feel their own weakness and depravity. When we have been taught of the Spirit, we want to go, not in our own Strength, but in the Strength of the Lord. When we go forth against our enemies, it must be in the Strength of the Lord God-in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts. Take an illustration from the Old Testament which will bring the whole subject before you. Goliath of Gath was the representative of the Philistines who defied the armies of the living God. He came up against the Israelites. And when the stripling David went forth to meet him, you will remember that the Philistine threatened him, that he would soon dispose of him. But David said to him: "thou hast defied the armies of the living God, and thou comest against me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield." How is David about to go? Has he got a sword, or a spear, or a shield? He had tried Saul's armour, but he could not go forth in that. He says: "I come unto thee, neither with a sword, nor with a spear, nor with a shield, but I come unto thee in the Name of the Lord." Now this is the only way to succeed, going in the Strength of the Lord, against His enemies (I Samuel xvii). The following verse sums up the whole in favour of the child of God: "Through God we shall do valiantly for He it is that shall tread down our enemies " (Psalm lx. 12). Beloved, all our battles and all our conquests are in the Strength of the Lord God. All our prayers, praises, and thanksgivings are acceptable through the Name of Jehovah-Jesus. "I will go in the Strength of the Lord God." : Let us consider the Psalmist's second resolution. "I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only." THY Righteousness. "I will mention." There is a limitation : "of Thine only." I like limitations. Perhaps some of you may not understand what I mean, but I hope you will before I have done. THY Righteousness. See how it is spoken of in this Psalm, the 2nd verse. "Deliver me in Thy righteousness." In the 15th verse: "My mouth shall shew forth Thy righteousness and Thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof." The 19th verse: "Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, Who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee!" And the last verse: 66 My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long." You see that it is God's righteousness, we have to speak of. And here I shall have to explain that I am not about to speak of that Righteousness of God which is necessarily inherent. This must be excluded from my reasoning. Nor am I about to speak of the Righteousness of God in His providential dealings with mankind. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis xviii. 25). But I have to speak of that Righteousness of God by which the sinner is justified, and in which he appears beautiful before heaven. In bringing this subject before you, I must beg of you to notice that the Son of God as God is Righteousuess itself. But this is not the Righteousness. As a man the Lord Jesus Christ was the Holy One, the Just One, and the Righteous One. It is not this Righteousness. As the God-Man Mediator He is perfect Righteousuess. It is not of this Righteousness that I am about to treat. "Well, then," you say, This is just the "What Righteousness are you going to speak of?" point. You see I have cleared away certain things. to speak to you of that Righteousness of God which the Lord Jesus Christ performed upon the earth and which stood in two things. First, in His perfect obedience to the law. And, secondly, in His suffering the penalty of the law, which was death. This is the Righteousness in which the sinner stands justified before God. Hence, the Lord Jesus Christ is called: "The Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah xxiii. 6). I shall ask you to read St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, which bears expressly upon this point. I ask you to turn to the 1st chapter and begin at the 16th verse: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ : for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth : to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein," that is, in the Gospel, "the Righteousness of God is revealed." But who can see it? Who can understand it? It is "revealed from faith to faith :" that is, it is revealed from out of the Gospel which is called the faith to the faith which the Holy Ghost produces in the child of God. "As it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'” Now read the 3rd chapter of this Epistle to the Romans, and the 21st verse: "The Righteousness of God without the law is manifested." That is, it is manifested without man's obedience to the law. And yet, he says: this Righteousness was "witnessed" both "by the law and the prophets." That is, persons who lived during the time both of the law and the prophets were witnesses to the Righteousness of God, which the Lord Jesus Christ should accomplish upon the earth. Let us proceed: "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": that is, "there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God: being justified freely by His grace:" that is, without any cause in the creature. "Through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus." This