When we come to the new Testament, we must bear in mind that the Apostles were all Jews, but their mission was to proclaim that the Jewish Church had passed away, and to bring in converts to the Christian Church. Especially, St. Paul had to found a Church among the Gentiles, and to bring the Gentiles into the fold of Christ. Nothing therefore could be more natural, or more in accordance with the plan of the Apostles, than, as it were, to apologize to the Jews, and to explain to the Gentiles the new condition, which the Almighty had designed for His Church in the world. It would be most natural that they should enlarge upon the truth, that in God's eternal counsels there were general purposes of mercy for mankind, to be effected by means of bringing persons into Christ's Church, and therein by the graces of His Spirit conforming them to the likeness of His Son; that though hitherto His mercy in this respect had been confined to the Jews, His further plans having been hid for ages and generations, yet now it was revealed that the Gentiles should with the Jews be fellow-heirs (see Col. i. 25, Eph. iii. 5, 6); that, therefore, whereas heretofore the seed of Abraham had been the only chosen people of God, yet now the whole Catholic Church, composed of both converted Jews and Gentiles, were his chosen people; and God, who, of His good pleasure, for a time elected only the Jews, had, by the same good pleasure, now chosen individuals, both of Jews and Gentiles, to be members of His Church and heirs of the grace of life. In thus reasoning, it is most natural that the Apostles should constantly compare the state of Christians with the state of the Jews, and so continually use old Testament language; adopting the very expressions of Moses and the prophets, and simply applying them to the altered condition of the world, and to the enlarged condition of the Church. Thus, were the Jews constantly spoken of as a holy people, as called and chosen of God? In like manner, St. Paul begins scarce any Epistle without call

ing the Church addressed in it either holy, called, or elect (see Rom. i. 6, 7; 1 Cor. i. 9, 24; 2 Cor. i. 1; Eph. i. 1; Phil. i. 1 ; Col. i. 1; 1 Thess. i. 4; 2 Thess. ii. 13; 2 Tim. i. 8-10; Heb. iii. 1, &c.). Were the Jews spoken of as 'a peculiar people, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation' (Exod. xix. 5, 6)? St. Peter addresses the Christian Church as 'a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, that they should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into His marvellous light: which in times past were not a people, but now are the people of God?.' So too, in his very first salutation of the Church, composed as it was of Jewish and Gentile converts, he calls them strangers or sojourners, scattered abroad, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father' (1 Pet. i. 2); where, like St. Paul, he no doubt uses this expression with special reference to the objection which the Jews made to the calling of the Gentiles. They thought that God's plan was only to call the children of Israel. But no! the Apostle speaks of the Church (a Gentile as well as a Jewish Church) as chosen and preordained, by a foreknown and predestinated counsel of God, kept secret hitherto, but now made manifest3.

This mode of treating the question is nowhere more apparent than in the opening of the Epistle to the Ephesians. There St. Paul is addressing a Gentile Church. Having first saluted its members, as the holy persons in Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus,' he at once proceeds to give God thanks for having blessed the Christian Church with all spiritual

1 Kλŋroîs, dyiois, not as in our version, 'called to be saints,' but, 'called, holy,' as the Syriac.

2 1 Pet. ii. 9, 10. St. Peter has here adopted the very words addressed to the Jewish people in Exod. xix. 5, 6, xxiii. 22, as rendered by the LXX. Εσεσθέ μοι λαὸς περιούσιος ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν. ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔσεσθέ μοι βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα καὶ ἔθνος ἅγιον.

....

3 Comp. 1 Pet. v. 13; where he speaks of the whole Church at Babylon as 'elect together with' those churches to whom he writes.

blessings in Christ Jesus, according as He had chosen that Church in Him before the foundation of the world; the object of such election being that it might be made holy and without blame before him in love; God having predestinated its members to the adoption of children (as the Jews had of old been children of God), through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace (Eph. i. 3-6). He then proceeds to speak of the Church's blessing in having redemption through the Blood of Christ, and says, that now God has made known His hitherto hidden will, that in the dispensation of the fulness of time all things were to be collected together under one Head in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth (vv. 9, 10). And he continues, that in Himwe (that is, those who have believed from among the Jews) have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to his purpose,' &c. In whom ye also (ye Gentile Christians) trusted, after that ye heard of the word of truth' (vv. 11—13)1.

