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20 - The Lord our Righteousness - Sermons on Several Occasions · Philosophy and Faith

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Speaker 1: The Lord our Righteousness. This is his name, whereby he
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Speaker 1: shall be called the Lord our Righteousness. Jeremiah twenty three,
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Speaker 1: verse six. How dreadful and how innumerable are the contests
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Speaker 1: that have arisen about religion. And not only among the
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Speaker 1: children of this world, among those who knew not what
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Speaker 1: religion was, but even among the children of God, those
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Speaker 1: who had experienced the Kingdom of God within them, who
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Speaker 1: had tasted of righteousness and peace and joy in the
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Speaker 1: Holy Ghost. How many of these in all ages, instead
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Speaker 1: of joining together against the common enemy, have turned their
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Speaker 1: weapons against each other, and so not only wasted their
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Speaker 1: precious time, but hurt one another's spirits, weakened each other's hands,
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Speaker 1: and so hindered the great work of their common master.
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Speaker 1: How many of the week have hereby being offended. How
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Speaker 1: many of the lame turned out of the way. How
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Speaker 1: many sinners confirmed in their disregard of all religion and
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Speaker 1: their contempt of those that profess it. And how many
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Speaker 1: of the excellent ones upon earth have been constrained to
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Speaker 1: weep in secret places. What would not every lover of
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Speaker 1: God and his neighbor do, What would he not suffer
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Speaker 1: to remedy this sore evil? To remove contention from the
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Speaker 1: children of God, to restore or preserve peace among them.
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Speaker 1: What but a good conscience would he think too dear
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Speaker 1: to part with in order to promote this valuable end.
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Speaker 1: And suppose we cannot make these wars to cease in
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Speaker 1: all the world, Suppose we cannot reconcile all the children
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Speaker 1: of God to each other. However, that each do what
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Speaker 1: he can, let him contribute. If it be but two
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Speaker 1: mites toward it happier they who are able in any
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Speaker 1: degree to promote peace and good will among men, especially
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Speaker 1: among good men, among those that are all listed under
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Speaker 1: the banner of the Prince of Peace, and are therefore
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Speaker 1: peculiarly engaged as much as lies in them, to live
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Speaker 1: peaceably with all men. It would be a considerable step
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Speaker 1: towards this glorious end if we could bring good men
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Speaker 1: to understand one another. Abundance of disputes arise purely from
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Speaker 1: the want of this from mere misapprehension. Frequently neither of
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Speaker 1: the contending parties understands what his opponent means. Whence it
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Speaker 1: follows that each violently attacks the other while there is
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Speaker 1: no real difference between them. And yet it is not
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Speaker 1: always an easy matter to convince them of this, particularly
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Speaker 1: when their passions are moved. It is then attended with
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Speaker 1: the utmost difficulty. However, it is not impossible, especially when
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Speaker 1: we attempt it, not trusting ourselves, but having all our
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Speaker 1: dependence upon Him with whom all things are possible. How
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Speaker 1: soon is he able to disperse the cloud, to shine
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Speaker 1: upon their hearts, and to enable them both to understand
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Speaker 1: each other and the truth as it is in Jesus.
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Speaker 1: One very considerable article of this truth is contained in
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Speaker 1: the words above recited. This is his name, whereby he
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Speaker 1: shall be called the Lord our Righteousness. A truth, this
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Speaker 1: which enters deep into the nature of Christianity, and in
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Speaker 1: a manner supports the whole frame of it. Of this
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Speaker 1: undoubtedly may be affirmed what Luther affirms of a truth
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Speaker 1: closely connected with it. It is articulus stantis velcadentis ecclesia.
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Speaker 1: The Christian Church stands or falls with it. It is
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Speaker 1: certainly the pillar and ground of that faith of which
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Speaker 1: alone cometh salvation, that catholic or universal faith which is
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Speaker 1: found in all the children of God, and which unless
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Speaker 1: a man keep whole and undefiled without doubt, he shall perish,
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Speaker 1: everlastingly might not one therefore reasonably expect that, however they
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Speaker 1: differ in others, all those who name the name of
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Speaker 1: Christ should agree in this point. But how far is
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Speaker 1: this from being the case? There is scarce any wherein
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Speaker 1: they are so little agreed, wherein those who all profess
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Speaker 1: to follow Christ seem so widely and irreconcilably to differ.
