fcience in every man and woman, which | bear witness, and fo to approve of that attends them conftantly, be about what which the apoftle was about. bufinefs they will, it is a conftant compaLion: My confcience. VIII. This confcience is not the man's felf, but it is fomething diftinct and different from the man's felf, being a power there deputed for God, to act for him, and to walk by his rules, and to be as a cenfor over the man in all he doth; my confcience bearing me witness, and fo it was diftinct from himself; and was bearing witnefs of what himself was faying, and fo diftinct from himself. IX. This confcience, which is as God's deputy in every man and woman, is par ticularly acquainted with every action the man goeth about, is privy to all he doth, be it a matter of small moment, or of greater concernment; for here confcience takes notice of Paul's fpeaking but a word, I fpeak the truth, fays he, my confcience bearing me witness. X. This confcience, when fanctified by the Spirit of God, and in a good frame, will not only take notice of the fubftance of the action which a man goeth about, whether it be lawful or unlawful; but alfo of the frame of Spirit which the man hath, while he is difcharging the duty, and of the manner of his discharging of it, whether it be in a chriftian manner or not : for the apostle fays, I speak the truth in Chrift, I lie not, my confcience bearing me witnefs; his confcience took notice, (for fo we may understand the words alfo) not only of his speaking truth, but of his fpeaking truth in Chrift, as became a Chriftian, and fincerely without guile and deceit, that he fpoke truth, and did not lie. XI. Not only is confcience privy to what a man doth, both as to matter and manner, but alfo is accordingly affected, and can fignify its fenfe of the man's action, it can give its verdict of what the man doth, be it good or evil, as to matter and manner, or both: for here it is faid, to XII. Confcience rightly informed, and. in a fanctified frame, will not approve and. commend the action, or the man in doing, of it, tho' the action be good in itself, if there be no more, if all the circumftances which make up a chriftian action be not prefent; if the action be not performed in a right manner, from a right principle, and to a right end, confcience will never be pleafed; fo that a man may be doing that which is right in itself, and yet want. the teftimony of his confcience: for Paul. was not only Speaking truth, but he had alfo his confcience bearing witnefs, because, he was honeft, even as to the manner of his fpeaking. XIII. When confcience is rightly inform-ed, and in a spiritual temper, its teftimony is moft divine and impartial; much weight fhould be laid upon it, it being a fpiritual difcerner of things, and unbiaffed; and the attefting of confcience is a weighty and folemn bufinefs, and fhould be gravely and folemnly gone about: for here the apoftle puts the teftimony of his confcience in with the teftimony of God the Son, and God the Holy Ghoft, faying, My confci-· ence alfo bearing me witness. XIV. Tho' the teftimony of confcience may not be appealed unto in trivial and light matters, or irreverently and rafhly, it being fuch a grave and weighty matter to atteft confcience; yet a Chriftian, infome cafes, and at fome times, may lawfully appeal to his confcience when the cafe requireth it, that God may thereby get glory and others may be edified; and there is no other way to get the matter cleared, as here; and it must be done foberly, deliberately, and weightedly as Paul doth here, faying, My confcience bearing me witness, in the Holy Ghoft. XV. A minifter, when lying under great calumnies whereby the work of God is marred in his hand, and lying under miftakes whereby others are hindered from pro €340 Profiting by the word in his mouth, and there being no other way whereby thefe miftakes and calumnies fhall be removed and taken off, may lawfully, when in a fpiritual and heavenly temper and frame, folemnly appeal to his confcience in vindicating himself from these afperfions and grounds of jealousy; after Paul's example here, who finding the jealoufies the Jews had of him as their enemy, were certainly like to hinder them from believing the truth, and fuch as could no otherways be removed, fays here in a folemn manner, Ify the truth in Christ, I lie not, my confience afo bearing me witness. An Expofition of the Epiftle to the Romans. XVI. When confcience is thus duely and rightly appealed to, it fhould abundantly in reaton fatisfy us as to the truth of what is affirmed under fuch a folemn atteftation; Paul's taking this way, faith, that this might in reafon have fufficed the Jews: I fay the truth in Chrift, I lie not, &c. XVII. Though every man hath a confcience within him, yet every man hath not a like good confcience; fome have their confcience defiled, Tit. i. 4. fome pure, 1 Tim. iii. 9. 2 Tim. i. 3. and void of offence, Acts fome pure, 1 Tim. xxiv. 16. fome weak, fome jtrong, 1 Cor. viii. 7. 10. 12. fome have a feared confcience, 1 Tim. iv. 2. fome a confcience accufing or excufing, Rom. ii. 15. fome an evil confcience, Heb. x. 22. and fome a good confcience, Acts xxiii. 1. 1 Tim. i. 5. 19. Heb. xiii. 18. Pet. iii. 16. 