Such a gift and grant of pardon, and eternal life, we have held forth in the gofpel of Chrift, proclaimed to the Gentile world in the teftimony God has given concerning his Son, whom he has fent to be the Saviour of the world; where there is nothing, nor in this ftate of things can there be any thing neceffary, but to believe the promise and grant as it stands in Jefus Chrift, and to truft in the faithfulnefs of the great furety-priest, who stands obliged, by his office, to convey the bleffing, by giving eternal life to all that come to him. By the faith or belief of this teftimony which God has given concerning his Son, and which the Apostle calls the faith of Jefus Chrift, the Gentiles had as full and as perfect a right to the promised life, as God could give: and when the Jews had made all that could be made of their law, they muft either perish, or have recourse to the very fame grant of grace by which the Gentiles had their right to pardon and eternal life.

Thus we fee how the Jews and how the Gentiles lived; and how the former, with all the distinguishing privileges they boasted of, while they defpifed the poor uncircumcifed

uncircumcifed Gentiles, were yet in never a whit better circumstances than they; for they were still finners, and more directly bound under the curfe, until they took the fame courfe the Gentiles did, for relief in Chrift Jefus. How abfurd, then, and foolish, must it have been, to attempt bringing the Gentiles into that fituation under the law, which they found themfelves obliged to forfake, as unprofitable, and unable to perform what they thoughtlefsly expected from it.

has

What the Apostle adds in vers. 17. been fomewhat differently understood. The words found very like the objection against the doctrine of grace, Rom. vi. 1. and may, in that fenfe, be confiftent enough with the Apostle's views, and the context. It has been, in all ages, the manner of those who oppofe the doctrine of grace, and free justification, as the Apostle was stating it, to affume the air of great concern for holiness of life, and practical godliness, which, they think, cannot be fufficiently fecured, but on the plan of what they call moral government, and the fanction of rewards and punishments. The Apostle fhows at large, Rom. vi. &

vii. that the highest fovereignty of grace is fo far from encouraging any to continue in fin, that it makes it impoffible they fhould and he fays here, that would be to make Chrift the minifter of fin; which he rejects, as every one who knows him will, with abhorrence, and the utmost deteftation.

As the Apostle had a fair and full view of the whole fyftem of grace, as it stands in Christ Jefus, continually before him, it cannot be doubted, that he had this well-known calumny under his eye; and forms his difcourfe with fuch perfect caution, as to guard the truth of the gofpel at all points, fo as one needs no more but a fair view of it, to anfwer all exceptions that can be made against any part of it. Yet when one confiders how the words before us ftand connected, it would feem he had a more particular intention. He had been reprefenting the abfurdity of that enormous zeal the Judaizers were fhewing for the law of Mofes, that after all they did, or could do, they continued ftill to be finners; and were fo far from being juftified by the law, that they were bound by it under the curfe. From this unhappy ftate

he

he had fhown there was no relief, but by the faith of Jefus Chrift, receiving the

free gift in him.

1

But, might the Judai

zers fay, and it is likely they did fay it, what if those who have believed in Christ, and are juftified by faith, are ftill found finners? And, no doubt, they thought, that neglecting, or not obferving the law of Mofes in all points, which they foolishly imagined was to continue for ever, was certainly the greatest fin that could be committed. He anfwers fhortly and strongly, as his manner was in fuch cafes, by putting a question which determines the cafe at once, Is Chrift the minifter of fin? as it is plain he would be, if believing in him either led them into any fin, or gave the leaft handle to continue in it. He rejects the motion with abhorrence, God forbid; and all that know any thing of Chrift, will join him cordially.

It is of little moment to us, whether thefe words are a continuation of what he faid to Peter in prefence of the church at Antioch, or addreffed to the Galatians, on occafion of that warm and convincing fpeech. But that they were faid with a peculiar eye to the present question about VOL. III.

P

the

the law, feems pretty evident from the reafon he gives in the following verfes : for fo we fee he introduces what he there fays of his being dead to the law. It cannot be doubt, that what he fays, verf. 18. he had deftroyed, was impofing the Mofaic or Jewish law on the Gentile Chriftians. And thus his reafoning will iffue in this, That Chrift was fo far from being the minifter of fin, or leaving his disciples finners, that if he, or any one, fhould attempt to rear up that now ruinous and useless building, as the Judaizing teachers were attempting to do, they offered the greateft indignity to Chrift which any creature can offer; and thus make themselves tranf greffors, indeed of the most infolent and daring kind: for they fay, that God's gift of grace can answer no purpose, and that Chrift cannot fave or juftify a finner, unless that law which he came to fet afide, by fulfilling all the purposes of it, be brought in again to finifh the work which, he tells his heavenly Father, he had himself finifhed, John xvii. 4.

The Apostle affures the Galatians, that he never had, nor would have, any hand in fuch a mad project, nor would any

man