8. Eighthly, The imputed righteousness of Christ may serve to com- fort, support, and hear up the hearts of the people of God, from faint- ing and sinking under the seruse of the weakness and imperfection of their inherent righteousness. The church of old have lamentingly said, ' We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags,' Isa. Ixiv. 6. When a Christian keeps a serious eye upon the spots, blots, blemishes, infirmities, and follies, that cleaves to his inherent righteousness, fears and tremblings arise, to the saddening and sinking of his soul ; but when he casts a fixed eye upon the righteous- ness of Christ imputed to him, then his comforts revive, and his heart bears up ; for, though he hath no righteousness of liis own, by which his soul may stand accepted before God, yet he hath God's righteous- ness, which infinitely transcends his OAvn, and such as, in God's account, goes for his, as if he had exactly fulfilled the righteousness which the law requires ; according to that of the apostle, Rom. ix. 30, ' What shall we say then ? the Gentiles which followed not after righteous- ness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.' Faith wraps itself in the righteousness of Christ, and so justifieth us. The Gentiles sought righteousness, not in themselves but in Christ, which they apprehending by faith, were by it justified in the sight of God; and the Jews, seeking it in themselves, and think- ing, by the goodness of their own works, to attain to the righteousness
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of the law, missed of it ; it being in no man's power perfectly to fulfil the same, only Christ hath exactly fulfilled it for all that by faith close savingly with him, 0 sirs ! none can be justified in the sight of God, by a righteousness of their own making : but whosoever will be justified, must be justified by the righteousness of Christ through faith, Rom. iii. 20, 28, and x. 3 ; Gal. ii. 16 ; Tit. iii. 5. The Gentiles by faith attain the righteousness of the law, therefore the righteousness of the law and of faith are all one; viz., in respect of matter and form ; the difi'erence is only in the worker. The law re- quires it to be done by ourselves ; the gospel mitigates the rigour of the law, and offers the righteousness of Christ, who performed the law, even to a hair's-breadtL The right way to righteousness for justifica- tion is by Christ, who is the way, the door, the truth, and the life. Because we want a righteousness of our own, God ' hath assigned us the righteousness of Christ, which is infinitely better than our own, yea, better than our very lives — may I not say, yea, better than our very souls ? ' The branch,' Christ Jesus is called, ' Jehovah Tsid- kenu, the Lord our righteousness: ' Jer. xxiii. 6, ' And this is his name whereby he shall be called, the Lord our righteousness.' Where note, first, to be called by this name is to be so really, for Christ is never called what he is not ; and so he is to the same purpose else- where called ' Immanuel, God with us,' Mat. i. 23 ; that is, he shall be so indeed, * God with us,' so here he shall be called, ' the Lord our righteousness ;' that is, he shall be so indeed. Secondly^ observe this is one of his glorious names ; that is, one of his attributes, which he accounts his excellency and his glory. Now all the attributes of Christ are unchangeable, so that he can as easily change his nature as his name. Now rememljer that this imputed righteousness of Christ procures acceptance for our inherent righteousness. When a sincere Christian casts his eye upon the weaknesses, infirmities, and imper- fections that daily attend his best services, he sighs and mourns ; but if he looks upward to the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, that shall bring forth his infirm, weak, and sinful performances perfect, spotless, and sinless, and approved according to the tenor of the gospel, so that they become spiritual sacrifices, he cannot but rejoice, 1 Pet. ii. 5. For as there is an imputation of righteousness to the persons of believers, so there is also an imputation to their services and actions. As the fact of Phinehas was imputed to him for righteousness, Ps. cvi. 31, so the imperfect good works that are done by believers are accounted righteousness, or, as Calvin speaks, ' are accounted for right- eousness, they being dipped in the blood of Christ,' tincta sanguine Christi, i.e., they are accounted righteous actions; and so sincere Christians shall be judged according to their good works, though not saved for them, Eev. xi. 18, and xx. 12 ; Mat xxv. 34—37. And it is observable, in that famous process of the last judgment, that the su- preme judge makes mention of the bounty and liberality of the saints, and so bestows the crown of life and the eternal inheritance upon them ; so that, though the Lord's faithful ones have eminent cause to be humbled and afilicted for the many weaknesses that cleaves to their best duties, yet, on the other hand, they have wonderful cause to rejoice and triumph that they are made perfect through Jesus Christ,
THE IMPUTATION OF CHRIST's RIGHTEOUSNESS. 249
and that the Lord looks at them, through the righteousness of Christ, as fruits of his own Spirit, Heb. xiii. 20, 21 ; 1 Cor. vi. 11. The Sun of Kighteousness hath healing enough in his wings for all our spiritual maladies, Mai. iv. 2. The saints' prayers, being perfumed with Christ's odours, are highly accepted in heaven. Rev. viii. 3, 4. Upon this bottom of imputed righteousness believers may have exceeding strong consolation, and good hope through grace, that both their per- sons and services do find singular acceptation with God, as having no spot or blemish at all in thenu Surely righteousness imputed must be the top of our happiness and blessedness, Rom. iv. 5, 6. But,