& these words are rendered by diverse, we need not mentione) the
meaning is this, That such, as will not, in faith & patience, waite with
confidence upon the Lords promise, that shall be made good, in His good
time; but in their pride & impatience of heart, will think to anticipate
their delivery, by sinistrous & sinful meanes, declare, that their heart is
not upright, & that they are void of true faith. Upon the other hand, it
is said, the just shall live by his faith, that is, Such, as are real & true
beleevers, will waite in the exercise of faith, till God's time come; &
by this faith, trusting & leaning to the faithful promise of God, through
the Messiah, in whom all the promises are yea & amen 2 Cor. 1: 20. they
shall have a life of it, they shall be carried thorow, supported, streng∣thened
& com••orted. And much to this same Purpose, is this passage,
cited by the Apostle Hebr. 10: 37, 38. For yet a little while, & he that shall
come, will come, & will not tarry, now the just shall live by faith &c. (of which
we have spoken elsewhere) in all these places, the Apostle leaveth out the
pronoun his, which the Prophet useth; but that maketh no great altera∣tion,
the matter being clear, & that sufficiently understood. The Septua∣gints
make a great alteration, when they render the words thus, The just
shall live by my faith.
The great difficulty is, how these words of the Prophet, spoken of such,
as were already justified, & beleevers; & his saying of them, that they
shall live by their faith (for we need not owne that sense of the words;
which some think may not improbably be given, to wit, That he, who is
by his faith just (or justified) shall live) can be applicable to the Apostl'es
purpose, to prove justification by faith. Not to mentione what others say
to this, nor judging it very necessary to enquire anxiously into this mat∣ter,
seing the Spirit of the Lord's moving & inspireing of Paul to alleige,
& apply this passage of Old Testament truth, for confirmation of what
he was about to prove, may fully satisfie us, as to its pertinency, though
we should not satisfie all by proprosing our thoughts concernin it. •• Con∣ceive,
the ground may be this, That this being a general truth, & uni∣versally
true, that even beleevers, who are already changed, & have a
life begun in them, must all their life long make use of faith, gripping to
the promises, as yea, & amen in Christ, (promised & come) who is
the Substance & Kirnel of them all, to the end they may be supported,
Strengthened. Upheld, & carried thorow Difficulties, Distresses, Dark∣nesses,
Temptations & the like, without fainting, or doing what is un∣beseeming
a living Beleever, in the day of trial; so that their whole life,
even unto the end, is kept-in & continued by faith, bringing new sup∣plies
& influences from the head, through the promises; it will hence
follow, that without faith no man can at first attaine to this life, & chan∣ge
from death; yea, that in this case, faith is much more necessarily re∣quisite,
yea faith only without works is & must be, the only way to ju∣stification
of life: for if the progress, & continuance of this life, or re∣newing
of it after decayes, be had by faith, drawing sap, life & influen∣ce
from the head, much more must this be the way of getting the first chan∣ge