æternum qui pactonefciat uti A Sam. 13:13. of fubile, as long as he liveth, as long as the Law of Ceremonies is in force, or as long as the earth endureth, and fuch like,as, He shall ferve thee for ever, Deut.15.17. and is untill the yeare of fubile, Lev.25. 40,41. he shall ferve them for ever, Lev. 25.46. that is, all the dayes of his life. He hall appeare before the Lord for ever, 1 Sam. 1.21. that is, as long as he liveth. I will praife the Lord for ever and Horat.Serviet, ever, Pfal.145. 1,2. that is, as long as I shall have any being, Pfal, 146.2. So the cares of this age, Matth.13.22. is put for the cares of this life, Luk.8.14. The Covenant of the Sabbath and Circumcifion is called everlasting, Exod.32.16,17. Gen.17.13. that is,during the time of the Old Teftament, or untill the time of Refor mation. The earth ftandeth for ever, Ecclef.1.4. Pfal. 104.6. that is, as long as the world fhall endure, as long as the fashion, tenor or forme of the world fhall continue, 1 Cor.7 31. The grave is called the house of ages, or an everlafting houfe, Ecclef.12.7. The defolations which thall end in the space of 70 yeares, are called everlasting defolations, ler.25.9. And that which whiles it lafteth, is never interrupted, is Gaid to be everlafting, Pfal.25.6.Thy mercies which are everlasting, that is, which thou alwayes ufelt, being never interrupted. So it is a perpetuall fpeech, which is never interrupted or broken off, though it may have an end. So that we muft wifely confider what doth agree to every place, even to the appointed end, and that rather hidden in the will of God, then made knowne to men. And if we take the Land of Canaan properly and literally, it was not the everlafting Inheritance of Ifraell abfolute, but relative, not for ever, but for a long time prefcribed of God, even untill the time of Reformation: But if we looke to the thing fignified it is an everlasting inheritance to the fpirituall feed. Ovid. Meta.l.1. tuum deducite mex. Josh. 24. 2. Rom. 4. 4, Gen. 15. 6. Rom. 42. These promises were freely made of grace, and of meere grace, the bleffings promifed were conferred upon the feed. Fot Abraham himfelfe was an Idolater, when it pleased God to call him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and to make thefe rich promifes unto him. And as Abrahams calling was of grace, fo are all the promises made unto him when he was firft called. The wages is due unto him that worketh upon defert, but the inheritance was given to Abraham by promife. Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righte oufneffe. Andiffaith be reckoned to Abraham for righteousnesse, be bath not to glory before God. We reade indeed the Lord faid unto Abrahams .?.. Abraham, for because thou bast done this thing, and haft not with held Gen,az. 16,17, thy Sonne, thine only Sonne, That in blessing I will blee thee &c. But the fame promife God had formerly made to Abraham, and faith in thefe promifes was the caufe of his obedience therfore his o bedience was not the caufe why God gave the promise. An occafion or antecedent it might be of the renewing of the promife at this time, but it was no caufe of the promise it felfe, nor of the accomplishment. For that whithout which, and before which the promife was, could not be a caufe of the promise, or the good promifed. Befides, the bafis and foundation of this promife is Chrift, whofe incarnation could not be merited by Abrahams of bedience. The particle becaufe, is a note of order and confe quence, fhewing to whom the promise did pertaine, not of the caufe why it was made, or the good promifed fhould be perfor med. Ifit be faid, the good promised to Abraham is called a re- Gen, I s.t ward. The anfwer is, the word reward fometimes doth import nothing, but an abfolute and free gift of God, though no action went before to which recompence was dus: as Gen. 30.18. Leah faith, God hath given me my reward, because I have given my hand maid to my husband, Pfal.127.4. Children are the Inheritance of the Genbrard. in Lord, and the fruite of the wombe is his reward. There is a reward Pal, 136. of a debt, fuch as is due to the workeman for his labour upon defert and a reward of grace, fuch as God giveth to them who labour in well-doing according to promife. A reward is given to the worker of free grace, but not for his worke as the procuring or deferving caufe. There is a relation of order and confequence betwixt the worke and the reward, that theone