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Rom.

as some affirm that

come? whose dain

It will be no excuse, that we do evil that good may come. SECT. tended with such happy consequences?" [And 8 And not rathers vi. why may I not say,] (as we are calumniated, (as we be slanderand some most injuriously affirm, that we main- ously reported, and ig tain) "let us do evil things, that good conse- we say,) Let us do quences may come from them?" You may ea- evil, that good may sily see, that principles like these would justi-nation is just. fy the greatest crimes in the world, if they might be so overruled as to prove the occasion of good; and consequently, would so entirely confound the nature of good and evil, that I think it not worth while to argue with such persons; whose condemnation is indeed so apparently just, that I leave them to be convinced, and silenced, by their own consciences; and only mention such a detestable principle, solemnly to warn you against it.

9

9 What then? are we better than they? no, in no wise for we have before prov

:

are all under sin;

But, to return from this long digression: If the question I mentioned before be repeated, and any say, "What then, upon the whole, have we Jews the advantage of the Gentiles so far, ed both Jews and that in consequence of having these oracles of Gentiles, that they God which we have received, the promises which he will never fail to observe, and the principles of righteousness, which he will never himself violate in his conduct, we can claim justification before God by virtue of our obedience to his law?" Not at all; for we have before proved that Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, and have placed them as convicted 10 criminals at the Divine bar; As it is writ- 10 As it is written, ten, (Psal. xiv, 1,) in a variety of passages There is none rightwhich may be applied to the present occasion,

f Whose condemnation is just.] I think this must imply, that there are certain rules which God has laid down for us, disobedience to which in any imaginable circumstances is universally a moral evil; even though the quantity of good arising from thence to our fellow creatures, should be greater than that arising from observ ing those rules. For if this be not allow. ed, there can be no shadow of force in the apostle's conclusion.

As it is written.] These scriptures are collected from different parts of the Old Testament; but there are many editions of the Seventy in which they all stand together, in the xivth or according to their order, xiiith Psalm; which has given some occasion to think, that other alterations

eous, no not one :

may have been made in that Greek version, to render it more agreeable to the New Testament; though many passages might escape the notice of such as made this attempt, if it were really made. But it must have been, as we see in this instance it was, a fruitless one; considering how wide such copies were dispersed, and how different the religious sentiments of the persons with whom they were lodged. It seems much more reasonable, to account for the diversity we find between the original and quotations, by supposing the sense, rather than words, intentionally regarded; and some accidental alterations have happened since in the Hebrew copies, which in several places may make the difference greater than it originally was.

The Old Testament asserts the universal depravity of mankind. 37

seeketh after God.

one.

vi.

Rom.

11 There is none" There is none righteous, no not one; There SECT. that understandeth, is none that understandeth his duty and his true there is none that interest; there is none that seeketh after God, and constantly endeavoureth to secure his fa- iii. 11 12 They are all vour. They are all declined from that moral 12 gone out of the way, rectitude, which is the glory of the rational nathey are together beture; they are altogether become useless as to come unprofitable; there is none that the great end for which they were made, so doeth good, no not that there is none that practiseth good, there is not so much as one. (Psal. xiv. 1—3; liii. 1— 13 Their throat is 3.) Their throat [is] noisome and dangerous 13 an open sepulchre; as an open sepulchre, gaping to swallow them with their tongues they have used de- up, or poison them with its infected air; with ceit; the poison of their tongues they have used the most mischievasps is under their ous deceit; and while they make the fairest lips: profession of friendship, the mortal venom of asps [is] hid under their lips, which utter the most infectious and fatal slanders. (Psal. cxl. 14 14 Whose mouth 3.) They are men whose mouth is full of cursis full of cursing and ing and bitterness; (Psal. x. 7;) so that the most shocking prophaneness mingles itself with

bitterness:

that malignity of heart towards their fellow 15 Their feet are men, which breathes in every word. Their feet 15 swift to shed blood: [are] swift to run towards the places where they have appointed to shed the blood of the in16 Destruction and nocent. (Prov. i. 16, 18.) Ruin and misery 16 misery are in their [are] on the whole in all their ways; they bring it upon others, and so, by an inevitable

ways;

not known:

And 17 17 And the way consequence, upon themselves at last. of peace have they as for the way of peace and happiness, they have not known or regarded it. (Isa. lix. 7, 18 There is no 8.) And, to sum up all in one word, the 18 fear of God before great cause of all this degeneracy is, that the their eyes. fear of God is not before their eyes, but they are utterly destitute of any true principle of religion, of any reverence and love to the great and adorable Object of it." (Psal. xxxvi. 1.)

