Matthew Poole and continuators on Romans 4:3

3. For what saith the Scripture ? Abraham believed God , and it was counted unto him for righteousness .

The Scripture refer'd to, is in Gen. 15.6. The Apostle a little varies the Words; in Genesis 'tis, He believed in God, but here He believed God: Again in Genesis 'tis exprest Actively, He imputed it to him for Righteousness ▪ but here Passively, It was imputed to him for Righteousness. The Answer is, That the Apostle in both follow'd the Septuagint, which was then more in use than the Hebrew Text; and both are capable of an easy Reconciliation, the Difference being more in sound than in sence.

i. e. The Promises of God, that He would be his Shield, and exceeding great Reward, Gen. 15.1. That He would give him an Heir of his Body, ver. 4. That He would multiply his Seed, ver. 5. whereby he understood not only his Fleshly Seed, but also the Messiah, the Saviour of the World, which was to come of his Loyns; He took on him the Seed of Abraham, Heb. 2.16. and besides these Promises in Gen. 15. He believed that Promise which was made him Gen. 12.3. That in him and his Seed, All Families of the Earth should be blessed. That in these Promises the Messiah is understood, is evident from Gal. 3.8, 16. and that Abraham had an Eye to him is Evident, without exception, from Iohn. 8.56.

i. e. He was Justified thereby, to have Faith imputed for Righteousness, and to be Iustified by Faith is the same thing. Faith is not our Righteousness materially, but Objectively and Organically, as it apprehends, and implys the Righteousness of Christ, which is the Matter of our Iustification. Our Adversaries the Papists, oppose the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to Us; they Cavil at the very Word, and call it a Putative Righteousness; and yet the Apost[illegible: 1 letter]e useth the Word Ten times in this Chapter, and in the same Sence that we take it. But, How shall we Reconcile our Apostle with Saint Iames, about the manner of Abraham's Justification: He sayes expresly▪ Iames 2.21. That Abraham our Father was Iustified by Works, when he Offered his Son Isaac; and thence he infers, ver. 24. That By Works a man is justified, and not by Faith only. They are easily Reconcil'd, forasmuch as the One Discourseth of the Cause of our Justification before God; the Other of the Signs of Justification before Men. The One speaks of the Imputation of Righteousness; the Other of the Declaration of Righteousness. The One speaks of the Office of Faith; the Other of the Quality of Faith. The One speaks of the Justification of the Person; the Other of the Faith of that Person. The One speaks of Abraham, to be Justified; the Other of Abraham already Justified.