A great saying, I promise you. I doubt this is more than our glorious just.i.tiaries can say, except they say and lie. Well, but yet, "I am not hereby justified." (1 Cor 4:4, Phil 3:7) Nor will I dare to venture the eternal salvation of my soul upon mine own justice, "but he that judgeth me is the Lord." That is, though I, through my dimsightedness, cannot see the imperfections of my righteousness; yet the Lord, who is my judge, and before whose tribunal I must shortly stand, can and will; and if in his sight there shall be found no more but one spot in my righteousness, I must, if I plead my righteousness, fall for that.
Second, That the best of men are afraid to stand before G.o.d"s tribunal, there to be judged by the law as to life and death, according to the sufficiency or non-sufficiency of their righteousness, is evident, because by casting away their own, in this matter, they make all the means they can for this; that is, that his mercy, by an act of grace, be made over to them, and that they in it may stand before G.o.d to be judged.
Hence David cries out so often, "Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness." (Psa 5:8) "Deliver me in thy righteousness." (Psa 31:1) "Judge me, O Lord my G.o.d, according to thy righteousness."
(Psa 35:24) "Quicken me in thy righteousness." (Psa 119:40) "O Lord," says he, "give ear to my supplications; in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant": O Lord: "For in thy sight shall no man living be justified." (Psa 143:1,2) And David, What if G.o.d doth thus?
Why then, saith he, "My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness."
(Psa 35:28) "My tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness."
(Psa 51:14) "My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness." Yea, "I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only."
(Psa 71:15,16)
Daniel also, when he comes to plead for himself and his people, he first casts away his and their righteousness, saying, "For we do not present out supplications before thee for our righteousnesses."
And pleads G.o.d"s righteousness, and that he might have a share and interest in that, saying, "O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee" (9:7,18), to wit, that righteousness, for the sake of which, mercy and forgiveness, and so heaven and happiness is extended to us.
Righteousness belongeth to thee, and is thine, as nearly as sin, shame, and confusion, is ours, and belongeth to us, which righteousness he afterwards calleth "The Lord," saying, do it, for the Lord"s sake; read the 16, 17, verses of the ninth of Daniel. "O Lord,"
saith he, "according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our G.o.d, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord"s sake."
For the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ; for on him Daniel now had his eye, and through him to the Father he made his supplication; yea, and the answer was according to his prayer, to wit, that G.o.d would have mercy on Jerusalem, and that he would in his time send the Lord, the Messias, to bring them in everlasting righteousness for them.
Paul also, as I have hinted before, disclaims his own righteousness, and layeth fast hold on the righteousness of G.o.d: seeking to be found in that, or in him that has it, not having his own righteousness; for he knew that when the rain descends, the winds blow, and the floods come down falls on all men, but they that have that righteousness. (Phil 3)
Now the earnest desire of the righteous to be found in G.o.d"s righteousness, ariseth from strong conviction of the imperfections of their own, and of good knowledge that was given them of the terror that will attend men at the day of the fiery trial; to wit, the day of judgment. For although men can now flatter themselves into a fool"s paradise, and persuade themselves that all shall be well with them then, for the sake of their own silly and vain-glorious performances; yet when the day comes that shall burn like an oven, and when all that have done wickedly shall be as stubble, and so will all appear to be that are not found in Christ, then will their righteousness vanish like smoke, or be like fuel for that burning flame. And hence the righteousness that the G.o.dly seek to be found in, is called the name of the Lord, a strong tower, a rock, a shield, a fortress, a buckler, a rock of defence, UNTO which they resort, and INTO which they run and are safe.
The G.o.dly wise therefore do not, as this Pharisee, bring their own righteousness into the temple, and there buoy up themselves and spirits by that into a conceit, that for the sake of that, G.o.d will be merciful and good unto them: but throwing away their own, they make to G.o.d for his, because they certainly know, even by the word of G.o.d, that in the judgment none can stand the trial, but those that are found in the righteousness of G.o.d.
Third, That the best of men are afraid to stand before G.o.d"s tribunal by the law, there to be judged to life and death, according to the sufficiency or non-sufficiency of their righteousness, is evident: for they know, that it is a vain thing to seek by acts of righteousness to make themselves righteous men, as is the way of all them that seek to be justified by the deeds of the law.
