png the firſt deſigned to a Goſpel Liberty z but that was net ro 1. 641. to bring iu unto Chrilt ;, that we might be juſtified by enjoyed, until the fulneſs oo time tom come when Coins, L to ſend his Son into the World : And during the time of their now. age they were kept under theLaw, as a Tutor and Governoyr, 1... ding them unto Chriſt. He chiefly intendeth the Ceremonial 7 As which As 15. 10. Peter calleth a Toke, which neither they __ their Fatters were able ro bear. He calls their Ordinances the FP of the World; ſoalſo Col. 2. 20. he means that Diſcipline by 1, h God inftru&ed, and under which God by Moſes at firſt tutonred mn... World, that is, the Jews, who were that part of the World tg whom God pleaſed to make his Oracles known. He calls thoſe rity] ſervances, Elements, or Rudiments, becauſe they were the $:3 3. ſtruaions God ga" 2 Believers, leadins them to Chriſt; like th. firſt Elements, or ndiments in Grammer Learnins. = 4 But * when the fulneſs of the time was come 4 ,.. God ſent forth his Son made ofa woman e, * madegr.,
der the Law f. | d The time, which anſwered the time appointed of the xathly 5417, Father, mention'd ver. 2. when that time came in which God had deſigned to. bring his People into the moſt perfect ſtate of Liberty, Which in this Life they are capable of : e God ſent forth is $1", who was exiftent before, (being brought forth before the Mountains oe Hills were ſetled 3 Prov. $. 25.) but not ſent forth until this fulnsſ of time came. And then e made of a1omas', conceived in the Wamh of the Virgin, by the Power of the Holy Ghoft overſhadowing her. f Made under the Law, to which as God he was not ſubjed, (heirg himſelf the Law-maker;) but he ſubjeted himſelf. He was horn in a Nation and of a Parent under the Law; he was Circumciſe, and ſubmitted to the Ceremonial Law : He in all things conformed his Life to the rule of the Law; and ſubjetted himſelf to the Curſe of the Law, being made a Curſe for us. Nothing of-this isqueſti oned, except the laſt z which yet appears alſo to have been neceſ- ſary by what followeth in the next Verſe 3 for how elſe could he have redeemed thofe, who were under the Law ? and*this agreeth with what we had, chap. 3. 13. 5 To redeem them that were nnder the law 5, *that
we might re.cive the adoption of ſons :.
s This makes it appear, that Chriſt's being under rhe Liw muſt be underſtood as well of the Moral as of the Ceremonial La, that is, ſubje& to the Precepts of it, as well as to the Curſe of it; For it the end of this being born under the I aw, was 10 redeem thoſe thit were under it, that he had not reached by being meerly under the Cere- monial Law : For the Gentiles were not under that Law, but only under the Moral Law ; t and they alſo were to be redcemed, andto reccive the great Priviledge of A{4oprioz, or rather, the Rights ot a- dopted Children z which (ſome think) is to be underſtood here, ra- ther than what is ftriatly to be underſtood by the Term of Ado- ption, viz. a right to be called, and to be the Sons of God. Ofhers by Adoption underftand that full ſtate of liberty of which the Apo- ſtle had been before ſpeaking, in oppoſition to that ſtate of child- hood: and non-age in which Believers were until the times of the Goſpel; for chap. 5. 1. we ſhall find that that was a liberty where- with Chriſt made us free: And indeed this laft ſenſe ſeemeth beſt to agree with what the Apoſtle had before ſaid, ver. 1, 2,3« (t0 the other ſenſes are not to be excluded.)
6 And becauſe you are ſons «, God hath ſent forth * the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Aba, : Father w.
4 Leſt the Jews ſhould claim the Adoption as peculiar to them, 1! the Apoſtle tells them that theſe Gentiles were alſo Sons: and 1n confirmation of that, he ſaith, w that God had ſent the Spirit of Mis Son into theirs hearts : Not that the Holy Spirit is not the Spirit of the Father, as well as of Chrif? ; but he calleth him the 87/7! vj Cri, becauſe he had made Adoption the end, and fruir of X'%
faith k. |
b Both'the Law contained in Ordinances, and the moral Law, -7 was our Schogl-maſter z ſerving us in the ſame ficad that a School- matter in a School doth, who only fitteth Children for higher de- orees of Learning at Univerfities. The Ceremonial ſhewed us Chriſt in all his Types and Sacrifices 3 the Moral Law, ſhewed us the abſolute need of a Mediator, as it ſhewed us fin, accuſed and condemned us for. it ; and it ſhewed us no help either tor the guilt iſt the power of it. & So that God's end
of fin contracted, or again in givins us the'Law, was that we might be fitted for Chriſt, and
obtain Juſtification by believing in him. 25 Bur after that faith is come, we are no longer
nnder a ſchool-maliter /.
1 After that Chriſt, the obj2& of ſaving Faith, was in the ful- nk of time revealed ; and the Goſpel (which is the Dottrin of Faith) was fully revealed and publiſhed, the time of our non-age WAS OVCr. : 2
- 26 For ye * are all the children of God by faith in Chriſt Jeſus m. = |
mm All vou that believe, whether Native ſews or Gentiles, are the Children of God by Adoption through Faith in Jeſus Chriſt, *oh. 1. 12. ſo that you need not run back to th? Law to look for Helo and Salvation from that ; but only look unto Chriſt, to whom the Laws was but a School-maſter to lead you, who being fully and clearly revealed, you may have iinmediate recourſe to him by Faith, and need not to make uſe of the Jewiſh School-maſter, as hoping for Juſtification from the obſervances of the Law.
27 For as many of you as have * been baptized into
Chriſt zz, have put on Chrilt o.
Baptizing in Chrid, may either be underſtood of receiving the Sacrament of Baptiſm 3 which whoever receiveth , is not only baptized in the Name of Chriſt, and into the profeſſion of Chriſt ; | but is ſacramentally, or in a ſign, baptized into Chriſt; or elſe (which confidering what followeth, ſeemeth much more probably the ſenſe) it may lignifie a being not only baptized with water, but with the Holy Gho$t and fire. 0 Of thoſe thus baptized, he ſaith, that they kad put on Chrif; they had accepted of, and received Chriſt for their Juſtification, and for their SanQification. We have the like Phraic, Agm. 13. 14s
28 * There 1s neither Jew nor Greek p, there 1s nei- ther bond nor free q, there is neither male nor female,
x Cor. 12. for ye are all * one in Chrilt Jeſus 7.