• Drop down ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I the Lord have created it.--Isaiah 45:8.

In a former discourse upon these words it was proposed to consider, First, Their sense and meaning; and Secondly, To make some practical remarks upon them. Having gone through the first particular, and established the doctrine, I come now to reduce it to practice, and this I shall do, by making some remarks upon the words in the order they lie in the text. The first remark that would occur to an attentive reader is the state of man before righteousness is poured down upon him from on high. He is like the dry ground, which for want of rain is desolate and barren. So is man in a state of nature; destitute of the heavenly influence of Christ's righteousness, he has no good thing springing up in him. Before he is made righteous, he is altogether unrighteous. Being unjust, he is an object of diving justice. The law of God looks upon him as a transgressor, and considers him in a state of condemnation. The sovereign judge regards him as a child of his wrath, and has passed the just decree, that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

This is the condition of all men by nature, they are unrighteous, and condemned for their unrighteousness: and they are also helpless and without strength to attain any righteousness for themselves. And yet there is in their fallen nature a cursed pride, which never brake out with greater violence than at present, and which will not submit to the righteousness of God. That we have no righteousness in ourselves, and can attain none by any power or working of our own, is the plain doctrine of God's word, is the very fundamental article of our established church, and it is evident from daily and melancholy experience, and it is the first practical truth in Christianity; for until we be deeply convinced of our sinfulness and helplessness, we shall see no reason to apply to Christ for his righteousness. Men must find themselves sick before they will send for the physician. Our want of righteousness is the cause of all our spiritual sickness and maladies, and the scripture speaks plainly of our want of righteousness. "We have before proved," says the apostle, "both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin, as it is written, "There is none righteous, no not one." So says our ninth article:

"By original sin, man is very far gone from original righteousness, and by it every person born into the world deserveth God's wrath and damnation." And concerning our helplessness in this state, our reformers in the second part of the homily, "On the misery of man," speak the sense of scripture in these words: ""Thus we have heard, how evil we be of ourselves, how of ourselves, and by ourselves, we have no goodness, help, or salvation, but contrariwise, sin, damnation, and death everlasting: which if we deeply weigh and consider, we shall the better understand the great mercy of God, and how our salvation cometh only by Christ: for in ourselves (as of ourselves) we find nothing whereby we may be delivered from this miserable captivity, into the which we are cast, through the envy of the devil by breaking of God's commandment, in our first parent Adam. We are all become unclean, but we all are not able to cleanse ourselves, nor make one another of us clean. We are by nature the children of God's wrath, but we are not able to make ourselves the children and inheritors of God's glory. We are sheep that run astray, but we cannot of our own power come again to the sheep-fold: so great is our imperfection and weakness. 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 to man that liveth shall be found righteous in thy sight." To God therefore must we flee, or else shall we never find peace, rest, and quietness of conscience in our hearts."

Thus far our reformers. To the truth of their words we have all set our hands, and may God set our hearts to act agreeably to our subscriptions, Though they were our own act and deed, yet it is a matter of fact, which cannot be concealed, nor too much lamented, that many persons act directly contrary to their most solemn engagements: for how seldom do we hear any thing from the pulpit about original sin, or about there being none righteous, no not one. Instead of the antiquated doctrine, what is more common than to hear declarations upon the sufficiency of human reason in matters of religion, upon the dignity of human nature, and upon moral rectitude? And is it not the general scope of young preaching to recommend practical duties, as necessary terms and conditions of our justification before God? Is this the case, my brethren, or is it not? Certainly you know it is. Have you not heard reason extolled as a sufficient guide in matters of religion, contrary to the express word of God, which declares that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, nor while he continues a natural man can be know them, let him pretend to reason ever so much about them? Have you not heard men lavish in the praises of the dignity of human nature, which, if God's account of human nature be true, is an unrighteous dignity?

