Chap. II all have finned,' faith the text, namely, in Adan as in a public perfon*: all mens acts were included in his, because their perfons were included in his. S likewife in the fame chapter it is faid, that death paffed upon all men ;' namely for this, that A dam's fin was reckoned for this, that Adam's fin wa reckoned for theirs. Even fo, Rom. vi. 1o. the apof tle, fpeaking of Chrift, faith, In that he died unto fin; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God: fo likewife, faith he, in the next verfe, reckon yɛ "yourselves to be dead unto fin, but alive unto God

through Jefus Christ our Lord.' And fo, as touching the refurrection of Chrift, the apoftle argues, 1 Cor. xv. 20. that all believers muft and shall arife, becaufe Chrift is rifen, and is become the firft-fruits ' of them that fleep. Chrift as the first-fruits ariseth, and that in the name and stead of all believers; and fo they rife in him and with him: for Chrift did not rife as a private perfon, but he arofe as the public head of the church; fo that in his arifing all believers did virtually arife. And as Chrift, at his refurrection, was juftified and acquitted from all the fins of all believers by God his Father t, as

having * Tho. Goodwin's Chrift fet forth, page 87. Smith + on the creed.

145 having now fully fatisfied for them; even fo were they (i). And thus you fee, the obedience of Chrift being imputed unto believers by God for their righteoufnefs, it doth put them into the fame eftate and cafe, touching righteousness unto life (k) before God wherein they fhould have been if they had perfectly performed the perfect obedience of the covenant of works, Do this, and thou shalt • live (/).'

(k) So called to diftinguish it from inherent righteoufnefs, which is righteoufnefs from life.

(This is a weighty point, the plain and native refult of what is faid: namely, That fince Jefus Chrift hath fullyaccomplished what was to have been done by man himself, for life according to the covenant of works; and that the fame is mputed to Believers; thereore Believers are in the fame fate, as to righteoufnefs to life, that they would have been in, if man himself had flood the whole time, appointed for his trial. And here is the true ground in

§ 2. Nom.

Law, of the infallible perfeverance of the faints: their time of trial for life is over, in their Head, the fecond Adam; the prize is won. Hence, the juft by faith are intitled to the fame benefit which Adam, by his perfect obedience, would have been intitled to: compare Rom. x. 5. ' The man which doth

thefe things fhall live,' with Hab. ii. 4. 'The just by his faith fhall live,' the which is the true reading, according to the original. And here, for clearing of the following purpofe, of the Believer's freedom from the Law, as it is the covenant of works, let it be confidered, that, if Adam had ftood till the time of his trial had been expired, the covenant of works would indeed from that time,have remained his everlastingfecurityfor eternal life, like a contract held fulfilled by the one party: but, as in the fame cafe, it could have no longer remained to be the rule of his obedience: namely in the ftate of confirmation, The reafon is obvious, viz. that the fubjecting of him

§ 2. Nom. But, Sir, are all believers dead to th law, and the law dead to them, fay you?

Evan. Believe it, man, as the law is the covenan of works, all true believers are dead unto it, and it i dead unto them (m): for they being incorporated in to Christ, what the law or covenant of works did t him, it did the fame to them; fo that when Chrif hanged on the cross, all believers, after a fort, hange there with him. And therefore the apoftle Paul ha ving faid, Gal. ii. 19. I through the law am dea to the law,' adds in the next verfe, 'I am cruci 'fied with Chrift' which words the apostle bring as an argument to prove that he was dead to the law for the law had crucified him with Chrift. Upo whic

ftill to the covenant of works as the rule of his obedience, would have been a reducing him to the ftate of trial he was in before, and a fetting him anew to work for what was already his own, in virtue of his (fuppofed) fulfilling of that covenant. Nevertheless, it is abfolutely impoffible but the creature, in any ftate whatfoever,muft be bound to and owe obedience unto the Creator: and being still bound to obedience, of neceffity he behoved to have had a rule of that obedience: as to which rule fince the covenant of works could not be it, what remains but that the rule of obedience, in the ftate of confirmation, would have been the law of nature, fuited to man's ftate of immutability improperly fo called and fo divefted of the form of the covenant of works, namely, its promife of eternal life, and threatning of eternal

death, as it is, and will b in heaven for ever. Th application is eafy, makin always, as to the rule of be lievers obedience, fuitabl referves for the imperfecti on of their ftate, in refpe of inherent righteoufnefs the which imperfection, a it leaves room for promif offatherlyfmiles, andthrea nings of fatherly chaftif ments, fo it makes them n ceffary: but these alfo fha be done away in heave when their real eftate fha be perfect, as their relati ftate is now.