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Speaker 1: I say seem, because I am thoroughly convinced that many
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Speaker 1: of them only seem to differ. The disagreement is more
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Speaker 1: in words than in sentiments. They are much nearer in
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Speaker 1: judgment than in language, and a wide difference in language
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Speaker 1: there certainly is, not only between Protestants and Papists, but
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Speaker 1: between Protestant and Protestant, nay, even between those who all
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Speaker 1: believe justification by faith, who agree as well in this
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Speaker 1: as every other fundamental doctrine of the Gospel. But if
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Speaker 1: the difference be more in opinion than real experience, and
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Speaker 1: more an expression than an opinion, how can it be
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Speaker 1: that even the children of God should so vehemently contend
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Speaker 1: with each other on the point. Several reasons may be
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Speaker 1: assigned for this. The chief is they are not understanding
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Speaker 1: one another joined with too keen an attachment to their
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Speaker 1: own opinions and particularly modes of expression. In order to
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Speaker 1: remove this, at least in some measure, in order to
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Speaker 1: our understanding one another. On this head, I shall, by
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Speaker 1: the help of God, endeavor to show what is the
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Speaker 1: righteousness of Christ, when and in what sense it is
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Speaker 1: imputed to us? And conclude with a shortened plain application,
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Speaker 1: And what is the righteousness of Christ? It is twofold,
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Speaker 1: either his divine or his human righteousness. His divine righteousness
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Speaker 1: belongs to his divine nature, as he is whole on
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Speaker 1: he that existeth over all, God, Blessed forever, the Supreme,
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Speaker 1: the eternal, equal with the Father, as touching his Godhead,
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Speaker 1: though inferior to the Father as touching his manhood. Now
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Speaker 1: this is eternal, essential, immutable holiness, his infinite justice, mercy
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Speaker 1: and truth in all which He and the Father are one.
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Speaker 1: But I do not apprehend that the divine righteousness of
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Speaker 1: Christ is immediately concerned in the present question. I believe few,
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Speaker 1: if any, do now contend for the imputation of this
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Speaker 1: righteousness to us. Whoever believes the doctrine of imputation understands
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Speaker 1: it chiefly, if not solely of his human righteousness. The
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Speaker 1: human righteousness of Christ belongs to him in his human nature,
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Speaker 1: as he is the mediator between God and man, the
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Speaker 1: man Christ Jesus. This is either internal or external. His
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Speaker 1: internal righteousness is the image of God stamped on every
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Speaker 1: power and faculty of his soul. It is a copy
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Speaker 1: of his divine righteousness, as far as it can be
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Speaker 1: imparted to a human of spirit. It is a transcript
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Speaker 1: of the divine purity, the divine justice, mercy, and truth.
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Speaker 1: Involves love, reverence, resignation to his Father, humility, meekness, gentleness,
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Speaker 1: love to lost mankind, and every other holy and heavenly temper,
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Speaker 1: and all these in the highest degree, without any defect
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Speaker 1: or mixture of unholiness. It was the least part of
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Speaker 1: his external righteousness that he did nothing amiss, that he
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Speaker 1: knew no outward sin of any kind, neither was guile
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Speaker 1: found in his mouth, that he never spoke one improper word,
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Speaker 1: nor did one improper action. Thus far, it is only
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Speaker 1: a negative righteousness, though such, and one as never did
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Speaker 1: nor ever can belong to any one that is born
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Speaker 1: of a woman, save himself alone. But even his outward
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Speaker 1: righteousness was positive too, he did all things well. In
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Speaker 1: every word of his tongue, in every work of his hands,
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Speaker 1: he did precisely the will of Him that sent him.