What is a more common topic, than to cry up moral rectitude, which, if scripture be true, is an unrighteous rectitude, and recommend practical duties as terms of justification, which is setting them up in the place of Christ's righteousness, and teaching men an unrighteous obedience? Upon whatever footing this be done, it is an unrighteous attempt; whether it be upon the principles of natural religion, or morality, or any other fashionable system, it is equally unrighteous, because it is going about to establish a righteousness of man's own, and not submitting to the righteousness of God; and whoever does this, neither knows his own want of righteousness, nor his inability to attain any by human means; nor does he know that there is no righteousness to be had, but what must come down from heaven, but what the heavens must drop down from above, and skies must pour out: the application of which truth is my second remark.

The text clearly teaches us, that righteousness comes from above, as the rain does. It does not spring or grow out of the earth, for there is none upon earth righteous, no, not one; but God sends it down from heaven. In like manner as the dry parched ground has not the rain in itself, but receives it from the fruitful influence of the heavens, so the barren wilderness of man's heart has no righteousness until the Holy Spirit bring it from above: for it is his office to convince the sinner of his unrighteousness, and then to convince him of righteousness, by giving faith to apply to himself that divine righteousness which Christ wrought out for his justification and salvation.

If any member of our church thinks this doctrine wanting in point of evidence, let him consult the articles and homilies; words cannot be plainer than these are in the beginning of the sermon, "On the salvation of mankind by only Christ our Saviour, from Sin and Death everlasting." "Because all men be sinners, and offenders against God, and breakers of his law and commandments, therefore 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, that is to say, the forgiveness of his sins and trespasses, in such things as he hath offended. And this justification or righteousness, which we so receive of God's mercy and Christ's merits, embraced by faith, is taken, accepted, and allowed of God for our perfect and full justification: for as it follows in the latter part of the same homily "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 boy and blood, whereby our ransom might be fully paid, the law fulfilled, and his justice 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."

This is the doctrine of our reformers, and if any person refuse to abide by their authority, let him consult the oracles of truth, where he may read that the righteousness by which we are justified, is not man's, but God's: and that Christ the God-man is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth; and if he still refuse to make mention of his righteousness, even his only, the Holy Spirit refers him to the fair volume of nature for further evidence. He teaches us that fallen man without the righteousness of Christ, is like the earth without rain. Look, then, upon the face of the earth after there has been o rain for two or three summer months, and see the necessity of having righteousness rained down from heaven. You see the earth hath lost its verdure. The more tender vegetables are quite dead. The more robust hang their heads and droop. This is the true picture of the natural man destitute of Christ's righteousness. No grace can grow, no virtue can flourish in him. His heart is a parched up wilderness, in which nothing good can spring, until Christ's righteousness be rained upon it. If the fact be true in nature, this doctrine must: equally true in grace. If nothing can grow without the rain and dew of heaven, then nothing can grow without the righteousness of Christ, for he who cannot deceive uses this illustration, to teach us the necessity of Christ's righteousness. "Ye heavens drop down the dew," says he, "and let the skies pour out righteousness.? Its original is from heaven, and it comes to us from thence to overthrow the pride of natural religion, and morality, and whatever ascribes to fallen man the will and the power of making himself righteous before God.

That which makes us righteous is not in any faculty of nature, but is entirely the free gift of grace. And it is owing to men's vain glory and pride, which, of all vices, is most universally grafted in all mankind, that men know not themselves, and will not look up to heaven for that righteousness which they want. Hence it is that we hear so much about natural and moral religion, which pay their court to the pride of our fallen nature, and hence comes that execrable position upon which they are built, viz. "That man has in himself the rule of right and obligations to follow it." Is not this insulting God to his face? He says, that all men are gone out of the right way; the moralist gives him the lie, and says, "No, I have still in myself the rule of right." What rule of right has he in himself, whom God has pronounced unrighteous and abominable altogether: Has the unrighteous man the rule of righteousness in himself: What sort of a rule is it by which an unrighteous man walks? And what obligations has he in himself to follow the rule of right, of whom, God says, there is none that doeth good, no, not one? Can he have at the same time in himself, obligations to follow the rule of right, the thoughts of the imaginations of whose heart are only evil continually? It is impossible. Until Christ's righteousness be poured down upon him from heaven, he is blind and dark in the things of God, he has no rule of right, and he has obligations, and strong ones, to follow the rule of wrong, but none to follow what is right.