goeth before and the other followeth, but not a proportion of equiparancie, price or degrees, that the one hould match or purchaft the other. A recompence is given to obedience, as comfort and folace to them that fuffet for well-doing: but it is not given for their obedience, as wages to the labourer, or lands and poffeffions for the price paid in hand. Reward is fometimes called retribution : but in Scripture not only the reward of good or evill, but fimply good of evill done is thereby fignified, though nothing went before to defervé or procure it. Thou hast fhewed this day how thou haft dealt Well with me. If I have rewarded evill unto him that was dat prace I with Aliaefi compen. fatio qua prouud. Alia qua no redditur ali. propter uvum redditur aliud. Pfal. 19. 20. Gen. 50.15. Pfal.7.40 Pal, 19.6. Pfal.103.10. & 116.7. Pfal.114.17. & 142.7. Ifa.3.9. 2 Sam. 16.36. Pfal. 103.20 גמל Verbus quod vulgò red ditur, retribue with me. The Lord hath dealt bountifully with me. He hath not dealt with us after our finnes, nor rewarded us after our iniquities. Deale bountifully with thy fervant. And if a benefit freely vouchfafed be called a retribution, the retribution promised and of grace conferred upon the workers of righteoufneffe, doth not inferre dignity or worth in the work rewarded. For when God doth performe his promife of meere grace, he is laid to retribute, not that he oweth any thing to any man, or that he can re ceive any that hath the reafon of a benefit, but because he doth good unto them according as of his rich grace he was pleased to promife. And if God be laid to render or repay a reward, thence re,non femper it will not follow, that good works can merit ought at the hands fignificat par pari referre,feu of God: for the word is of farre larger fignification, and imports idem reponere, no more fometimes, but to restore to one, that which was his own nimirum bene before; as Matth.22.21. Render to Cafar, the things that are ficium pro bene. Cafars. Luk.9.42. It is faid of the child that our Saviour healed, ficio, injuriam be restored him to his father. Luk.4.20. He gave againe the pro injuria, fed eliam priorem booke to the Minister. Sometimes it is to give without respect to conferre in ali- merit or defert; as Matth.27.58. Pilate commanded the body to be given unto him. A&s 4.33. With great power the Apoftle gave teftimony of the refurrection of our Lord Jesus Chrif Numb.3.3. & 36.2. 2 Chron.6.23. where the Hebrew hath bothing but give, the Septuagint tranflate it render or repay Moreover,it fignifieth to repay according to vow or promife, as is to be feen in many places of Scripture: Deut.23.21. Pfal.22.26. compa-a50.14116.12.17. Hof.14.2. Job.2.10. Nah.1.15. In brief there is a retribution of justice strictly taken, which is according to defert: fud.1.7. Jer, 32.18. Exod.22.5,6. and ther is a retribution of grace and bounty, which is of favour according to promife, as Ruth.2.12. Prov. 13.21. and 25.22. not to add, that he that first doth good or evill, is faid to retribute; Pfal.131. 8. Pfal.35.12. So that if God be faid to render or retribute cording to our righteouineffe,it is not in refpect of the worthinee of our deeds,as if they deferved it, but of his free promife and rich mercy, whereby he hath bound himself to accept of our fincere abe dience,and graciously to reward it. quem, velbo num, boc eft, That a fhould be be- it, religion doth not defe it, nature doth nor re quire it, justice doth not exa& it, only love hath done it, As God was pleated freely to make these promises to Abra ham, foalfo to confirme the fame unto him by Oath. By my fel have I fmorne faith the Lord. Wherein God willing more abun dantly dantly to fhew unto the heires of Promise the immutability of his counfell, confirmed it by an Oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impoffible for God to lie, we might have strong. confolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope fet before me. Abraham was strong in faith,yet was it not fuperfluous or altogether needleffe, that God of his luperaboundant love and mercy, fhould adde his Oath to the former promife, for the further fetling and affurance of his fervant. Here that common faying may be of ufe, Aboundant cautelousnesse doth not hurt, nay, it is of great profit and behoofe. But this is to be further noted, that God had refpect to the pofterity of Abraham. For Ifaack was prefent then, to whom the promises were confirmed in