268 FAITH BCILT ON KNOWLEDGE. us before God in his own righteousness, thai wemight receive thi adoption of sons, andbe for ever accepted in the beloved; Gal. iii. 13. and iv. 5. Eph. i. 6. Here is an all -sufficient righteousness, in which the severe eye ofthe holiness of God can find no flawor defect, which isthe foundation ofour hope; whereas our righteousnesses are mingled with many defilements. Here is a righteousness that shall not be abolished, though the heavens wear away, and the earth wax old. Therefore the isles where sinners dwell shall wait upon hint, and on his arm shall they trust ; Is. li. 5, 9. It was the great business of the Messiah to finish transgression, to make an end ofsin,to make reconciliationfor iniquity and bring in everlasting righteousness ; Dan. ix. 24. And this is of such necessity to our salvation, because of theperpetual frailties of our nature, that a poor trembling believer could not venture his soul safely into any hands but where such a glorious righteousness was found; and from this character our Saviour is pleased to take one of his honourable titles : Jer. xxii. 6. The Lord our righteousness. Surely therefore, saith a humble, convinced, and guilty wrelch, in such a one will I trust, for I have nomerit in me to obtainpar- don, Lhave no righteousness of my own to render me accepted with God, and I must for eve perish withoutit. 0° Surely in the Lord I shall find righteousness as well as wisdom and strength ;" h. xlv. 24. And to him I commit my soul. 5. He has great interest with God the Father, and always prevails when he pleads. " Father, I know that thou hearest me always ;" John xi. 42. He never prays in vain, for he is ever worthy of the Father's ear. He appears in all the virtue of his original sonship, even when he appears in the name of sinful worms: and when he pleads their canse before the throne, he does it in all the power of his meritorious righteousness, andwith ' the cries of his dying blood. We might doubt of audience when we address ourselves to the great and dreadful God ; for we are but his creatures, who have sinned against him, but he is the onlybegotten Son. We may well stand at a distance, and trem- ble, for we are rebels; but he is perfect in his loyalty and obedience. We are defiled, but he is pure and unspotted ; we might expect thunder and destruction from the Almighty, for the Lord abhors all sin. For such guilty wretches to come before the face of God, thoughwith groans and tears, would but set our rebellion and guilt before his eyes, awaken his wrath, and put him in mind of deserved vengeance ; but when Christ appears as a petitioner, he is approved and heard ; for he is the Son of his love, he is all holiness : No man can come to the Father but by him ; John xiv. 6. Therefore we dare not trust ourselvesinmeaner hands. He
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