which I will bring upon thee and thy people And by overwhelming thee at the length in the Red Sea Because thou wilt not let my people Israel go as I would have thee And that my Name may be declared i. e. And that I may be spoken of all abroad to the praise and glory of my power which power I intend to show upon thee for thy refractoriness to my Commands My Name that is I Metonymia Adjuncti No doubt but that God might have justly dealt with others after the manner and as severely as he did with Pharaoh and have destroyed them with as great a destruction with whom yet he did not so deal though they had deserved it at Gods hands as well as Pharaoh had Ver. 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth i. e. Therefore hath he justly without any the least unrighteousness at all mercy on those on whom he will have mercy And again on whom He will not have that mercy He justly doth deny it to them and without the least unrighteousness hardneth them These words justly or without unrighteousness are here to be understood That the Conclusion may come up to answer the Objection made or couched in the fourteenth verse And this Conclusion thus understood is no more than the premisses will bear For Nature it self will tell you that what God doth he doth justly And you cannot conceive God but you must conceive him to be just For he that is unjust cannot be God Therefore he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy This Conclusion is drawn from that which was said in the fifteenth verse and is to be applied to the Remission of sins or justification which God freely bestows on such as are the Children of Promise because he will bestow it on them q. d. Therefore he hath mercy justly on whom he will have mercy And if he hath mercy justly on whom he will have mercy He may have mercy on the Children of Promise and justifie them without any injustice or unrighteousness in himself at all for so doing Whom he will he hardneth This Conclusion is drawn from what is said in the seventeenth verse And is to be applied to the Children of the flesh mentioned ver 8. to whom God denieth remission of sins Notwithstanding that that they are the children of Abraham according to the flesh and notwithstanding that that they seek justification by works and whose heart he hardneth even because he will not pardon them for their sins and because he will harden them Whom God will He justly hardneth And if he justly hardneth whom he will he may deny remission of sins to the Children of Israel according to the flesh and harden them if he will or because he will yea though they seek justification by works without any injustice or unrighteousness in himself at all for doing so He hardeneth This is opposed to the mercy which he speaks of in the former part of the verse which mercy consisted in Remission of sins and Justification And therefore is it opposed to that Because where God doth not remit the sins of unbelievers and justifie them I speak especially in the case of positive unbelief as I may so call it that is where men have the Gospel or word of God preached to them and they will not believe it but put it from them which is that which the Apostle chiefly speaks of and against in this Epistle He doth not only not remit their sins but doth also harden their hearts for a kind of punishment of their Vnbelief See for this Matth. 13. verse 11 12 13 14 15. But note that though God hardneth the heart of unbelievers he doth it not by any positive operation upon their souls or hearts so as to be the Authour of sin thereby but by Privative and Permissive ways As by withholding his Grace or with holding the means by which the soul might be mollified and by permitting Satan to nourish and foster that hardness which Satan may do many ways and by suggesting divers Arguments to them and by stirring up evil lusts and affections in them c. He doth it sometimes also in that he punisheth not offenders according to their offâ—nces so soon as they offend but patiently bears with them a while Ver. 19. Thou wilt say then unto me why doth he yet find fault The Apostle makes an Objection here in the person of an unbelieving Jew by occasion of that which he said v. 18 viz. whom he will he hardneth For as though the Apostle had said that God doth positively harden whom he will which yet he doth not say an unbelieving Jew might say If God hardneth whom he will why doth he yet find fault with us for our hardness of heart For it is you say his will and his work to harden us and that we are hardned still it is from him why doth he then find fault God doth every where complain of the Jews for their blindness and hardness of heart as Isaiah 48.4 8. Ezek. 3.7 Ezek. 2.4 Isaiah 29. ver 9 11 12. Psal 95.8 Acts 28. ver 25 26 c. For who hath resisted his will q. d. For if he will harden us who can help it For who is able to resist his will or to hinder him in what he will have done Ver. 20. Nay but O man who art thou that repliest against God q. d. Nay but O man why answerest thou again or why disputest thou thus against God This Particle Nay doth enliven or quicken the whole speech and reprehends the Objector The Apostle might have taken away this Objection by saying that God doth not positively harden any man but only Privatively by not punishing him so soon as he offends according to his desert but patiently suffering his sins by withholding his Grace or withholding those means which he is not bound to give and that he doth not this neither until man hath deserved it c. And so have stopped the Objectors mouth But he had rather instead of giving a direct answer take up the Objector for his sawciness in that he will be so sawcy as to chop Logick with his God whereas when we know that God hath done any thing though we know not his particular reasons and the manner of his working we should with David become dumb and open not our mouths because it is his doing Psal 39.9 knowing that God is not unjust in any of his works Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus q. d. If a Potter should make a pot of an ugly fashion for abase use if this pot had sense and reason and were able to speak would it be seemly for this pot to say to the Potter why hast thou formed me after this manner and why hast thou made me for this use As this would not become a Pot if it could speak thus to dispute and argue with the Potter No more doth
rise up in judgement against those Jews which our Saviour there reprehends and condemn them Mat. 12.41 Or the uncircumcised if he fulfill the Law may be said to judge the Jew which breaks the Law because he shall move God to condemn him for he shall give just occasion to God the judge of all to condemn him being that he kept the Law though he had it not written but the Jew though he had it written broke it Who by the Letter and circumcision i. e. Who having received that is who though thou hast received both the written Law and circumcision Note that By is taken here for With 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as chap 4.11 So that this is as if he should say Who with the Letter and circumcision that is Who having the Letter and circumcision or who though thou hast both the Letter and circumcision c. By the Letter is meant the Law written in Letters Ver. 28. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly c. The Apostle prevents an Objection here For whereas he shewed from ver 17. to ver 24 That a Jew which had the knowledge of the Law being that he sinned his sin was greater than his who was not a Jew and had not the knowledge of the Law And whereas he told the Jew ver 25. That if he kept not the Law but was a breaker of the Law his circumcision which he so much trusted in was made uncircumcision And again ver 26 27. That the uncircumcised Gentile if he keep the Righteousness of the Law his uncircumcision should be counted for circumcision yea He should judge the Jew who having both circumcision and the Law did transgress the Law A Jew might object saying But how can this be Paul that the case of a Jew can be so bad as thou makest it though he doth sin Or how can it be that his circumcision should become uncircumcision if he keep not the Law And how should the uncircumcision of the Gentiles if they keep the Righteousness of the Law be counted for circumcision And how should an uncircumcised Gentile which fulfilleth the Law judge a Jew which hath the Law and circumcision if he transgresseth the Law For knowest not thou that a Jew is in high respect and favour with God as being a Child of Abraham the friend of God and that circumcision is highly respected and favoured of God as being given to Abraham as a sign of his favour and a Seal of the covenant which he made with him and with his seed whose seed the Jews are This objection I say the Apostle prevents by granting that which a carnal Jew might object concerning a Jew and concerning circumcision but distinguishing between a Jew and a Jew and between circumcision and circumcision q. d. For though I grant you that a Jew is in high favour with God and that circumcision is highly respected of him yet He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the Heart c. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly q. d. For though a Jew be highly favoured of God and circumcision be highly respected by him yet he which is a Jew outwardly only Supple he is not the Jew which God so highly favoureth Ellipsis The Jew did therefore think himself highly favoured by God and so free from judgement because he was of the Seed of Abraham for every Jew is a Son of Abraham according to the flesh but see what was said ver 17. concerning the Jew He is said to be a Jew outwardly who is a Son of Abraham onely according to the flesh and appears to be so by his Genealogie and by enjoying the outward Priviledges of such as were children of Abraham carnally Neither is that circumcision which is outward in the Flesh i e. Neither is that circumcision which is outward to wit in the Flesh Supple that circumcision which God so highly respecteth Ellipsis Ver. 29. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly q. d. But he is the Jew which God so highly favours and which shall escape the wrath and judgement of God which is a Jew inwardly By a Jew as I intimated is understood a Child of Abraham and he is a Child of Abraham inwardly who is like unto Abraham in the inward gifts and graces of the Soul as in Faith and the like For they which are of faith the same are the Children of Abraham Galat. 