for a sinner to become righteous; which righteousness Abraham had obtained whilst he was uncircumcised, that so he might be the father in a spiritual sense of all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, who imitated him in his faith, and in the holiness and obedience of his life. Note here, 1. The person instituting the sacrament of circumcision; God, and not Abraham. He received circumcision; that is, by the appointment of God he was circumcised. Sacraments must be of divine institution, not of human invention. The church can make no sacraments; her duty is with care and caution to administer them. There is a fourfold word requisite to a sacrament: a word of institution, a word of command, a word of promise, a word of blessing. The elements are ciphers; 'tis the institution makes them figures. Divine institution is as necessary to a sacrament, as a royal inscription is to current money. Note, 2. The nature of sacraments in general, and of circumcision in particular. They are signs and seals: He received the sign of circumcision: a seal of the rightcousness of faith. The circumcision, 1. Was a sign and token of the covenant which God made with Abraham and the Jews. It was a commemorative sign of God's covenant with Abraham: a representative sign of Abraham's faith and obedience towards God: a demonstrative sign of original sin, and the depravity of human nature: a discriminating and distinguishing sign of the true church and people of God from all the rest of the world: an initiating sign, by which all strangers, that were received into the commonwealth of Israel, were admitted into the Jewish church: and, lastly, it was a prefigurative sign of baptism, which in the christian church was to succeed in the room of circumcision. 2. Circumcision was not a sign only, but a seal also: A seal of the righteousness of faith; it was a seal both on God's part, and on Abraham's also. A seal on God's part, to confirm all the promises made to Abraham and his seed. 3. A seal both on his and their parts; to bind them to renounce the service of all other gods, and to oblige them to the observation of the whole law. Note, lastly, the character and description here given of true believers; they are such as walk in the steps of faithful Abraham. They have not only Abraham to their father, but they walk in the footsteps of their father's faith. Abraham readily obeyed the call of God,

As

so do they. As Abraham left his idolatrous country and kindred, and though he had opportunity of returning, yet never returned more; so do the faithful sons and daughters of Abraham leave all known sins, and no temptations can prevail with them to return to the delightful practice of them. Did Abraham break through all impediments, difficulties, and discouragements whatsoever? so do and will all those that tread in the faith of their father Abraham surmount all difficulties, bid defiance to all dangers, that they may yield a ready, cheerful, and persevering obedience to the commands of the God of Abraham. Few of the children of Abraham's flesh, but all the children of his faith, do thus walk in the steps of their renowned father.

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

That is, the great promise which God made to Abraham and his seed, that they should possess that rich and pleasant part of the world, the land of Canaan, under which also heaven itself was typically promised and comprehended, was not made upon condition of their performing perfect obedience to the law, but they were to obtain it by faith; that is, by trusting to, and depending upon, the gracious promise of a faithful God. Note here, The argument couched for justification by faith without works, which is the apostle's grand scope, design, and drift: it runs thus; "If the promise made to the father of the faithful was accomplished, not by legal obedience, but by the righteousness of faith; then it follows, that all his children are justified by faith, as Abraham their father was. But the promise of the earthly inheritance, and under it of the heavenly one, was accomplished not by the law, but by the righteousness of Abraham's faith; therefore justification is not to be expected by the works of the law, but by faith alone."

law be heirs, faith is made void, and 14 For if they which are of the the promise made of none effect:

That is, If they which seek to be justified by the works of the law be heirs of this promised inheritance, then faith, that is, the way of justification by faith prescribed by God, is to no purpose; for to what end

should we by faith seck righteousness in another, if by our legal obedience we can find it in ourselves? Here then lies couched another argument, to confirm the apostle's doctrine of justification by faith: thus, That only justifies, unto which a gracious promise of justification is made; but no such promise is made to any man for his weak and imperfect keeping of the law, but for his believing there is; therefore by the law there can be no justification, but by faith only.

15 Because the law worketh wrath. For where no law is, there is no transgression.

Here the apostle suggests another reason, why no justification can be expected by the law, because it condemns rather than justifies. The law worketh wrath: That is, it discovers the wrath of God due to our transgression, and then pronounces condemnation upon the transgressor; for were there no law, either natural or revealed, there would be no transgression, and consequently no condemnation. Here observe, 1. The use of the law; it discovers sin, it convinces of sin, it condemns for sin, it denounces the wrath of God due unto sin. And note, 2. The apostle's argument for the use of the law: he infers an utter impossibility of being justified by the law. That which condemns cannot justify; but the law of God condemns the sinner for his transgression; therefore it can never be the instrument and means of his justification. 16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace: to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

The apostle here assigns a double cause, why the wisdom of God has appointed justification and salvation to be obtained in the way of faith; namely, 1. That it might be of free and undeserved grace and favour; for to be justified by faith and by grace, are all one with the apostle. And, 2. That the promise might be sure to all the seed; That is, that God's promise might stand firm and sure to all the believing seed of Abraham, not only to all the children of his flesh, to whom the law was given, but to all the children of his

faith, even Gentiles as well as Jews; he being the father of all that believe, whether Jews or Gentiles. Learn hence, That if our justification and salvation did depend upon our performing perfect obedience to the law, it would never be sure, but always uncertain, because of our impotency and weakness to keep and observe it. The apostle, chap. viii. 3, tells us, That the law is weak through the flesh: though the truth is, the law is not weak to us, but we are weak to that; the law has the same authority for commanding that ever it had, but we have not the same ability for obeying. 'Tis our wickedness that is the sole cause of the law's weakness: had every man the same integrity, the law would have the same ability that ever it had, both to justify and save us.

