SERMON LXXI.

CONVICTION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

"And when he [the Comforter] is come, he will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."-John xvi., 8

SECOND DISCOURSE.

IN my last discourse from this passage we saw that the first work of the Spirit on the heart of a sinner is to convince of sin; to give him a sense of the dreadfulness of his sins, and to make him feel how surely he is a lost sinner. And from that I drew an argument, that it is the duty of all faithful ministers to do the same; that if the Spirit of gentleness and love begins his work on the soul by awakening in it a deep sense of sin and coming wrath, we are not to be called cruel, or harsh, or too plain and outspoken, if we begin in the very same way-by convincing you of sin, and showing every unconverted soul among you how utterly undone

you are.

But I now come to the second work of the Spirit, from which he is properly called the Comforter: "He will convince the world of righteousness." When he has first broken the bones under a sense of sin, then he reveals the good Physician, and makes the very bones which he hath broken to rejoice. When he had first revealed the coming storm of wrath, so that the sinner knew not where to flee, then he opens the secret chamber, and whispers, Come in hither; it may be thou shalt be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. When he has cast light into the sinner's bosom, and let him see how every action of his life condemns him, and how vain it is to seek for any righteousness there, he then casts light upon the risen Saviour, and says: Look there. He shows the Saviour's finished sufferings and finished obedience, and says: All this is thine, if thou wilt believe in Jesus. Thus does the Spirit lead the soul to accept and close with Christ, freely offered in the Gospel. The first was the awakening work of the Spirit -this is the comforting work of the Spirit. And this shows you plainly that the second work of the faithful minister is to do the very same-to lead weary souls to Christ-to stand pointing not only to the coming deluge, but to the freely offered ark-pointing not only to the threatening storm, but to the strong tower of safety -directing the sinner's eye not only inwards to his sin and misery, but outwards also, to the bleeding, dying, rising, reigning Saviour. Brethren, he is no minister of Christ who only terrifies and awakens you, who only aims at the first work of the Spirit, to convince you of sin, and aims not at the second work of the Spirit, to convince you of righteousness. He would be like a

surgeon who should tear off the bandages of your wounds, and lay open their deepest recesses, and then leave you like Israel with your sores not closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. He would be like a man who should awake you when your house was all on fire, and yet leave you without showing you any way of escape.

Brethren, let us rather be taught to follow in the footsteps of the blessed Spirit, the Comforter. He first convinces of sin, and then convinces of righteousuess. And so, brethren, bear with us, when we first awaken you to a sense of the dreadfulness of your sins, and then open the refuge and say, Come in hither, “hide thee as it were for a little moment, till the indignation be overpast."

I know there may be many of you quite offended because we preach Christ to the vilest of sinners. It was so with the Pharisees; and doubtless there are many Pharisees among us. When we enter into the haunts of wickedness and profligacy, and, in accents of tenderness proclaim the simple message of redeeming love, that the wrath of God is abiding on sinners, but that Christ is a Saviour freely offered to them, just as they are; or when a child of sin and misery comes before us, and the minister of Christ first plainly tells of God's wrath against his sin, and then as plainly, and with all affection, of Christ's compassion, and freely offered righteousness; oh! how often the decent, moral men of the world are affronted. The very imagination that the same Saviour is offered as freely to the veriest offscourings of vice as to themselves, this is more than they can bear. What! they cry; do you offer these wretches a Saviour before they have reformed their lives, before they have changed their character? I answer, Yes. The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick; and I beseech you to mark that this is the very way of the Spirit of God.

He is the Holy Spirit, of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. He is the Sanctifier of all that are in Jesus; and yet, when he has convinced a sinner of sin, his next work is to speak peace, to convince that sinner of righteousness. If you ask me, then, why I do not say to the child of sin and shame, Go and reform yourself-become honest and pure, and then I will invite you to the Saviour: I answer, Because even the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, does not do this. He first leads the soul into the wilderness, and then he allures it to come to Christ. first shuts up the soul in prison under a sense of guilt, and then opens a door, reveals Christ an open refuge for the chief of sin

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Brethren! do not forget it, he is the Comforter before he is the Sanctifier. Ah, then! do not blame us, if, as messengers of Christ, we tread in the very footsteps of that blessed Spirit. even he, the Holy Sanctifying Spirit, whose very breath is all purity, if even he invite the vilest sinner to put on these beautiful

garments, the divine righteousness of Jesus, do not say that we are favoring sin, that we are the enemies of morality, if we carry this message to the vilest of sinners: "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved."

I. What is this righteousness?

I answer, It is the righteousness of Christ, wrought out in behalf of sinners. Now righteousness means righteousness with respect to the law. When a person has not only never broken the law, but has rendered complete obedience to it, that person is righteous. It consists of two parts, then-first, freedom from guilt; and second, worthiness in the sight of God.

1. In the case of an unfallen angel, for example, he may be called righteous in two ways. (1.) He is negatively righteous, because he has never broken the law of God, he has never loved anything which God would not have him love; never done any thing which God would not have him do; he has acquired no stain of guilt upon his snow-white garments. But (2), He is positively righteous, because he has fulfilled the law of God. He has obeyed in all things his all-holy will. He has spread his ready wings on every errand which the Father commanded, ministering night and day to the heirs of salvation. In all things he has made it his meat and drink to do the will of his heavenly Father. So, then, he has not only kept his snowy garments clean, but he has gained the laurel wreath of obedience, he is worthy in the sight of God, God smiles on him as he approaches. Now, brethren, both of these put together make up a righteousness in the sight of God.

