are comforting indeed to the sincere believer. But they form a part only of the great treasure which God's hand holds forth for the acceptance of the anxious soul. The believer in Christ Jesus is not only washed in His atoning blood: he is not only rendered clean, the guilt and filthiness of his transgressions being taken from him; but he is justified also; he is clothed upon, as it were, with RIGHTEOUSNESS which is not his own, nor has been wrought by any creature in the universe; even the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, IN CHRIST.1 See, how unmistakably the Apostle Paul dwells upon this in the third chapter of his Epistle to the ROMANS. Having declared the fact that "All the world" is "guilty before God," and that "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight;" he adds— "But now THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets even THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD WHICH IS BY FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, UNTO ALL AND UPON ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE: for there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." What is it, then, but that, in the very highest sense, believers in the Son of God are entitled to be called "RIGHTEOUS"-and

1 Jer. xxiii. 6; Rom. iii. 21-26; 1 Cor. i. 30, 31; 2 Cor. v. 21, etc.

that the richest blessings of the Righteous must be theirs, for they, being cleansed from all this guilt in the precious blood of Christ, are clothed in the very RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! I cannot help referring on this subject to a passage in the writings of "the judicious Hooker," which speaks very powerfully and with great fulness to the point. He says, “Although in ourselves we be altogether sinful and unrighteous, yet even the man which in himself is impious, full of iniquity, full of sin; him being found in Christ through faith, and having his sins in hatred through repentance : him God beholdeth with a gracious eye, putteth away his sin by not imputing it, taking quite away the punishment due thereunto by pardoning it; and accepteth him in Jesus Christ, as perfectly righteous, as if he had fulfilled all that is commanded him in the law; shall I say MORE PERFECTLY RIGHTEOUS than if himself had fulfilled the whole law? I must take heed what I say; but the Apostle saith,1 'God made Him, which knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in Him.' SUCH WE ARE IN THE SIGHT OF GOD THE FATHER, AS IS THE VERY SON OF GOD HIMSELF. Let it be counted folly, or frenzy, or fury, or whatsoever. It is our wisdom, and our comfort; we care for no knowledge in the

1 2 Cor. v. 21.

world but this, that man hath sinned, and God hath suffered; that GOD HATH MADE HIMSELF THE SIN OF MEN, AND MEN ARE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD."

This surely is conclusive. For here we have not Hooker's own peculiar opinion given us, but the simple, unmistakable assertion of the WORD OF GOD. And we

may conclude that all the multitudes of true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, whether they have passed the stream of death or not, are RIGHTEOUS in the fullest sense. With every one of them is God well pleased; and righteous in the spotless righteousness of their CREATOR, they shall stand awaiting their reward at the right hand of the Almighty Purchaser of their Eternal Bliss. How they will shine forth; how they will express their joy; how they will declare the praises of their great Jehovah-Tsidkenu; we cannot tell. But this we know, they will be LIKE HIM.1 They will be prepared, in His unsullied righteousness, to reign with Him in an estate more glorious by far than eye of man hath seen, or ear heard, or heart conceived. They shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them foundation of the world. They shall go into LIFE

ETERNAL.

from the

Let me here speak a word of encouragement to my fellow-believers. Is it indeed the case that every one

1 1 John iii. 2.

who believes in Jesus Christ is not only crucified with Christ and washed from every stain in His atoning blood, but also has received the righteousness of Christ, which is indeed the very RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD Himself? Is this, I say, indeed the case, and yet do so very many of us go with fearing, trembling, doubting footsteps through this earthly life towards heaven? Why do we thus fear? Why do we thus suffer clouds and darkness to interpose between the Lord and our immortal souls? Why do we not lay hold at once of the most glorious hope which is set before us in the Gospel? True, true indeed, we have a daily, hourly cause to mourn over evil habits, lukewarmness, and inconsistencies; for "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other; so that we cannot do the things that we would." But though it is so, and by reason of the law of sin in our members, the very best amongst us are too often brought into a sore subjection; yet we need not cry out in despair, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" But rather, looking boldly upwards,-behold Jesus, sitting at the right hand of Power,—our faithful One,

"The Lord our Righteousness;" and realizing our position through His finished work of love, exclaim,— 1 Gal· v. 17.

"I thank my God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Oh, how can any true believer find the slightest room for doubt, when it is declared so plainly that he is arrayed in the pure RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE ALL-HOLY GOD? Reader, DOST THOU BELIEVE ON THE SON OF GOD? Then it is well with thee, for thou art RIGHTEOUS, and in righteousness shalt stand in the great day of Christ.

We will consider next the ACT OF Judgment. Not much is told us in the Word of God concerning this. Yet quite enough is said to show that it will be a Judgment, wherein every secret shall be brought to light, every life and every heart laid bare, every thought and every word with accuracy weighed: that nothing shall escape the searching eye of the OMNISCIENT JUDGE, nor any soul of man be found unjustly dealt with.

OUR SAVIOUR frequently alluded to the Judgment of mankind, that men might live in constant preparation for it. He spoke of it decidedly as an act in which each hidden thing shall be made manifest; 2 in which all men shall give account for every idle word which they have spoken; 3 in which justice shall be done unerringly to every soul of man; he who had received 2 Matt. x. 26; Mark iv. 22, etc.

1 Rom. vii. 12-45.

3 Matt. xxv. 31-40.