ather oj the faittf:l, that is, they are juſtified as Abraham was jufti- fied; who was juftified not by his Circumcition, but upon his be- lieving in Chriſt exhibited to him in the promiſe: Not by working, but by 7zipuratzicy, This Argument came very cloſe to the Jews, whoſe great glorying was in having Abraham to their Father ; for It is in effect a laying, that they were no true Children of Abraham, non- of that yecd to whom the Promiſe was made, if they exyetted Juſtincation from the works of the Law, which Abraham never had, nor expected. 8 And the Scripture q foreſecing that God would juſtihe che heathen through faith preached before the
* Gen.12. goſpel 7 unto Abraham, ſaying, * In thee ſhall all na-
'& 15, Lions be bleſſed 5.
3. & 22. 4 The Holy Ghoſt in Scripture (by whoſe inſpiration the Scrip-
g: ture was written) foreſeeing, or knowing the Councils and De-
AQs.3.25. ſigns of God, that the Heathen (when the fiilneſs of times as to them ſhould come) ſhould be juſtified through Faith in Chrift ; preached the ſame Dottrin before unto Abraham, fo as it is no new Dottrin z the Goſpel which we now preach unto you, was long ſince revealed unto Abr2ham 5 who ſaw Chriſt's day, and rejoyced, Fok. $.56. £ Toprove which, he quoteth the Promiſe, Gez. 12. 3. where God tells Abraham, That in him all the Nations of the Earth ſhould be bleſed ; which quotation of it by the Apoſtle in this place informeth us, that it is to he underſtood of thoſe ſpiritual Bleſ- Iings which are in Chrift Jeſus. For all the Nations of the Earth were no otherwiſe bleſſed in Abraham, than as Chrift (who is called the defire of all Nations, and he in whom the Gentiles ſhould truſt, and 4 light 10 enlighten the Gentiles) deſcended from Abraham.
9 So then they which be of ftaith z, are bleſied with
faithful Abraham «.
t '7hoſe that believe in Jeſus Chriſt with ſuch a faith as the Goſpel doth require, they, and they alone, # are bleſſed with ſpi- ritual bleſſings, juſtified from the guilt of Sin z with Abraham, that is, in the ſame manner, that Abraham, the Father of the. faithful, and who himſelf was a believer, was juſtified z which was not (as was betore ſaid) by his Circumciſion, or by any works that he did, but by imputation upon his belicving in the Lord Jeſus Chrift, ex- hibited, and held forth in the promite made to him.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curſe; tor it is written, Curſed is every one that continueth not in all chiags which are written in the. book of the law to do them w.
# The Argument is this, Thoſe that are under a curſe, cannot be under the blc{fing of Juſtification, But thol: that are under the
* ROM. 4. I1,12,16, ©
2 2 3 I
Law arc under the curſe. This he proves out of the Law. n. 27. 26. where thoſe are pronounced Curſed, who cont "ny = TOI things written in the book of the Law to do them. w To to wn. a} Law, is under the Covenant of works, or under the expeRati n the Lite and Salvation only from Obedience to the works © the 1; hg 'iheſe (he faith) are under the curſe; the reaſon of which the rear ſcle gives us, Rom. 8. 3. Becauſe it js made weak throup) cur fi
Could Man perfettly fulfill the Law, he might expett 1;f- mica and falvation from his obedience to itz but the Law curſeth ' ” thar continueth not in all that 3s written in it; If a May keon-11 ou whole Law, if he offends but in one point, he is guilty of als >nd x xs able to the wrath of God, as if he had broken it in many Ping Hence it neceſſarily followeth, if no Man can keep ths 1 11. God perfe&tly, that all under the Law muſt be under the ©.
and conſequently cannot be bleſfed with faithful Abrabajz,
11 But * that no man 1s juſtified by the lay jq th- ; - ight of God, it is evident *; for the jult ſhail live yr 1s. * faith x. Row, x The Apoſtle by another Argument proveth that finners ave 27- not juſtified by works. He grants, they may be: juſtified by thejr HE. 1 good and blameleſs living before Men, fo as that they may have ng. 1%» thing to ſay againſt them, but he ſays they cannot by ſuch works be juſtified iz rhe ſight of God. His Argument is from the oppyj. tion that is between Fazth and I/orts. He proveth from #2. 2, . That we are juſtified by Faith: Where the Prophet faith, that the jaſt (or righteous Man) ſhall live by Faith, fetch his life from F:ich live his ſpiritual Lite by Faith, and obtain eternal Life by Faith, the life of his righteouſnels ſhall be by Faith.
12 And * the law 1s not of faith y, but * the may +344
that doth them, ſhall live in them =. 4, 5,
» The Law faith nothing of Faith in the Medzazor; tho! faith 19. 5,6 in God be commanded in the firſt Precept 3 yet Faith in Chrif i; &11.6 not commanded by the Law as that by which the Soul ſhall ljze, * Leris 2 For that wEich the Law ſaith, is, Do this and Itve. 7 The Manthar © 5: doth the things contained in the Law, ſhall live in them. LiÞ jn Ex the Law is promiſed to thoſe who do the things which it requireth, !t not to them, who having failed in their Pertormances, yt accep; 8.1 of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt as the Redeemer which God hath (:ne, 5 and believe in him who juftifieth the ungodly. For that by the Life promiſed to the obſervation of the Law, not a temporal Life only is to be underſtood, bat eternal Life alſo, is plain from our Saviour's Application of it to the young Man, inquiring about the way to eternal Life, Mat. 19. 16, 17, Luke 10. 23.
13 * Chriſt hath redeemed us from the curſe of the *ton law a, by being made a curſe for us b; for it js writ- 3 20 ren, Curſed zs every one that hangeth on a tree ce;