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THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.
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THE
DOCTRINE OF ELECTION,
ITS CONNECTION WITH
GENERAL TENOR OF CHRISTIANITY,
ILLUSTRATED FROM
MANY PARTS OF SCRIPTURE,
AND ESPECIALLY FROM
THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.
By THOMAS ERSKINE^ja.,_ Ausocatb-^ -
AUTHOR OF "remarks rf?! THE INTERNAL EVIDENCE FOR THE
TRUTH OF REVEALED RELIGION."
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR JAMES DUNCAN, PATERNOSTER ROW
W. INNES, 31, HANOVER ST., EDINBURGH :
AND J. A. BEGG, ARGYLL ARCADE, GLASGOW.
M DCCC XXXVII.
Printed by Aird & Ri'ssell,75, Argyll Street, Glasgow.
Br8:/o
El
CONTENTS.
Preface, pp.ix.— xxiii.
Common view of the doctrine of Election inconsistent with the
representations given in Scriptnre of the equality of God's
ways, and of man's responsibility, pp. 1—12.
The parable of the Potter and the clay, Rom. ix. 21, and Jer.
X viii., opposed to the view of Unconditional Election, pp. 13 — 26.
The purpose of God in Christ, (as set forth in 2 Tim. i. ii.,) shown
to be, that through deaths lovingly received, we should enter into
eternal life and glory, pp. 26 — 43.
The sovereignty of God exercised in appointing man's opportuni-
ties and trials ; not in determining his reception of them, — ex-
planation of the history of the two thieves, pp. 43—51.
Besides the inherent principle of evil in man, every one has also
the good seed of the word sown in his heart, and has received
the power of imiting himself to it;— this illustrated by the para-
ble of the com of wheat, John xii. 24, pp. 62—62.
Conscience, the link between flesh and spirit, — the point of con-
nection between God and man ;— the Bible given to teach us
that it is God who speaks in the conscience, and that Man's
Reprover is his Saviour, pp. 62 — 69.
Christ spoke in parables, not that He might keep the people in
darkness, but because this was the mode of instruction most
suited to the condition of their minds — as God still speaks to us
in outward events,.. ..c pp. 69 — 74.
ivi852478
VI CONTENTS.
In the parables of the Sower, (Luke viii. 5,) and of the Tares in
the field, (Matt, xiii., 24,) the good seed of the word is re-
presented as sown J)y Christ himself in every heart ; as the
tares are by Satan ; and we become assimilated to, and identified
with the good or the evil seed, according as we attach ourselves
to either, pp. 74—85.
In yielding to the drawings of the Adversary, no acknowledgment
of his presence or power is required, but in living by faith, there
is the conscious receiving of power from God, pp. 86—91.
Christ, in John vi. 37 — 44, teaches the Jews that those who come
to Him drawn by worldly motives, do not come truly or profit-
ably to Him — and that none can come truly to Him, except
those who listen to and follow the inward voice, pp. 91 — 118.
The meaning of the words, (Acts xiii. 48,) " As many as were or-
dained unto eternal life, believed," shown to be that those who
were obeying the call of the Father, having their hearts directed
towards eternal life, believed and welcomed the Apostle's words
concerning Christ — The case of Lydia considered, pp. 118 — 130.
Prophecies of spiritual blessings referring to the future history of
the children of Israel, sometimes regarded as unconditional, —
shown to be merely the repetition of promises in the books of
Moses, where their humility and acknowledgment of sin are
the expressed conditions, pp. 130 — 143.
The doctrine of God's dealing with men in the way of rewards
and punishments, not inconsistent with free grace, inasmuch as
they are rewarded or punished according as they accept or re-
fuse the grace bestowed. " Who maketh thee to differ from
another?" 1 Cor. iv. 2—7, pp. 143—155.
The importance and value of the Bible not impaired by insisting
on the necessity of the corresponding inward word, pp. 155 — 177.
A belief in miracles does not necessarily imply living faith — faith
opposed to sight,— 1 Cor. ii. 9—14 ; 2 Peter i. 10 ; 1 Peter ii. 1—9,
pp. 177—197.
