A Paraphrase on the New Testament, Romans · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
1. WHat ſhall we ſay then, that Abraham our Father, as pertaining to the fleſh hath found?
1. Let us conſider Abraham's caſe, the Father of the Iſraelites according to the Fleſh. For ſure his Prerogative muſt be as great as theirs that claim it as his fleſhly Seed.
2. For if Abraham were juſtified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
2. If Abraham was juſtified by the merit of his Righteouſneſs, as having never deſerved death by Sin, then he may boaſt that Life and Impunity was his due on that account, though yet even that did not merit by any benefit to God. (Or, but towards God he could have no matter to boaſt of, as his own.)
3. For what ſaith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unhim for righteouſneſs.
3. For what account doth the Scripture give us of his Righteouſneſs? Abraham believed God, (viz. That he would perform his free Promiſe of Grace and Peculiarity made to him and his Seed, and all Nations of the Earth in him) and it was counted to him for Righteouſneſs. And though God made his Promiſes to him alſo for his obedience, Becauſe he ſpared not his only Son; yet this was not becauſe he never deſerved death by any Sin, but as it was a work of Faith, and ſo a conſequent part of the Righteouſneſs of a Believer, accepted, though imperfect, through the Merits and Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, forgiving his Sin, and freely adopting him an Heir of Life.
4. Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
4. Now to him that meriteth by the perfection of his Obedience, or that never deſerved death by Sin; (much more to him that benefiteth another by his Work) the Reward is not reckoned to be the free gift of a Benefactor, but the juſt giving a Man that which is his deſerved due (in the firſt caſe by governing Juſtice, and in the ſecond by Commutative Juſtice.)
5. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that juſtifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteouſneſs.
5. But to him that hath no ſuch meritorious work for the value of which the Reward ſhould be his due, but truſteth wholly to his free Grace, who firſt maketh and then judgeth them juſt that were before ungodly and unjuſt, (or, who juſtifieth them that by Sin have deſerved death, and never merited life by the worth of their good Works) his Faith is counted for Righteouſneſs, by the Covenant of Grace; that is, God accepteth it as the qualification or condition, which muſt be found in him, (without ſuch meritorious Works) to make him partaker of that Pardon, Adoption, and Salvation freely given by Grace, upon the conſideration of the meritorious Righteouſneſs of Chriſt. (Indeed Faith, Repentance, Prayer, Confeſſion, Love, &c. are Acts that may be called Works in another ſenſe: But it is Works deſerving life for their perfection, or not deſerving puniſhment by the Law, which are here ſpoken of.)
6. Even as David alſo deſcribeth the bleſſedneſs of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteouſneſs without works, 7. Saying, Bleſſed are they whoſe iniquities are forgiven, and whoſe ſins are covered, 8. Bleſſed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not ſin.
6, 7, 8. So David alſo deſcribeth the qualification of a Bleſſed Man (which is a man juſtified) Not that he hath no Sin, which deſerved death, but that God doth not impute his Sin to him for his condemnation, but forgiveth and covereth it, and imputeth Righteouſneſs to him, that is, judgeth and uſeth him as one that is not obliged to puniſhment, but hath right to Salvation, and this, not becauſe his Works deſerved not Death but Life; but becauſe he forgiveth him, and freely ſaveth him for Righteouſneſs and Interceſſion of Chriſt; and uſeth him not as he deſerved.
9. Cometh this bleſſedneſs then on the circumciſion only, or on the uncircumciſion alſo? For we ſay that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteouſneſs.
9. And are none pardoned and ſaved but the Circumciſed? Are not the Uncircumciſed pardoned and bleſſed alſo? If Faith was imputed for Righteouſneſs to Abraham, will it not be ſo to all that have it?
10. How was it then reckoned? When he was in circumciſion or in uncircumciſion? Not in circumciſion, but in uncircumciſion.
10. And the time when this was ſaid of Abraham will clear up all this; for it was not after he was Circumciſed, but before; even Uncircumciſed, as the Gentile Chriſtians be.
11. And he received the ſign of circumciſion, a ſeal of the righteouſneſs of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumciſed; that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumciſed, that righteouſneſs might be imputed to them alſo.
11. And he after received the Sign of Crcumciſion, not as a Legally juſtifying Sign, but as a Seal of that Righteouſneſs which God before imputed to him as a Believer; that ſo he might be by Promiſe and Example, the Father, not only of his Carnal and Circumciſed Seed, but of all them that believe, though out the World, that ſo Righteouſneſs might be imputed to them as Believers, as it was to him.
12. And the father of circumciſion to them who are not of the circumciſion only, but alſo (to them that) walk in the ſteps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumciſed.
12. And might be the Father of the Ends, and Spiritual benefits of Circumciſion, conveyed to them who are not of the Circumciſion only, but alſo to them that walk in the ſteps of that Faith of our Father Abraham, which he had being yet Uncircumciſed, as they are.
