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THE GOSPEL PULPIT.

A Sermon preached at the Baptist Chapel, Bedworth, on Wednesday evening, March 31, 1847,

BY MR. PHILPOT.

"Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory."-Isaiah xlv., 24, 25.

THE Scripture abounds with testimonies to the essential deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of these testimonies are expressed, as for instance: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." "But, unto the Son, he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." 66 And, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh." There we have the express testimony of the Holy Ghost to the essential divinity, and eternal Godhead, of the Lord Jesus Christ; but there are other testimonies of the Scripture, rather implied than expressed, as, for instance, all those passages that speak of certain acts peculiar to the Godhead ascribe these to the Lord Jesus Christ, such as the act of creation: "For by him June, 1847.]

were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth." "Upholding all things by the word of his power." The Lord told his disciples that to him were committed all things in heaven and earth. Again, passages in the Old Testament which speak of Jehovah, are quoted in the New Testament as referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus our text, in the connection, we find certain things said of the LORD, that is Jehovah, the word being printed in capitals, certain things are said of the LORD, which, in the New Testament, are applied to Jesus Christ. For instance, the 23rd verse, "I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. We find the Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians, quotes this testimony as referring to the Lord Jesus Christ: "Wherefore God, also, hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the

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glory of God the Father." We find the Apostle Paul quoting, also, the same testimony in the epistle to the Romans: "For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." He having said, in the preceding verse, "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." So, again, with respect to the words before us, "In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." We find the Apostle Paul quoting these words in the 1st chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians, referring to Jesus Christ: "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." Thus we have the testimony of the inspired Apostle Paul, that the words before us are applicable to the Lord Jesus Christ, "Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." In considering these verses, I shall, as the Lord shall enable me,

First, Speak of the solemn determination and declaration of Jehovah, that, “In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." Secondly, The result and fruit of this solemn determination and declaration of Jehovah, "Even to him shall men come, saying, Surely in the Lord have I righteousness and strength."

Thirdly, The fate of those that are incensed against Jesus Christ, who are not of the seed of Israel, therefore not justified, and never shall glory in him: "And all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.”

First, The solemn determination and declaration of Jehovah, that, "In the Lord Jehovah, shall all the seed

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of Israel be justified, and shall glory." The Lord, here, has clearly determined who it is, and who it is alone, that shall be justified-who it is, and who it is alone, that shall glory in the Lord, he has not left this matter to chance, nor the will of man, nor of flesh; he has declared by his own lips of unerring truth, that it is the seed of Israel only who shall be justified in the Lord, and shall glory in his name. Who are we to understand by the seed of Israel? Apostle tells us, "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel." It is not professing Israel that come in for the blessing; but those chosen out of professing Israel; the objects of God's electing choice, eternal love, and distinguished favour: these only are justified in the Lord; and these, and these only will be brought in God's time and way to glory in him, and him alone. But how comes it to pass that the seed of Israel are said only to be justified in the Lord? Because they never can be justified by anything in self. How can God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, look on sin? He cannot. What can God accept, in the matter of justification, except that which is pure, spotless, and undefiled? Man being a fallen creature, a depraved monster of iniquity, every thought, every imagination, every word, and every action is tainted throughout with inherent and indwelling sin. How can man with his present nature approach Jehovah, gain access to, or bring before him a righteousness that will satisfy the demand of infinite justice, and be acceptable to a God of spotless holiness and unimpeachable veracity? How can he bring before Jehovah, as the Jehovah of Israel, such a righteousness that God can be well pleased with? Man being such a depraved creature, such a vile wretch, so utterly sunk in filth, carnality and wickedness, that unless God provide a way of justification,

independent of the creature, there could be no justification, therefore no salvation. God cannot save man consistent with his holy law and righteous attributes, without his being righteous; without his having a righteousness with which his holy and pure eyes are well pleased. If God had not been pleased in his infinite mind to have devised such a plan, and in his own time and way executed what he had devised, "That all the seed of Israel should be justified in the Lord," not a seed would have been saved, but the whole human race must have perished in the flames of eternal perdition, under the wrath of him who is a consuming fire: But there is a seed of Israel, an elect remnant, a blessed seed, loved of God, and chosen from all eternity in the Son of his love. He has determined that, in the Lord, all this seed shall be justified, that they shall stand complete in Jesus; that his obedience shall be theirs; that there shall not be found a flaw, a spot, a wrinkle, or speck upon them, because they stand clothed in the spotless obedience of the God-man. The very expression, "In the Lord," requires some explanation; we may gather several things therefrom: First, The seed of Israel is in eternal union with the Lord, the God-man Mediator. If you observe, the text declares, "The seed of Israel is justified in the Lord," not by the Lord, though they are so justified by the Lord, and through the Lord, yet it is in the Lord, leading up our thoughts and fixing our eyes on that eternal union, which existed before all worlds, whereby the church had her standing in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is by virtue of this eternal union; it is through this unalterable standing in him, she finds she stands acquitted and accepted in the beloved, as the word declares, justified in him, his obedience being imputed to her, all that he has, has been sovereignly com