God's dealings with nations and individuals in giving them pecu-
liar privileges and gifts, quite consistent with His being no re-
specter of persons, — His judgment being according to the im-
provement made of them, pp. 197 — 203.
CONTENTS. VII
Rom. i. ii. iii. 1—21. — A setting forth of the universal prevalence
of sin, and corresponding universality of the Gospel. The re-
ference to the prophecy of Habakkuk illustrates the nature of
the righteousness of faith, showing it to be a confident trust in
God's guidance, even when He leads by a way of sorrow and
death. This faith exemplified by Christ, pp. 203—219.
Justification by faith farther illustrated and explained, pp. 219—229.
Rom. iii. 21 — 26. — Christ the Head of our race, and in his actings
in our nature an example to us of the righteousness which is by
faith. This righteousness acknowledged of God in the case of
Abraham, and typified in the sacrifices of the ceremonial law,
pp. 229—262.
The superabounding of grace over sin, pp. 263 — 267.
The Fall, Original Sin, and the Restoration, pp. 267—284.
Comparison between the Law and the Gospel, pp. 284 — 302.
Rom. v. 15.— The restoration through Christ, co-extensive with,
andfiilly compensatory of, the Fall through Adam, pp. 302—308.
Rom. V. 16, 17. — The selfishness and alienation from God, which
are inherited from Adam, met by the parallel working of the
gift of righteousness, a good principle or spirit, infiised into the
race through Christ, which being Christ's own nature, leads
those who receive it or accept its guidance, into a participation
in Christ's kingdom, pp. 308 — 329.
Rom. vi. 1 — 13. — A man becomes a true receiver or accepter of
the gift of righteousness, only by partaking in Christ's death,
pp. 329—337.
Rom. vi. 14 — 23. — By coming truly under grace, man is delivered
from the dominion which sin had over him, while he remained
under the law, pp. 337—342.
Rom. vii. 1 — 6. — As the condemnation of the Law lies on the old
man, or the carnal nature, it lies also on those who are married
to the old man, or who live in the carnal nature, and they can
escape from it, only by dying to the old man, and so separating
themselves from him, and his condemnation, pp. 342 — 348.
Rom. vii. 7— 26.— The working of the Law unfolded, pp. 348—368.
VIII CONTENTS.
Rom. viii. 1—4.— Deliverance from the condemnation of the law, and
from the power of sin, through participating in the Spirit of
life, or the nature of Christ, which condemns sin in the flesh,
pp. 358—380.
Rom. viii. 5— 26.— Description of the carnal mind and the spir-
itual mind. The spiritually-minded constitute God's family ;
and they accept their punishment, as the first part of their in-
heritance, appointed to prepare them for the second, which
is the glory, pp. 380—393.
Rom. viii. 26— 39.— The Searcher of hearts, searcheth for spiritual
minds, and when He discovers any one becoming spiritual. He
immediately puts it under a new discipline, suited to its new
character, pp. 393— 414.
Rom. ix. 1—13. — Isaac and Jacob, types of the spiritual mind,
and of its blessing ; Ishmael and Esau, types of the carnal
mind and of its condemnation. The promises belonged ex-
clusively to the spiritual mind ; and therefore, carnal Israel,
although set up as the type of the spiritual mind, had no claim
to them, ^ pp. 414— 431.
Rom. ix. 14— 18.— The righteousness of God in the rejection of
Israel, after a long forbearance, asserted, — and illustrated by
His dealings with Pharaoh, pp. 431 — 470.
Rom. ix. 19—26. — God had a right to condemn and punish Israel's
sin, although He had used that sin for the accomplishment of
His purposes. The calling of the Gentiles agreeable to pro-
phecy, pp.470— 492.
Conclusion. — TVwe natural religion, — The connection between the
conscience and true religion, — The duty of trying all things by
conscience, — The separation of doctrines from inward conscious-
ness, — " Thou knowest not whence it cometh, nor whither it
goeth," — Edwards on the Freedom of the Will, and his defective
definition oi liberty^— Th^ essential conditions of human liberty,
—The liberty wherewith the Sonmaketh free, pp. 492 — 570.
