10. 31. duties of our lawful imployments Heb. 11. 33. and to our carriage under crosses Heb. 11. 24 25. for by the life which Paul lived in the flesh is meaned this natural life Heb. 5. 7. 1 Pet. 4. 2. and his living this spiritual life of Faith was extended even to the things of that life The life which I now live in the flesh is by the Faith of the Son of God Doct. 7. As Jesus Christ did give Himself a Ransom for the Elect See chap. 1. 4. so no worth in us no good which He expecteth from us or need which He stood in of us but only love in Him to us did move Him so to do He loved me and gave Himself for me 8. Though the full perswasion and assurance of Christ's special love unto and His dying for me in particular is not the very essence and being of saving Faith Eph. 1. 13. for saving Faith may be without it Isa. 50. 10. Yet it is a thing which may be had without extraordinary revelation the Spirit of God enabling the Believer to discern in himself those graces 1 Cor. 2. 12. which are set down as marks of His special love and favour in Scripture 1 Joh. 3. 14 18 19 21 24. and bearing witnesse with His Spirit that he is a childe of God Rom. 8. 16. and this assurance should be aimed at in the right method by all 2 Pet. 1. 10. for Paul speaking in the name of other Believers sheweth he had attained it Who loved me and gave Himself for me saith he 9. This full perswasion and assurance in its own nature is so far from making those who have it loose the reigns to wickednesse and security that upon the contrary it serveth as a strong incitement to make them mortifie sin and live that spiritual life of Faith which is here spoken of for it served for this use unto Paul I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself forme Vers. 21. I do not frustrate the grace of God for if rightebusnesse come by the Law then Christ is dead in vain HAving removed the objection the Apostle proceedeth to establish Justification by Faith and not by the Works of the Law by a second argument to this purpose If we be justified by the Law or works done in obedience to the Law Then those two absurdities would follow 1. God's free grace and favour should be rejected despised frustrated and made uselesse for the word signifieth all these and the reason of the consequence lyeth in this That if Justification be by Works Then it cannot be by Grace Rom. 11. 6. 2. Christ's death had been in vain without any necessary cause or reason if the Justification of finners could have been attained by Works or by any other mean Doct. 1. They who have attained unto the perswasion and full assurance of God's favour and love in Christ ought above all others to maintain the glory of His Grace and Mercy in saving of sinners freely not admitting of any thing whether in practice or opinion whether in themselves or so far as is possible in others which may incroach upon it obscure it or weaken the thoughts of the excellency of it in the minds of men for Paul who was perswaded of Christ's love ver 20. doth look upon this as his duty flowing from that assurance I do not frustrate the Grace of God saith he 2. The joyning of Works with Faith in the matter of Justification is a total excluding of God's Free-grace and favour from having any hand in this Work for Grace admitteth of no partner so that if Grace do not all it doth nothing if any thing be added to it that addition maketh Grace to be no Grace Rom. 4. 4. for the Apostle reasoning against those who would have made Works to share with God's Free-grace and favour in Justification sheweth his joyning with them in that opinion would be a total rejecting and making uselesse of God's Grace I do not frustrate the Grace of God 3. That the Apostle doth exclude in this dispute from having any influence in Justification the Works not only of the Ceremonial but also of the Moral Law appeareth from this That he opposeth the Merit of Christ's death to all Merit of our own whether by obedience to the one Law or to the other neither can any reason be given for which our meriting by obedience to the Ceremonial Law maketh Christ to have died in vain which is not applicabl to the Moral Law For if righteousness come by the Law then Christ died in vain 4. That he excludeth also not only the Works of the Moral Law which are performed by the natural and unregenerate man but also those which the Godly do perform by vertue of Faith drawing influence from Christ appeareth from this that the Apostle useth this argument taken from the uselesnesse of Christ's death not against the unconverted Jews who had not received the Gospel and so would easily have granted that Christ was dead in vain but against those who had received the Gospel and so would never have pleaded that any Works done by a natural man but those only which flow from the Grace of Christ could justifie a sinner and yet Paul reasoneth against those If righteousness come by the Law then Christ is dead in vain 5. That he doth exclude also all Works of ours whatsoever from being the meritorious cause of our Justification not only in whole and their alone without the Merit of Christ but also in part and joyntly with His Merit appeareth from the former ground that he is reasoning against professed Christians who doubtlesse did give Christ's Merit and Death some share at least in Justification else the absurdity which is deduced from their Doctrine by Paul should have had no weight with them as being no absurdity in their mind Then Christ is dead in vain 6. If there had been any other way possible in Heaven or Earth by which the Salvation of lost sinners could have been brought about but by the Death of Christ then Christ would not have died our disease was desperate as to any other cure for while he saith If righteousness come by the Law then Christ is dead in vain he affirmeth two things 1. That to suppose Christ hath died in vain or without cause is a great absurdity no wayes to be admitted of 2. If the Justification and Salvation of sinners could have been attained by Works or any other mean then His Death had been in vain and so that it were an absurd thing to suppose he would have died in that case CHAP. III. IN the first part of this Chapter the Apostle having sharply rebuked these Galatians for their defection ver 1. useth five other Arguments to prove that we are justified by Faith and not by Works First They had received the saving Graces of God's Spirit by hearing the Doctrine of Justification by Faith and not by Works ver 2.
