THIRD. I should now come to the second conclusion, viz., that this can be done by no other righteousness than that long ago performed by and remaining with, the person of Christ. But before I speak to that, I will a little further press this, by urging for it several reasons.
The First Reason.—Men must be justified from the curse while sinners in themselves because by nature all are under sin—'All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. He hath concluded all in unbelief; he hath concluded all under sin' (Rom 3:23, 11:32; Gal 3:22). Now having sinned, they are in body and soul defiled, and become an unclean thing. Wherefore, whatever they touch, with an intent to work out righteousness thereby, they defile that also (Titus 1:15; Lev 15:11; Isa 64:6). And hence, as I have said, all the righteousness they seek to accomplish is but as a menstruous cloth and filthy rags; therefore they are sinners still.' Indeed, to some men's thinking, the Pharisee is holier than the Publican; but in God's sight, in the eyes of Divine justice, they stand alike condemned. 'All have sinned'; there is the poison! Therefore, as to God, without Christ, all throats are an open sepulcher (Matt 23:27; Rom 3:13).
The world in general is divided into two sorts of sinners—the open profane, and the man who seeks life by the works of the law. The profane is judged by all, but the other by a few. Oh! but God judged him.
1. For a hypocrite; because that notwithstanding he hath sinned, he would be thought to be good and righteous. And hence it is that Christ calls such kind of holy ones, 'Pharisees, hypocrites! Pharisees hypocrites!' because by their gay outside they deceived those that beheld them. But, saith he, God sees your hearts; you are but like painted sepulchers, within you are full of dead men's bones (Prov 30:12; Matt 23:27-30; Luke 11:26, 16:15). Such is the root from whence flows all their righteousness. But doth the blind Pharisee think his state is such? No; his thoughts of himself are far otherwise—' God, I thank thee,' saith he, 'I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this publican' (Luke 18:11,12). Aye, but still God judged him as a hypocrite.
2. God judged him for one that spurned against Christ, even by every such work he did. And hence it is, when Paul was converted to Jesus Christ, that he calls the righteousness he had before, madness, blasphemy, injury; because what he did to save himself by works was in direct opposition to grace by Jesus Christ (Phil 3:7,8; Acts 22:3,4, 26:4; 1 Tim 1:14,15). Behold, then, the evil that is in a man's own righteousness! (1.) It curses and condemns the righteousness of Christ. (2.) It blinded the man from seeing his misery. (3.) It hardened his heart against his own salvation.
3. But again, God judged such, for those that condemn him of foolishness—' The preaching of the cross,' that is, Christ crucified, 'is to them that perish foolishness' (1 Cor 1:18,23). What, saith the merit-monger, will you look for life by the obedience of another man? Will you trust to the blood that was shed upon the cross, that ran down to the ground, and perished in the dust? Thus deridingly they scoff at, stumble upon, and are taken in the gin that attends the gospel; not to salvation, but to their condemnation, because they have condemned the Just, that they might justify their own filthy righteousness (Isa 8:14).
But, I say, if all have sinned, if all are defiled, if the best of a man's righteousness be but madness, blasphemy, injury; if for their righteousness they are judged hypocrites, condemned as opposers of the gospel, and as such have counted God foolish for sending his Son into the world; then must the best of 'men be justified from the curse in the sight of God while sinners in themselves'; because they still stand guilty in the sight of God, their hearts are also still filthy infected—'Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before ME, saith the Lord God' (Jer 2:22). It stands marked still before God. So, then, what esteem soever men have of the righteousness of the world, yet God accounts it horrible wickedness and the greatest enemy that Jesus hath. Wherefore, this vine is the vine of Sodom; these clusters are the clusters of Gomorrah; these grapes are grapes of gall; these clusters are bitter, they are the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps (Matt 3:7; 23). No marvel, then, if John in his ministry gives the first rebuke and jostle to such, still calling them serpents and vipers, and concluding it is almost impossible they should escape the damnation of hell; for of all sin, man's own righteousness, in special, bids defiance to Jesus Christ.
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