21. fome a foul confcience needing purging, Heb. ix. 14. fome a confcience fanctified, and acting in the Holy Ghoft, as here; and this fhould be endeavoured after: My confcience bearing me witnefs in the Holy Ghoft. XVIII. It is very refreshful and comfortable to have a confcience fanctified and in a good frame befriending a man, and this is it which will fatisfy him, and bear him up under reproaches, Acts xxiii. in croffes, Pet. ii. 19. 20. and under challenges, 1 John iii. 21. as it doth Paul here, confcience was bearing him witness in the Chap. IX. Holy Ghost. fcience, when we are enterprizing any XIX. Not only fhould we confult conthing, and ask the judgment of conicience when we have done with the action; but seeing confcience is looking upon us in the very time while we are about an action, and hath fome fenfe and judgment of what we are doing and faying, and can fome way acquaint the man therewith; there fore we fhould, even in the mean time ing confcience, and reflecting thereupon, while we are about the action, be confultdifpofition, as Paul doth here: he is fpeak and this will evidence a tender frame and ing the truth, and he is adverting to what confcience is faying of him in the mean time, whether it be accufing or excufing him, and he finds it approving him, and bearing witnefs for him therefore fays he, My confcience bearing me witness. in the manner of the discharge of our du- For I could wish that myself were accurfed Aving thus, for the conciliating of who comforted himfelf with this, that his H credit, ufed a grave and weighty at teftation testation and oath, he now cleareth how groundless their jealoufies were of him, and how little caufe they had to fufpect the reality of his affection towards, and eftimation of them; he therefore first points forth his affection towards them, verfes 2. 3. and then holds forth how highly he esteemeth of them, verfes 4. 5. where he reckoneth up all their privileges, which they had as being the people of God. And all this while, tho' he be immediately upon the back of this to fpeak of clearing God notwithstanding of their rejection; yet he doth not exprefly make mention of their off-cafting, but rather doth infinuate fo much, and yet fo clearly, as all of them might be convinced of the truth, by expreffing his great grief for their cafe. Therefore, fays he, I have heaviness; that is, anguth and pain, as of a woman in traVail; for the word lignifieth fo, John xvi. 21. and not only fo, but great heaviness; the grief which I have conceived at your condition is not ordinary, but more than ordinary and alfo continual forrow in ry. heart; your cafe goeth near my heart, and caufeth grief to my fpirit, and forrow that is lafting, continual forrow. All which he further confirmeth, verfe 3. where he holdeth forth the greatest expreffion of affection imaginable, faying, For I could wish that myfelf were accurfed from Chrift, for my brethren my kinfmen according to the flesh; what more testimony and proof of love can a man defire, than thus to be content to be caft out of the church, as one anathematized, for his friends, if that could do them good, and help them out of their condition: now, fays the apoftle, if it were poffible that I could fave you, and deliver you out of that state of rejection in which ye are, by becoming an anathema myself, I could be content, fo ftrong is my affection towards you; fo far am I from rejoicing at your fad condition, who were once a people fo much accounted of: he was, in a manner, fo tranfported with the ftrength of his affection to God's glory in the mat. ter, and their falvation, that he waves the confideration of his being a privileged perfon, and darts his eyes only towards that which he was bent upon, as Mofes in a like cafe, Exod. xxxii. 32. in that he could wifh himself an anathema. He feems to allude unto the cuftom of the Heathens, who called him, whom they had deftined to death to pacify the gods for their iniquity, and the removal of fome judgment that was upon them, and fo wifhed to be abhored of God, and accounted a cherem, or devoted thing, which behoved to be killed, Lev. xxvii. 28. 29. and then addeth, for my brethren my kinsfolk according to the flesh; to them, that whatever they would alledge, yet he had not fhaken off all natural affection, but looked upon them as his brethren and kinsfolk, and how strong this tye of natural conjunction was to him, and should be to others. OBSERVATIONS. I. Tho' carnal people, who judge of things amifs, do look upon ministers as their rank enemies, because of their freedom; yet notwithstanding of all this freedom which faithful minifters may, and will ufe, they may carry a ftrong affection even towards thefe with whom they are most free. Tho' the Jews were jealous of Paul, and looked upon him as their enemy, because he told the truth, as Gal, iv. 16. alfo; yet here he sheweth that their jealoufy was groundlefs, and how dearly he loved them; for he was fore vexed with their condition, and was in heaviness and continual forrow, &c. II. The best proof that a minifter can give of his ftrong affections towards carnal people, who do much question the fame, is to exprefs the real grief and forrow of his heart