from the strength of Nature or the Works of the Unregenerate and not the Works of the Regenerate also which are performed by the Grace of Christ he should have quite mistaken the question and not at all refuted his adversaries It doth therefore of necessity follow that the Apostle reasoneth against Justification by Works done in obedience to the Law in general and that he affirmeth we are justified only by Faith in opposition unto all Works of ours whatsoever which he proveth by two Arguments in this Chapter First because he himself and other Jews who though they enjoyed by birth and education as being born Members of the visible Church many priviledges beyond the Gentiles who were profane sinners and born aliens from God and therefore might have expected to be justified by their good works if so any could be justified that way Yet they knowing perfectly that all their Works done in obedience to the Law could never justifie or make them righteous before God and that only Faith in Christ would make them so righteous even they who had as much reason to boast of their Works as any other had renounced all confidence in their Works and betaken themselves only to Faith in Jesus Christ for Justification and hereby he leaveth unto them to gather what madnesse it were for those Galatians or any other of the Gentiles to rely upon the Works of the Law so as to be justified by them which he further confirmeth as it seemeth from Psal. 143. -2. affirming that no flesh whether Jew or Gentile shall be justified to wit by the Works of the Law which is here supplyed by the Apostle without adding to the sense The like addition of words for explication without wronging the sense is frequently used in the New Testament where Scriptures are cited out of the Old as Mat. 4. 10. compared with Deut. 6. 13. Heb. 10. 5. compared with Psal. 140. 7. Doct. 1. Though every man by nature is a childe of wrath and enemy to God Eph. 2. 3. as Nature speaketh that which is born with us and conveyed unto us from our parents by carnal generation Psal. 51. 5. Yet all those who are born within the visible Church have a right by nature unto Church-priviledges and to enjoy the external means of Grace and Salvation as Nature speaketh that which is born with us not of natural generation but of free-grace which God is pleased to honour His People with and to deny unto others for the Apostle here calleth himself and others come of Abraham who had been from that time upwards the only visible Church Psal. 147. 19 20. Jews by nature wherby he doth not simply design them to be men of such a Nation for that could make nothing to the Apostle's scope in the present argument besides that the Jew is here opposed to sinners of the Gentiles so it must relate some way to their spiritual state neither doth it import that much as if they had inherent holinesse and were altogether sinlesse by nature for this is contradicted by Scripture Rom. 3. 9. So the meaning must be that from their birth and because of God's love to them in making choice of them to be a Church to Himself above all Nations Deut. 7. 6. they were externally at least in covenant with God Deut. 29. 11. whereby they had a right to all Church-priviledges as of being under God's special care and government Isa. 4. 5 6. of enjoying the ordinary means of Salvation as they were capable of them Gen. 17. 12. And as it was with the Jews then so is it with those that are born within the visible Church now they are Christians by birth to wit in the sense presently mentioned for the visible Church under the New Testament and among the Gentiles hath succeeded to those priviledges which were enjoyed by the Church under the Old Rom. 11. 17. So that even young Infants are expresly called holy 1 Cor. 7. 14. to wit with an external and federal holinesse and on this account they have right to Baptism the seal of the Covenant which no Infidel can claim Act. 2. 38 39. We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles 2. The Doctrine of free Justification by Faith in Jesus Christ and not by Works was early opposed by Satan and heretical spirits and no Doctrine so much opposed as it was and that because no Truth is more necessary to be keeped pure than this is it being such a Truth as if it be keeped pure several other Truths are keeped pure also and if it fall many other Truths do also fall with it Therefore is it that Satan did so much labour and yet laboureth to bear it down for the defacing of this Truth was mainly aimed at by the false Apostles among those Galatians as appeareth from the Apostle his setting of himself so much to defend it That we might be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law saith he 3. Concerning the nature of Justification we learn several things First That Justification is not the Lord 's making one who was before unjust to be just by working of habitual and inherent righteousnesse in him as the Papists do take it confounding Justification and Sanctification contrary to Scripture 1 Cor. 6. 11. But it is a judicial action whereby the Lord absolveth the sinner from death and wrath and adjudgeth him to life eternal for the word expressing this grace here is a judicial word taken from Courts of Justice which being attributed to the Judge is opposed to condemn Rom. 8. 33 34. and so signifieth to absolve and give sentence neither doth the Scripture ever make use of this word in any other sense where the justification of a sinner before God is spoken of Knowing that a man is not justified c. and that we might be justified Secondly The ground whereupon and the cause for which sinners are thus justified or absolved from wrath and adjudged to life eternal is not any Works which they do in obedience to the Law of God whether Ceremonial or Moral for Works are excluded while he saith A man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ it is not except by the Faith c. as if Works were only excluded when Faith is not joyned with them as the Papists do read it but the word is well turned here by the adversative particle But as it is frequently in Scripture See chap. 1. 7. Mat. 12. 4. So that Works are simply excluded and Faith established as only having hand in this businesss which is more plainly asserted afterwards That we might be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law by which are meaned both the Works of the Moral and Ceremonial Law as we cleared in the Exposition Thirdly The Works which are excluded from having hand in Justification are not only those which are done before conversion but also
