salvation?. Jeremiah calls him by name, " The Lord our right- eousness11:" and Isaiah represents every child of God as saying with exultation, " In the Lord have I righteousness and strength1." To adduce more proofs is unnecessary, since we are assured by St. Peter, that all the prophets unite their testi- monies to the same effect s. What stronger evidence than this can any man desire ?]
But we have further to inquire,
III. How this righteousness becomes ours —
Faith is the means whereby alone we obtain an
interest in it —
[This also is twice intimated in the text : nor can it be too often repeated, or too strongly insisted on. We must come to Christ as perishing sinners ; and, without attempting to establish, in whole or in part, our own righteousness, we must submit to be saved by his alone1. We must be contented to have his " righteousness imputed to us without worksu," and to make his obedience the one ground of our hopex. They alone who thus regard Christ, can properly be said to believe in him; and it is only when we thus believe, that "he is made of God righteousness unto usy."]
On our believing, it is instantly put to our ac- count—
[This righteousness is bestowed upon us freely by God himself; it is not only given " unto" us as a portion, but is put " upon" us as a garment. In this light it is spoken of by our Lord himself, who counsels us to " buy it of him that we may be clothed, and that, the shame of our nakedness may not appear2." Without this, we are despoiled of our innocence, and exposed to shame, as our first parents were upon the intro- duction of sin : but as they were covered by the skins of their sacrifices according to the direction which God himself had given thema, so are we by " putting on the Lord Jesusb:" nor, when clothed with his righteousness, can even God him- self behold a spot or blemish in usc. Hence the Church rejoices with joy unspeakable d, and is rendered meet for the presence of her heavenly bridegroom6.]
Application —
p Acts iii. 22, 23. i Jer. xxiii. G. r Isai. xlv. 24, 25.
s Acts iii. 24. and x. 43. l Rom. x. 3.
u Rom. iv. (>. x Rom. v. 19. y 1 Cor. i. 30.
z Rev. iii. 18. a Gen. iii. 7, 21. b Rom. xiii. 14.
c Eph. v. 27. d Isai. lxi. 10. e Rev. xix. 8.