is the meritorious cause. "Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through faith in His Blood, to declare His Righteousness": God's Righteousness as manifested in Christ Jesus, in His Life, and in His Death: "for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God: to declare, I say, at this time His Righteousness; that He might be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus." All "boasting," you will perceive, "is excluded." "By" the "law of works?" No, indeed: "but by the law of faith," as it is revealed in the Gospel. Take another passage. Indeed, we might read the whole of the 4th chapter, which bears upon this subject. Read the 17th verse of the 5th chapter: "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ." The next verse: "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the Righteousness of One;"-but in the margin it is "by One Righteouness," that is, Christ's Righteous Obedience to the Law," by the Righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." I wish to be very particular indeed upon this point. Perhaps some of you may 66 not be aware that controversies have infested the church bearing upon this subject; denying the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here it is said by the Apostle that it is the One Righteousness of Christ Jesus the Lord. Let us go on to the next verse. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the Obedience of One,”—by the one Obedience of Christ, and by the one Righteousness of Christ we obtain justification and acceptance in God's Sight. The one perfect Righteousness of Christ is two-fold. It is perfect obedience to the law, and perfect suffering of the penalty of the law. If we would see the Righteousness of God, we must see it in the life, and death, and resurrection of Christ. The Apostle says, "what the law could not do," it could not give life, nor could it save the soul: but God sent forth His own Son, "in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh." God's design was this, "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Christ and His members are one. Christ as the Head has accomplished all and we in Him (Romans viii. 3, 4). Daniel spoke of this Righteousness in his 9th chapter, and the 24th verse. Christ shall come to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting Righteousness." This is the very Righteousness which Christ brought in, and in which His people shall appear perfect as He is before God. Hence the law has no claim upon them, nor can it any longer condemn them for sin. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. This is not Antinomianism, but the Gospel of the Grace of God. There is no other Righteousness that we can speak of, or appear before God in, but that of Christ Jesus. St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Philippians, says: "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Thus he excludes all his own doings. And then what? "And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the Righteousness which is of God by faith" (Philippians iii. 7-9). Faith is that spiritual gift of God which sees and apprehends the Lord Jesus Christ as perfect Righteousness. Blessed are all they who have obtained such like precious faith through the Righteousness of God, even our Saviour Jesus Christ (II Peter i. 1). The Apostle Paul desired to be found in Christ only. And it is in Him I desire to be found. "Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength: In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory" (Isaiah xlv. 24-25). "The Lord is well pleased for His Righteousness sake" (the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ). He will magnify the law, and make it honourable" (Isaiah xlii. 21). (Isaiah xlii. 21). I want to know what creature could do all that the law requires? Could he keep either the first or the second table of the law? Nothing of the sort. But the Lord Jesus Christ does all that it requires. He magnifies the law, and makes it honourable. And no believer can now be hurt by its penalty. At the same : time Christ brings in an everlasting Righteousness. This is Divine Righteousness. It is heavenly Righteousness. It is God's RighteousThe Righteousness in which the sinner appears perfect and complete. Now, the Psalmist says: "I will make mention of Thy Righteousness, even of Thine only." ness. Suppose the Psalmist to be a preacher of the Gospel-and he was a preacher of the Gospel too-and he is going forth to preach, what is he about to preach? Man's power, and man's free will? or will he preach man's righteousness? No! Down with all these, and up with the One Righteousness: "Thy Righteousness." This is preaching the Lord Jesus Christ, and making mention of Him. And when a Minister preaches a whole Christ, he makes mention of His Righteousness, and of His only. We might give many reasons for doing so. We will make mention of Thy Righteousness when we plead with God in prayer. Lord, not our righteousness. No! But Thy Righteousness. I will not mention mine but Thine. The Righteousness of Thy dear Son, which is an all-prevailing Righteousness, I will mention it before men. I will mention it before an ungodly world though man may