effectually in Peter to the Apostleship of the circumcision He plainly intimates that the agent whom heere hee understands is the Almighty God for the Verbe whereby hee expresseth the action doth properly imply a divine Agent Hee that wrought effectually in Peter The Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. he who enabled Peter or was effectuall in or by Peter But why it should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the dative case without the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as elsewhere is commonly added to the Verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not worth the enquiry for whether we make Peter the subordinate cause upon whom God was effectuall or the instrumentall cause by whom God was effectuall it comes all to one sense because these are but severall expressions of Gods efficacy in Peters Ministery But that God was the supreame Agent or principall efficient in this efficacy it appeares from the nature of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the sense of the Scripture doth principally signifie that working whose principall Agent is outward and Divine and whose action is inward and potent and this is commonly done when God by his spirit workes upon our spirit by exalting our spirit to that action whereto by naturall strength it could never attaine and by blessing the finall effect beyond that power which by us was applyed to the meanes And this word is also in Scripture opposed meanly to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to cease or rest from working by being actually idle or doing nothing But extreamely it is opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to defeate or disable by rendring a thing so ineffectuall or impotent that it remaines deprived of all inward power to produce any outward act To the Apostleship i. e. to the exercise or Function of the Apostleship and to the efficacy thereof upon others by his exercise of it for to both these Peter of himselfe was unable had he not beene super-enabled by a divine power q. d. As the authority of Peters Apostleship to preach the Gospel unto the Jewes was divine for God had committed that Gospel unto him so Peters efficacy in the execution of his Apostleship was divine also for he did not execute by vertue of his owne abilityes and naturall parts but by the speciall grace of God who by his spirit wrought effectually in him for the execution and successe of his Ministery Now this Divine efficacy whereby God enabled Peter to his Apostleship appeared chiefely three wayes 1. By his Preaching when at one Sermon of his three thousand persons were converted Acts 2.41 2. By his Miracles as his restoring of the Cripple Acts 3.7 his destroying of Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5. his healing of Aeneas and raising of Dorcas Acts 9.34.40 3. By his deliverance when God by his Angel delivered him out of prison from the hand of Herod who meant to slay him Acts 12.6 7. The same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles Was mighty in me i.e. Enabled me for the word in the Originall is the same whereby Gods efficacy was expressed in Peter Toward the Gentiles i. e. To my Apostleship among the Gentiles for the word Gentiles is opposed to the word Circumcision in the former clause of this verse which there supposed for the Jewes q. d. The efficacy of my Apostleship was divine also wrought by the same grace of the same God whose spirit was as powerfull and as effectuall in me as in Peter so that betweene Peters authority and mine betweene his ability and mine and betweene his successe among the Jewes and mine among the Gentiles there is no difference or disparity seeing all are equally divine and all meere graces from the same spirit of God Now this divine efficacy upon Paul to his Apostleship consisted chiefely in his travels to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles even at the Emperors Court in his miracles which hee wrought for the confirming of his Doctrine in his afflictions which hee suffered and in his deliverances from persecution in all which particulars hee was extraordinarily supported by Gods gracious assistance as appeares by his history in the Acts of the Apostles And heere againe Paul makes himselfe equall unto Peter in that both their abilities for the exercise of their Ministery proceeded from the same supernaturall and divine power VERSE 9. Text. And when James Cephas and John who seemed to be pillars perceived the grace that was given unto mee they gave to mee and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship that we should goe unto the Heathen and they unto the Circumcision Sense Cephas i. e. Peter The grace viz. Of the Apostleship Fellowship viz. In the Apostleship Should goe i. e. Should exercise our Ministery in the Greeke the Verbe is silenced Reason Another argument of his equality with the chiefe Apostles together with another ground or cause how it came to bee acknowledged namely that when they perceived the grace of