said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Righteousness of God so the word might be render'd and this Phrase the Righteousness of God seems to be taken and be proved from my Text Jehovah our Righteousness 2. Faith is said to be in the Blood of Christ Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth for a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood All the Garments of Christ are said to smell of Myrrh Aloes and Cassia Psal 45.7 As Christ's Garments are expounded to be his Graces so they may also be interpreted to be the Actions of Christ that flow from those Graces Garments signifie Actions so it is said they washed their Robes white in the Blood of the the Lamb Rev. 7.14 So these Garments point out the Active Obedience of Jesus Christ It is said also That Christ gave himself an offering and a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to God Ephes 5.2 Zanchy on the place observes the Emphasis of the Apostles words that Christ is said to be first an Offering and then a Sacrifice There were Offerings of First-fruits and Fine Flower and of such things as had not life but living creatures were offered up in Sacrifice and then their blood was spilt and their lives taken away Christ's being an Offering may point out the Holiness of Christ's Life and his being a Sacrifice did signifie his Sufferings and his Death How satisfactory and refreshing is it to us to Read and Hear of the sweet smelling Garments of Christ and the sweet smelling Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus It was foretold of our Lord Jesus Christ that his Ears both his Ears should be opened Psal 40.6 one Ear was opened as he was Man to hear and obey the Commands of the Moral Law and Christ's other Ear was opened to listen to and comply with that peculiar Commandment that was given to him As Mediator to lay down his Life Joh. 10.18 Innocent Man owed but a single debt to God and that was Obedience to his Law but Fallen and Guilty Man is bound to God in a double Bond. He owes God Obedience as he is a Creature and he owes God Glory to be raised out of his Sufferings Misery and Torments as he is a Guilty Creature Therefore Sins are called Debts Matth. 6.12 because the Transgressors of the Law for Non-payment of the Debt of Obedience contract another and New Debt and that is an Obligation to endure Punishment As they wrong and rob God by their sins of Omission and Commission so they are bound to make Restitution to God by their eternal Sufferings and Torments 1. Jesus Christ was to obey the Commands of the Law Joh. 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the work that thou gavest me to do Jesus Christ was to Glorifie God in the Nature of a Creature in the Form of a Servant he was to be a perfect Pattern of Piety and an example of Righteousness on Earth where there had not been a full and exact Instance of Righteousness and Obedience fince the Fall Eccles 7.20 There is not a just Man on earth that lives and sins not The Earth hath been full of violence and wickedness before God Gen. 6.13 How much was it then for the Glory of God and the Honour of his Law that there should be a Man Perfectly Holy and Just on Earth A Virgin-Soul among Whores and Adulteresses A Diligent Servant among Drones and Lazy Loiterers A Loyal Subject among Rebels and Enemies How little Honour had been given to the Law if only the Penalty of it had been inflicted and its Curse been executed but the Commands of it had never been obeyed and fulfilled Is it for the Credit or Glory of an Earthly Prince to have no Obedience paid to his Laws but only the Penalties annexed to them to take hold of and be executed on all that are under his Jurisdiction And shall God's Laws never be obeyed Shall the Penalties of them only be executed As a Foreign Prince if he Travels through the Territories and Dominions of another King doth owe him a Topical Allegiance and must needs be subject to his Laws so the Son of God though he was a Rightful and a Glorious King yet Travelling through the Dominions of his Father in the nature of a Creature to Redeem Captives must needs be subject to the Laws that God gave to all Mankind The High-Priest under the Old Testament was an eminent Type of Christ he was bound to wear a Plate of Gold joyned to his Mitre on his Forehead Exod. 25.36 37 38. This did intimate and teach us that the true substantial High-Priest was to be Perfectly holy and absolutely devoted to God Tho' God may spy Faults and observe Blemishes and Spots in the best of Saints yet he may look to the Forehead of Jesus our Great High-Priest and there read nothing but Holiness to the Lord. The Law of God was perfectly impressed on Christ's Heart and fully expressed in his Life He loved God to the Height of utmost Perfection He loved Men even his own that were in the World with the most pure ardent and intense Love John 13.1 he was so intent so fixed in Exalting and Magnifying God that when his Soul was troubled in the prospect of his Sufferings