for their woful and wretched condition; as Paul doth here, saying, I have great heaviness and continual forrow. III. The unchurching of a particular visible church being a fad judgment, Rev. ii, 5. is matter of grief and sorrow to any of of the children of God, and will be to all that are truly religious and tender, minifter or people, a matter of great grief and continual forrow: it cannot choose but go near the heart of a true child of God, to fee him giving their mother a bill of divorce: for this was it which made Paul here be in heaviness, and have continual forrow of heart. IV. Minifters, in dealing with an exaf perated people, fhould follow a chriftian prudent way of infinuating themselves in their affections, and for this cause should wifely forbear any expreffion which may irritate; yet fo as truth may thereby fuffer no prejudice, and therefore fhould tacitly and indirectly point out that which would incense them if spoken in even-down terms as Paul doth here, who will not fay exprefly, that God had unchurched them, or caft them off; yet he hints at as much, and leaves them to gather it out of his great grief and heaviness. dear for that effect: for Paul here fays, I could wish that myself were accurfed from Chrift, for my brethren. VII. Christianity doth not loofe the bonds of nature, nor cool natural affection, but rather helps it, and makes it to run in a right channel: Paul has this ftrong af fection to fuch as were his kinfmen according to the flesh. VERSES 4. 5. Who are Ifraelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the fervice of God, and the promises; Whofe are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the Flesh Chrift came, who is over all, God bleed for ever. Amen. N Ext, to perfuade them of his high estimation of them, the apoftle reckoneth up the privileges wherewith the Lord had honoured them: And 1. fays he, Who are Ifraelites; that is, come of noble and valiant Jacob, who as a prince prevailed with God, and for that caufe was called Ifrael, fo that whatever honour was in that name which God fo remarkably gave to Jacob, they were made sharers thereof. 2. To whom pertaineth the adop V. Though the children of God fhould quietly fubmit unto all God's difpenfations, and put their mouth in the duft, and reverence his doings towards others, how dear foever they be to them; yet this fhould not justle out natural tenderness, pity and compaffion, and hinder them from condoling the condition of fuch; both thefetion; that is, they are the only people may well fubfift together: for tho' Paul knew that this difpenfation which thefe Jews were under, was according to God's will and wife purpose, and fo in that refpect did christianly fubmit, and did not fret and repine; yet his religion did not banish his natural affection, and make him a ftoick, but for all that he was in heavinefs and continual forrow of heart. VI. So dearly fhould all minifters love, and fo-earneftly fhould they defire the falvation of fuch as are under their charge, and also all Chriftians fhould fo feriously defire the falvation of others, that they fhould be content to be at any lofs imaginable and poffible, for the procuring of the fame, and fhould think nothing too whom God has chofen out of all the reft and ftone, ftone, and therefore mentioned in the plu- | of juftification thro' him; and therefore after he has fhortly defcribed his perfon he clofeth with an amen, going before x them in what he would gladly have had them doing. He defcribeth him in his two natures, as man and God; as man he had his original of the Jews, and therefore he fays, of whom, as concerning the flesh Chrift came; he came of the Jews, but it was according to the flesh, or his human nature; and this fuppofeth that he had another nature, viz. a divine nature; and therefore he addeth, God; to fhew, that as he was man, fo was he true God: and for further confirming of this, he addeth two epithets of God; as 1. That he is over all; which fheweth his glory and power to be equal with the Father's, in that he is far beyond all fathers and perfons whatsoever, yea, and over all things in heaven and earth. 2. Blessed for ever; an epithet which agreeth only to the true God, and which alfo pointeth forth his eternity. And then, that he might engage the Jews to fall in love with Chrift, who is fuch an excellent perfon, he cafteth a copy unto them, and crieth out, Amen; as if he had faid, I am heartily content with this Mediator, who is God bleffed for ever; my foul closeth with him, and I reft upon him, and am fully fatisfied in him, and with him. ral number; which were called, the tables OBSERVATIONS. I. Seeing carnal men ftand much upon their external privileges, and account him their enemy who would seem to leffen them, or deny them: therefore, feeing it may gain fuch in fome meafure, or at least, it may open a door for their gaining, we would deny to fuch none of their titles, or honours, and due privileges, and thereby prevent their irritation, as Paul doth here: he will deny them.none of their due privileges, but reckons them up to the full, faying, Who are Ifraelites, &c. II. It is a great difcredit unto a people, when degenerated from the heavenly ftoutX x nefs. |