness, is more illustrious than the air is by the sun.' ^ A sincere Christian looks upon the righteousness of Christ as his only security against wrath to come, 1 Thes. L 10. Wrath to come is the greatest wrath, wrath to come is the purest wrath, wrath to come is infinite wrath, wrath to come is ever- lasting wrath. Now the sincere Christian, he knows no way under heaven to secure himself from wrath to come, but byputtingon the robe of Christ's righteousness, Rom. xiii. 14. The storytells us, if we may believe it, that Pilate being called to Rome to give an account unto the emperor for some misgovernment and mal-ad ministration, he put on the seamless coat of Christ, and all the time he had that coat upon his back, Caesar's fury was abated. There is nothing that can abate the wrath and fury of a sin-revenging God, but the seamless coat of God's righteousness. Well, for a close remember this, there is never an hypocrite in the world that is more pleased, satisfied, delighted and contented with the righteousness of Christ, than with his own, <&c. Though an hypocrite may be much in duties, yet he never lives above his duties ; he works for life, and he rests in his work, and this proves his mortal wound. But,