tion of life with proper duty, and to perfevere in the good ways of God to the end. O our many and daily encreasing wants! Well, amidst them all, we may apply to the righteousness of Christ, and plead this for all needful grace, and every bleffing. Through it we may approach to God with holy freedom, and humble confidence; wrestle for the fupply we want, nor take a denial; “I will not let thee go except thou "bless me; and Lord fhall I be fent empty a"way, when I have the Redeemer's righteouf"ness to plead for all I want and ask?" This is that asking in the name of Chrift, to which fo many and great promises are made, John xiv. 13, 14. chap. xvi. 23, 24. It is going for the bleffing, as Jacob did, in the garments of our elder brother; nor can any bleffing be too great for God to give, or for faith to ask and hope for, when the merit and righteousness of Chrift are its ftanding plea. Through this righteoufnefs God opens out the boundless and unexhaufted ftores of his grace; gives liberty, and upbraideth not. Through this righteousness he allows his children to approach him as a reconciled, gracious God, and their God in covenant. They have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jefus, by a new and living way which he bath confecrated for them, through the veil, that is to fay, his flefb: Are welcome at a throne of grace, and may put in their humble claim to every bleffing. O the unspeakable privilege which believers have of going to God in prayer, in the name and through the mediation and righteoufnefs of the Lord Jefus Chrift! As the Apostle gives us in this the fum and glory of gofpel

gofpel-worship, Eph. ii. 18. For through him we both have an access by one fpirit unto the Father. They that go in this way, how may they open out their wants, and frew before the Lord all their trouble? unbofom their fouls in his prefence with a holy freedom, and amidft all the infirmities and temptations of their prefent ftate, plead with a holy importunity for every needful bleffing and fupply? They may go as children, crying, Abba, Father. When bowed loweft under a sense of their own meanness, guilt, and unworthiness, they have that which may raise and encourage their hope; the lamb that was flain is worthy: And when they have nothing elfe to plead, in his merit and righteousness, they bring along with them the price and purchafe of every bleffing.

It is no lefs highly proper and of great advan tage to the Chriftian, to eye the righteousness of Chrift, and exercise a lively faith in it, when it is an hour of great affliction. This is often the cafe with the people of God, that they are meeting with a variety of afflictions; they are appointed thereunto, and it is the ftanding doctrine of the word, that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God, Acts xiv. 22. And as afflictions confidered in themselves are not joyous, but grievous, O! what a mournful scene opens upon the poor Chriftian, when under his many and heavy afflictions a painful fenfe of fin is revived upon confcience, and in fome dark and misgiving hour he is left to conclude, that God is renewing an awful controverfy with him for former and unpardoned guilt. As Jofeph's brethren, when present providences feemed

U 2

feemed to wear a threatning afpect, could not but reflect, we are verily guilty concerning our brother; therefore is this diftrefs come upon us, Gen. xlii. 21. And this is what added to Job's diftrefs in the day of his trouble, Job. xiii. 26. for thou writeft bitter things against me, and makeft me to poffefs the iniquities of my youth. What a proper hour then is this, to apply to the righteousness of Christ and renew the actings of faith in it? And when the afflicted faint can do fo, and entertain fome good hope of his own intereft therein, how does this calm his guilty fears, and make all his bed in his ficknefs for him? bear him up under the heaviest burdens, and even lift him into fresh life and hope? The inhabitant fhall not say, I am fick : the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. He can now fee the rod in a father's hand, and comfort himself, that it is only if need be, that he is in heaviness through manifold temptations. He can refign himself to the difpofals of providence, and contentedly leave God to take his own way, and do what seemeth good unto him. He comforts himself, (when looking to the righteoufnefs of Chrift, and the free grace of God in and through him, he can do this upon the best grounds) that his fins are pardoned, and that all is peace between God and him; that therefore his foreft afflictions are only fatherly corrections, and fhall have a gracious iffue; that by all God is carrying on his own wife and merciful designs, and that the end fhall be of the Lord: that however he may correct he will never difinherit, however rebuke and frown in providence, he will never utterly

utterly and, finally forfake. As it is a bleffed article of that covenant, which God makes with his people in and through the Lord Jefus Chrift, and which is for ever established in him, Pfal. lxxxix. 30, 34. If his children forfake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my ftatutes, and keep not my commandments: Then will I vifit their tranfgreffion with the rod, and their iniquity with ftripes. Nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor fuffer my faithfulness to fail. Encouraging promife! and that has fomething in it, that is wonderfully fitted to fuftain and fupport the people of God under their foreft trials. How can the Chriftian under these views, sometimes even kifs the rod, poffefs his foul with patience and thankfulness under the afflicting hand of God, and with joyful hope look forwards to that better world, where God fhall wipe away all tears from the eyes of his people; and there fhall be no more death, neither forrow, nor crying, neither fball there be any more pain: for the former things are paffed away?

Finally, we fhould plead this righteousness, and act faith in it, when in the nearest views of eternity. It is appointed for all men once to die, and after death the judgment; and that is the righteousness, that we want, that will carry us fafe through the dark valley, and place us with acceptance at the bar of God: and, bleffed be God, this is what the righteoufnefs of Chrift will do, when no other righteoufnefs will, or can. It is the righteousness of him, who is the refurrection and the life; what anfwers all the guilt of fin, and filences all the curfes of the law,

and

Faith

and fo difarms death of all its terrors. in this righteousness when flesh and heart are failing, is like meeting death, as good old Simeon did, with the Saviour in our arms: And whilft the humble believer can fee his claim and intereft in it, how can he with a holy bravery bear up against the attacks of this laft enemy, and in his dying moments look forwards with joyful hope? He knows in whom he has believed, and can with the greatest fatisfaction commit his dearest interefts into his hands. He is look✓ing for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life; and whilft trufting in the grace and righteousness of a Redeemer, can welcome the approach of death, and fometimes even challenge him out to the combat. As the Apostle fhews in this light, how the Chriftian's conflict, with death is maintained, and his victory over him infured, 1 Cor. xv. 55,- 57. O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy 'victory? The fting of death is fin; and the 'ftrength of fin is the law. But thanks be to 'God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift.' True, the body muft e'er long lie down in the dark and filent grave, and take up its abode amidst worms and rottennefs. But the virtue of the Redeemer's blood will reach it there, and in due time bring it forth to new and immortal life. And in what a glory will our redemption by the death and righteousness of Chrift appear, when the body shall be commanded out of these chambers of death, and vile as it now is, and much more will be, when the grave has had fo long poffeffion of it, be recovered from all thefe difhonours, and fashioned