A Paraphrase on the New Testament, Romans · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
1. THere is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt Jeſus, who walk not after the fleſh, but after the ſpirit.
1. It is not then the Law that juſtifieth us, But …ath in Chriſt; and all that are in him are acquit … the curſe and condemnation of the Law, (and alſo of the Law of Nature) for their ſin is pardoned, and they are regenerate, and live not now after the fleſhly inclination or Law, but under the Spiritual Law of Grace, by a ſpiritual inclination wrought in them by the Holy Ghoſt, which is given them by Chriſt.
2. For the law of the ſpirit of life in Chriſt Jeſus, hath made me free from the law of ſin and death.
2. For the Covenant of Grace which giveth the Spirit, and the Spirit ſo given me by Chriſt, being not a killing but a quickening Law, giving me internal and Spiritual Life; and Title to Eternal life, hath made me free from the Power and Rule of my Carnal Inclination, and from the Obligation and Condemnation of Moſes's Law.
3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the fleſh, God ſending his own Son in the likeneſs of ſinful fleſh, and for ſin condemned ſin in the fleſh.
3. For when the meer Law could neither juſtifie nor Regenerate us, becauſe our fleſhly pravity was uncapable hereof, God ſending his own Son in fleſh like ours which is ſinful, though without ſin, as a Sacrifice for ſin, and example of perfect holineſs, thereby ſhewed his enmity to ſin, and began the holy enterpriſe of its deſtruction.
4. That the righteouſneſs of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the fleſh, but after the ſpirit.
4. That the true Righteouſneſs which the Law was made to lead Men to, might be found in us, and the true ends of the Law obtained by us, who live now by the Spiritual Principle and Rule, and not by the Carnal Principle and Letter.
5. For they that are after the fleſh, do mind the things of the fleſh: but they that are after the ſpirit, the things of the ſpirit.
5. For the unregenerate who are under the Dominion of a Carnal Diſpoſition, though they may be under the terror of a threatning Law, do ſtill ſavour, love, and mind nothing ſo much as fleſhly Intereſt and Pleaſure: But they whoſe Souls are renewed by the Holy Spirit, and live by Faith on Spiritual Promiſes, do mind, love, and ſeek moſt Spiritual welfare and felicity.
6. For to be carnally minded, is death: but to be ſpiritually minded, is life and peace.
6. For the true ſtate of miſery called Death in the Soul, which is the way to everlaſting miſery, conſiſteth in its being turned from the love of God and Holineſs, to the love of Carnal Intereſt and Pleaſure, and the true ſtate of Spiritual life and Felicity conſiſteth in the love of God and Holineſs, and the Souls perfection.
7. Becauſe the carnal mind is enmity to God; for it is not ſubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
7. Becauſe the Carnal Unregenerate Mind, having a predominant inclination to inferiour ſenſual intereſts and delights, and a privation, yea and enmity to things Spiritual and Holy, hath thereby an enmity to the Holy Laws and Ways of God, and conſequently to God as Holy: For it is not ſubject to the Law of God, which is quite againſt their ſinful life and inclination, nor indeed can be, while it ſo continueth; there being a contrariety between their Inclinations and the Law of God.
8. So then, they that are in the fleſh cannot pleaſe God.
8. So that they that are Unregenerate and Carnal, cannot pleaſe God while they are ſuch; becauſe they cannot, through the perverſeneſs of their own Wills, do the things that pleaſe him, what legal reſtraint ſoever they be under.
9. But ye are not in the fleſh, but in the Spirit, if ſo be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Chriſt, he is none of his.
9. But you are not in this Carnal ſtate, and under the dominion of the fleſh, if the Spirit of God do not only provoke you towards goodneſs, but alſo dwell in you and poſſeſs you; For it is a powerful, Spirit and will overcome the Fleſh: But if any Man have not this indwelling, illuminating, quickening, ſanctifying Spirit, he is not a true Chriſtian, and ſaved by Chriſt. He may be baptiſed, and deceive the Church, and paſs for a viſible Member of it, and ſo for a Chriſtian among Men, but Chriſt will not own him as a living Member to Juſtification and Salvation.
10. And if Chriſt be in you, the body is dead becauſe of ſin, but the Spirit is life becauſe of righteouſneſs.
10. And if Chriſt by his Spirit and Government be and rule in you, the Body which hath ſtill ſome inordinate ſinful inclinations, and backwardneſs to good, ſhall die for ſin; but your Spirits being quickened by the Spirit of God, unto Holineſs and Juſtification, are in a ſtate of life begun, and ſhall not die as the Body doth, but live with Chriſt, by whom they live.