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Speaker 1: In the whole course of his life, he did the
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Speaker 1: will of God on earth, as the angels do it
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Speaker 1: in heaven. All he acted and spoke was exactly right
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Speaker 1: in every circumstance. The whole and every part of his
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Speaker 1: obedience was complete. He fulfilled all righteousness. But his obedience
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Speaker 1: implied more than all this. It implied not only doing,
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Speaker 1: but suffering, suffering the whole will of God, from the
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Speaker 1: time he came into the world till he bore our
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Speaker 1: sins in his own body upon the tree Yea, till
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Speaker 1: having made a full atonement for them, he bowed his
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Speaker 1: head and gave up the ghost. This is usually termed
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Speaker 1: the passive righteousness of Christ. The former is active righteousness.
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Speaker 1: But as the active and passive righteousness of Christ were
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Speaker 1: never in fact separated from each other, so we never
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Speaker 1: need separate them at all, either in speaking or even
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Speaker 1: in thinking. And it is with regard to both these
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Speaker 1: conjoint thee that Jesus is called the Lord our righteousness.
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Speaker 1: But when is it that any of us may truly
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Speaker 1: say the Lord our righteousness. In other words, when is
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Speaker 1: it that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us?
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Speaker 1: And in what sense is it imputed? Look through all
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Speaker 1: the world, and all the men therein are either believers
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Speaker 1: or unbelievers. The first thing, then, which admits of no
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Speaker 1: dispute among reason simble men as this to all believers,
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Speaker 1: the righteousness of Christ is imputed. To ue believers it
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Speaker 1: is not. But when is it imputed? When they believe
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Speaker 1: in that very hour the righteousness of Christ is theirs.
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Speaker 1: It is imputed to every one that believes, as soon
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Speaker 1: as he believes, faith and righteousness of Christ are inseparable.
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Speaker 1: For if he believes, according to scripture, he believes in
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Speaker 1: the righteousness of Christ. There is no true faith, that is,
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Speaker 1: justifying faith which has not the righteousness of Christ for
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Speaker 1: its object. It is true. Believers may not or speak alike.
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Speaker 1: They may not all use the same language. It is
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Speaker 1: not expected that they should, and cannot reasonably require it
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Speaker 1: of them. A thousand circumstances may cause them to vary
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Speaker 1: from each other in the manner of expressing themselves. But
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Speaker 1: a difference of expression does not necessarily imply a difference
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Speaker 1: of sentiment. Different persons may use different expressions and yet
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Speaker 1: mean the same thing. Nothing is more common than this,
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Speaker 1: although we seldom make sufficient allowance for it. No, it
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Speaker 1: is not easy for the same persons, when they speak
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Speaker 1: of the same thing at a considerable distance of time,
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Speaker 1: to use exactly the same expressions, even though they retain
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Speaker 1: the same sentiments. How then, can we be rigorous in
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Speaker 1: requiring others to use just the same expressions. With us,
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Speaker 1: we may go a step farther. Yet, men may differ
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Speaker 1: from us in their opinions as well as their expressions,
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Speaker 1: and nevertheless be partakers with us at the same precious faith.
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Speaker 1: It is possible they may not have a distinct apprehension
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Speaker 1: of the very blessing which they enjoy. Their ideas may
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Speaker 1: not be so clear, and yet their experience may be
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Speaker 1: as sound as ours. There is a wide difference between
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Speaker 1: the natural faculties of men, their understandings in particular, and
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Speaker 1: that difference is exceedingly increased by the manner of their education. Indeed,
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Speaker 1: this alone may occasion an inconceivable difference in their opinions
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Speaker 1: of various kinds, and why not upon this head as
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Speaker 1: well as on any other. But still, though their opinions
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Speaker 1: as well as expressions may be confused and inaccurate, their
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Speaker 1: hearts may cleave to God through the son of his Love,
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Speaker 1: and be truly interested in his righteousness. Let us then
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Speaker 1: make all that allowance to others, which were we in
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Speaker 1: their place, we would desire of ourselves. Who is ignorant
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Speaker 1: to touch again on that circumstance. Only are the amazing
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Speaker 1: power of education, and who that knows it can expect.
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Speaker 1: Suppose a member of the Church of Rome either to
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Speaker 1: think or speak clearly on this subject. And yet if
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Speaker 1: we had heard even dying Bellamine cry out when he
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Speaker 1: was asked, unto which of the saints will our turn?
