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Reflections on Paul's Zeal for Chriftian Liberty.

How little there is in all this Paffage, that looks like any peculiar Authority affumed on the Part of St. Peter, or acknowledged by St. Paul, every unprejudiced Reader will eafily obferve: And perhaps GoD might fuffer this great Apofile of the Circumcifion thus to fall, and to be thus corrected by the Apoftle of the Gentiles, the more effectually to difcountenance thofe arrogant and groundlefs Claims of the pretended Succeffors of St. Peter to Supremacy and Infallibity, which have introduced fo much Confufion and Infamy into the Church.

We may well rejoice in the Review of a Paffage, which fo ftrongly afferts Chriftian Liberty on the one Hand, and exemplifies the very Life of Chriftian Grace on the other. Let it ever be retained in our Memories, that we are juftified by the Faith of Chrift, and not by the Works of the Law; and may our Conduct be agreeable to the Doctrine we profefs, giving up all Expectations inconfiftent with this Decifion, yet ever remembering that Chrift is not the Minifter of Sin. Let Faith in him engage us, whilft dead to the Law as a Covenant of Works, to be obfervant of it as a Rule of Life, and fo to live to GOD, as thofe who are ftill under a Law to Chrift; (1 Cor. ix. 21.) and animated by the Influences of his Grace, may our Souls feel more and more of the Efficacy of his Death, who loved us and gave himself for us.

Strongly indeed will the affecting Confideration of the Death of Chrift imprefs our Hearts, when we are confcious of our Intereft and Concern in it. May the Impreffion laft through Life; and may we remember, that we are not merely to make one folemn. Addrefs to our adorable Redeemer, committing by an Act of Faith our Souls into his Hands; but that our Faith is daily to be renewing its Views of him, that fo the Life which we now live in the Flesh in the Midft of fo many Vanities and Dangers, may be conducted by the continual Influence of this Principle. May we therefore daily regard him, as our Inftructor and Governor, our Atonement and Interceffor, our Example and Strength, our Guardian and Fore-runner: And in Proportion to the Degree in which Juch Views as thefe prevail, the Grace of GOD, inftead of being fruftrated, will be the more admired and efteemed; and as it was impoffible, that Righteoufnefs fhould be attainable by the Law, it will appear, Chrift hath not died in vain, but that his Death was neceflary to procure our Juftification, and is the only fure Foundation of our Faith and Hope.

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SECT.

The Galatians reproved for not obeying the Truth.

SECT. V.

The Apostle reproves the Galatians for their Inftability,
with Regard to the important Doctrine of Juftifica-
tion by Faith; which he farther
which he farther confirms from the
Inftance of Abraham, who was thus juftified, and in
whofe Bleffing we share, through the Redemption Chrift
has wrought out for us.
Gal. III. 1,--- 14.

GALATIANS III. I.

Foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the Truth, before whofe Eyes Jefus Chrift hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

TH

GALATIANS III. I.

39

5.

Gal. III. 1.

HESE are the real Sentiments of Sect.
my Heart, which I have now laid
before you; and you were formerly taught
them at large. But Ob
latians, after all the Inftructions I have
ye thoughtless Ga-
given you, how little do they prevail in.
your Breafts? May I not even afk
you, Who
bath by fome fallacious fatal Charm in-
chanted you (a), and as it were dazzled
the Eyes of your Mind with the vain Glit-
terings of Sophiftry and delufive Arts of
Evafion, that you should not go on to obey
the Truth fo folemnly inculcated upon you;
even you, before whofe Eyes Jefus Chrift
crucified bath been fo evidently Set forth
and strongly delineated among you (6), in

the

(a) Who bath enchanted you?] I know fome would render Caouan, Who hath envied your Happiness? But as the Jewish Zealots could not have any Sense of the Happiness of thofe Chriftians they endeavoured to disturb, it is not, I think, fo natural to refer their Attempts to Envy; and it is well known, the Word alfo fignifies to enchant. It strongly expreffes the unreasonable Turn their Minds had taken, fo that one would imagine, they had been deprived of the regular Ufe, even of their natural Faculties.

(b) Before whofe Eyes Jefus Chrift crucified, &c.] There is no Room to object that this is merely an Argument to the Paffions; for in Proportion to the affecting Senfe they had of the Love of Chrift in fubmitting to Crucifixion for them, would be the rational Senfe of the Obligations they were under to him, to preferve his. Gospel pure, and his Church free and happy.

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400

Sect.

5.

It was not by the Law,
by the Law, but by the Goffel.

the most affectionate Representations of his Word and Ordinances! One would have Gal. III. 1. imagined, thefe lively Views fhould for ever have fecured your Fidelity to him, and have fortified your Hearts against every Infinuation injurious to the Hanour 2 of his Crofs. But methinks even now the Matter might be brought to a fhort Iffue: And to this Purpofe, there is this only I would learn of you, Did ye receive the Spirit in its extraordinary Operations in and upon you, by a Regard to the Works of the Mofaick Law, or any other Law on which

you might depend for were on

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of

2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Law, or by the hearing the Spirit by the Works of of Faithe

your doted

as a Matter of legal Claim? or were you nomade Partakers of it by the Hearing of the Gospel, propofing the Method of Juftification by Faith in the Righteoufnefs and Grace of the Redeemer (c)? If any of the new Teachers that are come among you, can work fuch Miracles in Proof of their Tenets, and confer fuch Gifts on their Followers, you will be more excufable in hearkening to them, than in prefent Circumstances you can poffibly be.