13. For the promiſe that he ſhould be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham and his ſeed through the Law, but through the righteouſneſs of faith.
13. For the Promiſe to Abraham and his Seed, That he ſhould be Heir of the World, was not made to him by the Law, which was long af…er, nor for the keeping of it; but upon his believing Gods merciful Promiſe, and truſting him, for which he was accounted and pronounced Righteous.
14. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promiſe made of none effect.
14. For if this great Promiſe of Inheritance was made to Men for keeping Miſes's Law, as ſuch, (and ſo only to them) then it was null to Abraham, and it is of no effect to any.
15. Becsuſe the law worketh wrath; for where no law is, there is no tranſgreſſion.
15. Becauſe, as the Law is made to forbid and condemn Sin, ſo it obligeth Sinners to undergo the Puniſhment; which were no obligation, were there no obliging Law: And Abraham was not under Moſes's Law, and ſo tranſgreſſed it not.
16. Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace, to the end the promiſe might be ſure to all the ſeed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that alſo which is of the ſaith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
16. Therefore this great Promiſe and Bleſſing is made to Believers, as ſuch, that it may be free, and of meer Grace, that ſo it may be ſure and firm to all the Seed or Children of Promiſe; not only to the Jews that had the Law, and were the Natural Seed, but to the Gentiles alſo, who have Abraham's Faith, and ſo are his Spiritual Seed, who is the Father of all Believers.
17. (As it is written [I have made thee a father of many nations]) before him whom he believed, even God who quickeneth the dead, and calleth thoſe things which be not as though they were.
17. As it is written, I have made thee a Father of many Nations, and not of the Iſraelitiſh Nation only: So that though the Gentiles were not then called, as now they are, by the Goſpel, yet that God who promiſed this to Abraham, when his Body and Sarah's were naturally paſt Generation, and to Iſaac when he was unborn; and again, when God demanded him as an Offering, and thence, as it were, raiſed him from the dead; that God, I ſay, did decree the calling of the Gentiles, and ſpake of that in Promiſe which was long after to be done.
18. Who againſt hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was ſpoken [So ſhall thy ſeed be.]
18. This was the meaning of Gods Promiſe to Abraham, who againſt all natural probability, truſted Gods Promiſe, and believed and hoped that accordingly he ſhould become the Father of many Nations: And that, as was promiſed, his Seed ſhould be as the Stars in Heaven.
19. And being not weak in faith, he conſidered not his own body now dead, when he was an hundred years old, nor yet the deadneſs of Sarah's womb.
19. And his Faith was not weak and ſhaken with the conſideration that his aged Body was almoſt dead, and unfit for procreation, or that Sarah's Womb was ſo alſo.
20. He ſtaggered not at the promiſe of God through unbelief; but was ſtrong in ſaith, giving glory to God. 21. And being fully perſwaded, that what he had promiſed he was able to perform.
20, 21. He was not ſtaggered by unbelief unto a diſtruſtful doubting; but was ſtrong in Faith, whereby he gave God the Glory of his Power, Wiſdom, Love and Truth, being fully perſwaded, that though Nature, ſhewed no probability of it in ſecond Cauſes, the Almighty God could perform all that he had promiſed.
22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteouſneſs.
22. And therefore this way of glorifying God by the truſting belief of his free Promiſe, was ſo ſuitable to Gods Ends and Honour, that he accepted it as Righteouſneſs, or a ſufficient qualification of him that ſhould partake of his free given Mercy, though Abraham had no ſinleſs innocency, nor could ſay that he never deſerved death.
23. Now it was not written for his ſake alone, that it was imputed to him. 24. But for us alſo, to whom it ſhall be imputed, if we believe on him that raiſed up Jeſus our Lord from the dead.
23. And certainly, God did not leave this on Record for Abraham's ſake only; as if there had been a Righteouſneſs and right to Life, which he only muſt have, and belonged to no other, and he muſt be juſtified by ſome odd way proper to himſelf. 24. But this is written alſo for all us, to tell us what Righteouſneſs God requireth and accepteth to our Salvation; and that if we believe with truſt on his Power, Truth, and Mercy, who raiſed up our Lord from the dead, this Faith ſhall be imputed to us for Righteouſneſs, and we ſhall be ſaved by the Sacrifice, Merits, and Mediation of Chriſt, though our Sins deſerved death, and neither the Law of Innocency or of Moſes juſtifie us.
25. Who was delivered for our offences, and was raiſed again for our juſtification.
25. Even our Faith in God by Chriſt and in him, who for our Sins was made a Propitiatory Sacrifice, to procure us free Forgiveneſs of them, and was raiſed again to cauſe our Juſtification, by uniting us to himſelf, and pardoning our Sin, and giving us his Spirit and right to Impunity and Salvation, and juſtif…ifying this right and us as our Advocate, and by his Sentence as our Judge.