ham, or to his seed,

that he should be his posterity, that they should possess so great a part the heir of the world, of the world, Idumæa and a great deal more beside was not to Abra- Canaan, (under which also heaven was typically prothrough the law, but mised and comprehended, Heb. xi. 14. 16,) was not through the righte- made by the Mosaical law, or consequently upon condition of performing and observing of that, (see note [g] Matt. v.) but by this other evangelical way of new obedience, without having observed the law of Moses, without being circumcised.

ousness of faith.

14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the pro

14. For if that inheritance were made over to them upon observation of the Mosaical law, upon the Jews' being circumcised, &c., then, as faith, or this evanmise made of none gelical way of justifying sinners, is vanished on one side, and what is said of Abraham's being justified by faith is concluded to be false, so the promise itself, which was shewed to be the thing by which Abraham was justified, and to belong to all Abraham's seed, not to the Jews only, ver. 12, is vanished also.

effect:

15

7 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

which is of the faith

15, 16. This again appears by another argument; for it is evident of the law of Moses, that all which that doth is to bring sin and punishment into the world, as the law of circumcision given to the Jews 16 Therefore it is made it a sin, and punishable in a Jew, if he were not of faith, that it might circumcised on the eighth day, but gave him no right be by grace; to the end the promise of merit, no title to heaven, or to any other reward, might be sure to all in case he did observe that or the like ordinances, the seed; not to that were circumcised, &c., (for these were before the only which is of the command of circumcision made over to Abraham and law, but to that also his sced by the promise of God.) And so for other of Abraham; who is more substantial duties, the law by commanding them the father of us all, doth but enhance the contrary sin, which if it were not for the commandment could not be so high a degree of crime or contempt of known law, but doth not give a man right to any reward for observing it. From whence it necessarily follows, that it, that is, the promise of reward, ver. 13, justification, &c. must have been made in respect to faith, or to believers, (and not founded upon any merit of any legal performances, on God's giving or our observing that law of circumcision, &c.,) and by that means indeed it becomes an act of promise, and that promise merely of grace, not depending on Judaical performances, and so it belongs to all the seed, (that is, to all

6 to Abraham or his seed, that he should be the heir of the world, was not by the law: Où γὰρ διὰ νόμου ἡ ἐπαγγελία τῷ ̓Αβραὰμ ἢ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ, τὸ κληρονόμον αὐτὸν εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου. 8 that it may be a firm promise, εἰς τὸ εἶναι βεβαίαν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν.

7 fur, γάρ.

9

they were.

that do as Abraham did,) is made good (see note [d] 1 Peter ii.) to all sorts of believers, (not only to the Jews,) who are spiritually children of Abraham, that is, believers like him, born anew after his example or similitude, though not springing from his loins; for in this respect it is that he is said to be the father of us all, that is, of all the faithful, Gentiles as well as Jews.

17 (As it is writ- 17. (As it is written of him, that he should be the ten, I have made thee father of more nations than one, nay (as the word a father of many na- many often signifies) of all, that is, of the Gentile betions,) [b] before him whom he be- lievers also,) in like manner as God, in whom he lieved, even God, believed, is the Father of the Gentiles as well as who quickeneth the Jewish believers, and accordingly justified Abraham dead, and calleth without Mosaical obedience, and so will justify Genthose things which be not as though tile Christians, begetting them by the gospel to a new life; and then upon this change, this reformation, though sinners and Gentiles by birth, yet accounting them children, receiving and embracing them in Christ. And there is nothing strange in all this, when we remember who it is that hath made this promise, even that God who is able to do all things, even to raise the dead to life again, and so to quicken the Gentiles that are dead in sins, (as he quickened the womb of Sarah, and enabled old Abraham to beget a son,) and give them grace to forsake their former deadness and barrenness, and incapacity of God's favour, viz. their heathen sins, and to deal with those despised heathen as he doth with the Jews themselves, that have received most of his favour, and pretend a peculiar title to it: (see Luke xv. 24.)

become the father of

18 Who against 18. And this is exemplified to us in that which, we hope believed in see, befell Abraham, who having no natural grounds hope, that he 10might of hope, (either in respect of Sarah or himself,) did many nations, ac- yet (upon God's promise, Gen. xv.) hope and believe cording to that which that he should have a son, and so be a stock from was spoken, So shall whence (that is, literally, from his body) many nathy seed be.

