36

Rom. II. 27

He is a Jew, that is one inwardly.

28 For he is not Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that Circumcifion

which is outward in the Flesh:

Se&. 5. cumcifion that is by Nature, a Man who continues cumcifion which is by Nauncircumcifed as he was born, accomplishing the ture, if it fulfil the Law, judge thee, who by the Letgreat moral Purposes of the Law, in Subferviency ter and Circumcifion doft to which its Rituals were appointed, fhall judge tranfgrefs the Law? and condemn thee; who while thou acteft by the Letter of its ceremonial Precepts, and retaineft Circumcifion and all its Appendages with the greatest Exactness, art nevertheless in Things far more effential and important a Tranfgreffor of the Law, to the fpiritual Meaning and Extent of which thou continueft an utter Stranger, and which thou encourageft thyself, by these external 28 Obfervances, to neglect. For upon the whole, as you would not allow any Man to be truly a Jew, merely for any outward Rites which he might obferve, if he continued uncircumcifed, how carefully foever he might conceal it; fo muft I freely declare to you, that he is not in the most fublime and important Senfe a few, that is, one of God's Covenant and beloved People, who is merely fo in outward Shew, neither indeed [is that] the true Circumcifion, which is apparent in the Flesh. Nothing merely ritual or ceremonial can recommend a Man to the Divine Favour; but he [is] a few, that is, one of Gop's chofen People, who is one in the hidden Part, as David expreffes it; (Pfal. li. 6.) or in the secret Receffes of the Soul; and the acceptable Circumcifion [is that] of the Heart, which your own Prophets fo often inculcate, (See Deut. x. 16. xxx. 6. Jer. iv. 4.) when they urge the putting away all inward Impurity and Obftinacy, as that which is most highly offenfive in the Sight of GOD. This excellent Circumcifion is feated in the Spirit, confifting of a Change made there by the Operation of the Divine Spirit himself, and not merely in an external Conformity to the Letter of the Law, of which the worst of Men may be capable. Now fuch a Perfon, whatever his outward Profeffion may be, is one, whofe Praife [is] not fo much of Men (g), who eager

29

to

29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and Cir cumcifion is that of the Heart, in the Spirit, and not in the Letter, whofe

Praife

(8) Praise not of Men, &c.] Perhaps here is a Reference to the Etymology of the Word Few; it being derived from the Name of Judah, which fignifies Praife. Compare Gen. xxix. 35. and xlix. 8.

Reflections on the Vanity of a mere external Relation to GOD.
Praife is not of Men, but

God.

37

Rom. II. 29.

to fpread their own Sects applaud thofe who be- Sect. 5.
come their Profelytes, or moft ftrenuously retain
their peculiar Forms; but is of GOD, who alone
knows the Heart, and whose Esteem and Com-
placency is infinitely preferable to that of whole
Nations or Worlds.

IMPROVEMENT.

Legion, which the Sacred Oracles fail not continually to inculcate. It

ET our Hearts be always attentive to these Lessons of inward Reli- Ver. 2 8.

is the Praife of GOD that is in Question: And who can be fo lost to all Ver. 29. true Greatness of Mind, to all generous Ambition, as that he should not long and ever burn to obtain it? Or who can enjoy, or attend to, the Praise of Men, while he has any Reafon to fear that God condemns ?

To have the Name of a Jew or of a Christian! How little will it figni- Ver. 17. fy? To boaft in an external and temporary Relation to GOD, if we are fuch as fhall finally be difowned by him, will make us the more wretched. To have known his Will, to have diftinguished Things that Ver. 18. differ, and set up for Inftructors or Reprovers of others, will only furnish out Matter of Condemnation from our own Mouths; if, while teaching others, we teach not ourselves. Well may the Punishment be aggravated, where the Guilt is fo great; when it brings fo peculiar a Reproach upon Religion, and in Effect dictates so many Blafphemies against the Name Ver. 24. of God, at the very Time it pretends to exalt it.

Ver.

19,-21.

