righteousness of Christ, doth a world of wisdom open itself, dispelling all difficulties and darkness, and manifesting a reconciliation of all this. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!' Rom. xi, 33, Col. ii, 3. but of this before.

:

(2dly.) As full of grace. He knows that sin had shut up the whole way of grace towards him, and whereas God aims at nothing so much as the manifestation of his grace, he was utterly cut short of it. Now to have a complete righteousness provided, and yet abundance of grace manifested, exceedingly delights the soul; to have God's dealing with his person, all grace, and dealing with his righteousness, all justice, takes up his thoughts. God every where assures us, that this righteousness is of grace. It is 'by grace, and no more of works;' Rom. xi. 6. as the apostle at large sets it out, Eph. ii. 7-9. It is from riches of grace and kindness, that the provision of this righteousness is made; it is of mere grace that it is bestowed on us, it is not at all of works though it be in itself a righteousness of works, yet to us, it is of mere grace. So Tit. iii. 4—7. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour: that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.' The rise of all this dispensation is kindness and love, that is, grace; ver. 4. The way of communication, negatively, is not by works of righteousness that we have done; positively, by the communication of the Holy Ghost; ver. 5. the means of whose procurement, is Jesus Christ; ver, 6. and the work itself is by grace; ver. 7. Here is use made of every word almost, whereby the exceeding rich grace, kindness, mercy, and goodness of God may be expressed, all concurring in this work. As, 1. Kpnotórns, his goodness, benignity, readiness to communicate of himself, and his good things, that may be profitable to us. 2. Piλav0pwría, mercy, love, and propensity of mind to help, assist, relieve them of whom he speaks, towards whom he is so affected; and Asos, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, tenderness, to them that suffer; and xápis,

free pardoning bounty, undeserved love and all this is said to be To Jɛou σwrñpos; he exercises all these properties and attributes of his nature towards us, that he may save us; and in the bestowing of it, giving us the Holy Ghost, it is said, Exεev, he poured him out, as water out of a vessel, without stop and hesitation, and that not in a small measure, but λovoíws, richly and in abundance; whence, as to the work itself, it is emphatically said, δικαιωθέντες τῆ ἐκείνου xápiri; justified by the grace of him, who is such a one. And this do the saints of God in their communion with Christ, exceedingly rejoice in before him, that the way of their acceptation before God, is a way of grace, kindness, and mercy, that they might not boast in themselves, but in the Lord, and his goodness; crying, how great is thy goodness! how great is thy bounty!

3dly. They approve of it, and rejoice in it, as a way of great peace and security to themselves and their own souls. They remember what was their state and condition, whilst they went about to set up a righteousness of their own, and were not subject to the righteousness of Christ; how miserably they were tossed up and down, with continual fluctuating thoughts; sometimes they had hope, and sometimes were full of fear; sometimes they thought themselves in some good condition, and anon were at the very brink of hell; their consciences being racked and torn, with sin and fear; but now, being justified by faith, they have peace with God;' Rom. v. 1. All is quiet and serene; not only that storm is over, but they are in the haven where they would be. They have abiding peace with God. Hence is that description of Christ, to a poor soul; Isa. xxxii. 2. ‘And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.' · Wind, and tempest, and drought, and weariness, nothing now troubles the soul that is in Christ; he hath a hiding place and a covert, and rivers of water, and the shadow of a great rock, for his security. This is the great mystery of faith in this business of our acceptation with God by Christ; that whereas the soul of a believer finds enough in him, and upon him, to rend the very caul of the heart, to fill him with fears, terror, disquietments all his days, yet through

Christ, he is at perfect peace with God; Isa. xxvi. 3. Psal. iv. 6-8. Hence do the souls of believers exceedingly magnify Jesus Christ, that they can behold the face of God with boldness, confidence, peace, joy, assurance, that they can call him Father, bear themselves on his love, walk up and down in quietness and without fear; how glorious is the Son of God, in this grace! They remember the wormwood and gall that they have eaten; the vinegar and tears they have drank; the trembling of their souls like an aspen leaf that is shaken with the wind; whenever they thought of God, what contrivances have they had to hide, and fly, and escape; to be brought now to settlement and security, must needs greatly affect them.