3.7 And if yee were Abrahams children yee would do the works of Abraham saith our Saviour John 8.39 And they which are so the Children of Abraham or thus Jews they shall find respect and favour with God and shall escape the wrath and judgement of God For they have peace with God and rejoyce in the hope of his Glory Rom. chap. 5. ver 1 2. And circumcision is that of the Heart i. e And the circumcision which findeth respect and favour with God and so profiteth to escaping the wrath and judgement of God is that circumcision which is of the heart Ellipsis That of the heart i. e. That whereby the Heart is circumcised from sins and dead works as from unbelief and the like and that only c. The circumcision of the heart is that whereby infidelity and all superfluity of naughtiness is as it were cut off from the heart and cast away And this was signified as a duty to be done by the outward circumcision of the foreskin of the yard or flesh See Deut. 10. ver 16. and Acts 7. ver 51. In the Spirit not in the Letter That is that which is delivered and commended in the Gospel not that which is commanded and expressed in the Law Thus Some-Where note that the Spirit is taken sometimes for the Gospel and the Letter for the Law as 2 Cor. 3.6 But others had rather take the Spirit here for that principal part of man to wit the Soul which is a Spirit and the Letter for that part of the Body in which circumcision was to be made by the Praescript of the Letter that is by the Praescript of the Law by a Metonymie which Prescript appointed the Praeputium or foreskin to be circumcised Gen. 17.11 Levit. 12.3 So that the sence of this place is this q. d. Which circumcision is in the Soul not in the Body or any part thereof Whose praise is not of Men but of God i. e. Which Circumcision is prais-worthy yet God only can give it its due praise and not Man God only can give this Circumcision its due praise because being it is in the Heart or Soul God only can see whether it be true or no for he only is the searcher of the Reins and Heart Revel 2.23 Heb. 4.13 And therefore he can only see whether it be worthy of praise or not By what the Apostle speaks here in these
Faith should think that he might continue in sin that the grace of God might the more abound and so the mercy of God might be the more glorified As some had objected to the Christians that they did and held though falsly to whom he had answered before Chap. 3. ver 6 7 8. In the sixth Chapter he sheweth how inconsistant it is with him who is justified by faith and had his former sins pardoned by Grace to live in sin and useth many arguments to stir him up to live an holy life But least that any faint-hearted Christian in general or Jew in particular for of him by the answer which he gives in this sixth Chapter and which he prosecutes in the seventh he seems especially to speak should say Yea but for my part I cannot follow Righteousness as you would have us nor can I be but a slave to sin having been so great a follower of unrighteousness and sin having had such dmoinion over me The Apostle tells him Chap. 6. verse 14. that Sin should not have dominion over him as it had had for he was not now under the Law but under the Gospel which afforded him these means to free himself from sin which the Law could not afford him CHAP. VII And this his answer he prosecutes Chap. 7. and shews the Jew that the Jews were freed from the Law which was the strength of Sin 1 Cor. 15 56. and were brought under the Gospel that they might serve God by a new kind of Life which the Gospel worketh in us and that they might not follow that old kind of life which they led while they were under the Law through the Motions of sin which were by the Law But now because some might say that there could be no motions of Sin by the Law and others might say that the Law would be the cause of Sin if there were any motions of Sin by it He sheweth verse the seventh and so forward to the end of the Chapter both that the Law was the occasion of sin to those which were under it and that it was not for all that the true and genuine cause thereof wherefore at the seventh verse the better to shew these things which he speaks of and the condition of the Jews which lived before the Law was given by Moses and the condition of the same people when they were under the Law after it was given He puts one in his own person the person of the Jews both as they lived before the Law and under the Law CHAP. VIII Now after the Apostle hath finished these things he comes again in the eighth Chapter to shew the happiness of them who are justified by faith or who are in Christ Jesus for those are all one whom he also describeth by that That they walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit in relation to what he had taught in the whole sixth Chapter concerning the Life of a man which is justified by Faith or which is in Christ Jesus that it ought to be such as is Holy and free from all Vnrighteousnesse And to this holinesse of life doth he use here divers new Arguments to excite them from the first to the seventeenth verse of this Chapter at which verse shewing that we must not onely do the works of Righteousnesse but also suffer if need be for Righteousness sake He doth in the ensuing part of the Chapter use divers arguments to move them to suffer afflictions patiently and endeth this Chapter with the narration of the happinesse of those which he spake of from the fifth Chapter hitherto that is of those which are justified by Faith or which is the same of those which are in Christ Jesus CHAP. IX Now in the ninth Chapter reflecting upon what he said before that a man is justified by Faith and not by the workes of the Law and reflecting upon the happinesse of those which are justified by Faith and considering withall that the Jewes for the most part were such as he spake of Chap. 2. Verse 8. That is such as were contentious against the Gospel and obeyed not or believed not that Word of Truth but obeyed Vnrighteousness against whom indignation and wrath is revealed He manifests the great heaviness and continual sorrow which he had in his heart For those Jews which were his Kinsmen according to the flesh and to whom among many other priviledges the promises of God did belong to think that they resisting that way which God had appointed for obtaining Righteousness or Justification should invent another way of their own and go about to establish that their own way and submit not or yield not to follow that way of Righteousness which God had prescribed And this heaviness and continual sorrow of his heart for them he doth shew that they considering and contemplating his sorrow for them might pity their own selves and embrace the truth that they might be saved at the last But though he manifesteth here the great heaviness and continuall sorrow which he had in heart for those his Kinsmen to wit the Jewes yet he doth not here express the cause of this his sorrow being interrupted with an objection which might arise from what he had said and to which he would answer but deferreth it to the next Chapter and there resumeth and perfecteth what he here broke off though in other terms The Objection which might arise from what he had sad is this He said that among other Priviledges which belonged to the Jewes which were the people of Israel according to the flesh this was one That the promises of God were theirs upon which a Jew might thus object and say That if we Jewes who are the Childrn of Israel according to the flesh were not justified but were under Wrath and Indignation as thou Paul sayest Then would the promises of God be void and of none effect which is to make God false in his word For God promised by his servant Jeremy and many other his servants the Prophets that he would make a new covenant with them and justifie them Jer. 31. ver 31 32 33 34. To this objection Saint Paul answers here verses 6 7 8 9. to this effect True it is that God made a promise to the Israelites that he would justifie them but whereas there are to sorts of Israelites one which are Israelites according to the Flesh which descended from Jacob and Abraham by carnall propagation The other which were Israelites and the Children of Abraham according to the Spirit because they did imitate and follow Abraham in this Faith for they which are of Faith they are the Children of Abraham Gal. 3.7 That promise of Justification doth belong absolutely and immediately not to those which are the Children of Jacob or the Children of Abraham according to the Flesh as Such but to those which believe as Such and so are the Children of Jacob and of Abraham according to the Spirit whether they be Jewes or whether
they be Gentiles Now because the same or another Jew might reply upon this and say Yea but for all thy saying Paul though I should grant that that promise doth not belong to us Jewes as we are the Children of Jacob or of Abraham according to the Flesh as Such yet surely it doth appertain to us as we seek justification by the works of the Law and we are or shall be justified by so doing To this objection the Apostle answers verse 10 11 12 13. to this effect No neither shall ye be justified for this neither which may be proved by that which God said unto Rebecca while she had two Twins Esau and Jacob the heads of two People in her womb For at that time when the Children were not yet born before they had done either good or evil he said unto her The Elder shall serve the Younger and this God said to her at that time to signifie in a type that his purpose concerning his actual Electing men to Justification which Election is performed in time by justifying them was and should be to elect or justifie them not for their workes sake for which no man can be justified and if he could he might claim justification of debt but for his own Mercy and Grace sake who calleth us by the preaching of his Gospel that we may believe and believing may be justified and hath appointed that to be our way for Justification But because a Jew would be apt to say that if it were so as St. Paul had said Viz. That God would not justifie a Jew though he were a Jew by birth and though he did moreover seek justification by works if he believed not and yet would justifie every one which believeth