11. But if the Spirit of him that raiſed up Jeſus from the dead, dwell in you; he that raiſed up Chriſt from the dead, ſhall alſo quicken your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
11. But if the Spirit of him that raiſed up Jeſus from the dead dwell in you, he that by this ſame Spirit of life and power raiſed up Chriſt from the dead, as he hath begun to riſe you from Spiritual death in ſin, and ſanctifie both Soul and Body to himſelf, will not only glorifie your Souls, but alſo raiſe and ſave your Mortal Bodies, by that ſame Almighty Spirit which raiſed Chriſt, and ſanctified you.
12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the fleſh, to live after the fleſh. 13. For if ye live after the fleſh, ye ſhall die: But if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body, ye ſhall live.
12, 13. By all which you may ſee that it is not to the Fleſh that we owe our chief reſpect, care and obedience, nor after the luſts of which we ſhould live: For it is this ſinful fleſhly life that cauſeth death, and tendeth unto future miſery: But if by the Spirit you mortifie thoſe fleſhly luſts and deeds, which Carnal Men obey and practiſe, this begining of Spiritual Life will end in future life and happineſs.
14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the ſons of God.
14. For as many as are Principled and Ruled, by Gods Spirit and Spiritual Law of Grace, are Gods Children: And God will not forſake, loſe, or deſtroy his Spiritual Children.
15. For ye have not received the ſpirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
15. For the Spirit which you have now received is not that of a Slave, which doth no good but for fear of Puniſhment; (and the meer Law without Grace could give no better) but you have received the Spirit of Adoption, which giveth you an inclination of dependance, love and truſt in God, much like that which a Child hath by nature to his Father, to the collation of which Child-like love, truſt and nature, the wondrous revelation of Gods love in Chriſt, and the free gifts of his Grace, were Spiritually fitted.
16. The Spirit it ſelf beareth witneſs with our ſpirit, that we are the children of God.
16. And to have this Spirit of God dwelling in us, and ſanctifying us, is a certain evidence or teſtimony in and with our own Spirits and Conſciences, that God doth ſpecially love us, and take us for his Children, having ſet his ſpecial mark upon us: For we could not love him as a Father, and he not love us as his Children. And this Spirit alſo helpeth our Conſciences to diſcern and exerciſe this fealing Grace, and to rejoyce therein.
17. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joynt-heirs with Chriſt: if ſo be that we ſuffer with him, that we may alſo be glorified together.
17. And if this Seal of the Spirit prove us Sons, it proveth us Heirs of the purchaſed Kingdom, or Heavenly Inheritance, for ſuch are all the Sons of God; Heirs of God, and Co-heirs with Chriſt; but ſo that there is a further condition of our poſſeſſion, even that we take up the croſs and follow him, ſubmitting to be conformed to him in his ſufferings, if God call us to it, that ſo by the ſame way we may come to be glorified together with him.
18. For I reckon, that the ſufferings of this preſent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which ſhall be revealed in us.
18. For though we muſt ſuffer in this life, with Chriſt, and for his ſake, and by Gods Correction for our ſins, having in my reckoning compared them with the promiſed effects and end, I fully reſolve the caſe, that they are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which in the Saints ſhall be ſhortly manifeſted; nor ſhould they ſtop any Man from entertaining the Doctrine of the Croſs, and purſuing his Celeſtial hopes.
19. For the earneſt expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifeſtation of the ſons of God.
19. For all the frame of Nature ſtrongly tending to its own perfection, (and God annihillateth not the Natural or Senſitive Creatures, though he diſſolve the Compoſition) they do as it were wait for their better ſtate and deliverance from the Curſe cauſed by Mans ſins, till the manifeſtation of the Glory of the Sons of God; with whom, and for whom they ſhall have their reſtauration, as with Man they fell under the Curſe.
20. For the creature was made ſubject to vanity, not willingly, but by reaſon of him who hath ſubjected the ſame in hope.
20. For ſo much of the world as was made for Man, and marr'd or curſed for mans ſake, ſo was made ſubject to this Curſe and Mutation, not for its own ſin, nor by its own choice, but by the ſin of Man, even by that God who ſubjected its condition to the free will and ſtate of Man, and ſo to ſuffer with and for him, but with a purpoſe to reſtore it with him unto its integrity.
