4. There is a gift of righteousness, which all must receive who are to be juftified; therefore we are not juftified by our own righteoufnefs, but by that which is freely given us. It is alfo fuch a righteousness as gives a right and title to eternal life; and therefore it cannot confist merely in the pardon of fin; for that cannot be called the gift of righteousness, nor does it entitle to eternal life.

The conclufion of what hath been evinced in the foregoing comparison, is fully expreffed in the next verfe: Therefore as by the offence of one (judgment came) upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteoufnefs of one (the free gift) came upon all men unto Juftification of life *." The word therefore, denoting an inference from the preceding verfes, fhews that what is here afferted is the fubftance of the truth pleaded for; and our argument from the words is this:

-As the fin of one, that came on all unto condemnation, was the fin of the first Adam imputed unto them; fo, the righteousness of the one unto the Juftification of life, that comes on all believers, is the righteousness of Chrift imputed unto them. And what can be more clearly affirmed, or more evidently confirmed than this. is by the Apostle, I know not: yet it is more plainly expreffed, ver. 19.

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* By the offence of one we read it; but fome Greek copies have it, by one offence; but both are to the fame purpose; for the one offence, is the offence of one; that is, of Adam; and the one righteousness is the righteousness of one, Jefus Chrift.

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The word Judgment is fupplied from the verfe before; but s ravanpipa is guilt; by the fin of one, all men became guilty, for otherwise it cannot come upon them to condemnation. To this is opposed the free gift; the tranflators repeating xaptopa from the foregoing verfe.

The "all men" must be limited to them that "receive the abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness," ver. 17. and the pretence from hence, of a general grant of life unto all men, of which the greatest part are never made partakers, is vain, and contradictory to the Apoftle's defign.

"For as by one man's difobedience many were made finners, fo by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

That which he before called the offence and righteousnes, he now terms difobedience and obedience. The dif obedience of Adam was his actual tranfgreffion of the law of God; and hereby many were made finners-fin ners in fuch a fenfe as to be obnoxious to condemnation and death; for liable to death they could not be made, unless they were firft made finners, or guilty; and this they could not be, unless they are esteemed to have finned in him; whereon the guilt of his fin was imputed to them.

That which he opposes hereto is, the obedience of one; that is, of Chrift; and this was the actual obedience that he yielded to the whole law of God. For as the difobedience of Adam was his actual tranfgreffion of the whole law; fo the obedience of Chrift was his actual accomplishment or fulfilling of the whole law. This the Antithefis doth require.

Hereby many are made righteous. How? By the imputation of that obedience to them; for fo, and no otherwife, are men made finners by the imputation of the difobedience of Adam. And this is that which gives us a right and title to eternal life, as the Apostle declares, ver. 21. "That as fin reigned unto death, fo might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life." This righteousness is the obedience of Chrift, and it is faid to come upon us; that is, to be imputed to us; for bleffed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness." And hereby we have not only deliverance from that death and condemnation, whereunto we were liable by the fin of Adam, but the pardon of many offences; that is, of all our perfonal fins, and a right to eternal life, through the grace of God; for "we are juftified freely by his grace, through the 'redemption that is in Chrift Jefus."

CHAP.

СНАР. Х. 3, 4.

"For they (the Jews, who had a zeal for God, but not "according to knowledge) being ignorant of God's righteoufnefs, and going about to establish their own righteoufnefs, have not fubmitted themselves unto the righteoufnefs of God. For Chrift is the end of the law for righteoufnefs unto every one that believeth."

This declaration, which the Apostle was aware, might feem ftrange to fome perfons, he introduceth, chap. ix. 30. with a prefaratory interrogation, ufual with him on fimilar occafions: "What fhall we fay then? What shall we fay to these things ?" or " Is there unrighteoufnefs with God?" ver. 14. He then afferts, "that the Gentiles, which followed not after righteoufnefs, have attained to righteoufnefs, even the righteoufnefs which is of faith: But Ifrael, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteoufnefs;" that is, to righteousness itfelf before God.