did give clear testimony against that Error and for the contrary Truth It is evident saith Paul for the Just shall live 4. The Doctrine of Justification by Faith and not by Works is no new-fangled opinion the Scriptures even of the Old Testament give testimony to it as the only way of Justification before God which then was for Paul proveth that none are justified by the Law from an Old Testament-Scripture cited out of Hab. 2. -4. The Just shall live by Faith 5. The Scripture cited teacheth first That the way of justifying a sinner or of making him righteous under the Old Testament and under the New is the same and therefore we may safely draw arguments from the one to the other for so doth the Apostle here It is evident for The Just shall live by faith Secondly Faith in God and His Promises especially these wherein Jesus Christ and His Righteousnesse are offered is that which maketh a sinner just and righteous in God's sight for the words may be rendred thus The Just by Faith shall live so that they shew what that is which makes a man just and righteous Thirdly The man who is thus just by Faith is recovered from that state of death wherein every man by nature lyeth Eph. 2. 1. and doth live which life of his doth also flow from faith for both righteousnesse and life are here ascribed to faith The Just shall live by Faith Fourthly This life by Faith which the Believer doth enjoy is such as furnisheth him with comfortable through-bearing in the midst of hardest dispensations without apostasie and fainting in so far as he doth not walk by present sense but taketh up God as reconciled to him in Christ 2 Cor. 4. 18. and looketh upon his present crosse as an evidence of God's fatherly love Heb. 12. 6. and knoweth it will have a blessed event to him in God's way and time Rom. 8. 28. and that his life is hid with God in Christ Col. 3. 3. far above the reach of any trouble for this is the Prophet's scope from whom this place is cited even to shew that the Just shall so live by Faith as to ride out the storm arising from the present trouble which was to overwhelm others See Hab. 2. 4. The Just shall live by Faith Fifthly This life of the Believer which he enjoyeth by Faith though it be begun here in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ Joh. 17. 3. and in freedom from the deserved sentence of death Rom. 8. 1. whereupon followeth a right to eternal life Joh. 3. 3. and in the lively practice of all commanded duties to which the Believer is enabled by drawing life and vertue out of Christ through Faith Philip. 4. 13. Yet this life is not circumscribed with the present time it 's to be perfected afterward in Glory so that the life flowing from Faith is a lasting never-ending ever-continuing and eternal life for the Promise is extended unto all imaginable future duration without any restriction The Just shall live by Faith From Vers. 12. Learn 1. Though the Law and Faith or the Gospel which is the Doctrine of Faith be not contrary each to other both of them being the Truths of God but are mutually subservient one to another in many things the Law making sin known Rom. 3. -20. the Gospel holding forth the remedy of sin Joh. 1. 29. the Law pointing forth our need of Christ Rom. 10. 4. and the Gospel giving us an offer of Christ for life and righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1. 30. The Law again holding forth those duties wherein the man made righteous by Faith ought to walk and to testifie his thankfulnesse Eph. 5. 1 2. and the Gospel or Faith in Jesus Christ offered in the Gospel furnishing him with spirituall strength to walk in these duties which the Law prescribeth 2 Cor. 3. -6. Yet the Law and Faith are mutually inconsistent in the point of Justification so that if Justification be sought by the works of the Law it cannot be had by Faith and if it be had by Faith it cannot be attained by the works of the Law there can be no mixture of Law and Gospel Faith and Works in this matter for in this sense the Apostle affirmeth The Law is not of Faith 2. The Law doth offer life to none upon easier terms than perfect obedience and the constant and universal practice of whatsoever the Law prescribeth for the voice of the Law is The man that doth them to wit those things that the Law enjoyneth shall live in them or attain eternal life by his so doing 3. The way of Justification by Faith doth wholly exclude our doing and works and those of every sort from having influence as causes or conditions either in part or in whole upon our Justification before God for the Apostle proveth the inconsistency of the Law and Faith in the point of Justification from this that the Law suspendeth our right to life upon the condition of doing and works and therefore the way of Justification by Faith must wholly exclude Works else the Apostle should not cogently have proved the thing intended to wit That the Law is inconsistent with Faith from this That he who doth them shall live in them Vers. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through Faith HE addeth a fifth Argument to prove the affirmative part of the main Conclusion to wit That we are justified by Faith and withall sheweth how Faith doth justifie not for any merit or worth in it self but as it receiveth Jesus Christ whereby all the blessings purchased by Him are applied to Believers for the Apostle obviating an objection which he foresaw might arise from ver 10. to wit If the Law do curse all men how then are any freed from the curse sheweth that Jesus Christ hath delivered us from God's wrath or the sentence of the Law 's curse by taking upon Himself the curse due to us while He was obedient to death even the death of the crosse Philip. 2. 8. Which kind of death was pronounced to be accursed as he proveth from Deut. 21. -23. This is contained ver 13. And hence he shewes a double fruit did flow the first to the Gentiles the blessing of Church-priviledges divine Ordinances and of Reconciliation Adoption Grace here and Glory hereafter promised to the Nations in Abraham Gen. 22. 18. being now purchased by Christ and residing in Him as the Head and Fountain did come through Him to the unrighteous Gentiles who before the time of Christ's death were strangers to Christ and to Abraham's blessing purchased by Christ Eph. 2. 12. The second fruit of Christ's death did accresse to the Jews among whom he reckoneth himself joyntly with the Gentiles who
