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DIVINE TRUTH

OF THE APOST

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IANS, the Apostle after saluting the

s thankfulness for their continuing stednat they may thus continue, (ch. i. 3—11.); gs and imprisonment, so far from impeding ibuted to its success, (ch. i. 12-19.); asto live or die. as should be most for their d. to Galatians,

+ Idem to Ephesians.

Romans, and for not having come to them, recommends himself to their prayers, and concludes with affectionate salutations, cautions, and prayers, and with ascribing glory to God our Saviour, (ch. xv. 14—33. xvi.)*

In the FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS, the Apostle, after having saluted the church, and expressed his thankfulness for the grace and gifts conferred upon them, (ch. i. 1—9.); reproves their dissensions, exhorts them to unity, defends himself against false teachers, who had alienated them from him, and adds many powerful arguments to reunite them in affection to himself, (ch. i. 10—31. ii.—iv.); reproves them for not excommunicating an incestuous person, (ch. v.); and for their covetous and litigious temper, which caused them to prosecute their brethren before heathen tribunals, (ch. vi. 1—9.); dissuades them from fornication, by shewing its enormity, (ch. vi. 10—20.); gives suitable directions concerning matrimony, (ch. vii. 1-16.); the civil condition of Christians, (17—24), the celibacy of virgins, (25—38.), and widows, (39, 40.); of things sacrificed to idols, (ch. viii.—xi. 1.); and of women speaking in public, and the dress of the sexes, (ch. xi. 2-17.); reproves their irregularities in celebrating the Lord's Supper, with directions for receiving it worthily, (ch. xi.17—34.); delivers instructions respecting the desiring and exercising of spiritual gifts, (ch. xii-xiv.); proves the certainty of the resurrection, and answers the cavils of false teachers against the doctrine, (ch. xv.); and concludes with directions relative to the contributions for the saints at Jerusalem, promises of shortly visiting them, and salutations to various members of the Church, (ch. xvi.)† In the SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS, the Apostle justifies himself from the charge of levity, or worldly policy, in delaying his journey to Corinth, assigning those reasons for this part of his conduct which could not have been disclosed with propriety till the effect of his former epistle had appeared, (ch. i.); declares the justice of his sentence against the incestuous person, and gives suitable directions respecting his restoration, (ch. ii.); expatiates on his own conduct in the Christian ministry, intermixing many exhortations with the avowal of his motives and fervent affections in the sacred work, (ch. iii.—vii.); excites them, with great address, and earnestness, to complete their contributions for their poor brethren in Judea, shewing the manifold advantages of such services, (ch. viii. ix.); contrasts more directly, yet evidently with great reluctance, his own gifts, labours, sufferings, and conduct, with the pretences of their false teachers, shewing himself to be 'not a whit' inferior to any of the apostles; and concludes with various admonitions, and affectionate good wishes and prayers, (ch. x.—xiii.)‡

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The EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, in which the Apostle, after saluting the churches of Galatia, (ch. i. 1—5.) and establishing his apostolic commission against the attacks of the false teachers, (ch. i. 6—24. ii.); he reproves them for departing from that Gospel which he had preached

* Comprehensive Bible, Introd. to Romans.

+ Idem to 1 Corinthians,

to them, and confirmed by the gift of the Holy Ghost, (ch. iii. 1—5.); proves that justification is by faith alone, and not by the deeds of the law, from the example of Abraham, the testimony of scripture, the curse of the law, the redemption of Christ, and the Abrahamic covenant, which the law could not disannul, (ch. iii. 6—18.); shews the use of the law in connection with the covenant of grace, (ch. iii. 19-24.); concludes that all believers are delivered from the law, and made the spiritual seed of Abraham by faith in Christ, (ch. iii. 25—29.); illustrates his inference by God's treatment of the Jewish church, which he put under the law, as a father puts a minor under a guardian, (ch. iv. 1-7.); shews the weakness and folly of the Galatians in subjecting themselves to the law, and that by submitting themselves to circumcision they become subject to the whole law, and would forfeit the benefits of the covenant of grace, (ch. iv. 8-31. v. 1-9.); gives them various instructions and exhortations for their Christian conduct, and particularly concerning a right use of their Christian freedom, (ch. v. 10—26. vi. 1— 10.); and concludes with a brief summary of the topics discussed, and by commending them to the grace of Christ, (ch. vi. 11—18.)*

The EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS, in which the Apostle, after saluting the church, (ch. i. 1, 2.); praises God for the whole Gospel blessing, (ch. i. 3—14.); thanks God for them, and prays for their more complete illumination and deeper experience of the grace and comforts of the Gospel, (ch. i. 15-23.); contrasts their former wretched and ruined state with their present happy condition, as saved by grace, through the atonement of Christ, reconciled to God, and forming one church, temple, and family with the Jewish converts, (ch. ii.); declares that the mystery concerning their salvation, which was before concealed, had been made known to him by revelation, (ch. iii. 1-12.); fervently prays that they may be strengthened, enlightened, sanctified, and comforted, (ch. iii. 13-21.); exhorts them to walk worthy of their calling, agreeably to the unity of the Spirit and the diversity of his gifts, and to the difference between their former and present state, (ch. iv. 1-24.), to avoid deceit, anger, dishonesty, and other sins, and to cleave to the practice of the opposite virtues, (ch. iv. 25—31. v. 1—21.), to discharge faithfully the relatíve duties of wives and, husbands, (ch. v. 22, 23.), of children and parents, (ch. vi. 1—4.), and of masters and servants, (ch. vi. 5—9.), and to war the spiritual warfare by putting on and using the whole armour of God,' and by persevering prayer, (ch. vi. 10—20.); and concludes by commending Tychicus to them, with affectionate salutations, (ch. vi. 21—24.)†

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In the EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS, the Apostle after saluting the church, (ch. i. 1, 2.), expresses his thankfulness for their continuing stedfast in the faith, and prays that they may thus continue, (ch. i. 3—11.); informs them that his sufferings and imprisonment, so far from impeding the Gospel, had rather contributed to its success, (ch. i. 12-19.); assures them of his readiness to live or die. as should be most for their Comprehensive Bible, Introd. to Galatians. + Idem to Ephesians.

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welfare and the glory of God, yet on the whole expressing a hope that he should again visit them, (ch. i. 20-26.); exhorts them to a holy life, and to mutual love and candour, after the example of Jesus Christ; and to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, that he may rejoice in the day of Christ on their account, (ch. i. 21—30. ii. 1—17.); promises to send Timothy and Epaphroditus, whom he highly commends, (ch. ii. 19-30.); solemnly cautions them against Judaizing teachers, and others who were enemies of the cross of Christ, (ch. iii. iv. 1.); gives suitable admonitions to certain individuals, and some general exhortations to cheerfulness, moderation, prayer, thanksgiving, and universal good behaviour, (ch. iv. 2-7.); thanks them for their seasonable and liberal supply, though he had learned to be content in every situation, (ch. iv. 10—14.); mentions some particular cases in which they had ministered to him; promises them a supply of all their spiritual wants through the riches of Christ, to whom he ascribes eternal glory, (ch. iv. 15—20.); and concludes with salutations from himself and friends at Rome, and a solemn benediction, (ch. iv. 21-23.)*

In the EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS, the Apostle, after saluting the Church at Colosse, (ch. i. 1, 2.), thanks God for the good account which he had heard from Epaphras of their faith and love, (ch. i. 3—8.); assures them that he prayed for their increase in knowledge, holiness, patience, joy, and gratitude for redeeming love, (ch. i. 9-14.); declares, in the most exalted terms, the personal and mediatorial glory of Christ, and the fulness and freeness of his salvation, (ch. i. 15-23.); expresses his joy in his labours and sufferings for their sakes, as the Apostle of the Gentiles, and his earnest solicitude to fulfil his ministry among them in the most successful manner, assuring them of his concern and prayers for them and the other churches in the neighbourhood, that they might be united in love, and thus comforted, and that they might be established in their adherence to the Christian faith, (ch. i. 28, 29. ii. 1-7.); warns them against the vain philosophy and human traditions of the new teachers, and their superstitious adherence to the law, (ch. ii. 8—17.); shews the superiority of Christ to angels, and warns them against worshipping them, (ch. ii. 18— 23.); exhorts them to set their affections on things above, to mortify their carnal lusts, to put away malice, to seek conformity to Christ in holiness, to love each other and be ready to forgive injuries, to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly, to abound in grateful praises, and to do all things in the name of Christ, (ch, iii. 1—-17.); gives suitable instructions respecting the relative duties of husbands and wives, children and parents, servants and masters, (ch. iii. 18—25. iv. 1.); exhorts them to perseverance in prayer, and to prudence and edifying speech, (ch. iv. 2—6.); commends Tychicus and Onesimus by whom he sends the Epistle, (ch. iv. 7-9.); and concludes with salutations, admonitions, and directions, (ch. iv. 10-18.)†

In the FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS, the Apostle, after saluting

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