And herein lieth the great difference between the Pharisee and the true Christian man. The Pharisee thinks, by acts of righteousness he shall make himself a righteous man, therefore he cometh into the presence of G.o.d well furnished, as he thinks, with his negative and positive righteousness.
Grace suffereth not a man to boast it before G.o.d, whatever he saith before me: "His soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him"
(Hab 2:4): And better is the poor in spirit, than the proud in spirit. The Pharisee was a very proud man, a proud, ignorant man, proud of his own righteousness, and ignorant of G.o.d"s: for had he not, he could not, as he did, have so condemned the Publican, and justified himself.
[The Pharisee ignorant that he must be righteous before he can do righteousness.]
And I say again, that all this pride and vain-glorious shew of the Pharisee, did arise from his not being acquainted with this; that a man must be good, before he can do good; he must be righteous, before he can do righteousness. This is evident from Paul, who insinuateth this as the reason, why "none do good," even because There is none that is righteous, no, not one. "There is none righteous," saith he; and then follows, "There is none that doeth good." (Rom 3:10-12) For it is not possible for a man, that is not first made righteous by the G.o.d of heaven, to do anything that in a proper, in a law, or in a gospel-sense may be called righteousness.
Meddle with righteous things he may; attempt to make himself a righteous man, by his so meddling with them, he may; but work righteousness, and so by such works of righteousness, make himself a righteous man, he cannot.
The righteousness of a carnal man, is indeed by G.o.d called righteousness; but it must be understood, as spoken in the dialect of the world; or with reference to the world"s matters. The world indeed calls it righteousness; and it will do no harm, if it bear that term with reference to worldly matters. Hence worldly civilians are called good and righteous men, and so, such as Christ, under that notion, neither died for, nor giveth his grace unto. (Rom 5:7,8) But we are not now discoursing about any other righteousness, than that which is so accounted either in a law, or in a gospel-sense; and therefore let us a little more touch upon that.
A man then must be righteous in a law-sense, before he can do acts of righteousness, I mean that are such, in a gospel-sense. Hence first, you have true gospel-righteousness made the fruit of a second birth. "If ye know that he [Christ] is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him." (1 John 2:29) Not born of him by virtue of his own righteous actions, but born of him by virtue of Christ"s mighty working with his word upon the soul; who afterwards, from a principle of life, acteth and worketh righteousness.
And he saith again, "Little children, let no man deceive you, he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."
(1 John 3:7) Upon this scripture, I will a little comment, for the proof of what is urged before; namely, that a man must be righteous in a law-sense, before he can do such things that may be called acts of righteousness in a gospel-sense. And for this, this scripture, ministereth to us two things to be considered by us.
The first is, that he that doeth righteousness is righteous.
The second is, that he that doeth righteousness is righteous, as Christ is righteous.
First, He that doeth righteousness; that is, righteousness which the gospel calleth so, is righteous; that is, precedent to, or before he doth that righteousness. For he doth not say, he shall make his person righteous by acts of righteousness that he shall do; for then an evil tree may bear good fruit: yea, and may make itself good by doing so: But he saith, he that doeth righteousness is righteous; as he saith, he that doeth righteousness IS born of him.
So then, a man must be righteous before he can do righteousness, before he can do righteousness in a gospel-sense.
Second, Our second thing then is to inquire, with what righteousness a man must be righteous, before he can do that which in a gospel-sense is called righteousness?
And first, I answer, He must be righteous in a law-sense; that is, he must be righteous in the judgment of the law. This is evident, because he saith, he that doeth righteousness is righteous as he is righteous. That is, in a law-sense; for Christ in no sense is righteous in the judgment of charity only; but in his meanest acts, if it be lawful to make such comparison, he was righteous in a law-sense, or in the judgment of the law. Now the apostle saith, "That he that doeth righteousness IS righteous, as HE is righteous." They are the words of G.o.d, and therefore I cannot err in quoting of them, though I may not so fully, as I would, make the glory of them shine in speaking to them.
But what righteousness is that, with which a man must stand righteous in the judgment of the law, before he shall or can be found to do acts of righteousness, that by the gospel are so called? I answer.