(m)Rom. vii. 4. Wher fore, my brethren, ye al are become dead to ti 'law.' Gal. ii. 19. I thr the law am dead to t law.' And this, ac cor ing to the nature of corr lates, concludes the law a it is the covenant of work to be dead alfo to believe Col. ii. 14. Nailing it to his cross.

which text, Luther on the Galatians, p. 81. faith, "I likewife am crucified and dead to the law, foraf"much as I am crucified and dead with Chrift." And again, "I believing in Chrift am alfo crucified with Chrift." In like manner, the apostle faith to the believing Romans, So ye, my brethren, are dead 'alfo to the law by the body of Chrift,' Rom. vii, 4. Now, by the body of Chrift, is meant the paffion of Chrift upon the cross*, or, which is all one, the fuffering of Chrift in his human nature. And therefore certainly we may conclude with godly Tindal on the text, that all fuch are dead concerning the law, as are, by faith, crucified with Chrift.

Nom. But, I pray you, Sir, how do you prove that the law is dead to a believer?

Evan. Why, as I conceive, the apostle affirmeth it, Rom. vii. 1, 6.

Nem. Surely, Sir, you do mistake; for I remember the words of the first verse are, how that the law bath dominion over a man as long as he liveth;' and the words of the fixth verfe are, but now we are ' delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were holden,' &c.

Evan. I know right well, that in our laft tranflation the words are fo rendered; but godly and learned Tindal renders it thus, Remember ye not brethren, that the law hath dominion over a man as long as *it endureth?' and bishop Hall paraphrafeth upon it thus, Know ye not, brethren, that the Mofaical law hath dominion over a man that is fubject unto it, fo long as the faid law is in force?' So likewife Origen, Ambrofe, and Erafmus, do all agree, that, by thefe words, while (he) or (it) liveth, we are to onderftand, as long as the law remaineth, And Peter Martyr is of opinion, that thefe words, while (he) or t) liveth, differently referred, either to the law, or to the man; for, faith he, the man is faid to be dead, K 2

Dr. Willet on the text. Elton on the text. ledged by Dr. Willet on Rom.

ver.

Al

Chap. II ver. 4. and the law is faid to be dead,' ver. 6. Ever fo, because the word (he) or (it) †, mentioned verse 1 do fignify both fexes in the Greek, Chryfoftom think eth that the death, both of the law and the man, is infi nuated. And Theophylact, Erafmus, Bucer, and Cal vin, do all understand the fixth verfe of the law being dead. And as the death of a believer to the law was accomplished by the death of Chrift, even so also wa the law's death to him: even as Mr. Fox ‡, in his fermon of Christ crucified, teftifieth, faying, here have we upon one cross two crucifixes, two the moft ex cellent potentates that ever were, the Son of God and the law of God, wrestling together about man's fal vation, both caft down, and both flain upon one crofs; howbeit, not after a like fort. First, the So of God was caft down, and took the fall, not for any weakness in himfelf, but was content to take it for our victory; by this fall the law of God, in cafting him down, was caught in his own trip, and fo was fal mailed hand and foot to the cross, according as we read in Saint Paul's words, Col. ii. 14. And fo Luther on the Galatians, p. 184. fpeaking to the fame point, faith This was a wonderful combat, where the law, being a creature, giveth such an assault to his Creator, in practising his whole tyranny upon the Son of God. Now therefore, because the law did ' horribly and cursedly sin against his God, it is accu fed, and arraigned, and, as a thief and curfed mur derer of the Son of God, lofeth all his right, and deferveth to be condemned. The law therefore is 'bound, dead, and crucified to me. It is not only overcome, condemned, and flain unto Christ, but all 'to me, believing in him, unto whom he hath freely 'given this victory' (n), Now then, although, accord

See Dr. Willet again.

of martyrs.

(2) This is cited from Luther on the epiftle to the Galatians according to the

ing