their Lord and God and they on their part should be his people and peculiar to have hold and enjoy their estates in fee from him For that in these jurall respects the Israelites are called the Righteous it may appeare from divers testimonies of Scripture as Psal 69.28 Let them be blotted out of the booke of the living and not be written vegnim zaddikim with the righteous i. e. with the Israelites who have the rights of inheritances in the Land as the Owners and Freeholders of it for among the Israelites and other Nations the names not of the legally or morally righteous but of the jurally righteous are written in bookes and entered into Records in respect of their Inheritances and Priviledges And Psal 72.7 In his dayes shall Zaddik the righteous flourish i. e. literally in the dayes of Solomon the Israelites who are the right Heires and Owners of the Land shall abound in peace But mystically the words refer unto Christ and to the Believers in him And Psal 92.12 Zaddik The righteous shall flourish like a Palme-tree i. e. The Israelite shall so flourish for in the Margin of that place there is a reference quoted to a parallell place Hos 14.5 Where the Prophet mentioning the like blessing doth instead of the Righteous put the word Israel I will bee as the dew unto Israel hee shall grow or blossome as the Lilly And Psal 118.20 This gate of the Lord into which Zaddikim the righteous shall enter i. e. The Israelite shall enter who hath the right of entrance for strangers had no right to enter within the gate of the Lord i. e. of the Temple but remained in the outward Court of the Gentiles And Psal 125.3 The rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot hazzard dikim of the righteous i. e. The stranger shall not continue his Dominion and Possession over the Inheritance of the Israelite to whom the right of the Land was allotted And Esay 26.2 Open ye the gates that goi Zaddik the righteous Nation who keepeth the truth may enter in i. e. The Nation who is the right Inhabitant and Owner of the Land though for a time they were exiled and fled because they would not change their Religion but would keepe the truth And Esay 60.21 Thy people also shall bee all Zaddikim righteous they shall inherite the Land for ever i. e. Thy people even all of them who have any right of Inheritance in Judea shall returne from their Captivity in Babylon and shall henceforth enjoy their estates for ever without any more Captivity In all which passages the jurall sense of the word righteous is chiefely respected although the other two senses may bee also included And under the word righteous in this jurall sense are comprehended not onely the Native Israelites who discended from Jacob but also those factive Israelites who by Nation or Birth being Aliens became of the Jewish Religion professing it by the Ceremony of Circumcision and were thereupon by the Septuagint called Proselytes but by the Rabbins gerei Zedek advenae justitiae i. e. strangers of right Because they had a right interest and claime to the Rights Lawes Ceremonies and Priviledges of the Native Israelites and in many particulars the very same Rights with the Natives For the Proselyte had the same right for the Ceremonies as in eating the Passeover Exod. 12.19.48.49 and in keeping the Fast of Expiation Levit. 16.29 and in offering of Sacrifices Numb 15.14.15.16 and in the use of the holy water Numb 19.10 The Proselite had the same right for Judicature For one maner of Law must bee for the Stranger and for the Native Levit. 24.22 and one maner of Judgement Deut. 1.16 and one maner of punishment Numb 15.30 And hee had the same right for Priviledges the very same immunity from oppression Levit. 19.33.34 and the same Reliefe in case of Poverty Levit. 25.35.36 and the same benefit of Sanctuary Numb 35.15 Thus in the Land of Canaan the Native Israelite and the Proselyte are called the Righteous and so heere in England a Subsidy-man who is an Owner and enjoyes an Estate in Lands or Goods to a certaine yearely is in the Writts of our Common Law stiled homo probus legalis which wee can scarce English properly without the word Just or Righteous in this jurall sense or some other word thereto equivalent And as the concrete words Just or Righteous doe concretely signifie a proprietary or owner So the abstract words of the Hebrew Zedakah in the Old Testament and of the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in our Translations are rendred Justice and Righteousnesse doe many times signifie the Latine word Jus whereof the English is a Right Interest or Claime as shall bee more largely declared in the last verse of this Chapter upon these words For if righteousnesse come by the Law Compare we now the Proprietary or Owner who is a just or righteous man jurally with the kinde or bounteous who is a just or righteous morally and we may observe 3 things 1. That the Owner and his property is a necessary effect and consequent flowing from the kinde man and his kindnesse for he who out of his kindnes bestoweth a thing upon me doth thereby transferre his property and right thereto from himselfe and imputeth or conveyeth the right and property thereof unto me whereby necessarily I am made and become the true proprietary or Owner thereof 2. That the Owner who is jurally just or righteous is mainely opposed to the jurall sinner which as was shewed in the verse before signifies a stranger who either absolutely hath no right at all or none respectively to this or that thing in particular when therefore a stranger who before had no right to a thing attaines some right or claime thereto then he becomes just and