SERMON I. ISAIAH xlv. former part of the 24th Verse. Surely, fhall one fay, in the Lord have I righteousness. T IS the peculiar excellency and glory of the gofpel, that in it we are provided with a righteoufnefs for our juftification in the fight of God. I fhall, with the more advantage, apply this paffage as fpeaking of fuch á righteoufnefs, when I have answered two enquiries that at firft view. offer themselves upon it- -Who that Lord is, that is here spoken of: and What that righteoufness is, that is here intended. As to the firft of these enquiries; we have the fullest evidence that the Lord, here spoken of, is the Lord Jefus Chrift, from the Apostle's applying this context to him, Rom. xiv. 10, 1I. where reprefenting the evil of uncharitable judging and condemning one another, he adds, as a weighty reafon to deter from this practice, that we must ourselves be judged by Chrift, for we must all stand before the judgment-feat of Chrift: Chrift will fit fupreme Judge of every man's ftate and actions, fhall we then be B hafty hafty in the judgment that we pass upon our brethren? And then the Apostle immediately fubjoins, for it is written, as I live, faith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue ball confefs to God; plainly referring to the words before the text, I have fworn by myjelf, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteoufnefs, and fball not return, that unto me every knee fball bow, and every tongue fhall fwear: after which the words of the text follow in the closest connection, furely, fball one fay, in the Lord have 1 righteousness; in that Lord, to whom every knee ball bow, and every tongue confefs, that is, the Lord Chrift, who is Lord and Judge of all. The fame paffage is likewise applied to Christ, Phil. ii. 10, 11. And viewing the context in this light, I cannot but think, it furnishes us with a strong and moft convincing proof of the true and proper Godhead of Chrift, according to the excellent note which a learned Commentator * hath given us upon it. We may "further obferve, fays he, that what the Pro"phet speaks here of the Perfon of God, is ap66 plied by St. Paul to Christ, i. e. to the fecond "Perfon of the bleffed Trinity." And after referring to fome other paffages of the like fort, where what is faid of God in the Old Teftament, is expressly applied to Chrift by the writers of the New, he adds" many more fuch in"ftances might be given, and all of them are "plain proofs of the divinity of Chrift, and that "the Prophets of the Old Teftament had all "along an eye to the times of the New, and "fpoke of the Meffiah as God." It feems there * Lowth in locum. fore SERMON I. ISAIAH xlv. former part of the 24th Surely, Shall one fay, in the Lord have I righteousness. T IS the peculiar excellency and glory of the gofpel, that in it we are provided with a righteoufnefs for our juftification in the fight of God. I fhall, with the more advantage, apply this paffage as fpeaking of fuch á righteoufnefs, when I have answered two enquiries that at first view offer themselves upon it- -Who that Lord is, that is here spoken of: and What that righteoufnefs is, that is here intended. As to the firft of thefe enquiries; we have the fulleft evidence that the Lord, here fpoken of, is the Lord Jefus Chrift, from the Apoftle's applying this context to him, Rom. xiv. 10. 11. where reprefenting the evil of uncharitable judging and condemning one another, he adds, as a weighty reason to deter from this practice, that we muft ourselves be judged by Chrift, for we must all stand before the judgment-feat of Chrift: Chrift will fit fupreme Judge of every man's ftate and actions, fhall we then be B hafty fages that Chrift is made of God unto us righteoufnefs, and fanctification that by him all that believe are juftified from all things-that we are to be strong in the grace that is in Chrift Jefus are fanctified, and juftified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God----and are compleat in him. The words therefore, that we have before us, are to be confidered as the language of the church, ardently looking after, and embracing in the Lord Jefus, that righteousness which, and which alone, is available for our justification. And it is reprefented as the joint and harmonious language of the whole church, what the faints in every age and place agree in, furely, fball one fay One, and all that are taught of God, and acquainted with the methods of his grace. This is no party language; it is what believing Jews and Gentiles alike speak, and all the called and faved of God agree in, according to the different difcoveries that have been made of this truth through the feveral ages of the church. The Old Testament church was reaching after a juftifying righteousness in Chrift; and the New Teftament church has nothing greater to glory in. The righteoufness of God for this purpose is revealed from faith to faith: And, in proportion to their feveral improvements in knowledge and grace, this is equally and alike the spirit and language of all believers in the world; furely, fhall one fay, in the Lord have I righteoufnefs, or, as it is in the Hebrew, righteoufneffes*, all that righteousness which we can * Dicitur autem hæc juftitia vati noftro pas juf titia terminatione plurali, tum ob excellentiam ejus; tum |