There is none that seeketh after God, &c.] It is allowed, that this passage only proves directly, what was the character of the Jews in David's time; but it plainly shews that the wrath of God was awakened against them, as well as others, for their sins: it proves also, that a general degeneracy might prevail among them, though by profession God's people; and it suggests a strong presumption,

that if Israel in David's time, which was one of its best ages, was so bad, Gentile nations were still worse; and in all these views, it was much to the apostle's purpose to produce the passage. The like observation is in a great measure applicable to all the following quotations; as the paraphrase on ver. 19, suggests, or rather, as the apostle himself there evidently insinuates.

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What the scripture saith is to convict the world.

SECT. This, my brethren, is in general the sad

vi.

Rom.

saith to them who

19 Now we know, character of mankind in their fallen state; and that what things sothe representation is the more striking, as it is ever the law saith, it iii. 19 borrowed from the sacred writings. Now we are under the law: know, that what the law saith in such passages that every mouth as these, it saith to those that were under the may be stopped, and all the world may law, they do not immediately relate to the become guilty before heathen, but contain the character of those that God. were at that time the professing people of God. And as most of these passages are borrowed from the writings of David, Solomon, or Isaiah, it appears, that even in the best days of their state, they had a great deal of enormous wickedness among them. And if Israel, even at such a time, could not justify itself, much less can it be imagined that the idolatrous nations of the Gentiles should be able to do it: sø that every mouth must be stopped, and the whole world stand convicted before God as guilty, and acknowledge itself obnoxious to a dreadful sentence from his tribunal. Now I earnestly desire to bring every reader under a sense of this, as what is of the highest importance, in order to receiving the gospel with becoming gratitude and joy.

10,11

IMPROVEMENT.

WHO can read this melancholy picture of human nature, copied by the hand of an apostle from the lines first drawn by inspirwerse ed prophets, without deep humility, and lamentation? To this 18 was it sunk, that there was none righteous, no not one; none disposed to seek after God, or to cultivate his fear. And from this bitter root, the apostacy of our nature from God, what detesta13,14 ble fruit proceeds! The throat which is like an open sepulchre, the deceitful tongue, the envenomed lips, the malicious heart, the murderous hand! And who can wonder, that such rebels to their heavenly Father should sometimes prove ruffians to their brethren!

Let us bless God that we have been preserved from falling into such enormities, and from falling by them. His grace has restrained us from sinning against him in such an aggravated manner; his Providence has guarded us from those whose feet are

iWhat the law saith.] It appears here, that this word law doth sometimes signify the Old Testament in general; for not one of the quotations above is taken from the pentateuch.

Stand convicted before God.] So UTGdr seems exactly to signify. Archbishop Tillotson would render it, liable to Divine justice; which is the same in sense. See his Works, Vol. I. p. 126.

Reflections on the scripture account of men's degeneracy.

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swift to shed blood, and in whose paths there is destruction and SECT. misery.

vi.

verse

15,16

Let us remember the view in which these instances were brought; even to evince this deplorable, but undeniable truth, that Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. The purpose of con- 19 viction therefore being answered on our hearts, let us humble ourselves before God, as those that stand guilty in his presence, and obnoxious to his judgment.

Thankfully let us own the inestimable goodness of God in having favoured us with his sacred oracles, and endeavour to 2 improve in the knowledge of them. Thus instructed, let us be careful to form the most honourable notion of God, as the worthy and universal Judge, who will never fail to do right; and may 6 these views of him produce an abhorrence of every thing evil which must necessarily be displeasing to him. Nor let us ever allow ourselves to be brought under the influence of those fallacious and pernicious maxims which would persuade us, that the goodness of the intention sanctifies the badness of the action; or g that the pretended benevolence of the end will justify irregularities in the means. God's judgment and decision is final; and an inspired apostle's authority is an answer to a thousand subtilties, which might attempt to turn us from the strictest rules of that immutable rectitude on which it always proceeds.

SECT. VII.

From the representation made above, of the guilt and misery of mankind, the apostle deduces the necessity of seeking justification by the gospel, and consequently the excellency of that dispensation, as exhibiting the method of it. Rom. III. 20, to the end.