Nothing feems to be more contrary to reason, than what is here made manifest by the event. The Gentiles, who lived in fin and pleasure, not once endeavouring to attain to any righteousness before God, yet attained unto it on the preaching of the Gofpel. Ifrael, on the other hand, which followed after righteousness diligently in all the works of the law and duties of obedience to God thereby, came short of it. All preparations, all difpofitions, all merit, are excluded from the Gentiles; for in all thefe, there is, more or lefs, a following after righteoufnefs." Only by faith in him who juftifieth the ungodly, they attained the righteousness of faith" for to attain righteoufnefs by faith, and to attain the righteousness which is of faith, are the fame. Wherefore, all things comprised in following after righteoufnefs, fuch as are all duties and

works,

works, are excluded from any influence into our Justification. And this is expreffed to declare the fovereignty and freedom of the grace of God herein; namely, that we are justified freely by his grace, and that, on our part, all boafting is excluded.

Concerning Ifracl, on the other hand, three things are expreffed-Their attempt-the failure of it, and the reason of that failure.

Their attempt, or endeavour, was in this: " they followed after the law of righteoufnefs," and that earnestly, diligently, and fincerely; for fo the word (diwxw), fignifies. They were not negligent, but "inftantly ferved God day and night;" nor were they hypocritical, for " they had a zeal for God:" and what they thus endeavoured after, was the law of righteoufnefs"—that law, which prescribed a perfect perfonal righteousness; "the things which, if a man do them, he fhall live in them."

The iffue of this attempt was—“ they attained not unto the law of righteousness," or to a righteousness before God thereby; though this was the end of the law, wherein a man might live; yet could they never attain it.

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Their failure was owing to a double mistake; first, in the means of attaining it; and, fecondly, in the righteousnefs itself that was to be fought after. As to the firft, ver. 31. they fought it not by faith, but by works." Faith and Works are the two only ways whereby righteousness may be attained, and they are oppofite and inconfiftent; becaufe, the righteoufnefs which is attainable by faith, is given to us and received by faith; but that which is fought by works, is our own, inherent in us, and not imputed to us.

Their fecond miftake was as to the righteoufnefs itfelf, for this they judged must be their own perfonal righteousness, confifting in duties of obedience; this

there

therefore, they went about to establish;" and this led them to reject the righteoufnefs of God, as many do to this day. This ruined the Jews, and will ruin all who follow their example; yet it is not easy for men to take any other way, or to be taken off from this; fo the Apostle intimates in that expreffion-" they fubmitted not themselves to the righteoufnefs of God"-it is of fuch a nature, that the proud mind of man is unwilling to fubmit to it: yet it cannot be attained without fuch a fubjection as includes a total renunciation of all own righteousness. And those who reproach us for affirming, that men, endeavouring after a inoral righteousness, and refting therein, are not in the way for partaking of the grace of God by Jefus Chrift, do exprefsly deride the doctrine of the Apostle, that is, of the Holy Ghost himself.

Our

Wherefore, the plain defign of the Apoftle is to declare not only that the righteoufnefs of God by faith, and a righteousness of our own by works, are inconfiftent; but also, that the intermixture of our own works, in feeking after righteoufnefs, as the means thereof, doth wholly divert us from the acceptance of, or fubmiffion to the righteoufnefs of God. For the righteousness which is of faith is not our own; it is the righteousness of God which he imputes to us; but the righteousness of works is our own, wrought in us and by us and as works have no meetness in themselves to attain or receive a righteousness, which, because it is not our own, is imputed to us, but are repugnant to it, as that which will deprive them of their legal dignity in being our righteousness so faith hath no meetness in itself to be an inherent righteousness, or, as fuch, to be imputed to us, feeing its efficacy confifts in fixing all the truft, confidence, and expectation of the foul for righteoufnefs and acceptance with God upon another.

Here was the ruin of the Jews; they judged it a better, a more probable, a more holy way, to endeavour

after