which are a chief part of the oracles of God, are here called God's faith, or fidelity, to fhew, how near the one is engaged in the other, and how fure they are; fo near, as if they were not diftinct.

V. Howbeit wicked graceless men think a promife but a poor fupport, and a forry think to lippen to, as having no folidity in it, as being void, empty, and froathy, and fruitlefs; yet there is ufefulness, fulnefs, and effectual worth in each of them, which should highly commend them to us; for while he denieth that God's faithful promifes are made void, ufelefs, uneffectual, weak, or abolished, (all which the word rendered here, made of none effect, doth import and fignify) he affirmeth the contrary of them.

VI. It is good fometimes, and christian | prudence requireth it, not to fpeak the worst of folks wickedness, when it may move them to hear our exhortations with more patience, and be no way in prejudice of truth, but prove helpful to their gaining; for when Paul might have faid, the great bulk and body, and the most part of the Jews, had revolted and rebelled againft God, he faith only fome; What if fome believed not?

VII. Whatever foul and blafphemous conclufions Satan and his followers would falfely draw from the truths of God, we cught to reject them with full deteftation, as unworthy to be heard, or once named; therefore fays Paul, God forbid; away with fich an inference, it ought never to get footing in our thoughts.

VIII. As God is true, ftedfaft, and faithful in all his promifes; fo it is the duty of believers to be perfuading themselves of the truth of this, and putting it beyond question, even when difpenfations are as a thick cloud coming in betwixt the promife and its performance, and, as it were, putting it out of fight, and barriading the entry of the performance; and even then fhould we be fixed in the belief

IX. As man in himself, by nature, and as' unrenewed by the Spirit of God, is falfe, erroneous, unstedfast, and given to lying, fo that this is not the common and peculiar difeafe of the Cretians, Tit. i. 2. but is the epidemical difeafe of all by nature, they walk in a vain fhew, Pfal. xxxix. 6. and go astray fo foon as they be born, Speaking lies, Pfal. Iviii. 3. and take delight in lies, Pfal. Ixii. 4. fo the ferious confideration of this, as it thould ferve to confirm us in the faith of God's veracity, whofe ways are not as man's ways, but higher than they, as the heavens are higher than the earth, Ifa. lv. 8. 9. and fo fet forth the glory of God's truth and conftancy, (for which end it is brought in here) fo fhould it teach us whom to truft unto, God or man, in the time when men would labour to bear in upon us God's inconftancy or changeableness: all which is here taught us, when Paul adds, and let every man be a liar.

X. When contradictors will not be fatisfied, but loaden truth with abominable blafphemous confequences, the fafeft way is to ftop their mouth with thus it is written: and, as there is none that know the mind of the Lord better than his Spirit; fo fhould the Spirit of the Lord fpeaking in the Scriptures be the final determiner of controverfies unto us, with whofe determination we ought to reft fatisfied, tho' our carnal foolith wit and reafon cannot win to fee a reafon why therefore does the apostle, in the laft place, bring out this proof, as it is written, as that which might fully fatisfy them.

XI. The upfhot of all difpenfations of

HENCE OBSERVE,

I. Tho' carnal reafon be a blind and incompetent judge in God's matters, yet is it ready to measure all truths by its own line, and what it cannot fully comprehend, to carp at, and raise blafphemous and abominable afperfions, to darken, if it can, the face of God's glorious truths: for carnal reafon is ready here to afperfe the truth which Paul was holding out formerly, as if it would hold forth as much as if God were unrighteous.

II. Among the many myfteries, which carnal reafon, and men led by no other guide, and void of the Spirit, cannot fee through, this is one, How God can fuffer men to fin, and thereby take occafion to demonftrate the glory of his attributes, and yet can and will punish men for these fame fins; for this is it that ftuck with the carnal man, and which he could not digeft, how God can be just in taking vengeance, when our unrighteoufnefs commendeth his righteoufnefs.

III. However we could not fee how fuch a truth that is clearly founded on the word can be defended, and fome one abfurd confequence or other, that carnal wit would draw from it, can be avoided; yet it is not allowed us to quite the grip of the truth, which we have fully cleared us, but rather wait upon the Lord for light, and abhor all fuch foul-faced inferences, with a perfect deteftation: for thus Paul would have had them doing, not denying the truth he had formerly afferted, but flicking by it, and, withal, abhoring any fuch foul conclufion: What shall we fay? is God unrighteous for this? God forbid.

