cise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

And the Apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

ANTIOCH in Syria, where we left Paul and Barnabas, at the close of our former Lecture, was a large and populous city, presenting a wide sphere of usefulness to those distinguished preachers of Christianity. We are not surprised, therefore, at the circumstance mentioned at the close of the last chapter, that they abode there a long time with the disciples. Most gratifying must it have been to them to minister to their spiritual edification and enjoyment, and to cheer them with the assurance that though much tribulation must be encountered on the way to heaven, its eternal felicity would more than compensate all. Nor can we doubt the reciprocal satisfaction of those to whom they ministered. Swiftly must have passed the time, though comparatively long, in which this state of things subsisted. Those many

days must have been happy days-too happy, indeed, to continue without some evil occurrence, some hindrance from Satan or his instruments, to the maintenance of universal peace and joy.

The particular circumstance which occurred to disturb the minds of the Church at Antioch, on this occasion, is related in the text. "Certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved."

These early disturbers of the peace of the Church were Jews, who though so far converted to Christianity, as to profess to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, were by no means fully acquainted with the essential truths of the gospel. Instead of regarding the law of Moses as virtually abolished by the death of Christ, in which its design was accomplished, they believed that it was binding upon the conscience of every man who became acquainted with its requirements. Had they merely felt the

propriety of continuing themselves to observe the ceremonial law, without relying upon that observance at all for justification before God, they would have acted only in accordance with the general custom of the great body of Jewish believers previously to the destruction of Jerusalem. Or had they urged upon the Christians at Antioch the duty of consulting the prejudices of their Jewish brethren by conforming, as much as possible, to their habits and modes of living, and not putting a stumbling-block in their way, their advice would have been deserving of respect. But no representations of this kind appear to have been made: on the contrary they pressed upon these converts from heathenism to Christianity the imperative necessity of conforming in all respects to the Mosaic code, and declared to them the impossibility of their being saved in a state of uncircumcision. Not that they called in question the importance, or even the necessity, of faith in the Messiah, (for

this they themselves professed to exercise,) but they went on the principle that faith alone could not justify the sinner-that an observance of the law must be added to it to render it efficacious. Their system, in fact, resembled that which has been too prevalent in every age of the Church, and the natural exhibition of a self-righteous and unhumbled spirit-a system of conjoint justification by faith and works-a system inimical to the freeness of salvation -to the comfort of the penitent-to the hopes of the Christian-and to the honour of Jesus. No wonder that St. Paul, when he wrote to the Galatians to warn them against the inroads of such a dangerous delusion, used such strong and decided language. "I marvel," says he, "that ye are soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel; which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other

gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." that if ye

"Behold, I Paul say unto you, be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

With similar decision of mind, and in language such as this, did Paul and Barnabas, it is probable, withstand, on the present occasion, the efforts of the judaizing teachers among the converts at Antioch. We are told, indeed, in the second verse, that "they had no small dissension and disputation with them." They not only dissented from the representations of these misguided men, but exposed their unsoundness: they not only declared that they were wrong, but disputed with them long and patiently in order to set them right. They did, in short, what every Christian