bought with a price, be not ye the fervants of Men," 1 Cor. vii. 22, 23. He proceeds: "Brethren, let every man wherein he is called, therein abide with God," ver. 24.

LXXVIII.

"God hath fent forth the fpirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father," Gal. iv. 6. There is fomething very remarkable in the courfe of St. Paul's argument here, and the manner in which he has afcended to the affertion before us, He is fhewing that the law was given as a schoolmafter to bring us unto Chrift, that we might be justified by faith;" that it was given in the interval of time, between the promife and the time of fulfilling it; but by no means with a view of fupplying the place of that which was promifed, for it was impoffible that a law could be given by which righteousness could come: he farther fays, that, being juftified by faith, the tuition of the law became unneceffary, and that being therefore emancipated from the bondage of the law, "we are made the children of God, by faith in Chrift Jefus:" and now he fays, that the fullnefs of time being come, "God fent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons." Is not this affigning a reafon wherefore Chrift took manhood, and particularly why he was fent to the loft fheep of the houfe of Ifrael? But he has, according to the gospel, preached before to Abraham," Gal. iii. 8, suffered, and redeemed them, whereby they have been justified by faith, and by faith to justification become Children of God; and what is now the procefs? After we have received the adoption of fons, the spirit is fent forth into our hearts to make us acknowledge him to be God, whom, till he had fo redeemed us to faith, we had only feen to be a man, "made of a woman under the law." In the paffage be

fore

fore us, we are told, that God fent forth the Spirit of his Son; and by the fame preacher it is declared to the Romans, that it is by "the Spirit of him that raised Jefus from the dead, that we are led, in order to be the fons of God, and that by this Spirit of adoption we cry, Abba, Father," Rom. viii. 11, 14,15. That Spirit, which raised Jefus from the dead, is therefore that eternal, and invisible, and incomprehenfible God, who was in union with him, while he was living, and who again resumed our nature upon its refurrection from the grave. "No man car fay that Jefus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghoft," 1 Cor. xii. 3. Through faith then, having received the adoption of fons, and by the Spirit of our bleffed Redeemer fent forth into our hearts, let us, without hefitation, cry to him, "Abba, Father," and addrefs the Lord's prayer to him, through whom, and by whom only, we have been called fons, and are enabled to say, "that Jefus is the Lord," "our Father." I must obferve here, that as St. Paul was preaching to men difpofed to Judaism and the doctrines of the law, the Spirit of adoption, fent after juftification by faith in Chrift Jefus, was by no means neceffary to induce them to cry Abba, Father, to the God of the Unitarians; for this they were difpofed to do before, and not to recede from it. Somewhat not acceded to by the followers of Mofes was then the doctrine of the apoftle of Jefus Chrift; and he therefore teaches, that by faith in him they are justified, and thereby receive the Spirit by which they cry to him Abba, Father.

LXXIX.

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins, according to the riches of his grace," Eph. i. 7. "Unto me who am less than the leaft of all faints, is this grace given, that I fhould preach among the Gentiles the unfearchable riches of Chrift," Eph. iii. 8. For this caufe I bow my knees

unto

unto the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory," Eph. iii. 14, 15, 16. "Or defpifeft thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-fuffering; not knowing that the goodnefs of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Rom. ii. 4. "What if God, &c. that he might make known the riches of his glory," Rom. ix. 23. The riches of God and of Christ are here made fynonimous terms; and furely the riches of grace, and of glory, and of long-fuffering can only be the attributes of God. But left it fhould be doubted what are the unfearchable riches of Chrift, St. Paul fays, that he prays that his hearers may be able to comprehend with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Chrift, which paffeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God," Eph. iii. 18, 19; fo that all the fulness of God, and the knowledge of the love of Chrift, are again made fynonimous terms. But this fulness of God is attained to only by having "Christ to dwell in our hearts by faith," Eph. iii. 17; and then when we have attained to this, and "come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God," what is the confequence? are we then "filled with all the fulness of God?" Moft certainly we are, for we come "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," Eph. iv. 13. Unto himself that he might

St. Paul says this knowledge was given, preach the mystery of Chrift to the Gentiles, that they should be partakers of the promise in Chrift by the gofpel, "whereof I was made a minifter, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me," Eph. iii. 7. "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Chrift," Eph. iv. 7. "O the depth of the riches both of the wifdom and knowledge

of God! how unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! for who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor ?" Rom. xi. 33, 34. These laft words afford at once an argument, and no unufcful leffon to a reader of the word of the God of truth.

LXXX.

he

"There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all," Eph. iv. 6. St. John Baptift has teftified of our Saviour that "He who is of the earth is earthly, and fpeaketh of the earth; but he that cometh from above is above all :" and again, that cometh from heaven is above all," John iii. 31. And that this is fpoken of Jesus Christ, St. Paul, had it been doubtful, might render evident; for in context with words very fimilar to those with which the Baptist ushers in his teftimony, he calls him "the Lord from heaven," ftating his whole pofition thus: "The firft man is of the earth, earthy, but the fecond man is the Lord from heaven," I Cor. xv. 47. To be above all is furely an exclufive prerogative of God, and he is accordingly in the paffage before us declared to be above all; but Jefus Chrift we find endowed with the fame fuperiority; Jefus Chrift is therefore one with the Father, the one God, who is above all. See also Rom. ix. 5.-That our Lord is "through all," let his great apoftle and witnefs teftify, who, fpeaking of that pervading power by which the Author of nature fuftains and preferves the works of his own creation, declares of Jefus Chrift,

by whom the world was made," John i. 10, "by whom are all things, and we by him," 1 Cor. viii. 6, that by him all things confift," Colof. i. 17.-And that Christ is in us all, "Know ye not your own felves that Jefus Chrift is in you, except ye be reprobates?" 2 Cor. xiii. 5. As then our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift is above all, through all, and in you all," ex

cept

cept we be indeed reprobates, we must acknowledge that he is therefore one with the Father, God.

LXXXI.

"When he afcended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he afcended, what is it but that he alfo defcended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that defcended, is the fame alfo that afcended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things,") Eph. iv. 8, 9, 10. St. Paul feems here to enter into the argument, and by the manner in which he puts the above affertions, to have confronted himself to Mr. Lindsey; from which I conclude that he had at least an equal forefight of the Lind feian, as of the Platonick fchifm. He forefaw that our Lord's pre-existence would be denied, and has therefore made his afcent a proof that he had before defcended to the earth, (for that is all that is meant by the lower parts of the earth) and had again returned to where he had been before, to heaven: (For that, in the fame manner, is all that is meant by, far above all heavens; and the two terms are used in order ftrongly to contraft his dignity and condefcenfion). He forefaw that his divinity would be denied, and has therefore lifted him far above the heavens, and extended him even that he might fill all things. Let us then," henceforth be no more children, toffed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the fleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But fpeaking the truth in love, grow up into him in all things, which is the Head, even Chrift," Eph. iv. 14, 15.

LXXXII.

"Servants, be obedient to them that are your mafters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in finglenefs of your heart, as unto Chrift: not with eye-fervice, as men pleasers, but as the servants of Chrift, doing the will of God from the heart; with good-will doing fervice,

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