We pity the Gentiles, and we have Reason to do it; for they are lamentably blind and diffolute : But let us take Heed, left those Appearances of Virtue, which are to be found among fome of them, con- Ver. 26, 27. demn us; who, with the Letter of the Law, and the Gospel, and with the folemn Tokens of a Covenant Relation to GOD, tranfgrefs his Precepts, and violate our Engagements to him; fo turning the Means of Goodness and Happiness into the Occafion of more aggravated Guilt and Mifery.

SECT.

38

Though the Jews had the Oracles of GOD and the Promifes,

Sect. 6.

After removing fome Objections, the fad Cafe both of Jews and Gentiles is farther illuftrated; and the Reprefentation fhewn to be agreeable to the Scriptures of the Old Teftament. Rom. III. 1,---19.

UT fome may be ready to object,
"be fo, that no Circumcifion, but that of

BUT

ROMANS III. 1.

HAT Advantage

W then hath the Jew?

Or what Profit is there of

Rom. III. 1. the Heart, will avail to Men's final Happiness; Circumcifion? Lite") what then [is] the Advantage of the few, or

2

3

2 Much every Way: them were committed the Chiefly because that unto Oracles of GOD.

"what the Profit of Circumcifion, which yet you sinni eft cred of
"feemed to allow, when you faid but juft before,
(Chap.ii. 25.) that it in fome Circumftances profi-
teth?" Nor do I deny it now. I fay that it profi-
teth much every Way, or in a Variety of Refpects;
as I fhall hereafter more fully fhew; (Compare
Chap. ix. 4, 5.) and chiefly in that they, who
have received it, have been intrufted with the Ora-
cles of GOD (a) in the divinely inspired Scrip-
tures; by which they are taught many important
Leffons, which may direct their Lives, and dif-
pose them to embrace the Gofpel, to the Secu- Das f
rity of their final and everlasting Salvation.

Of great Importance indeed are thefe Divine
Oracles to this Purpose. And what if fome, and
they a confiderable Number, of those who once
poffeffed these unvaluable Treafures, believed
them not, or did not duly confider what they spe-
culatively believed, and fo rejected the Gofpel,
to which they were intended to lead? Shall their
Unbelief difannul, and enervate, the Faith of
GOD (b)? Shall it deftroy his Fidelity to his
Promises,

not

3

video

For what if fome did

believe? Shall their UnGOD without Effect? 2499 gut abgion Loca

belief make the Faith of

(a) The Oracles of GOD.] This is fo remarkable and important a Testimony to the Divine Inspiration of the Old Testament in General, that it can leave no Doubt concerning the full Perfuafion of St. Paul on this Head.

(b) The Faith of GOD.] This is an ambiguous Expreffion; and may either fignify, the Fidelity of GOD, or that Faith of ours, which GOD has pointed out, as the Way of obtain

*

4 God forbid: Yea, let GOD be true, but every Man a Liar; as it is written, that thou mightest be juftified in thy Sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged..

yet GOD is not unrighteous in taking Vengeance.
Promises, or prevent our receiving them and own-
ing their Accomplishment, with becoming Re-
gard? GOD forbid, that we should infinu.
ate any Thing of this Kind. No; let the Bleffed
GOD ever be acknowledged to be true and faithful,
tho' every Man be esteemed a Lyar, and unfit to
have any Confidence repofed in him; as it is writ-
ten, (Pfal. li. 4.) "that thou mightest be justified in
thy Words, and mightest upon the whole over-
come, when thou art called into Judgment (c);
"that they, who infolently dare to arraign the
Equity of thy Conduct, may foon meet with
"the Confufion they deserve."

5 But if our Unrighteoufnefs commend the Righ

teousness of God, what fhall we fay? Is GOD unrighteous who taketh Vengeance? (I speak as a Man)

6 GOD forbid: For then

But a Jew may be ready farther to object, and fay, "If our Unrighteousness recommend the Righteoufnefs of GOD (d), and illustrate his Perfec"tions in that Way of becoming righteous by

Faith, which he now ordains; what shall we Say, and what are we to expect? "Is not "GOD unrighteous who inflicteth that Wrath, "which it is well known, you affert, he will "execute upon the whole Jewish Nation for re

jecting it?" I now speak as a Man, who had a Mind to cavil at the Gospel, might plead; and by no means exprefs my own Sentiments, as you may well imagine.

