Hereto the Apostle hath manifest reference, when having first asserted against them Justification by Faith only, Gal. 2. 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the Faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law; for by the works of the Law shall no fl•sh be justified. He then vindicates the Assertion against their Imputation, that it made Christ a Patron to Men's Sins; If (saith he) while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ⟨p. 12⟩our selves also are found sinners. Is Christ therefore the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things that I destroyed, I make my self a Transgressor: For I through the Law am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ, and am in and with him dead unto all Sin, so as not to be under the Dominion of any; and Death never more had Dominion over him, when he had once died. And whereas they thus objecting against the Doctrine of Justification by Faith in Christ, that it ministered unto sin, or made Christ a Minister thereunto, were liable to have the Objection retorted upon them, being a sort of Men themselves so very infamously wicked; for this they had a double Salvo, both of which the Apostle doth industriously refute. That is, from the two parts of the Law given by Moses, and the two sorts of the Works of the Law enjoined thereby, that is the Moral, and the Ritual or Ceremonial part. In reference to the former, they fall in with those Jewish Conceits of the Merit of their good Works, done from the Principle of Free-will: ⟨p. 13⟩And that in order to their Justification this Merit was to be measured by the Preponderation of their good works to their bad*; and that it was possible that one good Work in some cases might turn the Scale: That is, if they were equal before. Now this the Apostle occurs to, by showing that they that were under the Law were under a Curse: For that if they continued not in all things written in the Law to do them, All they did was nothing, as you may see, Chap. 3. of this Epistle, ver. 10.
Hereto the Apostle hath manifest reference, when having first asserted against them Justification by Faith only, Gal. 2. 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the Faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law; for by the works of the Law shall no fl•sh be justified. He then vindicates the Assertion against their Imputation, that it made Christ a Patron to Men's Sins; If (saith he) while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ⟨p. 12⟩our selves also are found sinners. Is Christ therefore the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things that I destroyed, I make my self a Transgressor: For I through the Law am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ, and am in and with him dead unto all Sin, so as not to be under the Dominion of any; and Death never more had Dominion over him, when he had once died. And whereas they thus objecting against the Doctrine of Justification by Faith in Christ, that it ministred unto sin, or made Christ a Minister thereunto, were liable to have the Objection retorted upon them, being a sort of Men themselves so very infamously wicked; for this they had a double Salvo, both of which the Apostle doth industriously resute. That is, from the two parts of the Law given by Moses, and the two sorts of the Works of the Law enjoyned thereby, that is the Moral, and the Ritual or Ceremonial part. In reference to the former, they fall in with those Jewish Conceits of the Merit of their good Works, done from the Principle of Free-will: ⟨p. 13⟩And that in order to their Justification this Merit was to be measured by the Preponderation of their good works to their bad*; and that it was possible that one good Work in some cases might turn the Scale: That is, if they were equal before. Now this the Apostle occurs to, by shewing that they that were under the Law were under a Curse: For that if they continued not in all things written in the Law to do them, All they did was nothing, as you may see, Chap. 3. of this Epistle, ver. 10.
- *See at large to this purpose Smith's Select Discourses upon this Subject.