21. Becauſe the creature it ſelf alſo ſhall be delivered from the bondege of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
21. Becauſe the Natural and Senſitive parts of the World that were ſubjected to the uſe of Man, and fell under a Curſe by Man, ſhall be delivered with Man from that Curſe, and Bondage, and Corruptibility, into a ſtate of liberty and uſeful perfection ſuitable to the Glory of the Children of God, for whom they were made.
22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now.
22. For it is evident, that the whole Natural and Subjective World which was thus ſubjected to Man and curſed for him, is like a Woman in the pangs or expectation of Child-birth, and groaneth till it be delivered with us at that time of reſtoration.
23. And not only they, but our ſelves alſo, which have the firſt fruits of the Spirit, even we our ſelves groan within our ſelves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
23. And if this be their caſe, much more do we who have the Spirit of God, which is the Pledge, Earneſt, and Firſt-fruit of Glory, feeling our ſelves burdened with ſin, temptations and ſufferings in the World, and yet ſhort of our expected Glory, feel our ſelves as a Woman in Travel, groaning for deliverance, and longing for the bleſſed inheritance, yea even the Reſurrection of the Body it ſelf, to which we were Adopted.
24. For we are ſaved by hope: But hope that is ſeen, is not hope; for what a man ſeeth, why doth he yet hope for?
24. For our preſent ſtate of Salvation is not in ſight and full poſſeſſion, but in the hope of unſeen things that are promis'd, and this hope will bring us to poſſeſſion. But if we had ſight and poſſeſſion of it, we could not be ſaid to live by the hopes of it, for why ſhould we be ſaid to hope for that which we ſee and poſſeſs.
25. But if we hope for that we ſee not, then do we with patience wait for it.
25. But hoping for that which we never ſaw or poſſeſſed, we do with patience under all delays and ſufferings wait for the deſired attainment and poſſeſſion.
26. Likewiſe the Spirit alſo helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we ſhould pray for as we ought; but the Spirit it ſelf maketh interceſſion for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
26. And the Spirit which God hath given us, helpeth us againſt our Infirmities of Hope and Prayer; and under our ſufferings and diſtreſſes; for we are unmeet judges of our own neceſſities and condition, and the fleſh is too prone to deſire its own eaſe and ſafety: But the Spirit of Chriſt in us, teacheth and inclineth us to go to God as to a merciful alſufficient Father, and to pour out our Souls complaints before him, at leaſt with groans, when we cannot utter them with Words, and to cry, Abba Father, and to refer our ſelves unto his Wiſdom, and caſt our caſe in truſt on him.
27. And he that ſearcheth the heart, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, becauſe he maketh interceſſion for the Saints according to the will of God.
27. And God that ſearcheth the Heart, knoweth the meaning of thoſe very groans, excited by his Spirit, which we want words to expreſs: For he knoweth what his own Spirit moveth us to ask, and what deſires come from himſelf; for as Chriſt is in Heaven our Interceſſor with the Father, ſo the Holy Spirit ſent down into our Hearts, is our Interceſſor with the Father and the Son; for as he is Chriſts Agent and Witneſs in us, to communicate Spiritual Life, Light and Love to us, ſo he is a Spirit of Supplication and Adoption in us, and the ſpring of all our holy deſires and motions Godward, and that only which is of him is accepted of God; for he moveth us to ask what pleaſeth God, and to ſubmit to his Will, and returneth us the anſwer of our Prayers in inward ſtrength and conſolation.
28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpoſe.
28. For we know that all the courſe of Gods providence, and particularly all our ſufferings for him, do by Gods over-ruling ordination work together for our good, even to carry on them that love him to Salvation; who are called hereto according to the gracious benevolent purpoſe of his own Will.
29. For whom he did foreknow, he alſo did predeſtinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firſt-born among many brethren.
29. For thoſe whom he fore-knew and purpoſed to glorifie, he alſo predeſtinated as the way to their Glory, to be conformed to the Image of his Son, in holineſs and patient ſuffering, that his Church as Brethren might be like their Head and eldeſt Brother.
30. Moreover, whom he did predeſtinate; them he alſo called; and whom he called; them he alſo juſtified; and whom he juſtified, them he alſo glorified.
30. And thoſe whom God thus predeſtinateth to be conformed to Chriſt, them in time he effectually called to repent and believe in Chriſt; and thoſe whom he thus called, and made true Chriſtians, he juſtified, both making them juſt by pardoning their ſin, and giving them his Indwelling Spirit of love and Holineſs, and accounting them juſt, for the merits of Chriſt; and thoſe whom he thus juſtifieth, he will glorifie with Chriſt.