his father: which, when both the one and the other, ought to inculcate to their pofterity, it was a matter of no light moment, that they might holily affirme, that God hath confirmed them both by word and Oath. Gen. 18.6 In this paffage, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousneffe, both the fpirituall good things promised Rom.4.3. on Gods part in the Covenant,and the condition required on mans Gal.3.6. part, are implied. For the Apostle hence concludes, that Abra- Jam.2,aje ham was freely juftified by grace through the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus and in this is included all eternall and fpirituall blef fings, which doe accompany each other. For whom God doth ju ftifie,them he glorifieth. In the firft expreffion, the thing required on our parts was obfcurely implied, and we had much to doe to find it out: but in this paffage it lieth bare. Abraham believed, c. This condition in Abraham, the Apoftle fully followeth against the Jufticiaries of his and our times, oppofing it to the condition of works in attaining the bleffings of Abraham, ftrongly proving that this faith made Abraham the friend of God, and a juftified perfon, having nothing to glory in this kind before God, from any worke. But feeing this text is fo ott alleadged and preffed by the Apostles, and fo much controverted among men, it is not amifle to handle the words more at large. In the Originall word for word they run thus, He beleeved the Lord, or in the Lord, and he imputed that to him righteoufneffe. The Sptuagint render it, and the Apostles alleadge it thus, Abraham beleeved God and it was imputed to him for rightconfneffe: The word, ben lieved, imports, he thought the words of God to be fure, certaine, I 2 ftable Job.5.143 .Ifa.22.8. 1 Sam. 18.25. ftable and constant: and fignifieth fuch a beltete, as is opposed to fainting as it is faid of Jacob, when he heard the report of his fons that fofeph was alive, his heart fainted, because he believed not: but when he believed,his heart revived. Gen.45.25,26. And David faith of him elfe, I had fainted unlesse 1 had beleeved, Pfal. 27.13 So that it is a lively motion of the heart or foule affenting unto, and trusting in the word of God as firine and ftedfaft. Now whether you reade the word following, in or upon God, as Arias and Pagnine, or God, as the Apoftles alleadge it, it is all one: for here to believe God, as all circumstances doe fhew, is to put trust and confidence in God, or with lively adherence to fticke or cleave unto the word of God. And he impated, fc. God,or he in whom Abraham believed, as the construction it felfe and words following manifeftly convince: or, it was imputed, as a active verbes amongst the Hebrewes are expounded paffively. The word tranflated imputed, is of large fignification, and imports to thinke, reckon, Rom.6.11. Pfal.44.22. Rom. 8.;6. devife,purpose,conclude, Rom.3.28. refolve, plor, efteeme, fore-fee, reason, Mark. 11.31. confult of a matter how it may be brought to paffe, looke untojand take care of. But more properly to the matter in hand it is to account unto a man, or repute unto a man, or reckon unto a man any thing to be his, or to be good paiment and fatisfaction for him in his accounts. And that we may the better conceive the meaning of it in this text, let us confider fome other paffages in which it is used: Blond shall be imputed unto that man, he hath Shed blond. This your brave offering shall be reckoned unto jou, as though it were the corne of the threshing floore. Let not my Lordimputa iniquity to me: Bleffed is the man to whom the Lord Numb.18.27. imputeth not finne. Phineas stood up, and executed judgement, 2 Sam. 19.19, and fo the plague ftayed, and that was counted to him for righ teanfneffe. If the uncircumcifed keepe the ordinance of the Law, fall hat his uncircumcision be counted for circumcifion. That rightconfneffe might be imputed to them alfo Sinne is not imputed when there is no Law. The children of the promife are coun ted for the feed. Let a man o account of us, as of the Ministers of Chrift. God was in Chrift reconciling the world to himselfe, not imputing their finnes unto thems refraine, left any man fhould account of me, above that he feeth in me. At my firft anTim.4.16. fwering no man affifted,but all forfooke me, I pray God that it may & 29 11. Exod, 16, 1. & 3932. Plal.40.17. Gen 38.14. 1 Sam. 1.19. Lev. 17.4. & 25 53. 20. Pfal.3 2.2. Rom 4.11. 2 Cor. 5.19. : |