ROM. 10. 4.
AS the Physitian, (saith Peter Martyr) who intends to give strong physick which may expell noxious humours in the diseased body, doth prepare the body first by some potions to make it fluid and fit for operation: so Paul, being sharply to accuse the Jews, and to drive them out of their selfe righteousness, doth manifest his love to them, sugaring the bitter pill that they might swallow it with more delight, And this his love is manifested, partly by his expression [brethren,] partly by his affections and prayers [my hearts desire and prayer.] The occasion of this his affection is the zeale that they have for God, but in a wrong way: As the skillfull husbandman, that seeth a piece of ground full of weeds, and brambles, wisheth he had that ground, which by culture and tillage would be made very fruitfull. Amo unde amputem, said the Orator, I love the wit that needs some pruning. The luxuriancie is a signe of fertility.
This zeale was not a good zeale, partly because it wanted knowledge, and therefore was like Sampson without his eyes:1 partly because it made them proud, which the Apostle fully expresseth in two particulars: 1, They sought to establish their owne righteousness. They sought, this did imply their willfull pride and arrogancy, and to establish, which supposeth their righteousness was weak and infirme, ready to fall to the ground: but they would set it up for all that, as the Philistims would their Dagon, though he was tumbled downe before the Ark. 2. The Apostle expresseth it signally, when he saith, They submitted not themselves to the righteousness of God; In the originall, They were not submitted, in the passive signification, which still supposeth the great arrogancy that is in a man naturally, being unwilling to deny his owne righteousness, and to take Christ for all. This being so, take notice by the way of a foule errour of the Antinomian, who denying assurance and comfort by signes of grace, laboureth to prove, that an unregenerate man may have universall obedience, and sincere obedience, bringing this instance of the Jews for sincere obedience.
But sincerity may be taken two waies: First, as it opposeth2 gross hypocrisie, and so indeed the Jews zeale was not hypocriticall, because they did not goe against their conscience: or, Secondly, it may be taken as it opposeth the truth of grace, and so the Jews zeale was not a true gracious zeale for the reasons above named. Now my Text, that is given as a reason, why the Jews did look to their owne righteousness, & not that of Gods, because they neglected Christ, who is here said to be the end of the Law for righteousness. The word […] doth sometime signifie,3 the extreme and last end of a thing: Thus Mark. 13. 7. The end is not yet; so those who are against the calling of the nation of the Jews, bring that place, 1 Thes. 2. ver. 16. Wrath is come upon them […], as if there were no mercy to be expected. But this may admit of another exposition. Sometimes the word is used for perfection and fullfilling of a thing, acording to the word […], Rom. 2. 27. Shall not uncircumcision, […] if it fullfill the Law? So James 2. 8. If you fullfill the royall Law. In this sense Aristotle called the soul […] as that which did perfect: And the sacrifices before marriage, which was the consummation of that neer bond, or because of the cost then bestowed, were called […]. Erasmus takes it in this sense here, and doth translate it perfection: for which Beza doth reprove him, saying, he doth not remember that the word is so used any where. But that place, 1 Tim. 7. 5. The end of the commandment is charity, may seem to confirme this sense; for, certainly, that phrase is no more then that in another place, Love is […], the fulfilling of the Law. Therefore I think, this is a great part of the meaning here, Christ is the end, that is, the perfection, the fulness of the Law. Yet, I shall take in also the end of intention, or a scope, unto which the Law-giver aimed when he gave the Law: and this will be shewed in the particulars; The doctrine is, That Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every beleever.
For the opening of this consider, 1. That an end may be taken either for that of consumption and abolition; or for that of perfection and confirming: Finis interficiens, and finis perficiens, as Austine called it. Now, in the former sense, Christ was the end of the Ceremoniall Law: the end abolishing; although that was also an end of perfection to them: and so some understand it of the Ceremoniall Law, & the Prophesies: They all shadowed out Christ, and ended in him. And this indeed is a truth, but it is not pertinent to the scope of the Apostle, who speaketh of such a Law, that the Jews expected righteousness by in the performing of it; which must be the Morall Law only.