and no more spared than if we our selves who sinned had been in His place for the Text saith He was not only accursed but made a curse in the abstract to shew how greatly he was accursed in death neither was this execration only in respect of man who indeed did judge Him execrable Isa. 53. 3 4. but also in respect of God as appeareth by the testimony alleaged out of Deut. 21. 23. for though the Apostle intending the sense only and not the words omitteth the mentioning of God Yet in the place cited we have it thus He that is hanged is accursed of God 10. The malefactor among the Jews who was adjudged to end his life by hanging on a tree was pronounced by God to be a curse or accursed not as if every one who died that death even notwithstanding of their repentance had been rejected of God and condemned Luke 23. 39 43. but partly because that was a most odious and infamous death in it self as being aflicted only for atrocious and heinous crimes and partly because it was fore-ordained of God that Christ our Surety should end His life by that kind of death in order to our redemption and delivery from the Law 's deserved curse for which cause mainly God was pleased to pronounce that kind of death accursed above any other as appeareth from the Apostle's alleaging this Scripture to clear that Christ was made a curse for us It is written saith he Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree From Vers. 14. Learn 1. So wonderfull is God in working especially in that great work of our Redemption that He bringeth about one contrary by another He giveth life by death and the blessing by the curse and frequently in His way of working our choicest mercies do come through greatest miseries for Christ was made a curse that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles 2. The blessing promised to Abraham and to the Nations in Abraham or rather in Christ Abraham's seed Gen. 22. 18. was not of temporall things only as of Corn and Wine of a fat and rich soile these were only the shell but the kernell of that Promise were blessings of another sort even spiritual such as Grace here and Glory hereafter which appeareth from this that before this blessing could be conveyed to Abrahams believing seed a price of infinite value behoved to be paid for it a price too precious to purchase any temporal blessing by for even Christ was made a curse that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles 3. The spiritual blessing of Grace here and Glory hereafter promised to and in Abraham as it was purchased by Christ at a dear rate so it resideth and is exstant in Him who is as it were the storehouse wherin the blessing is laid up Col. 2. 3. and the dispenser of it unto Abraham's seed Act. 5. 31. in whom Believers are truly blessed Gen. 22. 18. and from whose fulnesse we do all receive and Grace for Grace Joh. 1. 16. for saith the Text That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ or as it is in the Original in Jesus Christ So that this blessing is still in Him as the fountain and dispenser of it 4. Though Jesus Christ was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world Rev. 13. -8. in so far as remission of sins and life eternal were bestowed upon Believers under the Old Testament through the merit of His death even before He actually died Rom. 3. 25. it being sufficient in order to these effects that it was transacted between the Father and the Son that He should die Isa. 53. 10. and that it was certainly known by God that He would die Act. 15. 18. Yet there were some effects of His death and those of great advantage to the Church both of Jews and Gentiles which were keeped in store and in Gods wise dispensation not to be actually bestowed untill the time of His death As first in relation to the Gentiles the real making-over of Abraham's blessing unto them whereby they were made one actual seed unto Abraham with the believing Jews was to follow upon Christ's death God having so provided and not to go before it for Christ was first made a curse by being hanged on a tree before the blessing of Abraham did come upon the Gentiles Secondly in relation to both Jew and Gentile the Covenant-promise made to Abraham and his seed Gen. 17. 7. which before Christ's death was vailed over with many carnal Ceremonies and lay hid under the many reiterated Promises of temporal blessings and an earthly Canaan Gen. 15. 7 c. was after Christs death to be made more clear the vail of Ceremonies and earthly blessings to be removed and the promised blessings of Righteousness and life everlasting to be held forth in their spiritual beauty and lustre for upon Christ's being made a curse he saith We to wit not only the Gentiles but the Jews also of whom Paul was one do receive the promise of the Spirit that is after the manner of speaking used by the Hebrews the spiritual promise in opposition to those external rites and shadows under which it did formerly lurk Doct. 5. Though by the grace of saving Faith a Christian believeth to be true whatever he knoweth to be revealed in the Word Act. 24. -14. and is in some measure especially when Faith is lively affected and doth practise according to what each Truth calleth for yeelding obedience to the Commands Rom. 16. 26. trembling at threatnings Isa. 66. -2. and imbracing the Promises of God for this life Psal. 23. 1. and that which is to come Heb. 11. 13. Yet the principal acts of Faith as it is saving and justifying are the accepting and receiving of the Promise and of Christ's satisfaction to the Father's justice held forth in the Promise for Paul speaking of Faiths part in Justification setteth forth the exercise of it thus That we might receive the promise by Faith 6. Faith doth justifie and make us blessed not for any worth in it self as if the work and merit of Faith were reckoned to us for righteousnesse but because it is the instrument and as it were the hand of the soul whereby we receive the Promise and Christ in the Promise whose satisfaction alone is our only righteousnesse before God Rom 5. -19. for that Paul is to be understood thus all alongs this dispute appeareth from these two Verses wherein he ascribeth our delivery from the curse and partaking of Abraham's blessing to Christ's merit or to His being made a curse for us giving unto Faith only the receeiving and imbracing of that satisfaction as it is offered in the Promise That we might receive the Promise through Faith saith he Vers. 15. Brethren I speak after the manner of men though it be but a mans Covenant yet if it be confirmed no man disanulleth or addeth thereto 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were
