divine revelation; we may be fure none were ever faved, or will be faved, but by the righteoufnefs of CHRIST. It was through faith in him, that Abel was faved; it was through the facrifice of JESUS CHRIST, that Abraham was accepted, and that all the prophets of old were accepted; and there is none other name given under heaven, whereby we can be saved, but that of CHRIST. And therefore, fince perfons under the law, and under the gospel, are to be faved only through CHRIST; therefore, CHRIST's righteousness may properly be called an everlasting righteoufnefs. But this is not all.

Thirdly, The righteoufnefs of JESUS CHRIST, is not only to be called an everlasting righteoufnefs, because that all perfons under the law, and all perfons under the gospel, are faved by it; but because the efficacy thereof, bleffed be God for it! is to continue till time fhall be no more. Bleffed be GOD for JESUS CHRIST! the efficacy of whofe blood, death, and atonement, is as great and as effectual now to the falvation of poor finners, as when he bowed his blessed head, and gave up the ghoft: "JESUS CHRIST is the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever;" and whofoever believes on him now, whofoever comes to, and accepts of him, fhall now fee his power, hall tafte of his grace, and fhall be actually faved by him, the fame as if he had been in company with those who faw him expiring.

Fourthly, CHRIST's righteoufnefs may be called an everlafting righteoufnefs, becaufe the benefit of it is to endure to everlafting life. Indeed, fome people tell us, that a person may be in CHRIST to-day, and go to the devil to-morrow; but, bleffed be GOD, ye have not fo learned CHRIST! No, my dear friends, thanks be to GOD for that divine text, "There is now no condemnation to them that are in CHRIST JESUS." Though God's people may fall foully; and though many are full of doubts and fears, and fay, "One day I fhall fall by the hands of Saul;" however ye may fay in your hafte," All men are liars ;" however your poor fouls may be haraffed, yet no wicked devil, nor your own depraved heart, fhall be able to feparate you from the love of GOD: GOD has loved you, GOD has fixed his heart upon you, and having loved his own, he loves them unto the end. The LORD of life and of glory, the bleffed JESUS, will never ceafe'

loving you, till he hath loved and brought you to heaven j when he will rejoice, and fay, " Behold me, O my Father, and the dear children that thou haft given me; thou gavest them me; thine they were, I have bought them with my blood, I have won them with my fword and with my bow, and I now will wear them as fo many jewels of my crown." Therefore, JESUS CHRIST's righteoufnels may be called an everlasting righteoufnefs, becaufe thofe who once take hold of, and are interested in it, shall be faved everlastingly by CHRIST; "It is God that juftifies us, (fays St. Paul) who is he that condemneth? It is CHRIST that died, yea rather that is rifen again." He gives devils the challenge, "O death, where is thy fting, O grave, where is thy victory? Who fhall feparate us from the love of Gop? I am perfuaded that neither death nor life, neither principalities nor powers, nor any other crea ture, fhall ever be able to seperate us from the love of GoD, which is in CHRIST JESUS our LORD." Those whom God juftifies, he alfo glorifies. And becaufe CHRIST lives, blessed be GOD, we fhall live alfo. I know not what you may fay; but though I trust I have felt the grace of CHRIST, yet I find that I have as much need to come to CHRIST every day for fresh ftrength, as if I had never believed before: and if I was to depend upon my own faithfulness, and not the faithfulness of the Son of Gop, I am fure I fhould foon defert the LORD JESUS CHRIST. But glory be to GOD, he is faithful that hath promifed! Glory be to Gon, our falvation depends not upon our own free will, but upon Gop's free grace! Here is a fure bottom; the believer may build upon it; let the ftorms blow as long and as high as they please, they may make the poor creature tremble, but bleffed be Gop, they never fhall be able to take him off the foundation; though they may shake him, they fhall only fhake off his corruption; and I believe all that fear GOD, will be glad to part with it. On all these accounts, CHRIST's righteoufnefs may be called an everlasting righteoufnels.

III. It is faid, in my text, that Jesus was to bring it in. What are we to understand by his bringing it in? Our LORD's promulgating and proclaiming it to the world, Indeed, it was brought in under the law; but then it was

brought

brought in under types and fhadows, and most of the Jews looked no further. But JESUS CHRIST brought life and immortality to light by the gospel. The light of Mofes was only twilight; the light of the gospel, is like the fun at noon-day, fhining in his full meridian. Therefore, JESUS CHRIST may be faid to bring in this everlasting righteoufnefs, because he proclaimed it to the world, and commanded it to be preached, that GOD fent his Son into the world, that the world through him might be faved.