yet he Pray'd thus Father glorifie thy own Name John 12.27 28 29. As if he should say However I am clouded and eclipsed whatever bitter Cup I drink whatever heavy Burden I bear yet Father glorifie thy own Name As the First Adam ruined us by his Self-seeking so the Second Adam raised and Recovered us by his Self-denyal and Christ's Love to his People was stronger than Death He leaped over Mountains of Difficulties and brake through Hosts of Enemies and Sufferings to Redeem them He did forget himself for a time that he might remember us to eternity He veiled his Glory and Majesty to manifest his Love to us We are all as an unclean thing Isa 64.6 but Jesus Christ is that Holy Thing that was Born of the Virgin Mary Luk. 1.35 he came into this World without a Foreskin on his Heart and therefore was that Holy Seed that was Figured and Typified by Circumcision Phil. 3.3 And we may Glory in him on this account The Fountain was pure from his Conception and Birth and the Stream that did flow from it was ever after clear and clean It was requisite that Christ should be Holiness to God that he might be made Righteousness to us 2. Christ's Sufferings may well be accounted a part of his Righteousness For 1. They were the Fulfilling of the Law given to him as Mediator that he should make his Soul an Offering for Sin and pour it out to the death Isa 53.10 12. Joh. 10.18 As the Moral Law belonged to Christ as a Man he could not possess our Humane Nature in Purity or order his Conversation with Beauty without submission to it so the Ceremonial Law belonged to him as a Jew and he was obliged to die as
he that Instructs us should learn obedience himself Heb. 5.8 The Father that laid Sins inflicted Punishment executed the Curse on Christ was as the Master and the Son that endured all things was as the Scholar He learned by experience what a hard and difficult thing Obedience was how costly and painful it was to subject himself to the Father loading him with Sins and sorrows chastising him for our Iniquities bruising him for our Transgressions that such an Obedience should be rendered by the Son is a deep Mystery and we should never have known it if Jesus Christ had hid it in his heart As the Israelites did not know Manna Dent. 8.3 he fed thee with Manna which thou knewest not neither did thy Fathers know when they found it and saw it first on the ground they wondered and cried out What is this Exod. 16.4 So the Margin renders the word very properly and this is most suitable to the following words for they wist not what it was To say they called it Manna for they wist not what it was is not so good and fit a sense Some have conceived that the phrase hidden Manna was borrowed from the Israelites Question and Ignorance of Manna indeed the Jews were and all Natural Men are ignorant of the Righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 The Wrath of God is indeed revealed from Heaven to all Men by Afflicting Providences Desolating Destroying Judgments as War Famin Pestilence Inundations and Earthquakes but the Righteousness of God is only revealed in the Gospel God might have stopt in the Revelation of his Wrath and have gone no farther but he hath proceeded to reveal his Righteousness in the Gospel that he is Just and the Justifier of them that believe in Jesus Rom. 3.25 26. The Fountain is now opened in which we must wash the Ransom is now paid for which we must be Released the Obedience is now performed by which we must be Justified The Sun of Righteousness is now risen with Healing under his Wings Mal. 4.2 The glorious beams of this Sun of Righteousness dispels not only the thinner Mists of lesser Sins but the thickest Clouds of Heinous Iniquities that not only hide the Light of God's Countenance from us but would pour down a storm of Vengeance upon us 5. The Gospel is the Ministration of Righteousness 2 Cor. 3.9 and the Ministry of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.18 Christ in sprinkling Nations with the dew of the Gospel Isa 52. last he doth also sprinkle them with the drops of his Blood Jesus Christ is Justified himself Isa 50.8 and so in a full capacity to Justifie us and that because he hath born our Iniquities Isa 53.11 He that hath loosed his own pains of Death Act. 2.24 can loose our bonds of Iniquity There is an exhibiting and Communication of Righteousness for Justification in the Dispensation of the Gospel 3. Consider the Excellency of this Righteousness it is clean water to wash us Ezek. 36.25 It is clean Linen to adorn us Revel 19.8 Saints are but a Candle or Lamp of Righteousness but this is a Glorious Sun Mal. 4.2 It is a during lasting Righteousness it is styled Everlasting Righteousness Dan. 9.24 This garment never wears or decays It hath been of price and virtue in all Former Ages and it will last till the end of the World yea we may consider whether Saints shall not call Christ by this Glorious Name The Lord our Righteousness to Eternity A Candle wastes and consumes but so doth not the Sun So