only the merit and satisfaction of Jesus Christ the accomplishment whereof was upon the Crosse Joh. 19. 30. for in opposition to the false Apostles their boasting in Circumcision as the meritorious cause of their Salvation See chap. 5. ver 4. doct 1. doth the Apostle here say God forbid that I should glory save in the Crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4. A holy heart which hath experimentally tasted the worth that is in Christ cannot easily think upon Him and especially upon His Satisfaction and Sufferings but it must be enlarged towards Him and have high thoughts of that excellency and worth which is in Him joyned with an earnest desire of a more near union with Him and with an acquiescence in Him as its own if so the heart be already perswaded of interest in Him yea and will sometimes expresse those thoughts of Him to the full when occasion is offered to make any mention of Him for so Paul having occasion to speak of Christ designeth Him so as he expresseth not only those high thoughts which he had of His Excellency and worth while he calleth Him Lord and Jesus and Christ but also the acquiescing of his heart in Him as his own while he saith Our Lord Jesus Christ. 5. The crosse and sufferings of Christ effectually applyed by faith have that much power and vertue in them as to make all things worldly even the very applause and glory of the world contemptible unto and to be actually abhorred by a sincere Believer in so far as the power terror beauty allurements credit pleasure or profit of those things would interpose to mar that high esteem he ought to have of Christ's satisfaction and sufferings or his right use-making of them or his seeking after God's glory as the chief end of all his actions and above all those things for in those respects the world was crucified or as a dead carrion to Paul wherein he could take no pleasure and this by Christ and the vertue of His sufferings and nothing else By whom or by which crosse the world is crucified unto me 6. The more that high esteem of and glorying in Jesus Christ doth grow in the heart of any the more will our accompt of all things worldly being compared with Him and opposed to Him decay And where esteem of those things is upon the growing hand that high accompt which ought to be had of Jesus Christ cannot but be decaying much for with Paul I glory in the crosse of Christ and the world is crucified to me did go together 7. As a man truly godly and renewed by the Spirit of Christ and in so far as he is renewed at least cannot but be unsavoury unto and vilipended by the world and wicked men in the world So this also doth come from the death and sufferings of Christ not indeed as from a working cause for Christ by His death doth work no such malicious disposition in wicked men towards His People but as from an occasion for from those gracious effects flowing from the Spirit of Christ and wrought in those who are renewed wicked men do take occasion to hate abhor and to take no pleasure in them no more than they were the dead carrions of some notorious malefactors put to a shamefull death by the hand of Justice By whom saith he I am crucified unto the world Vers. 15. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature HE giveth a reason why he gloried only in the crosse of Christ and not in those fleshly priviledges or ordinances and why the world was crucified unto and undervalued by him to wit because those things which were matter of gloriation to the false Apostles and by making an outward shew whereof they gained the world's applause one instance whereof he giveth in Circumcision and illustrateth it by its contrary uncircumcision under which may be comprehended the simple want of this ordinance and all other things which the uncircumcised Gentiles boasted of as wealth wisdom strength policy and whatsoever is glorious in the eyes of the world all which things he affirmeth to be of no account or worth in Christ Jesus to wit so as to make a man accepted of Christ or to evidence his acceptation by Him or interest in Him and withall sheweth that the new creature or the renovation of the whole man by God's omnipotent creating power in knowledge Col. 3. 10. righteousnesse and true holinesse Eph. 4. 24. is only that in opposition to those external and worldly things which maketh a man acceptable to God in Christ and especially doth evidence his acceptation by and interest in Christ. Doct. 1. As those things are most applauded unto by men of this world which are most remote from and have least relation unto Jesus Christ and peoples interest in Him So for that reason a godly heart will be more dead unto and lesse taken up with applause from them whether he have it or want it for Paul giveth this for a reason why the world was crucified unto him Even that those things which had most of the world's applause did no wayes evidence a man's interest in Christ as the new creature did as appeareth by the causal particle for For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision 2. Though other things besides the work of Regeneration and saving Grace such as wealth honour wisdom strength are of good use for the affairs of this life Eccles. 9. 15. Yet none of these nor any other thing else if separated from the work of saving grace are of any worth or account to commend us to God or to evidence a saving interest in Jesus Christ and in those saving benefits which are purchased by Him for in this respect he saith In Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision 3. As we are so far dead in sins and trespasses Eph. 2. 1. that no lesse than almighty creating power is requisit for working of a gracious change in us So this gracious change thus wrought doth reach the whole man his soul and all the faculties thereof his body and all the members thereof are renewed and changed 1 Thess. 5. 23. for this gracious change hath the name of a new creature importing it to flow from God's creating power and that it is extended to the whole man 4. This gracious change of the whole man is for singular use and advantage to the man who hath it though not to give him a right to Christ or to justifie him except in so far as the grace of Faith is included in it for Faith alone doth intitle a man to Christ 1 Joh. 5. 12 13. and justifie him Gal. 2. 16. yet to evidence unto his own conscience that he hath that right and is a justified person 1 Joh. 3. 7 14. for with respect to this he saith That in Jesus Christ a new creature doth avail with a little variation of the sense and
