begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads ; for your redemption draweth near/ This day is the most dreadful day that ever was in the world to all the ungodly ; but the just and faithful then shall be able to lift up their heads, to see all the world on a-light fire about them, and all the elements in terrible confusion. But how dare a poor creature lift up his head in such a case as this ? * They shall see the Son of man, coming in a cloud, with power and great glory/ Here is enough to comfort the poor members of Christ, — to see Christ, on whom they have believed, and who hath satisfied God's justice for them, and imputed his own righteousness to them : to see him set upon his judgment-seat, cannot but be matter of joy and rejoicing to them. Now they shall find the power of that word upon their souls: Isa. xl. 1, 'Comfort ye, comfort ye my' people, saith the Lord ; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and say unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned ; for she hath received at the Lord's hand double for her sins;' i.e., their conflict with the wrath of God is at an end, the punishment of their iniquity is accepted, they have received in their head and surety, Christ Jesus, double for their sins ; i.e., justice hath passed upon them, in their head, Christ Jesus ; and they are sure that the judge of all the earth will do right, and will not punish their sins twice. The exactness of God's justice cannot do this : Job xxxiv. 10, ' Far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should commit iniquity ; ' ver. 12, ' Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.' It would be high in- justice in a magistrate to punish the same offence twice ; and it would be high blasphemy for any to assert that ever God should be guilty of such injustice. Whilst Christians set up a righteousness of their own, and build not upon the righteousness of Christ, how unsettled are they ! Kom. X. 3 ; how miserably are they tossed up and down, sometimes fearing and sometimes hoping, sometimes supposing themselves in a good condition, and anon seeing themselves upon the very brink of hell ! but now all is quiet and serene with that soul that builds upon the righteousness of Christ; for, he being 'justified by faith, hath pace with God,' Kom. v. 1. Observe that noble description of Christ in that Isa. xxxii. 2, ' And a man,' that is, the man Christ Jesus, * shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tem- pest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.' When a man is clothed with the righteousness of Christ, who is God-man, it is neither wind nor tempest, it is neither drought nor weariness, that can disturb the peace of his soul ; for Christ and his righteousness will be a hiding-place, a covert, and rivers of water, and the shadow of a great rock unto him ; for, being at per- fect peace with God, he may well say with the psalmist, ' I will lay me down in peace,' Ps. iv. 6-8. The peace and comfort of an awakened sinner can never stand firm and stable, but upon the basis of a positive righteousness. When a sensible sinner casts his eye upon his own righteousness, holiness, fastings, prayers, tears, hum- bhngs, meltings, he can find no place for the sole of his foot to rest firmly upon, by reason of the spots, and blots, and blemishes, tliat
THE IMPUTATION OF CHRIST's RIGHTEOUSNESS. 243
cleaves both to his graces and duties. He knows that his prayers need pardon, and that his tears need washing in the blood of the Lamb, and that his very righteousness needs another's righteousness to secure him from condemnation. ' If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand ? ' Ps. cxxx. 3, and i. 5 ; that is, rectus in curia, ' stand,' that is, in judgment. Extremity of justice he de- precateth ; he would not be dealt with in rigour and rage. The best man's life is fuller of sins than the firmament is of stars, or the fur- nace of sparks ; and therefore who can stand in judgment, and not fall under the weight of thy just wrath, which burneth as low as hell itself ? i.e., none can stand. Were the faults of the best man alive but written in his forehead, he was never able to stand in judgment. When a man comes to the law for justification, it convinceth him of sin ; when he pleads his innocence, that he is not so great a sinner as others are, when he pleads his righteousness, his duties, his good mean- ings, and his good desires, the law tells him that they are all weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, and found too light, Dan. v. 27 ; the law tells him that the best of his duties will not save him, and that the least of his sins will damn him ; the law tells him that his own righteousnesses are as filthy rags, do but defile him, and that his best services do but witness against him ; the law looks for perfect and personal obedience, and because the sinner cannot come up to it, it pronounceth him accursed. Gal. iii. 10 ; and though the sinner sues hard for mercy, yet the law will shew him none, no, though he seeks it carefully with tears, Heb. xii. 17. But now, when the believing sinner casts his eye upon the righteousness of Christ, he sees that righteousness to be a perfect and exact righteousness, as perfect and exact as that of the law ; yea, it is the very righteousness of the law, though not performed by him, yet by his surety, ' The Lord his righteousness ; ' and upon this foundation he stands firm, and 'rejoices with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.' The saints of old have always placed their happiness, peace, and comfort, in their perfect and complete justification, rather than in their imperfect and incomplete sanctification, as you may see by the scriptures in the margin, with many others that are scattered up and down in the blessed book of God.i That text is worthy to be written in letters of gold : Isa. Ixi. 10, ' I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,' saith the sound believer, ' my soul shall be joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation.' He hath imputed and given unto me the per- fect holiness and obedience of my blessed Saviour, and made it mine. * He hath covered me (all over, from top to toe) with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.' Though a Christian's inherent righteousness be weak and imperfect, maimed and stained, blotted and blurred, as it is, yet it affords much comfort, peace, joy, and rejoicing, as you may see by comparing the scriptures in the mar- gin together.^ Job was much taken with his inherent righteousness :
1 Jer. xxiii. 6 ; 1 Peter i. 8 ; Luke vii. 48, 50 ; Rom. iv. 6, 8, and v. 1, 3 ; Isa. xxxviii. 16, 17, and xlv. 24, 25 ; Phil. iv. 7.