19 And being not

tions should spring, a most numerous progeny, even as many as the stars of heaven for multitude. (And then why may not the Gentiles upon coming in to the faith of Christ, and reforming their Gentile lives, be as capable of God's promises, made to all true penitents, whatsoever impossibility seem to be in it, in respect of their former sins and desperateness of their condition?)

19. He, we know, by a strong faith overcame all 10 should become, eis td yevéolai.

9 answerable to him.

weak in faith, he the difficulties in nature, and considered no objections considered not his that might be made against the probableness of God's own body now dead, when he was performing the promise:

rah's womb :

11

about an hundred 20. Neither interposed he any question, demur, or years old, neither yet doubt, through any suspicious fearful passion in himthe deadness of Sa- self, but, without all dispute to the contrary, depended 20 He [c] stagfully on God for the performance; and how difficult gered not at the pro- soever, yet he looked upon God in his glorious attrimise of God through butes, perfectly able to do whatsoever he promised, unbelief; but was and most faithful, and sure never to fail in the perstrong in faith, giv-formance, collecting nothing else from the difficulty ing glory to God; of the matter, but that it was the fitter for an almighty Power, and a God that cannot lie, having promised, to magnify his power in performing it.

form.

21 And being fully 21. Having for it all this one hold, on which he depersuaded that, what pended most confidently, that as God was able, so he he had promised, he would certainly make good and perform what he had was able also to per- freely promised to him. (And then, now that the gospel is by Christ sent to the Gentiles, and mercy offered them upon reformation, why should the wickedness of their former lives (any more than Sarah's barren womb and Abraham's old age) keep God from performing his promise to them, of accepting and justifying penitent Gentiles, whose reformation tends so much to God's glory, though they be not circumcised?)

22 And therefore

ness.

22. Which steadfast faith of his was a sign of the it was imputed to opinion he had of God's power and fidelity, and was him for righteous- most graciously accepted by God, and rewarded in him with the performance of the promise; and not only so, but also (and over and above it) was reputed to him as an eminent piece of virtue. And so it will be now in the Gentiles, if upon our preaching to them they now believe and repent.

23 Now it was not 23, 24. For this is recorded of him for our instrucwritten for his sake tion, to teach us how God will reward us if we believe alone, that it was on him, without doubt or dispute, in other things of imputed to him; 24 But for us also, the like or greater difficulty; such is the raising Christ to whom it shall be from the dead, which was wrought by God for us and imputed, 13 if we be- all mankind, Gentiles as well as Jews, and our belief lieve on him that of it is now absolutely required of us, to fit us to reraised up Jesus our ceive and obey him that is thus wonderfully testified Lord from the dead; to us to be the Messias of the world; and that receiving and obeying of him will now be sufficient to the justifying of us, without the observations of the Mosaical law, as Abraham's faith was to him before he was circumcised.

11 grown already dead, ἤδη νενεκρωμένον. 12 doubted. 13 that believe, Taîs TIσTetovσiv.

fences, and was

25 Who was deli- 25. For to this end was both the death and resurvered for our of- rection of Christ designed: he died as our surety, to raised again for our obtain us release and pardon, to make expiation for justification.

our sins past, to deliver us from the punishments due to sin; and rose again from the dead, to open the gates of a celestial life to us, to ensure us of a like glorious resurrection, which could never have been had if Christ had not been raised, 1 Cor. xv. 16, 17. 20. And in order to our receiving this joyful benefit of his resurrection other special advantages there are of his rising; partly, to convince the unbelieving world by that supreme act of power, and so to bring them to the faith that before stood out against it; partly, that he might take us off from the sins of our former lives, bring us to new life, by the example of his rising, and by the mission of the Spirit to us whereby he was raised, and so to help us to actual justification, which is not had by the death of Christ, but upon our coming in to the faith, and performance of the condition required of us-sincere obedience to the commands of Christ.

So that as the faith of Abraham, which was here said to be reputed to him for righteousness, was the obeying of God in his commands, of walking before him, &c., the believing God's promise, and without all dubitancy relying on his all-sufficient power to do that most impossible thing in nature, and his veracity and fidelity, that he would certainly do it, having promised it, (which contains under it also by analogy a belief of all other his divine attributes and affirmations and promises, and a practice agreeable to this belief, going on constantly upon those grounds, in despite of all resistances and temptations to the contrary;) so the faith that shall be reputed to our justification, is the believing on God in the same latitude that he did; walking uprightly before him; acknowledging his power, his veracity, and all other his attributes; believing whatsoever he hath affirmed or promised or revealed unto us concerning himself, particularly his receiving of the greatest sinners, the most idolatrous heathens, upon their receiving the faith of Christ, and betaking themselves to a new Christian life; and as an emblem and token and assurance of that, that great fundamental work, the basis of all Christianity, his raising Jesus from the dead, whom by that means he hath set forth to us to be our Lord, to be obeyed in all his commands, delivered to

THEREFORE

us when he was here on earth, (the obligingness of which is now sealed to us by God in his raising this Lord of ours from the dead;) and this faith, not only in our brains, but sunk down into our hearts, and bringing forth actions in our lives (as it did in Abraham) agreeable and proportionable to our faith. And as this faith is now required to our justification, so will it be accepted by God to the benefit of all the heathen world that shall thus make use of it, without the addition of Mosaical observances, circumcision, &c., as in Abraham it was, before he was circumcised.

CHAP. V.

1. By this faith therefore it is, that as many as sinbeing justified by cerely embrace the gospel are freely pardoned and acfaith, we have peace cepted by God in Christ; and being so, they are recon1 with God through our Lord Jesus ciled unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ: and though they have formerly been Gentiles, need not become proselytes of the Jews, need not any legal performances of circumcision &c., to give them admission to the church of Christ, as the Judaizing Gnostics contend.

Christ:

into this 3

wherein we 4 stand,

5

2 By whom also we 2. Nay, by him we have already received, by faith 2 have access by faith only, (not by virtue of those performances,) reception grace and admission to those privileges, to this evangelical and rejoice in hope estate, wherein now we stand, and have done for some of the glory of God. time, and have a confident assurance that God, which hath dealt thus graciously with us, will, if we be not wanting on our part, make us hereafter partakers of his glory and this is matter of present rejoicing to us. 3 And not only 3. And we not only rejoice in this hope of future so, but we glory in glory, but (on this score) also we are infinitely pleased tribulations also: with our present sufferings, (see note [b] Heb. iii,) knowing that tribulation worketh pawhatsoever befall us now, knowing that although our afflictions be in their own nature bitter, yet they are occasions to exercise and thereby to work in us the habit of many excellent virtues; as first, patience and constancy, which is required of us, and which is most reasonable to be shewed in so precious a cause.

tience;

4 And patience, 4. And this patience works another fruit, for with"experience; and ex- out that we could have no way of exploring or trying perience, hope: ourselves touching our sincerity, which is only to be judged of by trial, and without this trial and approbation of our sincerity we could have no safe ground

2 have had, ἐσχήκαμεν. 4 have stood, ἑστήκαμεν.

1 toward, πpós. χαράν.

6 trial, δοκιμήν.

3 Or, joy: for the King's MS. reads 5 glory, or, rejoice exceedingly, Kavxwμeba.