'fashioned like unto Chrift's glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to fubdue all things to himself?' Phil. iii 21. And who can tell, what the glory of the body will be, when it shall thus shake of all the dust and defilements of the grave, spring up into new life, and be built up after this amiable and perfect model? It is fown in corruption, it is rai' fed in incorruption: It is fown in dishonour, it is raised in glory: It is fown in weakness, it is 'raised in power: It is fown a natural, it is raifed a spiritual body.' And if the body shall then be fo beautiful and glorious, what shall be the beauty, glory, and happiness of the foul, when that full falvation which Chrift hath purchased for it by the dear price of his blood, fhall be immediately and eternally enjoyed? This is that day of complete and perfect redemption, which the Chriftian is longing and waiting for ; and how can he fometimes lift up his head with joy, when he fees it drawing nigh? Of fuch importance is it to keep faith awake and lively in the death and righteoufnefs of Chrift, in the near views of death, and judgment, and eternity.

Thus fhould we learn to apply to this righteousness, and fupport our hopes on it in the great and most important articles and concernments of the Chriftian life. This is making a proper and practical use of it, for the great purposes for which it was defigned. When the Chriftian lofes fight of this righteousness, how is his mind clouded, and his hope depreffed, and what guilty fears are ready to fpring up in his bofom? But when he can by faith

realize

realize it, and apply unto it; plead it with God, and live upon it; with what joy does it fill him, and with what growing hope does he prefs forwards for the better world? He finds that in it, which anfwers every diftrefs, fupports his deareft claims, and gives him humble confidence in life, and in death. This leads me to add,

6. How great must be the happiness of the believer's ftate, and with what fatisfaction and comfort may he reflect upon it! He has an intereft, in a glorious righteoufnefs; what is of greateft value in itself, and fhall be effectual for the obtaining every bleffing. He is of the happy number of those to whom God doth not impute fin, and imputeth righteousness without works. The righteoufnefs, in which he claims, reverses the awful fentence of the law which lay against him, and brings him into a state of favour and acceptance with God; makes a bleffed change in his ftate, and founds a fure title to all the bleffings of grace, and to complete falvation. He that wrought it out was God as well as man; this gave his righteousness an unfpeakable value, made it highly pleafing to God, and meritorious of every bleffing. It is perfect and without fpot; what neither Satan, nor the law of God can implead;. what carries in it a full answer to every charge of guilt; in it confcience acquiefces, and when God gracioufly reckons it to the foul in believing, and juftifies in and through it, who fball condemn? Death, the laft enemy, can make no impreffions upon the ftate and happiness of the foul, that is found

clothed

clothed upon with it; it is fuperior to all its affaults, and a lively faith in it will at last give the faint a joyful triumph over all his power. It is what fupports the hopes of the dying faint, and under all the weakness of diffolving nature opens his profpect into eternity. It is what will at laft unfeal the grave; fetch the fleeping duft out of the house of rottenness and corruption, and build up the whole man in immortality and. glory. Under the protection and adornings of it, how will the believer be found at laft of God in peace, without fpot and blameless? whilst the exalted Saviour and Judge fhall prefent him faultlefs before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy; and bid him welcome to that state of final and everlasting bleffedness, which God hath prepared for him, faying, Come ve blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And having brought fafe to heaven, how will it maintain in the joyful poffeffion of all its happiness, thro' the endless ages of eternity? In one word, it is of infinite value, and always, and to eternity, the fame: And whilft we receive and im prove it by faith for the great and bleffed purposes for which it was defigned, how fafe are our dearest interefts, and what can undermine the foundation of our hopes? Bleffed state of the foul, that is interested in it! What in life or death can make that man miferable? Death is unftung, and the grave vanquished; God reconciled, and every enemy fubdued: All is fafe for both worlds, and all fhall end in the poffeffion of that happiness, which eye hath not X

Jeen

feen, nor ear heard, neither hath entred into the beart of man.

thly, and lastly, Shall not unbelieving finner's ftand convicted of their want of this righteousness, and certain mifery without it? Oh that God would give them to fee their want of it, and certain mifery without it, in fuch a clear and affecting light as may excite them humbly and earnestly to apply to it, and plead for an intereft in it, e'er it be too late! If without a juftifying righteousness, where finner wilt thou appear, when God fhall come to make inquifition for fin, and raife his throne for judgment? Thy ftate is fad now; thou art under the guilt of fin, and the wrath of God; and terrible and pointed in the threatning, that is levelled against thee: he that believed not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and fall not fee life; but the wrath of God a bideth on him, John iii. 18, 36. What then wilt thou do, when that. Jefus, whose grace and righteousness thou now flighteft and turneft thy back upon fhall appear in awful majefty, as the righteous and universal judge, and fummon thee to his bar? Canft thou contend with him in judgment? or anfwer him one of a thoufand? Or, whilft by unbelief thou equally defpifeft his authority and his love, where canft theu hope to find that, which will fkreen thee from the terrors of his wrath, and give thee confidence before him? As the Apoftle puts the queftion and leaves it to the awakened confcience

to

to answer it, how shall we escape, if we neglect fo great falvation; neglect fo glorious a righteoufnefs, and fo great falvation provided thro' it? Heb. ii. 3. If we neglect and defpife the way of pardon and falvation by the death and righ oufnefs of Christ, their remaineth no more facrifice for fins. Nor will the guilty defpifer of gofpel grace have any thing to plead in his own defence, The man without the wedding-garment was fpeechlefs; and fpeechlefs will every finner be, who fhall reject and refuse this only righte oufnefs for juftification, this only way of pardon and falvation which is provided in the gospel. It is the provifion of infinite grace; and canft thou hope that grace will protect thee from the refentments of juftice, whilft thou poureft contempt upon the only way of pardon and falvation, which this grace has appointed? Will grace fave to the wrong of every other per fection? or fave in a contempt of the only way of falvation, which itself hath appointed? Behold, ye defpifers, and wonder, and perish. It is an awful declaration of the Apostle, i John v. 12. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Upon the whole, haft thou finner any fuffici ent righteousnefs of thine own to truft in, and plead with God, that thou thus difdainest the righteousness of the Mediator, and all the overtures of mercy in and through him? Or if thou thinkeft thou canft do well enough without a better righteoufnefs than thine own now, what wilft thou do, when death fhall ftrip thee of all thy falfe coverings, and place thee naked at the

bar