place for declaring it; but the condemning of that matter looks very like an express prohibition of all sorts of invocation, but that through Christ, who is always proposed to us as the only person by whom we come to God. The worship which many Christians pay to Angels,

to Saints, to images, to bones and relics, and to the Virgin Mary, whom they style Our Lady, and the mother of God, and the queen of heaven, is as much a departure from Jesus Christ, our only Advocate, as to worship a fictitious deity is the withdrawal of our faith and true allegiance from the true God. Therefore, in opposition to this, as well as all seductions of the like nature, St. Paul writes this Epistle to the Colossians, wherein he magnificently sets forth the Messiah, and all the benefits flowing from Him, as being the image of His Father, the Redeemer of all mankind, the Reconciler of all things to God and the Head of the Church. He commends the doctrine preached to them by Epaphras, and exhorts them not to be led away by the reasonings of human philosophy, nor by a pretended humility in worshipping objects, nor by the superstitious practices of making differences of meats or drinks'. The Apostle does not condemn sound philosophy; but that kind of it which hath no foundation in truth; and which is merely formed by the imagination, aided by the Bishop Burnet.

6 Dr. Jortin.

7 Stackhouse.

pride of human reason; and he states why, under the Christian dispensation, the acceptable worshipping of God does not consist in mere carnal observances, because meats and drinks are designed for the benefit of man, for preserving his temporal life, and are consumed in their use: they all come to corruption, and are consumed in doing us service; and cannot be of use in our worship'. He concludes by desiring that, "when this Epistle is read among you, you cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea:" this was probably, as has been stated, the Epistle to the Ephesians, a copy of which may have been sent by the direction of the Apostle to the Laodiceans, whose city lay between Ephesus and Colosse'. SECT. CCLVII.-Paul writes his Epistle to the Hebrews.Heb. i.-xiii.

By what means St. Paul was delivered from his imprisonment, and discharged from the accusation, which the Jews brought against him, we have no account in history; but may presume that, not having sufficient proof of what they alleged, or, being informed that what they alleged was no violation of any Roman law, they durst not implead him before the emperor, and so permitted him to be discharged in course. But before he quitted Italy, he

Dr. Macknight.

9 Poole.

1 Dr. Wells.

wrote his famous and most elaborate Epistle to the Hebrews, or the converted Jews dwelling in Jerusalem and Judæa'. There has been some little doubt as to the persons to whom this Epistle was addressed; but by far the most general and most probable opinion is, that it was written to those Christians of Judæa who had been converted to the Gospel from Judaism. They seem to have been native Jews, inhabitants of Judæa, the language of which country was Hebrew; therefore they were called Hebrews, in contradiction to those Jews, who, residing commonly in other countries, although they occasionally came to Jerusalem, used the Greek language, and were therefore called Galatians. That this Epistle was of ancient date, and written before the destruction of the Temple, and abolition of the Jewish worship, is manifest, from the author making no mention of these events, which, had they been passed, he would not have omitted, as one of the best arguments that could have been produced for the support of his main doctrine,-the abrogation of the Levitical sacrifices and priesthood. It has been questioned, both by ancients and moderns, who was the author of this Epistle; but it is not to be questioned that it was extant in the Apostolical age'. The testimony of all ancient

2 Stackhouse.

3

Bishop Tomline.

• Dr. Whitby.

copies and translations, with the concurrent suffrage of the best writers, both ancient and modern, afford such evidence for St. Paul's being the author of this excellent Epistle, that the objections, or rather scruples, brought to the contrary, are of no weight. St. Paul has omitted his name from the commencement of this Epistle, as some have imagined, because he knew that his name would not have much weight with the Hebrew Christians, to whom he was in general obnoxious, on account of his zeal in converting the Gentiles, and in maintaining that the observance of the Mosaic Law was not essential to salvation. It is, however, clear, that the persons to whom this Epistle was addressed, knew from whom it came, as the writer refers to some acts of kindness which he had received from them, and also expresses a hope of seeing them soon. The main design of the Apostle in this Epistle, is to magnify Christ and the religion of the Gospel above Moses and the Jewish economy; that, by this means, he might the better establish the converted Jews in the belief and profession of Christianity. To this purpose he represents our Saviour, in His Divine nature, far superior to all Angels, and all created beings; and, in His mediatorial capacity, a greater Lawgiver than Moses, a greater Priest than Aaron, and a Bishop Tomline.

› Pyle.

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greater King and Priest than Melchisedec: he also shows that the ceremonies, the sacrifices, and the observances of the Law, could have no virtue in themselves, but only as they were types of Jesus Christ; and, having been now accomplished in His person, and by His ministry, were finally and totally abolished. He insists on the necessity of faith by the examples of the patriarchs and prophets, and proves that justification is to be had no other way than by the merits of a dying Saviour'. The Apostle concludes with exhortations to several Christian duties, such especially as the Jewish Christians most wanted to have inculcated upon them; namely, to charity, hospitality, and beneficence to their fellow Christians, and, in fine, to constancy in the true doctrine and worship of Christianity, as far surpassing the external ceremonies of the Jewish religion.

The Scriptural history ends with the release of St. Paul from his two years' imprisonment at Rome; and no ancient author has left us any particulars of the remaining part of this Apostle's life. It seems probable, that immediately after he recovered his liberty, he went to Jerusalem; and that afterwards he travelled through Asia Minor, Crete, Macedonia, and Greece, confirming his converts, and regulating the affairs of the different Churches which he " Pyle.

7 Stackhouse.

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