though he were a Gentile Then there would be unrighteousness with God Saint Paul takes away this objection shewing first That there is no unrighteousness with God in justifying those which believe though they be Gentiles for he may justly have mercy on whom he will have mercy ver 15. And by the by ver 16 he shews them who being ignorant of Gods way of Righteousness or Justification went about to establish a way of their own that it was not in them who chose a way of Righteousness or Justification of their own though they were zealous in that way and run earnestly in it to attain to Justification but it was onely in God who sheweth mercy to whom he will and to what way he will Then as he had shewed that there was no unrighteousness in God if he did justifie those which did believe though they were Gentiles He shewes verse 17. by the Example which God shewed upon Pharaoh that there is no unrighteousness in God if he did not justifie a Jew though he were a Jew by birth and sought Justification by works if he believed not And concludeth verse 18. That God doth justly justifie whom he will and doth justly deny justification to whom he will yea and harden them too And now being that God doth every where complain of the Jewes and threatneth to destroy them for the hardness of their heart A malepart Jew starts up and hearing Paul say that God hardeneth whom he will Sayes But if God hardeneth whom he will why doth he now find fault with us and threatneth us for our hardness of heart For it is he that hardneth whom he will and if he will harden us how can we help it are we able to resist him To this objectian made verse 19. Saint Paul answers first by rebuking the Objector for his Sauciness who dares to chop Logick thus with God verse 20 21. Then verse 22 23. he gives a more direct answer by which he shews that God did harden them onely occasionally in that he did not cut them off but did endure them with much long-suffering by which those vessels of wrath that is they which were contentious and obeyed not the truth but obeyed unrighteousness fitted themselves for destruction for though by his long-suffering God led them to repentance yet they by the abuse thereof contracted hardness and an impoenitent hearts upon themselves heaping up wrath against the day of wrath and Revelation of the Righteous judgement of God and therefore there was no unrighteousness in God if he being willing to shew his wrath upon those vessels of wrath if they would not repent he found fault with them when they repented not And if by so doing he shewed the abundance of his goodness also to the vessels of mercy by justifying them and so preparing them to glory as he had before determined Which vessels of mercy he shews verse 24. to be them which believe not of the Jswes onely but of the Gentiles also Then to confirm what he had said concerning those disobedient Jews and the believing Gentiles he brings divers testimonies out of the Scriptures verses 25 26 27 28 29. And then he gathers out of what he had said that the believing Gentiles had attained to Justification by their Faith ver 30. But the Jewes for the greatest part of them missed of Justification because they sought it not by Faith but by the works of the Law And so having made way to that which he left imperfect at the sixth verse of this Chapter CHAP. X. In the tenth Chapter he sheweth what that was which he said in the beginning of the ninth did grieve him for the Jews which was this that they being ignorant of Gods way of Righteousness and going about to establish their own way of Righteousness submitted not themselves unto that way of Righteousness which God had appointed verse 3. but he ushereth it in Verse 1 2. with other words then he used in the beginning of the ninth Chapter Then verse 4. he sheweth why they submitted not themselves to that way of Righteousness or Justification which God had appointed The reason was because they were offended at Christ who was the end of the Law for Righteousness Then he shews that the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith are not all one Verse 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. Then from verse 14 to the end he sheweth that the Gospel ought to be preached to the Gentiles and was preached to them and they received it gladly But though it was preached to the Jewes yet they refused it and would have none of it Wherefore because some might doubt concerning the perversness of the Jewes whether God had not or would not cast them off wholly for this their perverseness CHAP. XI The Apostle in the eleventh Chapter moves the question whether God had cast off his people the Jews or no And answers it in the negative verse 1. And to prove that he had not cast them all off he shews that he was a Jew and yet was accepted of God And that the Jews were a people whom God did foreknow that is whom God did determine from eternity so to love as not utterly to forsake them verse 2. and
their wonted tale of Bricks and yet allowing them no Straw as formerly to make them or burn them with And which he did when God permitted the Egyptian Magicians to do such miracles in appearance as Moses did in reality And which he did when God took off those Plagues from Pharaoh and his people which he had laid upon them for his refusing to let the people go which perhaps might have mollified Pharaohs heart and made him have yielded to let the people go if they had continued longer upon him and them Pharaonem non divina potentia sed divina patientia credenda est obdurâsse St. Augustine Tom. 10. Serm. 88. Not the power of God but the patience or patient suffering of God is to be believed to be that which hardned Pharaohs heart But you will say that God did positively harden Pharaoh for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which God is said here to do do signifie positively and directly to harden or stir up as being Verbs active or words of action and not of permission But to this I answer that Verbs active do not alwayes signifie the doing of that which they do import For God saith unto Jeremy See I have this day set thee over the Nations and over the Kingdoms and to root out and to pull down to destroy and to throw down and to build and to plant Jerem. 1.10 whereas God set him only to prophesie of the rooting out and of the pulling down and the destroying and throwing down of some Nations or Kingdomes and the building up or planting of others And God saith that if the Prophet be deceived I the Lord have deceived him Ezech. 14.9 whereas the Lord did not use any deceit to that Prophet but did only suffer him either to deceive himself by the illusions of his own phantasie or the Devil to deceive him by being a false Spirit in his mouth For as God cannot be deceived so he cannot deceive and as he cannot be tempted so he cannot tempt Jam. 1.13 So God is said to have afflicted or evil intreated his people whenas it was Pharaoh indeed which did positively afflict them or evilly intreat them being offended and angry at that message which God sent to him by Moses not God yet Moses when he saw that Pharaoh did evilly intreat the people of Israel upon his message to Pharaoh to let them go he returned unto the Lord and said Wherefore hast thou so evilly intreated this people Exod. 5.22 So according to that old Proverb Blanda Patrum segnes facit indulgentia Natos The fond indulgency of Fathers is said to make the Children naught when they do only connive at them but instill no naught into them And qui non vetat cùm possit peccare jubet saith Seneca Troas Ver. 289. He which forbids not or hindreth not a man that he sins not but permits him to sin when he might hinder him commands him or makes him to sin And thus God is said to harden Pharaohs heart or to stir him up against his people only because he permitted Pharaoh upon those occasions which Pharaoh took to harden his heart and to exalt himself against his people when he might have hindred him from so doing and might have mollified him by his dispensations as he had done others if he would But when God doth not hinder men from so doing but permits them so to do and mollifies them not he doth it as a Judge to punish some former evil thereby which they had done And Pharaoh indeed had done evil in keeping the people of Israel in such bondage as he had and by so oppressing them as he did for they were not a people which were subdued or brought into bondage either to Pharaoh or to the Egyptians by any just War but were a people whom they had received into their protection or tutelage for Josephs good deserts at their hands which evil of Pharaoh nevertheless God no doubt would have passed by if Pharaoh at Gods command had freely and willingly let the people go Gods primary intent therefore of sending to Pharaoh was that Pharaoh might let the people go that so he might do him good as he did Cyrus good in after-times for delivering his people Israel out of the Babylonish Captivity Isaiah 45. But because Pharaoh would not let his people go as he foresaw and foretold Moses Exod. 3.19 but would harden his heart and stir up himself the more against them he suffered him so to do because he knew how to bring good out of evil and to make his power known by the wonderful Plagues which he would bring upon him if he let not his people go and how to get himself great glory in his destruction in the Red Sea if he persisted in his obstinacy in which he persisting God brought wonderfull plagues upon him and at length overwhelmed him and all his huge Army in the Red Sea while they pursued the Israelites there Thus did God in manner as I have said justly harden Pharaohs heart and if he hardened Pharaoh justly he may as the Apostle concludes from hence Rom. 9 18. justly harden whom he will And if he can justly harden whom he will he may much more deny remission of sins and justification to whom he will and by consequence he may justly deny remission of Sins and justification to those that obey not or believe not the Gospel whatsoever they are whether Jews or Gentiles and justly harden them too if they continue obstinate in their unbelief and are contentious against the Gospel But a malepart Jew when he hears Saint Paul say that whom God will he hardeneth Rom. 9.18 starts up here and sayes why then doth God find fault with us Jews for the hardness of our hearts for if he will harden our hearts we cannot help it for who hath resisted his will whom the Apostle takes up for this his sauciness in chopping Logick with God in the nineteenth and twentieth verses and then in the 21. and 22. verses gives him a more direct answer to his objection in those words What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known hath endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction c. The meaning of which words may be gathered from Cap. 2. ver 4 5 8. as I conceive I conceive therefore the sense thereof to be this What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known in their destruction if they would not repent hath endured the Vessels of Wrath those I mean which are contentious and obey not the truth but obey unrighteousness with much long-suffering which leadeth in it self to repentance But they abusing that long-suffering of God and hardning their hearts and becoming impenitent by occasion of that by their hardness and impenitent hearts treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God and so are