this Sun of Righteousness will never decay or lose his light and glory The Blood of Christ is still fresh he appeares even now as if he had been but a Lamb lately slain Revel 5.6 And because his Blood is still so fresh and the virtue of it so lasting therefore the Redemption that flows from it is Eternal Heb. 9.12 But more particularly I shall set forth the excellency of Christ's Righteousness and the pretiousness of his Sacrifice in these Following propositions 1. Jesus Christ's Obedience and Righteousness was one whole entire piece it was a continual Series of Holy acts without any interuption our Righteousness is made up of patches and pieces there are interuptions in our obedience but Christ obey'd during his whole Life and at last became obedient to the Death of the Cross Phil. 2.8 As Oxen of old did draw in the Yoke and at last were Offered in Sacrifice 2. Christ did neither stop or pause in his Work or stray at all from his way John 8.29 2. Jesus Christ did not pay our debt by halves but discharged it at once in an intire sum The Damned are always Suffering and yet never satisfie God But Jesus Christ offered one Sacrifice the vertue of which lasts for ever and by this one Sacrifice he perfected us for ever Heb. 10.12.14 Christ hath by this one Sacrifice put an end to all Offerings for Sin Heb. 10.18 Bloody Sacraments do cease in the Church and Bloody Sacrifices are much abolished now out of the World 3. Jesus Christ by his Sacrifice hath taken down the Vail and opened a way to the Heavenly Sanctuary This shewed that the Sacrifices of the Law were weak and defective that though they were still offered yet the Vail still stood and the way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest those Sacrifices could not give access to God and entrance into Heaven But this discovered the excellency and efficacy of Christ's Sacrifice that when he Died Matth. 27.50 51. The Vail of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom To intimate that now a way to Heaven was made by the renting the Vail of Christ's Flesh and by separating of his Soul from his Body Heb. 10.19 Christ by travelling to Heaven hath made a way by entring into it he hath made a door by landing on the Shores of a Blessed Eternity he hath made a Harbour this is a way still new a living way This way is never stale dead or out of date the High-Priest of old did kill a Sacrifice and with the Blood of it he entred into the Typical Holy of Holies Levit. 16.11.14 But the virtue of that Sacrifice was exhausted and the way made by it was dead so that he could not enter again a Second year without killing of a new Sacrifice But Christ's Sacrifice is of such virtue that it makes a way always new a living lasting way into the Heavenly Sanctuary that Believers in all ages may make use of 4. Jesus Christ hath carried his Blood into Heaven and Sprinkled the Throne of God with it The Mercy-Seat was sprinkled with the Blood of the Sacrifice Levit. 16.14 and this did figure and teach that the Throne of God must be sprinkled with the Blood of Christ and how admirable a change doth it make by turning a terrible Tribunal of Justice into a sweet and amiable Throne of Grace Heb. 4. last Let us come boldly to the Throne of Grace Dan. 7.9 10.
How much are Men dismayed and terrified at the Thoughts of Death Therefore they are very unwilling to step beyond Death in their thoughts or to Travel into Eternity in their Meditations They Fear to meet with a terrible Host of Sins an Ocean of Wrath a Lake of Fire and Brimstone They bode no good to themselves at their departure out of this World God the great Creditor Records their debts and Conscience his Officer doth sometimes charge them and arrest their Souls They have no Spiritual Balsom then to heal their wounds No arm to lean on to support their Souls None to roll away the Burden of their Guilt to pacify or quiet their accusing and condemning Conscience To Bail them when they are arrested for a debt of Ten thousand Talents they cannot look inward but they see an Evil Treasure and a Conscience loaded with Dead Works They cannot look upward but they see God's frowning Face and Fiery Throne They cannot look forward but they see a deep pit a dark Prison and Revenging Justice armed for their destruction The Covenant of Works is a continual Root of doubts and feares Legalists are still questioning and asking Who shall descend into the Deep to satisfy them That the Gates of Hell are shut that they shall not enter by and pass through them into the Regions of Darkness and Misery Or they inquire Who shall ascend up to Heaven to assure them that the Doer of Heaven is open to let them into Glory Rom. 10.6 7. They have still perplexed minds and anxious thoughts they cannot see themselves secured from a Miserable or assured of a Blessed Eternity They fear they shall make a ruining and undoing change be totally Shipwrackt and cast away Body and Soul for ever They cannot totally suppress the thoughts of Eternity or Comfortably entertain