righteous in a jurall sense 3. That the word Righteous carryes a variety of sense not much unlike to the word Gracious for as the word Gracious doth signifie sometime actively for one who doth shew grace and favour in which sense it is a frequent attribute of God in the Scripture and so a Prince is Gracious to his favourite and sometime passively for one to whom grace and favour is shewed so the Princes favourite is Gracious with his Prince and in this sense the word Gracious is taken Jer. 22.23 How gracious shalt thou bee when pangs come upon thee i. e. no grace nor favour shall be shewed thee in thy distresse so the word Righteous is taken sometime actively for him who is legally upright by doing right to all and for him who is morally kinde by doing kindnesses in granting and giving some right interest and claime and sometime passively for him to whom a kindnes is done to whom some right interest or claime is given or granted and who because he hath such a right is therefore in Scripture called Just or Righteous Thus the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof the English
are not constituted ordained or appointed to sinne as sinne is properly taken but that men are constituted ordained or appointed to dye appeares by many Testimonies of Scripture And generally where wee read the phrase of bearing sinne and iniquity there sinne must not bee taken for the act of sinne but for the effect of it which is punishment or affliction because properly not the act of sinne but the punishment of it is the thing that is to bee borne And universally wheresoever sinne is joyned with forgivenesse or with any other word to that sense there sinne is put for punishment because the thing to bee pardoned or forgiven is not properly the act of sinne but the punishment or affliction which is the effect or consequent of sinne Againe the Calamitous is not a Sinner actively by committing any act of sinne against Law or Equity as were the two former Offenders who were properly sinners But hee is a Sinner passively by suffering that shame paine or losse which is commonly inflicted as a punishment on such as are sinners properly Lastly hee is not a sinner really in whom sinne is inherent for then it must needes follow that hee is properly and actively a Sinner But hee is a Sinner putatively because hee is accounted or reputed a sinner and having done no act of a sinner is put into the state and condition of a sinner to bee handled after the image and likenesse of a transgressour by suffering Afflictions like to those Afflictions which are denounced and executed as Judgements and Punishments upon transgressors as the Beasts which the Law declared uncleane were not in themselves uncleane really and inherently but imaginarily and putatively Thus the Jurall sinner is but a quasi-sinner because hee is so improperly i. e. effectually passively and putatively And of these Jurall sinners or Calamitous persons there are foure sorts 1. The Opressed who unjustly against Law and Justice yet under colour of Law and Justice are calumniated criminated condemned and executed as sinners and transgressours Thus after Davids death in case Adonijah had prevailed Bathsheba and Solomon should have beene sinners 1. King 1.21 Otherwise it shall come to passe when my Lord the King shall sleepe with his Fathers that I and my sonne Solomon shall bee counted Offenders Where the Hebrew hath it shall bee sinners as the Margin advertiseth But Naboth de facto was made a sinner for hee really was not a blasphemer Yet by the Letters of Jezabel hee was predestinated ordained and appointed to bee a blasphemer 1. King 21.9 And shee wrot in the Letters saying Proclaime a Fast and set Naboth on high among the People and set two men sonnes of Belial before him to beare witnesse against him saying Thou didst blaspheame God and the King and then carry him out and stone him that hee may dye And in dangerous times when the wicked watch for iniquity a word may make a man a sinner Esay 29.21 All that watch for iniquity are cut off that make a man an offender for a word and lay a snare for him that reproveth And with all Religious reverence bee it written such a sinner was Jesus Christ who although hee were true God and true man the truest and justest man that ever lived one who never did any sinne nor spake any guile Yet hee was made a sinner and suffered as a transgressour Esay 53.12 Hee poured out his soule unto death and was numbred with the transgressours i. e. Hee who really was no transgressour was made a quasi-transgressour and suffered among transgressours And Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not doe in that it was weake through the flesh God sending his owne Sonne in the likenesse of sinfull flesh i. e. His sonne who really was not sinfull was made quasi-sinfull and suffered after the likenesse and maner of one really sinfull And 2. Cor. 5.21 For hee hath made him to bee sinne for us who knew no sinne i. e. Hee who really was no sinner him God made a quasi-sinner to suffer for us on the Crosse as a reall sinner for sinne in the abstract is heere put for sinner in the concret And Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us i. e. Hee who really was not cursed was made quasi-cursed in hanging on the Crosse as one really cursed 2. The blemished who justly according to the law of Nations are disabled and debarred from the common rights and priviledges of man to abide in that state and condition which is usually made a punishment for offenders In this ranke is a Bastard who being no reall transgressour against the Law is by an act of the Law made a quasi-transgressour