The Apostle next proceeds to give thanks for their conversion and faith, and to pray for their further grace and enlightenment (Eph. i. 15, ii. 10). He reminds them of their former Gentile state, when they were without Christ, and

1 The force of the 14th verse is almost lost in our translation; its peculiarity consisting in its use and adaptation of the old Testament language to the Christian Church. The words rendered in our version, 'until the redemption of the purchased possession,' mean more likely, 'with reference to the ransom of God's peculiar people, or, of the people whom God hath made His own;” εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως. See Exod. xix. 5, 6; xxiii. 22. So the LXX. read Malachi iii. 17, where it appears prophetic of the Gentile Church. Compare the language of St. Peter, quoted in the last note but one, who calls the Church λaòs els neρinoinow. St. Paul, (Acts xx. 28) speaking to the Ephesians, calls them the Church of God, ἣν περιεποιήσατο διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος. The expression appears to mean 'the people whom God made His own,' so first applied to the Jewish, afterwards to the Christian Church. See Schleusner on this word; Hammond, Rosenmüller and Macknight on Ephes. i. 14, and on 1 Pet. ii. 9.

aliens from the commonwealth of Israel (ii. 11, 12); and tells them, that now they are brought nigh by Christ, who hath broken down the partition wall between Jews and Gentiles, and reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God in one body, preaching peace to the Gentiles, who were far off, and to the Jews, who were nigh (vv. 13-17). He says that they are therefore now no longer far off from God, but are made fellow-citizens of the same city, the Church, with the saints, and of the same household of God, and are built on the same foundation, and all grow together to one holy temple in the Lord (vv. 18-22). All this was a mystery, in other ages not made known, but now revealed to apostles and prophets by the Spirit, viz. that it had been part of God's eternal purpose of mercy, that Gentiles should be fellow-heirs with Jews, both members of the same body, the Church, and partakers of the same promise in Christ by the Gospel (iii. 3—6).

The Churches which the Apostles thus addressed as elect, and on which they impress the blessings and privileges of their election, are still treated by them as in a state of probation; and their election is represented, not merely as a source of comfort, but also as full of responsibility. Thus, to the Ephesians, of whose election we find St. Paul spoke so strongly in the first chapter, he says, 'I... beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called' (Ephes. iv. 1). And he thenceforth continues through the whole of the remainder of the Epistle, teaching them how to live so as not to forfeit their blessings-not to be like children, tossed to and fro' (iv. 14)-not to walk henceforth as other Gentiles' (17)-not to grieve the Spirit (30)-not to be partakers with fornicators and unclean livers, who have no inheritance in God's kingdom (v. 1-7)-to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness' (11)—to 'walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise' (15)—not to be 'drunk with wine, but to be filled with the Spirit' (18)-to'put on VOL. II.

G

the whole armour of God, that they might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,' knowing that they had a contest against wicked spirits; that so they might be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand' (vi. 11, 12, 13).

Thus, the

Just similar is his language to other Churches. Philippians, whom he calls saints,' he bids to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling' (Phil. ii. 12; compare iii. 12-16). The Colossians, whom he speaks of as having been translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son,' he bids to put on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,' all Christian graces (iii. 12-17); and to avoid all heathen vices (iii. 5—9); and that, on the very principle that they were to consider themselves as brought into a new state in Christ (iii. 9, 10). The Thessalonians, whom he tells that he knows their election of God' (1 Thess. i. 4), he warns against sloth and sleep (1 Thess. v. 6), urges them to put on Christian armour (v. 8, 9), exhorts them not to 'quench the Spirit' (v. 19). And to Timothy he says of himself, that he endures all things for the elects' sake;' and that, not because the elect are sure of salvation, but in order that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory' (2 Tim. ii. 10).

In exactly the same manner, St. Peter, as we have seen, addresses those to whom he writes as 'elect,' and calls them 'an elect generation,' (1 Pet. i. 2; ii. 9): but he still urges them to abstain from fleshly lusts,' (ii. 11); to

pass the time of

sober and watch

their sojourning here in fear,' (i. 17); to be unto prayer,' (iv. 17); to 'give diligence to make their calling and election sure,' (2 Pet. i. 10); to 'beware lest, being led away with the error of the wicked, they fall from their own stedfastness.' (2 Pet. iii. 17).

All this is in the same spirit and tone. It is, allowing for the change of circumstances, just as the prophets addressed the