Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 1 · Chapter 3 · Verse and explication 6
Vers. 6. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7. Know ye therefore, that they which are of Faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
HAving put a close to that Argument, which he brought from their own experience, proving that we are justified by Faith and not by Works, he addeth another from a Scripture-example of Abraham, to confirm the same Truth, who, though he did abound in many vertues and good works, yet he was not justified by these, but by Faith only; which he proveth by the testimony of Moses, Gen. 15. 6. where it is affirmed, that Abraham believed in the Lord, to wit, not only by giving assent unto the Promise spoken of immediately before about the multiplication of his seed, and giving unto them the Land of Canaan, Gen. 15. 5, 7. but by assenting unto, and imbracing of the prime Promise of the Covenant made by God with him, that in the Messias, who was to come of him, he himself, and the Nations were to be blessed, Gen. 12. 3. of which Promise, this of the multiplication of his seed was but a dependent, and the means to effectuate it; which Faith of Abraham's, or the thing believed and laid hold upon by Abraham's Faith, to wit, the obedience of the Mediator the blessed Seed. was imputed unto him for righteousnesse, or accepted of God as his obedience for his Justification, ver. 6. from which he inferreth, or rather, the matter being so evident, he exciteth themselves to infer the conclusion, which he intendeth to prove, That only they who are of the Faith, or seek after Justification by Faith, are children of Abraham, by following of his steps, and succeeding to him in the inheritance of that blessing of free-gifted Righteousnesse, and Justification thereby, which he enjoyed; for, an equivalent phrase to this here, is that which is, ver.—9. They are blessed with faithfull Abraham, ver. 7. Doct. 1. Though saving Faith hath for its general object, the whole Word of God consisting of Histories, Threatnings, Commands and Promises, both of temporal and eternal blessings; for, Faith giveth firm assent unto the whole Word, because of that divine Authority which revealeth it, Act. 24. -14. yet the principal object of justifying Faith, is the Word of Promise holding forth Christ and His Righteousnesse, as the meritorious cause of the Believers Salvation: for, this Promise which Abraham did believe, and the Faith wherof was imputed to him for righteousnes, had Jesus Christ in its bosom, it being a Promise of giving unto Abraham a numerous seed, Gen. 15. 4, 5. and so a Promise of Jesus Christ to come of him, in whom all the Nations (Act. 3. 25.) and Abraham himself (ver.—9.) were to be blessed: Even as Abraham believed God. 2. That it may go well with a soul, and be accepted in God's sight, who can endure no unclean thing, Hab. 1. 13—. it is necessary that it be cloathed with some righteousnesse of one sort or other: for, Faith was accounted unto Abraham for righteousnesse. 3. It being wholly impossible for fallen man, to attain unto that personal, perfect righteousnesse, which the Law requireth, Rom. 3. 10, &c. the Wisdom of God hath found out another way of making him righteous, to wit, that, whereby Faith is imputed, reckoned or accounted unto him for righteousnesse: for, Abraham's Faith was accounted unto him, to wit, by God, for righteousnesse. 4. Faith is not in a proper sense imputed to the Believer for righteousnesse, as if the work of Faith it self were imputed to us, and accepted of God, whether freely, or because of the merit of Christ, for our total and perfect righteousnesse, but it's imputed in a figurative sense, with respect had to that which Faith apprehendeth and layeth hold upon, to wit, the obedience and sufferings of Jesus Christ, these being laid hold on by Faith, become our righteousnesse, Rom. 5. 19. and 10. 4. for, the Apostle, all alongst this Chapter, opposeth Faith and Works: now his Arguments would be of no force, if Faith did justifie as a work, and for any worth in it self; It was accounted to him for righteousness. 5. In the matter of Justification, Faith is opposed not only to those Works which go before Conversion, but to those also which follow after it, and are the real fruits of God's Spirit in the Believer: all Works, whether of the one sort or other, are excluded; for, even to Abraham many years after his Conversion, when he had abounded in good Works, and many gracious Vertues, (Gen. 12, 13, 14, chapters) his Faith was accounted for righteousnesse. 6. As there is a second and reiterated Justification of one and the same person in this sense, that upon our renewed apprehending of the Promise by Faith, the sentence of our absolution and adjudication to life eternal, is also renewed; so this second Justification is not upon the account, or for the merit of our good Works, no more than the former. It is alwayes Faith that justifieth: for, Abraham who was justified long before, upon a renewed act of his believing, hath his Faith of new, and not his Works, imputed to him for righteousness. 7. The Godly under the Old Testament, and the Godly under the New, are justified one and the same way: as we are justified freely, Rom. 3. 24. so were they, Isa. 43. 25. as we are justified fully, and absolved both from the guilt and punishment of sin, 1 Joh. 1. -7. Rom. 8. 1. so were they, Isa. 53. 5. otherwise the Apostle could not argue from Abraham's Justification to ours, as he doth here; Know ye therefore (saith he) that they which are of the Faith, &c. 8. They who are of the Faith, or who seek after Justification by Faith, are Abraham's children and his seed; they who are Members of the visible Church, and profess the Doctrine of Faith, are his children outwardly, because they walk in the steps of their father Abraham, by professing of, and assenting to that Doctrine of Faith, which he believed, Rom. 4. 12. whereby they have title to the Covenant of Grace, Act. 2. 39. Rom. 11. 16, 17. which title of theirs to the Covenant, implyeth a right to enjoy all divine Ordinances, (Act. 2. 38, 39.) whereof they are capable, and from which they do not debar themselves by ignorance, (1 Cor. 11. 28.) or scandal, Mat. 18. 17. It implyeth also all external Church-priviledges leading unto Salvation, Rom. 9. 4. Yea, and a right to Salvation it self, upon God's tearms, required in the Gospel, Joh. 3. 16. In which respect, Salvation is said to be of the Jews, Joh. 4. -22. They again, who do not only professe the Doctrine of Faith, but also imbrace it in their hearts, by the grace of saving Faith, are Abraham's children inwardly; because, they have not only a title to the Covenant of Grace, but also come up to the conditions required in it; and so do walk in the steps of saving Faith and Repentance, wherein Abraham walked, who is held forth as a pattern and father for imitation unto others, whereby they enjoy not only outward priviledges, but also saving benefits and blessings, and have not only a conditional, but an absolute and actual right unto Heaven and Glory, the covenanted Inheritance of Abraham's children, Heb. 11. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16-. This distinction of Abraham's children outwardly and inwardly, is founded upon, Rom. 2. 28, 29. and is necessary, as for the right understanding of other places of Scripture, so of this. They which be of the Faith, are the Children of Abraham.