First, It is none of his own which is of the law, you may be sure; for he hath this righteousness before he doeth any that can be called his own. "He that doeth righteousness is righteous" already, precedent to, or before he doth that righteousness; yea, he is righteous before, even as HE is righteous.
Second, It cannot be his own which is of the gospel; that is, that which floweth from a principle of grace in the soul: for he is righteous before he doeth this righteousness. He that doeth righteousness, IS righteous. He doth not say he that hath done it, but he that doeth it; respecting the act while it is in doing, he is righteous. He is righteous even then, when he is a doing of the very first act of righteousness; but an act, while it is in doing, cannot, until it is done, be called an act of righteousness; yet, saith the text, "He is righteous."
But again, if an act, while it is in doing, cannot be called an act of righteousness; to be sure, it cannot have such influences as to make the actor righteous; to make him righteous, as the Son of G.o.d is righteous, and yet the righteousness with which this doer is made righteous, and that before he doeth righteousness, is such; for so saith the text, that makes him righteous as he is righteous.
Besides, it cannot be his own, which is gospel-righteousness, flowing from a principle of grace in the soul; for that in its greatest perfection in us, while we live in this world, is accompanied with some imperfections; to wit, our faith, love, and whole course of holiness is wanting, or hath something lacking in it. They neither are apart, nor when put all together, perfect, as to the degree, the uttermost degree of perfection.
But the righteousness under consideration, with which the man, in that of John, is made righteous, is a perfect righteousness; not only with respect to the nature of it, as a penny is as perfect silver as a shilling; nor yet with respect to a comparative degree; for so a shilling arriveth more toward the perfection of the number twenty, than doth a two-penny or a three-penny piece: but it is a righteousness so perfect, that nothing can be added to it, nor can any thing be taken from it: for so implieth the words of the text, "he is righteous, as Christ is righteous." Yea, thus righteous before, and in order to his doing of righteousness.
And in this he is like unto the Son of G.o.d, who was also righteous before he did acts of righteousness referring to a law of commandment: wherefore it is said, that as he is, so are we in this world. As he is or was righteous, before he did acts of righteousness among men by a law, so are HIS righteous, before they act righteousness among men by a law. "He that doth righteousness is righteous, as HE is righteous."
Christ was righteous, before he did righteousness, with a two-fold righteousness. He had a righteousness as he was G.o.d; his G.o.dhead was perfectly righteous; yea, it was righteousness itself. His human nature was perfectly righteous, it was naturally spotless and undefiled. Thus his person was righteous, and so qualified to do that righteousness, that because he was born of a woman, and made under the law, he was bound by the law to perform.
Now, as he is, so are we: not by way of natural righteousness, but by way of resemblance thereunto. Had Christ, in order to his working of righteousness, a two-fold righteousness inherent in himself, the Christian, in order to his working of righteousness, hath belonging to him a two-fold righteousness. Did Christ"s two-fold righteousness qualify him for that work of righteousness, that was of G.o.d designed for him to do? Why the Christian"s two-fold righteousness doth qualify him for that work of righteousness, that G.o.d hath ordained, that he should do and walk in this world.
But you may ask, what is that righteousness, with which a Christian is made righteous before he doth righteousness?
I answer, It is a two-fold righteousness.
I. It is a righteousness put upon him.
II. It is a righteousness put into him. I. For the first, It is righteousness put upon him, with which also he is clothed as with a coat or mantle (Rom 3:22), and this is called the robe of righteousness; and this is called the garments of salvation. (Isa 61:10)22 This righteousness is none other but the obedience of Christ; the which he performed in the days of his flesh, and can properly be called no man"s righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ; because no man had a hand therein, but he completed it himself. And hence it is said, That "by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Rom 5:19) By the obedience of one, of one man Jesus Christ, as you have it in verse 15 for he came down into the world to this very end; that is, to make a generation righteous, not by making of them laws, and prescribing unto them rules: for this was the work of Moses, who said, "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our G.o.d, as he hath commanded us." (Deu 6:25, 24:13) Nor yet by taking away by his grace the imperfections of their righteousness, and so making of that perfect by additions of his own; but he makes them righteous by his obedience; not in them, but for them, while he personally subjected himself to his Father"s law on our behalf, that he might have a righteousness to bestow upon us. And hence we are said to be made righteous, while we work not; and to be justified while unG.o.dly (Rom 4:5), which can be done by no other righteousness than that, which is the righteousness of Christ by performance, the righteousness of G.o.d by donation, and our righteousness by imputation. For, I say, the person that wrought this righteousness for us, is Christ Jesus; the person that giveth it to us, is the Father; who hath made Christ to be unto us righteousness, and hath given him to us for this very end, that we might be made the righteousness of G.o.d in him (1 Cor 1:30, 2 Cor 5:21), And hence it is so often said, One shall say, surely in the Lord have I righteousness and strength. And again, "In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." (Isa 45:24,25, 54:17)
This righteousness is that which justifieth, and which secureth the soul from the curse of the law; by hiding, through its perfection, all the sins and imperfections of the soul. Hence it follows, in that fourth of the Romans, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom G.o.d imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."
