IN the fourth verse of this chapter the Apostle affirms, that there is no justification by the law; for, saith he, If you be justified by the law, you are fallen from grace: that is, you cannot be partakers of that justification which is by grace: Because for to have it by the law, and to have it by grace are ⟨p. 2⟩opposite. And he gives a reason for it, because, saith he, Through the Spirit we wait for the hope of that righteousness which is by faith, and not by the law. When he had expressed himself so far, which is the righteousness received by faith, that is, that righteousness which is freely given by God, offered to us, wrought by Christ, but taken by faith on our parts: Thus saith he, you must be justified. Now to confirm this, he gives a reason in this verse that I have read; for, saith he, In Christ Jesus, (that is, to put a man into Christ Jesus, or to make him acceptable to God through Christ Jesus, to do this) neither circumcision availeth any thing, or uncircumcision: (That is, neither the keeping of any part of the ceremonial law, or the omission of it, nor the keeping of the moral law, or the breaking of it will help to engraft a man into Christ, or to make him acceptable to God through Christ: What will do it then? nothing saith he) but only faith. Now lest we should be mistaken in this, as if he should require nothing at their hands but an empty idle faith, he addeth further, it must be such a faith as is effectual, as is working: And that is not enough, but it must be such a faith as works by love. So that you have two parts in this Text: One is a removal or a negation of that which doth not engraft us into Christ, or that makes us not acceptable to God through Christ; it is not being circumcised or uncircumcised, or any thing of that nature: The other is the affirmative part; What is it that doth it, that makes us in a glorious condition, that ⟨p. 3⟩makes us sons of God? saith he, it is only faith and love, it is such a faith as is accompanied with love and good works; so that you see he removes all works of ours, all works of the ceremonial law, circumcision is nothing, it is as good as if you were not circumcised, it is all one. And by the same reason that circumcision is excluded, all other is.
IN the fourth verse of this chapter the Apostle affirmes, that there is no justification by the law; for, saith hee, If you be justified by the law, you are fallen from grace: that is, you cannot be partakers of that justification which is by grace: Because for to have it by the law, and to have it by grace are ⟨p. 2⟩opposite. And he gives a reason for it, because, saith he, Through the Spirit we waite for the hope of that righteousnes which is by faith, and not by the law. When he had expressed himselfe so farre, which is the righteousnesse received by faith, that is, that righteousnesse which is freely given by God, offered to us, wrought by Christ, but taken by faith on our parts: Thus saith he, you must be justified. Now to confirme this, he gives a reason in this verse that I have read; for, saith he, In Christ Iesus, (that is, to put a man into Christ Iesus, or to make him acceptable to God through Christ Iesus, to doe this) neither circumcision availeth any thing, or uncircumcision: (That is, neither the keeping of any part of the ceremoniall law, or the omission of it, nor the keeping of the morall law, or the breaking of it will helpe to ingraffe a man into Christ, or to make him acceptable to God through Christ: What will doe it then? nothing saith hee) but onely faith. Now lest we should be mistaken in this, as if he should require nothing at their hands but an empty idle faith, hee addeth further, it must be such a faith as is effectuall, as is working: And that is not enough, but it must be such a faith as workes by love. So that you have two parts in this Text: One is a removall or a negation of that which doth not ingraffe us into Christ, or that makes us not acceptable to God through Christ; it is not being circumcised or uncircumcised, or any thing of that nature: The other is the affirmative part; What is it that doth it, that makes us in a glorious condition, that ⟨p. 3⟩makes us sonnes of God? saith he, it is onely faith and love, it is such a faith as is accompanied with love and good workes; so that you see hee removes all workes of ours, all workes of the ceremoniall law, circumcision is nothing, it is as good as if you were not circumcised, it is all one. And by the same reason that circumcision is excluded, all other is.
