we should not be judged as finners, or might fin that good might come of it; no thanks to man for this, who drive at the quite contrary, and are here only paflive. VI. It tendeth much to the glory of God, when any of his attributes and properties are manifefted, illuftrated, and made confpicuous, notwithstanding of what Satan and wicked men were doing, to blur and obfcure the fame; fo as his attributes break through all clouds (which, as was thought, would have intercepted the fhining luftre thereof) with more admirable brightnefs; and whatever duft men caft up to darken the face of the fun, will but occafion the more glorious fhining thereof: therefore Paul grants, that God's truth bath much more abounded through our lie, and that to his glory. were fome that affirmed, that the apofiles faid, we might do evil that good may come of it; which doctrine Paul abhored. IX. It is a great piece of honour and credit put upon a man, when God maketh ufe of him to ftand for the maintenance and defence of truth, and is a great difgrace for any man to ftand for error; and a godly tender foul will look upon it as a defaming and ftriking thro' their good name, to be looked upon, or accounted fuch, as countenance or defend error: for they account it their greatest honour to be fubfervient to God in the maintenance of truth: all which we are taught by this, that Paul fays, they were blafphemed, or had their good name wounded, by falfe. tales and lying afperfions; for fo the word rendered here, flanderously reported, doth import. X. As the fervants of the Lord ought to walk circumfpectly, and in handling of truth, fhould do it fo warily, as no accufer may have juft ground to charge them with any falfe doctrine; fo, when the accufer of the brethren hath ftired up fome to ca VII. However in evils of punishment, we may with David, 2 Sam. xxiv. 14. make choice of a leffer to efchew a greater, yet in fins we are to keep our hands clean of all, even the leaft, tho' thereby we should evite the greatest hazard imaginable, and fhun the uttering of the leaft untruth, under whatsoever pretext we may be tempt-lumniate their good names, they ought, ed to the contrary; we may not Speak wickedly for God, nor talk deceitfully for him, Job xiii. 7. God needeth not fuch help at our hands, for the making of himself glorious by, and we fhould hate every evil way, or fulfe way, Pfal. cxix. 104. 128. fo as not to be drawn thereunto; tho' it fhould appear, in all probability, that much good should follow upon our yeilding unto fin: for Paul,denieth that ever he or any of his ftamp affirmed, that we should do evil that good might come of it. in a humble prudent way, to vindicate themfelves of fuch foul afperfions, left truth fhould fuffer by their filence: as Paul doth here, in avowing, that fuch, in faying fo of him and the other apoftles, did but falfely calumniate, and with thofe rumours and falfe reports did wrong their good name, and blafpheme them. XI. Howbeit gracelefs fouls may take great delight in playing Satan's game, in flandering, and by falfe lies wronging the good name of God's fervants; yet, in end, VIII. It is an old custom of Satan and they fhall find the fruits of their doings to his perverfe followers, to be wronging the be bitter and fad, when they shall be justfaithful fervants of Chrift, and fafteningly condemned, if they repent not: for of falfe doctrine upon them, as the maintain- fuch, fays Paul, their damnation is just. ers thereof, which they never did approve of; and fuch an exercife as this fhould be taken in good part, feeing the apoftles before us met with the like falfe imputations; yea, and Christ himself: for there XII. When men are fo addicted to their erroneous courfes, as to perfift in them, notwithstanding of any thing that can be brought for their conviction, as it is just with God to purfue fuch with his wrath and and indignation; fo it is but folly to deal any more with them, efpecially when they are become fo grofs, as to be fo far from being willing to receive conviction, as that they flander, and lay falfe imputations upon, the maintainers of truth; and it is fafeft then to leave fuch to God's immedi are conviction, that they may be perfuaded of the truth of that, the contrary whereof they lay to the charge of God's faithful fervants: for all the anfwer that the apostle now, in the laft place, giveth to thefe objectors, (befides the fimple negation of the confequence of what they made bold to infer from his doctrine) is this, whofe damnation is juft. VERSE 9. What then? are we better than they? No, in no wife: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under fin. Efore the apostle cometh to his new argument from teftimonies, he firft concludeth from what he had faid formerly, that the Jews were in no better cafe, as to juftification, than the Gentiles. What, (might they fay) are we not then in a better cafe than the Gentiles, feeing you afcribe to us fuch a pre-eminence in refpect of privileges, and do maintain it fo ftrongly? He anfwereth, that though there was a difference in point of civil and ecclefiaftical dignity, (which was all he granted, verfe 2.) yet if we have refpect to ourselves, fays he, who have no way deferved thofe forementioned privileges, nor have profited much by them, we have no excellency beyond the Gentiles; bur chiefly (which is the bufinefs he hath in hand) in the matter of juftification, we, fays he, (for he includes himself, that they might fo much the lefs take offence) in no wife are better than they; and this he confirmeth from what he faid formerly both touching Jews and Gentiles, chapters first and fecond, For, fays he, we have before proved, (not only accufed, but with strong reafons convinced, we have charged and proved by reafon, as the original importeth) both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under fin, that is under the guilt and condemning power of fin; as Gal. iii. 22. But the Scripture