puted and put to her account, just the same way that a wife has possession of what is her husband's, coming into possession of his name and property, taking all that he has; so the church, by eternal union to her covenant head, has all that his loving heart can bestow; all he has is truly hers, as we read, "All things are your's, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's.' But the words, "in the Lord," admit of farther meaning, they imply, also, belief in the Lord. It is by faith in Jesus that we are justified from all things, from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses.

The seed of Israel is not only justified in the Lord, by virtue of eternal union with him, but is justified, also, by faith in his name, by believing him to be the true God and eternal life: by receiving him as the gift of God; having a living faith flowing out towards him, whereby he is embraced in the heart and conscience, revealed, made known, and set up in the soul as the hope of glory: not only so, but the words, "in the Lord," lead our minds and thoughts into communion with him. Thus the soul is not only justified by eternal union, but by faith in his name; that from this faith flows communion with him, the sweet refreshings of his presence, and the flowings in of his eternal love, the sprinkling of his atoning blood, the manifestation, and revelation of his glorious spotless righteousness. In this sense, by virtue of eternal union to him, by virtue of living faith, by virtue of sweet communion flowing out of this into their heart, all the seed of Israel are justified in the Lord. What a complete answer to all law charges; how it sets the sinner free from every accusation that can be brought against him. As Paul says, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died."

As though it were a sufficient answer for all, when this glorious truth is received into the heart, under

the direction of the Spirit of God, the soul enjoys a measure of Christ's sweetness, glory, and power; then it is, and then alone, he has a taste of real happiness, solid enjoyment, and true peace. It is God's eternal purpose, that the seed of Israel shall not only be justified in the Lord, acquitted from all charge, and stand complete in him, but that they should, also, glory in the Lord. In order that the seed of Israel should glory in the Lord, it is absolutely necessary that they should cease to glory in self. By nature, we are all prone to glory in self, few but what love to glory through that cursed principle of selfesteem and self-exaltation. Nothing but the mighty power of God can put down those cursed principles. We are prone to this pride, and it is strengthened and matured in a fallen sinner's heart. It is the work of the Spirit in the sinner's conscience to pour contempt on all the pride of man, to open up the depth of the fall, to bring to light all his hidden corruptions, to unbosom and lay bare all the evils of his heart, to upturn the deep corruptions of his fallen nature before his astonished eyes, that he may learn with true humility of soul, brokenness of heart, and contrition of spirit before God, to loathe and abhor himself in dust and ashes, as a monster of iniquity. If a man has not been taught by the strong hand of God in his soul to abhor, loathe and cry out against himself as one of the vilest wretches that crawls on God's earth, he has never learned to glory in the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord Jesus Christ reveals to his soul a sense of his love, unfolds a sight of his glory before his astonished eyes, and a measure of his love and blood is received into the soul, he is brought to look out of himself, and from all he has, to the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, he says, I never dare rely on any one thing or glory therein, only in thee. This

leads me to the second branch of our subject, to shew in what way the seed of Israel is brought and justified experimentally in the Lord, and to glory in him. It seems to me they are appointed to trust in the Lord: "Even to him shall men come.” Who are these men? Are they not men of the seed of Israel; regenerated men and women; redeemed of the Lord, regenerated by the Holy Ghost, and made alive to God, by his special teaching in the conscience ? These men belong to the seed of Israel, God's own blessed, redeemed, regenerated family. Now the Lord's solemn declaration, and determination is, "To him," that is the Lord Jesus Christ, “shall men come." It does not rest in the will of the creature. It is God's solemn determination, his eternal declaration, that all the seed of Israel shall be justified in the Lord, and shall glory in him. It is, also, God's solemn, unalterable declaration, that "To him shall men come." It does not rest, therefore, in the will of the creature: it hangs wholly and solely on the sovereign determination of God himself. How does he bring it about? By a special work of grace in the heart. How do these men come? Under the teaching, drawing, and leading of the blessed spirit of God in their soul. Where does the blessed Spirit find them? Does he find them willing to come-willing to leave all those things that men, by nature, love, and to which they cleave? No. It must be the special work of God himself in the heart and conscience, to bring about this solemn declaration: "To him shall men come." He brings it about by shewing us plainly, in ourselves, we are lost; until a man feels in himself lost and undone, he will never come to Jesus Christ: for he is the Saviour of the lost. Until we feel lost he is no Saviour to us. When we feel lost, cut up by God's holy law, all our righteousness opened