MEDITATION

(Concluding Installment)

“In Thy name they rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted” (Psalm 89:16).

Secondly, I come to shew what happiness or dignity the believer is exalted to by virtue of this righteousness. And in so many words, I only name these two or three particulars.

1. He is exalted by it unto a state of peace and reconciliation with God (Rom. 5:1). Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. God for ever lays aside every grudge in His heart against the soul that is clothed therewith.

2. They are exalted by this righteousness unto a state of sonship. Christ was made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption ofsons(Gal.4:4, 5).

3. Unto a state of fellowship and familiarity with God, and access to Him with holy confidence and boldness (Heb. x: 19, 20, 21, 22).

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, His flesh; and having an High Priest over the house of God: let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Heb. 4: 14–16). Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God — let us come boldly unto the throne of grace. The believer may come, under the covert of this righteousness, with as great freedom unto God as his Father in Christ, as ever Adam could have done in a state of innocence.

4. At last thou shalt be exalted to a state of endless glory. For Heaven (as I was hinting before) is the purchase of the obedience and death of Christ; and faith acted on this righteousness and satisfaction is the path of life, by which we enter into these rivers of pleasures, and that fulness of joy which is at God’s right hand for evermore.

IV. The fourth thing was the application of the doctrine. And my first use shall be for information, in these few particulars.

1. Is it so, that in a Surety’s righteousness believers are exalted? then see hence, that whatever account the world may make of them, as the dross and off-scouring of the earth, yet they are dignified persons in God’s reckoning: Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honourable.

2. See hence, that the believer has no ground of boasting. Why? Because it is not in his own, but in Christ’s righteousness he is exalted: Boasting is excluded, says the Apostle. By what law? of works? Nay; but by the law; of faith (Rom. 3: 27). If it were by our own doings or obedience that we were exalted, we would have something to boast of: but since it is in His righteousness that we are exalted, we have nothing whereof to glory in ourselves. There are three questions that the Apostle asks, which may silence all flesh, and put all boasters to an eternal blush (I Cor. 4: 7). Who maketh thee to differ? What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? Let believers themselves pose their souls with these or the like inquiries, when pride begins to arise in their breasts.

3. See hence, what obligation we lie under to the Lord Jesus; who, although He was the great Lawgiver, yet was content to be made under the law; though He was the Lord of üfe, yet humbled Himself unto the death, to bring in that righteousness by which we are exalted.

He was content to be numbered among the transgressors that we might be counted among the righteous; He was content to become sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God; content to become a curse for us, that the blessing of Abraham might rest upon us. O admire this love, which passeth knowledge.

4. See hence a noble antidote against a spirit of bondage unto fear. What is it that thou fears, O believer? Indeed if thou sin, thou mayst fear the rod of a Father; for He will visit thy transgression with the rod, and thine iniquity with stripes. But art thou afraid of vindictive wrath? There is no ground for this (Luke 1: 74). He has delivered us out of the hands of our enemies, that we might serve Him without fear; that is, without all servile or slavish fear of wrath. Art thou afraid of the tempests of Mount Sinai? There is no ground for that, for the storm brake upon the head of thy Surety; and therefore thou mayst sing and say, as Isa. 12: 1: Though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away. Art thou afraid lest thou be refused access unto the Presence-chamber? Improve this righteousness by faith, and thou shalt see that the way to the holy of holiest is opened, and get the banner of love displayed over thee. Whenever the poor believer takes the righteousness of the Surety in the hand of faith, and holds it up unto God as a ransom of His own findings, He is so well pleased with it, that His frowns are turned into smiles. In a word, you shall never get rid of a spirit of bondage, till you learn by faith to improve this law-biding righteousness; and then indeed legal fears and terrors do vanish, like the darkness of the night before the rising of the sun.