exclaim against it. Thy Righteousness shall be my Theme and my Song. Why? First, because it is a Divinely-ordained Righteousness for the Saints. And because it is a durable and an everlasting Righteousness. God says, "My Righteousness shall be for ever, and my Salvation from generation to generation" (Isaiah li. 8). The Righteousness of our God is an everlasting righteousness (Psalm cxix. 142). I will mention it on this account. It never wears out. This is clothing which never grows old. Moth and rust cannot corrupt it, and thieves cannot break through and steal it. And yet, some of the moths of this world might try to do so, but they will never succeed. It is a durable Righteousness. Is also a beautiful covering for the Saints. What do I mean by this? You will see when you read the 61st chapter of Isaiah: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of Righteousness" (verse 10). What robe? Why, it is the robe of Christ's Righteousness which He has put upon me, and in which I appear as beautiful as Christ Himself. God never looks upon me otherwise than in the beautiful garment of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Durable Righteousness, the Spotless Robe, and the Beautiful Garment. The angels! Why they are not clean in God's Sight. Look at the righteousness of Adam in his state of innocence. What did that do for him? Look at the righteousness of any man in his fallen state, and then contrast it with the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. you see the utter worthlessness of all creature righteousness? God's Righteousness, like His mercy, is in the heavens (Psalm xxxvi. 6). And God's children can scale heaven, in His Righteousness, for it reaches thither. It is like the waves of the sea upon the sand which leave no human footprint behind. Christ's Righteousness covers effectually all the imperfection and all the defilement of the sinner saved, so that he appears clean and holy, in God's Sight. "I will make mention," then, "of Thy Righteousness.' Do There is another little expression in the text which I must notice: "Even of Thine only." Why was he so particular? "Thine only." He had a good reason for this, and so he insisted upon it. And hence we read in the 64th chapter of Isaiah these words: "But we are all as an unclean thing" (verse 6). Now it requires a great deal to teach persons this. This verse brings before us the most loathsome condition of the creature. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are "-like what?—"filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Our righteousnesses! There are some who think themselves very good indeed, and they think that they have got some right to boast of their own righteousnesses. There was a certain class of this sort in the time of the Apostle Paul, and I dare say there is a remnant of this class living at the present day, who think a great deal of their own righteousnesses, which are, after all, only "filthy rags.' I am certain, that you would all be ashamed to put in an appearance here to-night dressed in nothing but filthy rags,-loathsome rags. But would you put in an appearance before God in your own righteousnesses, in your own filthy rags? I know you would not like to appear in any righteousness before God, but Christ's only. St. Paul speaks of some who tried to establish their own righteousness. See the 10th of Romans: "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge" (verse 2). There are many at this day who are very zealous; who are always talking about doing the Lord's work. I often think it is a pity they do not allow the Lord to do His own work. He can do very well without their counsel. But look they have a great deal of zeal, but it is "not according to knowledge." They They are not spiritually enlightened in the things of God. See the next verse: "For they being ignorant of God's Righteousness,"—yes, "ignorant of God's Righteousness,"—what did they do? They went "about to establish their own righteousness.” And as long as persons go about to establish their own righteousness,the next part of the verse is sure to be true, they "have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God." He assures us that "the end of the law for Righteousness to every one that believeth" is Christ. So that if persons go "about to establish their own righteousness," or any creature righteousness whatever, they are ignorant of the One Righteousness, which the Psalmist resolved was the only Righteousness he should mention. Beloved, man's carnal doings are very filthiness in God's Sight. Nothing prevails in His Presence but the Righteousness which He Himself has provided. The Psalmist says, "I will make mention of Thy Righteousness, even of Thine only." What Righteousness are we about to make mention of? What is the Sermon to be? Whose Righteousness is it to be? The Lord's or ours? Well, so far as I am concerned, I wish to be clothed like Joshua the high priest, when the Angel said, "Take away the filthy garments from him, which were his iniquities, and clothe him with change of raiment." A fair mitre was set upon his head as a priest of God, and he was clothed in a beautiful garment (Zechariah iii). The King's daughter has her clothing made of wrought |