Ch. 4. 'ufi fication Rom 12. And might be theFather of the Ends,and Spiritual benefits of Circumcifìon, conveyed to them whoarenot ofthe Circumcifion only, but alío to them that walk in the fteps ofthat Faith of our Father .Abraham, which he had, being yet Uncircumcifed, as they are. 13. For the promife that he fhould be the heir of the world, vas not to Abrahamor to his feed through the law, but through the righteoufnefs of faith. 13. For the Promife to ,Abraham and his Seed, That he fhould be the Heirof the World, was not made to him by the Law, which was long after, nor for the keeping ofit ; but upon his believing God's merciful Promife, and truft- inghim, for which hewas accounted and pro - nounced Righteous. 14. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promifemadeof none effect, 14. For if this great Promife of Inheritance was made to Men for keeping Molds Law, as fuch, (and foonly to them) then it was null to .Abraham, and it is of no effect to any. i 5. Becaufe the law worketh wrath : for where no law is, there rs no tranfgreffion. 15. Becaufe, as the Law is made to forbid and condemn Sin, fo it obligethSinners to under- go the Puniihment ; which were no obligation, were there no obliging Law : And .Abraham was not under Mafia Law, and fo tranfgreffed it not. 16. Therefore it H of faith, that it might be by grace ; to the end the promife might be fure to all the feed, notto that only which is of the law, but to that alfo which is of the faith ofAbraham,who is thefatherofus 411, 16. Therefor this great Promife and Bkfling ismade to Believers, as fuch; that it may be flee, and ofmeer Grace, that Co it may be lure and firm to all the Seed or Children ofPromife ; not cnly to the Jaws that had the Law, and were she Natural Seed, but to the Gsariles alío, who have ,Abraham's Faith, and Co arehis Spiritual Seed, who is the Father of all Believers, 17. (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations) be- fore him whom he believed, even God who quickneth the dead, and calleth thofe things which be not, as though they were. I y. As it is weittet, I have made thee a Fa- ans. by Faith. Ch. 4, ther ofmany Nations, and notof the Ifraelitifb Nation only : So that though the Gentiles were 'not then called, as now they are, by the Gofpel, yet that God who prcmifed this to .Abraham, when his Body and Sarah's were naturally paft Generation,- and to Ifaacwhen he was unborn ; and again, when Goddemandedhim as an Of- luring, andthence, as it were, raifed him from the dead ; that God, Ifay, did decree the calling of the Gentiler,and fpakeofthat in Promifewhich was long after tobe done. S. Who againft hope believed in hope, that he might become the fa- ther of many nations ; according to that which was fpoken, So fhall thy feed be. 1I, This was the meaningofGod's Promife to .Abraham, who againft all natural probability, rrufted God's Promife, and believed and hoped that accordingly he Should become the Father of many Nations: And that, as he was promifed,his Seed shouldbe as the Stars in Heaven. 19. And being not weak in faith, he confidered not his own body now dead, when he was about anhundred year old, neither yet the deadnefs of Sarah's womb. 19. And his Faith was not weak and Shaken with the confideration that his Aged Body was almoft dead, and unfit for procreation, or that Sarah'sWombwas fo alto. zo. He Staggered not at the pro- mife ofGod through unbelief ; but was ftrong in faith, givingglory to God : 21. And being fully perfwa- ded, that what he had promifed, he was alto able to erform. 25,21. Hewas not Staggered by unbeliefunto a diftruftful doubting : but was Wong in faith, whereby 'he give God the Gloryofhis Power, Wifdoni, Love and Truth, being fully perfwa_ ded, that though Nature (hewed no probability of it in fecond Caufes, the Almighty God could perform all that hehad promifed. iz. And therfore it was imputed to him for righteoufnefs. 22. And therefore this wayofglorifying God by the muffing belief of his free Promife, was fo (suitable to God's Ends and Honour, that he accepted it as Righteoufnefa, or a futficient qua- lification of him that Should partake of his free- given Mercy, though Abraham' had no ¡infers innocency, not could fay thathe never deCerved death, 23. Now it wasnot written for his fake alone, that it was imputed to him
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