PREFACE.
I DID not intend to put a Preface to this Work; but,
now that it is finished, I find so many things in it
which stand in need of the reader's indulgence, that
I think it well, at the entrance, to warn him of them,
and to bespeak his patience.
The first half of the book was written under the
disadvantage of frequent interruptions, which I am
sensible have very often broken the thread of thought
and interest; and with regard to the entire work,
it has happened, chiefly I confess from my own fault,
that every sheet was printed as soon as it was writ-
ten, so that I never saw it, nor could judge of it, as
a whole, until the last sheet came from the press.
From these causes have proceeded defects in the
arrangement, and frequent repetitions, besides other
faults, which are now beyond the reach of correction,
and which I feel, must hang a drag on many parts of
the book.
Nevertheless, I am not without hope that the
reader who is interested in the subject, will find in
the book that which w ill repay him for the trouble
a2
X PREFACE.
of going through it. Not that he will meet with
any deep thinking in it, or any striking speculations;
for I have throughout kept the place of a commen-
tator or expositor, confining myself entirely within
the range of the written word and human conscious-
ness, and scarcely attempting to touch the meta-
physical questions relating to Free Will and Neces-
sity; hut I think he will find in it a satisfactory
view of what is meant by Election in the Bible,
and satisfactory proof that the passages in the Bible
on which the commonly received doctrine of that
name rests, do indeed teach something very different.
He will also find, that, though I have treated the
subject simply as a Scriptural one, yet, in doing so, I
have never forgotten that the Scriptures were given,
not to supersede or stand in place of the rational
conscience, but to awaken and enlighten it, and con-
sequently that no conviction as to their meaning
ought to be considered as rightly arrived at, unless
confirmed and sealed by the consent of the con-
science, that is, unless such conviction be of the
nature of a perception of truth, and not a mere
submission to authority ; and that therefore I have
always felt it incumbent on me, to explain the views
which I bring from Scripture, in the light of the
rational conscience, that is, to show the relation
which they bear to it.
I have entered largely into the subject of Con-
science, and the adaptation of the Scriptures to it,
and into the consideration of those general and ele-
mentary views of the condition of man, as a moral
PREFACE. XI
and responsible being, which the Scriptures either
expressly set forth, or manifestly assume to be true,
and which do in fact constitute the basis of all the
doctrines which they teach ; and I have endeavoured
to show, that it is only when we take our stand upon
these views as upon a 'vantage ground, that we can
truly discern the meaning of many parts of Christian
doctrine.
I hope that my reader will see, that in thus re-
quiring that what we learn from the Bible should
harmonize with the light in our consciences, I am
not detracting from the true authority of the inspir-
ed Book, but only putting it in its true place. What
that place is, is distinctly marked in 2 Tim. iii. 16,
" All Scripture which is given by inspiration of God,
is also profitable, for doctrine, for reproof, for cor-
rection, for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works." Now it is manifest that un-
less in my own conscience I am perceiving the
righteousness of the will of God, revealed in any
doctrine, I cannot be instructed in righteousness by
it. For instruction in righteousness must mean
here, the instruction received in the conscience, that
is, the awakening and nourishing within me of the
perception and love of righteousness, which cannot
take place when I am receiving a doctrine in the
way of submission to authority, without really per-
ceiving the righteousness that is in it.
And besides, I cannot feel satisfied that I have
rightly understood what doctrine the inspired writer
XII PREFACE.
meant to teach, whilst I do not myself perceive
righteousness in it, — for I cannot helieve that any
thing is really of God but what is righteous,— and
therefore, whilst I do not see the righteousness of
the doctrine, I cannot be sure that I am not putting
a wrong interpretation on the inspired text, and at
all events I am not really believing the truth of it,
— however fully I may be persuaded that there is a
truth in it, though I do not see it, which ought to
be believed, I am not instructed in righteousness,
by believing that there is a truth in a doctrine, but
by acknowledging and closing with the truth, which
I myself perceive in it.
