world, that they do good,' that, as members of CHRIST, they fhew kindness, and exercise beneficence to others. That they be rich in good works,' abounding in those works and labours of love, which flow from faith, or a comfortable perfuafion of their intereft in CHRIST. Ready to diftribute,' on all proper occafions, with cheerfulness and delight; as counting it more bleffed to give, than to receive. • Willing,' even without folicitation, to communicate; and not only embracing, but feeking every opportunity of relieving the neceffitous. Lightly efteeming all that is called wealth here below; and laying up in ftore for themfelves' another kind of treasure, [even CHRIST, who is the pearl of price, and the true riches.] This will be a good foundation' of hope, of comfort, and joy, against ⚫ the time to come,' whether it be the trying season of sickness, the awful hour of death, or the more tremendous day of judgement: That, placing their affections on him, and having their treafure in him, they may be found wife merchants: not grafping uncertainties and fhadows. But laying faft hold on' fure and fubftantial poffeffions; even on 'eternal life.' 1 -ternal life, but only to make it, in their own apprehenfion, or to their own confciences, more and more fure. Had they been unconverted people, the apoftle would, like his divine MASTER difcourting with the rich, but unregenerate Nicodemus, have ftruck at the root of their mifery; and spoke of more important things, than diftributing a little fining duft among the poor.] * Take fast hold on'--thus I would tranflate that emphatical compound word eπinawa. Which agrees with the experience of the Chriftian, and is not without the authority of the critic. With the experience of the Chriftian. Since believers, by the exercise of faith, producing all good works, are continually maintaining and increating their hold of CHRIS I'; and of that eternal life, which is given them in him.--With the autho rity of the critic. For the word fignifies, "to feize with great "vehemency; to lay hold on with both hands, as upon a thing we are glad to have got, and will be loath to let go again.' 66 "We establish the law: we provide for its hon"our by the perfect obedience of CHRIST;" fays Afpafio." Can you poffibly think," replies Mr. Welley," that St. Paul meant this?"-Before I anfwer this question, give me leave to ask another. Have you, Sir, done juftice to Afpafio? Is what you quote, the whole of his interpretation? have you not fecreted a fentence, which speaks the very thing you blame for omitting? A member of the houfe of Commons, haranguing the honourable assembly, took the liberty to affert, "The gentlemen in the ministerial interest, "never propofe any thing for the good of their. "country." This was no fooner uttered, than a warm partizan of the other fide ftarting up, complained loudly of calumny and fcandal. Hold, Sir, for a moment, (faid the interrupted orator,) let me jaft finish my fentence, and then give vent to your vehement invectives. My intention was to have added, "but we in the oppofition readily agree to "their measures." Upon hearing this explanation, the house fmiled, and the hafty zealot fat down afhamed. Let me produce the whole period now under confideration. Then I believe, the reader will allow, that Mr. Welley has imitated this hafty gentleman in one inftance; and whether he has not fome rea-* fon to imitate him in another, I fhall leave to his own determination.-Immediately after the difplay of free juftification, or of righteoufnefs imputed without works,' Afpafio, aware of the poffibility: LEIGH's Crit. Sacr.--That it does not, in this connection, de~! note an apprehending of fomewhat not taken hold of before, is evident from verfe the twelfth, where this very exhortation is directed to Timothy himself; who was an eminent man of GOD, and the fubject of particular prophecies; was a believer of the first clafs, and an undoubted heir of life and immortality: who needed not therefore to attain, but to live in the stedfaft hope and unintermitted expectation of the glorious inheritance. *Rom iv. 6. of abufing his doctrine, afferts the indifpenfible neceffity of holiness. This done, as quite cleared from the accufation, he triumphs with the apoftle; " Do "we then make void the law, through faith in the "imputed righteoufnefs of our LORD? GOD for "bid! yea, we establish the law. Confidered as "the original covenant of life, we provide for its "honour, by the perfect obedience of CHRIST. "Confidered as the invariable standard of duty, we "enforce its obfervance, by the most rational, man"ly, and endearing motives *"-Here, Sir, was hardly any room for the precipitancy of interruption, because the