his Apostleship they acknowledged it by giving to him and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship Comment The chiefe Apostles then at Jerusalem and their attribute their acknowledgement of Paul Barnabas and society or equality with them Of giving the right hand AND when James Cephas and John The names of the chiefe Apostles then resident at Jerusalem James i. e. James the yonger or the lesse whom hee mentioned before and gave him the attribute of the Lords brother cap. 1. ver 19. He names him heere in the first place therefore as it seems because he was constantly resident at Jerusalem and President in the Synod there for upon the controversie about Circumcision he gave the sentence Cephas i. e. Peter who was the brother of Andrew and whose proper name was Simon but Cephas which in sense is all one with Peter was his sirname for Cephas is but the Syriack word and Peter the Greek word which in English signifie a Stone so that Cephas Peter and Stone are three severall words in three severall Languages which signifie one and the same thing the name whereof was given unto Simon for a sirname for in Scripture it is often declared that Peter was the sirname of Simon See Act. 10 5.18.3◠and Act. 11.13 And this sirname of Cephas or Peter which is by the Evangelist interpreted a stone was given unto Simon by Christ when Christ first beheld him being presented unto Christ by his brother Andrew John 1.42 But seeing Paul mentioneth Simon by the 〈◊〉 of Peter in severall passages of this Chapter both before and after this verse why doth he heere and heere only call him Cephas The reason may bee because hee mentioneth him heere joyntly with other men whose names were Syriack as well as that of Cephas for that is Pauls manner that when hee speakes of Simon alone by himselfe hee calls him by his sirname of Peter but mentioning him among others hee commonly calls him Cephas See 1. Cor. 1.12 and
of that right which it first created if fayth it selfe bee conserved but fayth cannot conserve it selfe without workes because by workes fayth lives and breaths but without workes is frustrate and dead as the body is without breath Workes therefore being efficient to conserve our faith must consequently needes bee efficient to conserve that right which by the efficiency of our fayth was created unto us for though fayth alone bee efficient to create our right yet faith alone is not sufficient to conserve or declare it without the co-efficiency of workes Wherefore workes are not only a signe of our right to declare it but also a cause to conserve it because they are a cause to conserve our faith which without them would be dead And this jurall sense of the Verb Justified may be further illustrated and confirmed from divers other words which carry a jurall construction and are referred to Justifying which words for better order may be distributed into fowre sorts 1. Words of Circumstance whereof some doe create or constitue a Right or Interest as Grace Gift Goodwill Will and Testament Covenant and Promise all which are jurall words signifying the principall motives and causes of our Justification some doe confirme or assure a Right as Seale and Earnest for the holy Spirit is sayd to be the Seal and Earnest of that Inheritance whereto wee are justified and some other words doe specifie a Right constituted and assured as Liberty Freedome Communion Fellowship Inheritance and Peculiar all which and many more are the results and effects of our Justification 2. Words of Contrariety which are opposite to Justifying as Injurying and Condemning for the two Greeke words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie Injurying and Condemning are both contrary and opposite to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Justifying As therefore he who is Injuried is against Law made to lose some right which he had before and which by Law was due unto him and as he who is Condemned is according to Law made to lose some right which he had before and which by Law hee was to lose for all Condemnation effecteth on the condemned eyther the abolition or the abatement of some right which the party had before eyther in deed or in pretence so contrarily he who is justified is beyond or above Law made to have some right which before hee had not and which by Law was not due unto him And as Condemnation is the Imputation of a present sin to a future punishment so Justification is the Imputation of a present right to a future blessing for although Justifyng and Condemning be opposite and contrary one to another yet they agree in this that both are under one and the same genus which is Imputation Seeing then Injurying and Condemning are jurall words therefore so is Justifying because it is opposite and contrary to them both 3. Words of Affinity or nearenesse which are subordinate to justifying and comprehended under it as Naturalizing Legitimating Manumising Redeeming Pardoning Adopting and such like all which are severall kindes or sorts of justifying which is the