_Do we then make void the law thro’ Faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law._
1. SAINT _Paul_ having in the beginning of this epistle, laid down his general proposition, namely, That _the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth_: the powerful means, whereby God makes every believer a partaker of present and eternal salvation, goes on to shew, that there is no other way under heaven, whereby men can be saved. He speaks particularly of salvation from the guilt of sin, which he commonly terms justification. And that all men stood in need of this, that none could plead their own innocence, he proves at large by various arguments, addrest to the Jews as well as the Heathens. Hence he infers (in the 19th verse of this chapter) _That every mouth_, whether of Jew or Heathen, must _be stopt_ from excusing or justifying himself, _and all the world become guilty before God. Therefore_, saith he, by his own obedience, _by the works of the law, shall no flesh be justified in his sight_, ver. 20. _But now the righteousness of God without the law_, without our previous obedience thereto, _is manifested_, ver. 21. _Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all that believe_, ver. 22. _For there is no difference_, as to their need of justification, or the manner wherein they attain it. _For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God_, (ver. 23.) the glorious image of God wherein they were created: and all (who attain) _are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ_: ver. 24. _Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, thro’ faith in his blood_――ver. 25. _That he might be just, and yet the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus_; ver. 36. that without any impeachment to his justice, he might shew him mercy, for the sake of that propitiation. _Therefore we conclude_, (which was the grand position he had undertaken to establish) _That a man is justified by faith, without the works of the law_, ver. 28.
2. It was easy to foresee an objection which might be made, and which has in fact been made in all ages: namely, That to say _we are justified without the works of the law_, is to abolish the law. The apostle, without entering into a formal dispute, simply denies the charge. _Do we then_, says he, _make void the law through faith? God forbid! Yea, we establish the law._
3. The strange imagination of some, that St. _Paul_, when he says, _A man is justified without the works of the law_, means only the _ceremonial_ law, is abundantly confuted by these very words. For did St. _Paul establish_ the _ceremonial_ law? It is evident, he did not. He did _make void_ that law through faith, and openly avowed his doing so. It was the _moral_ law only of which he might truly say, We do not make void but _establish_ this _through faith_.
4. But all men are not herein of his mind. Many there are who will not agree to this. Many in all ages of the church, even among those who bore the name of Christians, have contended, That _the faith once delivered to the saints_, was designed to make void the whole law. They would no more spare the moral than the ceremonial law, but were for _hewing_, as it were, _both in pieces before the Lord_: vehemently maintaining, “If you establish any law, _Christ shall profit you nothing: Christ is become of no effect to you: ye are fallen from grace_.”
5. But is the zeal of these men according to knowledge? Have they observed the connection between the law and faith? And that considering the close connection between them, to destroy one is indeed to destroy both? That to abolish the moral law is in truth, to abolish faith and the law together? As leaving no proper means, either of bringing us to faith, or of _stirring up that gift of God_ in our soul.
6. It therefore behoves all who desire either to come to Christ, or to _walk in Him whom they have received_, to take heed how they _make void the law through faith_; to secure us effectually against which, let us enquire, first, which are the most usual ways of _making void the law through faith_, and secondly, How we may follow the apostle, and by faith _establish the law_.
I. 1. Let us, first, inquire, Which are the most usual ways of _making void the law through faith_. Now the way for a preacher to make it all void at a stroke, is, Not to preach it at all. This is just the same thing, as to blot it out of the oracles of God. More especially when it is done with design; when it is made a rule, “Not to preach the law:” and the very phrase, “A preacher of the law,” is used as a term of reproach, as tho’ it meant little less than, “an enemy to the gospel.”