whole paffage lay before you. And it is a little surprising, that you should see and animadvert upon the former claufe; yet neither fee, nor regard, the clause immediately following. "Did fuch a thought (of establishing the law, by "the atonement and righteoufnefs of CHRIST) e"ver enter into St. Paul's mind?"Let the preceeding context determine. Has the apoftle been opening the true fenfe of the precepts, that they might be rightly understood? Has he been inculcating the inviolable obligation of the precepts, that they might be duly practifed? Has he not been afferting a juftification abfolutely free, effected by the rightconfnefs of GOD, without any co-agency' from the righteoufnefs of man? Does he not, in the laft words, profeffedly encounter the objection, which, in every age, has been raised against this facred doctrine?" Hereby you neglect and dishonour "the divine law." No, fays the inspired apologist, the law is hereby established, and fhewn to be more ftable than earth or heaven. The grand Legiflator himself shall be humbled to its obedience; the GOD who gave the law, fhall bleed for its penalties, rather than a tittle fail of its due accomplishment. Magnified thus, the law indeed is, and made for * Theron and Aspasio, vol. I. p. 192. ever honourable. And though Aspasio does not exclude our practical regards, I do verily, for my own part, believe, that the former fentiment, against which you exclaim, was uppermoft with the apostle, and is the chief defign of the text. Yes, Sir; it was the apoftle's chief defign, to fhew the perfect confiftency of free juftification with the most awful glories of the DEITY; and thereby lay a firm foundation for the hope of a finner. Had juftice, which is the effential glory of GOD'S nature, or the law, which is the revealed glory of his will-had either of these been violated, by the evangelical fcheme; benign and defireable as it is, it must have been utterly rejected; it could never have taken place; the whole world muft have perished, rather than such an injury be offered to any of the divine perfections. Therefore St. Paul moft fweetly teaches, and moft fatisfactorily proves, that, instead of being injured, they are moft illuftriously displayed by the obedience and death of CHRIST. By this means, JEHOVAH is inflexibly juft, even in justifying the ungodly; and his law is highly exalted, even in abfolving the tranfgreffor, that believeth in JESUS. Here is firm footing; here is folid rock. Solid rock, on which the finner may reft, who is well nigh funk in despair; while the wayes and billows of divine indignation go over his alarmed foul. -Firm footing, on which he may proceed, who fees the importance of his eternal interefts, and does not risk them on the vague notion of mere mercy; dares not give into the modifh religion, which leaves fuch venerable things, as the juftice of the Moft High and the law of the Most Holy, deftitute of their due honour; and leaves fuch impotent creatures as men, to shift for themfelves, by doing the beft they can. "The plain meaning is, we establish both the * true sense, and the effectual practice of the law: "we provide for its being both understood and "practised in its full extent."-How can you make this provifion, if you fet afide the confummate obedience of CHRIST; who is the end of the law for righteousnefs;' for accomplishing that righteoufnels, which its precepts defcribe, and its conftitution demands. O! Sir, did you confider, what that meaneth, which the apostle ftiles za aduralov vous, you would not use this language. Can we can such miserable finners as we, ever dream of effectually practifing, in its full extent, that law, which condemns every failure, which requires truth in the inward parts, which infifts upon perfection, abfolute perfection, in every inftance, and on all occafions; charging us, With act intenfe, and unremitted nerve, to the very end of our lives, and from the begin ning of them too?-Attend, I entreat you, Sir, to this moft fublime fanctity of the divine law. Then, instead of saying, we provide for its performance in the full extent of its demands; you will probably fay, with a more becoming modefty, we provide for its performance, in a way of willing, chearful, fincere obedience, ftill looking unto HIM for juftifi cation, who has, in our name, and as our furety, fulfilled it to the uttermoft. It is, I apprehend, one of your leading errors, that you form low, fcanty, inadequate apprehenfions of GOD'S law; that law, which is a bright representation of his most pure nature; a beautiful draught of his moft holy will, and never, fince the fall, has been perfectly exemplified in any living character, but only in the man CHRIST JESUS, |