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Speaker 1: For deare meritus christi tatiselmum it is safest to trust
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Speaker 1: in the merits of Christ. Would we have affirmed that,
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Speaker 1: notwithstanding his wrong opinions, he had no share in his righteousness?
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Speaker 1: But in what sense is this righteousness imputed to believers?
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Speaker 1: In this all believers are forgiven and accepted, not for
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Speaker 1: the sake of anything in them, or of anything that
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Speaker 1: ever was, that is, whatever can be done by them,
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Speaker 1: but wholy and solely for the sake of what Christ
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Speaker 1: hath done and suffered for them. I say again not
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Speaker 1: for the sake of anything in them or done by
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Speaker 1: them of their own righteousness or works. Not for works
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Speaker 1: of righteousness which we have done, but of His own mercy.
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Speaker 1: He saved us by grace. He are saved through faith,
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Speaker 1: not of works, lest any man should boast, but wholly
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Speaker 1: and solely for the sake of what Christ hath done
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Speaker 1: and suffered for us. We are justified freely by His grace,
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Speaker 1: through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. And this
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Speaker 1: is not only the means of our obtaining the favor
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Speaker 1: of God, but of our continuing therein. It is thus
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Speaker 1: we come to God at first. It is by the
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Speaker 1: same we come unto Him. Ever after we walk in
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Speaker 1: one and the same, new and living way, till our
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Speaker 1: spirit returns to God. And this is the doctrine which
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Speaker 1: I have constantly believed and taught for near eight and
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Speaker 1: twenty years. This I published to all the world in
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Speaker 1: the year seventeen thirty eight, and ten or twelve times since.
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Speaker 1: In those words and many others to the same effect,
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Speaker 1: extracted from the homilies of our Church. These things must
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Speaker 1: necessarily go together in our justification upon God's part, his
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Speaker 1: great mercy and grace, upon Christ's part, the satisfaction of
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Speaker 1: God's justice, and on our part faith in the merits
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Speaker 1: of Christ, so that the grace of God doth not
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Speaker 1: shut out the righteousness of God in our justice notification,
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Speaker 1: but only shut it out the righteousness of man as
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Speaker 1: to deserving our justification. That we are justified by faith alone,
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Speaker 1: is spoken to take away clearly all merit of our works,
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Speaker 1: and wholly to ascribe the merit and deserving of our
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Speaker 1: justification to Christ. Only. Our justification comes freely of the
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Speaker 1: mere mercy of God. For whereas all the world was
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Speaker 1: not able to pay any part toward our ansom, it
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Speaker 1: pleased Him without any of our deserving, to prepare for
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Speaker 1: us Christ's body and blood, whereby our ransom might be paid.
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Speaker 1: And is justice satisfied. Christ therefore is now the righteousness
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Speaker 1: of all them that truly believe in Him. The hymns,
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Speaker 1: published a year or two after this, and since republished
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Speaker 1: several times, clear testimony that my judgment was still the same,
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Speaker 1: speak full to the same purpose. To cite all the
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Speaker 1: passages to this effect would be to transcribe a great
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Speaker 1: part of the volumes. Take one for All, which was
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Speaker 1: reprinted seven years ago. Five years ago, two years ago
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Speaker 1: and some months since. Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness, my
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Speaker 1: beauty are my glorious dress midst flaming worlds. In these
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Speaker 1: arrayed with joy, shall I lift up my head. The
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Speaker 1: whole hymn expresses the same sentiment from the beginning to
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Speaker 1: the end. When the Sermon on Justification published nineteen and
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Speaker 1: again seven or eight years ago, I expressed the same
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Speaker 1: thing in these words page fifty five. In consideration of this,
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Speaker 1: that the Son of God hath tasted death for every man,
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Speaker 1: God hath now reconciled the world unto himself, not imputing
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Speaker 1: to them their former trespasses, so that for the sake
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Speaker 1: of his well below its son, of what he hath
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Speaker 1: done and suffered for us, God now vouchsafes on one
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Speaker 1: only condition, which himself also enables us to perform, both
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Speaker 1: to omit the punishment due to our sins, to reinstate
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Speaker 1: us in His favor, and to restore our dead souls
