A Caution against Pride, and Vain-glory.

.

Gal. V. 25.

93
If therefore we profefs to live in the Spi- Sect. 10.
rit (b), if we profefs to be Members of
the Chriftian Church, and to have that
inward Principle of Divine Life which is
produced by the Spirit, and continually fub-
fitts on Communications from him, let us
aljo make it our conftant Care, in Confift-
ency with fuch a Profeffion, to walk in the
Spirit, in a regular and orderly Manner,
taking every Step according to Rule, and
under his Influence. And after all our 26
Care, as it is only by his Grace that we are
what we are, let us not be vain-glorious, or
conceited of our own Endowments or Per-
formances; provoking one another to mutual
Ill-ufage by a contemptuous Carriage to-
wards any whom we confider as beneath
us, or fecretly envying one another for any
imagined or real Advantage, which our
Brother may poffefs, and we defire: But
rather with an unaffected Humility and
true Benevolence of Heart, let us rejoice
in the Happiness of others, and endeavour
to promote it to the utmost of our Power.

IMPROVEMENT.

ET us learn to confider this our mortal Life as a State of Ver. 17. we de this our mortal

Warfare, in which we are to be always ftruggling with Enemies, with whom we are never to make either Peace or Truce; and fince while we dwell in the Body, we shall still find the Flesh lufting against the Spirit, let it be our conftant Concern, that the Defires of the Flesh may be oppofed and mortified, and that the Inte refts of the Spirit may be more and more advanced. And though the Contrariety is fuch between them, that we cannot compleatly

and continually do the Things which we would, let us in the main be Ver. 18. led

(b) If we live in the Spirit,] Mr. Howe infifts largely on the Energy of this Phrafe, living in the Spirit, as expreffing, in terms nearly refembling thofe in Acts xvii. 28. our continual Dependance on its Influences; and alfo illuftrates the Significancy of the Word sox in the latter Claufe of the Verfe, as explained in the Paraphrafe. See Howe on the Spirit, Vol. i. pag. 237.

94

Reflections on the Fruits of the Flesh and Spirit.

Sect. 10. led by the Spirit, and give up our rational and governing Powers more and more to its holy Dictates, that we may not fulfil the Lufts of the Flesh; and though it ftill continues to folicit and difturb us, Sin fhall be kept from reigning in us.

Ver. 16.

We fee, what the Works of the Flesh are; which, if we really Ver. 24. belong to Chrift, we fhall refolutely bind and crucify, with it Affections and Lufts. Let us endeavour more and more to fubdue them, and learn (as it were) to ufe the Inftruments of his Death, most effectually to accomplish the Death of Sin; bringing the Old-man to be crucified with him, (Rom. vi. 6.) and nailing it to that Cross, to which he bath nailed that Decree of Death, which in Consequence of Sin lay against us. (Col. ii. 14.)

Ver. 19, 20, 21.

In Oppolition to that curfed Train of irregular and malignant Affections, which are here described as the Works of the Flesh, (the continued Indulgence of which is abfolutely inconfiftent with our Hope of inheriting the Kingdom of GOD,) let us cultivate those Ver. 22, 23. amiable Difpofitions of Mind, against which there is no Law: And may the Spirit of Love, Joy, Peace, Long-fuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, the Spirit of Faith, Meekness, and Temperance, work them more and more in our Souls!

How vain are the Cares of the Generality of Men, to adorn their Bodies, to improve their Eftates, to advance their Rank, while their Minds remain neglected? Yea, how vain are all Cares, to cultivate the Mind with Science, when compared with the infinitely more important Care of improving it in fuch Habits of Goodness, whereby we shall be brought to refemble GoD, and be fitted for Ver. 26. ever to enjoy him? Let this be all our Emulation, and in this let us place our Glory; nor let us go about to provoke one another to any Thing but this.

Ver. 25.

We profefs to live in the Spirit of OD, whofe gracious Influences are indeed the very Life of our Souls: Let us make it our Care alfo, to walk in the Spirit, to regulate every Action of our Lives, every Sentiment of our Hearts, by a becoming Regard to him; guarding folicitoufly against any Thing that would grieve him, and encouraging those friendly Offices of his, whereby we may be trained up in a growing Meetness for the Society of the bleffed Spirits above; and for that World, where the Flefh fhall be laid afide, till all the Seeds of Corruption are worn out of its Compofition, and it be raised as pure, as it fhall be glorious, in the Image of that Saviour, whofe Difcipline has taught us to feek the Victory over it, and whofe Grace enables us to obtain it.

SECT.

Such as fall, fhould be restored with Meekness.

S. E C T. XI.

The Apoftle purfues his practical Exhortations, efpe-
cially inforcing mutual Love, and a Care of each
other, with a Zeal in doing Good; and cautions the
Galatians against thinking too favourably of their own
Spiritual State.
Gal. VI. 1,---10.

I

GALATIANS VI. 1.