whereby hee is debarred from the right of his birth forfeyting that inheritance or portion which by common course belongs to children as their birth-right For the poore Bastard is predestinated prejudicated decreed and doomed for a sinner before he is borne before hee hath done any good or evill before hee hath stirred in his mothers wombe and before his mother hath conceived him And whensoever he is to be conceived hee shall bee conceived a sinner because his conception being unlawfull and sinfull doth ipso facto render his parents actuall transgressours or sinners legally and himselfe a quasi transgressour or sinner jurally to lose his birth-right when he is borne And by the Law of God the Bastard lost not only his right of Birth but his right of Assembly to him and his heires for ever for hee and they successively stood as persons excommunicate and debarred from entrance into the Congregation of the Lord Deut. 23.2 A Bastard shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord even to his tenth generation shall he not enter i. e. he and his posterity shall never enter for the tenth generation passeth for a perpetuity as the next verse interprets it Such a Sinner is an Alien forreiner or stranger inhabiting a Countrey wherein hee is disabled and debarred from the rights and priviledges of inheritances assemblies societies and other common benefits of the Lawes municipall which the natives of the Land enjoy and consequently he lives in a state and condition which is usually inflicted on sinners as a punishment for sin So the Romans Greeks and other Nations sojourning in Judea were by the Jewes accounted and called sinners because they were aliens and strangers who had no right to the lands and inheritances of that Countrey not to the assemblies congregations and ceremonies of Moses which by the Law were appropriated and entayled to the Nation of the Jewes and to such Proselites as were endenized or made free of their Nation For in this jurall sense the word Sinner is frequently taken in the Evangelists especially where it stands subjoyned with Publicans See Mat. 9.10 and Mat. 11.19 and Marc. 2.15 16. and Luke 5.30 and Luke 15.1 And lastly such a Sinner is a Villain i. e. a bond-slave borne who is no actuall transgressour
or diverse but subordinate and graduall the latter being a degree or accesse unto the former and alwayes supposing it and affected with it at least in the concrete for every kinde man is also or should be upright but every upright man is not necessarily kinde for kindnes is uprightnes and somewhat more because true kindnes doth all the good offices which are due by Law and many more besides which by Law are not due For of Nabal we may say that he was legally righteous or upright to give every man his due but that he was morally righteous or kinde to bestow a courtesie we cannot say for he is branded to be such a man of Belial so unkind and churlish that a man could not speake to him and he reviled David instead of relieving him 1 Sam. 25.17 Of himselfe Paul saith that for legall righteousnes or uprightnes which was by the Law he was blameles Phil. 3.6 but from morall righteousnes or kindnes he was so remote that he was like a mad man against the Saints to persecute imprison and put them to death as he confesseth of himselfe Acts 26.10 3. That of these two virtues the latter is farre more excellent then the former and alwayes preferred before it for uprightnes is a low and servile righteousnesse but kindnes is high and noble the supreme and soveraigne righteousnes in the best and highest degree and is therefore in the Gospel called perfection for Christian perfection consisteth not in being sinles but in deeds of kindenes because uprightnes and kindnes being the two maine degrees of righteousnes he that hath onely the first degree in being onely upright he is imperfect he therefore that hath both degrees in being both upright and kinde he in the phrase of the Scripture is called perfect for though in each degree singly he may be and is very imperfect or peccant yet for having both and joyning both together he is accounted perfect Kindnes in God is Gods perfect righteousnesse whereby God is most glorified and wherein God himselfe doth most glory yea Gods kindnes is called his glory Rom. 3.21 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God i. e. stand in need of the kindnesse of God for seeing the words of this verse are a reason of those in the former therfore the glory of God here must needs be referred to the righteousnesse of God there which as was formerly shewed doth signifie the kindnes of God And kindnesse in man is mans perfect righteousnes for in this kind man hath no other perfection if he have this but his kindnes is a virtue so lovely and obliging beyond uprightnes that for a kinde mans sake some even dare to dye Rom. 5.7 For scarcely for a righteous i. e. an upright man will one dye yet peradventure for a good i. e. a kinde man some would even dare to dye 4. That the person wherein these two righteousnesses of uprightnes and kindnes do concurre and meet together is quite opposite and contrary to the legall sinner mentioned in the verse before who is a transgressour against the Law and therefore cannot be upright and being not upright he can never be truely kinde for he who is not upright toward me to give me that which is my due by Law will much lesse be kinde toward me to give me more then by Law is my due 3. In the third and last sense the word Just or Righteous doth signifie jurally quoad jura for one who is a Proprietary or Owner and hath a right claime or interest eyther in