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Speaker 1: to spiritual life as the earnest of life eternal. This
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Speaker 1: is more largely and particularly expressed in the Treatise on Justification,
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Speaker 1: which I published last year. If we take the phrase
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Speaker 1: of imputing Christ's righteousness for the bestowing, as it were,
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Speaker 1: the righteousness of Christ, including his obedience, as well as
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Speaker 1: passive as active in the return of it, that is,
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Speaker 1: in the privileges, blessings, and benefits purchased it. So a
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Speaker 1: believer may be said to be justified by the righteousness
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Speaker 1: of Christ imputed. The meaning is God justifies the believer
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Speaker 1: for the sake of Christ's righteousness, and not for any
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Speaker 1: righteousness of his own. So Calvin institutes one point two
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Speaker 1: Chapter seventeen, Christ, by his obedience procured and merited for
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Speaker 1: us grace or favor with God the Father. And again Christ,
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Speaker 1: by his obedience procured and purchase righteousness for us. And
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Speaker 1: yet again, all such expressions as these, that we are
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Speaker 1: justified by the grace of God, that Christ is our righteousness,
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Speaker 1: that righteousness was procured for us by the death and
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Speaker 1: resurrection of Christ, import the same thing, namely, that the
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Speaker 1: righteousness of Christ, both his active and passive righteousness, is
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Speaker 1: the meritorious cause of our justification and has procured for
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Speaker 1: us at God's hand, that upon our believing, we should
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Speaker 1: be accounted righteous by Him. But perhaps some will object nay,
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Speaker 1: but you affirm that faith is imputed to us for righteousness.
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Speaker 1: Saint Paul affirms this over and over. Therefore I affirm
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Speaker 1: it too. Faith is imputed for righteousness to every believer,
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Speaker 1: namely faith in the righteousness of Christ. But this is
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Speaker 1: exactly the same thing which has been said before. For
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Speaker 1: by that expression I mean neither more nor less than
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Speaker 1: that we are justified by faith, not by works, or
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Speaker 1: that every believer is forgiven and accepted merely for the
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Speaker 1: sake of what Christ has done and suffered. But is
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Speaker 1: not a believer invested or clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Undoubtedly,
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Speaker 1: years and accordingly, the words above recited are the language
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Speaker 1: of every believing heart. Yes, thy blood and righteousness, my
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Speaker 1: beauty are my glorious dress, that is, for the sake
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Speaker 1: of thy active and passive righteousness. I am forgiven and
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Speaker 1: accepted of God. But must not we put off the
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Speaker 1: filthy rags of our own righteousness be before we can
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Speaker 1: put on the spotless righteousness of Christ. Certainly we must,
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Speaker 1: that is, in plain terms, we must repent before we
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Speaker 1: can believe the Gospel. We must be cut off from
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Speaker 1: dependence upon ourselves. Before we can truly depend upon Christ.
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Speaker 1: We must cast away all confidence in our own righteousness.
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Speaker 1: Or we cannot have a true confidence in His till
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Speaker 1: we are delivered from trusting in anything that we do.
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Speaker 1: We cannot thoroughly trust and what He has done and suffered.
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Speaker 1: First we receive the sentence of death in ourselves. Then
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Speaker 1: we trust in Him that lived and died for us.
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Speaker 1: But do not you believe inherent righteousness, Yes, in its
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Speaker 1: proper place, not as the ground of our acceptance with God,
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Speaker 1: but as the fruit of it. Not in the place
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Speaker 1: of imputed righteousness, but as consequent upon it. That is,
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Speaker 1: I believe God implants righteousness in every one to whom
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Speaker 1: He has imputed it. I believe Jesus Christ is made
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Speaker 1: of God unto us sanctification as well as righteousness, or
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Speaker 1: that God sanctifies as well as justifies all them that
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Speaker 1: believe in Him. They two whom the righteousness of Christ
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Speaker 1: is imputed, are made righteous by the spirit of Christ,
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Speaker 1: are renewed in the image of God after the likeness
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Speaker 1: wherein they were created in righteousness and true holiness. But
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Speaker 1: do not you put faith in the room of Christ
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Speaker 1: or of His righteousness. By no means. I take particular
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Speaker 1: care to put each of these in its proper place.
