i He proves, That the 7:ws were ignorant of the Righteouſneſs ' God, becauſe they were ignorant of Chriſt, the true end of the law, k q.d. The Law was given for this ead, that Sinners be- ing thereby brought to the knowlecge of their Sins, and their Loſt and damn*d Eſtate, by reiſon thereof, ſhould fly to Chriſt, md his Rightcouſneſs for Refuge. wid. Gal 3. 19. 24. Orelſe, Chriſt is the end of the Law, ie. the Perfection and Conſummarion |; thereof, The Word 1s taken in this fence, 1 Tim. 1.5. He per-| f:&cd the Ceremonial Law, as being the ſubſtance whereof all the ' Ceremonies of the Law were ſhadows; they all referred ro him as their ſcope and end. He perfeRed aiſo the 1oral Law, partly by his | Ative Obedience, fuifilling all the righreonſmeſs thereof, partly by his Paſive Obedience, bearing the Curſe, and puniſhment of the Law, which was due to us. Whatever the Laws. required that- we | ſhould do or ſuffer, he hath perfe&ed ir on our behalf, wid. Chap. 8. 4. |
5 For Moſes deſcribeth the righteouſneſs which is of 1: tnelaw, * That the man which doth choſe chings ſhall 1, live| by them /.
| In this and the following Verſes, he ſhews the great difference that is between the Righteonſne/: of the Law, and the Righteouſneſs of Fith ; and this diffcrence 15 taught us in the books ot Moſes him- {If As for the Righteonjneſs of the Law, that is plainly deſcribed by Miſes, Lewit.18. 5. And it tells us expreſly, Thar the Man, who | doth perionally, perfectly, and conantly obſerve, and do what- | loever the Law requires, ſhall be rewarded with Eternal Life, wzd, | chap. 2. 13+ and Notes there : And on the contrary it implies thus much, That whoſo fails, or falls ſhort, ſhall incur Death and Dam- ration This alfo it declares in other places, Deuz. 27. 26. Gal. 3. 19. This is a hard ſaying; who can hear it? Ir ſhuts us all our of
eaven, 1t turns us into Hell, it lays upon us impotiible Conditions. - us hearken therefore to the Righteouſneſs of Frith; Of which in
1 next.
6 But the righteouſneſs which is of faith ſpeaketh on this wiſe 22, Say not in thine heart », who ſhall atcend nto heaven 0? that is, to bring Chriſt down from 4- bove p?
mBy a proſopopzia (a frequent Figure in Scripture) he puts the Perion of a reaſonable Creature upon the Righteouſne(s of Faith, and bringeth it 1n ſpeaking and declaring it 1718, a: followtrh; or elle the meaning 1s, That the Scripture, or A:/es /peaketþ thas of the Righ- femſneſs of Faith. Theſe words are taken out of Dent 39. #2, 23 pu: queſtion 1s, Whether Pau! doth properly ajledge this place in diref] oy” —_ allude toit; fome thuk the Lutrer, Thar Moſes On y peaks of the Law, and cat tie Apoitie, by an Alluſton, ri. Pa of Accommodation, appites 1t unto Faity; Hcnce 'tis kn > Fan oth not cite the very words of Moſes, bur alters 21d adds —_ as beſt ſerved his Purpoſe. Bur others think, Thar this enly nM mw the force of St. Paul', Argument, if he thowd ho SO e unto this Teſtimony of Moſes, and nor contirm that which
ended by the ſame, Therefore their Opinion is, That theſe
Ld
to fruſtrate, and make void the 42:15 of Chriſt ; "tis as much as to ſay. He never died for us, or he muſt commagain and tuffer, and ſhed his Blood for the Remiſſion of our Sins, We 4:e4 to deliver us fron Death and Damnation; He endured the wrath ot God, thar we may eſcape it. The ſence of the whole is this, That the Do&rine of Juſtification by Faith, doth not propoſe ſuch d'ficult and impoſſible Terms, as the Doctrine of uſt: fication by Works. The R:gnteou- neſs of the Law, that ſpeaks terror, and puts us Info a continual ter of Hed, and defpair of Heaven ; but the Righteouſneſs of Faith, that ſpeaks Comfort, and forbids all amazing fear and troubles abour our Salvation or Damnation.
8 Buc what caich it 5? The word is nigh thee z, ever: in thy mouth, and in thy heart: Thar is che word of faith which we preach .
s z7.e What ſaith the Text in Dexz. 3o. 14, Or what ſlith the Rightcouſneſs of Faith * what 1s its Stile and Language 2 In the //xth and jeventh Vertcs he did but tel] ns what it faid not; bur here he tells us what it ſaith, 7 #7. e. The matter required of thee, in or- der to Life and Salvation, He ſeems in theſe words to Declare the readineſs and ealinels of the way of Salvariun, as taught us in the Goſpel, and by the Righteouſneſs of Fairh, God requires no hud thing of us; To Croſs the Seas ; ro Climb the Mountains; to take long and painti:] Journeys, fO find iC out. The v ay ot Salvarion under the Goſpel hath bur a ſhort cuz; 1t requires not fo much the labour of the hand, as the conteſfion of rhe wourh, and the belief of the heart; or, the word that teacherh ir, is ar band, it is as if ir were in thy mouth and heart. A proverbiil ſpeech (as fome think) ro ſhew the readinet5 of it. # By the word of Faich, he means the Goſpel, and the Defrine of it : and the Goſpel is to called, either effeFively, becauſe it works Faith; or ovjetively, becauſe it is the proper Object of it.
9 That * if chou ſhale confeſs with thy mouth the Lord Jeſus, and fſhalr believe in thine heart thar God hath raiſed him from the dead, thou ſhalc be fa- ved w. |
w 9. 4. There are but theſe two things which the Gu/pe! princi- pally requires in order to our Salvation, The one is, the Confeſſion of Chrift with our mouths, and that in fpight of all Perſecution ant Danger, to own Him for our Lord, and tor our eſis; and to de-
| Clarz, that we are and will be ruled and faved by him, and by him
only, The oclier is to believe in our hearcs, That God hath raiſed him from the Dead. This Article of the Reſurre&ion of Chriſt, preſuppoleth a}] the reſt, and faſtnerh together, as by a Link, all the Antecedents and Confequents of it ; his 4ſcenſion, Seſſion at the right hand of God, and Interceſim, which toliowed after. This Ar- ticle therefore, by a Figure, is put for all the ref ; and this is mentioned, becauſe the dearh and paſiin of Chriff hid availed us nothing, unlels He had rifea :22in; for thereby be obtained a per- fect Victory over Sin, Death, and Damnation, for ali the Ele&, This is the principal Ground ot our 7/7/fcation, as hath been !4id, chap 4. ulc. | To For with the heart man » belic-2th unto r ohre-
ouſneſs ;, with the mouth confeilion is made unty (al- vation 2.