When a man has once become persuaded that the
Bible is divinely inspired, he often seems to think
that this persuasion lays him under an obligation, no
longer to try or judge of the contents of the Book
by his conscience, but to submit himself to all that
he reads there, and to receive it implicitly; — and thus
he learns to put away his conscience, and to turn it
from the use for which it was given, and also to turn
the Scriptures from the use for which they were
given, — and yet, notwithstanding all this, to have
the semblance of obeying his conscience which com-
mands him to honour God's word. But whilst he
is in this state, he is lying under a strange delusion,
— for he is mistaking the conviction that he ought to
be believing a thing, for the actual believing of it, —
he is mistaking submission to the authority of God,
for the belief of the truth of God.
The error here arises from an ignorance of God,
PREFACE. XIII
and of his purposes towards us — it arises from re-
garding God — not as a loving and righteous Father,
who desires for us that we should become partakers
of His love and righteousness, by appreciating the
excellence of these qualities, and loving them and
receiving them into our hearts, — but as a Sovereign
who insists on our absolute submission to His be-
hests, indifferent whether we see and sympathize
with His love and righteousness in them or not.
This is to merge the moral attributes of God in
His natural attributes of power and sovereignty, — it
is to say of God that what He does is the rule of
righteousness — instead of saying that what He does
is according to righteousness. And it has also a ten-
dency to lead us on to say, that He is more glorified
by the manifestation of His power and sovereignty in
making the creature what He will, whether good or
bad, than by the manifestation of the influence of
an apprehension of His love and righteousness, on
the heart of the creature, which He has made capa-
ble of discerning good from evil, — in prevailing on it,
of its own free choice to abandon all other expecta-
tions of good, and to take Him, and His love, and
His righteousness, for its whole desire, and its whole
portion.
But this is not the religion which Jesus Christ
taught. He did not come preaching the sovereignty
of God, but preaching His righteousness, and de-
claring Him to be the Father. And moreover. He
did not come in His own name — that is. He did not
come claiming submission from men, on the ground
XIV PREFACE.
of His own personal and ofl&cial authority — but He
came requiring them to receive His doctrine, on the
ground of its intrinsic truth, as discerned by their
own consciences. He said, " If I speak the truth,
why do ye not believe me?" (John viii. 46,) thus
appealing to something of God within their own
hearts, which could distinguish truth from falsehood,
and which they were bound to consult, in judging of
the things which He said to them. And thus it ap-
pears, — that the authority on which the gospel is to
rest, is the authority of truth recognized and felt in
the conscience, and not any outward authority how-
ever purporting to be of God, — and that those who
do rest it on an outward authority, are really sub-
verting its principles by so doing.
I do not mean that a man is to sit down to the
Bible, in the spirit of a judge rather than of a dis-
<;iple, — but I mean that the true discipleship consists,
not in a blind submission to authority, but in the
discernment and love of the truth, — not in sub-
jecting the conscience to a revelation which it does
not understand, but in educating and feeding the
conscience by the truth apprehended in the revela-
tion.
But if men were called on by Jesus to try what
He himself personally taught them, by a light within
them — we are surely bound to try by the same light,
the things which have come down to us, through the
written word. And those who would teach the
things which are contained in the written word,
ought to remember, that their teaching is really
PREFACE. XV
of no use, unless they make them clear to the con-
sciences of the learners, that is, unless they show, in
the things taught, a righteousness of God which the
consciences of the learners can apprehend and ap-
prove.
It must he evident to every one, that the sole
ground on which men can be considered culpable in
preferring wrong to right, is the assumption that
they have something within them by which they can
distinguish right from wrong, and discern the ex-
cellence of what is right and the evil of what is
wrong. But we all naturally and necessarily make
this assumption, and consider those to be culpable
who, in any circumstances, prefer wrong to right.
Now truth in morals and in religion, is only another
name for what is right, and falsehood, another name
for what is wrong, — and thus that inward witness
which judges of right and wrong within us, is the
only real test by which we can judge of truth and
falsehood in religion.