31. What ſhall we then ſay to theſe things? If God be for us, who can be againſt us?
31. What then ſhall we ſay, when we conſider all this, but with joyful thankfulneſs conclude, that God is for his Saints, their Father and Protector, and therefore they have no cauſe to fear any that are againſt them, how great, or many, or ſtrong ſoever; that is, not fear their power, ſo be it we take heed that they draw us not to ſin.
32. He that ſpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how ſhall he not with him alſo freely give us all things?
32. He that ſpared not his own Son, not thinking him too precious a giſt, but delivered him up to ſuffer as a Sacrifice to procure the pardon of ſin and ſalvation, to be given to all by a Conditional Covenant, of faith and acceptance, and actually to pardon and ſave all true Believers, that accept him, how can it be that he ſhould think any thing elſe which we need too good for us, and not freely give all other things with Chriſt to us that believingly accept him. See, 1 Joh. 5.11, 12. and Joh. 1.11, 12.
33. Who ſhall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that juſtifieth:
33. Of how little moment is it what erroneous and malignant Men lay to the charge of God's Elect (accuſing them as breakers of their Laws) whilſt God himſelf doth juſtifie them?
34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Chriſt that died, yea rather that is riſen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who alſo maketh interceſſion for us.
34. What, or who is he that condemneth thoſe whom Almighty God doth juſtifie? What is the Sentence of a Worm, a Sinner, and a blinded Enemy to be ſet againſt Gods Sentence? It is Chriſt that died for our ſins, to deliver us from the Law and Curſe, that juſtifieth Believers here on Earth; yea, I ſay more to our conſolation, It is Chriſt that is riſen again, and advanced in Glory, Head over all things to his Church, who effectually intercedeth for us, and will finally juſtifie us as our judge.
35. Who ſhall ſeparate us from the love of Chriſt? Shall tribulation, or diſtreſs, or perſecution, or famine, or nakedneſs, or peril, or ſword?
35. And when God by ſuch an incomprehenſible Miracle of mercy, declared ſuch unſpeakable love to us in Chriſt, who or what can be ſuppoſed to have power, to diſſolve this bond of mutual love; viz. to ſeparate us from Gods love to us, and our thankful return of love to him? Shall Tribulation, or Diſtreſs, or Famine, or Nakedneſs, or Peril, or Sword, or any thing that Men can do; which are little matters, and all work to our good, and none of them ſignifie or cauſe Gods forſaking us, nor ſhall cauſe us to forſake him.
36. (As it is written, For thy ſake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as ſheep to the ſlaughter)
36. We may ſay as the Pſalmiſt doth, 44.22. For thy ſake we are killed all the day long, &c.
37. Nay in all theſe things we are more than conquerours, through him that loved us.
37. Yea, all theſe are but the occaſions of our triumph, when we overcome them all as they are temptations. It were not ſo much to us to conquer all our Enemies and Perſecutors in fight, as it is by Faith and Patience to overcome their perſecutions.
38, 39. For I am perſwaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, ſhall be able to ſeparate us from the love of God, which is in Chriſt Jeſus our Lord.
38, 39. For I am perſwaded that the band of love between God and all true Confirmed Chriſtians, made in and by our Mediator Chriſt, is ſo ſtrong and ſure that it will never be diſſolved by the terrours of the Death, or the Love of this Life, nor by malignant Spirits, by Principalities or Powers, Satan or his inſtruments of ſtrength and violence, by what now doth, or what hereafter ſhall befall us, or aſſault us; by any things above us, or beneath us, exaltation or dejection, nor by the power of any Creature: Nothing hath power to cauſe God to ceaſe loving us, or us to ceaſe loving God.
ANNOTATIONS.
I. THe Controverſies raiſed about the firſt fourteen Verſes, of the fulfilling of the Righteouſneſs of the Law; of the Carnal and Spiritual ſtate of Mind, &c. are ſufficiently decided in the Paraphraſe.
II. So is that of the Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, and that of the Witneſs of the Spirit with our Spirits, &c. in the Paraphraſe on the 15 and 16 Verſes.