Again, The LORD JESUS CHRIST brought in this righte oufgefs, as he wrought it out for finners upon the crofs. Some Antinomians, for want of a proper diftinction, run into a grievous error, telling us, Because GOD intended to justify by the righteousness of JESUS CHRIST, therefore man is justified from all eternity: which is abfurd: a person cannot be justified, till he is actually exifting; therefore, though man is juftified, as it lies in Gop's mind from all eternity, yet it was not actually brought in till the LORD JESUS CHRIST pronounced those bleffed words, "It is finifhed;" the grand confummation! then JESUS brought it in. A new and a living way was to be opened to the Holy of Holies, for poor finners, by the blood of CHRIST. But I do not think that the expreffion, brought in, is to be limited to this fenfe, though I suppose it is the primary one; it implies not only CHRIST'S bringing it into the world, as promulgating, and having it written in the word of GOD, and as having wrought it out for finners in his life, and on the crofs; but he brings it in, in a manner, which, I pray GoD may take place this night; I mean, bringing it, by his bleffed Spirit, into poor believers hearts. All that CHRIST hath done, all that CHRIST hath fuffered, all CHRIST's active obedience, all CHRIST's paffive obedience, will do us no good, unless by the Spirit of GOD, it is brought into our fouls. As one expreffes it, An unapplied CHRIST is no CHRIST at all." To hear of a CHRIST dying for finners, will only increase your damnation, will only fink you deeper into hell, unless we have ground to fay, by a work of grace wrought in our hearts, that the LORD JESUS hath brought this home to us. Hence it is, that the Apostle, fpeaking of CHRIST, fays, Who loved me, and gave himfelf for me." O that dear,

that great, that little, but important word, me. Happy they, who can adopt the Apoftle's language! Happy they that can apply it to their own heart; and when they hear that CHRIST has brought in an everlasting righteousness, can fay, Blessed be GOD, it is brought in by the bleffed Spirit to my foul !

Are there any here that can go along with me on this doctrine? But why do I afk this question, when. preaching to numbers, who, I hope, have tafted of the grace of God long ago? I do not know, I cannot diftinguish you; you are just like other people, as to your looks and habits; but if I do not, and if your neighbours cannot know you, that great God, in whofe prefence you are, knows you; He, before whofe tribunal we are shortly to appear, knows you. If CHRIST JESUS hath brought his everlasting righteoufnefs into your heart; if it is applied by the Spirit of GOD to your faul, what fhall I fay to you? I will fay as the Angel to John, Come up hither," thou child of GOD! Come up hither, thou fon, thou daughter of Abraham! Come and join with me, in calling upon angels and archangels, in calling upon the spirits of just men made perfect, to help thee to praise that loving Redeemer, that has brought in an everlafting righteoufnefs. O was ever love like this! When Abraham was about to offer up his fon, GOD faid, " Now I know that thou loveft me, fince. thou haft not withheld thy fon, thine only fon from me." Now may each child of GOD fay, Now, O God, I know that thou haft loved me, fince thou haft not withheld thy Son, thy dear Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, from dying for me.' If thou haft got CHRIST brought into thy foul by faith, O look forward, look towards a happy eternity; O look towards thofe everlasting manfions, into which God will bring thee after death. My dear friends, I could fay much from this text to comfort God's people: But

I must address myself to you, poor fouls, who cannot say, that this righteoufnefs has been brought home to your fouls; but if it was never brought home before, may God, for the LORD JESUS CHRIST's fake, bring it home now! Are any of you depending upon a righteousness of your own? Do any of you here, think to fave yourselves by your own doings? Ifay to you, as the Apostle faid, to one that offered money for a power to confer the gift of the Holy Ghoft, your righteous

nefs

nefs fhall perish with you. Poor miferable creatures! What is there in your tears? what in your prayers? what in your performances, to appease the wrath of an angry GOD? Away from the trees of the garden; come, ye guilty wretches, come as poor, loft, undone, and wretched creatures, and accept of a better righteoufnefs than your own. As I faid before, so I tell you again, the righteoufnefs of JESUS CHRIST is an everlafting righteoufnets: it is wrought out for the very chief of finners. Ho, every one that thirfteth, let him come and drink of this water of life freely. Are any of you wounded by fin? Do any of you feel you have no righteousness of your own? Are any of you perifhing for hunger? Are any of you afraid ye will perifh for ever? Come, dear fouls, in all your rags; come, thou poor man; come, thou poor, diftreffed woman; you, who think God will never forgive you, and that your fins are too great to be forgiven; come, thou doubting creature, who art afraid thou wilt never get comfort; arife, take comfort, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the LORD of life, the LORD of glory, calls for thee: through his righteousness there is hope for the chief of finners, for the worst of creatures. What if thou hadft committed all the fins in the world? What if thou hadst committed the fins of a thousand, what if thou hadft committed the fins of a million of worlds? CHRIST's righteoufnefs will cover, the blood of the LORD JESUS CHRIST will cleanfe, thee from the guilt of them all. O let not one poor foul ftand at a distance from the Saviour. My dear friends, could my voice hold out, was my strength equal to my will, I would wrestle with you; I would ftrive with arguments, till you came and washed in this blood of the Lamb; till you came and accepted of this everlasting righteousness. O come, come! Now, fince it is brought into the world by CHRIST, fo in the name, in the strength, and by the affiftance of the great GOD, I bring it now to the pulpit; I now offer this righteoufnefs, this free, this imputed, this everlasting righteousness to all poor finners that will accept of it. For Gop's fake accept it this night: you do not know but ye may die before to-morrow. How do ye know,

but while I am speaking, a fit of the apoplexy may seize, and death arrest you? O my dear friends, where can ye go? where will ye appear? How will ye ftand before an angry

GOD,