genus to them all For Naturalizing is the Justifying of an Alien by imputing or giving the right of a Native to him that was borne in a forraigne Countrey Legitimating is the Justifying of a Bastard by imputing or giving the right of Birth to him that was born misbegotten Manumising or Infranchising is the Justifying of a Villaine or Bondman by imputing or giveing the right of freedome to him that was borne a Slave Redeeming is the Justifying of a Captive by giving the right of Liberty to him who before was a Prisoner to his Enemy Pardoning is the Justifying of an Offender by imputing or giving the right of impunity to him who stands by Law condemned Adopting is the Justifying of a Stranger by imputing or giving the right of a Sonne and Heire to him who was borne in another Family Any one of these acts severally is justifying and all of them concurring joyntly for concur they may upon one and the same person are no more saving that then the justifying is exceeding gracious for when an Alien a Bastard a Bondslave and a Captive and so much worse beside as to bee a Malefactor is made an Heire to some Kingdome such a Justifying in regard it passeth from one extreame to another is extreamely gratious and so gratious is our Justification by Christ as to an observant Reader will afterwards appeare 4. Words of Attribute whereby the justified are in Scripture stiled and called as Sonnes and Heires of God Gal. 4.7 Wherefore thou art no more a Servant but a Sonne and if a Sonne then an Heire of God through Christ Co-heires or joynt-heires with Christ Rom. 8.16.17 The spirit it selfe beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the Children of God and if Children then Heires Heires of God and joynt-heires with Christ Fellow-citizens and Domesticks of God Ephes 2.19 Now therefore yee are no more Strangers and Forraigners but Fellow-citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God The Lords Freemen 1. Cor. 7.22 For hee that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lords Freeman Which last Attribute of Freeman is a generall word including all the former for Citizens Sonnes and Heires are but severall sorts and rankes of Freemen and it is a word so jurall that the state of Liberty or Freedome is the Primitive Originall or Fundamentall Right whereon all other Rights and Priviledges are raised and without which none can subsist for a Bondman during his bondage hath no right at all neither can hee have any till first hee bee infranchised or made free seeing all the right hee hath before is onely a crooked right to accept or refuse freedome for a will to refuse freedome was by the Law of God allowed to a Bondman who otherwise hath no freedom of will Exod. 21.5 If the servant shall plainely say I love my Master my Wife and my Children I will not go out free then his Master shall bring him to the Judges c. And the word Freeman is so intimate genuine proper unto Justified that those 2 words are reciprocall adequate to denote the same person for Freeman is the proper name whereby a person justified is called a person justifyed is the proper essence or differēce which defines a Freeman seeing a Freeman is a person justified or made to have some right for hereby he is absolutely opposed to a bōdman who absolutely is not justified or hath no right at all heereby hee is respectively opposed to an Alien a Forraigner or Stranger who locally is not justified or hath no right in this or that place as none in such a Kingdome such a City or such a Family Hence in the Scripture the word Justified is sometime put for freed as Act. 13.39 and by Christ all that believe are justified i. e. freed from all things from which yee could not
but are made so by the Will and Testament of God And wee are adopted by his Will Ephes 1.5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his Will i. e. of his Will and Testament whereto the like saying followeth afterward in the same Chapter vers 13. And wee are begotten by his Will James 1.18 Of his owne Will begat hee us with the word of truth i. e. by his owne Will and Testament Thus having premised the Meaning of the word Justified that it signifies the conveying of a present right to man that the Matter of that Right is a right of state or permanent condition wherein man resteth that the quality of that state is a spirituall franchise or alliance to become the friend son and heyre of God that the priviledges incident to that alliance are the future Remission of his sins the Resurrection of his body and Life everlasting that the degree of his right to these priviledges is a right of Institution or a present right to the future possession of them that the Maner how man hath this state is factively by a testamentary act of God We come now to the Means whereby man hath this state or to that fact of man whereby the fact of God is effected or to the Title whereby man receives and enters this state for on mans part there is required an Act as the Meanes or Title for his reception of this state and concerning this