A. D. 57. Advantages of every one) according to the GospelDoctrine that I have preached. 17. Behold, thou art called a Jew, and refteft in the law, and makest thy boaft of God: 18. And knoweft 17 & 18. Nor can your being Jews, exempt you from the juft Punishment due to your former Wickednefs, and prefent Infidelity, any more than theirs will them. For pray confider, you are indeed Jews, and have the Privilege of a revealed Law of GOD; in this you exalt yourselves as a peculiar People, brought up in the Knowledge of the Divine Will, skilful in the most excellent Points of Religion *, and perfect Judges between Things lawful and forbidden. * bis will, and appro- are being inftructed out 19 & 20. The poor Heathens you call the Blind and the Ignorant, your felves you ftile Doctors and Rabbies. The Profelytes that come over to be instructed in your Religion, you call Babes and Fools, and Infants in Understanding; and your felves Mafters and Teachers of Truth, as having a compleat Scheme of all Divine Duties and Precepts. 21 & 22. Now what a fhameful Thing is it, that ful Thing is it, that you who prefcribe Rules as abfolutely neceffary to others t, fhould openly break Ver. 18. Ta iapiegrla. The Things that are most excellent.- -The Word fignifying either the most fublime Points of Religion, or else the Difference between Things lawful and forbidden. I have expreffed both Senfes. + Ver. 21. See Matth. xxiii. 3, 4. Agreeably to which Paffage, the Apostle feems in thefe Expreffions, to aim particularly at the Scribes and Pharifees. But that the Jewish Nation was now generally guilty of the fame Crimes that the thou fleal? 22. Thou that fayeft, a man fhould not that preacheit a man break and violate them your A. D. 57. fhould not steal, doft felves? That you should steal while you pronounce Punishment due for Stealing; declare Adultery to be unlawful, and yet be felves Adulterers; and pretend to abhor Idolatry, and yet facrilegioufly rob God by a thoufand other Ways? commit adultery, doft thou commit adulte ry? thou that abhorreft idols, doft thou commit facrilege? 23. Thou that makeft thy boaft of the law, through breaking the law difhonoureft thou God? your 23. Can you, do you think, thus openly difcredit your Profeffion, and difhonour GOD the Divine Author of it, and yet boast your felves under the Violations of its plainest Duties, without the most terrible Punishments for it? 24. For the name of God is blafphemed among the Gentiles, through you, as it is written: 24. For I must tell you plainly, The Vices of the Jewish Nation are now fo fcandalous, that you have brought the fame Contempt upon the Mofaical Religion, as was done formerly by David, 2 Sam. xii. 14. and by your Forefathers in Ezek. xxxvi. 20, 23. the worst of Heathens had been, the Reader may fee in 70Sephus of the Jewish Wars, Lib. VI. Chap. xxvii. 26. and Chap. xxxvii. and in Lib. V. Chap. xxxiv. and elsewhere. A. D. 57. nefs of the law, fhall not his uncircumcifion be counted for circumcifion? fils the moral Duties of Religion, to the best of his natural Power, fhall be accepted and proportionably rewarded for his Improvements in true Virtue, as much as if he had been a Member of the Jewish Church. 27. And fhall not uncircumcifion which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter, and circumcifion, doft tranfgrefs the law? 27. And as much as you are apt to infult and exclude fuch an one from all Divine Favours and Privileges of the Church of God, he fhall, by his careful Performance of these natural Duties, be an Argument to aggravate your Punishment, for tranfgreffing the revealed Law of GOD; and his Acceptance of the Religion of CHRIST fhall doubly condemn you that ftand out against your own Meffiah. 28. For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcifion, which is outward in the fleth: 29. But he is a Jew, which is one inward ly, and circumcifion is that of the heart, in the fpirit, and not in the letter, whofe praife is not of men, but of God. 28 & 29. For I tell you again, mere Circumcifion and outward Profeffion, does not make any Man a true Ifraelite and a Son of Abraham. He only is truly fuch, who answers the Design of his Religion, by imitating and following the Faith and Piety of Abraham; and tho' all your Boaftings and Applaufes are spent upon the Name and Form of Religion, it is inward Principles and Purity that God will commend, and eternally reward us for. СНАР. CHAP. III. The CONTENTS. now, The Jew or Jewish Chriftian objects, That if the Gen- tage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcifion? 1.BUTT * UT now, if all, both Gen- 4. D. 57. tiles and Jews, do lie under an equal Neceffity, and are equally capable of the Gospel Pardon and Salvation (as I have proved, (Chap. i. and ii.) the Jews, and you Jewish Converts, will object and fay, What Advantage was it then to us to be ever Jews, or in Covenant with God at all, if at laft the Gentiles are as acceptable in their Piety, and have as great a Privilege in Christ the Meffiah as we have? 2. Much every way: chiefly, because that unto 2. I anfwer, it was a great Privilege to have the written Jews and Jewish Converts. Law The Apoftle's Argu ment is equally applicable to the Prejudices of both, nor is it ealy to fay, to which of them the Discourse of these, and a confiderable Part of the following CHAPTERS, is particularly directed. A. D. 57. unto them were committed the oracles of Law of God, and to be acquainted with thofe Scriptures, which were not only more clear God. and express in Point of Duties, than the bare Laws of Nature, but ferved alfo to inftruct and train you up to the Faith and Religion of Chrift the Meffiah. 3. For what if fome did not believe? fhall their unbelief make 3. And though it is too true, the Jewish Nation has been generally ungrateful under these hapthe faith of God withpy Advantages, and fhow their out effect? Ingratitude now to the laft Degree in rejecting their Saviour; yet God is still pleafed to ftand to his Promife made to Abraham, and the Mercy and Favour of these Privileges is the fame, or rather greater, for being conferred on fo undeserving a People. 4. God forbid: com 5. But if our un- un 4. For whatever the perverfe Behaviour, and bafe Returns of Mankind, may be under the Difpenfations of Divine Mercies or Judgments, God is ftill the fame merciful and wife Governor, and according to that of Pfalm li. 4. appears perfectly fo in all his Dealings with us. 5. But perhaps you may urge me further, (I put it now in the Language of fome contentious * fews) if the Divine Favour and Mercy fhows itself more abun dant * I speak Ver. 5. Κατ' άνθρωπον λέγω. - I speak as a ManThat this Expreflion does not always fignify to speak as a bare natural Heathen would do (as the very learned and reverend Dr. Whitby thinks it does) I take to be clear from the Use of it in this Place, where the Objection propofed is evidently a Jewish one, as the Allufion made ufe of, Chap. vi. 19. is to a Roman Ufage of Slaves. As therefore xa dvarer fignifies Human in general; fo xal' aveamov Aéyev, is to speak ad Hominem, agreeably to the Notions of the Perfons one is arguing withal, and to argue from those Notions. |