XIII. As all the bieffings we get from God come down in and thro' Chrift; fo muft all our fervices and dutics be perform. all their ftraits and difficulties; and a fight of this by faith, will lift up the head of a believer finking under difcouragement, and be matter of confolation, even when cap-ed in Christ, in whom alone they will be tivated with corruption: all which is clear accepted, who is our eternal prieft: Therefrom this which followeth, Thanks be to fore fays he, Thanks be to God, through God, &c. Christ; Col. iii. 17. And whatever ye`da in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. IX. As in and thro' Chrift, we got the pardon of our fin; fo it is in and thro' him, who died, that he might fanctify and cleanfe his church, and prefent her glorious, with- XIV. All believers having alike intereft out spot or wrinkle, holy, and without ble- in Chrift as their King and Lord, whatever mish, Eph. v. 26. 27. Col. i. 22. that be- ground of hope any have in Chrift, of get→, lievers are kept up in the battle againfting any blefling from God, may be useful corruption, fo that they are not quite overthrown thereby, and that grace is always growing, and corruption decaying, and that at length they fhall be fully delivered from any trouble and moleftation it can create unto them: Therefore fays he, through Chrift Fefus; faith, as it were, thus anfwering fenfe's queftion, Who shall deliver me? X. Believers, even when captivated by corruption, geting a look of their Redeer er thro' faith, having a fure ground of a pro-mife, and Chrift's purchafe to go upon, may be affured of a final and full victory in the end, fo as to rejoice in it before hand, and praise God upon the very hopes founded on faith, and cry out with the apostle, Thanks be to God. XI. Whatever mercy we get from God, or have fure grounds of hope to get in due time, we fhould be fo affected therewith, and have our hearts fo raifed thereby, confidering the greatnefs of the mercy in it felf, our unworthiness, and the abfolute neceffity we have thereof, that we fhould acknowledge the fame with great thankfulness of heart, and cry out with the apoftle here, Thanks be to God. XII. As the whole work of our redemption is a plot of the whole Trinity, and all of it fo contrived, as we cannot fee which of them we are moft obliged unto; fo fhould our rent of praise be paid to all alike: 7 banks be to God, says he. unto others, and may be a ground of comfort unto them when in the like ftrait: Therefore doth he add, our Lord, to fhew that others in the fame exercife with him, may make use of the fame grounds of. comfort which he made ufe of, having the fame. intereft in Chrift with himself. VERSE 25. So then, with the mind. I myfelf ferve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of fin. His is a conclufion of the whole mat ter, being a recapitulation, and a fhort fum of the battle, which he fets down, being now come to himself, after the great commotion that his ftiring affections made, as grief upon the one hand, and joy upon the other hand, is ended: and in this fum: he fhortly points out in himself even rege-nerate, (for he fays, I myself, and fo gives clear proof that he is not fpeaking of nor perfonating any other, and that in the pre-fent time, to fhew that he fpeaks of himfelf as regenerated) how all believers come fhort of that holinefs which they strive to be at, and how this cometh to pass: and fo pointeth out, 1. Two parties contrary each to other, viz his mind, (which is not to be taken for his intellect, but his renewed part, which theweth itself chiefly. in the mind) and his flesh, that is the unrenewed part, which is chiefly exercifed and executed by the carnal body. 2. He 260 An Expofition of the Epistle to the Romans. pointeth out two contrary mafters, whofe interests these parties labour to advance and promote; or two diftinét and contrary ends, which they level at, viz. the law of God, and the law of fin; that is, the righteous law of God upon the one hand, commanding what God would have done, and forbiding what he would not have done; and natural corruption, powerfully fwaying and compelling to what God forbideth, and reftraining from what he commandeth. And 3. He pointeth out two contrary actions, or the contrary actings of the two contrary parties, the one ferving and promoting the intereft of God in obeying his law, the other ferving and obeying the inclinations of corruption, and fo promoting the intereft of fin. OBSERVATIONS. I. To the right uptaking of one's condition, there is neceffary a fedate, quiet mind, free from perturbations, and the contrary tides of affections tumbling each upon another; feeing thefe affections, now in our state of fin, cannot be kept within the due banks and limits: for Paul, after he is win out from this throng, fets down his condition clearly, faying, So then, with my mind, I myself ferve the law of God. II. It is most dangerous, and a courfe tending to fofter pride and fecurity, for believers to forget, or to live without the conftant fenfe and apprehenfion of an irreconcileable adverfary within them, oppofing what is good and commanded, and thorturing them in every turn they go about: Therefore doth the apoftle give another hint at this truth, that he had flefb within him, that made him