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unrighteous, who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

dant and exalted, by giving fuch A. D. 57-
Privileges, and punctually per-
forming his Promises to fo un-
grateful and perverse a Nation as

we, why fhould God punish us for it? Does it not
feem unjust to be fo fevere upon thofe very Crimes that
magnify and illuftrate his Goodness?

6. God forbid: for then how fhall God judge the world?

unjust in punishing,

6. God forbid any Man fhould be thus perverfe, as to draw fo false and dangerous a Conclufion! For if God could be any Way he would be but ill qualify'd to be

the Judge of all the World, because a juft and wife * Gen. well as reward.

Judge muft punish as

7. For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory why yet am I allo judged as a finner? 8. And not rather, as we be flanderously reported, and as fome affirm that we say, Let us do evil, that good may come whofe damnation is juft.

7 & 8. You fay, That when I allow the Favours of God to any People, to be more gloriously set off by their Ingratitude under them, I do as good as infer, Ingratitude cannot justly be punished; that Men may fin on, because the more they fin, the more illuftrious is the Mercy they fin againft. But this is a moft malicious Turn put upon my Words. For tho' Good done againft Evil, and Favours againft Ingratitude, are indeed magnified the one by the other; yet the Luftre fet upon the Good, is not owing to the Nature of the Evil, or the Design of him that commits it, but to the generous Temper of him that does the Good. The Evil is really aggravated, not leffen'd in its Guilt and Punishment upon this Account; and fo they will find it to their Coft, who thus maliciously pervert my Doctrine.

9. What then? are we better than they? No in no wife for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they

are all under fin;

9. To return then to the former Objection. What Difference is there between Jew and Gentile? Why, I fay, there has been all along a confiderable one in refpect of the written Law; but

now

xviii. 25.

A. D. 57. now under the Gospel, as all are found to be Sinners, either against the Laws of Nature, or against that of Mofes, all ftand in equal Neceffity of a Redeemer, are alike capable of his Redemption, and there is no Difference at all left.

10. As it is written, There is none righte.

ous, no not one:

10. For 'tis too notorious, the Jews of this Age do but too well deferve the Defcriptions given by

the Pfalmift, Pfal. xiv. for, excepting fome few particular Perfons, it may be faid of the Generality that there is none that doeth Good, no not one.

that

11. There is none II. There is none that underunderstandeth, ftandeth, (or confidereth) there is none that feeketh after God.

there is none that

feeketh after God.

12. They are all
gone out of the way,
they are together be-
come unprofitable,

there is none that do-
eth good, no not one.

13. Their throat is
an open fepulchre;
with their tongues
they have used deceit,
the poison of afps is
under their lips:

14. Whose mouth

is full of curfing and

bitterness.

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12. They are all gone out of the Way, they are altogether become unprofitable, there is none that doeth Good, no not one.

13. Their Throat is an open Sepulchre (filthy in their Language and Converfation) with their Tongues they have used Deceit, the Poifon of Afps is under their Lips.

14. Whole Mouth is full of Curfing and Bitterness.

15. Their Feet are fwift (to carry them) to fhed Blood.

16. Deftruction and Mifery are in their Ways:

17. And the Way of Peace have they not known.

18. There is no fear of God be

fear of God before fore their Eyes.
their eyes.

19. I

19. Now we know, that what things foever the law faith, it faith to them who are under the law: t that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

19. I know indeed that you 4. D. 57. and your Doctors take thefe Expreffions of the Pfalmift to be meant of the Heathens; but be that as it will, it is certain that whatever Characters and black Defcriptions of Vice and Wickednefs are given in any Part of the Old Teftament, must hold much more black in their Nature, and fatal in their Confequences upon the People that live under the Light and Benefit of thofe Writings, if they be guilty of them; t which is enough to filence you for ever from your Boaftings and Pretences of being in a better State than the Gentiles are now,

20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there fhall no flesh be juftified in his fight: for by the law is the knowledge of fin.

20. You must not therefore expect to be juftified by the Jewih Law, a Law that has laid you under a peremptory and plain Curfe, for your notorious Breaches of its Precepts, and of which you have made no other Advantage, but to prove your felves under perfect Guilt and Condemnation.

21. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifefted, being witneffed by the law and the prophets;

21. And happy is it for you, that God has now proposed to you, and all Mankind, the Offers of Pardon and Salvation under the Gospel; not upon the rigorous Terms of the Obfervance of all the numerous Precepts of that Law, but upon Terms more merciful; the fame that your Writings of the Old Testament † often spoke of and promised;

22. I

Ver. 19. See Dr. Lightfoot, Heb. & Talmud. Exerc. on the foregoing Verses.

+ Ibid. iva av sua gay-So that every Mouth is flopped.

Ver. 21. Witneed by the Law and the Prophets, i. e. the Old Teftament. Thus Abraham, Abel, Enoch, and Job, and all the Patriarchs, were faved by Faith. Thus the Prophets foretold the Just should live by Faith, in all their Predictions of the Times of the MESSIAH. See Ifa. i. 16, 17. Jerem. xxxi. 31. See Heb. xi.

A. D. 57.

22. Even the righ-
teoufnefs of
of God
which is by faith of
Jefus Chrift unto all,
and upon all them

that believe; for there
is no difference:

23. For all have finned, and come fhort of the glory of God; 24. Being juftified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift:

25. Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteouf

22. I mean that of Faith in Chrift the Meffiah, and Obedience to his moral and spiritual Religion, upon which all the World, Jew and Gentile, are to be accepted, by Virtue of what He has done and fuffered for them.

23 & 24. Because as all are in the fame abfolute Want of a Redeemer, by their wilful Tranfgreffions, fo God will apply the free Mercies of his Redemption, to all alike, that will accept and live up to the Conditions of it.

25. And upon this fincere Faith and Obedience, muft all Mankind now apply to him for Pardon and Happiness, as the Jews were wont to do to the MercySeat upon the Day of Expiation. And in this Method of Man's Redemption, hath God display'd, in the most wonderful Manner. his Divine Justice, Wisdom, Truth, and Mercy, as Governor of the World:

nefs for the remillion
of fins that are paft,
through the forbear-
ance of God.

26. To declare, I fay, at this time his righteoufnels: that he might be juft, and the juftifier of him which believeth in Jefus.

26. His Divine Justice and Wifdom in requiring a Satisfaction for the Sins of Men, and at the fame Time his Mercy and Veracity, both in giving the Promise to Abraham, in fulfilling it to fo ungrateful a Nation as the Jews, and in receiving all Mankind to Pardon and eternal Happiness upon fuch gracious and merciful Terms as that of Faith and Obedience to Christ.

27. And

Ver 25, 26. To declare bis Righteousness-Tus SianaloBurns aur, bis Mercy and Compaffion. So Sinai, Matthi i. 19, is a merciful Man.

27. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

27. And if this be now the A. D. 57. general and only Condition offered to us all, what are all your infulting Triumphs over the Gentile World come to? Indeed if your Notions of mere legal Privileges were true, you might value your felves and exclude them; but the Gofpel-Covenant has cut you short of all fuch Pretences.

28. Therefore we conclude, that a man is juftified by faith without the deeds of

the law.

no Share in it.

29. Is be the God of the Jews only? is be not alfo of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles alfo:

30. Seeing it is one God which fhall juftify the circumcifion by faith, and uncirthrough

cumcifion faith.

28. For it is clear from what I have faid, that both they and you are to be pardoned and faved by the Faith of the Gospel, and that your legal Obfervances can have

29 & 30. And is it not now evident, That tho' God was pleafed to permit the Gentile World to remain a long Time in Ignolation of his Will to them; yet rance, without any exprefs Revehe did not intend to leave them for ever deftitute, or shut out of his Church; but always defigned to fhew himself their merciful God and Creator, as well as

yours, by bringing you all, one Day, under the gracious Covenant and Privileges of JESUS CHRIST the Meffiah?

31. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we eftablish the law.

31. Nor can you fay, that this Doctrine makes your Law uselefs, or any Way contradicts it; for it is confirmed by the Defign of the Law, and is agreeable to the Predictions of your own Prophets.

CHAP.

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