Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…

THE main Subject of the doctrinal Part of this Epistle, is the free Grace of God, in the Salvation of Men by Jesus Christ; especially as it appears in the Doctrine of Justification by Faith alone. And the more clearly to evince this Doctrine, and show the Reason of it, the Apostle, in the first Place, establishes that Point, that no Flesh living can be justified by the Deeds of the Law. And to prove it, he is very large and particular in showing, that all Mankind, not only Gentiles, but Jews, are under Sin, and so under ⟨p. 193⟩the Condemnation of the Law; which is what he insists upon from the beginning of the Epistle to this Place. He first begins with the Gentiles; and in the first Chapter, shows that they are under Sin, by setting forth the exceeding Corruptions and horrid Wickedness, that overspread the Gentile World: And then through the second Chapter, and the former Part of this third Chapter, to the Text and following Verse, he shows the same of the Jews, that they also are in the same Circumstances with the Gentiles, in this regard. They had an high Thought of themselves, because they were God's Covenant People, and circumcised, and the Children of Abraham. They despised the Gentiles, as polluted, condemned, and accursed; but looked on themselves, on Account of their external Privileges, and ceremonial and moral Righteousness, as a pure and holy People, and the Children of God; as the Apostle observes in the second Chapter. It was therefore strange Doctrine to them, that they also were unclean and guilty in God's Sight, and under the Condemnation and Curse of the Law. The Apostle does therefore, on Account of their strong Prejudices against such Doctrine, the more particularly insist upon it, and shows that they are no better than the Gentiles; as in the 9th Verse of this Chapter, What then? Are we better than they? No in no wise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under Sin. And to convince them of it, he then produces certain Passages out of their own Law, or the Old-Testament, (whose Authority they pretended a great Regard to,) from the 9th Verse to the Verse wherein is our Text. And it may be observed, that the Apostle, first, cites certain Passages to prove that Mankind are all corrupt, in the 10, 11, and 12. Verses; as it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth:

THE main Subject of the doctrinal Part of this Epistle, is the free Grace of God, in the Salvation of Men by Jesus Christ; especially as it appears in the Doctrine of Justification by Faith alone. And the more clearly to evince this Doctrine, and shew the Reason of it, the Apostle, in the first Place, establishes that Point, that no Flesh living can be justified by the Deeds of the Law. And to prove it, he is very large and particular in shewing, that all Mankind, not only Gentiles, but Jews, are under Sin, and so under