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Speaker 1: The righteousness of Christ is the whole and sole foundation
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Speaker 1: of all our hope. It is by faith that the
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Speaker 1: Holy Ghost enables us to build upon this foundation. God
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Speaker 1: gives this faith. In that moment we are accepted of God.
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Speaker 1: And yet not for the sake of that faith, but
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Speaker 1: of what Christ has done and suffered for us. You see,
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Speaker 1: each of these has its proper place, and neither clushes
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Speaker 1: with the other. We believe, we love, We endeavor to
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Speaker 1: walk in all the commandments of the Lord blameless. Yet
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Speaker 1: while thus we bestow our moments below ourselves, we forsake
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Speaker 1: and refuge in Jesus righteousness sake His passion alone. The
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Speaker 1: foundation we own and pardon. We claim an eternal redemption
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Speaker 1: in Jesus name. I therefore no more deny the righteousness
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Speaker 1: of Christ than I deny the Godhead of Christ. And
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Speaker 1: a man may fully as justly charge me with denying
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Speaker 1: the one as the other. Neither do I deny imputed righteousness.
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Speaker 1: This is another unkind and unjust accusation. I always did
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Speaker 1: and do still continually affirm that the righteousness of Christ
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Speaker 1: is imputed to every believer. But who deny it? Why
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Speaker 1: all infidels, whether baptized or un baptized, All who affirm
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Speaker 1: the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to be
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Speaker 1: a cunningly devised fable. All Sicinians and Arians, all who
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Speaker 1: deny the Supreme god Head of the Lord that bought them, They,
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Speaker 1: of consequence deny his divine righteousness, as they suppose him
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Speaker 1: to be a mere creature. And they deny his human
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Speaker 1: righteousness as imputed to any man, seeing they believe everyone
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Speaker 1: is accepted for his own righteousness. The human righteousness of Christ,
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Speaker 1: at least, the imputation of it as the whole and
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Speaker 1: sole meritorious cause of the justification of a sinner before God,
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Speaker 1: is likewise denied by the members of the Church of Rome,
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Speaker 1: by all of them who are true to the principles
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Speaker 1: of their own church. But undoubtedly there are many among
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Speaker 1: them whose experience goes beyond their principles, who, though they
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Speaker 1: are far from expressing themselves justly, yet feel what they know,
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Speaker 1: not how to expect. Yea, although their conceptions of this
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Speaker 1: great truth be as crude as their expressions, yet with
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Speaker 1: their heart they believe they rest on Christ alone, both
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Speaker 1: under present and eternal salvation. With these we may rank
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Speaker 1: those even in the Reformed churches, who are usually termed mystics.
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Speaker 1: One of the chief of these in the present sentry,
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Speaker 1: at least in England, was mister Law. It is well
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Speaker 1: known that he absolutely and zealously denied the imputation of
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Speaker 1: the righteousness of Christ, as zealously as Robert Barclay, whose
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Speaker 1: scruples not to say imputed righteousness imputed nonsense. The body
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Speaker 1: of the people known by the name of Quakers espous
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Speaker 1: the same sentiment. Nay, the generality of those who profess
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Speaker 1: themselves members of the Church of England are the totally
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Speaker 1: ignorant of the manner, and know nothing about imputed righteousness,
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Speaker 1: or deny this and justification by faith. Together as distracted
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Speaker 1: of good works. To these we may add a considerable
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Speaker 1: number of the people vulgularly styled and are Baptists, together
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Speaker 1: with thousands of Presbyterians and independents, lately enlightened by the
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Speaker 1: writings of Doctor Taylor. On the last, I am not
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Speaker 1: called to pass any sentence. I leave them to him
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Speaker 1: that made them. But will anyone dare to affirm that
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Speaker 1: all mystics, such as mister Law in particular, all Quakers
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Speaker 1: or Presbyterians, or independence and all members of the Church
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Speaker 1: of England who are not clear in their opinions and
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Speaker 1: expressions are void of all Christian experience, though consequently they
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Speaker 1: are all in a state of damned nation, without hope,
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Speaker 1: without God in the world. However confused their ideas may be,
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Speaker 1: however improper their language, may there not be many of
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Speaker 1: them whose heart is right toward God and who effectually
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Speaker 1: know the Lord our righteousness. But blessed be God. We
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Speaker 1: are not among those who are so dark in their
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Speaker 1: conceptions and expressions. We no more deny the phrase than
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Speaker 1: the thing, but we are unwilling to obtrude it on
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Speaker 1: other men. Let them use either this or such other
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Speaker 1: expressions as they judge to be more exactly scriptural, provided
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Speaker 1: their heart rests only on what Christ hath done and
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Speaker 1: suffered for pardon, grace and glory. I cannot express this
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Speaker 1: better than in mister Hervey's words, worthy to be wrote
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Speaker 1: in letters of gold. We are not solicitous as to
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Speaker 1: any particular set of phrases. Only let men be humbled
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Speaker 1: as repenting criminals at Christ's feet. Let them rely as
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Speaker 1: devoted pensioners on His merits, and they are undoubtedly in
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Speaker 1: the way to a blessed immortality. Is there any need?
