Therefore they feared God, and wrought Righteousness.
Can there be any Thing more clear? For if to do the Things contained in the Law, be not to fear God, and work Righteousness, then what can be said to do so, seeing the Apostle calls the Law Spiritual, Holy, Just, and Good? But this appears manifestly by another Medium, taken out of the same Chapter, Ver. 13. So that nothing can be more clear: The Words are, The Doers of the Law shall be justified. From which I thus argue, without adding any Word of my own;
Arg.The Doers of the Law shall be justified:
But the Gentiles do the Things contained in the Law:
The Gentiles justified doing the Law.All that know but a Conclusion, do easily see what follows from these express Words of the Apostle. And indeed, he through that whole Chapter labours, as if he were contending now with our Adversaries, to confirm this Doctrine, Ver. 9, 10, 11. Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of Man that doth Evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no Respect of Persons with God. Where the Apostle clearly homologates, or confesses to the Sentence of Peter before-mentioned; and shews that Jew and Gentile, or as he himself explains in the following Verses, both they that have an outward Law and they that have none, when they do Good shall be justified. And to put us out of all Doubt, in the very following Verses he tells, That the Doers of the Law are justified; and that the Gentiles did the Law. So that except we think he spake not what he intended, we may safely conclude, that such Gentiles were justified, and did partake of that Honour, Glory, and Peace, which comes upon every one that doth Good; even the Gentiles, that are without the Law, when they work Good; seeing with God there is no Respect of Persons. So as we see, that it is not the having the outward Knowledge that doth save, without the inward; so neither doth the Want of it, to such to whom God hath made it impossible, who have the inward, bring Condemnation. And many that have wanted the Outward, have had a Knowledge of this inwardly, by Virtue of that inward Grace and Light given to every Man, working in them, by which they forsook Iniquity, and became just and holy, as is above proved; Many wanting the History, were sensible of the Loss by Adam, and Salvation come by Christ in themselves.who, though they knew not the History of Adam’s Fall, yet were sensible in themselves of the Loss that came by it, feeling their Inclinations to sin, and the Body of Sin in them: And though they knew not the Coming of Christ, yet were sensible of that inward Power and Salvation which came by him, even before as well as since his Appearance in the Flesh. For I question whether these Men can prove, that all the Patriarchs and Fathers before Moses had a distinct Knowledge either of the one or the other, or that they knew the History of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and of Adam’s eating the forbidden Fruit; far less that Christ should be born of a Virgin, should be crucified, and treated in the Manner he was. For it is justly to be believed, that what Moses wrote of Adam, and of the first Times, was not by Tradition, but by Revelation; How little the Jews knew Christ, mistaking the Prophets.yea, we see that not only after the Writing of Moses, but even of David and all the Prophets, who prophesied so much of Christ, how little the Jews, that were expecting and wishing for the Messiah, could thereby discern him when he came, that they crucified him as a Blasphemer, not as a Messiah, by mistaking the Prophecies concerning him; for Peter saith expresly, Acts iii. 17. to the Jews, That both they and their Rulers did it through Ignorance. And Paul saith, 1 Cor. ii. 8. That had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. Yea, Mary herself, to whom the Angel had spoken, and who had laid up all the miraculous Things accompanying his Birth in her Heart, she did not understand how, when he disputed with the Doctors in the Temple, that he was about his Father’s Business. And the Apostles that had believed him, conversed daily with him, and saw his Miracles, could not understand, neither believe those Things which related to his Death, Sufferings, and Resurrection, but were in a certain Respect stumbled at them.
§. XXVII.
Some called him an Holy Spirit, as Seneca, Epist. 41. who said, There is an holy Spirit in us, that treateth us as we treat him. Cicero calls it an Innate Light. Lactan. In Sect.Cicero calleth it an innate Light, in his Book De Republica, cited by Lactantius, 6 Instit. where he calls this Right Reason, given unto all, constant and eternal, calling unto Duty by commanding, and deterring from Deceit by forbidding. Adding, That it cannot be abrogated, neither can any be freed from it, neither by Senate or People; that it is one, eternal, and the same always to all Nations; so that there is not one at Rome, and another at Athens: Whoso obeys it not, must flee from himself, and in this is greatly tormented, although he should escape all other Punishments. Plotinus also calls him Light, saying, That as the Sun cannot be known but by its own Light, so God cannot be known but with his own Light: And as the Eye cannot see the Sun but by receiving its Image, so Man cannot know God but by receiving his Image; and that it behoveth Man to come to Purity of Heart before he could know God; calling him also Wisdom, a name frequently given him in Scripture; see Prov. i. 20. to the End; and Prov. viii. 9, 34. where Wisdom is said to cry, intreat, and invite all to come unto her, and learn of her: And what is this Wisdom but Christ? Hence such as came among the Heathen, to forsake Evil and cleave to Righteousness, were called Philosophers, that is, Lovers of Wisdom. Philosophers whence so called?They knew this Wisdom was nigh unto them, and that The best Knowledge of God, and divine Mysteries, was by the Inspiration of the Wisdom of God. Phocylides.Phocylides affirmed, That the Word of the Wisdom of God was best. His Words in the Greek are, [Greek: Tês de Theopneustou sophias logos estin aristos: Της δε Θεοπνευσςου σοφιας λογος εστιν αριστος].
And much more of this Kind might be instanced, by which it appears they knew Christ; and by his working in them, were brought from Unrighteousness to Righteousness, and to love that Power by which they felt themselves redeemed; so that, as saith the Apostle, They shew the Work of the Law written in their Hearts, and did the Things contained in the Law; and therefore, as all Doers of the Law are, were no Doubt justified, and saved thus by the Power of Christ in them. And as this was the Judgment of the Apostle, so was it of the primitive Christians. Socrates a Christian, &c.Hence Justin Martyr stuck not to call Socrates a Christian, saying, That all such as lived according to the divine Word in them, which was in all Men, were Christians, such as Socrates and Heraclitus, and others among the Greeks, &c. That such as live with the Word, are Christians without Fear or Anxiety.
Clem. Alex.Clemens Alexandrinus saith, Apol. 2. Strom. Lib. 1. That this Wisdom or Philosophy was necessary to the Gentiles, and was their School-master to lead them unto Christ, by which of old the Greeks were justified.
Augustin. de Civ. Dei.Nor do I think, saith Augustine, in his Book of the City of God, Lib. 18. Cap. 47. that the Jews dare affirm that none belonged unto God but the Israelites. Lud. Vives.Upon which Place Ludovicus Vives saith, That thus the Gentiles, not having a Law, were a Law unto themselves; and the Light of so living is the Gift of God, and proceeds from the Son; of whom it is written, that he enlighteneth every Man that cometh into the World.