ROMANS III. 20.
HEREFORE

ROMANS III. 20.

SECT..

iii. 20

Tby the deeds of convincHAVE just been proposing to you I ing evidences of the universal degeneracy vii. the law, there shall and corruption of mankind, and shewing you, no flesh be justified that the whole world must stand convicted be- Rom. fore God: therefore let all my readers be persuaded to admit it, as a most certain principle, and at all times to act upon it, that according to the just and humble acknowledgment of the Psalmist, (Psal. cxliii. 2,) no flesh shall be justied, or pronounced righteous, before him, by

Be justified, &c.] The learned Vi- cxliii. 2, and must therefore signify to retringa hath with great propriety observed, ceive the testimony of being righteous from that this word is borrowed from Psalm a judge, and cannot merely signify to ob

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No flesh to be justified by the law.

SECT. Works of complete obedience to the law of God,b in his sight: for by vii. whether natural or revealed. For, instead of the law is the knowl

Rom.

justifying any man, it only anticipates, in a iii. 20 more obvious and affecting manner, the sense of his condemnation; as by the law is the knowl edge of sin, it discovers to us how grievous a thing it is, and exhibits the righteous displeasure of God against it.

21

edge of sin,

But yet, blessed be God, every door of hope 21 But now the is not shut against the sinner, convicted by the righteousness of God

the law

law for the righteousness of God, that is, the without
is manifested, being
manner of becoming righteous, which God witnessed by the
hath ordained and appointed in his gospel, law and the proph
without that perfect obedience which the law ets;
requires, is now made manifest; being indeed
attested by the whole tenour of the law and the
prophets, which join in leading our eyes to the

tain mercy.
To be justified, also sometimes
signifies to overcome in judgment, Psal. li. 4,
and the expression of being just before
God implies the same. And that this is the
sense of the word in this epistle, appears
from several passages; particularly Rom.
ii. 3. So that on the whole, as he ar-
gues, justification is not a phrase parallel
to forgiveness, but refers to a judicial
process, and carries in it the idea of ac-
quittal, praise, and reward. And indeed
it seems to me always ultimately to refer
to the being pronounced, and treated as
righteous, in the great day of God's
universal judgment. See Rom. ii. 13, 16.
By works of the law.] I think with
Mr. Locke, that the word law must here
be taken in this extent, comprehending
ceremonial and moral, revealed and natu-
ral. And this I conclude, not so much
from the omission of the article, (com-
pare Rom. ii. 12, 14, 25, 27; chap. iii.
31; chap. v. 13, 20; in all which places,
and many more, vou without the article
signifies the Mosaic law, as the sense
evidently proves,) but from the conclu-
sion which the apostle draws, and the
whole tenor of his subsequent argu-
ment; which would have very little
weight, if there were room to object,
though we cannot be justified by our
obedience to the law of Moses, we may
be justified by our obedience to God's
natural law. And nothing can be more
evident, than that the premises, from
which this conclusion is drawn, refer to
the Gentiles as well as the Jews; and

consequently, that law has here, and in many subsequent passages, that general sense. A very learned person has lately proposed to render pov voμs by the law of works; pleading Bastioμar sida

" (Heb. vi. 2) as a parallel instance; but I have declined this rendering, as (ver. 27) the apostle expresses the lawo of works by words placed in a different order, vous των ερίων, opposed to νομ 75; and (ver. 28) xwpis pov vous is plainly, as we render it, without the works of the law; as the continuation of the apostle's argument, in reference to Abraham shews. Nor can I see what great end could be served by allowing this criticism; since the apostle else where asserts justification xwpis play without works. (chap. iv. 6.) And to say that eplov is put eliptically for youx pov (that is, works for the law of works) is very arbitrary. Nor can I conceive, that any one can be justified by the law of works, without being justified by the works or vice versa; and this is expressly Paul's assertion, chap. iv. 4, 5.

By the law is the knowledge of sin.] This strongly implies the broken and disjointed state of human nature, in consequence of which the precepts which God gives us, will, on the whole, only serve to convict us of guilt, but not to produce an obedience by which we can finally be acquitted and accepted. Some render it, the law takes cognizance of sin.

& Attested by the law and the prophets.] See in this view, Gen. xv. 6; Isa. liii. ult. Dan. ix. 24.

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