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neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Chrift," Gal. i. 11, 12. Who then is Jesus Chrift who has thus revealed the gospel to Paul, and whofe authority is so very high above that of men? One with the Father, God.

LXIX.

" For do I now perfuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ," Gal. i. 10. This is in context with the last cited passages, and the apoftle, still preserving the distinction between God and man, shews the Galatians the authority with which he is about to reprove them, and that they may not expect too great lenity, he shews that he does not feek to please them, but Christ, whose fervant he should not be if he neglected to maintain that gospel which fome among them had perverted. He diftinguishes himself from those who " defire to make a fair shew in the flesh, left they should fuffer perfecution for the cross of Chrift," Gal. vi. 12; whereas he bore in his body the marks of the Lord Jefus, ver. 17.

LXX.

"God hath fent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father," Gal. iv. 6. There is something very remarkable in the course of St. Paul's argument here, and the manner in which he has afscended to the assertion before us. He is shewing that the law was given as "a schoolmaster to bring us unto Chrift, that we might be justified by faith," that it was given in the interval of time, between the promise and the time of fulfilling it; but by no means with a view of fupplying the place of that which was promifed, for it was impoffible that a law could be given by which righteousness could come; he farther says, that, being justified by faith, the tuition of the law became unneceffary, and that being therefore emancipated from the bondage

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bondage of the law, " we are made the children of God, by faith in Chrift Jesus:" and now he says, that the fullness of time being come, "God fent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons." Is not this assigning a reason wherefore Chrift took manhood, and particularly why he was fent to the loft sheep of the house of Ifrael? But he has, according to "the gospel, preached before to Abraham," Gal. iii. 8, fuffered, and redeemed them, whereby they have been justified by faith, and by faith to juftification become Children of God; and what is now the process? After we have received the adoption of fons, the fpirit is fent forth into our hearts to make us acknowledge him to be God, whom, till he had fo redeemed us to faith, we had only seen to be a man, " made of a woman, under the law." In the paffage before us, we are told, that God fent forth the spirit of his Son; and by the fame preacher it is declared to the Romans, that it is by " the spirit of him that raised Jefus from the dead, that we are led, in order to be the fons of God, and that by this spirit of adoption we cry, Abba, Father," Rom. viii. 11, 14, 15. That spirit, which raised Jesus from the dead, is therefore that eternal, and invisible, and incomprehenfible God, who was in union with him, while he was living, and who again refumed our nature upon its refurrection from the grave. "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost," 1 Cor. xii. 3. Through faith then, having received the adoption of fons, and by the spirit of our blessed Redeemer fent forth into our hearts, let us, without hesitation, cry to him, "Abba, Father," and address the Lord's prayer to him, through whom, and by whom only, we have been called fons, and are enabled to say, "that Jesus is the Lord," " our Father." I must observe here, that as St. Paul was preachpreaching to men disposed to Judaism and the doctrines of the law, the spirit of adoption, sent after juftification by faith in Christ Jesus, was by no means necessary to induce them to cry Abba, Father, to the God of the Unitarians; for this they were disposed to do before,. and not to recede from it. Somewhat not acceded to by the followers of Mofes was then the doctrine of the apostle of Jesus Chrift; and he therefore teaches, that by faith in him they are justified, and thereby receive the spirit by which they cry to him Abba, Father.

LXXI.

" In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins, according to the riches of his grace," Eph. i. 7. "Unto me who am lefs than the leaft of all faints, is this grace given, that I fhould preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Chrift," Eph. iii. 8. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Chrift, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory," Eph iii. 14, 15, 16. "Or despiseft thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-fuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Rom. ii. 4. "What if God, &c. + that he might make known the riches of his glory,” Rom. ix. 23. The riches of God and of Chrift are here made synonimous terms, and furcly the riches of grace, and of glory, and of long-fuffering, can only be the attributes of God. But left it should be doubted what are the unsearchable riches of Christ, St. Paul fays, that he prays that his hearers " may be able to comprehend with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Chrift, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God," Eph. iii. 18, 19; so that all the fulness of God, and the knowledge of

the

the love of Christ, are again made synonimous terms. But this fulness of God is attained to only by having "Christ to dwell in our hearts by faith," Eph. iii. 17; and then when we have attained to this, and " come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God," what is the consequence? are we then " filled with all the fulness of God?" most certainly we are, for we come "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," Eph. iv. 13. Unto himself St. Paul says this knowledge was given, that he might preach the mystery of Christ to the Gentiles, that they should be partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel, "whereof I was made a minifter, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me," Eph. iii. 7. " But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Chrift," Eph. iv. 7. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! for who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellour?" Rom. xi. 33, 34These last words afford at once an argument, and no unuseful lesson to a reader of the word of the God of truth.

LXXII.

"When he afcended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he afcended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that defcended, is the fame also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things,") Eph. iv. 8, 9, 10. St. Paul seems here to enter into the argument, and by the manner in which he puts the above assertions, to have confronted himself to Mr. Lindsey; from which I conclude that he had at least an equal forefight of the Lindseian, as of the Platonick schism. He foresaw that

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that our Lord's pre-existence would be denied, and has therefore made his ascent a proof that he had before descended to the earth, (for that is all that is meant by the lower parts of the earth) and had again returned to where he had been before, to heaven. (For that in the same manner is all that is meant by, far above all heavens; and the two terms are used in order strongly to contrast his dignity and condescension). He forefaw that his divinity would be denied, and has therefore lifted him far above the heavens, and extended him even that he might fill all things. Let us then " henceforth be no more children, toffed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, grow up into him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ," Eph. iv. 14, 15.

LXXIII.

"Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ: not with eye-service, as men pleasers, but as the servants of Chrift, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing fervice, as to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free," Eph. vi. 5, 6, 7, 8. If words could be found more explicitly declaring that the fervant of Chrift and of God is one, whilst "no man can ferve two masters;" and also that the service done as to the Lord, is distinct from that which is done to please men, I should endeavour to paraphrafe this passage. I shall only now remark, that, in a parallel passage to the Coloffian servants, he says, instead of "with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ;" "not with eye-service,