by this emphatical phrafe, YEVOITO, which we tranflate, God forbid!

The fpecial occafion of his employing it here in the text, was this; The Gentile converts among the Galatians, after St Pau's departure from them, had been feduced by fome false teachers, who were Jews, into a belief, that the law of Mofes was not entirely abolished; but that circumcifion, and the other rites of it, were ftill neceffary to be obferved by all thofe, who, being Heathens, intended to become Chriftians.

This opinion had been entertained, and fpread by these falfe teachers, partly through a fuperftitious reverence for their law, and a miftaken notion of the true nature and defign of the gospel; and partly, with a view, of leffening the prejudices, which the Jews had conceived against the doctrine of Chrift; and of avoiding the perfecutions, which they every where raised against thofe, who propagated, or profeffed it,

The apostle ħaving argued against these teachers, and their opinions, ftrongly and fervently in various parts of this epiftle, returns to the fame fubject at the close of it, and there fums up in fhort, what he had before more largely delivered, As many (fays he) as defe to make a fair fhew in the flesh unpornoa ev capxt, a phrase of his which fignifies, to act upon carnal views, and for worldly ends, and to study popular and plaufible appearances]“ they conftrain you to be circums cifed, only left they fhould fuffer perfecution for the cross of Christ."Not fo much out of a conviction of the neceffily of what they urge upon you, as that they may five câfily, and carry

smooth

to

means

fmoothly with all men.] For, as it follows, "neither they" [thefe faife teachers] “themselves, who are circumcifed, keep the law; but defire have you circumcifed." To what end? Even that they may glory in your flesh," that they may boast of having made you profelytes to Judaifm, in the way of Chriftianity, and by that me ns recommend themselves to their countrymen, on the account of their zeal for the Law of Mofes, at the fame time that they would be thought to ferve the interefts of the gospel. But let them confult their own fafety, and affect a falfe glory by this infincere conduct, if they please; "God forbid" (fays he)" that I fhould glory, fave in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chift!" God forbid, that I fhould act upon any fuch worldly views and motives in the propagation of the doctrine of Chrift, or think to promote it by any methods, but what are agreeable to the nature and defign of it: It is the doctrine of the crofs, and ought therefore to be preached in fimplicity and godly fincerity, without worldly hopes or fears, without arts and difguifes: The chief article of this doctrine, that wherein the great lines of it center, is, the fatisfaction made to divine juftice, by the fuf ferings and death of a crucified Saviour. By this facrifice of the crofs all the legal facrifices and ceremonies are determined and abolished; by this, and this only, a real atonement is made to God for our fins, and a way opened to his favour.: On this, confequently, all the hopes and happinefs of a Chriftian depend. Mean therefore and ignominious as the circumftances of this tranfac tion were, I will not be offended at them myfelf,

nor

nor fear left others fhould be offended: On this fubject I will perpetually dwell in my private meditations, and in my public inftructions: Of this capital article of the Chriftian faith 1 will not only not be afhamed, but I will boaft; I will glory in it, and in nothing beyond, or befides it! For it is a doctrine full of wonder and delight, of inftruction, advantage, and comfort to fincere believers, to penitent finners; fince it is that, "whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Whereby the world is crucified unto me: All that is in the world, the luft of the flesh, the luft of the eye, and the pride of life," is rendered, though not incapable of polluting me, yet ineffectual towards condemning me; the fting of fin is taken away, the guilt is pardoned; and I am crucified unto the world:" I am, by the victorious power of that grace, which was purchased by this facrifice of the cross, become infenfible, and dead, as it were, to the pleasures, the pomps, and vanities of this world; I have

crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts.” Gal. v. 24 Since therefore the fufferings of Chrift are of fo great efficacy and power, as to be able to free me, not only from the guilt and punishment of fin, but also from the dominion and power of it; is there any thing I should value myfelf upon, in comparison of the priviledge of being made à partaker of the merits of thefe fufferings? in comparison of the mercies, the advantages I enjoy, by the means of this humble; but admirable difpenfa tion? Let others form to themselves what schemes "of fatisfaction and happiness, pride themselves in what pre-eminences, what distinctions, they please;

"But

1

But God forbid that I fhould glory, fave in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world:"

I have largely explained the connection, and thereby opened the meaning of thefe words of St. Put The ufe I intend to make of them is, from thence to fhew,

I. First, That whatever excellencies, outward advantages, or privileges, it may be our lot to enjoy, yet it mifbecomes us, as we are Christians, to glory in them: But that,

II. Secondly, It highly becomes us to glory in the cref of Chrift.

III. Thirdly, By what methods, and in oppo fition to what enemies of the crofs of Chrift, we are obliged to glory in it.-Of thefe three points in their order, as far as the time will permit. And,

I. First, I am to fhew, That whatever excellen cies, outward advantages, or privileges, it may be our lot to enjoy, yet it mifbecomes us, as we are Chriftians, to glory in them.

I do not fay, that we are to be infenfible of fuch advantages, to have no relith of them, no complacence in them: For neither reason nor religion require fueh a conduct from us. They are the good things of life, given us by the author of all good, on purpose that we fhould, in due measure and feafon, enjoy them; nor can they of themfelves, while our appetites and our opi appetites VOL. IV. N

nion's

nions concerning fuch things are well regulated, be hurtful to those who poffefs them. They may be used, if they are not over-valued; if we do not fuffer our affections to cleave too closely to them, and our minds to be in any degree elated, and fwelled by a reflexion upon them. They may be a part, a small part, of our happiness in this tranfitory scene of life, provided we always retain in our minds the apostle's directions concerning them, that they, "who have" these things," be as though they had them not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy as though they poffeffed not; and they that ufe this world as not abufing it; for the fafhion of this world paffeth away:"1 Cor. vii. 30, 31. Thefe worldly advantages, thefe honours, profits, pleafures, whatever they be, are of uncertain continuance, and may, in a little time, flip away from us; to be fure, we fhall, in a little time, flip away from them, and leave them behind us: And therefore, why should we reft in them? Why fhould we boaft in them? Why fhould we feed and raife, not our appetites and lufts only, but our vanity and pride alfo, by the means of them?

The Chriftian religion, by the tendency of all its doctrines (particularly that of Chrift crucified), by the manner of its progrefs, and the mean character of those who first promulged and embraced it, feems to be fo thoroughly contrived, as effectually to mortify and beat down any undue complacence we may have in ourselves on fuch occafions. "Ye fee your calling, brethren" (fays St. Paul with that appia, that becoming free

dom