generall as a Communer or Freeman in some Kingdome or Common-wealth or in particular who hath some Free-hold or Estate of his owne in his owne right whether his right be a right in possession by enjoying the present use and fruit of his estate or whether it be a right in capacity by way of interest or claime to some future estate whereof the present possession lies yet in another Such a right of capacity or expectance have the Heyres and Legataries instituted in a Will or Testament unto the estate and goods of the Testator during the Testators life for although the Testators estate bee his owne both for the property and present possession during his life yet also during his life the Heyre by vertue of his nomination in the Will hath a present right or clayme to the future possession of it The like right clayme or interest is imputed given or conveyed in every promise for thereby the promissary hath a present right to the thing granted although the present possession remaine still in the promiser till such time as the promise be performed Such a right of capacity by a present interest or clayme had Abraham during his life to the Land of Canaan whereof by vertue of Gods promise and Covenant he was made heire for sayth Paul Rom. 4.13 The promise was that Abraham should be heire of the world i. e. Of the whole Land of Canaan but Abraham during his life never had the possession of that inheritance for sayth Stephen Act. 7.5 God gave Abraham no inheritance in Canaan no not so much as to set his foot on i. e. no inheritance in possession The man then who hath a jus or right whether in possession or but in capacity is in Scripture called a Just or Righteous man for so Abraham is called the righteous man Esay 41.2 Who called up the righteous man from the East i. e. The man who had the originall and primitive right from whence you derive all that right and interest which you clayme to the Land of Canaan which was first given to Abraham whom I exalted and raysed to the inheritance of that estate by calling him thereto out of the East to follow me he not knowing whither as the footman followes the step of his master to give him the lands of the Nations before him Yet this sense heere of Abrahams being jurally righteous doth not exclude the other two senses for hee was righteous every way both legally morally and jurally but heer in this place the jurall is chiefly respected So the Israelites who were the heyres of Abraham are in many places of Scripture called the Righteous partly in respect of aliens or strangers especially of those who living amongst them were debarred from the Passeover and other holy things and commonly had no right in their Lands or Lawes but were only under their protection and jurisdiction from whence they were called forreigners and strangers within their gates See Exod. 12.43.45 and Exod. 20.10 and Exod. 29.33 and Exod. 30.33 and Levit. 22.10.13 and Numb 1.51 Partly they were called the Righteous in respect of Canaan to the Lands whereof they had a right in possession as the Owners and Freeholders of it for the inheritances thereof were divided by lot among their tribes but chiefly they were so called in respect of God in whom by Covenant they had a right of alliance that hee on his part should bee
or clayme in the Lord that he is their God and thereof they shall not boast in themselves but shall glory in him And Esay 53.11 By his knowledge my righteous servant jizdik shall justifie many i. e. Christ who shall be upright in executing my will and obedient even to the condition of a servant shall by the knowledge or Doctrine by him taught make many to have a right interest and clayme in God as his sonnes and heires to everlasting life for Paul expressing the sense of this place doth instead of the words shall justifie many use these many shall bee made righteous Rom. 5.19 By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous i. e. Many shall bee jurally justified or made to have a right in God which before they had not for the word made heere doth not signifie Declaratively but Efficiently Because the Originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifies constituted ordained or appoynted and in some places of our last English Translation is so rendred See Act. 6.3 and Tit. 1.5 and Heb. 5.1 And Rom. 3.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being justified freely by his grace i. e. procreantly jurified or made to have our right in God without any deserts any workes or any suit on our part but onely by grace on Gods part him thereto especially moving And Roman 4.2 if Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were justified by workes hee hath whereof to glory i. e. if Abraham were procreately or initially jurified or made to have his right of inheritance to the Kingdome of Canaan by the title of his workes he may well boast of them for certainely they must bee mighty workes that could entitle him to a Kingdome or make him to bee the Heire of the World as Paul phraseth it afterward ver 13. And to instance in the first clause of the present Text Knowing that a man is not justified by the workes of the Law i. e. Procreantly jurified or made to have a right to bee constituted or initiated by the workes of the Law 2. Conservantly and so hee is justified or rather jurified who is made to hold his right when that right which hee was made to have before is afterward and moreover preserved continued and maintained unto him for by this efficiency his right is made to subsist and remaine according to the former creation or constitution of it and consequently is kept from escheating reverting revoking