very sure, never will be found, among the mere children of Adam; " for no man li

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veth, and finneth not ;" and God has fhut up all under fin, that he might have mercy on all; fo that none could ever be faved, but by free fovereign mercy and grace: for the law is exprefs, Curfed is every one who continueth not in all things writen in the book of the law, to do them.

But might not one say of the whole nation of the Jews in this view, as the difciples faid to their master in another cafe, “Who then could be faved?" for they were all under the law as given by Mofes, There was even in that law a provifion made for the forgiveness of fin, so far as it went. Thus we find it often repeated, that on their offering a facrifice after the divine appointment, their fin fhould be forgiven them. Whence, it is likely, the ignorant Jews, who did not fee into the spirit of their law, might flatter themselves with the prospect of eternal life by the law. But what was promised there was mere forgiveness of the fins for which they had offered the facrifice: and that could be no further than putting them in the fame cafe they were in, and restoring Bb 2 them

them to the poffeffion of the fame life they had before they tranfgreffed, with the privileges belonging to it; but did not, and could not, remove the original curfe by which they, and all mankind, were bound under death; from which they could not be relieved, but by raising them from the dead, and the grant of a new life by the promised feed, as it was made to their father Abraham, and which was continued down through all the times of the law; and in virtue of which the believers among them lived. Hence it is that we find the Apoftle making a diftinction between fimply being under the law, as all the natural Jews were, and being of the works of the law; that is, living or attempting to live by fulfilling the commands and precepts of it; whereas their business was, and indeed they were equally bound, by their law, to take in the promise, and to live by the faith and belief of the free gift made there.

That this was really the cafe, and that thofe of the Ifraelitifh or Jewish nation who had the profpect, and well-grounded hopes of eternal life, had it not at all. by any works of law, he fays, vers. 11.

is evident, by what he lays down as a fundamental principle, and which he had a good right to fuppofe indifputable, because it stood on record in those writings which they received as the oracles of the living God, by his prophet Habakkuk, ii. 4.

Our tranflators, and many before them, render both the prophet and Apoftle's words, The juft fhall live by faith. The propofition carries in it a great truth, that the just or righteous man lives by faith; fo the Apostle had faid, the life which he then lived in the flefh, was by the faith of the Son of God. But as the natural import of it supposes the man to be already righteous or just who thus lives, without faying either how he came to be fo, or wherein his righteoufnefs lies, an unwary reader may be led into a very dangerous mistake, viz. that one must be a just and a righteous man before he presumes to live by faith; and which indeed there is no way of guarding effectually against it, but by making the expreffion equivalent to this, Whatever righteousness a man may be, or imagine himself to be, poffeffed of, the only way he can live, i. e. have eternal life, is by faith.

But

But even this leaves a point doubtful, which, we may be very fure, the Apostle never meant to do; viz. that there might be fome other way of one's being righteous than by faith, or believing God as Abraham did. The plain literal fenfe of the words, as they ftand, both in the prophet and in the Apostle, is, that he who is righteous by faith, shall live. This rendering, and this only, anfwers the Apostle's argument. He propofes to prove, that no man can be juftified by the law; and proves this by the divine oracle, which allowed or fuftained the righteousness which came by faith, or believing, as that only which did or could give a finner any title or right to life; and accordingly reckons his point fully proyed, by afferting, verf. 12. what could not be denied, that the law is not of faith, &c. I fuppofe it out of difpute, that juftifying in the fight of God, and sustaining a perfon righteous, are, in all refpects, the same thing, unless a distinction is made, by fuppofing justifying to be the fentence given by the sovereign judge, and righteoufnefs the foundation on which the fentence ftands, which

comes

comes to the fame point. God gives a perfect right to life, by his promise and grant in Christ Jefus; the believer trusts the faithful promifer, on the proofs he has given of his fixed and unalterable purpose of making it good, and his faith and hope are fixed on God.

Thus he receives and rests on the promise, and furely the promiser muft fuftain the plea; and the greatest finner that ever was on earth may, and ought, to draw near to a throne of grace, with boldness and confidence; or, as the fame Apostle expreffes it, "with "full affurance of faith. The leaft doubt is an affront to the promiser, and his bleffed Son, who has undertaken to make it good.

13. Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us: for it is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree : 14. That the bleffing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jefus Chrift; that we might receive the promife of the Spirit through faith. 15. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man difanulleth, or addeth thereto. 16. Now to Abraham and his feed were the promises made. He faith not, And to feeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy feed, which