ferve the law of fin. III. As believers have contrary parties Chap. VII. within them, driving on contrary defigns, IV. Let men who truft to carnal rea- now regenerated, find this in the image of God, labours after a con- ther finful and corrupt, draws ay to its like, CHAP FOR CHAPTER VIII.. OR the further clearing of this great point of truth, which the apostle has been speaking to through the whole of this epiftle, and for the further confirmation thereof, and that he may the more allure folks to fall in love therewith; he holdeth forth a notable ground of confolation, viz. That fuch as embrace this way pointed out by him, and will embrace Chrift by faith, are in fuch a fafe ftate, that, notwithstanding of any remainder of corruption in them, which may expofe them to God's curfe and wrath, they. fhall never be condemned.. And this he cleareth and holdeth forth; 1. In general, to verfe 9.; and then, 2. more particularly, applying it for the ufe of the Romans, to verfe 12: Then 3. preffeth, as an ufe therefrom, the study of mortifi sation, by feveral arguments, to verfe 18. Then 4 having hinted at a fuffering life in the end of verfe 17. he infifts upon that fubject, and prefleth them to a chriftian, fober way of enduring afflictions in a world, and for that caufe ufeth many ftrong arguments to the end. might trouble the godly, who were daily vexed with a body of death, and found themfelves continually almoft flaited by corruption within them; for they might fay,, Alas! what fhall become of us, feeing we are thus put to the worfe by corruption? Doth not every fin bring on God's curfe and wrath, and make us liable unto damnation? How fhall we then get this fhuned?. He anfwereth, That notwith-ftanding the remainders of corruption were ftrong in them, daily molefting them, as they did him who was an eminent man; yet they are free enough from condemnation, the condemnatory fentence of the law fhall not país againft them who are in Chrift, joined to him by faith, are imped in him, and abide there;. There is no condemnation to them which are in Chrift: And this confolatory fentence he infereth by way of a conclufion, natively flowing from what he had faid in the latter-end of the laft chapter, viz. That Christ would deliver him from the body of death; he there got his eye on Chrift, as one at hand to help him, and fully deliver him in due time, from the body of death within him; and from thence he infereth, That feeing corruption fhould not wholly overcome him, and all thro' Chrift; fo neither fhould corruption bring God's curfe and the fentence of death upon him; Chrift would free him from the Fter this fad conflict, which the apoftle one, as well as from the other: And tho' hath been fhewing, he and all be- he might have infered this comfortable lievers have, while they are here away, by conclufion, particularly for his own ufe; reafon of the remainders of corruption, heyet he makes ufe of it more generally, for fets down a moft comfortable truth, and the more general comfort of all believers,.. thereby anfwereth a great fcruple which and that upon good ground, feeing what VERSE 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. A is effential to believers as fuch, agreeth to all believers. And, because many would be ready to grip to this confolation that had no right to it, therefore he giveth a fure mark of fuch as are in Chrift, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; that is, who, tho' they have corruption and flesh in them, and are oft led and drawn by it to fin; yet followeth not its guidance with a full benfail of will, but with a battle and reluctance; they do not look on corruption as their lawful fuperior, but as a tyrant; the flefh reigns not, fo that they do not live and order all their carriage, according to the inclination of fin and corruption, but follow the dictates of the Spirit. OBSERVATIONS. I. It is not unufual even for believers, to fear death and destruction, when they confider the power of fin within them, and how thereby they are oftentimes brought to the ground for Paul's faying, Now therefore there is no condemnation, seemeth to imply, that they feared they fhould be condemned. II. Howbeit that every fin in itself deferveth God's curfe and wrath, and believers be oftentimes foiled with corruption, and put to the worfe; yet, having now fled in to Chrift by faith, and thereby being juftified, they are freed from the curfe of the law, and the condemnatory fentence thereof, and put into a state of falvation and abfolute freedom from the penalty of the covenant of works, which before they did ly under: for there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ, they are now paffed from death to life, and fhall never fee death, John v. 24. and and find help in and thro' Jefus Christ, fo as they are not quite overthrown by the body of death, as the wicked are, but are enabled to ftand out, they may rest affured that they are without the law's reach, and in a fafe ftare; feeing Chrift's helping them against the power of fin, is a fufficient proof that he hath freed them from the fentence of death, and the guilt of fin, for to whom Chrift doth one, he doth both: therefore from what he faid in the end of the laft chapter, both anent the combat and the way of delivery from the flavery of fin, verfe 24. he now infereth, by way of a conclufion, Therefore there is no con demnation, &c. So that a believer in his midnight, acting faith on Chrift, may have a clear noon-tide. IV. Howbeit believers be not quite rid of the indwelling of corruption, yet that hindereth not the match betwist Chrift and them, but notwithstanding there of there is a ftrait tye, and near conjunction-betwixt Chrift and them, fo foon as they lay hold e him by faith, even so close a tye as they : aid to be in him, 1 Cor. iii. 1. 