other medium but his Spirit conveyed to them, and living in them, by the word of the gospel, the fame gospel that was preached to Abraham, and by which he lived: and as they are thus born by the Spirit and power of God, in the fulfilment of that promife and grant of eternal life, they are all born heirs of the eternal inheritance in Chrift; and by virtue of his right conveyed by his teftament, they have a perfect right to the inheritance, and receive the kingdom which cannot be moved or fhaken.

There is another refemblance mentioned by the Apostle of a different kind, verf. 29. As he who was born after the flesh, perfecuted him who was born after the Spirit, fo is it now. What the Jews, the natural defcendents of Abraham, did to the Chriftians in the Apostle's time, is well known. They perfecuted them even unto the death. But we read nothing of Ifhmael perfecuting Ifaac in any other way, but that Sarah faw him mocking at the feaft of Ifaac's weaning; and we may well enough fuppofe, that this was what the Apostle calls. by that name, when we find him mentioning, Heb. xi. 36. cruel mockings, among the VOL. III.

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very cruel fufferings which the children of God endured from the men of the world. The fevere punishment which fell upon the children who mocked Elifha, ftands; as a caution to all ages, that even bare mocking the children of God is not to be counted a flight thing, when it stands fo high in God's reckoning.

The conclufion of that little hiftory furnishes out (what it is likely the Apostle intended by applying it fo particularly to the cafe of the followers of Mofes and the difciples of Chrift) a striking warning piece to the Galatians who were so strongly tempted to join the former. And those who are acquainted with human nature will readily agree, that it was likely to make a stronger impreffion than all his reafonings befides. He does not apply it at all, but lays the event before them just as it ftands, and in the very words it is recorded; but he introduces it in a manner that could hardly miss to engage their attention. What faith the fcripture? Caft out this bond-woman and her fon; for the fun of this bond-woman fhall not be heir with my fon. They are the words of Sarah; but they have the fanction of God himself,

himfelf, and carry the highest authority. He does not chufe to say how near the deftruction of Jerufalem and the temple was; which effectually caft out that unhappy nation from God's family, and made their worship and obfervation of Mofes's law quite impoffible; but wifely leaves it to the Galatians themselves to gather from that event, what a hazard they run who joined themselves to those who have fuch a denunciation standing against them, and carries the fame import with that solemn warning in another cafe, Come out of her, my people, left you partake in her plagues.

This confideration is greatly improved by what the Apostle adds as the conclufion of all. The argument is strong for getting out of that dangerous fociety; but it must be fomething worse than folly for those who were at liberty to run themfelves into it. The Galatians were abundantly provided in Christ. They were children of the free woman, the children of God, and heirs of the inheritance. They could never better their condition by any change they could make; and by. what they were tempted to make, they gave up what they had, and had nothing,

5.

or fomething worfe than nothing, in its room, as we find the Apostle strongly proving in the next chapter.bomto

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CHAP. V. I.- 6.

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asiq zi es Jod! 1. Stand faft therefore in the liberty wherewith Chrift hath made us free, and be not intangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2. Behold, I Paul fay unto you, that if ye be circumcifed, Chrift shall profit you nothing. 3. For. I teftify again to every man that is circumcifed, that he is a debtor to do the whole law, 4. Chrift is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of are juftified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6. For in Jesus Christ, neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but faith which worketh by love, dood guilt Le in Hekreisy Hether the words with which this chapter begins fhould be called an exhortation or a command, is but of little confequence; as it is evidently an apofto lical injunction or charge, and that carries all the authority of him whorfeht forth the apoftles, and therefore requires the most serious attention, And seeing, as appears by the connection, it is founded in the accommodation, (whether made by the prophet Ifaiah, or by the Apostle him-ɔv baɔ179 9701979d3 Jun Ji ; 997) esaara felf,

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felf, is really a matter of no moment; for both had equal authority): but feeing the accommodation is made by thofe who had authority to do it; and as we are fure that the facts did not fall out by chance, but, as is plain from the history, under the special divine direction, there is good reason to think it was defigned for this very purpose, and that the two mothers and their fons were an intended reprefentation of the earthly and heavenly Jerufalem, the law of Mofes, and the gospel of Christ. And therefore the Apoftle had great reafon to conclude, as he does, that all who believe in Jefus Chrift are free, and furely that freedom was well worth preferving against all attacks that might be made upon it, from whatfoever quarter they might come.

It may not be refufed, that the Apoftle's immediate intention was to fecure his converts against the fnare laid for them by the falfe teachers, who wanted to bring them under the law of Mofes. But as the. liberty they were called into must have been the fame which our Lord gives to his true disciples, John viii. 31. 32. the Apostle calls it the liberty wherewith Chrift had fet them free; and they must be free indeed whom the Son makes free; it must therefore extend ve

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