meaneth that his carnal appetite is present with him moving him and inciting him to that which he cannot attain to without sin which would have been in a great measure refrained if there had been any habitual good in him and therefore he complains thus of it PROSOPOPOEIA Prosopopoeia is a Figure whereby we attribute reason and understanding and other properties of a man to things which have no reason or understanding yea to qualities and other accidents as though they were persons that is as though they were individual substances indued with reason and understanding Our Apostle useth no Figure more frequently than he doth this By this Figure he speaks of Sin as of a Man or Woman when he saith Sin entred into the world Rom 5.12 and sin shall not have dominion over you Rom. 6.14 And again ye were the servants of sin verse 17. And again the wages of sin is death verse 23. And thus he speaks of Righteousness as if it were a Person when he saith yield your Members Servants to Righteousness By this doth he also speak of Death as of a Person when he saith Death reigned from Adam to Moses Rom. 5.14 And by this doth he speak of the Law as of a Person when he saith The Law entred that the offence might abound Rom. 5 20. And when he makes the Law as an Husband to them which were under it Rom. 7.1 SYNECHDOCHE Synechdoche is a Figure whereby the whole is put sometimes for a part and a part sometimes for the whole The first is called Synechdoche Integri The second Synechdoche Partis An example of the first we may have in the word World which is put for the Land of Canaan Rom. 4.13 And for all men Rom. ver 6.19 And for the Gentiles Rom. 11.12 And for the wicked of the world Rom. 12.2 An example of the second we have Rom. 3.20 where it is said that by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight where Flesh which is but part of a Man is put for the whole Man And Rom. 14.2 where it is said Another who is weak eateth Herbs where Herbs which were clean by the Levitical Law and lawful to be eaten by the Jews which were under it are put for all kind of meats which were clean and might lawfully be eaten by that Law And Rom. 10.9 where it is said That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved where one or two Articles of our Creed are put for the whole object of our Faith which conteins many Articles and points as well concerning our practice as our belief which if we believe not effectually it will not be enough to bring us to Salvation to believe and confess that Jesus is the Lord and that God raised him from the dead I have spoken under the Titles of Foreknowing and Holy of some things which may make to the better understanding of some passages of the eleventh Chapter to the Romans And I shall here adde by way of Appendix something for the better understanding or explanation of my meaning concerning some other passages thereof before I conclude The Apostle saith Chap. 11. verse 25 26. that when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in all Israel shall be saved as it is written there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away iniquity from Jacob c. By this Deliverer is meant our Lord Jesus Christ yet I do not conceive that the Lord Jesus Christ shall come in person to the Jews but that what is said of him here he will effect by such ministers or servants of his as he will make choise of whom he will so furnish for this purpose with all things necessary and convenient as that they shall win the greatest part of the Jews to the faith by which they shall be saved from their sins For many things are said and prophesied of Christ which yet Christ performed not by himself in his own person but by his Ministers For that I may give one example for many It was prophesied of Christ by Isaiah that he should be a light of the Gentiles Isaiah 49.6 And by old Simeon that he should be a light to lighten the Gentiles Luke 2.32 yet did not Christ fulfil these Prophesies in his own person but by his Apostles For if we consider him in his own person He was not sent but to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and so not to the Gentiles Mat. 15.24 But that Christ fulfilled these prophesies by his Apostles Saint Paul will teach us when he saith to the Jews seeing yee put the word of God from you and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life Lo we turn to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded us saying I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles that thou shouldest be for salvation to the ends of the Earth Acts 13. ver 46 47. Nor do I conceive that there is any ground from hence to assert that the Jewes shall be gathered together under any one visible head but that this Prophesie may be fulfilled in them though they should live dispersed in many parts of the world as now they do That which is prophesied here of the conversion of the Jewes our Apostle saith shall be When the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in cap. 11. ver 25. That is when the full number of the Gentiles are come in which the Prophets speaks of Or when that number of Gentiles which God determined to bring in into his Church before he would extend that amplitude of Grace which is here spoken of to the Jewes is brought in But now when this number or fulness of the Gentiles shall be brought in I do not conceive either that all and Every one of the Gentiles of the world will be then saved Or that after this grace is extended to the Jewes the door of grace will be shut up for the same to those Gentiles which shall then remain in their sins and unbelief For as it is not probable that every particular Gentile will then believe so it is not probable that the extension of this grace of God to the Jewes will be an exclusion of the Gentiles from Gods grace which shall then remain in unbelief For if the fall of the Jewes be the Riches of the world and the diminishing of them be Riches of the Gentiles how much more their fulness Saith our Apostle verse 12 And again If the casting away of the Jewes be the reconciling of the world what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead Verse 15. I shall adde nothing more Gentle Reader but here conclude this my Preface praying God to be our Guide in all things and rest Thine in the Lord WILLIAM DAY From my Study at Mapledurham Jan. 16. 1665. An Exposition upon Isaiah in Folio written by
of Sin we are by a Metaphor said to be freed from sin as Servants from their Lord and Master And then do we receive grace from Christ and strength and ability to withstand the motions and lusts of sin when we believe the Gospel of Christ and obey it For so soon as ever we believe the Gospel as we ought Christ doth justifie us from all our sins And when he justifieth us he sanctifieth us too and pours his grace into our hearts whereby we are inabled to walk according to the Gospel Ye became the servants of Righteousness That grace which strengtheneth us against sin and enableth us to withstand the motions and lusts of sin enableth us to work the works of righteousness Or at least when we receive one we receive the other And when we receive strength and ability to work the works of righteousness we are called the servants of Righteousness by a Metaphor When the Apostle speaks in this treatise of freedom and servitude he alludeth to civil freedom and servitude used among men and especially the Romans to whom he writeth where some were Masters some Servants some Lords some Slaves and where there were divers Laws concerning these Relations The Apostle speaks ver 13. of yielding ourselves servants unto God And ver 16. of being the servants of obedience And ver 17. of obeying as Servants the form of doctrine which was delivered And verse eighteen of being servants of Righteousness A man cannot serve two Masters saith our Saviour Matth. 