95

Have cautioned you againft Envy, and Sect. 11. mutual Provocation; but my Brethren, reft not merely in a Freedom from fuch Gal. VI. 1. unkind Affections towards each other, but labour to be mutually useful, and that in your best Interefts: And if a man be overtaken in any Fault thro' his own Frailty, or, the Surprize of a Temptation, do ye who are spiritual (a), and, having received the Spirit of GOD yourfelves, are best fitted for fuch an Office, endeavour to reflore fuch an one, and to reduce (as it were) that difjointed Member, not with a rigorous Severity, but in the Spirit of Meeknefs, Gentleness and Love; confidering tbyfelt (b), whofo

(a) Ye who are fpiritual.] Dr. Whitby and fome others understand this, as a Charge addreffed to Minifters, who by the extraordinary Gifts they had received were beft fitted for this Work. But we know that the Word fpiritual is in the Writings of St. Paul, fometimes oppofed to carnal; (Rom. vii. 14. viii. 6. 1 Cor. iii. 1.) and If it thould be allowed here to fignify fuch as were endowed with fome fupernatural Gifts, it would not fuppport the Limitation propofed, fince the Apoftle fpeaks of the Galatians in general, as having received the Spirit. (Chap. iii. 2.) I must therefore think with Mr. Locke, that the Expreffion here fignifies fuch as were eminent for Gifts or Graces.

(b) Confidering thyfelf.] It is juftly obferved by Mr. Blackwall, (Sacr. Claff. Vol. i. pag. 133, 134.) that this fudden Transition from the Plural Number to the Singular, adds a great deal of Beauty and Force to the Caution: For it is as if the Apoftle fhould have faid, "Let every particular Perfon among you remember, that he may "alfo be in Danger through his own Frailty; and by thus looking to himself he will "be induced to carry it with greater Tenderness to others, and will be more difpofed "to pity and affift them."

7

(c) He

96

Gal. VI. 1.

The Danger of thinking too highly of our felves.

Ι

Sect. 11. whofoever thou art, left thou also being ftill
in the Body, and liable to the like Affaults,
Should be tempted, and fall as thy Brother
hath done, fo as on this Account to ftand
in need of the fame kind Office from him,
which thou art now called to render to
2 him. Be ready then in this and all other
Refpects to bear one another's Burthens; and
let it be your Care with mutual Tenderness
to comfort and fupport the Weak, (Com-
pare Rom. xv. I. and I Theff. v. 14.) ac-
commodating yourselves to each other in
the most engaging and obliging Manner,
that you may thus make all about you as
eafy and happy at you can; and fo, instead
of feeking to impofe the heavy Burden of
the Mofaic Law on others, you will fulfil
that which is especially the Law of Christ,
even that Law of Love which was enjoined
by him as his Command, and will ef-
teem it as your highest Honour to wear that
Badge of mutual Love, by which he re-
quires his Difciples to be known: (John
xiii. 34, 35. xv. 12.) And furely we may
willingly receive that Law from one, who
was himself fuch an unequalled Example
of Love; and who with fo gracious a Sym-
pathy bore our Burthens of Sorrow, and
carried away the Load of our Guilt.

3

Remernber too the Caution I have given you against Vain-glory, (Chap. v. 26.) and take heed of an over-weening Opinion of yourselves: For if any one think himself to be fomething confiderable, when indeed he is nothing like what he apprehends; and in particular, if he be fo conceited of his own Sufficiency, as to imagine he is wife and good enough to refift any Temptation that may arife, and pleafe himself that he may glory in the Applaufe of others as fecure from Danger; be deceiveth himf If, and the

worft

fhould engage every one to try his own Work.

97
worft Part of the Fraud falls on his own Sect. 11.
Head; fo that inftead of gaining from o-
thers, or fecuring to himself, that Honour Gal. VI. 3.
which he expects and aims at, he only
makes himself fo much the more con-
temptible, and his Danger is proportionable
to the high Conceit which he hath of him-
felf. But to prevent fo great an Evil, 4
let every one try and examine his own Work
by the Word of GOD, the great Rule to
which all our Actions and Thoughts should
be adjusted, and take Care that it be fuch
as GOD and his own Confcience may ap-
prove; and then he shall have Matter of re-
joicing in what he finds in himself alone, and
not in the Applaufe he receives from ano-
ther (c): He hall then have a folid Foun-
dation of Delight, in reflecting upon the
State of his own Soul, and what the Grace
of God has wrought in him and by him,
instead of fubfifting precariously and mean-
ly on the good Opinion or Applaufe of
others, who fo frequently know not what
it is that they commend, and are impofed
upon by falfe Appearances, fo that their
Teftimony can give but very little folid
Satisfaction to a Mind that thinks justly and
feriously. For every one fhall finally bear 5
bis own Burthen, and fhall be accountable
to GOD, in the great Day when he appears
before him, for his own Behaviour; fo that

2

there

(c) He fhall have Matter of rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.] Mr Locke thinks, that the Apostle hints here at the fame Thing, which he exprefles afterwards more fully concerning the falfe Teachers, (Ver. 13.) that what they had in View was to glory in others, whom they prevailed with to be circumcifed; and fo would have xavXua to be rendered glorying, (which is indeed the common Meaning of the Word,) and would confider it as a Caution to them to be careful of their own, particular Actions, that they were fuch as would afford them Matter of glorying in themfelves, and not vainly in others. But the Word alfo fignifies rejoicing, as our Tranflators often render it elsewhere, (2 Cor. i. 14. Phil. i. 26. ii. 16. Heb. iii. 6.) which feems fufficiently to exprefs the Senfe of it, as I have explained it in the Paraphrafe, and evidently fuits the Apostle's Way of writing. VOL. V.

N

(d) Be

له