Means or Title was all the controversie between Paul and the false teachers of Galatia against whom hee layes downe this Negative that It is not by the works of the Law as it followeth in the next words Text. Not by the workes of the Law The wrong title to the former state The particle By argues a Cause or Meanes The Nature of a Title exemplified in Lysias and in Paul and of speciall consideration 3. Maine heads of the Law 3. Judgements Two other heads of the Law It was Gods Testament and his Covenant Workes meane good workes Man worketh and the Law worketh in Condemning and Justifying conservantly but not procreantly neither doe mans works so The Law hath two senses 1. The History or letter of it which was well understood and so the Promises were terrene the Precepts were childish as their Moralities and much more their Ceremonies The workes were servile 2. The mystery or spirit of it which was not fully understood And so the Promises were heavenly the Precepts were virile and manly The works to be Cordial Liberall and Perfect No works justifie Procreantly to the heavenly promises nor to the earthly The wrong or false title of man to his spirituall right of franchise and alliance with God that hee hath not that state by the works of the Law For in any right whatsoever whether it be a Right of state of power of honour or of profit a man must have a speciall regard to his Title especially in a Right of this moment which is divine and concernes everlasting blessednesse The particle By doth imply a Meanes and thereby doth intimate unto man that unlesse on his part some Meanes be used or some Act done for his reception of this spirituall and divine state the testamentary acts of God in predestinating or instituting him thereto may become ineffectuall as ineffectuall they must needs become unto all who despise refuse or reject that state as manifest it is that too many have done both of Jewes and Gentiles for all testamentary acts doe leave unto the party instituted a liberty to accept or refuse the Legacy therein devised to him because a Testament carrieth not the force of a Law to constrayne and much lesse of fate to necessitate but passeth in the forme of grace to offer and tender the good will of the Testator And the Meanes heere understood is the meanes acquisitive or cause procreant whereby a right is first acquired initiated commenced entred and had which meanes or cause is commonly called a Title For a Title is that cause or formality whereby a mans right is declared or proved to be true and just whereby it is assured unto the party that hath it and is defended against any that shall impugne it or lay a clayme to dispossesse the possessor of it For in case another man should make a doubt of my right whatsoever it be or question me whether I have and hold it justly if thereupon I shall alleadge unto him the Meanes acquisitive or cause procreant whereby I first acquired entred and had that my right as that I had it by my Birth in inheriting it or by my Worke in earning it or by my Money in buying it or by my Acceptance in receiving the gift of it then such meanes or cause being justly approoved is my Title whereby I have that right and whereby I defend my having of it Lysias the Colonell and Governour of the Temple at Jerusalem had a right of freedome to the City of Rome and his title to that state was by his money for saith he Act. 22.28 with a great summe obtayned I this freedome And Paul his prisoner had the same right of freedome to the very same City but Pauls right came not to him by the same title for when Lysias made a doubt of Pauls freedome and questioned him about it Paul in the defence of his right alleadged his title that it was by Birth and sayd I was free borne In mans Justification therefore wee are to consider his title whereby he hath his right of spirituall State in his divine franchise and alliance with God whereby procreantly and acquisitively the reception of that state is initiated commenced or begun in him But that his title is not by Birth was proved before in the Maner how man hath this state namely not natively in being borne in it but factively in being made to have it and that fact on Gods part was Gods testamentary act in Predestinating or devising it unto man It remaineth therefore that mans title on mans part must bee by some act of his owne whereof the Apostle determineth heere that it is not by the works of the Law The Law was the whole body of those orders and rules for life which God by the meanes of Moses inacted in the Wildernesse for the people of Israel contayning three maine heads 1. Promises of divers blessings which God freely conferred upon that Nation as his owne peculiar people 2. Precepts of divers duties which the people on their part were to performe in respect of those promises of which precepts some were Moralities contayning duties naturall whereto the light of nature binds towards God and man as the ten Commandements of the Decalogue and others of their nature others were Ceremonies imposing duties positive which had little ground in nature but only in Gods pleasure of these the principall was Circumcision which though it were long before inacted in the time of Abraham yet
