[3.] Thirdly, This righteousness of Christ presents us perfectly righteous in the sight of God. It is that pure, fine, white linen gar- ment whereby our nakedness is covered before the face of God : ' And to her was granted' (that is, to the Lamb's wife) ' that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white : for the fine linen is the right- eousness of saints/ Rev. xix. 8 ; or the righteousnesses or justifications of saints, for the Greek is plural, ra dr/.aiu/jLccra, Some by righteousnesses understand the righteousness of Christ imputed, and the righteousness of Christ imparted ; but I rather close with those who say it is an Hebraism ; the plural righteousnesses noting that most perfect, com- plete, absolute righteousness which Christ is pleased to put upon his people, Eph. v. 27. Upon the account of this righteousness of Christ, the church is said to be without spot or wrinkle, and to be all fair : ' Thou art all fair, my love ; there is no spot in thee,' Cant. iv. 7 ; and to be complete : ' And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power,' Col. ii. 10 ; and to be without fault : ' They are without fault before the throne of God,' Rev. xiv. 5. And so Col. i. 21, * And to present us holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable, in the sight of God.' But,
[4.] FouHhly, This righteousness of Christ will answer to all the fears, doubts, and objectioiis of your souls. How shall I look up to God ? The answer is. In the righteousness of Christ. How shall I have, any communion with a holy God in this world ? The answer is, In the righteousness of Christ. How shall I find acceptance with God ? The answer is, In the righteousness of Christ. How shall I die ? The answer is, In the righteousness of Christ. How shall I stand before a judgment seat ? The answer is, In the righteousness of Christ.' Your sure and only way under all temptations, fears, conflicts, doubts, and disputes, is by faith to remember Christ, and the sufferings of Christ, as your mediator and surety, and say, O Christ ! thou art my sin, in being made sin for me, and thou art my curse, in being made a curse for me ; or rather, I am thy sin, and thou art my righteousness ; I am
' That W£i8 a rare speech of Luther : Ipse videat ubi anima mea mansura sit, qui pro ea sic soUcilui fuit, ut vitam pro eaposuerit, lit him see to it where my soul shall rest, who took so much care for it as that he laid down his life for it.
Chap. V.] a cabinet of jewels. 487
thy curse, and thou art my blessing ; I am thy death, and thou art my life ; I am the wrath of God to thee, and thou art the love of God to me ; I am thy hell, and thou art my heaven. O sirs ! if you think of your sins, and of God's wrath ; if you think of your guiltiness, and of God's justice, your hearts will fail you, and sink into despair, if you don't think of Christ, if you don't rest and stay your souls upon the mediatory righteousness of Christ. But,
[5.] Fifthly and lastly, The righteousness of Christ is the best title that you have to shew for a kingdom that shakes not, for riches that corrupt not, for an inheritance that fadeth not away, and for an house not 'fnade luith hands, but one eternal in the heavens} The righteousness of Christ is your life, your joy, your comfort, your crown, your confidence, your heaven, your all ; and therefore whether your graces or gracious evidences do sparkle and shine, or are clouded or blotted, yet still keep a fixed eye and an awakened heart upon the me- diatory righteousness of Jesus Christ ; for that is the righteousness by which you may hajjpily live, comfortably die, and boldly appear before a judgment-seat. But,
3. The thiixl royal fort, that Christians should have their eyes, their hearts fixed upon, whether their graces or gracious evidences sparkle and shine, or are obscured and clouded, is the covenant of grace? The covenant of grace is a new compact or agreement which God hath made with sinful man out of his own mere mercy and grace, wherein he un- dertakes both for himself and for fallen man, and wherein he engages himself to make fallen man everlastingly happy. All mankind had been eternally lost, and God had lost all the glory of his mercy for ever, had he not of his own free grace and mercy made such an agreement with sinful man. This covenant is called a covenant of grace, because it flows from the mere grace and mercy of God. There was nothing out of God, nor nothing in God, but his mere mercy and grace, that moved him to enter into covenant with poor sinners. In the covenant of grace there are two things considerable : First, The covenant that God makes for himself to us, which consists of these branches, (1.) that he will be our God ; (2.) that he will give us a new heart, a new spirit ; (3.) that he will not turn away his face from us from doing of us good ; (4.) that he will put his fear into our hearts ; (5.) that he will cleanse us from all our filthiness, and from all our idols ; (6.) that he will rejoice over us to do us good. Secondly, Here is the covenant which God dolh make for us to himself, which consists in these things, (1.) that we shall be his people ; (2.) that we shall fear him for ever ; (3.) that we shall walk in his statutes, keep his judgments and do them ; (4.) that we shall not depart from him. Upon many accounts I may not enlarge on these things ; but by these short hints it is evident that the covenant of grace is an entire covenant made by God, both for himself and for us. O sirs ! in the covenant of grace God stands engaged to give whatsoever he requires.
[1.] First, He requires us to know him, and he has engaged himself that we shall knoiu him : 1 Chron. xxviii. 9, Jer. xxiv. 7, ' I will give
» Heb. xii. 28 ; 1 Peter i. 3-5 ; 2 Cor. v. 1-4.
2 Dent. iv. 25 ; Isa. Iv. 3, and liv. 7-10 ; Jer. xxxi. 31 ; Ps. I. 5, &c. ; Hosea xiv. 4 ; Tit. iii. 6 ; Eph. i. 5-7, chap. ii. 5, 7, 8 : Rom. ix. 18, 23; Jer. xxxii. 38-41 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 25-27.
488 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. V.
them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord ;' and Jer. xxxi. 34, ' They shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,' Heb. viii. 11. But,
[2.] Secondly, The Lord frequently requires his people to trust in him, Ps. Ixii. 8 ; Isa. xxvi. 4 ; 2 Chron. xx. 20. And he has engaged himself that his people shall trust in him : Zeph, iii. 12, 'I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.' But,
[3.] Thirdly, The Lord frequently commands his people to fear hitn, Deut. vi. 13, chap. viii. 6. And he has engaged himself that they shall fear him : Jer. xxxii. 40, ' I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.' Hosea iii. 5, ' They shall fear the Lord and his goodness.' But,