Only Christ's Righteousness Discharges the Sinner

     It is very well worth your observation, how still the last refuge is fastened upon the righteousness of Christ. In Dan. 9:24 "Yet seventy weeks are determined upon thy holy city;" to what purpose? "To finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness." Mark it well; the sealing up of the vision, that is, the establishment of the forgiveness of sins, follows after the bringing in of everlasting righteousness, and this is the righteousness of Christ. Therefore, in Malachi 4:2 healing is appropriated unto Christ, and shewn where the virtue lies, that he hath such healing: "Unto them, that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;" therefore, a healing Sun, because he is the Sun of righteousness; and the virtue in the wing of Christ to heal, is his righteousness. I have been more copious in these passages of scripture, before the coming of Christ, that people may not think, that to depend only, and solely upon his righteousness, for security and comfort, is a new thing, but was known, and was a refuge from the beginning. The apostle Paul, speaks more clearly than the rest; I shall instance but in two passages; for the truth is, all the epistles are full of this. The strength of the plea of Christ, in the behalf of his people sinning, stands in his righteousness; for this purpose, Rom. 3:9-12 see how mightily the apostle pleads to the convincing of all the world of sin, and the fruit of it; from ver. 13. is a description of the sins of men; and in ver. 20, he makes a conclusion; "Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight." Now, after he had taken off all that might possibly be in man towards his remedy, or in the law for the people to rest in, he begins to establish the foundation, upon which the safety and security of God's people depends: but now, saith he, in ver. 21. "The righteousness of God without the law, is manifested, which is by faith in Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all that do believe; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins." You see here is an inculcating again and again, that it is Christ's righteousness, which God hath set forth to be a propitiation to declare this upon all, imports unto us, the sole refuge for the remission of sins is only that righteousness: look also into Rom. 5:18,19 "As by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous." Our transgressions are the issue which Adam's disobedience brought forth; that obedience of one man is our security, and deliverance from hell, and death, which one man's disobedience brought into the world; all of it is frustrated by the obedience and righteousness of that one; nothing but that setting persons free from the fruits of unrighteousness and disobedience in Adam, is able to make them, righteous. I hope, by this time, the truth is cleared enough, that there is nothing to be mentioned, but only his righteousness, nothing can be a plea, but that. You shall therefore consider out of all these passages, what that righteousness is, that has efficacy and prevalency with the Father, for the discharge of a member of Christ when he sins.