ng as they make the law
inconsistent with the gospel, or would mix it with it, in the point of
justification, they do it not unto edification in faith (as it is read),
and as they ought to do, verses 4, 5, 6. We think this evangelic sentence,
but rawly,(459) yea, legally exponed by many, when they look upon the
words as they lie here, "the end of the commandment is love," for love
worketh no evil, and is the fulfilling of the whole law, and this love is
described to be pure and sincere, by the following properties. But we
conceive the main business is not to describe love, or to oppose this unto
their contentions about trifling questions. We choose rather to understand
the text another way, according to the order of nature, which also the
words themselves give ground for, "The end of the commandment is love out
of a pure heart," out "of faith unfeigned." So then, according to the
phraseology and meaning of the words, love is not first, but faith must be
first, and primarily intended, so that the sense of the words is this, The
end of the commandment is unfeigned faith, from whence flows a good
conscience, a pure heart, and love, or the end of the commandment is
faith, which is proved unfeigned by these effects, that it gives the
answer of a good conscience, it purifies the heart, worketh by love, the
effect of faith which is love, being to our knowledge more sensible than
faith itself. We think it then more native(460) to make a pure heart, and
love, marks of unfeigned faith, than faith and a good conscience the marks
of love. This exposition is yet more confirmed by parallel places, Rom. x.
4, "The end of the law is Christ for righteousness, unto them that
believe." This is most principally intended, and even before love. Now it
is all one to speak of faith as to speak of Christ. For faith and Christ
are inseparably joined, and faith comes not as a consideration in the
gospel, abstracted from Christ the object of it, as some enemies of Christ
affirm. It justifies us not as an act or work, but as an instrument,
whereby we apprehend Christ and his righteousness. For faith abstracted
from Christ is but an empty notion, and among the dung and loss that Paul
would quit to be found in Christ, Phil. iii. 7-9. Now this sense only fits
the scope and purpose, and leads on strongly against the false teachers.
When Paul brings his argument from the law, which they defended against
the gospel, they made the commandment to contradict t