IV. How oft foever blafphemous expreffoos are vented in our ears, whatever pretence they may feem to have, chriftian hearts fhould as often rife at them; and tender Chriftians can never hear any thing wttered to God's difhonour, under what

loath and abhor the fame for here again, at fuch a thought as this, that God fhould be accounted unjuft, his heart rises, and he crieth out, God forbid.

V. Tho' it be a hard matter to handle the mysteries of God, fo as wicked men may not take occafion thereat to vent their own fancies and blafphemies; yet we fhould walk fo warily (as being guided by the Spirit of God) and handle thofe profound myfteries fo tenderly, as they may not have any just ground; and, however, if they fhall carp, or feem to have the leaft ground whereupon to go, it is our duty to labour their thorough clearnefs, and remove all rubs, or any thing that may ftumble them, and fo loofe alt objections, that the oppofers may (if poffible) fully close with truth: for Paul condefcendeth to take this objection out of the way.

VI. In handling of fuch myfterious points, and clearing them from foul blafphemous inferences, we should fo guard, as hearers might not perceive any untenderness, or want of reverence in us; nor should we needlefsly heap up objections, that carnal wit would never have thought of, out of our own heads, but only fuch as are obvious, and likely to stick with people; after Paul's example here, who fays, he Speaks after the manner of men, to fhew, that this was common in their mouth, and that they might not in the leaft fufpect him of uttering any blafphemy out of his own head.

VII. Tho' the Lord, to declare his infinite wifdom, who can wifely extract good out of evil, and to manifeft his wonderful faithfulness, will make ufe of the unfaithful dealings of people, the more to illuftrate how faithful and true he is, who can keep covenant for all that; yet this will no way bind up his hands from punishing them according to juftice; the manifeftation of one of his attributes will not juftle out the manifeftation of another; he can manifest L 2

both

both his juftice and mercy at once; and even when cur unrighteousness doth commend his righteoufnefs, he can and will take

vengeance.

VIII. Our unrighteoufnefs, being a tranfgreffion of God's holy law, according unto which we ought to walk, can have no natural inclination, or tendency, as it is fuch, to manifeft or commend God's truth, but only as an occafion which the infinitely wife God maketh ufe of, to declare how juft and faithful he is, who will keep promife, notwithstanding that we ftand not often to our promife: thus, only by accident, it is, that our unrighteousness commends the righteoufnefs of God.

IX. God is fo juft and righteous in ruling the world, and is so displeased with fin, that he will make finners find how bitter a thing it is to break his holy laws, by fending on, or adding still, the bitter fruits of his anger and difpleafure: therefore it is faid, that he taketh vengeance, or infereth and inflicteth anger, or the fruits of his anger.

X. As God is a righteous governor, ruling the world according to equity and justice, ordering all things therein moft wifely and juftly, giving to every one a just recompence, as he feeth it for his own glory, and will one day judge every man according to equity; fo the right thought and apprehenfion of this his juft and righteous general providence, over all the world, fhould abundantly fqueeze, and for ever put to filence, thefe wicked fuggeftions and cogitations, that, through corruption, will often be puting up their heads, and breaking out, when God is afflicting us for fin: for the anfwer that Paul giveth to this objection is, for then how fhall God judge the world?

VERSES 7. 8. For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I alfo judged as a finner? And not rather, (as we be flanderously reported, and as fome affirm that we fay,)

Let us do evil, that good may come? whofe damnation is just.