bath concluded all under fin, that the promise by faith of Jefus Christ might be given to them that believe. HENCE OBSERVE, I. When people do once doat on privileges, and external favours granted of God, it is fo hard a matter to get themrectified in their thoughts, that whatever they hear fpoken of these privileges, confidered in themfelves, as tending to hold forth their nature, and to put them in their own place, and to keep folk from the other extremity of trampling upon, and vilipending them, tendeth rather to con firm them in their falfe opinion, than bring them off it; for this we fee here, by Paul's anfwering this objection, that from what Paul granted, verfe 2d, as clearing the nature of these external privileges, they were ready to be the more hardened and confirmed, and to fay, are we not then: better than they? II. However, in fpeaking of the privileges and external advantages, which God is pleated to beftow on the vifible members of his church, we fhould beware of derogating from their juft efteem; yet, confidering the proneness of fuch as do mifplace them, in their refting upon them, to abufe what they hear, to foster themselves in their erroneous practice, we ought warily to guard against that, and upon this fcore and confideration, to caft them as far down as formerly we put them up, after Paul's example here, who fearing they fhould have turned what he had faid unto a wrong use, prefently anfwereth that queftion, are we not better than they? thus, no, in no wife. III. When we are crying down privileges and external advantages, which in themfelves are to be valued, as great fa vours of God, and when keeped in their due place are useful) in regard of people's refting on them, and applying them to a wrong ufe; then, as it is the beft way to guard against people's taking offence, to be thewing them how in fo doing we do no more wrong to them than to ourfelves, fo it is a prevalent way to convince them of their folly in mifplacing thefe allowances, when our doctrine is backed with our example, and they fee, we would have them doing that which we have done ourselves, and that we are no more trufting to these privileges than we would have them doing for Paul, as to ward off their taking offence, fo the more to prevail with them, fheweth, that albeit he was a Jew as well as they, and fo had all the advantages they had; yet, in point of juftification, he was no ways becaufe of them (folely) better than the Gentiles: therefore, fays he, are we better than they? No. no pre-eminence, viz. because they are fill under fin, as well as others who want thofe privileges. And that should only be high in our account, which ferveth to help us out of this natural condition, and bring us from under the condemning power of fin: for, fays he, we have proved both Jew and Gentile under fin. VI. It is the common lot and calamity of all mankind, bond or free, Jew or Gentile, of whatfoever sex or quality, to be by nature, and till free grace make a change, under fin, under both the dominion of it, and condemning power thereof; to have fin as a tyrant domineering over them, and fentencing them to death; and that fince Adam's treacherous breach of covenant, Gal. iii. 23.; and therefore fin is faid to have reigned, Rom. V. 21. and vi. 14. and to have a law, Rom. vii. 23. 25.: for here, both Jews and Gentiles are faid to be under fin. VII. When a people are once once puffed IV. Howbeit the privileges and advan-up with a vain conceit of their own contages which God confereth upon church-dition, by reafon of fome external advanmembers, puts a great difference betwixt tages and privileges which they have, they them, and fuch as are without, in point of are fo blinded and bewitched, that they ecclefiaftic dignity; yet they put no ho- cannot, nor will not fee how fad and minour or dignity upon church-members, as ferable their condition is, notwithstanding to real acceptance before God, or in point of thefe, albeit there be never fo clear of juftification for in this fenfe it is, that and undeniable demonftrations held forth Paul fays, that the Jews are no ways bet- to convince them: for, albeit Paul had ter than the Gentiles; all thofe privileges abundantly before proved (as he fays) both did not make them holy by nature, and Jews and Gentiles to be under fin; yet so righteous before God, and fo, no whit blinded were they with felf-love, that he more acceptable before him: for notwith-faw a neceffity, even after all these proofs, ftanding thereof, they, no less than the Gentiles, were under fin. V. This should abundantly convince folk of folly, in trufting to, and expecting God's fpecial favour, because of privileges and external advantages, bestowed on them by God; viz. That thofe cannot deliver them from guilt of fin, and the condemning power thereof; but that notwithstanding of all thofe, they are still in their natural condition, under fin: for the apostle gives this as a reafon, why, notwithstanding of thefe advantages, they have of telling them, that they had no preeminence, and were no better as to their fpiritual condition, and before God, than others. VIII. As it is a matter of no fmall difficulty to get people thoroughly convinced of their natural condition, how they are flaves to fin, and dead and condemned to death thereby; fo it is minifters duty to be labouring fo much the more, with clear and undeniable proofs, to bear in convictions on people, of this their natural condition: therefore, fays Paul, we have be fore fore proved, (or as the word is, we have demonftrated by producing clear reafons and evidences, and have made our libel good, by producing particular crimes and making them out) both Jew and Gentile to be under fin; which fheweth, that it was no ealy matter to convince them of this their natural condition, feeing he was at fo much pains to get it done: and his example in this is teaching. IX. As folks becoming fervants of fin, and voluntarily giving their members unto fin, as members of unrighteousness, do declare them to be under the feet of fin as flaves; fo our actual tranfgreffions and daily outbreakings are a fufficient demonftration of our fad condition by nature, as under fin; and our actual tranfgreffions and outbreakings, rightly confidered, would put us in mind of our original guilt and finful nature, and confequently of our obnoxioufnefs to death and dannation, for thus the apostle had proved before both Jew and Gentile to be under fin; viz. the Gentiles, chapter first, because of their detaining the truth in unrighteoufnefs, idolatry, fornication, wickedness, covetous nefs, &c. fee chapter i. 29. 