Rom. iii. 2\, 22. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being loitnessed by the Law and I he Prophets ; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.
IT is justly observed by our Lord, that "they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." Persons never value a remedy till they are aware of their disease : they must know their con- demnation and misery by the Law, before they will receive with gratitude the glad tidings of the Gospel. On this account St. Paul labours through the whole preceding part of this epistle, and especially in the ten verses before the text, to prove all, both Jews and Gentiles, guilty before God ; and to shew that they need a better righteousness than any which they themselves can work out. Then he introduces that righteousness which is exhibited in the Gospel, and is offered to every repenting and believing sinner.
To elucidate the subject before us, we propose to shew,
1. What is that righteousness whereby we are to be saved —
The Apostle's description of it is as clear and com- prehensive as we can possibly desire : 1. It is " the righteousness of God " —
\Twice is it called " the righteousness of God;" by which expression we are to understand that it is a righteousness pro- vided by God for sinful man, loroughl out by God himself in the midst of us, and accepted of God on our behalf.
When we were destitute of any righteousness of our own, and incapable of establishing one that should be sufficient for us, God, in his infinite mercy determined to provide one for us, that should be commensurate with the demands of law and justice, and fully adequate to our wants. For this end he sent his co-equal, co-eternal Son to fulfil the precepts of the law which we had broken, and to endure its penalties which we had incurred. The Lord Jesus came into the world and executed his high commission ; and thus, as the Prophet Daniel expresses