calls it Rom. 2.29 and Rom. 7.6 and 2. Cor. 3.6 the spirit of the Law according to the tacit intent true meaning and purpose of the Law-giver for times and things future above and beyond the common construction which the words and clauses of the Law afford This mysticall sense for the spirit of the Law was not understood at least not plainly and fully by the people of Israel to whom the Law was given neither could it be understood of any unlesse God revealed it from Heaven in a way extraordinary as privately was done in some measure unto some speciall persons but publickly it was never revealed untill it was Preached and published by Christ who was the first that did away the vaile of the Law and brought to light that true sense and minde of the Law whereof the former sense which even unto this day 2. Cor. 3.15 is a vaile upon the heart of the Jew was a figure and a shadow in foreshewing some representment of those things which should have a future existence under the new covenant which is little else but the new and true sense of the old For according to this sense of the spirit the Promises of the Law were to be Celestiall and eternall blessings in the Kingdome of Heaven whereof the principall and finall is a divine holinesse like that of the Angels pure and perfect without any spot or staine of sin and the accessories to that blessed state in Heaven are eternall life eternall rest eternall joy and eternall glory in the eternall company of eternall persons The judgements penalties or curses of the Law for the spirit of it were to be infernall and eternall death with all the losses and miseries thereto incident quite contrary to the former blessings The Precepts of the Law for the spirit of it were to be all Moralities for the legall moralities and all the ceremonies excepting onely those which were especiall figures of Christ were to be refined and exalted into the evangelicall moralities of poorenesse of spirit purenesse of heart mourning meekenesse hunger and thirst after righteousnes mercifulnes peaceablenes and gladnes under persecution for none of all these are Counsels or advises left unto mans choyse to be done or not done but all of them are Precepts or commands injoyned by Christ who thereupon assureth heavenly blessednes Mat. 5.3 And unto all these the generall or capitall morality is the new Commandement of Love refined also and exalted above and beyond the legall love yea above and beyond that love which moves and workes by the Law of nature as to love mine enemies to blesse them that curse me to benefit them that hate me to pray for them that despite me and persecute me to lay downe my life for my Brother and therefore much more for my heavenly Father whensoever a just cause shall require it Lastly the workes of the Law for the spirit of it were to be Cordiall wrought inwardly in and upon my heart by Circumcising of my heart by Sacrificing of my heart by Expiating of my heart in cutting killing and cleansing away the lusts motions and affections of sin And the workes were to be Liberall done in the free and noble way of love answerable to that love and kindnes which appeareth in God in condescending to this divine alliance of being my heavenly Father and of promising me an heavenly Inheritance and answerable to that love and duty which is due from me who am made the son of God and his heyre to eternall blessednes And finally the works were to be Perfect so exact and compleat as to performe an universall and perpetuall obedience to every precept not transgressing any one at any time so sinlesse and blamelesse that none of them should need any pardon or forgivenesse so upright and holy in the sight of God as to merit and deserve those divine and heavenly blessings as their proper and due wages The full meaning therefore of the Apostles Negative in this verse is this A man is not justified by any workes whatsoever no not by the spirituall workes of the Law i. e. his Moralities or morall workes by poorenes of spirit meekenes purenes of heart meeknes mercifulnes c. being measured by the spirituall sense of Gods Law are not cordiall liberall and perfect enough to make him a title whereby to acquire and have a true right of divine alliance with God and of the heavenly Inheritance consequent to that state This Negative the Apostle proves in this Chapter by three severall arguments which are not to be here anticipated but shall be specified in their due places in all which he mentions workes with restraint of them to the Law but his arguments hold against works in generall and in his Epistle to the Romans he handles the very same Doctrine of workes in generall without any restraint of them to the Law proving it there by the same arguments alleaged heere yet because there he produceth two arguments which here are omitted I shall therefore mention