divine Inspiration, and enrich Ourselves, not with the Gold of Ophir, but with the unfearchable Treasures of CHRIST; or with that perfect Righteousness of our REDEEMER, which is incomparably more precious, than the Revenues of a County, or the Produce of Peru. In pleading for imputed Righteousnefs, We have already urged the Authority of our established Church, and the Suffrage of her most eminent Divines.-The Opinion of excellent Writers, which has been the Refult of much Learning, great Attention, and earneft Prayer, is no contemptible Evidence. Yet We must always reserve the cafting Voice, for thofe infallible Umpires, the Prophets and Apoftles. If we receive, with a deferential Regard, the Witness of Men; the Witnefs of GOD is greater *, and challenges the most implicit Submiffion.-Which Remark naturally leads me to the intended Subject of this Epiftle; or rather calls upon me to fulfil my late Engagement, and shew-That the above-mentioned Doctrine is copiously revealed, through the whole Process of the Scriptures. Let me felect a very fignificant Portion from the Epiftle to the Romans; which, though little inferior to a decifive Proof, is prefented only as an Introduction to others. Now the Righteousness of GOD without the Law is manifefted, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; even the Righteousness of GOD, which is by Faith of JESUS CHRIST unto all, and upon all them that believe +. The Righteoufness of GOD, fignifies that Righteousness, which the incarnate GOD wrought out in his own all-glorious Perfon, 1 John v. 9. † Rom. iii. 21, 22. Perfon*. It is ftyled the Righteousness of GOD, by way of fuperlative Pre-eminence; in Oppofition to any Righteoufnefs of our own, and in Contradiftinction to the Righteoufnefs of all Creatures whatever. This Righteoufnefs is without the Law. Its Efficacy has no Dependence on, its Merit receives no Addition from, any Conformity of our Practice to the divine Law: being complete, absolutely complete in itself, and altogether fufficient to procure the Reconciliation and Acceptance of Sinners. This Righteoufnefs is manifefted + by the Gofpe!; and made as clear, as an Object which We behold with our own Eyes. It was witnessed t by the Law and the Prophets; and made as certain, as a Fact which is attefted by unquestionable Evidence. To produce this Evidence; to examine its Pertinency, and weigh its Sufficiency, is our prefent pleafing Bufinefs. We This Explication, or fomething to the fame Purpose, has occurred already. But it is hoped, the candid Reader will not condemn the Repetition, as a disagreeable or jejune Tautology.-Becaufe, it is fo confonant to the Practice of our great Apoftle, who repeats the Term, reinculcates the Doctrine, and hardly knows how to defift from the favourite Topic: like One, who was quite enamoured with the Subject; who found Mufic in the Words; and whofe Happiness was bound up in the Bleffing.Because, it is conformable to another, and a greater Example. The LORD JEHOVAH Himself, within the Compafs of one Chapter, once and again, yea, a third and a fourth Time, ftyles this wonderful Obedience, My RIGHTEOUSNESS. As though the GOD of infinite Perfection gloried in it; thought Himfelf most eminently magnified by it; and was jealous to have all the Honour refulting from it. See Ifai. li. 1 We may begin with that gracious Declaration, made to the firft Tranfgreffors: The Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpent's Head*; shall destroy the Works of the Devil, and retrieve whatever was. loft by his malicious Artifices +. How could this be effected, but by reftoring that Righteousness, which, for a while, our firft Parents poffeffed; which they ought always to have held fast; but from which they fo foon and fo unhappily fwerved?-Take the Pofition in the right Senfe, and Christianity is, if not entirely, yet very nearly as old as the Creation. It was comprehended in this blessed Promise, as the Stamina of the largest Plants are contained in the Subftance of their respective Seeds. Every subsequent Revelation being no more, than a gradual Evolution of this grand evangelical Principle; acting like the vegetative Powers of Nature, which, in rearing an Oak with all its Spread of Branches, only expand the Tunicles, and fill up the Veffels of the Acorn. The Doctrine feems to have been typically taught, by the remarkable Manner of clothing our first Parents. -All they could do for their own Recovery, was like the patched and beggarly Mantle of Fig-leaves. This they relinquish, and GOD Himself furnishes them with Apparel . Animals are flain, not for Food but Sacrifice; and the naked Criminals are arrayed with the Skins of thofe flaughtered Beafts. The Victims figured the Expiation of CHRIST's Death; VOL. II. A a * Gen. iii. 15. the + In fome fuch Sense, I think, our firft Parents must understand the Promife. Otherwise it could yield them no effectual Relief, under the diftreffing Senfe of their own Mifery, and the difmal Apprehenfion of their Pofterity's Ruin. ↑ Gen. iii. 21. the Clothing typefied the Imputation of his Righte- Nor HE their outward only with the Skins In thy Seed, fays the great JEHOVAH to his Both *Rom. iii. 22. ΕΙΣ πανίας, ΕΠΕ παντας τες πιςευονίας. + An Allufion to Gen. iii. 10. Where Adam confefles before JEHOVAH; I heard thy Voice in the Garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked. Which must denote, what Milton truly ftiles, an inward Nakednefs, or the Lofs of Righteoufnefs. Since nothing external, no, Want of bodily Ornament, could have expofed our firft Parent to the Wrath of GOD, or need have made Him afraid of it. Gen. xxii. 18. See St. Paul's Comment upon this invaluable Promife, Gal. iii. 8, &c. This Commentator, We all allow, ` was guided by the SPIRIT, and knew the Mind of GOD. According to his Expofition of the Text, it is pregnant with the Doctrine of Juftification by Faith, and contains an Abridgment of the Gospel. Both Scripture and Reafon declare, That true BlefJednefs muft neceffarily include-the Pardon of Sins, and the Favour of GOD-the Sanctification of our Souls, and the Inheritance of Life eternal. None of which are to be acquired by any human Performances; but all are to be fought, and all may be found, in the Root and Offspring of Abraham, JESUS CHRIST. Who is therefore moft pertinently ftyled, THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS: The actual Defire of every enlightened Nation; and the implicit Defire of all Nations whatever. Because all, without any Exception, covet, what is to be derived only from JESUS CHRIST the Righteous, real Happiness. The patriarchal Age, and the legal Oeconomy, bore their Testimony to this Truth, by typical Perfons, emblematical Miracles, and figurative Ufages. Indeed, the whole ceremonial Service was a grand Series of Types, reprefenting CHRIST and his everlasting Righteousness +. In all which, this was the unanimous though filent Language; Behold the LAMB of GOD, that taketh away the Sin of the World.-These I shall not stay to discuss; because Proofs, more explicit and pofitive, wait for our Confideration. Only I would juft make a tranfient Obfervation, relating to one very remarkable Conftitution of the Jewish Ritual. The High-priest had, on the Front of his Mitre, a Plate of pure Gold, engraven with that venerable Motto, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Which A a 2 Hag. ii. 7. was + Totum Mofis Minifterium eò comparatum eft, ut ad Meffiam, illiufque Juftitiam, Fide apprehendendam, veluti manu ducat. WIT3. Mifcell. Exod. xxviii. 36, 37. |