2 Cor. i. 21. v. 17. and xii. 2. and he in them, Rom. viii. 10. Gal. ii. 20. Eph. iii. 17. they are in him as the branches in the root, John. xv. 1. 2. and joined to him as the body to the head, Čol. i. 18. Eph. iv. 15. 16. and v. 23. 30. as the wife to her husband, Eph. v. 31. 32. and hence called one fpirit, 1 Cor. vi. 17. V. Tho' Chrift be offered to all in the gofpel, yet all are not made partakers of this great privilege of union with Chrift; there are many even within the bofom of the church who are ftrangers to this, and who are not, nor never fhall be, freed from the juft fentence of condemnation; for his appropriating freedom from condemnation unto fuch as are in Christ, says, that all are not in Chrift, and therefore not partakers of this freedom from death. VI. The only way of being made partakers of thofe rich and fpiritual benefits purchased by Christ, is to be first united to him by faith; no communion but that which followeth union, let ignorant, felfdeceiving hypocrites imagine the contrary as they pleafe; for being in Chrift is the way of being made free from condemnation. VII. Believers being joined together as members of the fame body, Eph. v. 30. unto one head, and fo partaking of the fame influences neceffary to falvation, having a right unto the fame fpiritual privileges, in and thro' Chrift their head, may receive comfort from the felf-fame grounds from which the most eminent believers may and do comfort themselves: for from the forementioned grounds in Paul's own experience, he draws this general comfort for all believers, That therefore there is no condemnation to them that are in Chrift. VIII. It is too ordinary for fuch as are ftrangers to Chrift, to be griping to thofe privileges unto which they have no right, and to be concluding themfelves in a state of union with Chrift, when they have no just ground therefore: hence it is that the apostle addeth these words, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, to characterize fuch as are in Chrift, that others may be put off who were ready to prefume. IX. Faith in Jefus Chrift, or union with him, is fo far from loofing folks from the study of holiness; that, albeit a holy life and converfation have no fhare of the glory due to the meritorious caufe of our falvation, but that doth allenarly appertain to Jefus Chrift, yet faith cannot be where holinefs in fome measure is not; and the ftudy of holiness is a true and undoubted • character of our union with Chrift, according to the apostle's doctrine, who for a mark of these that are in Chrift, giveth this, that they walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. and of their corrupt fleshy nature, they have the Spirit of God for their leader and commander, and him only they acknowledge for their lawful chieftain and fuperior: therefore it is faid, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. X. Believers being now united unto Jefus Chrift, who is a fappy and a lively vine, are not fruitlefs, but bring forth fruit in due feason, Pfal. i. 3. and having now renounced the guidance of their carnal heart, XI. Tho' graceless fouls, being deluded with a false heart, may perfuade themfelves, that they are acted by the Spirit, even when they are obeying the dictates of their own carnal heart, and following the fwing of corruption, and doing the works of the flesh; yet these two chief commanders, are inconfiftent and will not agree together, fo that no man can serve two mafters, and whoever are fold to the fervice of the one, are utter strangers to the guidance of the other: the adverfative particle but fheweth their inconfiftence, while he fays, they walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. XII. Albeit hypocrites, and many fuch as are ftrangers to Chrift, and have never yet fled in to him for refuge and fafety, may have a fair out fide, and in their outward deportment, may feem most zealous and ftrict; yet being but painted tombs, full of corruption within, even in their best actions, they are guided no way by the Spirit of God, but by corrupt principles and fin within them: for only fuch as are in Christ, walk after the Spirit, and not after the flesh. XIII. Seeing believers may ftep afide, being drawn out of the way by corruption and temptation, and many wicked ones may have fome fits now and then, looking like the temper of God's children; it is not fafe for the one or the other to conclude their estate according as they find themselves in fuch fits, but by the conftant track of their carriage, and their ordinary and daily walk therefore fays he, they walk after the Spirit. XIV. It is both fafe and warrantable for believers to gather their estate from external marks and evidences of holines in their chriftian course, and to try it there |