III. His Expoſition of the 19, 20, 21, and 22 Verſes, which feigneth them to ſpeak of the Heathen World, hath ſo many and palpable Violences, that I think it not worth the labour to give a particular Confutation of them. But if many things about the Creatures Reſtoration be yet unknown and unrevealed to us, it followeth not, that therefore it is unknown whether a Reſtoration there ſhall be. The Heavens muſt contain Chriſt till the time of this Reſtoration. And his Violence is as groſs about the Words of St. Peter, That we look for a new Heaven and a new Earth, in which dwelleth Righteouſneſs. What God doth with the Souls of Brutes when they die hence, may be unknown to us, and yet their Reſtoration known. It is not hard, by the moſt probable Principles of Philoſophy, to ſhame their Opinion who confidently ſay, that their Souls are no Spiritual Subſtances, but evanid Accidents, Qualities, or Motions. And as they may eaſily be proved Subſtances, that have an Eſſential Power of Vital Action, Perception, and Appetite; ſo it is moſt improbable that God annihilateth them, or changeth their eſſential Form or Nature. But whether they are continued: Individuate, or onelyonly▪ in one or more univerſal Form; and if Individuate, whither or to what uſe God diſpoſeth of them, and what alteration there will be in the State of Reſtoration, Mortals know not.
IV. Thoſe that ſay, That by the Spirit that helpeth our infirmities, ver. 26. is meant Chriſt by his Spirit praying for us in Heaven, can neither make it agree with the Context, nor prove that the Spirit groaneth in Heaven, or is called our Interceſſour there, but within us.
V. They that feign the 28 Verſe to ſay, That all the Sins of Believers ſhall work for their good, dangerouſly pervert the Text: It's contrary to the Context, and to the tenor of all the Scripture, and the Wiſdom and Holineſs of God, and the Safety of Believers, to feign God to promiſe them, that how much ſoever they ſin, they ſhall be Gainers by it; when he ſtill uſeth the clean contrary means to ſave them from it, even by his Threatnings. And it's contrary to the very Terms of the Text, [To them that love God, &c.] which implieth, that the defects or decay of their Love to God is not for their good. And it's contrary to common Experience, which tells us, that many Chriſtians by Sin loſe ſome degrees of Love to God, and other Grace, and die worſe than once they were, (and ſo have a leſs degree of Glory.) And is this for their good▪ Yea, all Men die in ſome Sin of Omiſſion, as in a culpable defect of ſome due Act or Degree of Faith, Hope, Love, Joy, Patience, of which they have no more time to repent. And what good doth that do them? Indeed ſome Sin to ſome Men God maketh an Occaſion of good, and an Object of Repentance, &c. But as an Occaſion is not a Cauſe, and to be an Object of Repentance i… to be a Duty, and not a Sin; ſo even this much is none of the meaning of this Promiſe, which ſpeaketh but of Sufferings, or at moſt of God's Providential Works, of which Sin is none.
VI. The Controverſies about Predeſtination, raiſed from the 28 and 29 Verſes, might be ended by the Text it ſelf, if we could be content to know no more than God doth teach us, and to be no wiſer than St. Paul was.
1. He teacheth us, That there are ſome called according to God's purpoſe, and foreknown by him, that is, to be ſuch as he will uſe as is after mentioned: He knoweth them to be thoſe whom he purpoſeth to call and ſave. But Paul was not ſo preſumptuous and profane, as to diſpute, How God foreknoweth them, or why he purpoſeth to call them rather than others.
2. And whereas profane Men do fooliſhly ſay, If God decree and foreknow my Salvation, I ſhall be ſaved whatever I do; and if he do not, I ſhall not: St. Paul tells us, That thoſe whom God purpoſeth or decreeth to ſave, he predeſtinateth to be conformed to the Image of his Son, even to the Means, as well as to the End. So that, to ſay, That God doth predeſtinate Men to Salvation, and not to Holineſs of Heart and Life, is to contradict God's Doctrine of Predeſtination. As God doth decree how long we ſhall live, and withal that we ſhall live by Meat and Drink; ſo he decreeth that we ſhall be ſaved, and that by Faith and ſincere Obedience. And ſure they know not what they ſay, who call this Doctrine of Election, Licentious. Doth it encourage Men to Impenitency or Diſobedience, to tell them, that God doth predeſtinate Men to repent, and obey, and be ſaved? Will it tempt Men to live after the Fleſh, in Worldlineſs, or Senſuality, to believe that God hath decreed to make them to live after the Spirit, and to mortifie the Deeds of the Fleſh, and to avoid ſuch Sins?
