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SERMON

VI.

way adequate and correfpondent to that law which like that of the Medes and Perfians admits of no alteration, nor accepts of any imperfection. And in this fenfe we read, 2 Cor. v. 21, "He was "made fin for us who knew no fin, that we might "be made the righteoufnefs of God in him.' This is the righteoufnefs the great apostle prayed to be found in Phillip. iii. 9,, in oppofition to his own legal righteoufnefs; that I may be found "in him, not having mine own righteousness "which is of the law, but that which is through "the faith of Chrift, even the righteoufnefs

which is of God by faith." And this I prefume is the righteoufnefs fpoken of in my text, and concerning the excellency of which, I would b obferve unto you the following things.

ift, This righteousness is perfect and compleat; 2 nor could the law of God difpenfe with any thing fhort of this, but curfes the offender who is deficient in one point, and brings him in guilty of a violation of the whole. Man is unable to perform fuch obedience, and not continuing in all things written in the book of the law to do them, is obnoxious to it's anathema; hence "God fend

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ing his fon into the world in the likeness of: "finful flesh and for fin, condemned fin in the "flesh, that the righteoufnefs of the law might "be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, "but after the fpirit." Rom. viii 3, 4, and ch. x. 3. "Chrift is the end of the law for righte"ousness to every one that believeth." The dear Jefus is faid by the prophet Daniel," to bring "in an everlasting righteoufnefs, ch. ix, 24. and the obedience he paid to the law of God was fo perfect

perfect and complete, that he is thereby faid to have magnified and made it honourable.

Now the fuper-eminent excellency of this righteoufnefs appears, in that the vileft finner, the moft fturdy rebel against his God and king, poffeft thereof thro' a gracious imputation by faith, can ftand with boldness before his judge, nor fear the threatenings of the injured law; but being now accepted through the beloved, and having redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins, he has peace with God, and accefs by faith unto a throne of grace.

2dly, This righteousness is pure and spotlefs; it were much easier to defcry spots and flaws in the mid-day fun, than to difcover any defect or imperfection in the finlefs obedience of our bleffed Lord; he was as a Lamb without blemish and without fpot in his holy nature, nor was his converfation chargeable with infincerity or guile, for be did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth. The finner adorned therefore with this fpotlefs robe, we need not be furprized to hear the bridegroom fay, thou art all fair my love there is no Spot in thee; the king now has pleasure in ber beauty, for fhe is prefented to him in raiment of needle-work, her cloathing is of wrought gold. This is the wedding garment which every accepted gueft will be found to have on, and without which, there will be no admiffion into the marriage-chamber, nor acceptance by the mafter of the feaft. This is the bleffing fpoken of in my text, a righteoufness to justify the finner, a righteousness to adorn the faint, and which all who poffefs fhall fay, furely in the Lord, have I this righteousness.

Again, this rightcoufnefs ftands connected with

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the bleffing of strength, the valuableness of which, is best known to a child of God, who above all others is confcious of his own impotency and weakness. By this, he is enabled to withstand the allurements of the world, the opposition of wicked and ungodly men; and like David through this the strength of his God, he can overtop every wall of difficulty that encompaffes him about. By this, he is upheld under all his confcious weakness, and however affaulted with doubts and fears, or bowed down by huge mountains of unbelief, he still takes buld of the strength of God, and finds himfelf fupported, fo that in the language and spirit of the apostle he can fay, when I am weak, then I am frong. It is in this strength the believer goes on to perform every holy duty, to mortify fin and fenfual defire, to restrain and fubdue every domineering luft and imagination, that would exalt itself against the knowledge of Chrift. Such are the bleffings fpoken of in the text, the manner of poffeffing which, is in the Lord.

This phrafe here, may either fignify, 1ft, the covenant relation in which the believer ftands to Chrift, and then he has a legal claim to the bleffings and all the effects thereof, in confequence of Chrift the fcederal head's having fulfilled all the articles and conditions of the covenant; and hence is that contraft between the first and fecond Adam, Rom. v. 12-20, in which the difobedience of the former imputed to his pofterity renders them obnoxious to condemnation, and the obedience of the latter imputed to the children gives them a claim to juftification and life. Or, 2dly, the relative union that fubfifts between Chrift and the believer, and whereby this is right

fully

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fully intitled to the bleffings and benefits resulting from the death of that; which union is taken notice of in these words, Thy maker is thy husband, the Lord of hofts is his name." If liv. 5, and thou fhalt call me Ifhi (that is my husband,) and " thou shalt no more call me Baali," (that is my lord,) Hof. ii. 16. Or, 3dly, the vital and perfonal union fpoken of John xv, 5. "I am the vine, ye are the branches," he that abideth in me (drawing fap and nourishment from me) "bringing forth fruit," as a living branch," but without me ye can do nothing. And Eph. v. 30, "we are members of his body, "of his flesh, and of his bones ;" and in this view it is that believers, live in him and by him, receive their all from him, and are complete in him. Or laftly, by in him the believer may be conceived as having righteousness, Strength, and all the bleffings and benefits he stands intitled to, reserved and laid up in him as in a magazine or ftorehouse, agreeable to that," the word was "made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace "and truth." John i. 14, "and of his full"nefs we have all received, and grace for grace, ver. 16, for it pleased the Father that in him "fhould all fullness dwell." Col. i. 19, that poor finners who have nothing and are nothing in themfelves might live dependant upon him, and “ the "life they live in the flesh might be by faith in "him," he being made of God unto them, wifdom, righteousness, fanctification, and redemption.

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O moft precious and inestimable privilege! Brethren cease your murmurings and banish your complaints; Jefus, the adorable Jefus though be was rich, (tranfcendantly rich in all the glories of

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heaven, and uncreated worth,) yet, for your fakes, ye who had nothing to recommend you to his mercy but your misery, who had nothing to offer for acceptance, but a fickly dying body, and a finful and polluted foul, he became poor, laid afide his royal robes, and put on the rags of mortality, and bad not where to lay his bead; and for what end was this strange and unparallelled abafement? Hear it O heavens! and be aftonished O earth! It was, that YE through bis poverty might be rich; rich in grace and a lively hope of glory, rich in all the graces of his fpirit, rich in all holiness and good works by that fpirit, and, O comfortablé thought! rich in the enjoyment of himself in glory for ever and ever. Thus it is that one fhall fay, all fhall fay who believe in bim, furely, certainly, doubtless, in the Lord, in union with my God, joined unto my Saviour and living head, a member of his body myftical, bave I righteoufnefs and strength, righteoufnefs to justify me, fanctify me, and render me acceptable to God; I have ftrength to withstand in the evil day, and to perform an acceptable service in the cloudy and dark day. The text thus opened and explained, prefents us with this important propofition. That that righteousness which the law requires, and which alone can give a title to glory, is only to be found as wrought out by Chrift, and derived to the believer through faith in him. In order to make clear and fettle this truth, let us firft attend to the enquiry, what righteousness the law requires ? 2d, Whether man has any abilities to fulfill thofe requirements?

ift, I fhall not here take up your time by purfuing the enquiry, whether the law of God was

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