Arnal reafon being ftill more diffatif

CA

fied, the apoftle goes on yet again, in fpeaking after the manner of men; and propofeth another objection, which carnal reafon had against his doctrine, to the end it may be removed out of the way. And fo this may either be a fourth objection, or the third repeated and augmented: Take it up thus; You granted formerly, that our unrighteoufnefs might have commended the righteoufnefs of God: Now, if that be true, that through my lie, or in, and by my lie, God's truth, his conftancy in keeping his promifes; his faithfulness and righteoufnefs, is made to excel and abound the more, (or was made like a well that could not contain its water, but fent it forth in great abundance, as the word may import) to his greater glory and honour then 1. It will follow, that in lyi: g, or breaking covenant, or more generally, in finning against God, I fhould not be accounted a tranfgreffor by God or man, or judged, punished, or chastised, as a finner by God; therefore, why (would the objectors fay) yet am I judged as a finner; for this interrogation hath the force of a ftrong negation. Yea, 2. It will follow that we fhould fin and commit iniquity, that good may come of it; we ought to promove (would carnal isdom fay) God's glory and honour,, and do what foever may tend thereunto; and if by fin God is glorified, we ought to fin; and this clearly followeth from Paul's doctrine, so that Paul feemeth to be the approver of fin. Unto this objection the apoftle maketh a double reply: (1.) Denying that ever he afferted fuch influence, or that any fuch thing can be confequentially deduced from his doctrine; and therefore fays he, as we be flanderously reported, and as fonie affirm that we fay; it is but a bafe calumny, a flanderous report, vented to defame us and our doctrine. (2.) We are fo far from

owning fuch a doctrine, that we affirm, that whofoever preacheth or practifeth fo, fhall be condemned, and that moft justly, whofe damnation is just; such may mock (as if he would fay) at our doctrine at leifure, when they fhall be justly condemned, and thall feel that punishment, which they fay we deny, and that becaufe they have affented to fuch an impiety, and then durft calumniate the gofpel and the preachers thereof, upon that score.

HENCE LEARN,

1. It is a most dangerous thing for folks to take carnal reafon for their guide in the matters of God, and queftion every truth which carnal reafon will not affent unto: for as it is unable to dive into the mysteries of God, they tranfcending far its capacity; fo is it able to keep poor blind folks, that are under its command and rule, from receiving fatisfaction, tho' truths be never fo clearly held forth; and can furnish them (it being fruitful enough in invention) with new objections, when others have been abundantly anfwered: for here carnal reafon, not refting fatisfied with what hath leen faid before, propofeth two other Llack confequences, as if they did naturally flow from the truth handled, viz. that then it would follow, that none are to be accounted finners, and all may fully, yea, and thould, give themselves unto a courfe of finning,

II. It is our duty, when we are handling the truths of God, to leave no ftone unrolled, whereby they may be heartily embraced, but to remove all objections, which with any colour of reafon may be propofed, and to fhew the inconfequence of all fuch inferences, which carnal wifdom would deduce from the doctrines afArted; that hereby oppofers may be gained, or their mouths ftoped, and the weak (who are unable to yoke with bold contradictors) may be confirmed in the truth; as Paul doth here, anfwering objection after objection.

III. It is a truth unfhaken, notwithftanding of all the affaults of carnal wits; That however fin, in its own nature, be a violation of God's law, and fo a robing him of that glory which would redound to him, as fupreme law-giver, thro' man's obedience; yet the infinitely wife God can, and will thereby, take occafion to glorify himfelf another way, and fo outfhoot Satan, and his wicked inftruments, in their own bow, by outwiting them, and obtaining that (with the greater lofs and preju-dice to them) which they think to rob him of; for ftill this is a truth with Paul, That God's truth and fidelity doth more abound through our lie, and perfidioufnefs, to his glory.

IV. All the ufe that carnal reafon doth make of the profound mysteries of God, (and efpecially of this, That fuch is the abyfs of wifdom which God manifefteth in ruling the world, and the wicked, that though wicked men tranfgrefs his laws, and thereby labour to difhonour him, by refufing fubjection unto him and his laws, yet ftill he is a gainer, and the more he declareth and manifefteth the glory and ex-cellency of his glorious attributes,) is this. they verily think that they fhould not be reckoned with for all their abominations, yea, and take encouragement to fin the. more; for from this, that God's truth, or fidelity, doth the more abound through our lie, carnal reason would infer, that therefore we should not be judged as finners, yea, and that we should do evil, that good may come of it: See Rom. vi. 1..

V. God fo exercifeth his infinite wisdom;, as a wife alchemiit, extracting good and glory to himself out of the finful carriages of wicked folks, as that he neither alloweth nor approveth of them in their fins, nor loofeth the reins unto them to fin the more, nor fhall they be any whit the lefs guilty, or liable to judgment, because of that: for Paul denieth the confequence, or that it will follow, that because God's truth doth abound through our lie, that therefore

we