This is God's account of fallen man. How different is it from the flattering view in which our moral teachers love to paint and dress the fancied dignity of their nature. Pride, ignorant of itself, makes them believe that they are still great and noble beings; and they cannot bear the just character which our church has drawn of them in the conclusion of the homily on the misery of man. "Hitherto we have heard what we are of ourselves, very sinful, wretched, and damnable. Again, we have, how that of ourselves, and by ourselves, we are not able either to think a good thought, or work a good deed, so that we can find in ourselves no hope of salvation, but rather whatsoever maketh unto our destruction". We must have this humbling view of ourselves, if ever we see reason to seek righteousness from heaven. May God humble us all, and convince deeply of our want of righteousness, that we may apply to him for it. Knowing where it may be had, we shall apply for it properly, which leads me to consider,

Third, How it is to be attained.

The place of its growth may point out unto us the true method of attaining it. It is of heavenly extraction. You cannot ascend to heaven to bring it down, but may not your prayers and good works ascend to merit it? No, they cannot. Until Christ's righteousness be imputed to you by faith, your prayers are an abomination and your fancied good works are nothing but sin. So says the scripture. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." So says our church in her articles. "Work done before the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God, neither do they make men meet to receive grace; yea, rather, for that they are not done, as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin." We doubt not but the best of them are only so many splendid sins. They adorn a man's outward conversation, may gain him the honour of men, but in the eyes of God, they are of no price; because they flow from and unregenerate heart. So that works done before we receive Christ's righteousness can do nothing towards meriting it and works done after receiving it can add nothing to it. It is a free gift, therefore works done before cannot merit it. It waits for no qualification, no condition in the receiver, because it is given to the most unworthy, and is given to supply the want of all qualifications and conditions; it is given to the unrighteous and to the ungodly, And it wants no works done after receiving to add to it, because it is infinitely perfect. It is the righteousness of God, and will prove itself to be from God by its fruits, which fruits evidence us to be righteous, but do not make us so; for if they were to make us righteous, but in part, that would be going about to establish our own righteousness, and not submitting to the righteousness of God.

This is the doctrine of scripture. After the apostle had established it by various proofs, he thus sums them all up; "therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law." Our church has made the same conclusion in her llth article, where she teaches, "That we are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the homily of justification." In which homily we have these words: "Justification is not the office of man, but of God: for man cannot make himself righteous by his own works, neither in part nor in the whole, for that were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man, that antichrist could set up against God, to affirm, that man might, by his own works, take away and purge his own sins and so justify himself. But justification is the office of God only, and is not a thing which we render unto him, but which we receive of him; not which we give to him, but which we take of him by his free mercy, and by the only merits of his most dearly beloved Son, our only redeemer, saviour, and justifier, Jesus Christ."

In the following part of the same homily are these words: "The very true meaning of this proposition or saying, "We be justified by faith in Christ only," is this, we put our faith in Christ, that we be justified by him only, that we be justified by God's free mercy, and the merits of our Saviour Christ only, and by no virtue or good works of our own, that is in us, or that we can be able, to have or to do, for to deserve the same: Christ himself only being the cause meritorious thereof." If then all working and boasting be thus excluded, both by scripture and by the authority of our own church, how is this righteousness to be attained? The prophet teaches us in the text. We receive it as the thirsty ground does the rain. Can we do any thing towards bringing down the gently dew, or the fruitful rain of heaven? When the earth is parched and burnt up, can we command the clouds above to descend and saturate the thirsty soil? No. We are not equal to these things; any more than we can bring down the righteousness of Christ when we please. It is God's to give, ours to receive, as the dry ground does the rain. When God pours down from on high abundance of righteousness, what can we do but receive it as a free gift, and be thankful? This is the main point, and much stress should be laid upon it. We all want righteousness alike, being all alike sinners. Christ has infinite and perfect righteousness to give, and when we desire it, we should be sure to seek it in the way wherein God has appointed to bestow it.