them They can neither stupify nor pacifie Conscience How often are Sinners terribly awakened and alarm'd when Death looks them in the Face O! what a bitter cry of Destruction do they then lift up Isa 15.5 All their Sins as the adversaries of Zion once did Lam. 1.31 do overtake them between the Straits when they walk through the narrow Valley of the shadow of death as Jesus Christ himself was in an Agony near his end Luke 22.44 When he saw what an Host of Infernal Enemies he must Fight through what an Ocean of Wrath he must Swim through this put him into a Bloody sweat When he beheld the Frowning Face of God the Fiery Throne and the Flaming Sword of Justice this drew strong Cryes and Teares from Christ Heb. 5.7 So if Sinners be not stupified if they see themselves going to an Eternal execution that they will be ever Suffering and never die That there will still be Food for an Everlasting Worm and Fuel for an Eternal Fire This will fill them with Consternation and Horrour Condemned Transgressors must bear their Iniquities yet cannot stand or bear up under this load They cannot stay yet dare not to depart they cannot hide yet are not fit to appear they must stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ Rom. 14.10 yet cannot stand in the Judgement Psal 1.5 They must appear before that Tribunal Cor. 5.10 where yet they cannot Confidently or Comfortably appear 1 Pet. 4.18 They dread the next step they shall take when out of the Body where their Lot will fall and what their Treatment will be to Eternity Beleivers indeed do confidently commit and commend their Soules into the Hands of their Redeemer Psal 31.5 But wicked Men full sorely against their wills must fall into the Hands of an angry Creditor and of an inexorable Judge Heb. 10.31 They must answer for their own Sins there is no other to pay their Debts Satisfie for their Offences Plead for their Reconciliation All their Iniquities will overtake them in another World and meet them at the Tribunal of God None of them are blotted out or passed over God hath Sworn by himself he will never forget any of them Amos 8.7 God will open the Treasury of his Wrath and shut up the Bowels of his Mercy he will remember Iniquity and therefore forget to be Gracious God will enter into Judgement with Sinners and stand up to plead against them Isa 3.13 14. Delinquents must appear Criminals must be brought unto Judgement Eccles 11.9 and all their thoughts words and actions must appear and be brought into Judgement Eccles 12. last God will pass a Just Condemning Sentence and terribly Execute it on them As the Sun was Eclypsed and darkness covered the Earth when Christ Died so the Gracious Countenance of God will be Eternally Eclypsed towards Sinners Christ met with Affronts Indignities Blowes before the Tribunal of Men And what must Sinners look for at the Tribunal of God Jesus Christ was denied any refreshment when he thirsted So Sinners shall not obtain a drop to cool their scorched tongues Luke 16.22 23 24 25. As the Waters did persue all that were out of the Ark till they were drowned So Sin shall hunt persue find out and overtake Sinners for their Eternal Destruction Psal 140.11 Ezek. 35.63 Numb 2.23 All that is grateful and sweet in the being of Sinners shall be consumed yet they themselves shall still exist to suffer more Punishment and Torment God's Controversie with Sinners will never be at an end His Sword will never be sheathed The dreadful storm of Vengeance will never cease God's Eternity will be dreadful for he ever lives to punish and the Soul 's own Immortality will be terrible to it For it shall ever exist to be punished So that Sinners would rather sleep in the dust for ever than to have a Resurection to Condemnation John 5.28 and had rather be annihilated than suffer the Vengeance of Eternal Fire If departing Souls did see whither they were going and know what they must suffer Would not their Chambers sound with these dreadful words We must dwell with Everlasting Fire we must inhabit with Eternal Burnings 8. It is bad not to have Christ to be our Righteousness if we consider how many foolish devices sinners seek out to quiet and ease their Consciences and yet by all these they do but delude and cheat their Souls Some Fast often eat course Food wear Hair-cloth Whip themselves severely lie on the Ground Those that have not rest in Christ they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as are still walking about in devices and inventions of their own Heb. 13.9 to pacifie God the Judge and to bribe Conscience his Officer How woful is the Case of some ignorant Protestants of the blind Papists of the deluded Jews the deceived Mahumetans and Heathens Papists think by severity and cruelty to their Bodies to expiate the sins of their Souls Some go in Pilgrimage to the Images of Saints some build Churches and Chappels and appoint Priests to Pray for their Souls while they live in Sensual Pleasures and serve their Lusts Some endow Religious Houses with Lands that