Animadversions on William Dells Book, Section 1
SECTION I.
GAL. 2.20.
I am Crucified with Chriſt; nevertheleſſe I live; yet not I, but Chriſt lives in me; and the life I now live in the fleſh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himſelf for me.
IN this Chapter, we have one Apoſtle contending againſt another, Paul againſt Peter, and that about the truth of the Goſpel, in a very chief point. For Peter, in the abſence of the Jews, lived amongſt the Gentiles, after the manner of the Gentiles, for outward converſation, wholly laying aſide the Moſaical Rites and Ceremonies. But when certain Jews came from James, Peter did withdraw from the Gentiles, and from the uſe of that freedom and liberty of the Goſpel, wherein he had walked with them, and lived again with the Jews, after the manner of the Jews, in the uſe of the Jewiſh Ceremonies.
By which practiſe of his, he laid a ſtumbling block before the believing Gentiles, giving them occaſion to think and judge, That Chriſt alone, received by Faith, was not enough to Juſtification and Salvation; unleſſe they did alſo come in to live as the Jews, after Moſes Law.
Hereupon (A) Paul (who had a very clear knowledg in the myſterie of Chriſt and the Goſpel) did exceedingly blame Peter for this his un-even walking, (B) and tels him, that by thus doing, he committed a greater errour then he was aware; for hereby he made Chriſt the Miniſter of ſin. For, if Chriſt received by Faith, be abundantly ſufficient and enough to all Chriſtians, both for righteouſneſſe and life, and that without the Law; why doth Peter bring the Gentiles that had believed on Chriſt, back again to the Law? Is not this (ſaith Paul) to argue Chriſt of weakneſſe and inſufficiency, and to make him the Author and Teacher of a Doctrine that leaves men ſtill in ſin, it not being able to conſer upon them, by it ſelf alone, full, perfect, and ſufficient Righteouſneſſe.
And by reaſon (C) of this groſſe miſtake of Peter, of ſo dangerous a conſequence, Paul according to the wiſdome of the Spirit, takes occaſion to diſcourſe of that great point of Juſtification, which is the very marrow and ſubſtance of the Goſpel: (D) and he ſhows, that we muſt not do the works of the Law, thereby to be made righteous: but we muſt firſt be made righteous, ere we can do aright any work of the Law. For, as it is not good fruit can make a good tree, but it is a good tree that muſt bring forth good fruit; (E) ſo neither are we made righteous by working righteouſneſſe, but by receiving righteouſneſſe, out of which afterwards we work. And ſo the Law, that commands Righteouſneſſe, but doth not communicate Righteouſneſſe, can never juſtifie us; But faith, that makes us righteous before we can work righteouſneſſe; it is that which juſtifies us in the ſight of God.
Now to this Doctrine, Paul adds his own Experience to make all clear: which kind of arguing, though it will not ſatisfie the reaſon of the World, yet it will ſatisfie the faith of the Saints.
Now ſaith Paul, for mine own part, I muſt profeſſe to the Jews themſelves, and to all the world beſides, (F) that I am ſo far from ſeeking Righteouſneſſe by the Law, that I am wholly dead to the Law, and as a dead man, have no more to do with the Law, as that hath no more to do with me. I through the Law am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God, verſe 19.
ANIMADVERSION I.
(A) ANd had not Peter too a very clear knowledge in the myſtery of Chriſt? He ſtands indeed charged with diſſimulation, in the Text, Gal. 2.13. but not with ignorance or errour in any degree, which yet Mr. Dell ſeems cloſely to faſten upon him in this place.
(B) No ſuch thing appears to me in the text, as is here affirmed by Mr. Dell. The Apoſtle, Gal. 2.17,18. ſhewed that if profeſſed believers give way to themſelves in ſin, or are by the light of the Goſpel diſcovered to be ſinners, their ſins are not to be charged on Chriſt, as the miniſter of ſin, or upon his Goſpel, but on themſelves as tranſgreſſours in conformity to his own doctrine, Rom. 6.1,2,3,4. This hath nothing to do with any perſonal errour of Peter, greater or leſſe, whereby he made Chriſt the miniſter of ſin, whereof Mr. Dell cauſleſly, yet confidently, proclaims himſelf guilty.
(C) I read of no groſſe miſtake, but of a ſad miſcarriage of Peter, of a dangerous conſequence indeed. Chriſtians ſhould be tender of caſting the reproach of a groſſe miſtake upon an Apoſtle without clear evidence. In ſuam ipſius conſcientiam peccabat, aliud intus ſentiens, aliud foris ſimulans, Pareus ad Gal. 2.12. He ſinned againſt his own conſcience, apprehending one thing inwardly, feigning another thing outwardly.
(D) Let this then ſtand and be held for a truth, that they who are firſt made righteous, can do aright the works of the Law, which I think is enough to prove, that righteous believers are in ſome ſence alive to the Law, ſince they, and they only can do aright the works of the Law; yet Mr. Dell afterwards ſeems very unwillingly to allow ſo much for truth.
(E) Do we work out our juſtifying righteouſneſs as theſe words import? Is not this to confound juſtification with ſanctification? The righteouſneſſe of God whereby were are juſtified, is in Chriſt, for us, Rom. 3.24,25. The righteouſneſſe out of which we work, is from Chriſt, in us, through his ſpirit, Eph. 4.24. Theſe two kinds of righteouſneſſe are inſeparably joyned together, yet not to be confounded, as they are here by Mr. Dell; And of the two, it is evident that believers work not out of juſtifying, but ſanctifying righteouſneſſe. Phil. 1.11.
(F) Wholly, is not in the text, and were it there, it would only ſhew that the Apoſtle was excluded wholly from ſeeking righteouſneſſe by the Law, Gal. 2.21. and 3.21. And this is the acknowledged doctrine of Proteſtants, who generally profeſſe, that as to the ſeeking of righteouſneſſe by the Law, we are wholly dead to it, through the faith of the Goſpel, which holdeth forth Chriſt as the end of the Law, for righteouſneſſe to every one that believeth, Rom. 10.4. In this ſenſe there is no queſtion but every believer may ſay with the Apoſtle, I through the Law am dead to the Law, that I may live unto God. But Mr. Dells wholly in this place is of a much larger extent, tranſcending, as I conceive, the limits of the Scripture.