3. And Paul tells us, That this Chain of Cauſes is all decreed of God, from the firſt to the laſt; and therefore that it is God's Purpoſe which ſecureth the Event of our Glorification. And it's ſtrange that any ſhould think, that God ſhould undertake ſo great a Work as Mans Redemption, and not effectually ſecure the Succeſs by his own Will and Wiſdom, but leave all to the lubricous Will of Man.
4. But the Apoſtle tells us of no ſuch Decrees of the Cauſes of Mens Damnation. God cauſeth and giveth Grace, and foreknoweth that which he will give: But he doth not cauſe or give Men Sin, nor neceſſitate any to commit it; and therefore decreeth not to cauſe it, nor foreknoweth it as his own Work, but as Mans. So that Election and Non-election, or Reprobation, are not of the ſame kind, degree, and order.
VII. The ſenſe of the Terms of the 30 Verſe, Expoſitors much differ about; but there is no great Doctrinal Controverſie depending on it. 1. It is doubted, whether by [Calling] here be meant only Effectual Calling and Converſion, or only General Calling antecedent to its Efficacy. But it's confeſſed, that both theſe are aſſerted in the Scripture. 2. It is doubted, why Sanctification is omitted, or where it is included: But it's agreed, that it is one Link of the Chain of the Cauſes of Salvation. 3. And ſo it's doubted, what the Word [Juſtifie] doth mean: But the thing is agreed on. 4. And the greateſt doubt is, whether every one of theſe Cauſes will infer the reſt, or only the connexion of all the foregoing will infer that which followeth.
1. There is ſmall reaſon to doubt, but that by [Calling] is meant [Effectual Calling]: Elſe it would neither prove Predeſtination, nor infer Juſtification.
2. Sanctification is a Word which ſignifieth many Acts. As it ſignifieth the Gift of our firſt Faith and Repentance, and our Covenant-devotedneſs to God in Baptiſm, it is the ſame with Effectual Vocation, Regeneration, and Converſion. But as it ſignifieth the after-gift of the In-dwelling Spirit, to habituate the Soul with fixed Holineſs and Love, and the Practice of theſe, it followeth Vocation, at leaſt in order of Nature.
3 Juſtification ſometime ſignifieth Making us righteous; ſometime, accounting us righteous; ſometime, by Apology, maintaining us to be righteous; ſometime, by Judicial Sentence, pronoun…ing us righteous; ſometime, executively, uſing us as righteous; uſually, many of theſe together, all the reſt being implied. It is certain, that God maketh Men righteous, before he account or judge them righteous. Now to make a Man righteous (and juſtifiable in Judgment) all theſe concur. 1. The Merit of Chriſt's Righteouſneſs, as the deſerving Matter and Cauſe. 2. The Act of the New Covenant, giving him a part in Chriſt, and with him Pardon of Sin, and Right to the Spirit of Grace, and unto Glory. 3. The Gift of Faith and Repentance, that Chriſt and his further Grace may be ours; and for continuance, the holy Habits and Acts of Sancti…cation. And ſeeing all ſound Expoſitors confeſs (with Beza) that at leaſt three Texts by Juſtification mean or include Sanctification, we have reaſon to judge, that part of Sanctification is here included in Vocation, and part in Juſtification, and, ſome think, the Triumphant part in Glorification. And certainly this inferreth no unſound Doctrine.
4. Auguſtine thought, that the Links of this are ſeparable, unleſs you include the firſt as the Qualification of all the reſt, by way of diſtinction; and that the meaning is, That [God will call all the Predeſtinate or Elect, and will juſtifie all the Predeſtinate that are called, and will glorifie all the Juſtified that are predeſtinate and called]; but that there are ſome juſtified and ſanctified, that were not predeſtinate, nor ſhall be glorified, but fall away. What the ſ…nſe of the Ancient Fathers was about Perſeverance, Ger. Voſſius hath ſo truly opened in his Theſes, that I may thither refer the Inquiſitive. My own ſenſe of it I have opened in my Catholick Theologie; and it's too long a Caſe, to be handled here. But I think no confirmed Chriſtian doth totally and finally fall away; and that the reſt of the Doubt ſhould not be thought enough to break the Love and Peace of Chriſtians.
VIII. As to the Doubt, Whether the 38 and 39 Verſes ſpeak [of God's Love to us, or ours to him,] as they are in themſelves inſeparable, ſo I think that the Context giveth us Reaſon to think that it is both, even the Bond of mutual Love which is here ſpoken of. All the doubt is, Whether it be ſpoken of every true Chriſtian, or only of the Elect and Confirmed; of which before.