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Speaker 1: Is there any possibility of saying more? Let us only
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Speaker 1: abide by this declaration, and all the contention about this
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Speaker 1: or that articular phrase is torn up by the roots.
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Speaker 1: Keep to this, All who are humbled as repenting criminals
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Speaker 1: at Christ's feet and relie as devoted pensioners on his merits,
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Speaker 1: are in the way to a blessed immortality. And what
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Speaker 1: room for dispute? Who denies this? Do we not all
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Speaker 1: meet on this ground? What then shall we wrangle about?
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Speaker 1: A man of peace here proposes terms of accommodation to
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Speaker 1: all the contending parties. We desire no better. We accept
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Speaker 1: of the terms, We subscribe to them with heart and hand.
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Speaker 1: Whoever refuses so to do should a mark upon that man.
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Speaker 1: He is an enemy of peace and a troubler of Israel,
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Speaker 1: a disturber of the Church of God. In the meantime,
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Speaker 1: what we are afraid of is this, lest any should
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Speaker 1: use the phrase the righteousness of Christ or the righteousness
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Speaker 1: of Christ is imputed to me as a cover for
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Speaker 1: his unrighteousness. We have known this done a thousand times.
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Speaker 1: A man has been reproved suppose for drunkenness. Oh, said
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Speaker 1: he I pretend to no righteousness of myne own. Christ
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Speaker 1: is my righteousness. Another has been told that the extortion
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Speaker 1: at the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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Speaker 1: He replies with all assurance. I am unjust in myself,
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Speaker 1: but I have a spotless righteousness in Christ. And thus,
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Speaker 1: though a man be as far from the practice as
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Speaker 1: from the tempests of a Christian, though he neither has
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Speaker 1: the mind which was in Christ, nor in any respect
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Speaker 1: walks as He walked, yet he has armor of proof
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Speaker 1: against all conviction in what he calls the righteousness of Christ.
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Speaker 1: It is the seeing so many deplorable instances of this
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Speaker 1: kind which makes us sparing in the use of these expressions.
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Speaker 1: And I cannot but call upon all of you who
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Speaker 1: use them frequently, and beseech you, in the name of God,
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Speaker 1: our Savior, whose you are, and whom you serve earnestly,
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Speaker 1: to guard all that here you against this accursed abuse
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Speaker 1: of them. I warn them, it may be they will
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Speaker 1: hear your voice against continuing in sin that grace may abound.
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Speaker 1: Warn them against making Christ the minister of sin, against
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Speaker 1: making void that solemn decree of God. Without holiness, no
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Speaker 1: man shall see the Lord by vain imagination of being
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Speaker 1: wholly in Christ. Oh, warn them that if they remain unrighteous,
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Speaker 1: the righteousness of Christ will profit them nothing. Cry aloud?
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Speaker 1: Is there not a cause that for this very end
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Speaker 1: the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, that the
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Speaker 1: righteousness of the Law may be fulfilled in us, and
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Speaker 1: that we may live soberly, religiously and godly in this
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Speaker 1: present world. It remains only to make a short and
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Speaker 1: plain application. And first I would address myself to you,
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Speaker 1: who violently oppose these expressions, and are ready to condemn
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Speaker 1: all that use them as antinomians. But is not this
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Speaker 1: bending the bow too much the other way? Why should
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Speaker 1: you condemn all who do not speak just as you do?