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Our apostle in this, and the following of Abraham's faith, magnifying and extolverses, enters upon a high commendation ling the same for and upon account of sundry excellences which are found in it.And here, 1. He takes notice how Abraham's faith was strongly acted and exercised on the Almighty power of God: He believed in God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things that are not as though they were; that is, the Lord having promised to make Abraham the father of many nations, when he had no seed, ed the things to be both credible and posnor was ever likely to have any, he believsible, because God had spoken it, how improbable soever. And although, with respect to generation, he looked upon Sarah's body, and his own, as good as dead; for she was barren, and past bearing, and he was an hundred years old, and past all hopes of having a child; yet he exercised his faith on the promise and power of God, who quickeneth the dead, that is, his own dead body, and Sarah's barren womb. And calleth those things which be not, (that is, the Gentiles, which were not then a people,) as if they were. Learn hence, that it is a noble act and exercise of faith to believe God upon his bare word, and to assent to truth, though never so improbable. As whatever God doeth is good, because he doth it; so whatever God says is truc,

because he speaks it: and accordingly, faith, which is an assent of the understanding to what God reveals, depends upon the veracity of God, for making good his own word, and fulfilling his own promise. Faith has a threefold excellency : it assents to the truths of God, though never so improbable; it puts men upon duties, though seemingly unreasonable; (witness Abraham's offering up Isaac;) and it enables to sufferings, be they never so afflictive. But from believing plain contradictions and impossibilities, as the church of Rome would have us in the point of transubstantiation, faith desires there to be excused. Observe here, 2. That as Abraham's faith exceedingly honoured God; so God highly honours Abraham's faith, making him like himself, a father of many nations. As God is an universal Father, not of one, but of all nations, so was Abraham; as God is their spiritual Father, not by carnal generation, so was Abraham. God made faithful Abraham like himself, a father not of this or that nation only, but universally of all believers among all nations, believing after his example. Thus Abraham's faith honours God, and God honours Abraham's faith, styling him the father of the faithful throughout all gencrations.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Here St. Paul farther expatiates in the commendation of Abraham's faith, telling us, That against hope, he believed in hope; that is, he had a strong hope, a firm faith and trust in the promise and power of God, against all natural grounds of hope; namely, that he should certainly have a son, and a seed like the stars of heaven for

multitude. He farther adds, That he considered not the deadness of his own body, nor the barrenness of Sarah's womb; neither staggered at the promise through unbelief; that is, he regarded not any dif ficulties which lay in the way of his faith, he admitted no doubts or questions touching the promise or power of God; but without all disputing, depending fully upon God for the performance of his own promise, and so gave God the glory of his omnipo tency and faithfulness. Observe here, 1. What was the ground of Abraham's faith; namely, the special promise, yea, the absolute promise of God, that he should have a son. Observe, 2. The height and measure of his faith: He was strong in faith, and staggered not through unbelief: he was fully persuaded of God's all-sufficiency. It is a metaphor, taken from ships that come into the harbour with full sail. Thus was it with Abraham, there was not any sail of his soul but what was filled with the wind of assurance. As a ship with full gale and strong sail is carried to the haven against winds and waves; so Abraham, by the strength of his faith, overcame all waves of doubts and difficulties beating upon his mind. Observe, 3. What was the fruit and issue, the end and event, of Abraham's faith; it brought glory to God: He was strong in faith, giving glory to God. All faith glorifies God truly, but strong faith glorifies him abundantly; it gives him the glory of his power and faithfulness, goodcould Abraham's body be said to be dead, ness and truth. Question, 1. But how when he had several children afterwards by Keturah, even six sons forty years after Sarah's death? Ans. Abraham's and Sarah's bodies received now a blessing, or new generative faculty, from God, which rendered them capable of begetting and bearing children, when by nature they were not so. Quest. 2. Was Abraham's faith so strong as to exclude all doubting? Did not he distrust when he said, Shall a child be born to Abraham that is an hundred years old? and Sarah that is ninety years old, bear? Gen. xxi. Ans. These words are not words of doubting, but inquiring; they proceeded from a desire to be further informed how these things could be. But Abraham laughed, and Sarah also, at the mention of a son. True, they did both laugh, but not both alike; Abraham's laughter proceeded from admiration and joy, but Sarah's from diffidence and mistrust; and accordingly we find Sarah