forfeiting or otherwise losing for in vaine a man is made to have a right if hee bee not also made to hold it In this sense the word is taken James 2.21 Was not Abraham our Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 justified by workes when hee had offered Isaac his sonne upon the Altar i. e. That right of Inheritance to the Land of Canaan which Abraham was first made to have by his faith or which was created constituted imputed or initiated unto him upon his faith was it not afterward held continued preserved and maintained by his workes in offering up his son And againe vers 24. Yee see how that by works a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is justified and not by faith onely i. e. that right unto salvation which a man is first made to have by his faith is held or continued by his workes for though his faith onely without workes doth first create constitute and commence that right in making him to have it yet faith onely without workes doth not preserve continue and maintaine that right in making him to hold it and though his workes have no efficiency procreant in making him to have that right yet they have an efficiency conservant in making him to hold it And againe vers 25. Was not Rabah the harlot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 justified by workes when she had received the messengers and sent them out another way i. e. the right to be saved at the sacke of Jericho which was first created constituted and imputed unto Rahab by her faith in God was it not afterward preserved continued and held by her workes in receiving the messengers and dismissing them another way Yet this jurall efficiency of the Verb justified doth not necessarily exclude the declarative sense but is so compliant and consistent therewith that it doth advance and further it For if the right which is made us be declared it becomes thereby the more manifest before men and consequently the lesse questionable and therefore in all the places formerly quoted out of James the Verb justified may and doth carry a declarative sense yet not principally but secondarily and accessorily for that our right should be conserved and continued unto us is of absolute necessity to salvation because otherwise wee cannot be saved but that it should be declared and manifested otherwise then Gods Will and Testament declares it we find no such necessity in Scripture And certainly our workes doe declare our right yet not assertorily to pronounce it for workes cannot doe so but illatively and consequently to argue or inferre it by the meanes of our fayth for workes by declaring our fayth doe consequently declare that right which by our fayth wee are made to have For faith being an inward thought of the heart lies of it selfe covered and concealed untill by some outward meanes it be declared or manifested and the proper meanes for that act are not words for a man may easily say hee hath faith but workes for workes are the proper evidence which shew it Hence sayth the Apostle Jam. 2.18 Shew me thy faith without thy workes i. e. Declare or manifest unto mee thy faith which is without workes not by thy words in bidding the poore Depart in peace but by thy workes in giving them those things which are needfull to the body as it is in the former verse before but shew it by thy workes thou canst not because it is solitary alone and without workes as thou sayst it may bee and is Workes then justifie not only efficiently to conserve our right but declaratively also to manifest it by declaring that faith whereby we are made to have it See heere a solid and easie way to cleere that seeming contradiction which some have conceyved betweene Paul and James in the point of Justification for although both these Apostles have the same word justified and both use it in a jurall sense and both in a consignification of efficiency yet apparant it is that both understand not the same kind of efficiency For Paul understands that efficiency which is procreant in making us first to have a right by creating producing and constituting of it which kind of efficiency is proper wholly and only to fayth but no way to workes which are altogether excluded from it But James understands that efficiency which is conservant in making us afterward to hold our right by preserving continuing and maintayning it unto us which kind of efficiency is proper to works yet not wholly and only so as to exclude fayth for fayth is also conservant
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
Lord thy God doth drive them out before thee and that he may performe the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob. The right therefore which the Israelites had to enter that Land proceeded not from their workes but descended from that right which was before in their fathers Nay Abraham himselfe to whom God gave the originall right to that Land and by whose right the Israelites possessed it had not his title to that right by vertue of the literall worke of Circumcision for manifest it is he had that right before his Circumcision Rom. 4.11 and he received the signe of Circumcision as a seale of the righteousnesse of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised i. e. As a seale of the right or title which he had by faith for faith is the right title whereby a man is justified as will appeare in the words following Text. But by the faith The right title to the former state to be understood Exclusively The particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faith needs not be defined Neither can it be defined Yet it may be designed a wayes 1 An high esteem of God is faith exemplified in the Ninevites and the Devils 2. An acceptance of Gods promise is faith Explicated the Nature of Gods Promise and of his Precept and illustrated 3 wayes 1 From the common definition of it 2 From the ConcurreÌ„ce of it to a Promise 3. From Examples in the Old Testament and in the New Faith is a Passive act of Receiveing and Embracing in an easie and noble maner Yet faith hath mighty effects yet only jurally and of grace and they are chiefly 4. 