8. The apostle gives another reason why it cannot be of works, and withal obviates an objection which might arise from what he had declared, Eph. ii. 10, " For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." And the force of his reason, which the causal conjunction intimates the introduction of, consists in this: — that all good works, — those concerning which he treats, evangelical works, — are the effects of the grace of God in them that are in Christ Jesus, and so are truly justified antecedently in order of nature unto them. But that which he principally designed in these words was that which he is still mindful of, wherever he treats of this doctrine, — namely, to obviate an objection that he foresaw some would make against it ; and that is this, " If good works be thus excluded from our justification before God, then of what use are they? we may live as we list, utterly neglect them, and yet be justified." And this very objection do some men continue to manage with great vehemency atjainst the same doctrine. We meet with nothing: in this cause
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more frequently, than that " if our justification before God be not of works, some way or other, if they be not antecedaneously required thereunto, if they are not a previous condition of it, then there is no need of them, — men may safely live in an utter neglect of all obe- dience unto God." And on this theme men are very apt to enlarge themselves, who otherwise give no great evidences of their own evan- gelical obedience. To me it is marvellous that they heed not unto what party they make an accession in the management of this objec- tion,— namely, unto that of them who were the adversaries of the doctrine of grace taught by the apostle. It must be elsewhere con- sidered. For the present, I shall say no more but that, if the answer here given by the apostle be not satisfactory unto them, — if the grounds and reasons of the necessity and use of good works here declared be not judged by them sufficient to establish them in their proper place and order, — I shall not esteem myself obliged to attempt their farther satisfaction.
Phil. iii. 8, 9. " Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."
This is the last testimony which I shall insist upon, and although it be of great importance, I shall be the more brief in the considera- tion of it, because it hath been lately pleaded and vindicated by an- other, whereunto I do not expect any tolerable reply. For what hath since been attempted by one, it is of no weight ; he is in this matter o'Jrs rplrog oiirs r'srapTog. And the things that I would observe from and concerning this testimony may be reduced into the ensuing heads: —
1. That which the apostle designs, from the beginning of this chap- ter, and in these verses, is, in an especial manner, to declare what it is on the account whereof we are accepted with God, and have thereon cause to rejoice. This he fixeth in general in an interest in, and par- ticipation of, Christ by faith, in opposition unto all legal privileges and advantages, wherein the Jews, whom he reflected upon, did boast and rejoice : " Rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh," verse 8. .
2. He supposeth that unto that acceptance before God wherein we are to rejoice, there is a righteousness necessary; and, whatever it be, [it] is the sole ground of that acceptance. And to give evidence hereunto, —
8. He declares that there is a twofold righteousness that may be pleaded and trusted unto to this purpose : — (1 .) " Our own righte-
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ousness, which is of the law." (2.) " That which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." These he asserts to be opposite and inconsistent, as unto tlie end of our justifi- cation and acceptance with God: " Not having mine own righteous- ness, but that which is," etc. And an intermediate rigliteousness between these lie acknowledgeth not.
4. Placing the instance in himself, he declares emphatically (so as there is scarce a greater ird&og, or veheniency of speech, in all his writings) which of these it was that he adhered unto, and placed his confidence in. And in the handling of this subject, there were some things which engaged his holy mind into an earnestness of expression in the exaltation of one of these, — namely, of the righteousness which is of God by faith ; and the depression of the other, or his own right- eousness. As, —
(1.) This was the turning point whereon he and others had for- saken their Judaism, and betaken themselves unto the gospel. This, therefore, was to be secured as the main instance, wherein the greatest controversy that ever was in the world was debated. So he express- eth it. Gal. ii. 15, 16, "We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law." (2.) Hereon there was great opposi- tion made unto this doctrine by the Jews in all places, and in many of them the minds of multitudes were turned off from the truth (which the most are generally prone unto in this case), and perverted from the simplicity of the gospel. This greatly affected his holy soul, and he takes notice of it in most of his epistles. (3.) The iveight of the doctrine itself, with that unwillingness which is in the minds of men by nature to embrace it, as that which lays the axe to the root of all spiritual pride, elation of mind, and self-pleasing whatever, — whence innumerable subterfuges have been, and are, sought out to avoid the efficacy of it, and to keep the souls of men from that uni- versal resignation of themselves unto sovereign grace in Christ, which they have naturally such an aversation unto, — did also affect him. (4.) He had himself been a great sinne?' in the days of his ignorance, by a peculiar opposition unto Christ and the gospel. This he was deeply sensible of, and therewithal of the excellency of the gi-ace of God and the righteousness of Christ, whereby he was delivered. And men must have some experience of what he felt in himself as unto sin and grace, before they can well understand his expressions about them.