stand the great mercy of God, and how our salvation cometh only by Christ. In ourselves, therefore, may we not glory, which of ourselves are nothing but sinful: neither may we rejoice in any works that we do; all which be so imperfect and impure, that they are not able to stand before the righteous judgment seat of God: as the holy prophet David saith, Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord: for no man that liveth shall be found righteous in thy sight.""

If

So much for the righteousness of man, which the Scriptures never mention but to show its insufficiency, and to point out the danger of trusting in it, either in whole or in part, for acceptance with God. we would enter into life, our eyes must be elsewhere directed, or we shall as certainly come short of heaven hereafter, as we have sinned and come short of the glory of God here. But, blessed be God, there is another righteousness, and the Scriptures reveal it: a righteousness of which the Scribes and Pharisees never dreamed; to the nature and necessity of which every carnal heart is totally blind;

but which is graciously tendered to the acceptance of all, who are deeply humbled under a sense of their own unrighteousness, and sincerely willing to be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation.

Of this righteousness St. Paul speaks explicitly in his Epistle to the Romans: "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: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness... that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." This is that righteousness described in the writings of the Prophets: "Surely shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness;"* that to which the believing Gentiles attained, whilst the unbelieving Jews fell short of

* Isaiah xlv. 24.

it. This is that robe wherewith the glorified spirits above are clothed, which is even now, "unto all and upon all them that believe,"* and, invested in which, the publicans and harlots find admission into the kingdom of God, whilst the proud Pharisee is shut out. This is that righteousness which the Jews in St. Paul's day rejected with disdain; and of which, alas! multitudes in every age, being ignorant, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. But in directing you to this, as the sole ground of dependance for everlasting life, with what satisfaction and confidence may we again recur to the Homilies of our church, in testimony that we declare none other things unto you, than what we read in those Homilies, or acknowledge in our creeds and formularies! The Homily of the Salvation of Mankind, declares, that" because all men be sinners and offenders against God, and breakers of his law and commandments, therefore

* Rom. iii. 21, 22, 26.

can no man, by his own acts, works, and deeds, seem they never so good, be justified and made righteous before God; but every man, of necessity, is constrained to seek for ANOTHER RIGHTEOUSNESS of justification to be received at God's own hands." And it is afterwards added: "All the good works that we can do be imperfect; and therefore not able to deserve our justification: but our justification doth come freely by the mere mercy of God, and of so great and free mercy, that whereas all the world was not able of themselves to pay any part towards their ransom, it pleased our heavenly Father, of his infinite mercy, without any our desert or deserving, to prepare for us the most precious jewels of Christ's body and blood; whereby our ransom might be fully paid, the law fulfilled, and his justice fully satisfied. So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him. He for them paid their ransom by his death. He for them fulfilled the law in his life. So that now in him, and by him, every true Christian man

may be called a fulfiller of the law: forasmuch as that which their infirmity lacked, Christ's justice or righteousness hath supplied."

Such then is the righteousness, upon a personal interest in which, through faith, the everlasting salvation of every soul present entirely depends. How solemn the thought! We meet together in the church, and at the table of the Lord, yet, nevertheless, there is more than a possibility that some amongst us continue to this very hour shut up under condemnation, with all their guilt upon them, and having no better righteousness than their own wherein to trust. For the door of the visible church is thus wide enough to admit both believers and unbelievers, penitents and impenitents, half-way professors and Christians indeed; but not so the gate of heaven itself; not a single guest shall in any wise be admitted to the marriage-supper of the Lamb, who is found unprovided with a wedding-garment. All besides shall be bound, hand and foot, and cast into outward darkness. May that God whose eyes are in every place, whose sole prerogative it is to search the heart, and who well knows those in the