those two and but onely mention them One is Rom. 3.27 and the same is also alleaged Ephes 2.9 If mans title or cause procreant whereby he acquireth or hath a right of divine alliance and inheritance with God come by his owne workes then all boasting on mans part cannot be excluded for man doth naturally boast of his works particularly of such workes whereby he acquires some great alliance and inheritance especially of such as would make him a divine alliance to be the son and heire of God The other is Rom. 4.4 If mans title c. be by his workes then by the Law of equity heavenly blessednes becomes a debt and is due unto him as his wages which he hath earned by his worke Now these two respects that man should be able either to boast of his blessednes or to earne it are both derogatory to the love grace mercy and kindnes of God for where is Gods grace and his kindnes when either I can boast of my earnings or he is drawne to pay his debt But concerning the literall workes of the Law there may hereupon be inferred these two consequences 1. That the literall workes of the Law are no title whereby a man is justified procreantly or acquisitively to the spirituall promises thereof For if the spirituall workes which are farre more sublime and more pleasing to God make man no title to the spirituall promises as was proved before much lesse can the literall workes doe it which are farre lesse 2. That the literall workes of the Law were no title whereby the Israelites were acquisitively justified to the temporall promises thereof For when God gave them the Land of Canaan to possesse it hee utterly disclaymes their workes and their uprightnes from being any title whereby they acquired their right of possession Deut. 9.5 Not for thy righteousnesse or for the uprightnesse of thy heart doest thou goe to possesse their Land but for the wickednesse of these Nations the
were spoken from Mount Sinai the Israelites could not indure to heare them but entreated that they might heare no more of them See Exod. 20.19 Deut. 18.16 Heb. 12.19 20. And Gods Judgments are his revealed word but these because they come from his wrath and anger are but ill words and farre worse then the former for they are cursed and fearefull words see the Curses of them at large Levit. 26. and Deut. 28. But Gods promise is his revealed word also and this word because it proceeds from his love and kindnes is his good word for so it is called 1 Kings 8.56 There hath not failed one word of all his good promise where for good promise the Hebrew hath good word and Jerem. 29.10 I will visit you and performe my good word unto you i. e. my promise for your returne from captivity If therefore an Assent to the words of Gods precepts and judgements which are hard and ill words be Faith as indeed it is though in effect it prove but a sorrowfull and wofull faith which can justifie no man but may convict all of sin and condemne many to death for it is that faith wherewith the Divels believe and tremble much more an Acceptance of Gods promise which is his good word is faith because Acceptance is more then Assent and more then Consent for it is an act subsequent unto a Consent whereby a Consent is seconded and ratified As plainly appeares in most contracts and particularly in that of Marriage where after the mutuall Consent of the parties to have each other there followes a mutuall Acceptance in taking each other Hence it is manifest that over and besides all other sorts of Faith there are three sorts answerable to the word of Gods Will viz. a promissory a preceptory and a judicatory faith for so let us call them till we finde fitter appellations because the promises precepts and judgements of God are the words of his Will 2. From the Concurrence of faith to a promise The acts about a promise are chiefly three namely the Making the Accepting and the Performing of it unto all which from the first to the last faith must needs concurre in a manner as a Soule wherewith the promise is animated and lives and without which it expires and dyes becomming frustrate and voyd For the Making of a promise is a giving of faith so the best Canonists and Casuists define a promise though we for thy better understanding defined it otherwise And the Performing of a Promise is a keeping of faith which is commonly called Faithfulnes for hence God is called faithfull because when he hath been gracious to give his faith by making a promise he will be faithfull to keep his faith by performing it And therefore the Accepting of a promise which intercedeth between the making and performing is a taking of faith for when the thing given is faith then the thing taken must needs be the same and therefore faith also And if the performance of a promise doth denominate him faithfull who makes it as in all good Writers and in common speech it doth much more doth the Acceptance of the promise denominate him faithfull who takes it because the faith of the taker doth naturally precede the faithfullnesse of the giver as acceptance naturally