cacy of whose blood, death, and atonement, is as great and as effectual now to the salvation of poor sinners, as when he bowed his blessed head, and gave up the ghost: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever;" and whosoever believes on him now, whosoever comes to, and accepts of him, shall now see his power, shall taste of his grace, and shall be actually saved by him, the same as if he had been in company with those who saw him expiring.

Fourthly, Christ's righteousness may be called an everlasting righteousness, because the benefit of it is to endure to everlasting life. Indeed, some people tell us, that a person may be in Christ to-day, and go to the devil to-morrow: but, blessed be God, ye have not so learned Christ! No, my dear friends, thanks be to God for that divine text, "There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." Though God's people may fall foully; and though many are full of doubts and fears, and say, "One day I shall fall by the hands of Saul;" however ye may say in your haste, " All men are liars;" however your poor souls may be harassed, yet no wicked devil, nor your own depraved heart, shall be able to separate you from the love of God: God has loved you, God has fixed his heart upon you, and, having loved his own, he loves them unto the end. The Lord of life and of glory, the blessed Jesus, will never cease loving you, till he hath loved and brought you to heaven; when he will rejoice and say, "Behold me, O my Father, and the dear children that thou hast given me thou gavest them me; thine they were; I have bought them with my blood, I have won them with my sword and with my bow, and I now will wear them as so many jewels of my crown.". Therefore Jesus Christ's righteousness may be called an everlasting righteousness, because those who once take hold of, and are interested in it, shall be saved everlastingly by Christ: "It is God that justifies us, (says St. Paul,) who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again." He gives devils the challenge, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Who shall separate us from the love of God? I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither principalities nor powers, nor any other creature, shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Those whom God justifies, he also glorifies. And because Christ lives, blessed be God, we shall live also. I know not what you may say; but though I trust I have felt the grace of Christ, yet I find that I have as much need to come to Christ every day for fresh strength, as if I had never believed before: and if I were to depend upon my own faithfulness, and not the faithfulness of the Son of God, I am sure I should soon desert the Lord Jesus Christ. But, glory be to God, he is faithful that hath promised! Glory be to God, our salvation depends not upon our own free will, but upon God's free grace! here is a sure bottom; the believer may build upon it; let the storms blow as long and as high as they please, time shall be they may make the poor creature tremble, but

blessed be God, they never shall be able to take him off the foundation; though they may shake him, they shall only shake off his corruption: and I believe all that fear God, will be glad to part with it. On all these accounts, Christ's righteousness may be called an everlasting righteousness.

Thirdly, It is said in my text, that Jesus was to bring it in. What are we to understand by his bringing it in? Our Lord's promulgating and proclaiming it to the world. Indeed, it was brought in under the law; but then it was brought in under types and shadows, and most of the Jews looked no further. But Jesus Christ brought life and immortality to light by the gospel. The light of Moses was only twilight; the light of the gospel is like the sun at noon-day, shining in his full meridian. Therefore, Jesus Christ may be said to bring in this everlasting righteousness, because he proclaimed it to the world, and commanded it to be preached, that God sent his Son into the world, that the world through him might be saved.

Again, the Lord Jesus Christ brought in this righteousness, as he wrought it out for sinners upon the cross. Some antinomians, for want of a proper distinction, run into a grievous error, telling us, because God intended to justify by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, therefore man is justified from all eternity; which is absurd a person cannot be justified, till he is actually existing; therefore, though man is justified, as it lies in God's mind from all eternity, yet it was not actually brought in till the Lord Jesus Christ pronounced those blessed words, "It is finished;" the grand consummation! then Jesus brought it in. A new and a living way was to be opened to the holy of holies, for poor sinners, by the blood of Christ. But I do not think that the expression, brought in, is to be limited to this sense, though I suppose it is the primary one; it implies not only Christ's bringing it into the world, as promulgating, and having it written in the word of God, and as having wrought it out for sinners in his life, and on the cross; but he brings it in, in a manner which I pray God may take place this night; I mean, bringing it, by his blessed Spirit, into poor believers' hearts. All that Christ hath done, all that Christ hath suffered, all Christ's active obedience, all Christ's passive obedience, will do us no good, unless by the Spirit of God it is brought into our souls. As one expresses it," an unapplied Christ is no Christ at all." To hear of a Christ dying for sinners, will only increase your damnation, will only sink you deeper into hell, unless we have ground to say, by a work of grace wrought in our hearts, that the Lord Jesus hath brought this home to us. Hence it is, that the apostle, speaking of Christ, says, "who loved me, and gave himself for me." O that dear, that great, that little, but important word me. Happy they who can adopt the apostle's lauguage; happy they that can apply it to their own heart; and, when they hear that Christ has brought in an everlasting righteousness, can say, Blessed be God, it is brought in by the blessed Spirit to my soul!

