The Apostle in this place expounds, why the faithful may be freed from sin and death by Christ: The reason is given as it were from the cause moving God to this giving of Christ. ⟨p. 31⟩And this moving cause was the neediness of our want, which appears in the defect of power in any other means to produce such an effect, as if the Apostle had said; because it was needful for us, to be delivered from sin and death; and yet this could be effected by no other means, therefore God performed it by Christ. The strength and necessity of this consequence depends upon the will of God, which tacitly supposeth, that God would not have mankind fall, utterly to perish, but to be restored again. The whole syllogism or reason is this. If by no other means fallen men could be restored, but by Christ, then that way was to be taken, because God would that some way it should be done: but the first is true; and therefore also the latter. The assumption is proved, to wit, that man could be restored by no other means; by the most likely instance of the law, which once had been of great power, and of force sufficient to bring man to happiness: For except Christ and the Gospel, never any thing was given of God to man, that was more perfect and divine than the Law. That therefore which the Apostle says here of the law, hath the force of such an argument as this: If by virtue of the Law man could not be restored, than by no other means could he be but by Christ; but the first is true, and therefore the latter also. The Apostle both proves and expounds the Assumption at once, from the reason or cause of this defect or weakness of the law, to restore man; that it is not properly inherent in the law it self, but in our flesh or corruption, whereby it is, that we cannot fulfil the law, that so it might save us; much less by the Law rise up again from Death to life.
THe Apostle in this place expounds, why the faithfull may be freed from sin and death by Christ: The reason is given as it were from the cause moving God to this giving of Christ. ⟨p. 31⟩And this moving cause was the needinesse of our want, which appears in the defect of power in any other means to produce such an effect, as if the Apostle had said; because it was needfull for us, to be delivered from sin and death; and yet this could be effected by no other means, therefore God performed it by Christ. The strength and necessity of this consequence depends upon the will of God, which tacitly supposeth, that God would not have mankinde fall, utterly to perish, but to be restored again. The whole syllogism or reason is this. If by no other means faln men could be restored, but by Christ, then that way was to be taken, because God would that some way it should be done: but the first is true; and therefore also the latter. The assumption is proved, to wit, that man could be restored by no other means; by the most likely instance of the law, which once had been of great power, and of force sufficient to bring man to happinesse: For except Christ and the Gospel, never any thing was given of God to man, that was more perfect and divine than the Law. That therefore which the Apostle says here of the law, hath the force of such an argument as this: If by vertue of the Law man could not be restored, than by no other means could he be but by Christ; but the first is true, and therefore the latter also. The Apostle both proves and expounds the Assumption at once, from the reason or cause of this defect or weakness of the law, to restore man; that it is not properly inherent in the law it self, but in our flesh or corruption, whereby it is, that we cannot fulfill the law, that so it might save us; much lesse by the Law rise up again from Death to life.