And this it doth, even while the person that by grace is made a partaker, is without good works, and so unG.o.dly. This is the righteousness of Christ, Christ"s personal performances, which he did when he was in this world; that is that, by which the soul while naked, is covered, and so hid as to its nakedness, from the divine sentence of the law; "I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness." (Eze 16:8)
Now this obediential righteousness of Christ, consisteth of two parts. 1. In a doing of that which the law commanded us to do. 2.
In a paying that price for the transgression thereof, which justice hath said, shall be required at the hand of man; and that is the cursed death. In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die the death; to wit, the death that comes by the curse of the law.
So then, Christ having brought in that part of obedience for us, which consisteth in a doing of such obediential acts of righteousness which the law commands; he addeth thereto the spilling of his blood, to be the price of our redemption from that cursed death, that by sin we had brought upon our bodies and souls. And thus are the Christians made perfectly righteous; they have the whole obedience of Christ made over to them; to wit, that obedience that standeth in doing the law, and that obedience that standeth in paying of a price for our transgressions. So then, Doth the law call for righteousness? Here it is. Doth the law call for satisfaction for our sins? Here it is. And what can the law say any more to the sinner but that which is good, when he findeth in the personal obedience of Christ for him, that which answereth to what it can command, that which it can demand of us.
Herein then standeth a Christian"s safety, not in a bundle of actions of his own, but in a righteousness which cometh to him by grace and gift; for this righteousness is such as comes by gift, by the gift of G.o.d. Hence it is called the gift of righteousness, the gift by grace, the gift of righteousness by grace, which is the righteousness of one, to wit, the obedience of Jesus Christ.
(Rom 5:15-19)
And this is the righteousness by which, he that doth righteousness, is righteous as HE is righteous; because it is the very self-same righteousness, that the Son of G.o.d hath accomplished by himself.
Nor has he any other or more excellent righteousness, of which the law taketh notice, or that it requireth, than this. For as for the righteousness of his G.o.dhead, the law is not concerned with that; for as he is such, the law is his creature, and servant, and may not meddle with him.
The righteousness also of his human nature, the law hath nothing to do with that; for that is the workmanship of G.o.d, and is as good, as pure, as holy and undefiled, as is the law itself. All then that the law hath to do with, is to exact complete obedience of him that is made under it, and a due satisfaction for the breach thereof, the which, if it hath, then Moses is content.
Now, this is the righteousness, with which the Christian, as to justification, is made righteous; to wit, a righteousness, that is neither essential to his G.o.dhead, nor to his manhood; but such as standeth in that glorious person, who was such, his obedience to the law. Which righteousness himself had, with reference to himself, no need of at all, for his G.o.dhead; yea, his manhood was perfectly righteous without it. This righteousness therefore was there, and there only, necessary, where Christ was to be considered as G.o.d"s servant and our surety, to bring to G.o.d Jacob again, and to restore the preserved of Israel. For though Christ was a Son, yet he became a servant to do, not for himself, for he had no need, but for us, the whole law, and so bring in everlasting righteousness for us.
And hence it is said, that Christ did what he did for us: He became the end of the law for righteousness for us; he suffered for us (1 Peter 2:21); he died for us (1 Thess 5:10); he laid down his life for us (1 John 3:16), and he gave himself for us. (Gal 1:4) The righteousness then that Christ did fulfil, when he was in the world, was not for himself simply considered, nor for himself personally considered, for he had no need thereof; but it was for the elect, the members of his body.