30. 31. and chapter fecond, because they boafted of the law, and did fiel, commit adultery, and facrilege, and occafioned the dishononr of God by their carriage: fee from verfe 17. to 25. X. The outbreakings of fome, fhould convince all of their natural depravity and wickedness; and the best fhould look back tato, and take a view of their natural eftate, when they fee others breaking forth into all kind of wickedness; though they, (having the fame wicked difpofition, and the feed of all thofe curfed abominations in themselves, by nature,) be by grace refrained from the like extravagances: for Paul here puts himself into the fame condition with the reft, and from the forementioned acts of iniquity whereof all furely are guilty, he concludes, that all both few, (and himself among the rest,) and Gentile, are under fin. VERSES 10. 11. 12. As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that feeketh after Gud. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doth good, no not one. THE apoftle, having, in the former ΤΗ part, afferted, that God confered great external privileges, upon the Jews, and fo prefered them unto the Gentiles, and vindicated that doctrine from ail that could be objected againft it; he doth here begin the profecution of his former purpofe, which was, to fhew, that the Jews could not expect to be justified by works, being guilty of fuch heinous and abominable offences, as they were guilty of; and that they were thus and thus guilty, he proveth, unto verfe 20. from feveral teftimonies out of the Pfalms and Efaias. And he pitcheth upon thofe teftimonies, for fome fpecial reafons, poffibly because under David and Hezekiah (in whofe days Efaias prophefied, Ifa. i. 1.) the Jewish church was pureft; and fo hence may be. folidly and firmly concluded, that feeing there was fo much wickednefs in those days, (which none can deny, who confult thofe teftimonies,) there would rather be more as lefs, at other times, which were lefs pure; and fo what was affirmed of the Jews at that time, might, with as much colour of reafon, if not more, be affirmed of them, in all ages. However this will hold, that whatever fin is laid to the charge of one, and he guilty of it, the fountain and feed of that, as of all other fins, which any one may, or doth break out into, is in all others, who poffibly may be free of fome grofs particulars: and fo in this cafe, if we prove one guilty, we prove all guilty: And this alfo may have weight, that David, from whom the most part of thefe teftimonies are taken, was a type of Chrift, and fo what he fpake of his enemies, may be meant, of all that are without Chrift. eth in as a probation, afterward, according as it followeth in the original. one. The firft teftimony then, fet down, verfes 11. 12. is, as I faid, brought out of Pfal. xiv. 2. 3. and Pfal. liii. 2. 3. the apoftle citeth the words of the Seventy, rather as they are let down, Pfal. xiv. than liii. only we may note, that the apoftle fets down thefe words, verfe 11. rather pofitively, than as they are in the original; for the Pfalmift fets them down thus, the Lord looked down from heaven, to fee if there was any that underflood, &c. and thereby implying fome other thing, (which the apoftle faw, did not make for his ufe,) befide this which the apoftle here fetteth down as most fitly expreffed, and abundant And that the apoftle may be the more clear in his difpute, having now neceffarily digreffed fomewhat in the toth verfe, he layeth down his thefis, viz. That there is no man, no not one man, that is righteous; which is the affumption of his principal argument, which may be conceived to be this, If no man be righteous according to the law, then no man can be juftified by the law; this the apostle paffeth as certain and undeniable; but fo it is, that no man is righteous according to the law: Therefore, &c. Now this affumption he hathly speaking to his purpose; fo that as the been proving formerly, both in reference to the Gentiles and to the Jews, by clear reafons, and now he is about to prove it by clear teftimonies; and therefore faith, It is written, there is none righteous, no not And thus I think, these words, verfe 10. fhould rather be looked on as the propofition, which the apostle is about to prove by these following paffages, than as any part of the teftimony, and that because I find not these words in thofe places, to which the apoftle refereth in this his first teftimony, viz. Pfal. xiv. 2. 3. or Pfal. liii. 2. 3. either in the Hebrew text, nor yet in the Greek verfion of the Seventy, (which verfion, tho' often varying from the Hebrew, the apoftle, in dealing with the Gentiles, doth for the most part fol low, it being all the Bible which they then had; and even here in thefe citations he followeth that verfion, word for word, throughout them all, except that, verfes 15. 16. cited out of Ifa. lix. 7. 8. where yet the difcrepancy is nothing confider-feek out, find out, to feek diligently, with able) nor is there any thing looking thereunto, but this word, which immediately precedeth the words cited verfes 11. 12. both in Pfal. xiv. and liii. viz. there is none that doth good; now this the apostle bring Pfalmift hath them, they hold forth this great carefulness, to enquire for fedulousi the |