6.24 much less can he serve many How is it therefore that the Apostle would have us servants to so many Lords or Masters as these are I answer That these are not divers Lords or Masters but all one one in their end and one in the object of our obedience and when we obey one of these we obey all the rest For as it is one and the same thing for a man to obey a King and his Laws a Master and his commands So it is one and the same thing to obey God and to obey the Law or doctrine of obedience to obey the doctrine delivered and to obey righteousness and serve them For this obedience Doctrine and Righteousness are no other thing nor command any other thing than the will of God Ver. 19. I speak after the manner of men The Apostle seemeth to intend no other thing by this form of speech than to signifie that though he discourseth of heavenly and divine matters yet he is willing that he might condescend to their capacities to make use of vulgar similitudes and similitudes of things well known among earthly men and to draw arguments from them I speak after the manner of men By men he meaneth by a Synechdoche such men as are not acquainted with divine heavenly things But such which as in their discourses and disputations they discourse and dispute altogether of earthly things so do they fetch their similitudes and draw their Arguments only from earthly things and go no higher The Subject of the Apostles discoâ—rse are spirituall and heavenly things But the form of his discourse is humane or after the manner of men which are acquainted only with earthly things and that because they to whom he writes are by reason of the slowness of their understanding more apt to apprehend spiritual things by vulgar and common similitudes and Arguments drawn from earthly things than to understand spiritual things by spiritual and by such Arguments as they in their own nature will afford Because of the infirmitie of your flesh i. e. Because of the slowness or weakness of your understanding in conceiving of spiritual things He takes Infirmity here for the weakness to wit of their understanding in apprehend ng spirituall things as it is also taken 1 Cor. 8.7 And he taketh flesh for the understanding it self and calls it Flesh because it was accustomed to or acquainted onely with fleshly that is to or with Earthly things For as ye yielded c. This particle For cannot be taken for a Causal here For so taken it will not cohere with that which went before I take it therefore for a Note of Illation that is for Therefore q. d. Therefore as ye have yielded your members Servants of uncleanness c. The Apostle should here make a Superstructure upon that ground-work which he laid ver 16 17 and 18. and bring an Illation from thence in Categorical terms to this or the like sence Viz Therefore being that ye are freed from sin ye ought not to serve sin or ye ought not to sin which was that which he said and undertook to prove ver 15. But being become the Servants of Righteousness ye should obey righteousness and live in all holy and righteous conversation This is that I say which the order of speech required But this the Apostle wrapped up in an Exhortation as he useth sometimes to do where he brings an Exhortation instead of a conclusion or a conclusion wrapped up in an Exhortation instead of a Categoricall conclusion As ye have yielded your members servants Concerning these words or this Phrase See ver 13. As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and iniquity By uncleanness are commonly meant such unclean sins as Drunkenness Lasciviousness Wantonness Luxury c. And to iniquity By Iniquity are here meant such sins as tend to the wrong of our Neighbour as Murder Theft False accusation c. Note that the word Iniquity is to be taken here in a more strict sence than it is taken in the words following Vnto iniquity i. e. To do more iniquity or so as that you have gon on from iniquity to iniquity and from one degree thereof to another Note that iniquity is to be taken here for the work or effect done at the command as it were of that which he calls both uncleanness and Iniquity before so that the word Iniquity is of large extent and relates to more sins than the same word was of and did relate to immediately before For it hath relation not to Iniquity onely but both to uncleanness and Iniquity before mentioned To Righteousness This word is to be taken here as it was taken ver 18. Vnto Holiness i. e. To do or perform daily more and more that which is holy as the Gospel prescribeth It is but common reason which the Apostle here requireth to wit That if we are freed from and made the servants of righteousness that is of God we should abandon sin and serve righteousness that is Serve God For is it any more than reason that he should serve his King and that truely and faithfully too who is freed by him out of the hands of his cruel enemies Ver. 20. For when ye were the Servants of Sin ye were free from Righteousness Between this and the former verse we must understand these or the like words And to Righteousness and not at all to sin And between this and the following verse we must understand these words
turn into the true and right way of Justification In a like case Saint Augustine sayes to Donatus that he might win him to the truth Si posses videre dolorem cordis mei sollicitudinem pro solute tua fortassis miseriaris animae tuae placens Deo in audiendo verbo non nostro sed ipsius Tom. 2. Epist 204. in initio If thou couldst but see saith he the grief of mine heart and my caâ—e or pensiveness for thy salvation thou wouldst happily have pity upon thine own soul pleasing God by hearkening not to our but to his word I say the truth in Christ i. e. I speak nothing but that which is true Christ is my witness In Christ i. e. By Christ or before Christ who heareth me and will require it of me if I speak any thing but truth The Praeposition In the Apostle makes answerable to the Hebrew Praefix Beth and Beth is sometimes used in swearing as Gen 22.16 Josh 2.12 c. And hence this Preposition In is used sometimes in swearing also My Conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost i e. My Conscience also as well as my word or saying bearing me witness By the holy Ghost Or we may say that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bearing witness also is put for the simple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bearing witness as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 8.16 In the holy Ghost In the holy Ghost is put here for By the Holy Ghost as before In Christ for by Christ He sweareth by the Holy Ghost when he mentioneth his Conscience and so calleth him or that to witness what is done there Because it is the Appropriate office of the Holy Ghost as to plant truth and sincerity in the heart contrary to deceit and hypocrisie so to be privy to the secrets and to take notice of the motions of the heart Hence when Ananias had denied that he had sold his possession for what he had sold it for Peter tells him that he did lie to the Holy Ghost Act. 5.3 Ver 2. That I have great heaviness and continuall sorrow in my heart To wit for my Brethren the Jews He grieveth thus for the Jews because that they being ignorant of Gods Righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness and zealously and eagerly running after that they did not submit themselves to the Righteousness of God as he speaks Cap. 10.3 By reason of which they were in a desperate condition and such as could not be saved so long as they so continued This I say is the cause of the Apostles grief here yet he expresseth it not here but leavs his speech unperfect as to this until he comes to the first verse of the 10 Chapter and that by reason of an Objection which he prevents ver 6. and another ver 14. and yet another ver 19 and there he resumes or takes up though in other terms what he left here unperfect and yet there he brings it in so as that it may seem to depend upon the latter part of this Chapter Thus that this which I here say may not seem strange doth the Apostle leave what he had in hand Chap. 5. v. 13. unperfect by reason of emergent objections which he prevents in the mean time till he comes to the 18. verse of that chapter where he resumes in other words and perfects that which he left there imperfect and brings it in so as that it hath dependance on that which went immediately before Ver. 3. For I could wish that my self were accursed from Christ for my Brethren my Kinsmen according to the flesh c. That which he saith he could wish here to befall himself for his Brethren must be understood with this supposition to wit If it were lawfull for him so to wish and if it were possible so to be done I could wish that my self were accursed from Christ i. e. To be accursed from Christ signifieth here to be separated from him and to be destined to death yea eternal death The words in the Original are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is To be an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in holy writ signifieth that which is to be separated from the use of men not as an holy thing but as a thing execrable and to be abominated and so to be utterly destroyed in which sence Jericho was to be an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Josh 6.17 And to this the Apostle here alludes But being the Apostle saith That he could wish himself accursed from Christ it is to be understood that he could wish himself not only to be wholly rid out of this life but to be destined also to everlasting destruction for the Jews sake that he might save them It is taught by some that when a son of Israel would express his Brotherly kindness towards any one of or towards all the children of his people he entituled himself by a kind of devotion to all the mischance and evil that should befall his Brother wishing the whole patience or suffering thereof to fall upon his own head And that not without reference or allusion to this form of devotion is the Apostles wish here that he might discharge the unhappy condition of his Brethren all upon himself when he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I could wish my self an Anathema from Christ for my Brethren Note that this wish of the Apostle here includes a Tacite limitation or condition as I said before to wit if it were lawful And so that dispute which many raise here whether this wish of the Apostle be lawful or unlawful comes to nothing That my self These words have their Emphasis and are as if he should say I who am compelled to pronounce such hard things of my Brethren as I do even I my self could wish that my self were accursed from Christ c. For my Brethren That is for the Jews sake who are my Brethren that is my kinsmen according to the flesh to wit that they may be saved by my destruction or by my being an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For them By his brethren he means the Jews here and these he calls his brethren in a large sence after the manner of the Hebrews who call all them brethren who are descended from one common Father though by many descents because he and they came all out of the loins of one man Abraham or Isaac or Jacob who was also called Israel My kinsmen according to the flesh q. d. That is My kinsmen according to blood He expounds the word brethren here and declares what he meant by it He meant such as are of the same blood or the same kin or stock with himself According to the flesh That is As we use to say by blood He seemeth by these words tacitely to oppose the kinred which is by blood to the Spiritual kinred which is by faith by which all the faithful of all