4thly. They cordially approve of this righteousness because it is a way and means of exceeding exaltation and honour of the Lord Jesus, whom their souls do love. Being once brought to an acquaintance with Jesus Christ, their hearts desire nothing more than that he may be honoured and glorified to the utmost, and in all things have the preeminence. Now what can more tend to the advancing and honouring of him in our hearts, than to know that he is made of God unto us, wisdom and righteousness;' 1 Cor. i. 30. Not that he is this or that part of our acceptation with God; but he is all, he is the whole. They know that in the account of his working out their acceptation with God, he is,

(1st.) Honoured of God his Father; 2 Phil. ii. 7—10. He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' Whether that word wherefore,' denotes a connexion of causality, or only a consequence, this is evident, that on the account of his suffering, and as the end of it, he was honoured and exalted of God, to an unspeakable

d

d Psal. cx, 1. 6. ii. 8, 9. Zech. ix. 10. Psal. lxxii. 8. Rom. xiv, 11. Isa. xlv. 23. Phik ii. 10.

pre-eminence, dignity, and authority; according as God had promised him, on the same account; Isa. liii. 11, 12. Acts ii. 36. v. 30, 31. And therefore it is said, that when he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; Heb. i, 3,

(2dly.) He is on this account honoured of all the angels in heaven, even because of this great work of bringing sinners unto God; for they do not only bow down and desire to look into the mystery of the cross, 1 Pet. i. 12. but worship and praise him always on this account; Rev. v. 11-14. 'I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and living creatures, and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven and earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, honour, glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the living creatures said, Amen. And the fourand-twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.' The reason given of this glorious and wonderful doxology, this attribution of honour and glory, to Jesus Christ, by the whole host of heaven, is, because he was the Lamb that was slain; that is, because of the work of our redemption, and our bringing unto God. And it is not a little refreshment and rejoicing to the souls of the saints, to know, that all the angels of God, the whole host of heaven, which never sinned, do yet continually rejoice, and ascribe praise and honour to the Lord Jesus, for his bringing them to peace and favour with God.

(3dly.) He is honoured by his saints all the world over; and indeed, if they do not, who should. If they honour him not as they honour the Father, they were of all men the most unworthy but see what they do, Rev. i. 5, 6. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests to God and his Father, to him be glory for ever and ever, Amen. Chap. v. 8-10. 'The four living creatures and four-and-twenty elders, fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and

golden vials full of odours,which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.' The great solemn worship of the Christian church, consists in this assignation of honour and glory to the Lord Jesus; therefore do they love him, honour him, delight in him; as Paul, Phil. iii. 8. and so the spouse, Cant. v. 9-11. and this is on this account.

5thly. They cordially approve of this righteousness, this way of acceptation, as that which brings glory to God as such. When they were labouring under the guilt of sin, that which did most of all perplex their souls was, that their safety was inconsistent with the glory and honour of the great God; with his justice, faithfulness, and truth; all which were engaged for the destruction of sin; and how to come off from ruin, without the loss of their honour he saw not. But now by the revelation of this righteousness from faith to faith, they plainly see, that all the properties of God are exceedingly glorified, in the pardon, justification, and acceptance of poor sinners, as before was manifested.

And this is the first way whereby the saints hold daily communion with the Lord Jesus, in this purchased grace of acceptation with God. They consider, approve of, and rejoice in, the way, means, and thing itself.

[2.] They make an actual commutation with the Lord' Jesus, as to their sins and his righteousness; of this there are also sundry parts.

1st. They continually keep alive upon their hearts a sense of the guilt and evil of sin; even then when they are under some comfortable persuasions of their personal acceptance with God. Sense of pardon takes away the horror and fear, but not a due sense of the guilt of sin. It is the daily exercise of the saints of God, to consider the great provocation that is in sin, their sins; the sin of their nature and lives; to render themselves vile in their own hearts and thoughts on that account; to compare it with the terror of the Lord; and to judge themselves continually. This they

Rom. i. 17. x. 3, 4.