of the people, unacquainted with Jewish modes and habits, gave it the freeft room to operate. These false teachers ftill called themselves chriftians, and the mifchief which they introduced, seems at first fight no great one. So, I doubt not, fome fashionable perverfions of Evangelical truth at this day, of a fimilar kind, appear to many to be of no great confequence. It is no fault of mine, that this Galatian delufion appears ftrongly to resemble them. I have represented things as they appear to me from the epistle. The great evil lurking under all this, was the adulteration of the faith of Jefus, and of dependance on him alone for all falvation. In no epiftie does the Apoftie fpeak fo fharply, or exprefs himself fo vehemently. It appears to have come warm from a charitable heart, just after the reception of the difagreeable tidings. He profeffes himself aftonished at their defection from Chrift and execrates any man or even angel, who should preach any other way of falvation. If fuch a perfon ftill call himself a chriftian, and hold the historical facts of the gofpel, the cafe is not altered for the better; the deception only paffing more current on that account*. He afferts, that if they mixed circumcifion, or any work of the law, with Chrift in the article of juftification, Chrift would be of no effect to themt. He must be their whole Saviour, or he would be nothing; law and grace in this cafe being quite oppofite. He marks the mere woridiy nature of the doctrine they were embracing, it would make them mere Jews indeed, proud, felf-righteous, void of the love of God and man§, and no better in their fpiritual ftate than they were while idolaters Thus they would lofe all the liberty of the gospel,

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Chap. i. Chap. v. Chap. vi. toward the end. § Chap. v. iv. 9.

and be mere flaves in religion, like all uncon verted perfons, whofe bottom is merely felfrighteous. He points out to them the peculiar nature of the gofpel, as perfectly distinct from any thing that mere man is apt to teach or ready to embrace. In the hiftorical part of the epiftle he vindicates his own Apoftolical character, inculcates throughout in all poffible variety of language, and with his ufual copioufnefs, both of clear argument and ftrong diction, the all-important article of juftification, and preffes the neceffity of continuing in it, in order to be benefited by it. Otherwife we make Chrift the minister of fin, or of condemnation, build again what we have destroyed, and, as far as in us lies, make him to have died in vain. He appeals to their own experience of the happy fruits of the gospel, which they had felt within, and reprefents himfelf as travailing in birth for them, till Chrift be formed in them. He expreffes himself dubious of their state, and defirous of vifiting them, that he might adapt his language to their perilous fituation. He wishes that their evil advisers were cut off, fo mifchievous were they to fouls, and affures them, that the Divine Vengeance would overtake them. He informs them, that the perfecution, which he himself endured, was on account of this very doctrine. This it was that ftirred up the enmity of the human heart; and this doctrine being loft, the gospel becomes a mere name, and chriftianity is loft in the group of common religions.

It will be proper for us to bear in mind the Apostle's reafonings on this fubject, and to apply them to every period of church-hiftory; fince it is evident, that the rife or fall of this great chriftian article, must determine the vigour or de

cline of real religion in all ages. He neglects not however in his ufual manner to inculcate the neceffity of good works, as the juft fruits and evidences of a real chriftian ftate*, and particularly encourages them to works of mercy, attended with a patient and cheerful prospect into eternity, and animated with genuine charity +.

There is reafon to hope, that the best effects attended the epiftle. No very long time after, the Apostle again vifited these churches, and went over the whole country, ftrengthening "all the "difciples." This is all that I can collect of the hiftory of this church from fcripture, except a fingle hint in another epiftles, in which he recommends to the Corinthians to use the fame plan for the relief of the poor faints, which he had fuggefted to the Galatians. From the influence which he hence appears to have had in Galatia, it is probable, that the Judaical perverfion was overcome.

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SECTION VIII.

PHILIPPI.

HE difpenfation of the gofpel is doubtless the greatest bleffing that can be vouchsafed to any country. But the times and the seasons God hath referved to himself. Even in this fenfe falvation is of grace; and Divine Providence alone orders and appoints, that the gofpel fhall be preached here or there, as he pleafes. Paul and Silas,

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Chap. v. toward the end. Chap. vi. 1 Cor. xvi. 1.

Acts xviii. 23.

Silas, if left to themselves, in their progrefs to the weft, would have evangelized Pergamus or Afia propria and Bithynia, but were prevented by special intimations of the Holy Spirit. They came now to Troas, fo called from its being the place, or near the place, where old Troy had stood, by the fea-coaft, uncertain whither they fhould go next, and perhaps little apprehenfive, that God now for the first time was introducing his gospel into Europe. A nightly vifion, in which a Macedonian intreated Paul to come over into his country and help them, determined at once their destination. They failed from Troas to the Island of Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis, a Macedonian fea-port, whence through the gulph of Strymon they came to Philippi, the first city of that part of Macedonia, which they would meet with in their way from Neapolis. So I understand St. Luke's expreffion Пpwrn; for Theffalonica was the capital of Macedonia. The city itself, though originally Macedonian, and fo named from Philip the father of Alexander, was then a Roman colony, inhabited by Roman citizens, and regulated by Roman laws and cuftoms. The region itself had been renowned for conftituting the third of the four great monarchies under the arms of Alexander, and the place itself had been fomething more than half a century ago the fcene of a famous battle between two Roman parties engaged in a civil war. ther of thofe feafons would have been at all convenient for the gofpel. The prefent was a scene of tranquillity and order under the Roman government; and Macedonia, though now only a Roman province, was going to be the subject of

* Acts xvi. 7.

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transactions infinitely more noble than those which adorn the hiftory of its greatest princes.

The first appearances did not promise any thing remarkable. They spent a few days at firft with little profpect of fuccefs. They found a few Jews here, who used on the Sabbath day to frequent an oratory out of the city by the river-fide, and fome women, religiously difpofed, reforted thither. It was the conftant method of the Apostles to join themfelves to Unitarians, whereever they could find them, as the first opening for the gospel of Chrift. They did fo here, and fpake to the women. One of them was Lydia, a perfon of fome property. Her heart the Lord opened, that" the attended to the things which "were spoken by Paul." She was baptized with her family, and with affectionate importunity prevailed on the Apoftle and his companions to make her house their home in Philippi. Here we have the beginnings of the Philippian church; but the converfion was found and ftable, and her progrefs in the divine life feems of the fame kind as that of Cornelius. Vexed at the prospect, Satan employed a girl poffeffed with a fpirit of Python to bring the gospel into contempt, if poffible. She conftantly followed the chriftian preachers, and bore them the most honourable teftimony. Paul was grieved, as being fully fenfible of the ill effect, which a fuppofed union between Chrift and Python* muft occafion in the minds of men. He was at length enabled miraculously to eject the dæmon. The proprietors of the girl, who had made a traffic of her oracu

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The very term leads me to apprehend, that the oracular work of the Pythian Apollo among the pagans had fomething diabolical in it; and the story before us demonftrates the reality of fuch delufions, and that human fraud and fagacity alone are not sufficient to account for them.