[2,] His passive obedience. And it is that sacrifice and offering of himself that Christ made for the sins of the world, bearing our curse and punishment, and so satisfying for our transgression : 1 Tim. ii, 5, 6, ' The man Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom for all,' He suffered so long till he had satisfied God's justice, and engaged the very righteousness of God to the good of the creature too, and would not expire his soul till all were finished and made sure. See John xix, 30, ' It is finished,' and then he gave up the ghost. The scriptures every- where speak of this, and therefore I shall be more sparing in it. You see now how Christ was God's righteous servant.
To apply it : —
Use 1. It holdeth out a pattern for us to imitate God's righteous servant as well as we can, and to enjoin us to write after this copy. Several things are remarkable in the righteousness of Christ ; I shall only instance in two : —
1. The sincerity of his spirit.
2. Innocency of his conversation,
1, The sincerity of his spirit. There is no guile in Christ, and
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ihore slioulJ be none in those that have benefit by him : Ps. xxxii. 2, ' Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.' Be not for api)earances and shows. Corrupt aims and self-advantages, and desire of esteem amongst men, argue a false spirit, which is all for appearances. They do not care what God thinketh of them, for they are all for repute : 1 Cor. iv. 3, * But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment.' Gracious hearts count that nothing ; their desire is to approve themselves to God.
2. Innocency of conversation. It became our High Priest to be harmless and undefiled ; so should we be : Phil. ii. 15, ' That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.' Be righteous in your ways, be faithful to your work. Christ knew no sin ; it is a holy sim])licity to be simple ia evil. Christ was tempted, yet without sin. Watch over your spirits in temptations, that they may not encroach upon you to the betraying of yourselves into any unbecoming or unworthy walking.
Use 2. Is comfort to poor broken-hearted sinners. Christ was God's righteous servant, and so fitted to make a Saviour for sinners, and to plead with God for you. You say you are sinners, but Jesus Christ is righteous. You are all ill servants of God, compassed about with daily infirmities. Ay ! but Jesus Christ was a righteous servant — he was righteous in our stead : 1 John ii. 1, ' I write unto you that you sin not; and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.' Sin not ; that is, do not allow yourselves in sin ; but if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father. Though God will not hear you, he will hear Christ; he never offended him. It is very observable that all comfort usually in scripture is made to flow from the righteousness of Christ : Zech. ix. 9, ' Beliold thy king cometh unto thee ; he is just, and having sal- vation.' He bringeth salvation with him, for he is righteous. So Dan. ix. 24 ; the Messiah was to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in an everlasting righteousness. You may be confident he is gracious with God, and he will make you gracious. There is righteous- ness to satisfy justice. Christ's righteousness is fit to satisfy, for there is no sin in it. And there is righteousness to make up your defects — to make you righteous in his righteousness. But that is the work of the next inquiry.
And, therefore, I now come to show how Christ is said to justify as God's righteous servant, I shall open this matter to you : —
1. Negatively. He justifietli as a servant, and therefore —
[1.] He doth not exclude God the Father from being the first eternal moving cause of our justification. It hath its first rise at his mercy in ordaining Christ: llom. iii. 24, 'Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Chris*.' It was the pleasure of the Father. Grace is most sure and free when we look upon his contrivances for your good. He gave Christ, and pre- destinated you to enjoy the benefits; he elected you rather than another : Eph. i. 5, ' Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, to himself, according to the good pleasure
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of his will. Therefore, it implieth that Christ was not the first mov- iog cause of justification. He only is a righteous servant. There was some antecedent love and mercy that dej)uted him to that service.
[2.] It doth not exclude the grant and sentence of the Father ; and the sentence is passed by the Father, though it be procured by Christ as the servant of God's decrees in this matter. Rom. iii. 26, the Father is said to be ' the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus.' ' We have an advocate with the Father,' 1 John ii. 1. Sin is com- mitted against him ; his will is the rule of justice ; and by nature, right, and office, he is the supreme judge.