promise even such certainty as the giving of a pledge and holding forth of an effectuall and necessary cause do give for performance of the thing promised for Christs resurrection is both a pledge 1 Cor. 15. 20. and cause of our resurrection Rom. 8. 11. which holdeth also in His glorification Doct. 1. The fruits and effects of Gods eternal love and mercy and of Christs merit toward the Elect are not confined within this present life but are in a great part to have their accomplishment after time when the bodies of Believers shall be raised up in glory at the last day and they perfectly glorified with Christ in Heaven for ever for those two fruits of the Fathers love and of Christs merit even the Resurrection and Glorification of Believers are here expressed while it is said and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places 2. Those and those only shall partake of the resurrection of the just which is to life everlasting Job 5. 29 And shall be glorified hereafter whom God doth quicken by converting grace here for those three parts of the delivery of lost sinners are of equal latitude He hath quickened us raised us up and made us sit in heavenly places 3. As it is a thing full of difficulty to be believed that after worms have consumed this flesh of ours it shall be raised up in glory and that we who are heirs of hell and children of wrath shall one day reign with Christ for ever so those are things not only sure in themselves but which the Lord would have converted and quickened Believers assured of that so their comfort under crosses might be more abounding 2 Cor. 4. 14. with 16 17 18. and their courage against death more strong 1 Thess. 4. 18. and that they in all things may live as becometh those who not only shall rise and take possession of glory in their own persons but also are already risen and glorified with and in Christ their Head Col. 3. 1 even by having their conversation in Heaven while they are yet upon earth Philip. 3. 20. for that they might be perswaded of their future resurrection and glorification the Spirit of God doth speak of them as already done viz in the sense given in the exposition He hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places Vers. 7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Christ Jesus THe Apostle thirdly propoundeth the final cause or the end intended by God to be brought about by His gracious working formerly mentioned towards those Ephesians and first Converts among the Jews even that in all ages succeeding the present unto the end of the world God might give an evident proof and infallible demonstration for so much doth the word rendred shew signifie of the exceeding riches of His grace that is how far the abundance of His mercy and favour toward sinners doth exceed all expression and created comprehension the setting forth whereof to the following ages was intended by God not only for His own glory as chap. 1. 12. â—14 but also for the encouragement of all vile sinners unto the worlds end to draw nigh unto God for mercy in Christ as being animated hereto by this example and infallible evidence of the exceeding riches of Gods grace for so doth the Apostle more fully explain his own meaning 1 Tim. 1. 16. And in the close of the verse he sheweth wherein that convincing evidence doth lye by giving a short comprehensive sum of all he hath spoken from the beginning of the Chapter even in God's kindnesse that is all those effects formerly mentioned of His mercy love and free grace flowing from His good gentle and bountifull disposition and this towards them whose misery was formerly described and through Christ as the purchaser and applier of all those Doct. 1. As there is grace yea riches and abundance of grace in God even such as exceed all expression 2 Sam. 7. 20. all comprehension Isa. 55. 9. yea and all the sins of creatures Rom. 5. 20. So the more a man doth dwell upon this sweet subject his thoughts and apprehensions of it will be the more enlarged and his expressions also will in some measure go alongs with his thoughts for the Apostle having before ver 4. expressed it under the name of riches in mercy and falling here upon the same subject again his thoughts of it are more enlarged and his expression doth rise accordingly so that it is now not only riches but exceeding riches of his grace 2. As it is a matter full of difficulty for those who are sensible of their own vileness to believe the exceeding riches of Gods grace towards lost sinners and to believe it especially with application unto themselves Act. 2. 37. So the particular instances and examples of Gods mercy and grace tow 〈…〉 ds others have a peculiar fitnesse and efficacy in them to convince us how exceedingly gracious God is and so to convince us as we may be encouraged to draw nigh to that same fountain of rich grace for pardon and life unto our selves 1 Tim. 1. 16. a fitnesse beyond what is in the simple doctrinal declaration of those riches of grace in so far as those instances and examples do speak not only that mercy and grace may be had but that it hath been attained unto and by those who in all respects did judge themselves and were really as unworthy of it as unable to lay hold upon it in the mean time and to make good use of it afterwards as we do judge our selves so that the yce is broken and the foord ridden before us for the Apostle sheweth that God gave such instances of mercy and grace in those primitive Christians that he might shew forth as it were by demonstration and evidence the exceeding riches of His grace and this in order to the encouragement of others to venture their salvation upon that same grace as we shew in the Exposition 3. The more sinfull miserable and wretched they are to whom the Lord is gracious there is the more convincing proof given of the exceeding riches of His grace and so a greater encouragement for those who are yet in their gracelesse state to roll themselves over upon this His rich grace and to expect good from it for it was the quickening of such vile sinners whose misery is described ver 1 2. 3. which did tend to shew forth the exceeding riches of His grace which the Apostle also hinteth at while shewing wherein that convincing evidence did lye he saith his kindnesse towards us the word us is emphatick as to the purpose in hand 4. It was a thing resolved upon by God revealed to His servants and accordingly made known by them to the Church that the glorious light of the Gospel though opposed by the fury and industry of men and devils yet should never