joyned with the same testimony which he produced for that purpose he doth here recite them yet not for the purpose aforesaid but to stir up others to believe in Christ and to comfort those which did believe It may be objected that these words are otherwise expounded here of Christ in the Mystical than they were of Hezekiah in the literal sence and not according to the same similitude For though it be said in the litteral sence that whosoever believeth c. yet it is not meant whosoever believeth on Hezekiah though he were a Type of Christ But in the Mysticall sence it is here expounded of Christ whosoever believeth in Christ Therefore one of the Expositions may seem faulty and not agreable to the Prophets meaning But for answer to this I say That when one place carrieth two severall sences with it one litteral the other mystical the words may yea must be often times otherwise construed and interpreted in the Mystical sence than they are or were in the litteral which I have observed and treated of else where Wherefore that which is objected is no sound argument against the Exposition given CHAP. X. 1. BRethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved 1. And now that I may resume that which I left unperfect in the beginning of the ninth chapter though in other words and may here perfect it Brethren my hearts desire and prayer for the Jews is that they may be justified 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge 2. For though there is talk of their zeal towards God as though such zealous men could not but be justified I am also ready to bear them witness that they have a zeal of God yet are they not therefore justified because their zeal is not according to knowledge 3. For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God 3. For they being ignorant of the way of Justification which God hath appointed and as it were scored out to us and going about to establish and maintain that way of Justification which they themselves have invented and chosen to themselves they have not submitted themselves to that way of Justification which God hath appointed to approve thereof and walk therein 4. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth 4. For whereas Christ is set forth to be the way of Justification through faith in him to every one that believeth and the Law it self pointed at him for this as its end the Jews have rejected him and refused to believe in him 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law that the man which doth those things shall live by them 5. But though I said that the Law it self pointed at Christ for this as at its end let no man therefore think that the way of Justification which the Law prescribeth and the way of Justification which is by Faith and which the Gospel holds out to us is all one for Moses describeth the way of Justification which is of the Law in this manner saying that the man which doth those things exactly and without the least failer in that which the law requireth shall be justified by them 6. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven That is to bring Christ down from above 6. But the Preacher of that Justification which is by faith saith but that thou maist not think that this justification which is by the faith of Christ is as far from being attained as that which is by the Law say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven to wit to bring down Christ from above 7. Or who shall descend into the deep That is to bring Christ again from the dead 7. Or who shall descend into Hell to bring up Christ again from the dead as though it were any way necessary for us for the attaining of justification by faith that Christ should be bodily present with us 8. But what saith it The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thine heart that is the word of faith which we preach 8. But what saith the Preacher of justification by faith thou needest not to go far to know what he saith for the word which he speaketh is nigh to thee for it is in thy mouth for thou talkest of it and it is in thy heart for thou thinkest of it To be short that is the word which the Preacher of justification which is by faith preacheth 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved 8. This which we which are the Apostles of Christ do preach viz. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth That Jesus is the Lord and shalt unfeignedly believe that God hath raised him from the dead Thou shalt be justified 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation 10. For with the heart man believeth unto Justification and with the mouth confession is made to salvation 11. For the Scripture saith whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed 11. For the Scripture saith Isaiah 28.16 Whosoever believeth on him shall be sure to obtain justification 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him 12. I say whosoever believeth on him for there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile in this matter For the same Lord being Lord over all is rich unto all whatsoever they are which call upon him for salvation 13. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord that he may be saved whether he be Jew or whether he be Gentile shall be saved from his sins as it is written Joel 2.32 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher 14. And note here the Jews which are so much against the Gentiles and would not that Preachers should be sent to them that when the Scripture saith whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved It saith that the Gentiles shall call upon the name of the Lord for salvation aswel as the Jews But now how shall they call on him for salvation in whom they have not believed And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard And how shall they hear without a preacher 15. And how shall they preach except they be sent As it is written How beautiful are the feet
Righteousness or Justification By righteousness that is by justification is here meant the way of righteousness or justification as before The Jews for the greatest part of them would seek righteousness or justification by works Chap. 9.32 which way God approved not nor appointed Chap. 9. ver 11. wherefore the Apostle calleth that their own way which way of theirs they did strive to maintain against the way of faith Have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God i. e. Have not submitted themselves to and to have not followed that way of righteousness which God hath appointed to justification which is by faith He seems to speak of righteousness or of the way of righteousness here as of a person which we ought to obey by a Prosopopoeia Ver. 4. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth c. He proveth here that the Jews have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God And the proof runs after this manner They which have not received Christ nor believed in him have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God But the Jews for the greatest part of them have not received Christ nor believed in him therefore the Jews for the greatest part of them have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God This whole Syllogism the Apostle leaveth to be understood as that which may easily be understood by what he hath here said And taking the minor for granted he proves the major here when he saith For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth i. e. For Christ was appointed to wit of God to be the Author of righteousness or justification to every one that believeth on him And that the Law it self testifieth because the Law it self points at Christ and did lead us to him for the obtaining of righteousness or justification by him Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness Christ is said to be the end of the Law for righteousness that is for justification because the Moral Law convincing man of sin and laying open his weakness and disability made him to look for righteousness that is for justification and remission of sins from without himself And the Ceremonial Law did prefigure Christ and the cleansing of our sins by him by the sacrifices and washings and other rites which it appointed Or which yet is almost the same with what I have said Christ may be said to be the end of the Law that is the final cause for which it was given to wit of God by Moses Because it was partly given to prefigure Christ Partly to be as a School Master to bring us to Christ Gal. 3.24 This is an Argument to prove that Christ was appointed of God for Righteousness or Justification to wit because the Law which was given of God by Moses did point at him and lead to him for that end Ver. 5. For Moses describeth the Righteousness of the Law c. Because the Apostle said ver 4. That Christ was the end of the Law for righteousness c. A man might object and say that if it be so that Christ was the end of the Law for Righteousness then is the Righteousness of the Law and the righteousness of faith all one that is it is one and the same way which the Law prescribes for Righteousness or Justification And which the Gospel prescribeth And may infer from thence that if it be so then the Jews are not ignorant of the righteousness of God but have submitted themselves thereunto Which was that which the Apostle denied ver 3. The Apostle therefore prevents this Objection and to shew that the Righteousness of the Law And the Righteousness of Faith is not the same or that it is not one and the same way which the Law prescribeth for righteousness and which the Gospel prescribeth saith for Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law c. q. d. Neither because I said That Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness Do I say that the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith are both one or that it is one and the same way which the Law prescribeth for righteousness and which the Gospel prescribeth For Moses describeth the Righteousness which is of the Law after this manner That the man which doth those things shall live by them But the the righteousness which is of faith or but the Preacher of the Gospel speaketh on this wise Viz. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law c. i. e. Moses who was publisher of the law and by whom the Law was given describeth the way of righteousness which the Law sets out or appointeth thus to wit that the man that doth those things shall live by them By the righteousnest of the Law I understand by a Metonymy the way appointed or scored out in the Law or by the Law for obtaining or attaining to righteousness The man which doth those things shall live by them i. e. That man which doth fully and perfectly observe and keep all the Commandments of the Law as fully and exactly as the Law requireth them to be done shall be justified by them This testimony is taken out of Levit. 18.5 where the whole verse runs thus Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgements which if a man do he shall live in them Which doth these things i. e. Which doth the Statutes and judgements that is the commandments of the Lord and doth them most exactly This Sentence is to be understood of exact and perfect keeping of the Law as appeareth by Deuteronomy 27.26 where a curse is denounced against all those which keep not all the words of the Law See Gal 3.8 c. Shall live by them i. e. Shall be justified by them To live signifieth here to be justified as Chap. 1. v. 17. Ver. 6. But the righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise By the righteousness which is of faith I understand by a Metonymy or Prosopopoeia the Preacher of that Righteousness which is of faith and this I do to oppose it to Moses the Preacher or publisher of the Law and the righteousness thereof That which the righteousness of faith or the Preacher of the righteousness which is of faith speaketh is that which is recorded ver 9 viz. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved So that that which is said between this and that is brought in by the way and is to be read as it were with a parenthesis Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into Heaven These