Are there any here that can go along with me on this doctrine? But why do I ask this question, when preaching to numbers, who, I hope, have tasted of the grace of God long ago? I do not know, I cannot distinguish you; you are just like other people, as to your looks and habits; but if I do not, and if your neighbours cannot, know you, that great God, in whose presence you are, knows you. He, before whose tribunal we are shortly to appear, knows you. If Christ Jesus hath brought in his everlasting righteousness into your heart; if it be applied by the Spirit of God to your soul, what shall I say to you; I will say as the angel to John," Come up hither," thou child of God! Come up hither, thou son, thou daughter of Abraham! Come and join with me, in calling upon angels and archangels, in calling upon the spirits of just men made perfect, to help thee to praise that loving Redeemer, that has brought in an everlasting righteousness. Oh! was ever love like this! When Abraham was about to offer up his son, God said, "Now I know that thou lovest me, since thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me." Now may each child of God say, "Now, O God, I know that thou hast loved me, since thou hast not withheld thy Son, thy dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, from dying for me." If thou hast got Christ brought into thy soul by faith, O look forward, look towards, a happy eternity; O look towards those everlasting mansions, into which God will bring thee after death. My dear friends, I could say much from this text, to comfort God's people but,

I must address myself to you, poor souls, who cannot say, that this righteousness has been brought home to your souls; but if it were never brought home before, may God, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, bring it home now! Are any of you depending upon a righteousness of your own? Do any of you here, think to save yourselves by your own doings? I say to you, as the apostle said to one that offered money for a power to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost, your righteousness shall perish with you. Poor miserable creatures! What is there in your tears? what in your prayers? what in your performances, to appease the wrath of an angry God? Away from the trees of the garden; come, ye guilty wretches, come as poor, lost, undone, and wretched creatures, and accept of a better righteousness than your own. As I said before, so I tell you again, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is an everlasting righteousness; it is wrought out for the very chief of sinners. Ho, every one that thirsteth, let him come and drink of this water of life freely. Are any of you wounded by sin? Do any of you feel you have no righteousness of your own? Are any of you perishing for hunger? Are any of you afraid ye will perish for ever? Come, dear souls, in all your rags; come, thou poor man; come, thou poor, distressed woman; you, who think God will never forgive you, and that your sins are too great to be forgiven: come, thou doubting creature, who art afraid thou wilt never get comfort; arise, take comfort, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of life, the Lord of glory, calls for thee.

