For to this end was both the death and resurrection of Christ designed: he died as our surety, to obtain us release and pardon, to make expiation for our sins past, to deliver us from the punishments due to sin; and rose again from the dead, to open the gates of a celestial life to us, to ensure us of a like glorious resurrection, which could never have been had if Christ had not been raised, 1 Cor. xv. 16, 17. 20. And in order to our receiving this joyful benefit of his resurrection other special advantages there are of his rising; partly, to convince the unbelieving world by that supreme act of power, and so to bring them to the faith that before stood out against it; partly, that he might take us off from the sins of our former lives, bring us to new life, by the example of his rising, and by the mission of the Spirit to us whereby he was raised, and so to help us to actual justification, which is not had by the death of Christ, but upon our coming in to the faith, and performance of the condition required of us—sincere obedience to the commands of Christ. So that as the faith of Abraham, which was here said to be reputed to him for righteousness, was the obeying of God in his commands, of walking before him, &c., the believing God's promise, and without all dubitancy relying on his all-sufficient power to do that most impossible thing in nature, and his veracity and fidelity, that he would certainly do it, having promised it, (which contains under it also by analogy a belief of all other his divine attributes and affirmations and promises, and a practice agreeable to this belief, going on constantly upon those grounds, in despite of all resistances and temptations to the contrary;) so the faith that shall be reputed to our justification, is the believing on God in the same latitude that he did; walking uprightly before him; acknowledging his power, his veracity, and all other his attributes; believing whatsoever he hath affirmed or promised or revealed unto us concerning himself, particularly his receiving of the greatest sinners, the most idolatrous heathens, upon their receiving the faith of Christ, and betaking themselves to a new Christian life; and as an emblem and token and assurance of that, that great fundamental work, the basis of all Christianity, his raising Jesus from the dead, whom by that means he hath set forth to us to be our Lord, to be obeyed in all his commands, delivered to The sum or result therefore of this discourse is, that by this evangelical way the favour of God is to be had for those that never had to do with the Judaical law, (see note [g] Matt. v.) circumcision &c.: (see ver. 21, and note [b]). For otherwise it would follow that God had care or consideration of no other part of the world but only of the Jews; which certainly is not true; for he is the God of the Gentiles also, hath a peculiar care and consideration of them that come not from Abraham's loins, as long as they imitate Abraham's faith, or on condition they do so; And after the same manner receives all into his favour, the believing Jews, and the believing, though uncircumcised Gentiles, by this one evangelical way of pardon and free remission of sin to all that shall perform new obedience and fidelity to Christ: (see note [b]).