done, and undertaken to do, they could not be faved, unless they were circumcifed after the manner of Moses, and kept his law.

Our tranflators, following the punctu→ ation in fome Greek copies, have made the Apostle fay what is at least very hard to make good fenfe of, in a confiftency with truth, That Jefus was fet before the eyes of the Galatians crucified among them. We need not spend words to find a fense wherein this may hold true. It is certain he was crucified at Jerufalem, not in Galatia; neither does the Apostle fay he was, in any fense whatsoever; but only that Chrift crucified was plainly fet before their eyes in that gospel which Paul preached to them. Nor is there any the least confufion in the words of the text, except what is occafioned by placing a comma where it was not wanted, by which crucified is joined with among you, when the Apostle evidently connects among you with fet forth, and crucified with Jefus Chrift. And thus literally his words exprefs the plain fact as it was.

We have already feen the Apostle fetting the whole affair of Christ, and him crucified,

VOL. III.

T

crucified, in fo clear a light, that it will be needless to say any thing further, but to take the whole, as the Apostle does, for very truth, and on which he founds his charge, and his after reafoning on the cafe before him. Only, from the peculiar ftrefs the Apostle here, and every where in his writings, lays upon the cross of Chrift, one cannot help obferving, that the proper ftanding for taking a fair and full view of Chrift is at his crofs. Thence one is naturally led to look backward, to fee who he was, and how he came there: A profpect which difplays, in the strongest light, his and his heavenly Father's aftonishing love and kindnefs to mankind. And when we look forward to his refurrection, and the glory that followed, the grounds of our faith and hope in him, and in God through him, are laid fo deep and strong, that it is really astonishing how one can fee him as he is fet before us in the gofpel, without the warmeft fenti'ments of gratitude and love, and fuch thorough confidence in him, as the most perfect friendship, demonftrated by the ftrongest proofs and evidence, deferves

and

and requires. Christianity is a religion of love.

This gives the key to what the Apostle had faid of their not obeying the truth; and, as the world goes, it will be thought no improper queftion, What is that truth the Apostle speaks of? There are many little ones for there are as many truths as there are facts; and men, even thofe who are called wife men or philofophers, have been fo keen in the purfuit of them, that they have overlooked that which only deferves the name. When our Lord "wit"neffed a good confeffion before Pontius: "Pilate," as it is expreffed 1 Tim. vi. 13. he faid, that he was born and came into the world to bear witnefs to the truth. Pilate afked him, what is truth? but had not patience to stay for an answer: nor needed he; for Chrift had acknowledged himself to be the King of the Jews; the fame he had often repeated and inculcated during the course of his public miniftry. He gives the whole of it in few words, John xiv. 6. I am the truth. He joins with it indeed, the way, and the life; not as if they were different things, as the one holds forth the use of the truth, (as by him men come to the Father), and the other the tendency

and iffue of it: for they who have him have life. And with great justice does he bear the title of truth; for whofoever knows him, knows all that is worth knowing. There are indeed numbers of detached pieces which do, or which fome people perfuade themselves do belong to religion, and in that view, have been rather more minded: but this we may fay with confidence, that whatever is not neceffarily connected with the truth as it is in Jefus, or which can be learned and practifed without learning Chrift, ought not, and may not, be received as the truth, or any part of it. Men will needs be dreffing out the naked truth to their own fancy, or to recommend it to others, perhaps more ignorant, and of course more fanciful, than themselves: but the beauty and efficacy of the truth never appear in their full ftrength when the plain fimplicity of all is any how defaced. The Apoftle John's account of the testimony of God is fhort plain, and ftands evident in Chrift: "In him he gives eternal life." But fo ftrangely has it been imbarraffed by those who have taken upon themselves to explain it, that a Christian of ordinary capacity

capacity knows not what to make of it, but that it is fomething greatly above his reach, and which none but very learned men can understand. Whence it neceffarily follows, that inftead of taking the truth as it lies in Chrift, plain and undisguised, they are led to take up with what this, or the other man, whom they are fome how led into an efteem of, have faid upon it. And thus, as the prophet fays, they steal the word of the Lord one from another."

We are next to confider what our translators render obeying the truth; and properly enough if it be taken in its full extent, Thus, to obey the truth, must imply believing it and, in the next place, to be fo throughly perfuaded of the goodness as well as the reality of it, as to acquiefce and reft in it with that pleasure and delight which the affurance of important and beneficial truths certainly form the heart into: and both these the word the Apostle ufes naturally fignifies. But though there are a number of merely fpeculative little truths, which can anfwer no purpose by the most certain knowledge of them, but to amufe, and, as commonly happens, to

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