through his righteousness there is hope for the chief of sinners, for the worst of creatures. What if thou hadst committed all the sins in the world? What if thou hadst committed the sins of a thousand, what if thou hadst committed the sins of a million of worlds? Christ's righteousness will cover, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ will cleanse, thee from the guilt of them all. O let not one poor soul stand at a distance from the Saviour. My dear friends, could my voice hold out, were my strength equal to my will, I would wrestle with you; I would strive with arguments, till you came and washed in this blood of the Lamb; till you came and accepted of this everlasting righteousness. O come, come! Now, since it is brought into the world by Christ, so, in the name, in the strength, and by the assistance of the great God, I bring it now to the pulpit; I now offer this righteousness, this free, this imputed, this everlasting righteousness, to all poor sinners who will accept of it. For God's sake, accept it this night; you do not know but ye may die before to-morrow. How do ye know, but while I am speaking, a fit of apoplexy may seize, and death arrest you? O my dear friends, where can ye go? where will ye appear? How will ye stand before an angry God, without the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ put upon your souls? Can ye stand in your own rags? Will ye dare to appear before a heart-searching God, without the apparel of your elder brother? If ye do, I know your doom: Christ will frown you into hell: "Depart, depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire," shall be your portion. Think, I pray you, therefore, on these things; go home, go home, go home, pray over the text, and say, "Lord God, thou hast brought an everlasting righteousness into the world by the Lord Jesus Christ; by the blessed Spirit bring it into my heart!" then, die when ye will, ye are safe; if it be to-morrow, ye shall be immediately translated into the presence of the everlasting God: that will be sweet! Happy they who have got this robe on; happy they that can say, "My God hath loved me, and I shall be loved by him with an everlasting love!" That every one of you may be able to say so, may God grant, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the dear Redeemer; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

SERMON XVI.

THE OBSERVATION OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST, THE DUTY OF ALL CHRISTIANS; OR THE TRUE WAY OF KEEPING CHRISTMAS.

And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.-Matt. i. 21. THE celebration of the birth of Christ hath been esteemed a duty by most who profess Christianity. When we consider the cou descension and love of the Lord Jesus Christ, in submitting to be born of a virgin, a poor sinful creature; and especially as he

knew how he was to be treated in this world; that he was to be despised, scoffed at, and at last to die a painful, shameful, and ignominious death; that he should be treated as though he were the off-scouring of all mankind; used not like the son of a man, and, therefore, not at all like the Son of God; the consideration of these things should make us to admire the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was so willing to offer himself as a ransom for the sins of the people, that when the fulness of time was come, Christ came, made of a woman, made under the law: he came according to the eternal counsel of the Father; he came not in glory or in splendour, not like him who brought all salvation with him; no, he was born in a stable, and laid in a manger; oxen were his companions. O amazing condescension of the Lord Jesus Christ, to stoop to such low and poor things for our sake. What love is this, what great and wonderful love was here, that the Son of God should come into our world in so mean a condition, to deliver us from the sin and misery in which we were involved by our fall in our first parents! And as all that proceeded from the springs must be muddy, because the fountain was so; the Lord Jesus Christ came to take our natures upon him, to die a shameful, a painful, and an accursed death, for our sakes; he died for our sins, and to bring us to God; he cleansed us by his blood from the guilt of sin, he satisfied for our imperfections; and now, my brethren, we have access unto him, with boldness; he is a mediator between us and his offended Father.

Therefore, if we do but consider into what state, and at how great a distance from God, we are fallen; how vile our natures were; what a depravity, and how incapable to restore that imago of God to our souls, which we lost in our first parents: when I consider these things, my brethren, and that the Lord Jesus Christ came to restore us to that favour with God which we had lost, and that Christ not only came down with an intent to do it, but actually accomplished all that was in his heart towards us; that he raised and brought us into favour with God, that we might find kindness and mercy in his sight; surely this calls for some return of thanks on our part to our dear Redeemer, for this love and kindness to our souls. How just would it have been of him, to have left us in that deplorable state, wherein we, by our guilt, had involved ourselves! For God could not, nor can receive any additional good by our salvation; but it was love, mere love; it was free love, that brought the Lord Jesus Christ into our world about 1700 years ago. What, shall we not remember the birth of our Jesus? Shall we yearly celebrate the birth of our temporal king, and shall that of the King of kings be quite forgotten? Shall that only, which ought to be had chiefly in remembrance, be quite forgotten? God forbid! No, my dear brethren, let us celebrate and keep this festival of our church, with joy in our hearts: let the birth of a Redeemer, who redeemed us from sin, from wrath, from death, from hell, be always remembered; may this Saviour's love never be forgotten! but may we sing forth all his love and glory, as long as life shall last here, and