precedes performance But if Gods Promise have any effect at all and be not frustrated by a refusall that effect in thee must needs bee faith for seeing Gods Promise is a Declaration of his Will to devise unto thee a present right to the future possession of some blessing this Declaration comming from God doth or should worke in thee a ground to hope for that future blessing and a ground of things hoped for is faith as the Apostle notifies it Heb. 11.1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for i. e. a ground for hope is faith And because the blessing is future therefore it is not seene for things future are not seen yet Gods declaration of the futurity thereof doth or should produce in thee an evidence or knowledge of it and an evidence or knowledge of things not seen is faith as the Apostle againe designes it in the former verse 3. From the Examples of Faith In the Old Testament Gen. 15.4.5 God promised unto Abraham a Sonne and Heire of his owne body and a numerous Posterity as the Starres of Heaven i. e. God declared unto Abraham his will to give him a present right to that future blessing and in the verse following Abraham believed in the Lord i. e. Hee accepted of Gods Promise in taking it and this taking was seconded with trusting to it for by his acceptance hee had a good ground to hope for a sonne and an evidence for a sonne not yet seene which ground and evidence is faith or beliefe But the act which caused that ground and evidence was his Acceptance or taking the Promise God by the message of Moses promised unto the Israelites in Egypt a deliverance from their bondage and an entrance into Canaan and Exod. 4.31 the people believed i. e. They accepted of this promise by taking it and their taking caused their trusting to it i. e. Their faith caused their hope of it and to expresse their thankfullnesse for it They bowed their heads and worshipped In the New Testament God by the message of Jesus Christ hath made unto thee most precious promises for hence that Testament is called the Gospel i. e. The good message or word of God as the promise of present freedome or alliance with him to bee his sonne jurally by having a present right of inheritance the promise of present sanctity to regenerate thee with his spirit to bee his Sonne morally by leading a holy life and the promise of future priviledges and blessings to bee his sonne gloriously in the finall state of blessednesse as the future forgivenesse of thy sinnes the future resurrection of thy body and thy future life everlasting for God by Christ hath declared his will to impute unto thee a present right to all these blessings Is now thy will answerable and agreeable to Gods will to correspond and consent to him heerein And further dost thou actually accept of these promises to take God at his word Then thou hast faith and dost believe For although these blessings bee not seene yet by thy accepting the promises of them thou hast a good evidence for them and a good ground for thy hope of them and such evidence and ground is faith and beliefe And though thou dye before thou possesse all these blessings as certainely thou shalt and must either dye or bee changed before thou canst enter the possession of all Yet thou dyest in faith because Heb. 11.13 Thou hast seene them a farre off and wast perswaded of them and hast embraced them for by these reasons the Apostle proves that the Patriarchs dyed in faith though they had not received the promises i. e. Not the possession of the blessings
worship and serve him with divine Honour for unto such honour God exalted him Phil. 2.9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of persons in Heaven and in earth and under the earth i. e. that Christ might have divine worship from all maner of persons whether they be Angels in Heaven or men on earth or the dead under the earth For if the Angels of Heaven have a command to worship him as they have Heb. 1.6 And let all the Angels of God worship him much more is worship due to him from men on earth And lastly thereby he was constituted and ordained to bee the High Priest of Gods Church and the King of Gods Kingdome to set upon the throne of Heaven as the highest person in the world excepting onely the most high God 1 Cor. 15.27 For hee hath put all things under his feet but when hee sayth all things are put under him it is manifest that hee is excepted which did put all things under him Thus Christ was a vested Executor But his Executorship was conditionall For it was charged with the condition of his owne death he must dye before he can enter it and therefore dye that he might performe it Every Testament is a decree of things to be done after death But the New Testament of God had this strange Prerogative that it was of things to be done after the death of the Executor who was to doe the things of it after his owne death A course quite contrary to the Testaments of men wherein the Executor after his owne death is able to doe nothing Although Gods Testament were in force upon the confirmation