should in that case be given unto us for the vertue and worth of somewhat which is ours for Paul affirmeth that works even good works which we are created unto in Christ Jesus ver 10. are excluded from having any causall influence upon salvation lest any man should boast implying if works were not excluded man should have ground of boasting See Rom. 3. 27. Vers. 10. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them LEst the Apostle by commending grace and excluding works from being the cause of their salvation should have seemed to justle out works and an holy life as altogether unnecessary Therefore in this verse he sheweth that the study of good works is of absolute necessity required in those who are to be saved because all such whether Jew or Gentile for he speaketh in the first person including himself and the believing Jews are Gods workmanship that is renewed and made over again by Gods createing power through the interveening mediation of Christ Jesus and this of purpose that they may make conscience of good works yea and further God who had predestinated them to heaven had also decreed and prepared good works for them as the way wherein they behoved of necessity to walk in their journey to heaven which as it proveth the undeniable necessity of good works so it also confirmeth that they neither were nor could be saved by works because the power whereby they did good works did follow upon their regeneration and was given them freely by God As also God had prepared good works that they should walk towards heaven in them but not to merit heaven by them Doct. 1. Believers are Gods workmanship not only by naturall creation but supernaturall renovation they are not only once made but made over again not by having the substance of their soul and naturall powers thereof destroyed and new ones substantially different from those substituted in their place but by having the vitious qualities which were in those subdued and weakened and contrary graces and vertues implanted in their stead Eph. 4. 22 23 24. for saith Paul we are His workmanship the word signifieth a thing of His making whereby he meaneth not Gods first making of them as men but His making of them over again as renewed men which appeareth from what followeth His creating them in Christ and unto good works 2. As the making of sinners over again and new creatures is only Gods work So the power whereby He so maketh us is no lesse than creating power much like unto that power whereby in the beginning He made some things of nothing and some things of pre-existing matter but such as was wholly unfit and indisposed for those things to be made of it Gen. 2. 7. 22. considering that in this great and mighty work of God He maketh those who were wholly indisposed to good and averse from it Psal. 81. 11. yea perverse resisters of all motions towards that which is godly and holy Job 21. 14. to be true lovers of it and walkers in its for this much is implyed while he saith we are His workmanship created c. 3. Christ behoved to strike in as Mediator betwixt God and us before we could be made this new workmanship the life which we have by this new creation being purchased by His death 1 Joh. 4. 9. and applied unto us by His power after He is now arisen from death Act. 5. 31. The furniture whereupon the actions of this life are performed coming also from Him Joh 15. -5. for saith he we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus 4. Believers are made new creatures not to live idlely or to work wickedly but that they may in the whole course of their life make conscience of good works which are not only works of charity or duties of immediate worship but every duty whether of worship Act. 10. -2. or of our callings Act. 9. 36. 39. whether to God or man or to our selves Tit. 2. 12. which is warranted in the Word as lawfull or commanded as necessary Mic. 6. 8. gone about by a man regenerate and in Christ Mat. 7. 17 18. by vertue of influence from the Spirit of Christ Phil. 2. 13. for Gods glory as the main end of the worker 1 Cor. 10. 31. and with due respect had to all necessary circumstances Psal. 1 -3 every duty of that kind so gone about is a good work which Paul saith they were created unto in Christ Jesus even unto good works 5. Though many actions of unregenerate men are materially good and very usefull both for themselves and others Rom. 2. 14. yet no unregenerate man can do any work which is spiritually good and acceptable to God even their good works are but shining sins as being destitute of a great part of these necessary requisites unto a good work mentioned in the former Doctrine for Paul sheweth that a man must be a new creature and Gods workmanship before he can do a good work for we are saith he Gods workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works 6. Though good works be not necessary to merit or purchase salvation yet are they necessary unto those who are justified and saved in severall respects not only as they are the necessary fruit and end of regeneration and as they are the way which leadeth to heaven their necessity in both which respects is grounded upon the present Scripture but they are necessary also as evidences of our right to salvation 1 Joh. 3. 14. as a guard to preserve peace with our own consciences 2 Cor. 1. 12. as evidences of our thankfulnesse to God and Christ who hath freely saved us 1 Pet. 2. 9. and for the edification of others Matth. 5. 16. for the Apostle's scope is to prove that as we are not saved by works so that good works are necessary in other respects We are created unto good works which He hath fore-ordained that we should walk in them 7. Christians are like unto those who walk in a journey from one place unto another through a streight and beaten way which lyeth betwixt in so far as they advance from sin Ezek. 18. 31. to heaven Phil. 3. 14. in the way of holinesse and good works for the word rendered to walk whereby he expresseth what should be the daily exercise of a renewed man is a metaphore taken from those who travell in a journey and he maketh the way wherein they walk to be good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them 8. The Lord hath prepared and made ready good works as a beaten path wherein His renewed people may walk without any discourageing or perplexing difficulty in so far as He not only hath ordained in His eternall and unchangeable decree that they shall make conscience of good works which seemeth to be mainly meaned by His fore-ordaining of good works here spoken of but He doth also hold forth