3

But are you indeed fo inconfiderate, as to need being reminded in this Manner?

ced is the Benefit vou can propofe by

turning to the Law? Having begun in the
Spirit, having known the Spirituality,
Power, and Energy of the glorious Gospel,

are

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(c) Did je receive the Spirit by the Works of the Law, or by the Hearing of Faith?] There is no Doubt, but that it was on their becoming Chriftians that they received the Spirit; and therefore, that it could not be afcribed to the Law, which they were Strangers to till afterwards, but muft be owing to that Faith in which they were inftructed by the Gospel on their embracing Chriflianity. Nor can it juftly be objected, that they ftill retained the Chriftianity by which the Spirit was received; for they were now perverted to a different Syftem by their New Teachers, and that which Paul had preached at firft among them, when they received the Spirit, was a Chriflianity of which Judaifm made no Part

4

(d) Have

the Spirit was given, and Miracles wrought among them.

are ye now made perfect by are ye now feeking to be made perfect by Sect.

the Flesh?

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and

41

5.

the Flesh? or have you any Expectation Gal. III. 3.
of attaining to a fuperior Degrees of Per-
fection and Excellency, by a Submiffion
to those carnal Ordinances of the Law,
which at first View appear to be so much
beneath it, and to be altogether infuffi-
cient for it? If you are tempted to 4
fo great a Fall as this, let me remind you
of the Difficulties you have already borne
for Chriftianity; many of which have
been brought upon you by the Inftigation
of the Jews, whofe Hatred is fo violent
against it. Say then, my Brethren, have
Je fuffered fo many Things in vain (d)?
Will you give up the Benefit of all thefe
Sufferings, and lofe, in a great Measure at
leaft, the Reward of them, by relinquith-
ing what is fo material in that Scheme of
Doctrine you have been fuffering for? Shall
all that you have endured, be thus in vain ?
if indeed [it be] yet in

willing to hope, it is; which I am

not entirely, and that however your Principles may have been fhaken, yet GOD will not permit them to be quite overthrown. BRA

I know, that your favourite Teachers 5 have many Arts of Addrefs, with which Toldal they

DOT

(d) Have ye fuffered fo many Things in vain?] Should it be faid, that notwithftanding the Galatians were for adding the Obfervation of the Law to the Gof nonor "pel, it would not neceffarily deftroy their Hopes as Chriftians, nor deprive them of "the Reward of that Courage they had hitherto fhewn in its Defence:" Yet it must be allowed, that fome Degree of their Reward might be loft, as it might derogate from their future Glory, to have been through Inconfideration, and Prejudices rafhly admitted, acceffary to the Corruption and confequent Obftruction of the Gofpel: And alfo, that as much Perfecution might be declined by admitting this Mixture of Judaism, there was Reafon to fear, that it was a Regard to their own prefent Eafe and Convenience that led them to it; (Compare Chap. v. 11. and vi. 12,) which was in a Manner cancelling the good Effect of their former Refolution; and indeed any Thing that looked like a finful temporizing in thofe who had before been Confeffors for the Truth, might occafion peculiar Scandal, and endanger

many more. VOL. V.

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Bio Abraham was juftified by Faith;

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mong you, doth be it by the Works of the Law, or by the hearing of Faith?

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? ot Sect. 5. they endeavour to footh you, and to and worketh Miracles a conciliate your Regards to themfelves, Gal. II. 5 while they would alienate thern from me: But when you come to the moft folid and authentic Proofs of a Divine Miffion, have you not feen them wrought among you, in Confirmation of the Doctrine I delivered to you? He therefore that 20 miniftreth to you an extraordinary Supply of the Spirit by the laying on of his Hands, and that worketh other evident and uncontrolled s among you (e), [doth be it] by the Works of the Law, and in Virtue of any Commiffion he had received from GOD to inculcate the Obfervation of the Mofaic Precepts or is it by the Hearing of Faith that he doth it? Is it not evidently by that Gospel, which you have heard me preach, and which exhorts you to feek Juftification and Salvation by Faith? And will you then forfake a Doctrine which has been fo fignally attefted, and exchange it for one, the Teachers of which have no fuch Atteftations to produce

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6. Even as Abraham Be

And this Method which the Gofpel propofeth, is agreeable to the Example lieved Go and it was ac which you teoufnefs: have in the great Father of counted to him for Right the Faithful: For even as you read of Abraham, (Gen. xv. 6.) long before he was circumcifed, that he believed GOD, relying on the Promife that He made

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(e) Worketh Miracles among you.] It is a juft and important Obfervation of Mr. Baxter here, that it was a great Difplay of Divine Wifdom, to fuffer fuch Conten tions to arife thus early in the Church, as fhould make it for the Apoftles neceffary to appeal to the Miracles, wrought before, and upon thofe, who were afterwards in fome Degree alienated from them; that future Ages might be convinced of the Certainty of thefe Miracles, as Matters of Fact beyond all Poffibility of Contradiction. See Baxter's Practical Works, Vol. ii. pag. 118..

(f) In

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