1 Thess. v. 15; 1 Tim. vi. 11; to omit many others.) When he saith, "The Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness," he doth not imply that there was none, or that there was never any, of this sort of men that gave themselves to ways and works of righteousness, or that desired and endeavoured to approve themselves unto God, as righteous,-for besides Cornelius, of whom we read, Acts x., we understand, upon very credible terms, from other histories and writings, that there were divers found among the Gentiles that were great professors, and practitioners too, of righteousness,-but his meaning is, that the generality of those who were now known to have believed the Gospel, and so to be justified, were none of those who much minded any righteousness, but "had walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, abominable, and to every good work reprobate." For in saying that they "followed not after righteousness," his meaning is, that they lived very wickedly and profanely, and in high contempt of all righteousness; the phrase being a Hebraism, wherein adverbs of denying signify the contrary unto that to which they are applied; examples whereof we have many. (Rev. xii. 8, 11; Heb. x. 38; Lev. xix. 7; 1 Cor. x. 5; Jer. xxii. 30; Prov. xxviii. 13, &c.)

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The reason why the Apostle here mentioneth the case or condition of the believing Gentiles in this point, that they "followed not after righteousness," probably is this,—to prevent the Jews that they might not object it unto him, when he should avouch their justification, by believing, and this in opposition to their (the Jews') sinful and unjustified estates, by means of their unbelief, notwithstanding their willing and running after justification in their way of works. For it hath some colour or face of a thing improbable, that they who never minded or looked after righteousness, but had lived loosely, wickedly, and in abominable idolatries, all their days before, should, on the sudden, and this only by believing in another, be made righteous; and, on the other hand, they who had zealously, and with all seriousness of intention, always lifted up their hearts unto righteousness, had been diligent observers of a most excel

• Non prævaluit, pro devicius est, figura est, ut dixi, Hebraica, qua adverbia negandi ejus, cui adhibentur, contrarium significant.-MED. in Apocal. xii. 7, 8.

lent law, prescribed unto them by God himself, should, notwithstanding, be rejected as sinners, and condemned. Therefore the Apostle, to show that he was very well aware of this objection against the justification of the Gentiles by faith, and, withal, that he finds nothing in it to incumber his mind or judgment touching the truth and certainty thereof, avoucheth the truth of such their justification, as it were in the very face and presence of this objection.

Have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith-Kareλabe dixaoσuvny, that is, overtook or laid hold on righteousness; meaning, that when righteousness or justification came to be preached and offered unto them in the name of Jesus Christ, in the Gospel, they soon accepted and received it at the hand of God, upon the terms on which it was offered and held forth unto them, namely, by believing. And, accordingly, the Apostle, specifying and distinguishing that kind of righteousness which they thus unexpectedly obtained, calleth it the righteousness of faith, dixa de εκ πίςεως. As if he should have said, "When I affirm that the Gentiles who followed not after righteousness, yet attained unto righteousness, I mean not any such righteousness as that which the Jews dream of, or which consists in a strict and perfect observation of the law; living as they had, they were manifestly uncapable of any such righteousness; but that righteousness I mean, which, according to the gracious compact and covenant of God established with the world in that behalf, is obtained by faith in Jesus Christ, and consisteth in the pardon and forgiveness of all a man's sins, as I have formerly showed and proved unto you." (Rom. iii. 24, 25, &c.; iv. 5, compared with verses 6-8.)

By the way, when he saith that Abraham's believing God was imputed unto him for righteousness, (Rom. iv. 3,) and that to him who believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, (verse 5,) he differs only in expression, not in sense or meaning, from himself in this place, where he affirms righteousness to be of or by faith, not faith itself, or so counted by God. For as these two expressions, "Christ is the salvation of the world," and, "The salvation of the world is of or by Christ," though they differ in formality of expression, yet, rightly understood, differ not in sense or substance of matter; so neither is there any material,

but verbal, difference only between these two, "Faith is a man's righteousness," and, "A man's righteousness is of or by faith." For when it is said, " Faith is a man's righteousness," it cannot, according to principles of common sense, be looked upon as propositio formalis, "a proper" or "formal proposition," there being nothing more apparent than that a man's believing is not the same thing, either in whole or in part, with the forgiveness of his sins; but must needs be conceived to be propositio causalis, or consecutiva, wherein the effect is predicated of the cause, or the consequent of the antecedent; of which kind there are many in the Scriptures.