Use second, of reproof unto all those who are seeking to exalt themselves by a righteousness of their own, like the Jews (Rom. x, 3) who went about to establish their own righteousness, and would not submit themselves unto the righteousness of God. There are some of the hearers of the Gospel who exalt themselves in a negative righteousness: they are not so bad as others; they are free of gross out-breakings, being no common drunkards, swearers, or Sabbath-breakers; and therefore conclude that all is right with them. But, Sirs, the Pharisee could make this brag: and Paul before conversion could say, that touching the law he was blameless; and yet when God opened his eyes, he found himself lying under the arrest of justice; for when the commandment came, sin revived, and he died. Others are exalting themselves in a moral kind of righteousness; they not only cease to do evil, but do many things that are materially good: they are sober, temperate, just in their dealings, liberal to the poor, good peaceable neighbors, they love every body, and every body loves them; they keep the Commandments as well as they can: and this is the ground they are standing upon. But I may say to you, as Christ said to the young man, who told Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up, Yet lackest thou one thing. O what is that? say you. I answer, it is to be brought off from that rotten bottom of a covenant of works that ye are standing upon. Ye want to see that ye are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, and that we are legally dead, condemned already, and the wrath of God abiding on you. Ye want to see, that all your own righteousness is as filthy as rags, and to be made to say, with the Church, Surely in the Lord have I righteousness and strength. Others will go further than bare morality; they will abound in the duties of religion, read, hear, pray, communicate, run from sermon to sermon, from sacrament to sacrament; and upon these things they rest. All these things are good in their proper place; but if you build your hope of acceptance here, you are still upon a covenant of works bottom, seeking righteousness, as it were by the works of the law; and while you do so, you do but seek the living among the dead. All your works are but dead works, till you be in Christ; and they will but stand for cyphers in God’s reckoning, till you be brought to submit to this righteousness, by which alone guilty sinners can be exalted. Others rely upon a mixed kind of righteousness they will freely own, that their duties and performances wil never exalt them into favour and acceptance with God; but, O, say they, it is Christ and our duties, Christ and our prayers. He and our tears and repentance, that must do it. But believe it, Sirs, Christ and the idol of self will never cement; these old rotten rags will never piece in with the white and new robe of the righteousness of the Son of God: and if you adventure to mingle them together, Christ shall profit you nothing (Gal. v 2, 3, 4). Others again, they will pretend to renounce all their works and duties, and own with their mouths, that it is by faith in Christ only that they hope to be accepted: but though they own this with their mouth, yet still their hearts cleave fast unto a covenant of works; they were never through the law, dead to the law: and when nothing else will do, they will make their own act of believing the righteousness on which they lean for acceptance; which is still a seeking righteousness in themselves: whereas, if ever we be justified before God, we must have it in the Lord Jesus, saying, In Him will we be justfied, and in Him alone will we glory. Faith carries the soul quite out of itself; yea, faith renounces its own act in the point of justification. All these, and many other rooms and lying refuges, hath the devil and our own hearts devised, to lead us off from Christ. But, O Sirs, believe it, these are but imaginary sanctuaries, and the hail will sweep them away. Nothing but the doing and dying of the Surety, apprehended by faith will ever exalt you into favour and fellowship with God, or acquit you from the curse and condemnation of the broken law. And unless ye betake yourselves to the horns of this blessed Altar, to this refuge of God’s appointing, you are undone; and you may read your doom (Isa. 50: 11). Behold, all ye that kindie a fire that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of Mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow.

Use third of trial. Is it so, that in Christ’s righteousness we are exalted? O then, Sirs, try if you be really exalted by this righteousness.

There is the more need to try this now, that you are to approach the table of The Lord. This righteousness is the wedding-garment, without which you cannot be welcome guests. And if you adventure to meddle with the symbols of Christ’s Body and blood without it, you may expect that the Master of the feast will say to you, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding-garment? For your trial, I offer these two or three things.

1. Hast thou seen thyself condemned by the law or covenant of works? Every man by nature is condemned already, while out of Christ. Now, the ordinary way that God takes of bringing an elect soul into Christ, and under the covering of His righteousness, is by discovering unto him the sentence of condemnation that he is under by virtue of the broken law; and thus paves the way toward his acceptance of Christ as the Lord our righteousness: for thus it is that the law is our schoolmaster, to lead us unto Christ, that we may be justfieid by faith. The Lord leads the sinner to Mount Zion by the foot of Sinai: the Spirit’s way is, first to convince of sin, and then of righteousness.