other things Gen. 4. 21 22. yet in those things they were altogether vain and wilde Rom. 1. 21. And secondly that they were estranged from and wholly destitute of the life of God or that spirituall life begun in regeneration Joh. 3. 3. and consisting in the saving knowledge of God and the severall pieces of Gods image Col. 3. 10. called the life of God because not only God is the author of it as He is of our naturall life but also it floweth both in its being and operation from the gracious presence of God dwelling in us by His Spirit Gal. 2. 20. And thirdly he sheweth that the cause of those former two was their ignorance of God and of those things belonging to the worship of God and their own salvation to wit both simple ignorance or want of the knowledge of those things which ignorance is in all by nature and ignorance affected and delighted in whereby the things of God are judged foolishnesse 1 Cor. 2. 14. from which ignorance of theirs did flow a further degree of darknesse in the understanding and of alienation from the life of God than what was naturall unto them And fourthly that this their ignorance with both the forementioned effects did flow from their blindnesse or rather as the Originall doth read hardnesse of heart whereby their heart or that part of the soul which chooseth and refuseth good or evil did obstinately and against all means used to the contrary refuse the light of God which was proffered unto them and were wholly inflexible to good being obdured and hardened not only naturally from their birth Psal. 51. 5. but also voluntarily by themselves Exod. 8. 15. and judicially by God Exod. 9. 12. Doct. 1. That the vileness of sin may be sufficiently seen and so as we may abhor and detest it it is not sufficient to take a general view of it and in the bulk except we also dive into the particular branches pieces and degrees of it and by ripping up the womb of that abominable monster look upon the vile intrals of it that so we may be made to detest and hate it with a perfect hatred for therefore Paul being to deterre these Ephesians from walking as the Gentiles doth not only give a brief sum of their wickednesse in the bulk ver 17. but also here and ver 19. doth more distinctly lay open the several branches and degrees of it Having the understanding darkned c. 2. Man considered in his natural state is so vile and loathsom by reason of sin that being rightly anatomized and deciphered there is nothing to be seen in him but what may make himself and others to abhor him there being no part of him neither in soul nor body free from those wounds bruises and putrifying sores which sin hath brought upon him as appeareth by this discovery which in these two verses the Spirit of God by Paul maketh of him his understanding is darkned his heart hardned his conscience past feeling c. for he speaketh this of all the Gentiles who were not yet converted and consequently of all men in their unrenewed state and though all such have not arrived at the utmost height of that wickednesse which some of those expressions hold forth yet that vain mind spoken of ver 17 which is the root of all the rest is in every unrenewed man 1 Cor. 2. 14. and every such man is posting towards all that wickednesse here expressed yea and would arrive at the utmost height of all if restraining grace did not hinder him Gen. 20. 6. and therefore in Gods sight he may be justly charged with all having the understanding darkned c. 3. As every man by nature is wholly unskilfull to discern the things of God or to improve those lurking principles of the knowledge of a Godhead and of right and wrong remaining after the fall Rom. 1. 20. by drawing solid conclusions from them for rules to direct him in the matter of worship and walking in the way to salvation So this unskilfulnesse and darknesse of his doth daily increase and the longer he liveth and exerciseth himself in finding out what is right and acceptable to God in those things by the direction and guidance of his natural light only he is the further from the mark for he speaketh of a further darkening of their understanding than what was naturall to them even that which did flow from ignorance and hardnesse of heart as is clear from the construction of the words Having their understanding darkened through the ignorance that is in them 4. As all men did once in their common root and first father Adam partake of the life of God consisting in Gods image Eccles. 7. 29. and are now by Adams fall from their very conception and birth deprived of it Rom. 5. 12 13 14. So the longer they live in their unrenewed state they are the more estranged from it while every sin they commit doth make them in a further degree uncapable of it for he speaketh of a further degree of alienation from the life of God than what was naturall to them even that which was afterward contracted by their ignorance and hardnesse of heart Being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them 5. Hardnesse of heart is a wofull evil and the root and fountain of severall other evils in so far as when a man doth obstinatley refuse light and walketh contrary to light and so hardeneth his heart to do mischief he thereby provoketh the Lord to give him over to ignorance and to lose the small measure of knowledge which he formerly had Rom. 1. 28. And thus hardnesse is the cause of ignorance and being thus both hardned in heart and blinded in mind he is further removed and estranged from the life of God which consisteth in the saving knowledge of God in Christ Joh. 17. 3. and his understanding and reason rendered more dark and unskilfull to find out what is truth or errour right or wrong the common principles which were left in him after the fall concerning those things being now through a continued custome of obstinacie in sin almost wholly obliterated and blotted out for if we look exactly to the construction of the words we will find that the blindnesse or hardnesse of their hearts is mentioned as the cause of that ignorance which was in them and both hardnesse and ignorance as the cause of their alienation from the life of God and the darkning of their understandings Vers. 19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness HE doth here set forth some other and those higher branches and degrees of their impiety profanity and godlesse conversation which did follow upon and flow from the former As 1. They had lost all remorse of conscience fear of Gods judgement and so did sin without inward check or challenge And secondly which followed upon the former they gave themselves with