When the Apostle saith, that "the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness, yet attained the righteousness which is of faith,” he doth not suppose or imply that that faith by which they attained this righteousness was given unto them by God whilst they slept, or without the exercise of their intellectual abilities, reason, judgment, understanding, &c., or that they were necessitated by him to receive it, and could do none other but believe, or the like; all that can be inferred from the said period in this kind may be reduced to these three particulars: 1. That God graciously overlooked and winked at the times of their former ignorance, and the many abominations which during these times they had committed, and that, these abominations notwithstanding, he vouchsafed the Gospel in the letter and oral ministry of it unto them, together with such dispensations of his Spirit, which ordinarily, at least in these times, did accompany this ministry. 2. That they, falling in and going along with the gracious overtures and motions of the Spirit of God within them in order to their believing, did, through the grace and blessing of God upon their endeavours in this kind, arrive at this fair haven of peace and safety; I mean, did actually believe. In respect of these two, that which is cited by our Apostle, in the next chapter, from the Prophet Isaiah is verified in them: "I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me." 3. And lastly: That these Gentiles, believing, God kept covenant and mercy with them, and justified them accordingly. But God's being found of those who sought him not, in this sense, is no argument to prove, either, 1. That those who do unfeignedly seek after him are not in a more likely and hopeful way of finding him than those who seek not after him "If thou seek him,

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he will be found of thee." (1 Chron. xxviii. 9. See also Prov. viii. 17.) There is no such promise made to those who shall not seek him. Or, 2. Doth it prove that those who, living under the sound of the Gospel and ministry thereof, shall, from time to time, neglect the grace and great salvation offered by God therein, are not further off from finding him, or in a worse and more disadvantageous posture for believing, every day than other; although, it is true, a man can be under no such disadvantage through any neglect whatsoever, but which, by a proportionable care and diligence, may very possibly at any time be redeemed. Or, 3. And lastly: Doth it prove that God is or will be found savingly by any person whatsoever at any time, but only then or at such times when his mind, heart, and soul are seriously engaged and intent about and upon those means whereby and wherein he is to be found, and which he vouchsafeth unto them for such a purpose. Nor do the words, “I was found of men that sought me not," at all import any saving discovery or manifestation of God unto those who, at that time, when he was thus discovered unto them, did not seek him, or at least carefully attend to those means by which he was thus discovered unto them; but only unto those who had not, in all the foregoing part of their lives, sought after him.

Verse 31. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness— Israel is that honorary name which was imposed by God himself upon that famous Patriarch and progenitor of the Jewish nation, otherwise known by the name of Jacob. The signification of this name, in part, together with the occasion of the imposition of it, are declared, Gen. xxxii. 28; xxxv. 10. Sometimes the whole and entire posterity of this person is signified by this name Israel. The signification of it is frequent and obvious in the Scriptures. Sometimes, again, it signifies, not the universality, but only the generality, or main body, of that people, who were and are his posterity, as distinguished from those amongst them who were righteous and just, and true worshippers of God. In this sense the Prophet David useth it: "But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me." And again: "Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!" (Psalm lxxxi. 11, 13.) This is the signification of it in the place before us. Sometimes it signifies, not this generality

neither, but only some considerable number or part of it. Thus Moses useth it: "And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor." (Num. xxv. 3.) Sometimes it signifieth the ten tribes, which rent themselves from the house of David, in opposition to the other two tribes, which are oft expressed by the name Judah. Thus the Prophet Hosea useth it: "Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend." (Hosea iv. 15.) And lastly, in a more emphatical and strict sense, it signifies only that part of this posterity or people who resemble their father Israel in faith and holiness. Thus our Apostle useth it in this chapter: "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel." (Verse 6.) Yet in this place, and probably elsewhere, it may, I confess, signify those who resemble Israel the Patriarch in his faith and holiness, whether according to the flesh they be descended from him, or no. (See Gal. vi. 16; John i. 47.)

Now the unbelieving party of Israel, or of the Jews, are here said to have "followed after the law of righteousness." Calvin, with whom Estius also herein accords, conceives the Apostle speaking by the figure hypallage in these words, "the law of righteousness," and that he means the righteousness of the law; but in the latter clause, by "the law of righteousness," he understands the norm or rule of righteousness. But this is altogether improbable; because the Apostle assigns this for the reason why Israel attained not this law, namely, that "they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law." Now to seek to attain the rule of righteousness, which is nothing else but the law, "by the works," that is, by doing the works, "of the law," is so far from being a reason why men. should not attain unto this rule or law, that there is no other way or possibility to attain unto it, but by these works only. Some expositors, by "the law of righteousness," understand simply righteousness itself; as they suppose this Apostle, by an Hebraism, elsewhere by "the law of sin," (Rom. vii. 23, 24,) meaning sin itself; and so by "the law of the mind,” (Rom. vii. 23,) the mind itself; and again, by "the law of the Spirit of life," (Rom. viii. 2,) the life of the Spirit, &c. But it is very improbable that by the "law of sin," he should understand only sin, barely and simply considered; and not rather some property or adjunct of sin, answerable in some respect unto a law, as expositors upon the place more generally resent and explain. There is the same reason of those other expressions, "the law