2. Has the Lord discovered the Surety and His righteousness to thee? and has thy soul found rest there? Perhaps the law and its curses, justice and wrath, were pursuing thee; and thou couldst not find a hole wherein to hide thy head, all refuge failed. At length the Lord drew by the vail, and discovered His righteousness as a sufficient shelter, saying, Turn ye to the stronghold ye prisoners of hope. And thither thou fled as unto a city of refuge, saying, This is my rest, here will I dweil. Readily, when it comes to this, there is a little heaven of serenity and joy enters into the soul; so that, if it were possible it would make Heaven and earth to ring with Hallelujahs of praise unto God for his unspeakable gift. Does thou not know, O believer, something of this, to thy sweet experience? This says, that in His righteousness thou art exalted.

3. When an arrow of conviction is at any time shot by the hand of God into thy conscience whereby thy peace and quiet is disturbed, whither does thou run for ease and relief? The man that is married to the law, he runs unto the law for relief and ease; the law is the thing that heals him; his prayers, his tears, his reformation, is that which stops the mouth of his conscience. But as for the believer, he can never find rest on this side of the blood of sprinkling; he gets his healing only from under the wings of the Sun of righteousness. No other balm will give him ease, but the balm of Gilead; and no other hand can apply it, but the Physician there.

4. If thou be exalted by imputed righteousness, you will be the real students of gospel-holiness. It is a gross perverting of the Gospel, and a turning of the grace of our God into wantonness, for folk to pretend that they are justified by the merit of Christ, while they are not at the same time concerned to be sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. Sanctification, or freedom from the power and dominion of sin, is a part, and no small part, of that salvation which Christ has purchased by His obedience and death (Tit. 2: 14). Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Justification and sanctification go always hand in hand. He who is made of God unto us righteousness, is also made sanctification; we are justified and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Try yourselves then by this, whether you be exalted by this righteousness. Are you delievered from the reigning power of sin? at least, is it so far broken, that it is become your burden, under which you groan, saying with the Apostle. Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Use fourth shall be of consolation and encouragement to believers, who are exalted to this righteousness. By virtue of it, O believer, thou art entitled unto every thing that possibly thou canst stand in need of. Whatever grace or mercy thouwants, thou shalt have it, if thou do but improve this law-abiding righteousness. Wants thou pardoning grace? to take away the guilt of sin? That is one of the gifts of God, through the righteousness of Christ, apprehended by faith; for He is set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins. Wants thou to have thy peace with God confirmed? Improve this righteousness by faith, for being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Wants thou access unto the holiest? By faith in the blood of Jesus have we access with boldness. Wants thou medicinal grace for healing of soul-plagues? Improve this righteousness by faith; for by His stripes we are healed. Out of the side of our gospel-altar comes forth living water, that healeth the corrupt and dead sea of indwelling corruption (Ezek. 47: 9). This is the tree of life, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. Wants thou a shadow or covering, to shelter thy weary soul from the scorching heat of Divine anger, or of temptation from Satan, or tribulation from the world? Improve this righteousness, and sit down under the shadow of it; it is as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Wants thou courage to look the law of justice of God in the face? Here is a fund for it; for under this covering thou mayst look out with confidence, and say, Who can lay any thing to my charge? Wants thou to have the new covenant confirmed to thy soul? Improve this righteousness by faith; for Christ, by His obedience and death, confirmed the covenant with many. His blood is the blood of the new testament; and when the soul by faith takes told of it, the covenant of grace is that moment confirmed unto it for ever. In a word, by virtue of this righteousness thou mayst come to a communion-table, and to a throne of grace, and ask what thou wilt; our heavenly Father can refuse nothing to the younger brethren who come to Him in the Elder Brother’s garment.

By virtue of this righteousness, thou mayst lay claim to every thing, to all the blessings of Heaven and eternity. Thou didst indeed forfeit thy right in the first Adam, but the forfeiture is recovered, and the right restored to thee, upon a better ground, namely, upon the obedience and death of the second Adam; and thou comes in upon His right. May not all this then revive thy drooping spirit, and make thee take up that song in the text, In Thy Name will I rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness will I be exalted.

“A page digested is better than a volume hurriedly read.”

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