The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

And there are three things therein, that serve to convince us hereof.

1. By Christs Exaltation, he is delivered from that suffering estate which our sins brought him into: he is hereby set free from that state of humiliation, which he was in for our sins: vengeance had taken hold of Christ as our surety, the justice of God seized him, he was apprehended as one liable to the Law, and God took vengeance on him, and soured out wrath on him; but now by his Exaltation, he is set at liberty: justice has dismissed him, God has done exacting any more punishment on him, which is a clear evidence that he is wholly discharged of that guilt that was upon him: Christ subjected himself to the wrath of God, and God punished him as much as he pleased, Christ bore the curse, till God laid it was enough, In his resurrection God opened the prison door, and let him out; God sent an Officer to deliver him from his grave, Mat. 28. 2. The angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door. Gods delivering of Christ, evidenceth the satisfaction that he has received by his sufferings: if Christ were not risen, it would be an argument that sins were not satisfied for, 1 Cor. 15.17. If Christ be not risen, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins: but his resurrection shows, that Gods demands are answered; and therefore when Christ was raised from the dead, he is said to be justified: God gave him a legal acquittance ⟨p. 89⟩and discharge from that guilt which he had taken upon him, 1 Tim. 3.16. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, the Apostle Peter expresses it thus: he was quickened in the spirit, 1 Pet: 3.18: so that when he was quickened, he was justified; Christ could never have been delivered out of the hands of Justice, if he had not paid the uttermost farthing. Hence we are said to have a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ,