members are vifible and external; and there is an invisible church, which is conftituted of invifible and internal members; but as to the formal caufe and reafon of their being fuch, viz. faith in Jefus Chrift, it is not very obvious to all, for here we read of fome that are Jews outwardy, and fome fuch inwardly.

X. Tho' it be no fmall privilege to be externally within the houfe of God; yet it is not enough for a man to be a conftituant member of the vifible church; but before he expect to be approven of God, he must be a member of the invifible church for it is he who is a Few inwardly, whofe praife is not of men but of God.

XI. Whoever they be who by faith have fled into Christ, and become living members of his myftical body, however they be in fmall account with the men of this world; yet they are in high eftimation with God, for though their praise be not of men, yet it is of God.

XII. In every facrament, as there is an external fymbol reprefenting, fo, there is fome inward grace reprefented, partly as to be given to us of God, and partly, as to be exercised by us: for there is a cir

cumcifion outwardly in the flesh, and a cir cumcifion inwardly in the Spirit.

XIII. The feal of circumcifion, as it did hold forth and confirm the truth of God's promises, upon his part, unto the worthy receivers; fo, upon the part of fuch as were circumcited, it held forth their engagement to caft off fin and corruption, and every evil way, that their fouls might be pure unto the Lord; for this is the circumcifion of the heart, and in the fpirit.

XIV. It is a great folly for any to think it enough that they have participated of the facraments, seeing many may have received the external part of the facrament who are utter ftrangers unto the inward part thereof; for circumcifion in the flesh may be where circumcifion in the spirit is

not.

XV. Whoever would expect falvation, fhould not fettle on the external and literat part of the facraments, but fhould endeavour after the fpiritual part thereof, and that which is in the heart; for that is only circumcifion worth the name, which is inward in the heart, and in the spirit.

BE

EFORE the apoftle go on in his intended purpose, viz. to prove that the Jews, no lefs than the Gentiles, may rather expect to be condemned than justified by the works of the law, which he began to do chapter ii. 17. that he might thereby prove his main thefis, viz. That by the works of the law no man fhall be juflified; he first removeth fome

objections which he faw might arife from what he had faid last, in putting them in the fame condition and category with the Gentiles, and that notwithstanding of all thofe things they boafted of, and particularly circumcifion, which they accounted highly of.

Now, from what he had faid, in the end of the last chapter, they might ga

the

and the covenant, which were fpecial and faving oracles, fpoken and delivered by the Lord's own mouth, were concredited to them; the tables, and inftruments of the covenant, the law and the prophets, and all the promifes, were confered on them, and they honoured fo far as to be intrufted with them, and made treasurers (as it were) of this excellent treasure : Thefe inftruments, deeds, and evidences of the covenant, contained in the writings of Mofes and the prophets, which are called. lively oracles, Acts vii. 38. were intrusted unto the Jews to keep, for their own and others benefit; as Steven says, They received the lively oracles to give unto us: and this was a great piece of refpe&t put upon them, to be keepers of fuch regifters, which, was not put upon others, Pfal. cxlvii. 19. 20.

ther, that the apostle was not only injurious to them in fo doing, but alfo unto God, who had put fome fpecial mark of refpect, in many particulars, (as no body could deny) upon the Jews, which he had for done unto the Gentiles; and efpecially had given them circumcifion, a feal of the covenant, which the Gentiles were ftrangers unto: How is it then, might they fay, that the apoftle putteth no difference betwixt us and the Gentiles, and layeth afide circumcifion, as a matter of no Worth or moment? The objection is propofed by way of queftion, as an inference from the apostle's former doctrine; What advantage then hath the Jew? What privilege or prerogative, or what more fu perabundance hath the Jew than the Gentile? And then again, because he seemed to put a final price upon circumcifion, which they gloried much of, he faith again, (as if he were speaking in their Lame) or what profit is there of circumfon? To which laft the apostle anfwereth not now, partly becaufe he had faid formerly, that circumcifion profiteth if thou keep the law; and partly becaufe he speaks of it at more length, in the following hapter.

And as to the first objection, he anfwereth, verfe 2d; and then, to verfe 10th, he anfwereth other objections: after which be followeth his former purpose, and fheweth from fcripture, how the Jews, no lefs than the Gentiles, can expect nothing but wrath for their guilt, and fo cannot look for juftification by the works of the law, and this unto verfe 20th; and then unto the end, he concludes and profecuteth that truth, that by the deeds of the law there ball no flesh be justified in his fight..

Unto the first objection he answereth, That the Jews have far more priviges than the Gentiles; and tho' there were no more to be found, this were a privilege great enough, and a chief one 100, chiefly, becaufe that unto them were

itted the oracles of God; that the law

HENCE OBSERVE,,

1. As it is a matter of very great diffi culty, for such as God hath bleffed with external favours and privileges, and fo honoured thereby beyond others, to put thefe privileges in a right fubordination, and not to lay too much ftrefs upon them; fo it is as difficult to get them brought to a putting them in their due place, when they have once conceived amifs of them; as we are taught by Paul's infifting fo long on this matter, and propofing all their objections, to the end he may anfwer them, and fo clear their mifapprehenfions concerning their being a vifible church in covenant with God, enjoying his ordinances, whereby they are differenced from others for here the apostle begineth with a new objection.

II. Carnal men, that have trufted to wrong grounds, and had mifapprehenfions of their external enjoyments and privileges, which, as external church members, they have been partakers of, if fo be they cannot be permited to enjoy their fooli conceits and apprehenfions, but are put from fondly doting upon these as their

and privileges which a visible church enjoy, to have the oracles of God, the word of the great God, the law and the covenant, the inftruments and evidences of that covenant among their hands, however many think little of fuch advantages; for this was the chief advantage of the Jews, chiefly, becaufe unto them were commited the oracies of God.

Christ and Mediator, then are they ready to conceive that they ferve for no ufe nor benefit at all; if they cannnot get a Saviour made of their external privileges, they think them altogether ufelefs and fruitlefs; if their church membership be not enough to carry them to heaven, they know not what it ferves for: If the facraments have not Chrift's room with them, they are ready to look upon them as altogether ufelefs; as is clear from this objection arifing upon the back of what the apoftle was faying in the end of the former chapter, What advantage then hath the Few? and what profit is there of circumcifion? as if they thought, fince they be nothing the better, as to juftification, of their being externally in covenant with God, and circumcifed, they were nothing the better of them at all.

III. As wicked men will be ftill caviling and carping against the truth, notwith ftanding of clear demonftrations; and, when they can do no more, will be ready to afperfe the doctrine of truth with foul inferences and deductions, and labour to bind them upon the maintainers of truth; fo it is the duty of all afferters of truth to guard against all fuch falfe and foul conclufions: for, as the apostle faw that what he had faid would not fatisfy, but they would imagine fome abfurdity to follow, fo he replieh to all fuch objections.

IV. Howbeit to be externally in covenant with God, and members of his vifible church, will not prove a fufficient ground for men to rest on (if they seek for no more) for juftification and falvation; yet fuch, even upon that fcore, have excellency beyond others, and have many benefits and advantages that others without the church have not: for to this queftion, What advantage, or fuperabundant excellency, hath the Jew? the apostle anfwereth, Much every tway. See Deut. iv. 7. Rom. ix. 4.

V. It is a main and choice advantage, yea, the foundation of all other advantages

VI. God's word, and every truth that is held forth therein, of whatsoever nature, fhould have great weight with us, and be received with great reverence, fear, and love, as having on it an impreffion of majefty, and fhould be believed as undoubted truth: for here it is called the oracles of God, and in Heb. v. 12.

VII. It is the duty of the church of God to be careful to preferve these inftruments and evidences of the covenant, thefe, oracles of God whole and entire, and to fee that they be not falfified, nor wronged in any manner, but that they tranfmit them to pofterity fafe and found; seeing the Lord hath intrufted her therewith, the ought not to betray her truft: thus the church of the Jews is faid to be concredited with thefe oracles; the Lord made them, his record-keepers.

ever to think of fuch an abfurd thing. zdly, It cannot be, that because wicked men, through their own unbelief, have prejudged themfelves of the good things promifed, that therefore God thall be untrue; for God is ftill true, he ftill keeps his promife, and stands to his word; he abhoreth lying, and is the author of all truth in the creatures; His truth is unto the clouds, Pfal. Ixvii. 10. he will not suffer his faithfulness to fail, Pfal. Ixxxix. 33. Therefore fays he, Let God be true; let God, who is truth, and loveth truth, be acknowledged and confeffed to be true, in maintaining his covenant, and fulfilling his promifes. And this he farther illuftrateth by adding, but every man a liar. Every man, confidered in himfelf as corrupted by nature, is unconftant, perfidious in his covenants, and a lover of lies, and not of truth, Pfal. cxvi. 11. 3dly, This is again confirmed by fcripture; where the apoftle is citing the words of David, Pial. li. 4. (and therein following the verfion of the Seventy, who put that thou might/t overcome, for that thou might be clear, or pure; and therein rendering the word as it fignifieth in the Syriac idiom; and yet fome think the word may bear both: however the fenfe will be the fame, for who is declared pure, and juft in judgment, may be faid to overcome his enemy,) who, after Nathan came to him, fell to an ample confeffion of his heinous iniquity, that God might get all the glory, in his righeoufnefs and faithfulnefs, both in his juftice in threatening fuch fore judgments, and in his mercy in keeping his promises, both general and particular, notwithstanding of his heinous tranfgreffion; hereby God's juftice and faithfulness, withal, was the more discovered, and confpicuous, fo far was God from being liable to be charged with failing in his promifes, notwithstanding of his finfulnefs. We may take his proof thus: Man's unbelief and finfulness is fo far from making void and null God's promifes, that the rather thereby is occa

racles of God, the testament and the inftruments of the covenant, were laid up with them, and they honoured with this privilege; and that they had this great ad vantage but what honour is that privilege to them, and what profit have they by that advantage now, when they are in no better cafe than the Gentiles; are made finners no lefs than they? Yea, how can it be that they could have been fo ho noured, seeing there were many of the people unbelievers, and did not give credit unto, nor esteemed rightly of, but abufed, thefe oracles of God? And doth not all this rather fay, that God took away what once he had beftowed, and fo hath failed in his promifes; and his covenant is made void, and of none effect, and fo God is made to change? This is the objection. Unto which the apostle giveth these anfwers: First, Such an abfurdity will no way follow, that because fome (he might have faid many, yea, the most part; but he would not, left he should have irritated them whom he knew to have been much difpleafed with him already,) believed not, but rebelled, and apoftatized from God, and fo, thro' their own folly, loft the benefit of the oracles of the covenant, and of the promises, that therefore God hath falfified his faith, and hath failed in his promifes, and fo is changed: And that because, 1st, This apoftafy, unbelief and unfaithfulness, was not univerfal; it was but fome, (though many, yet) not all, that did not believe: and it will not follow, that God's promifes made to a nation, fhould fail because of the unbelief of a part feeing the faithfulness of God, and of hi promifes and covenants, is ftill verified, and performed to his elect, in whofe behalf they were made: and therefore fays he, For what if (or what fhall I fay, though) fene did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith (or the faithful promife and covenant) of God of none effect? (void and null.) God forbid: Let never fuch a thing be once heard of; far be it from us