Now he always bestows it freely--not upon those who merit it, for then it would not be free--merit and free grace are opposites; but he bestows it upon the unrighteous and ungodly. He bestows it upon them who want it most, and who are sensible they can do the least to attain it. If then you desire righteousness, go as unrighteous and ungodly to the Lord Jesus, and he will clothe with his all-perfect righteousness. He requires no qualification but to acknowledge that you have none. If you are sensible of your wants, that is a prevailing motive enough with him to supply them. To find that you want a righteousness, is the proper way and means to attain it. Hear what your God promises you: "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled"--ye shall be filled with it, because ye hunger and thirst after it, not because ye deserve it, and have merited it by your good works, but because you are made sensible that you cannot deserve or merit it. This is the established method of God's acting--"for he filleth the hungry with good things," but the rich Pharisees he sendeth empty away: he filleth them who hunger and thirst after righteousness with the good things of grace, and with the best things of glory; but he sendeth him, who says, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing--such a proud Pharisee he sendeth empty away.

It is exceedingly difficult to convince men that this is the gospel method of salvation. Their pride will not submit to it--no, not to be saved--by the righteousness of God: they will try, even after they are convinced of the necessity of God's righteousness, to add something of their own to it. Their fond conceit of themselves will not let them see how entirely their nature is corrupted, and how corrupt their best works are. Vicious self-love raises a thousand objections against free justification through Christ's righteousness: but there has been one made by men of corrupt minds in every age, and which they are still making, though God himself has vouchsafed to give it an answer. They object to this scripture doctrine, That it make void the law, and renders and holy life needless. To which calumny God answers in the text. When he sends down a shower of righteousness from above, he says, let the earth open, and receive the heavenly blessing. But to what end? That it may continue as barren and unfruitful as before? No, but that such effects may follow in the spiritual world, as always do in the natural, when reviving showers descend upon the dry thirsty ground. Do not they always make the earth fruitful? So does the righteousness of Christ as I proposed to show under my fourth and last remark, which was to prove what are the constant fruits of it.

"I Jehovah have created it," says God in the text. The righteousness of God is a new creation. And why are we created anew in Christ Jesus? That we may live still to the flesh and its corrupt appetites? No: for then we should be created anew in the devil, and not in Christ Jesus: but we are created anew unto good works. The righteousness of Christ is to deliver us from our sinful nature, and not to encourage us to live in it: for this is the will of God, even our sanctification. He gives us righteousness from heaven, that it may raise us up to heaven: for as it comes from God, it will carry us up to God. It will remain in us as a dead barren principle, but will make us fruitful in good works, even that we may be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God the Father. This is the scripture account of the doctrine, and it is also the doctrine of our church. We read in the first part of the homily upon faith, "That as the light cannot be hid, but will show forth itself at one place or another; so a true faith cannot be kept secret, but when occasion is offered, it will break out, and show itself by good works. And as the living body of a man ever exerciseth such things as belong to a natural and living body, for nourishment and preservation of the same, as it hath need, opportunity and occasion, even so the soul, that hath a lively faith in it, will be doing always some good work, which shall declare that it is living, and will not be unoccupied. Therefore when men hear in the scripture so high commendations of faith, that it maketh us to please God, to live with God, and to be the children of God: If then they fancy, that they be set at liberty from doing all good works, and may live as they list, they trifle with God and deceive themselves. And it is a manifest token, that they be far from having the true and lively faith, and also for from knowing what true faith meaneth."

These are the words of our reformers--they speak of the true justifying faith agreeably to the sense of scripture, describing it to be an active operative grace, producing all the fair and ripe fruits of an holy life--these flow as constantly from it, as light does from the sun. If any man says he hath this faith, and does not make it manifest by these fruits, he deceiveth himself, and the truth is not in him. His faith is dead. It is no better than what the devils have, and unless it please God to open his eyes and to undeceive him, he will soon have his portion amongst them, who believe and tremble.