2. The second royal fort that Christians should have their eyes, their hearts fixed upon, whether their graces or gracious evidences sparkle and shine, or are clouded and obscured, is the mediatory righteousness of Christ} Beloved, there is a twofold righteousness in Christ. First, there is his essential and personal righteousness as God. Now, this essential personal righteousness cannot be imputed to us ; but then there is, secondly, his mediatory righteousness, that is, that righteous- ness which he wrought for us as mediator, whereby he did subject him- self to the precepts, to the penalties, commands, and curses, answering both God's vindictive and rewarding justice. This is communicated to us and made ours, by virtue of which we stand recti in curia, justified in God's sight. The mediatory righteousness of Christ is the matter of our justification. Now, this mediatory righteousness of Christ includes, jlrst, the habitual holiness of his person in the absence of all sin, and in the rich and plentiful presence of all holy and requisite qualities ; secondly, the actual holiness of his life and death by obedience. By his active obedience he perfectly fulfilled the commands of the law, and by his passive obedience, his voluntary sufferings, he satisfied the
' Imputed rigliteousness seems to be prefigured by the skins wherewith the Lord after the fall clothed our first parents. The bodit-s of the beasts were fur sacrifice, and the skins to put them in mind that their own righteousness was, like the fig-leaves, imperfect, and that therefore thej must be justified another way.
Chap. V.] a cabinet of jewels. 485
penalty and commination of the law for transgressions. Mark, that perfect satisfaction to divine justice in whatsoever it requires, either in way of punishing for sin, or obedience to the law, made by the Lord Jesus Christ, God and man, the mediator of the new covenant, as a com- mon head representing all those whom the Father hath given to him, and made over unto them that believe in him :' this is that righteous- ness that is imputed to us in justification. No other righteousness can justify us before the throne of God. Look, as Christ was made sin for us only by imputation, so we are made righteous only by the imputa- tion of his righteousness to us, as the Scripture clearly evidences : 2 Cor. V. 2], 'He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.' Jer. xxiii. 6, ' The Lord our righteousness.' A soul truly sensible of his own unrighteous- ness, would not have this sentence, ' The Lord our righteousness,' blotted out of the Bible for ten thousand thousand worlds. 1 Cor. i. 30, ' Christ Jesus is made unto us of God, wisdom, righteousness,' &c. And pray, how is Christ made righteousness to the believer ? Not by way of mfusion, but imputation ; not by putting righteousness into him, but by putting a righteousness upon him, even his own righteousness ; by the imputing his merit, his satisfaction, his obedience unto them, through which they are accepted as righteous unto eternal life : Rom. V. 19, 'As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.' Christ's right- eousness is his in respect of inhesion, but it is ours in respect of impu- tation ; his righteousness is his personally, but ours meritoriously. Look, as there is a true and real union between us and Christ, so there is a real imputation of Christ's righteousness to us. And a gracious soul triumphs more in the righteousness of Christ imputed than he •would have done if he could have stood in the righteousness in which he was created. This is the crowning comfort to a sensible and under- standing soul, that he stands righteous before a judgment-seat in that full, exact, perfect, complete, matchless, spotless, peerless, and most acceptable righteousness of Christ which is imputed to him. The right- eousness of Christ is therefore called ' the righteousness of God,' Rom. iii 21, 22 ; x. 3 ; Philip, iii. 9, because it is it which God hath designed, and which God doth accept for us in our justification, and for and in which he doth acquit and pronounce us righteous before his seat of justice. That we are freely justified by the righteousness of Christ im- puted to us, is the very basis, foundation, and state of [the] Christian re- ligion, whereby it is distinguished from all other religions whatsoever. Jews, Turks, pagans, and papists explode an imputed righteousness ; yea, papists jeer it, calling it a putative righteousness. Well, sirs, remember this once for all, viz., that the mediatory righteousness of Christ is the life of your souls, and will afford you these most admirable comforts.*^
[1.] First, In this righteousness there is enough to satisfy the justice of God to the utmost farthing. The mediatory righteousness of Christ is so perfect, so full, so exact, so complete, and so fully satisfactory to the justice of God, as that divine justice cries out, I have enough,
1 Osiander was of opinion that men were justified by the essential righteousness of Christ as God, which opinion is largely confuted by Calvin in his ' Institutions.' {Sub nomine. — G."]
2 Luther's great fear was, that when ho was dead this glorious doctrine of free justifi- cation by the righteousness of Christ would be sent packing out of the world.
486 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. V.
and I require no more ; J have found a ransom, and I am fully pacified towards you, Ezek. xvi. 62, 63. But,
[2.] Secondly, This mediatory righteousness of Christ takes away all our unrighteousness ; it cancels every bond, it takes aivay all iniquity, and ansivers for all our sins, Isa. liii. ; Col. ii. 12-1 5. Lord, here are my sins of omission, and here are my sins of commission ; but the righteousness of Christ hath answered for them all. Here are my sins against the law, and here are my sins against the gospel, and here are my sins against the offers of grace, the tenders of grace, the strivings of grace, the bowels of grace ; but the righteousness of Christ hath answered for them all. When a cordial was offered to one that was sick. Oh, said he, the cordial of cordials which I daily take is this : ' The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sins,' 1 John i. 7. O sirs ! it would be high blasphemy for any to imagine that there should be more demerit in sin, in any sin, in all sin, to condemn a be- liever, than there is merit in Christ's righteousness to absolve him, to justify him, Rom. viii. 1, 33-85. But,