and naked, and in this consciousness coming to Jesus to be enriched, to be made happy in his love, to be enlightened, and to be clothed with righteousness, He will grant our suit, He will even "do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or even think."

From the text before us in its connexion with the preceding verses, we may observe, (and this is constantly worthy of notice in scripture) that in the word of God we find the doctrinal and preceptive parts of our faith so interwoven together, that we must infer it was the intention of the Spirit of God that they should never be separated. And they cannot be separated in the mind of the true Christian, who must ever have respect to the whole counsel of God. It is true, that if the believer possesses the faculty of analysis, he will not be satisfied with confused statements of the truth as a whole, for he believes that this would be injurious to his growth in knowledge; but he will desire to become acquainted with its several parts in detail, and to understand the mutual relation and dependencies of each. He knows that faith is not work, nor is work grace; but whilst he would have each of these principles distinctly defined, in order that their real nature may not be mistaken, and that in their combination they may not produce a false impression, he greatly loves to view them in their harmonious unity. With delight he contemplates that free grace of God, which, irrespective of faith or work foreknown, bestows upon the sinner the gift of faith. He is well pleased to discover, that the faith, which, irrespective of work, justifies, is also the faith, which working by love, fulfils the law. And when by grace the foundation of faith has been laid in the believer's heart, he is alike jealous lest he should unduly mingle together the grace of God and his own work, or

unduly separate between faith and its fruits. Truly the believer perceives that he lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. At one time his soul is quickened to a more vigorous life of faith, by the promulgation of the word of free grace; at another, he is animated in his Christian course by receiving the word of exhortation. Now the love of Christ is the constraining principle of action; now His example admonishes our wavering steps, and silently and sweetly provokes us to good works. Can the believer doubt that it well becomes him to suffer the word of exhortation, and that he has continual need of that word? If he does so, it betrays that his faith is almost extinguished by ignorance and folly. How is it that the saints are so continually admonished in the scripture, if they do not need to be reminded of their high calling in Christ Jesus ? From whence this zeal and carefulness of the inspired writers, if we could dispense with their moving and forcible appeals? Most certainly we can in no wise dispense with them. We need all the stimulants which God has provided for our sluggish souls. The warnings, even the threatenings of God's word, we dare not overlook, because we are believers. Rather through these warnings, and even threatenings, as well as by his consolations, the Lord carries on his work of grace in our hearts. How often are we ready to slumber and sleep as do others! Then the Lord graciously rouses us out of sleep. He reminds us that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, and that we must follow after this holiness, and obtain larger measures of this gift of God, in order that an abundant entrance may be ministered to us into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are sometimes ready to forget the divine purpose in our salvation, and that God

us,

has predestinated his people, to be conformed to the image of his Son; and therefore it is that our apostle teaches "He that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself so to walk even as He walked." Conformity to the mind of Christ is a part of the high calling of his saints, and by the exhortations of the scripture, they are urged forward in their heavenly course. These admonitions, therefore, come with a divine power to the believer's heart, and are instrumental in the production of those fruits of righteousness, which in the divine order follow the faith of justification, as certainly and as necessarily, as in natural vegetation, the flower succeeds the bud, and the fruit the flower. The imitation of Christ must take place, if the root of our faith abide in him. But not only does the inserted branch derive life-giving nourishment from the stock; other influences also from without, promote its growth and vigour. We acknowledge at once the genial power of the summer's sun and moistening rain; but the keen breath of the northern-blast, and the sharp frost of winter, are also salutary in their season. In like manner the exhortations of God's word, now tender, now severe, all tend to the same blessed end, the production in our hearts and lives of the perfect fruits of righteousness.

7. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

In the preceding verse, the apostle suggested to the faithful that it was befitting the disciples of Jesus to tread in their Master's steps. But now, he appears to

anticipate some objection, from those who might consider the ancient statutes of God to be in a measure set aside, if they were not proposed to the Christian as his rule of life, but in their stead the example of Jesus alone. He reminds them therefore, that when he makes no mention of any commandments, save those of Jesus, and forbears to speak of any pattern of holiness except that which he exhibited in his own person on earth, this is not that he may present them with a new code of laws, unknown to their fathers, but the contrary. For Jesus as the Law-fulfiller, exemplified in every particular the perfect accomplishment of the two tables of the law, thus confirming his own memorable words, Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

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We must bear in mind, that the law of the creature's righteousness is no law of ceremonial observances, which may be given for a season only, and to a particular nation, only for specific purposes, which purposes being accomplished, the law is no longer of use, but is abrogated because it has become unnecessary. The moral law, or law by which man is bound in allegiance to his God, and in ties of amity to his fellow creatures, is of everlasting obligation, and from its very nature is insusceptible of any change. It springs out of the constitution of man's being, as the creature of God, and as one of many myriads of other beings, towards whom a benign Creator being affected with like love, and equally desiring their welfare, it is evident that he must require of each an equal attention to the well being of all. Now Jesus, as man, fulfilled the law of most dutiful and affectionate obedience to his God, and of perfect benevolence and love to his brethren of human

kind. He kept, in every point, that law which Adam transgressed so foully, when he became a traitor to his God, and also sinned away the life of all his posterity. Jesus fulfilled the old commandment which was delivered to man from the beginning-a commandment which cannot by any possibility become obsolete, and which no new doctrine can overthrow. But, as John declares of himself, he writes to them "no new commandment," for " Love is the fulfilling of the law." Love to God, inciting to obedience to his precepts, and love to man, inciting to such works as shall promote his welfare. Therefore when the apostle proposes to believers the example of Christ in lieu of all other laws, he does in fact propose to them the most ancient of all statutes, only in a way of example as well as of precept, for Jesus has given us both.

And in respect to the example of Jesus, which is set before us in the New Testament, as the rule of life, it may be observed, that herein we have a most distinct and unequivocal proof of the proper and essential deity of Christ. For except he be God as well as a righteous man, how is it that his righteousness and holiness is proposed to us as a model for imitation in those scriptures which always set before us the nature and example of God himself, as the rule of our holiness? Shall the creature, however excellent, or pure, or righteous, be coupled with the thrice holy Lord God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity? Shall we venture to think, that sometimes God the Father is presented to us as a pattern of holiness and beneficence, and sometimes the man Christ Jesus, the one being true and proper God, but the other no more than a highly excellent and exalted creature? Thus to link together God and the most holy of created beings, is surely no