words do not depend upon the words immediately going before but are together with all which is between this and the ninth verse to be read as I said as it were with a parenthesis These words from this place to the ninth verse mutatis mutandis are taken out of Deut. 30.12 c. and here used by an accomodation The Apostle hath shewed before as Cap. 4.14 c. That Justification could not be obtained by the Law Now least any one should say the same of faith he removes here from faith those things which might make it seem impossible to obtain Justification by faith And first because he said that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth least any might think from thence that Christs bodily prescence were necessary he shews in this and the following verse That for Christ to be bodily present is not necessary at all to this And because though his bodily presence is not necessary yet his word is requisite and some might say that it was no easie matter to come to the knowledge of that his word nor was it an easie matter to find out where that his word was to be had He sheweth ver 8. that his word is not far off but nigh at hand and easie to be obtained by anyone Say not in thy heart i. e. Say not in thy mind or cast not about in thy thoughts saying The heart is put here for the mind or the thoughts after the Hebrew manner Who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above i. e. Who shall ascend into Heaven for us for this end that he might bring down Christ from above as though it were necessary that Christ should be bodily present for thee to obtaâ—n the righteousness which is of faith or that thou canst not know how to obtain that righteousness except he should be bodily present with thee to shew thee Ver. 7. Or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring Christ again from the dead Or who will descend into Hell to bring Christ again from the dead for this end as though it were necessary that Christ should be bodily present for thee to obtain the righteousness which is of Faith or that thou canst not know how to obtain that righteousness except he were bodily present with thee to shew thee By what the Apostle hath said here he shews that it is not needful that Christ should be bodily present with us that we may believe and be saved by the righteousness which is of faith Being that Christ hath left the Earth in hâ—s body he must needs be their in Heaven above or among the dead beneath therefore the Apostle saith Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring down Christ from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead And nameth no more places Into the deep By the deep understand here the place of the dead For so that which followeth Viz. To bring up Christ again from the dead bids us to interpret it In this Interpretation which I have given of those two verses I point both the end of the seventh and eighth verses with an Interrogatory q. d. Say not in thine heart who shall descend unto Heaven to wit to bring down Christ from above Or who shall descend into the deep to wit to bring Christ again from the dead and for the so pointing of it I have Deut 30.12 for my direction And the Syriack and Ethiopique translations for my warrant Ver. 8. But what saith it That is but what saith the righteousness which is of faith that is but what saith the Preacher of that righteousness which is of faith Metonymia The word is nigh thee c. The Apostle prevents an objection here for a Jew may say whatsoever the righteousness of faith saith the wâ—rd which it saith may be far enough from me and I may never come to hear it or know it or if I do I must spend much labour and travail to find it out this objection I say the Apostle prevents when he saith the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth c. Note that in these words the Apostle alludes to that place of Deut. 30.14 and useth it here by an accommodation as I said before The Word i. e. The word which the Preacher of the Righteousness which is of faith saith Even in thy mouth and in thy heart i. e. The word is so nigh thee as that thou talkest of it with thy mouth and meditatest upon it in thy heart and bearest it in thy memory for thou canst not forget it This seems to be a proverbial kind of speech The Heart is taken here for the mind or memory c. That is the word of Faith which we preach That is the word which the Preacher of the Righteousness which is of Faith preacheth which we which are the Apostles of Christ preach viz c. Note that faith is taken here for the Righteousness of faith and that again for the Preacher of Righteousness of Faith by a Metonymy Ver. 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus i. e. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Supple to be such as the Father hath set him out to be or such as the Gospel doth describe him to be Some interpret the words thus If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus to be the Lord. Jesus is called the Lord because he hath purchased us For he hath purchased us with the price of his blood Note here that it is not absolutely necessary to salvation to confess the Lord Jesus at all times with the mouth but only then when the case requireth it but it is absolutely necessary to confess the Lord Jesus with the mouth in the preparation of the heart that is it is absolutely necessary to be always ready in heart to confess the Lord Jesus with the mouth when the case shall require it and that is when the glory of God would suffer by us if we should not do it I take therefore to confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus here to be to be ready in heart to confess the Lord Jesus with the mouth Note here that to confess the Lord Jesus with the mouth or to be ready in heart so to confess him is the fruit and effect of Faith Therefore here is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he saith That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath rais-him from the dead For the naturall order of the words should have been this If thou shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Jesus from the dead and confess the Lord Jesus with thy mouth thou shalt be saved Saving or justifying faith is a faith which as I said Cap. 1. ver 17. comes up
so high as that it doth set a man on work to do those things which God by his new covenant with him requires of him as the case requires and as opportunity serves so that he must be ready at all times in the preparation of his heart to confess with his mouth the Lord Jesus and not only that but to do every good work also and this is that which the Apostle intimates here willing that we should know that Justifying faith is not a dead barren or fruitless faith but an operative faith which will bring forth good works as opportunity offers it self Wherefore by that which he saith of confession with the mouth understand all good works besides as well as that But he seemeth to make mention of this only not to exclude other good works but because the time in which he wrote this might be a time of persecution with the Romans or such as that they might fear a persecution at which time confession of Christ w th the mouth will be most requisite or because he said ver 8. The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth Therefore he may particularly mention the confession of Christ with the mouth And for the same reason also he may say and shalt believe in thy heart expressing those words in thine heart here because he said before and in thine heart verse 8. And shalt believe with the heart i. e. And shalt heartily believe That God hath raised him from the dead That we may be justified it is not only required that we should believe of Jesus that God hath raised him from the dead but we must believe also that he was made man and crucified for us and that he was the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world c. And many things must we believe also concerning the Father and the Holy Ghost Therefore by that that God hath raised up Jesus from the dead we must by a Synechdoche or Syllepsis understand all the misteries of faith and also all that God requireth of us by his new covenant with us to be done and believed by us But the Apostle may in this place make mention only of this that God raised up Jesus from the dead because he mentioned the bringing up of Christ from the dead ver 7. Or because the resurrection of Christ from the dead did praesuppose most other articles of our faith or because that Article was alwayes most difficult to be believed Thou shalt be saved To wit from thy sins Ver. 10. Vnto Righteousness i. e. Unto Justification that is that he may be justified or so that he is justified thereby And with the mouth confession is made unto salvation i. e. And to be alway ready prepared to confess Christ with the mouth And when the case shall require then to confess him actually is that which brings Salvation Thus I understand this confession of the preparation of the heart to confess Christ with the mouth as I did that ver 9. And note here that the Apostle doth not make this confession with their mouth as a thing plainly and really disjoyned from faith But that which followeth naturally and immediately from it as the heat from the fire Therefore in the proof of what he saith here which proof he produceth ver 11. He mentioneth only Belief And saith For the scripture saith whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed which would not reach to confession of Christ with the mouth were it not that that were an Effect of faith naturally and immediately flowing from it and so one in a manner with it Ver. 11. For the scripture saith To wit Isaiah Cap. 28. ver 16. Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed i. e. Whosoever believeth on Christ shall truely be justified See what we said of this phrase and words Chap. 9. ver 33. Ver. 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek Supple In that which concerneth Faith and Salvation This the Apostle inferreth out of the former verse but not out of the word whosoever which we read there for that word is not read in the forenamed place of the prophet Isaiah but out of the Indefinite generality of the Sentence it self recited out of the said prophet by which none is excluded from salvation or Justification whether he be Jew or Gentile if he do but believe The Greek i. e. The Gentile See Rom. 1.16 For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him It is very congruous to reason that he which is Lord of all will be the same to all be they of what Nation or Stock they will who believe in him And that he will not accept of one and reject the other Especially when he is so rich in mercy as that he hath mercy for thousands yea mercy enough for all Is rich unto all i. e. Is abundant in grace and mercy to all The Apostle often useth Riches for abundance and the riches here spoken of are riches of grace or riches of mercy as Ephes 1.7 That call upon him See verse 13. Ver. 13. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord To call upon the name of the Lord is by an hebrew Periphrasis or Metonymy to call upon the Lord. And to call upon the Lord here is to beseech the Lord and to pray him that he would save him or deliver him from his sins but yet to pray in faith Whosoever Whether he be Jew or Gentile Shall be saved To wit from his sins This which the Apostle here saith is taken out of the Prophet Joel Joel 2.32 And it is there spoken in the literal sence of such Jews as should call upon the name of the Lord for deliverance when they were oppressed by the Assyrians But in the mysticall sence it is to be understood of all such as should pray unto the Lord for deliverance from sins in faith For the miseries and calamities of the Jews under the Assyrians was a Type of our miseries and calamities under Sin and their deliverance from the Assyrians a Type of our deliverance from sin Ver. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed c. The Apostle proves from what he said in the former verse viz From that That whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord and the Gentile as well as the Jew shall be saved That which the Apostle handleth Chap. 9. ver 24 25 26. to wit that God hath called the Gentiles and did intend to call them and send Ministers to them he proveth here as it were by Steps and degrees And he proves it for this end that the Jews should not think that what he preached concerning the Gentiles was from his own head but that God spake as much heretofore even by his Prophets of old The Apostle said out of the Prophet Joel in the former verse that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved That is that whosoever
prophesieth here chiefly of the miseries and captivities which the people of Israel suffered under Sennacharib King of Assyria and under Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians which were meer hunters of men and so oppressed not the people of Israel onely but all other people that they could reach When therefore the people of Israel were delivered from the sword and captivity of the Babylonians these Gentiles also were delivered and by reason of that delivery they had reason to rejoyce as well as the people of Israel See Isaiah 14. verse 6.7 and Isaiah 42.10 c. to this purpose But this is for the first and Historical sence Now it is very well known that tâ—mporal miseries and afflictions were types of Spiriâ—ual miseries and afflictions which we suffer under the Divel and sin c. and the delivery from temporal miseries and afflictions were a type of the delivery from the miseries which we suffer by sin and the Divel though therefore in the first and Historical sence of these words Moses speaketh here of the corporeal deliverance of the people of Israel and such Gentiles as were persecuted and held captive by the Assyrians and Babylonians and the like from their sword and their captivity Yet in the second and mystical sence he prophesieth of the spiritual delivery of the Jews and Gentiles both from that which they suffered by sin and the Divel by Christ and for that are they exhorted to rejoyce in these words Rejoyce ye Gentiles with his people Ver. 11. And again Supple the Scripture saith Psal 117.1 Praise him all ye Gentiles and Laude him all ye people The Gentiles are exhorted here to praise the Lord and that for some great mercy shewed unto them or to be shewed this mercy was either spiritual or corporeal If Spiritual it is immediately for the Apostles purpose If Corporeal that Corporeal was a type of this Spiritual and so for the Apostles purpose too mediately at least Ver. 12. And again Esaias saith i. e. And again Esaias a pen-man of the Scripture saith Esa 11.10 There shall be a root of Jesse and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust i. e. And at that time there shall be a branch which shall spring out of the root of Jesse and he shall reign over the Gentiles after a spiritual manner And in him shall the Gentiles trust for salvation This is taken out of the prophesie of Isaiah Isa 11.10 as I said but not verbatim word for word but for the sence And in the Historical sence Hezekiah is meant by the Root of Jesse whose prosperity invited many of the Gentiles to come and live under his protection But in this Hezekiah was a Type of Christ who also was a root that is a branch of the root of Jesse And the Gentiles which lived under Hezekiahs protection a type of the Gentiles which should believe in Christ and submit themselves to him and trust and relie on him for forgiveness of sins and everlasting salvation so that in the mystical fence this is spoken of Christ and of the Gentiles which should believe in him and this is the sence which the Apostle here aims at There shall be a root of Jesse Jesse was the father of David from whom Hezekiah descended and of whom Christ came according to the flesh Matth. Chap. 1. ver 6 9 16. Christ and Hezekiah may either of them be called the root of Jesse by a Metonymie because he was a branch growing out of the root of Jesse according to that of Isaiah Isa 11. ver 1. Or we may say that as by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Genus is understood the head of a generation or kindred and the generation or kindred or that that comes of it So both the head of a generation or kindred and the generation or kindred it self or that that comes of it is meant by the root in the Hebrew manner of speaking for it signifies the head Isa 14.1 And it signifies the off-spring Revel 22. ver 16. By the root of Jesse Christ is here meant Not Hezekiah for the Apostle alledgeth this testimony in the mystical sence And he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles i. e. And one that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles This is the same as the root of Jesse to wit Christ who should be King not of the Jews only but of the Gentiles also They are called Gentiles which were not of the seed of Abrham according to the flesh In him shall the Gentiles trust To wit for Salvation Ver. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in bâ—lieving Now that I have told ye Gentiles these things concerning the Jews and ye Jews these things concerning the Gentiles the God of hope give you both to believe these things respectively which I have spoken to you that so ye may be at firm peace and unity among your selves which may be a great joy yea even fulness of joy to you and that further ye may abound by them throuh the power of the Holy Ghost in hope of Eternal life This Exhortatory Corollary the Prophet gathers from that which he said of Christs being the Minister of the Circumcision v. 8. And from that which he said of the mercy of God shewed to the Gentiles ver 9. The God of hope i. e. God which is the Author of hope and which worketh hope in us Here the Apostle adorns that third thing which he spake of ver 4. to wit Hope by declaring God to be the Author of it as he had done the two others Patience and Comfort before ver 5. Fill you with all joy and peace in believing i. e. Give you fulness of peace among your selves through believing even peace in which you may take abundance of joy and delight By peace he meaneth unity and concord of mind and heart and he speaketh it in opposition to that variance discord or contention which was among them When he saith with all joy and peace I conceive that he useth an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that he saith with all joy and peace for with all peace and joy for I conceive that this joy flows from this peace as joy and gladness doth from every Cordial vertue See Chap. 14. ver 17. All joy All joy in the Hebrew phrase signifieth full and perfect joy as James 1.2 My Brethren count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations In believing i. e. By beliving to wit that which I said concerning the Jews and the Gentiles ver 8 9. c. In is put here for By or Through after the Hebrew manner The Object of this believing I conceive to be not the Gospel in general but that which he said concerning the Jews and Gentiles ver 8 9 c. For if the Jews and Gentiles which were at variance and discord among themselves as I have said before should but believe the truth of what the Apostle saith here the