What wilt thou have me to do? Ignorance is here set forth to the full. Paul hitherto knew not Jesus, neither what he would have him to do; yet a mighty man for the law of works, and for zeal towards God according to that. Thus you see that he neither knew that Christ was Lord, nor what was his mind and will—‘I did it ignorantly, in unbelief’ (1 Tim 1:13-15). I did not know him; I did not believe he was to save us; I thought I must be saved by living righteously, by keeping the law of God. This thought kept me ignorant of Jesus, and of justification from the curse by him. Poor Saul! how many fellows hast thou yet alive!—every man zealous of the law of works, yet none of them know the law of grace; each of them seeking for life by doing the law, when life is to be had by nought but believing in Jesus Christ.
Eighth. ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved’
(Acts 16:31).
A little before, we find Paul and Silas in the stocks for preaching of Jesus Christ; in the stocks, in the inward prison, by the hands of a sturdy jailer; but at midnight, while Paul and his companion sang praises to God, the foundations of the prison shook, and every man’s bands were loosed. Now the jailer being awakened by the noise of this shaking, and supposing he had lost his prisoners, drew his sword, with intent to kill himself; ‘But Paul cried out, Do thyself no harm; for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’
In all this relation here is not aught that can justify the jailer. For, 1. His whole life was idolatry, cruelty, and enmity to God. Yea, 2. Even now, while the earthquake shook the prison, he had murder in his heart—yea, and in his intentions too; murder, I say, and that of a high nature, even to have killed his own body and soul at once.[19] Well, 3. When he began to shake under the fears of everlasting burnings, yet then his heart was wrapped up in ignorance as to the way of salvation by Jesus Christ: ‘What must I do to be saved?’ He knew not what; no, not he. His condition, then, was this: he neither had righteousness to save him, nor knew he how to get it. Now, what was Paul’s answer? Why, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,’ look for righteousness in Christ, ‘and then thou shalt be saved.’ This, then, still holdeth true, ‘men are justified from the curse, in the sight of God, whilst sinners in themselves.’
[Reasons for the first position drawn from the texts.]
THIRD. I should now come to the second conclusion, viz., that this can be done by no other righteousness than that long ago performed by, and remaining with, the person of Christ. But before I speak to that, I will a little further press this, by urging for it several reasons.
The First Reason.—Men must be justified from the curse while sinners in themselves, because by nature all are under sin—‘All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. He hath concluded all in unbelief; he hath concluded all under sin’ (Rom 3:23, 11:32; Gal 3:22). Now having sinned, they are in body and soul defiled, and become an unclean thing. Wherefore, whatever they touch, with an intent to work out righteousness thereby, they defile that also (Titus 1:15; Lev 15:11; Isa 64:6). And hence, as I have said, all the righteousness they seek to accomplish is but as a menstruous cloth and filthy rags; therefore they are sinners still.’ Indeed, to some men’s thinking, the Pharisee is holier than the Publican; but in God’s sight, in the eyes of Divine justice, they stand alike condemned. ‘All have sinned’; there is the poison! Therefore, as to God, without Christ, all throats are an open sepulchre (Matt 23:27; Rom 3:13).
The world in general is divided into two sorts of sinners—the open profane, and the man that seeks life by the works of the law. The profane is judged by all; but the other by a few. Oh! but God judgeth him.
1. For a hypocrite; because that notwithstanding he hath sinned, he would be thought to be good and righteous. And hence it is that Christ calls such kind of holy ones, ‘Pharisees, hypocrites! Pharisees hypocrites!’ because by their gay outside they deceived those that beheld them. But, saith he, God sees your hearts; you are but like painted sepulchres, within you are full of dead men’s bones (Prov 30:12; Matt 23:27-30; Luke 11:26, 16:15). Such is the root from whence flows all their righteousness. But doth the blind Pharisee think his state is such? No; his thoughts of himself are far otherwise—‘God, I thank thee,’ saith he, ‘I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this publican’ (Luke 18:11,12). Aye, but still God judgeth him for a hypocrite.
2. God judgeth him for one that spurneth against Christ, even by every such work he doth. And hence it is, when Paul was converted to Jesus Christ, that he calls the righteousness he had before, madness, blasphemy, injury; because what he did to save himself by works was in direct opposition to grace by Jesus Christ (Phil 3:7,8; Acts 22:3,4, 26:4; 1 Tim 1:14,15). Behold, then, the evil that is in a man’s own righteousness! (1.) It curseth and condemneth the righteousness of Christ. (2.) It blindeth the man from seeing his misery. (3.) It hardeneth his heart against his own salvation.