CHAPTER, XVI. The truth pleaded, farther confirmed by testimonies of Scripture, Jer. xxiii. 6. THAT HAT which we now proceed unto, is the consideration of those express testimonies of Scripture which are given unto the truth pleaded for, and especially of those places where the doctrine of the justification of sinners is expressly and designedly handled. For the testimonies which I shall produce and insist upon, I desire the reader to observe, (1.) That they are but some of the many that might be pleaded unto the same purpose. (2.) That those which have been, or yet shall be alledged on particular accasions, I shall wholly omit; and such are most of them that are given unto this truth in the Old Testament. (3.) That in the exposition of them, I shall with what diligence I can attend; (1.) Unto the analogy of faith, that is the manifest scope and design of the revelation of the mind and will of God in the Scripture. And that this is to exalt the freedom and riches of his own grace, the glory and excellency of Christ, and his mediation, to discover the woful, lost, forlorn condition of man by sin, to debase and depress every thing that is in and of ourselves, as to the attaining life, righteousness and salvation, cannot be denied by any who have their senses exercised in the Scriptures. (2.) Unto the experience of them that do believe, with the condition of them who seck after justification by Jesus Christ. There is weight in this case deservedly laid on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, as promised and given unto us; namely, "the Lord our righteousness," Jer, xxiii, 6. As the name Jehovah, being ascribed unto him, is a full indication of his divine person; so the addition of his being our righteousness, sufficiently declares, that in, and by him alone, we have righteousness, or are made righteous. So was he typed by Melchisedec, as first, "the King of Righteousness, then the King of Peace," Heb. vii. 2. For by his righteousness alone have we peace with God. But this testimony deserves a more particular examination. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch, and this is his name whereby he shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness," ver. 5, 6. It is confessed among christians that this is an illustrious renovation of the first promise, concerning the incarnation of the Son of God, and our salvation by him. This promise was first given when we had lost our original righteousness, and were considered only as those who had" sinned and come short of the glory of God." In this estate a righteousness was absolutely necessary that we might be again accepted with God; for without a righteousness, yea, that which is perfect and complete, we never were so, nor ever can be so. In this estate it is promised that he shall be our righteousness, or, as the Apostle expresseth it, "the end of the law for righteousness to them that do believe.” That he is so, there can be no question, the whole inquiry is, how he is so? This, say the most sober and modest of our adversaries, because he is the efficient cause of our righteousness, that is, of our personal inherent righteousness. But this righteousness may be con'sidered either in itself, as it is an effect of God's grace, and so it is good and holy, although it be not perfect and complete; or it may be considered as it is ours, inherent in us, accompanied with the remaining defilements of our nature; 66 in that respect, as this righteousness is ours, the Prophet affirms, that we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags," Isa. xliv. 6. Now the Lord Christ cannot from hence be denominated, the Lord our Righteousness, seeing it is all as filthy rags. It must therefore be a righteousness of another sort whence this denomination is taken, and on the account whereof this name is given him. Wherefore he is our righteousness, as all our righteousuesses are in him. So the church says, "in the Lord have I righteousness," Isa. xlv. 24. which is expounded of Christ by the Apostle, Rom. xiv. 11. only in the Lord are my righteousnesses; which two places the Apostle expresseth, Phil. iii. 9. "That I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, (in this case as filthy rags) but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Hence it is added," in the Lord shall the seed of Israel be justified," verse. 25. namely, because he is, in what he is, in what he was, and did, as given unto and for us, our righteousness, and our righteousness is all in him; which totally excludes our own personal inherent righteousness from any interest in our justification, and ascribes it wholly unto the righteousness of Christ. And thus is that emphatical expression of the Psalmist, "I will go in the strength of the Lord God; and I will make mention of thy righteousness, of thine only;" Psal. lxxi. 16. And, besides what shall be further pleaded from particular testimonies, the Scripture doth eminently declare how he is the Lord our righteousness, namely, in that he makes "an end of sin and reconciliation for iniquity, and brings in everlasting righteousness," Dan. ix. 24. For by these things is our justification completed; namely, in satisfaction made for sin, the pardon of it in our reconciliation unto God, and the providing for us "an everlasting righteousness." Therefore is he the Lord our righteousness, and so rightly called. Wherefore seeing we had lost original righteousness, and had none of our own remaining, and stood in need of a perfect, complete righteousness to procure our acceptance with God, and such a one as might exclude all occasion of boasting of any thing in ourselves, the Lord Christ being given and made unto us, the Lord our righteousness, in whom we have all our righteousness, our own, as it is ours, being as filthy rags in the sight of God, and this by making "an end of sin, and reconciliation for iniquity, and bringing in everlasting righteousness." It is by his righteousness, by his only, that we are justified in the sight of God, and do glory. CHAPTER, XVII. Testimonies out of the Evangelists, considered. T HE reasons why the doctrine of justification, by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, is more fully and clearly delivered in the following writings of the New Testament, than it is in those of the Evangelists who wrote the history of the life and death of Christ, have been before declared. But yet in them also it is sufficiently attested, as unto the state of the church before the death and resurrection of Christ. Some few of the many testimonies which may be pleaded out of their writings unto that purpose, 1 shall consider. 1. The principal design of our blessed Saviour's sermon, especially that part of it which is recorded Matt. v. is to declare the true nature of righteousness before God. The Scribes and Pharisees, placed all our righteousness before God in the works of the law. This they taught the people, and hereon they justified themselves. Luke xvi. 15. " Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God." And all those who were under their conduct, did seek to "establish their own righteousness, as it were by the works of the law," Rom. ix. 33 |