[To compliment Christ with any titles which we do not believe due to him, would be to insult him, like those who arrayed him in mock majesty, and cried, Hail, King of the Jews ! We must fully believe him to be God : we must be persuaded that we neither have, nor can have, any righteous- ness of our own : and we must be assured, that " He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believethc." If we entertain any idea of meriting any thing at God's hands by our own obedience, or of adding any thing of our own to his perfect righteousness, we dishonour and degrade him ; and, instead of performing our duty towards him, we violate it in the most flagrant manner : and, though we may be actuated by a blind zeal for the Father's honour, or for the interest of morality, we are indeed rebels against God, since he has com- manded that " all men should honour the Son as they honour the Father," and that they should call him in faith, The Lord our Righteousness. .]
2. In sincerity — [As, to give him a title which we do not believe due to him would be mockery, so, to give it without a correspondent regard to him would be hypocrisy. Do we believe him to be Jehovah ? we must regard him with reverential awe, and yield ourselves up to him in unreserved obedience. Do we believe him to be the only Righteousness of the redeemed ? we must renounce entirely our own righteousness, and depend on him with our whole hearts. Do we view him in his complex cha- racter as Jehovah our Righteousness? We must rejoice in having such an almighty friend, such a sure foundation. We must glory in him as " all our salvation, and all our desire." A less regard to him than this, not only falls below our duty, but is absolutely inconsistent with any scriptural hope, any prospect of salvation.]
From this subject we may learn, 1. The way of salvation — [There are but three ways in which we can conceive it possible for any man to be saved ; namely, by works, by faith and works, or by faith without works ; and the subject before us plainly declares which is the true one. Are we to be saved by our works ? No : for God would never have sent his Son to be our righteousness, if we ever could have wrought out a sufficient righteousness of our own. Besides, our own works would then have been our righteousness, and the name here ascribed to Christ would not have belonged to him. Moreover, even in heaven itself, instead of ascribing " Salvation to God
c Rom. x. 4.