2. In the case of unfallen Adam. (1.) He was negatively righteous. He was made free from all guilt. Innocent and pure he came from the hands of his Maker. Not more truly did the calm rivers of Paradise reflect the blue heaven from their untroubled bosom, than did the tranquil bosom of unfallen Adam reflect the blessed image of God. His soul was spotless as the white robes of angels. His thoughts were all directed heavenward. He had not once broken the law of God, in thought, word, or deed. His will was even with God's will. He had no conscience of sin. But (2) Adam did not acquire a positive righteousness; that is, the righteousness of one who has obeyed the law-who has done the will of God. He was put into Paradise in order to acquire that righteousness. He was put there in pure and holy garments, to acquire the laurel wreath of obedience, like the holy angels. But man fell without acquiring this meritorious righteousness in the sight of God. Now, brethren, both these put together, both freedom from guilt and perfect obedience, make up a perfect righteousness in the sight of God.

3. I come, then, to show that the righteousness of Christ, freely offered to sinners, includes both of these. There is freedom from

guilt in Christ, because he is gone to the Father. When he came to this world, he was not free from guilt. He had no sin of his own. Even in his mother's womb he was called "that holy thing;" but yet he did not breathe one moment in this world, but under the load of guilt. When he was an infant in a manger, he was under guilt; when he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, he was under guilt; when he sat down wearied at the well, he was under guilt; when he was in that dreadful agony in the garden, when his sweat was as it were great drops of blood, he was under guilt; when he was in his last agony on the cross, he was under guilt. He had no sin of his own, and yet these are his words: "Innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head; therefore my heart faileth me."

Inquiry.-How do you know that Christ was under guilt?

Answer.-(1.) Because he was under pain. He suffered the pains of infancy in the manger; he suffered weariness, and hunger, and thirst, and great agonies in the garden and on the cross. But God has eternally connected guilt and pain. If there were no guilt there could be no pain. (2.) Because God hid his face from him: "My God, my God." Now, God hides his face from nothing but guilt; therefore Christ was bearing the sins of many. He was all over with guilt. He was as guilty in the sight of God as if he had committed all the sins of his people. What wonder, then, that God hid his face even from his own Son?

But Christ is now free from guilt. He is risen and gone to the Father. When a man is lying under a debt, if he pays it, then he is free from the debt. So Christ was lying under our sins, but he suffered all the punishment, and now is free; he rose, and we see him no more. When a man is banished for so many years, it is unlawful for him to return to his country till the time has expired, and the punishment is borne; but when the time is expired, then he is free from guilt in the eye of the law. He may come back to his home and his country once more. So Christ was banished from the bosom of the Father for a time. God hid his face from him; but when he had borne all that God saw fit to lay on him, then he was free from guilt, he was free to return; and so he did; he rose, and went back to the bosom of the Father from which he came. Do you not see, then, trembling sinner, that there is freedom from all guilt in Christ? He is quite free: he never shall suffer any more. He is now without sin, and when he comes again, he is coming without sin. If you will become one with him, you, too, are free from guilt; you are as free as Christ is; you are as safe from being punished as if you were in heaven with Christ. If you believe on Christ, you are one with him- a member of his body; and as sure as Christ your Head is now passed from the darkness of God's anger into the light of his

countenance, so surely are you, O believer, passed from darkness into God's marvellous light. O what a blessed word was that of Christ, just before he ascended: "I go to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God!" God is now as much ours as he is Christ's.

Inquiry. What good is it to me that Christ is free from guilt? Answer. Christ is offered to you as your Saviour. There is perfect obedience in Christ, because he hath gone to the Father, and we see him no more. When he came to this world, he came not only to suffer, but to do-not only to be a dying Saviour, but also a doing Saviour-not only to suffer the curse which the first Adam had brought upon the world, but to render the obedience which the first Adam had left undone. From the cradle to the cross he obeyed the will of God from the heart. When he came into the world, his word was: "Lo! I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O God; yea, thy law is within my heart." When he was in the midst of his obedience, still he did not change his mind. He says: "I have meat to eat that ye know not of: my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." And when he was going out of the world, still his word was: "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." So that it is true what an apostle says; that he was "obedient even unto death." The whole law is summed up in these two commands-that we love God and our neighbor. Christ did both. (1.) He loved God perfectly, as God says in the 91st Psalm: "Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high." (2.) He loved his neighbor as himself. It was out of love to men that he came into the world at all; and everything he did and everything he suffered in the world, was out of love to his neighbor. It was out of love to men that he performed the greatest part of his obedience, namely, the laying down his life. This was the principal errand upon which he came into the world. This was the most dreadful and difficult command which God laid upon him, and yet he obeyed. But a short while before he was betrayed, God gave him an awful view of his coming wrath, in the garden of Gethsemane. He set down the cup before him, and showed that it was a cup without any mixture of mercy in it; and yet Christ obeyed: his human nature shrank back from it, and he prayed: "If it be possible let this cup pass from me;" but he did not waver onc moment from complete obedience for he adds: "Nevertheless, not I will, but as thou wilt."

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Now this is the obedience of Christ, and we know that it is perfect. (1.) Because he was the Son of God, and all that he did must be perfect. (2.) Because he is gone to the Father. He is ascended into the presence of God. And how did the Father receive him? We are told in the 110th Psalm. A door is opened in heaven, and we are suffered to hear the very words with which