1 It enters Gods Covenant of grace that why so called and how it differs from that of works 2 It assures Gods promise for the possession of it against all difficulties exemplified in Abraham Amen what it signifies 3 〈◊〉 obligeâ—â—â—oth parties 1. God who bindes himselfe by his Promise and by his Oath 2. The Faithfull who is bound by his Acceptance which makes a Contract and by his Baptisme 4. It justifies the faithfull as his Title exemplified in the Old Testament and in the New The faithful are heires of God The second assertion for the Affirmative touching the doctrine of Justification wherein is declared the true and right title whereby a man is justified i. e. whereby procreantly and acquisitively he is made to have a right of divine alliance to bee the son and heire of God namely that this title is by Faith because faith is the cause efficient procreant or meanes acquisitive whereby the right of this state is first acquired initiated commenced or had for what person soever whatsoever act or whatsoever thing is eyther a cause or a meanes of mans Justifying by such person act or thing a man is sayd to be justified and because faith is that act of man therefore a man is justified by faith And this Affirmative amounts to an Exclusive That a man is justified by faith only to exclude and debarre from Justifying all those acts of man which before were called the workes of the Law unto which faith is heer opposed For although the Schoolmen in their Arguments call Faith a Worke and from thence would inferre that a man justified by faith is consequently justified by workes yet the Apostle in his arguments will not endure that faith should be a worke but makes them as contrary in Divinity though both be acts of man as fire and water are in Philosophy though both bee elements of the world Which God continuing his light unto us shall be further made evident in our following Exposition of this clause The particle But hath in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is commonly a word of excepting and signifies unlesse and thereupon to that sense it is generally rendred by the Romish Translators as if the meaning of the Apostle were that A man is not justified by the workes of the Law unlesse to such workes hee adde his faith in Christ. But this cannot bee the meaning in this place for two reasons 1. Because the Apostle argues against this assertion and produceth severall reasons to overthrow it all which were inconclusive by admitting of that meaning 2. Because such a sense would have made no controversie betweene Paul and the false Teachers of Galatia whom hee heere opposeth but would have beene very pleasing unto them and have sided with their opinion For they maintained not that a man should forsake his faith in Christ but that unto his workes of the Law he should adde his faith in Christ and bee justified by virtue of both together joyntly Wherefore the Greeke particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not in this place signifie exceptively but adversatively and is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies But as it doth in many other passages of the New Testament and is so translated See Mat. 12.4 and John 5.19 and 1. Cor. 7.17 and Revel 9.4 In all which plaplaces and more the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie and is Englished But. There is no more necessity of defining Faith which unto mans Right of alliance with God is his right title then there was before of defining workes which were the wrong title For mans Justification is commonly in Scripture referred disjunctively to one of these three titles that it is either by Birth or by Workes or by Faith and the Scripture doth cleerely disclaime the two former titles by Birth and Workes to inferre the latter by Faith The title by Birth is disclaimed Rom. 9.6.7.8 For they are not all Israel which are of Israel neither because they are the seede of Abraham are they all children but in Isaac shall thy seede bee called i. e. They which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the Promise are counted for the seede And the title by Workes is excluded Rom. 3.19.20 Now wee know that what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law that every mouth may bee stopped and all the World may become guilty before God therefore by the deedes of the Law there shall no flesh bee justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sinne And therefore according to that right reasoning which is framed in a disjunction the conclusion must needes inferre the remaining title by faith for so the Apostle concludes Rom. 3.28 Therefore wee conclude that a man is justified by faith As therefore there needes no definition to open the nature of Birth and Workes because those things are sufficiently knowne of themselves and therefore all Writers passe them over undefined So there needes no definition to declare the nature of Faith Because Faith is either manifest enough of it selfe or sufficiently poynted out by the contradistinction of it as it stands opposed to Birth and Workes for things contradistinct and opposite are or should bee equally knowne Neither is there possibility