0 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 faint and fail, they will fear and tremble and sink into despair, if you do not think of Christ, if you do not stay and rest your souls upon the mediatory righteousness of Christ, the imputed righteousness of Christ. The imputed righteousness of Christ answers all cavils and objections, though there were millions of them, that can be made against the good estate of a believer. This is a precious truth, more worth than a world, that all our sins are pardoned, not only in a way of truth and mercy, but in a way of justice. Satan and our own consciences will object many things against our souls, if we plead only the mercy and the truth of God ; and will be ready to say. Oh, but where is then the justice of God ? can mercy pardon without the consent of his justice ? But now, whilst we rest upon the satisfaction of Christ, 'justice and mercy kiss each other,' Ps. Ixxxv. 10 ; yea, justice saith, I am pleased. In a day of temptation, many things will be cast in our dish, about the multitude of our sins, and the greatness of our sins, and the grievousness of our sins, and about the circumstances and aggravations of our sins ; but that good word, ' Christ hath redeemed us from all iniquities,' he hath paid the full price that justice could exact or require; and that good word, 'Mercy rejoiceth against judgment,' James ii. 13, may support, comfort, and bear us up under all. The infinite worth of Christ's obedience, did arise from the dignity of his person, who was God-man ; so that all the obedience of angels and men, if put together, could not amount to the excellency of Christ's satisfaction. The righteousness of Christ, is often called the righteous- ness of God, because it is a righteousness of God's providing, and a right- eousness that God is fully satisfied with ; and therefore, no fears, no doubts, no cavils, no objections, no disputes, can stand before this blessed and glorious righteousness of Jesus Christ, that is imputed to us. But, 5. Fifthly, Know for your comfort, that the imputed righteousness of Christ is the best title that you have to sheiu for ' a kingdom that shakes not, for riches' that corrupt not, for an inheritance that fadeth not away, and for an house not made with hands, but one eternal in the heavens,' Heb. xii. 28 ; 1 Pet. i. 3-5 ; 2 Cor. v. 1-4. It is the fairest certificate that you have to shew for all that happiness and blessedness that you look for in that other world. The righteousness of Christ is your life, your joy, your comfort, your crown, your confi- dence, your heaven, your all. Oh that you were still so wise as to keep a fixed eye and an awakened heart upon the mediatory right- eousness of Christ ; for that is the righteousness by which you may safely and comfortably live, and by which you may happily and quietly die. It was a very sweet and golden confession, which Bernard made, when he thought himself to be at the point of death.i 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 con- founded. Ah, that believers would dwell much upon this, that they
Guliel. Abbas, in vita Bern., lib. i. cap. 12.
240 NINE STRONG CONSOLATIONS THAT FLOW FROM
have a righteousness in Christ, that is as full, perfect, and complete, as if they had fulfilled the law. * Christ beiug the end of the law for righteousness to believers,' invests believers with a righteousness, every- way as complete as the personal obedience of the law would have invested them withal, Kom. viii. 3, 4 ; yea, the righteousness that believers have by Christ is, in some respect, better than that they should have had by Adam: (1.) Because of the dignity of Christ's person, he being the Son of God, his righteousness is more glorious than Adam's was ; his righteousness is called ' The righteousness of God ;' and we are made the * righteousness of God in him,' 2 Cor. v. 21. The first Adam was a mere man, the second Adam is God and man. (2.) Because the righteousness is perpetual. Adam was a mutable person, he lost his righteousness in one day, say some, and all that glory which his posterity should have possessed, had he stood fast in innocency ; but the righteousness of Christ cannot be lost. His righteousness is like himself, from everlasting to everlasting. It is an everlasting righteousness, Dan. ix. 24. When once this white rai- ment is put upon a believer, it can never fall off", it can never be taken ofi". This splendid glorious righteousness of Jesus Christ's, is as really a believer's, as if he had wrought it himself, Rev. xix. 8. A believer is no loser, but a gainer, by Adam's fall. By the loss of Adam's righteousness is brought to light a more glorious and durable right- eousness than ever Adam's was ; and upon the account of an interest in this righteousness a believer may challenge all the glory of that upper world. But,
6. Sixthly, Know for your comfort, that this imputed righteousness of Christ is the only true basis, bottom, and ground, for a believer to build his happiness upon, his joy and comfort upon, and the truepeaxie and quiet of his conscience upon. What though Satan, or thy own heart, or the world, condemns thee ; yet in this thou mayest rejoice, that God justifies thee. You see what a bold challenge Paul makes, Rom. viii. 33, ' Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? it is God that justifieth ; ' some read it question-wise, thus, ' Shall God that justifieth ? ' no such matter.^ And if the judge acquit the prisoner at the bar, he cares not though the jailer or his fellow-prisoners condemn him ; so here there are no accusers that a believer needs to fear, seeing that it is God himself, who is the supreme judge, that absolves him as just. God absolves, and therefore it is to no purpose for Satan to ac- cuse us. Rev. xii. 10 ; nor for the law of Moses to accuse us, John v. 45 ; nor for our own consciences to accuse us, Rom. ii. 25 ; nor for the world to accuse us. God is the highest judge, and his tribunal- seat is the supreme judgment-seat ; therefore from thence there is no appealing. As amongst men, persons accused or condemned, may appeal, till they come to the highest court ; but if in the highest, they are absolved and discharged, then they are free, and safe and well : so the believer being absolved before God's tribunal-seat, there is no further accusations to be feared, all appeals from thence being void