No; GOD forbid, that I fhould harbour fuch 6 how shall GOD judge the a Thought, or allow fuch a Confequence.

World?

For

how then Should GOD judge the World?
With Abraham our Father, I acknowledge him
under the Character of the Judge of all the
Earth, and maintain that he will always "do
right." (Gen. xviii. 25.) And as for fuch a
Caviller, he might as well fpeak out and fay,
If the Truth of GOD bath abounded to his

6.6. очеп

ing Juftification and Life. The Senfes run at laft into each other. I have included both; and hinted, in the laft Words of the Paraphrafe, at a Sort of intermediate Senfe; as the attentive Reader will obferve.e acht

(c) When thou art called into Judgment.] Elfner and Bos have abundantly fhewn, that pea has this Signification; (Compare Acts xxv. 25. xxvi. 6-) and that xav, in fuch a Connection, fignifies to carry the Caufe. See Elfner, Obferv. Vol. ii. pag. 18, 19. and Bos

in loc.

(d) The Righteoufnefs of GOD.] Though the Phrafe be in itself ambiguous, I think Dr. Whitby has abundantly proved, it has here the Senfe we give it.

(e) If

7

#

40

It will be no Excuse, that we do Evil that Good may come. Sect. 6. " own Glory by Means of my Lye (e), my ded through my Lie unto "Falfehood and Iniquity of any his Glory; why yet am I Rom. III: 7 has taken Occafion to over-rule alfo judged as a Sinner?

[And

Kind; if he
my Offence to
"the Accomplishment of his Word, and the
"Honour of his Administration; why am I ne-
"vertheless called into Judgment as a Sinner, and
arraigned for that as a Crime, which is attend-
8" ed with fuch happy Confequences?"
why may I not fay,] (as we are calumniated, and
fome moft injuriously affirm, that we maintain,)
"let
let us do evil Things, that good Confequences
"may come from them ?" You may easily see,
that Principles like thefe would juftify the great-
eft Crimes in the World, if they might be fo
over-ruled as to prove the Occafion of Good;
and confequently, would fo entirely confound
the Nature of Good and Evil, that I think it not
worth while to argue with fuch Perfons; whose
Condemnation is indeed fo apparently just (f), that
I leave them to be convinced, and filenced, by
their own Confciences; and only mention fuch
a deteftable Principle folemnly to warn you
against it.

9

9

What then? Are we

But, to return from this long Digreffion-If the Question I mentioned before be repeated, better than they? No, in no and any fay, "what then, upon the whole, bave

66

Wife :

we Jews the Advantage of the Gentiles fo far, a fo% : Lidlác©ð` "that in Confequence of having these Oracles

"of GOD which we have received, the Promises
"which he will never fail to obferve, and the

Principles of Righteousness, which he will "never himself violate in his Conduct, we can "claim Justification before God by Virtue of his Tods to "

mean

Our

(e) If the Truth of GOD, &c.] The Pruffian Teftament renders this Clause, "In the Time if my Lye conduces to the Glory of GOD, by making the Grandeur of his "Truth fhine forth with fuperior Advantage," &c. This is the clear and genuine Senfe ; but it is not confiftent with the Rule I generally follow, to deviate fo far from the Words of the Original; and I mention it as a Specimen of many Liberties, in which I have declined following that Verfion after attentive Examination of it.

(f) Whofe Condemnation is juft.] I think this muft imply, that there are certain Rules which God has laid down for us, Difobedience to which in any imaginable Circumstances is univerfally a moral Evil; even tho the Quantity of Good arifing from thence to our Fellow-Creatures, fhould be greater, than that arifing from obferving thofe Rules. For if this be not allowed, there can be no Shadow of Force in the Apoftle's Conclufion.