law unto themselves, which show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts in the meantime accusing or else excusing one another." But in the meanwhile these endowments make the favor of God equally attainable by all, for he will judge every man by the light he has possessed, and reward every man according to his work,-"Who will render unto every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness," that is, having knowledge and freedom of choice, choose evil instead of good, "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man that doeth evil; of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. For there is no respect of persons with God."

To this view of things, the Jew may be disposed to object on the ground of his being a Jew, and possessing superior knowledge of the will of God. To this the Apostle answers, that it is equally possible for them to abuse their light as the Gentiles, and a knowledge of the will of God does not always secure the practice of it. He goes on to illustrate this: "Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the

law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things which are more excellent, being instructed out of the law, and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness. Thou, therefore, which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law, dishonorest thou God. For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you."

The objection would here naturally occur: If the Jews were no better than the heathen, it must be confessed that God had made a revelation in vain. This he answers by saying, that the possession of the divine oracles was a privilege, bestowed in perfect good faith by God. That they were unfaithful to their privileges, it was no fault of his. The goodness of God is always to be supposed. And it might be further objected, that if the faithfulness of God was only made the more conspicuous by the unfaithfulness of the Jews, why should they be punished for promoting the glory of God? This cannot be admitted without establishing the principle, that we may do evil that good may come, a sentiment worthy of all condemnation. "What advantage then hath the Jew, or what profit is there in circumcision? Much every way, chiefly because to them were com

mitted the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe, shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect? God forbid, yea, let God be true, but every man a liar."

The contents of the remainder of the third and fourth chapters I have already analyzed in discoursing on another subject, the admission of the Gentiles into the Christian church.

The next chapter, the fifth, is one of the most obscure in the whole Bible. The most that I can do with it, at this time, is, to paraphrase its general drift. Having disposed of the past, the Apostle casts his eyes to the future. Having shown that the new dispensation makes ample provision for man as a sinner, that we have through Christ as ample ground for reliance on the mercy of God, as through the sacrifices of the old dispensation, he says: "Therefore, being justified by faith," by the new religion instead of the old, "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." He then goes on to show, that the provision it makes for the future, is more ample than under the law, for it brings us equally near to God, and gives a brighter hope than any thing else affords; "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Christianity, he goes on to say, entirely changes the aspect of afflictions. Under the old dispensation, temporal pros

perity was promised as the reward of obedience, and suffering threatened as the penalty of transgression. Afflictions came to be considered, therefore, as the evidences of the Divine displeasure. There was then scarce any thing to cheer their gloom. Under the Christian dispensation the case is different, for they are seen to be a discipline, which by refining the virtues and improving the character, prepares the soul for higher degrees of spiritual glory. "And not only so, we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed."

To keep the soul, he goes on to say, in a course of virtuous action, much aid is derived from the resurrection of Christ. "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life." For as through Adam, a mortal and sinful man, we received a mortal and sinful nature, much more through Christ, a perfect man and raised to immortality, shall we be raised to a perfect and an immortal life.

In the next three chapters he treats of the most difficult topic in the whole Epistle. The Mosaic law being abrogated, and all obligation to obey it annulled, and men are to be received by God on the ground of repentance and faith, the Jew might say,

does not such a doctrine lead to licentiousness? And if we continue to obey a law, what law shall we obey? "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” Shall we continue to sin in the hope of an easy forgiveness? By no means. Our very profession at baptism forbids it. Our baptism was a baptism of repentance. We professed to die unto sin, and to be buried with Christ. If this means any thing, it means, that we must afterwards rise to a new and better life. "How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? Therefore are we buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life."

"What then, shall we continue in sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." But then the question recurs, what is sin under the new dispensation? It is not breaking the old law, for that is abrogated; but it is the violation of some law, or it would not be sin. It must evidently be, as he makes it out to be, the law of the mind, the natural conscience, enlightened by the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Setting