2. Secondly, Know for your comfort, that this imputed, this media- tory righteousness of Christ takes away all your unrighteousness. It cancels every bond ; it takes away all iniquity, and answers for all your sins, Isa. liii. 5-7 ; Col. ii. 12-15. 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. I have read that when a cordial was offered to a godly man that was sick, Oh, said he, the cordial of cordials which I daily take is, ' that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sins,' 1 John i. 7. 0 sirs ! it would be high blasphemy for any to imagine that there should be more demerit in any sin, yea, in all sin, to condemn a believer, than there is merit in Christ's righteous- ness to absolve him, to justify him, Eom, viii. 1, 33-35. The right- eousness of Christ was shadowed out by the glorious robes and apparel of the high priest, Exod. xxx. That attire in which the high priest appeared before God, what was it else but a type of Christ's righteous- ness ? The filthy garments of Joshua, who represented the church, were not only taken off from him, thereby signifying the removal of our sins, Zech. iii. 4, 5 ; but also a new, fair garment was put upon him, to signify our being clothed with the wedding-garment of Christ's righteousness. If any shall say. How is it possible that a soul that is defiled with the worst of sins should be whiter than the snow, yea, beautiful and glorious in the eyes of God ? Ps. li. 7. The answer is
THE IMPUTATION OF CHEIST's RIGHTEOUSNESS. 237
at hand, because to whomsoever the Lord doth give the pardon of his sins, which is the first part of our justification, to them he doth also impute' the righteousness of Christ, which is the second part of our justification before God. Thus David describeth, saith the apostle, ' the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works ; saying. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered,' Kom. iv, 6, 7. Now to that man whose sins the Lord forgives, to him he doth impute righteousness also: ' Take away the filthy garments from him/ saith the Lord of Joshua ; * and he said unto him. Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment,' Zech. iii. 4. And what was that change of raiment ? Surely the perfect obedience and righteousness of the Lord Jesus, which God doth impute unto us ; in which respect also we are said, by justifying faith, to put on the Lord Jesus, Rom. xiii. 14 ; and to be clothed with him as with a garment, Gal. iii. 27. And no marvel if, being so apparelled, we appear beautiful and glorious in the sight of God : ' To her,' that is, Christ's bride, ' was granted that she should be arryed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints,' Rev. xix. 8. This perfect righteousness of Christ, which the Lord imputeth to us, and wherewith, as with a garment, he clotheth us, is the only righteousness which the saints have to stand before God with ; and having that robe of righteousness on, they may stand with great bold- ness and comfort before the judgment-seat of God. But,
3, Thirdly, Know for your comfort, that this righteousness of Christ presents us perfectly righteous in the sight of God. ' He is made to us righteousness,' 1 Cor. i. 30. The robe of innocency, like the veil of the temple, is rent asunder ; our righteousness is a ragged righteous- ness, our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, Isa. Ixiv. 4. Look, as under rags the naked body is seen, so under the rags of our righteous- nesses the body of death is seen. Christ is all in all in regard of righteousness : Christ is ' the end of the law for righteousness to them that believe,' i Rom. x. 4.
That is, through Christ we are as righteous as if we had satisfied the law in our own persons. The end of the law is to justify and save those which fulfil it. Christ subjected himself thereto ; he per- fectly fulfilled it for us, and his perfect righteousness is imputed to us. Christ fulfilled the moral law, not for himself , but for us; therefore Christ doing it for believers, they fulfil the law in Christ. And so Christ by doing, and they believing in him that doth it, do fulfil the law ; or Christ may be said to be the end of the law, because the end of the law is perfect righteousness, that a man may be justified thereby, which end we cannot attain . of ourselves, through the frailty of our flesh ; but by Christ we attain it, who hath fulfilled the law for us. Christ hath perfectly fulfilled the decalogue for us, and that three ways : (1.) In his pure conception ; (2.) In his godly life ; (3.) in his holy and obedient sufferings ; and all for us. For whatsoever the law required that we should be, do, or suff'er, he hath performed in our behalf. Therefore one wittily saith, (Aretius,) that Christ is T€ko(i, the end or tribute ; and we by his payment areXei9, tribute-free. We
^ Finis perficiens, non interficiens. — Augustine.
238 NINE STRONG CONSOLATIONS THAT FLOW FROM