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Speaker 1: Why should you quarrel with them for using the phrases
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Speaker 1: they like any more than they with you for taking
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Speaker 1: the same liberty? Oh, if they do quarrel with you
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Speaker 1: upon that account, do not imitate the bigotry which you blame.
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Speaker 1: At least allow them the liberty which they ought to
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Speaker 1: allow you. And why should you be angry at an expression? Oh,
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Speaker 1: it has been abused, and what expression has not? However,
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Speaker 1: the abuse may be removed, and at the same time,
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Speaker 1: the use remain. Above all, be sure to retain the
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Speaker 1: important sense which is couched under that expression. All the
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Speaker 1: blessings I enjoy, all I hope for in time and
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Speaker 1: in eternity, are given holy and solely for the sake
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Speaker 1: of what Christ has done and suffered for me. I
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Speaker 1: would secondly at a few words to you who are
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Speaker 1: fond of these expressions, and permit me to ask, do
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Speaker 1: you not I allow enough? What can any reasonable man
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Speaker 1: desire more? I allow the whole sense which you can
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Speaker 1: tend for that we have every blessing through the righteousness
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Speaker 1: of God, our Savior. I allow you to use whatever
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Speaker 1: expressions you choose, and that a thousand times over, only
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Speaker 1: guarding them against that dreadful abuse which you are as
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Speaker 1: deeply concerned to prevent as I am. I myself frequently
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Speaker 1: use the expression in question, imputed righteousness, and often put
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Speaker 1: this and the like expressions into the mouth of a
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Speaker 1: whole congregation. But allow me liberty of conscience herein, allow
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Speaker 1: me the right of private judgment. Allow me to use
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Speaker 1: it just as often as I judge it preferable to
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Speaker 1: any other expression, And be not angry with me if
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Speaker 1: I cannot judge it proper to use any one expression
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Speaker 1: every two minutes. You may if you please, but do
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Speaker 1: not condemn me because I do not do not for
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Speaker 1: this represent me as a papist or an enemy to
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Speaker 1: the righteousness of Christ. Bear with me as I do
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Speaker 1: with you. Else how shall we fulfill the law of Christ?
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Speaker 1: Do not make tragical out Christ, as though I were
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Speaker 1: subverting the very foundations of Christianity. Whoever does this does
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Speaker 1: me much wrong. The Lord lay it not to his charge.
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Speaker 1: I lay, and have done for many years, the very
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Speaker 1: same foundation with you. And indeed other foundation can no
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Speaker 1: man lay than that which is laid even Jesus Christ.
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Speaker 1: I build inward and outward holiness thereon, as you do,
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Speaker 1: even by faith. Do not therefore suffer any distaste or unkindness,
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Speaker 1: know nor any shyness or coldness in your heart. If
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Speaker 1: there were a difference of opinion? Where is our religion?
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Speaker 1: If we cannot think? And let think? What hinders? But
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Speaker 1: you may forgive me as easily as I may forgive you.
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Speaker 1: How much more when there is only a difference of expression,
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Speaker 1: nay hartless so much as that all the dispute being
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Speaker 1: only whether a particular mode of expression shall be used
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Speaker 1: more or less frequently. Surely we must earnestly desire to
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Speaker 1: contend with one another before we can make this a
33:38
Speaker 1: bone of contention. Oh, let us not any more, for
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Speaker 1: such very trifles as these give our common enemies room
33:46
Speaker 1: to blaspheme. Rather, let us at length cut off occasion
33:53
Speaker 1: for them that seek occasion. Let us at length, Oh,
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Speaker 1: why was it not done before? Join heart and hands
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Speaker 1: in the service of our great master. As we have
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Speaker 1: one lord, one faith, one hope of our calling. Let
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Speaker 1: us all strengthen each other's hands in God, and with
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Speaker 1: one heart and one mouth, declare to all mankind the
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Speaker 1: Lord our righteousness. End of Section twenty