a The Scripture referr'd to, 1s in Gen. 15. 6. The Apoſilca little varies the Words; in Gerefts 'tis, He believed in God, bur here He believed God : Again in Geneſis "tis expreſt Attively; He imputed it ro him for Righteenſueſs ; but here Pajtively, It was imputed to him for Rightebuſneſs. The Anſwer 1s, "That the Apoſtle in both follow'd the Septuagint, which wasthen more in uſe than the Hebrew Text ; and both are capable of an eaſte Reconciliation, the Difference be- ing more in Sound than in Sence. e #.e. The Promiſes of God, that he wou!d be his Shield, arid exceeding great Reward, Gen. 15, 1. That he would give him an Heir of his Body, ver. 4 Thar he would multiply his Sced, wer. 5. whereby he underſtood not only tiis Fleſhly Seed, but alſo the Meſſiah, the Saviour of the World, which was to come of his Loins ; He took on him the Seed of Abra- ham, Heb 2. 16. and belides theſe Promiſes in Gen 15. He belie- ved that P:omife which was made him, Gen 12. 3. That in him and his Seed, ill Familics of the Earth ſhould be bleſſed, That in theſe Promiſes the Meſſiah is underſtood, 1s evident from Gal. 3. $. 16. and that Abraham had an Eye to him is evident, withour exception, from John $8, 56. f 1.e. He was Juſtified thereby. To have Faich imputed for Righteouſneſs, and to be Juſtified by Faith is the ſame thing. Faith is not our Righteouſneſs materially, but objeQively and organically, as it apprehends, and applies the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, which 1s the Matter of our Juftificatiren. Our Adverſaries the Papiſts, oppoſe the Imputation of Chriſt's Righteouſneſs to us ; they Cavil at the very Word,and call it a Putative Righteouſneſs; and yet the Apoſtle victh the Word Ten times in this Chapter, and in the ſame Scnce that we take it. But how ſhall we Reconcile our Apoſtle with St. James about the manner of Abrahams Juſtificati- on : He ſays exprelly, James 2. 21. that Abraham our Father wag Juſtifica by Works, when he offered his Son Tſaac: and thence he in- ters, ver. 24. That By Works a man is juſtified, and not by Faith only. They are cafily Reconcil'd, foraſmuch as the One Ditcourſeth of the Cauſe of our Juſtification before God ; the Other of the Signs of Juſtification betore Men. The One ſpeaks of the Impuration of Righteouſneſs ; the Other of the Declaration of Righteouſneſs. The One ſpeaks of the Office of Faith, the other of the Quality of Faith, The One ſpeaks of the Juſtification of the Perſon, the Other of the Faith of that Perſon. The One ſpeaks of Abrahar, zo be Juſtifed ; the Other of Abrahom alrcady Juſtihied.
4 Now * to him that woiketh pg, is the reward not
1eckoned of prace, but of deht þ.
[ic procecds to prove that 4brabam was not Juſtified by Works, but by Faith, +nd free Grace, and fo had no caute of Boefting. This he Illuſtrates by a Compariſon betwixt one tha: Worketh, and one that Werketh x,or, but belicucth. g i.e. To him that Worketh" with a deſign or intent to Obtain or Merir Juſtification by his Works. for lic he that Belicveth, allo Worketh;, only he is ſaid not ro Work, Secunarm quid, after a fort, to the end or intent that he might Merit by it. + 1 e peaks this by way of Suppoſition, in caſe he monld have FulfilPd the Condition of perfe& Obedience : And yer ro {peak properly, there is no Reward, as a due Debr from God ro kim that Worketh, Rom. 11. 35. only he ſpeaks afrer the manner of Men, ind uleth a Civil Maxim, taken from Human Afffeairs.
5 Bur to him that worketh not z, hut believeth on him that juitificch theungodly &, his faith is counted for righ- eeoulſne is 7.
; 2, e, To him that Worketh, not to the end or intent before-men- ticned, or with reſpe&t to Juſtification, but takes the other way to be Juſtificd ard Saved, and that is the way of Belteving. k That
mikes him, who is wicked in himſelf, Juſt and Righteous in Chriſt, | other Sacraments; take for inſtance che Lords's S&pper:
Chap or Juſtifies him that was ungodly, bur after Juſtification ; Godly. By ungodly, ſome would underſtand ſuch 1; ns made Perfection of Godlineſs as they may build the Hopes of Juſt;s that on upon ; becauſe the Propoſition is drawn from the In6- " Abraham, a Man not void of Godlineſs, 1. Not conſidereq © of ſelf as a Work, bur in relation to Chriſt, the Obje& of je. .._ an A& of Receiving and Applying him; as Eatins __— though it be the Meat that doth it. So, &c, ” "meth,
6 Evenas David alſo deſcriberh 2 the || blefſednef; of 0 the Man unto whom God imputeth righteouſneſs withg., li works. "i
To the Example of 4braham taken from Moſes, he adjoing tl,
: . : - the Teſtimony of David, that ſo he might more fully prove whic '* had Aferted, Ch. 3.21. Both the One and the other were of s, R Authority amonglit the Jews. m Here it may be ObjeQeg ps David no where ſays, That he is Bleſſed unto whom God —— Righteouſneſs without Works, 4. Though the Words be no Ke og Extant in David, yetthe Sence is, as appears in what follows
7 Saying, Bleiled are they whole iniquities are torpi. ven », and whoſe ſins are covered.
» This Teſtimony is taken out of Pjal. 32. 1. and it js we) - nough Accommodiated to the Occaſion ; for thoſe two, to ren; 5, and to impure Righteouſneſs are inſeparable. The one is put here Fa guratively forthe other : They miſtake, who take Occation from hence, to make Juſtification to confiſt only in Remiſſion of Sin . T\,. Text will not bear it. The Apoſtle's deſign is, not hereby to («. clare the full Nature of Juſtification, which he had done bety;e.. bur only to prove the Freedom of it from any Reſpe& to Wyrl; in the inſtance of this principal and eſſential part of it, Rem: 7f Sin, and the Imputation of R:ighteouſneſs, differ, as the Cauſe, 3nd the Efe#. Remiſſiin of Sim, preſuppoleth Imputation of Rizhtegujy and he that hath his Sins remitted, harh Chriſt's Righ:1ouſusſ; fri jy. puted, that ſo they may be remitted and forgiven to 2 wners.
3 Bleiled 5s the man to whom the Lord will not imputz fin 0.
o The ſame thing is expreſt three ſeveral ways ; there are the, Things in Sin to be conlider'd. 1. There 1s an Offenice ag.inf Gy, whichis ſaid to be Forgiven. 2. There is a Filthineſs in Sin, which is ſaid to be Covered, 3. There is Guilt in it, which 15 Ci nor 4 be imputed.
9 Comth p this bleſſedneſs then upon the circumcijon 4 only, or upon the uncircumciſion alſo 2? For we fay 7 tlat tairh was reckoned to Abraham for righteouſnets.
0
2, 2%