of it yet the effect of that force for the execution of it must necessarily be suspended untill this condition was accomplished But as the case stood one and the same death of one and the same person was both a Confirmation of that Testament and the condition for the execution of it A condition somewhat difficult and burthensome unto flesh and bloud for it is an hard case that an Executor must dye to compasse his Executorship Yet unto Christ the condition was possible and lay in his power to performe for unto a person who is mortall what is more possible then death And unto Christ it was very feasable for seeing he must dye for the testimony of Gods testament and for the confirmation of it the same death also would serve as the condition for the execution of it And unto Christ this condition was very Necessary for his death was the Meanes by or through which that testament must be executed and without this Meanes it could not be performed And for the Necessity of this Meanes these are two reasons 1. Because without his death he could not receive his owne Inheritance For by meanes of his death he was prepared fitted and perfected to receive that Inheritance which was ordained unto him in the testament whereof he was the Executor as his universall power honour and glory to set upon the throne of Heaven as the perpetuall Priest and King over the people of God Because 1 Cor. 15.50 flesh and bloud cannot inherite the kingdome of God much lesse can it set upon the throne of God That mortall person therefore that will enjoy immortality must first be devested of mortality and the mortality of a person mortall is devested onely by the meanes of death or of a sudden change instead of death as shall be done at the last day Christ at the first was made flesh John 1.14 And the word was made flesh but afterward he was made a spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 The last Adam was made a quickning spirit And Christ at the first was made mortall for he was made a little lower then the Angels but afterward hee was made immortall for hee was crowned with glory and honour above the Angels and the Meanes through which this change was made from his mortality to immortality was by or through the suffering of death Heb. 2.9 But we see Jesus who was made a little lower then the Angels for by or through the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour for the meaning of the Apostle is not that the death of Christ was the merit of his crowning but the meanes to it because betweene the two extreames of his mortality and immortality his death was the interposed Meane through which hee was to passe from one to the other 2. Because without his death hee could not discharge the Legacies given to Believers For through meanes of his death hee was prepared fitted and perfected to performe all the Promises of the New Testament For seeing every Testament is a Decree touching things to bee done after death and the New Testament was touching things to bee done after the death of Christ therefore Christ must needes dye before they can bee done and before hee can doe them that through his death hee might bee qualified and perfected for the doing of them God for the bringing of many sonnes unto glory will constitute Christ the Captaine of their salvation But for this Function hee will make Christ perfect through the suffering of death And this meanes of perfecting was so decent and comely that it became Almighty God to perfect him by this meanes Heb. 2.10 For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sonnes unto glory to make the Captaine of their salvation perfect through sufferings Christ was the sonne of God who learned obedience by the things which hee suffered and through that suffering hee was made perfect to become the authour of salvation to all who obey him Heb. 5.8 Though hee were a sonne yet learned hee obedience by the things which hee suffered and being made perfect hee became the authour of salvation unto all them that obey him Christ is ascended into the highest parts of the Heavens for this end and purpose that hee might execute and fulfill all things that were to bee done according to the last Will and Testament of God But thither hee could not ascend unlesse hee first dyed and descended into the Grave which is the lower part of the earth Ephes 4.9 Now that hee ascended what is it but that hee also descended first into the lower parts of the Earth Hee that descended is the same also that ascended up farre above all Heavens that hee might fill all things or rather fulfill all things for so it is in the Margin and should have beene so in the Text. Because in this place the word fulfill is a testamentary word which signifies the executing and performing of a Testament in distributing and discharging the Gifts and Legacies therein devised to fulfill the minde of the Testator For that heer the word beareth this sense it plainly appears partly by the words preceding ver 8. When hee ascended up on high hee led captivity captive