That this inward witness is hardly perceptible in
the case of some persons, and that its judgment is
limited to outward actions, in the case of others, is
no objection to the statement here made. For the
witness is as a seed sown in the heart of man, and if
it is unused, it lies dormant. But still it remains
true, that it is only by the awakening and the
strengthening of this witness, that there is any real
growth within us, either in morals or religion, —
and therefore the only real instruction in the Scrip-
tures or the doctrines of religion, is that which is
XVI PREFACE.
addressed to this witness, and which thus has a ten-
dency to awaken and exercise it, for thus only is it
possible that the Scriptures can be made " profitable
for instruction in righteousness."
If therefore a teacher thinks that he is claiming
honour for God's authority, when he refuses to lis-
ten to the objections which a learner makes to any
view of a doctrine, on the ground of conscience, and
when he silences all such objections by a mere ref-
erence to the written word, he is deceiving himself,
— for that which is the true authority of God, in rela-
tion to every man, is the man's own perception of
righteousness, — and the teacher is only then truly
claiming honour for God, when he brings the doc-
trine to meet that perception.
I am not arguing for the right of private judg-
ment, — 1 am arguing for the right of conscience, that
is, for the right which my conscience has over me, I
am not arguing for my right to say to another man,
my judgment is as good as your's, but I am arguing
that neither he nor I can have a right to think that
we are honouring God by our faith, whilst our con-
science is not going along with the thing believed.
When I meet with any thing in the Bible to
which my conscience does not consent, I feel per-
suaded that I don't understand the meaning of it, —
for my confidence that it comes from God, assures
me, that if I understood it aright, I should perceive
its righteousness. Whilst I remain in this condition
however, I am conscious that I am not believing
the thing, " for with the heart man believeth unto
PREFACE. XVII
righteousness ;" and I am certain that I cannot be-
lieve any thing truly unto righteousness, unless I
perceive righteousness in it, — I am therefore con-
scious that I am not believing in it, and that I am
only bowing to it. But I do not willingly rest in
this condition. I examine the passages on which the
doctrine in question rests, — I consider whether the
meaning which I have been attributing to them is
the true meaning — I consult translations and com-
mentaries, not with the view of taking any of them
as a guide, but that I may see whether I can find in
any of them an interpretation which will at the same
time satisfy my conscience, and agree with the
language, and harmonize with the tenor of the dis-
course. We ought to require the meeting of all
these conditions in an interpretation, before we al-
low ourselves to rest in it ; and accordingly when I
have in this work preferred any interpretation of a
passage, which diflPers from that which is found in
the common version, I have done so on the ground
that these conditions meet in it, and not in the other.
It may seem to some, that such a work as this,
which consists chiefly of interpretations of passages,
ought not to have been attempted by any one who
was not well versed in verbal criticism in general, and
more especially in that of the Scriptures. But be-
sides that the labourers in that department have now
brought the whole subject within the reach of very
ordinary scholars, I believe that those who are best
acquainted with the results of that kind of schol-
arship, will agree with me in thinking, that it has
XVIII PREFACE.
already done all, or nearly all, that it is likely to do,
and that another kind of instrument is needed, in
order to draw a true and useful advantage from
that which it has established ; which instrument seems
to me, to be no other than a zealous and yet patient
demand for consistency and coherence, in our inter-
pretations, — in respect both of conscience and of
logic.
Whether I have used this instrument or not, ieach
reader must judge for himself. All that I ask of
him on this point, is, that he will not judge hastily,
nor give a final judgment, until he has finished the
book, and that he will allow his conscience as well
as his reasoning to sit along with him in the judg-
ment.
There is another thing of which I ought here to
say something to the reader. Every one who has
studied Christianity as a system not only of right-
eousness but of wisdom, must have perceived that
it has a double form throughout, inasmuch as God
has, in the first place, set forth to us, the whole
truth, objectively, in Christ, and then He calls on
us, to experience it all, subjectiveli/, in ourselves,
through the operation of the Spirit of Christ received
into our hearts by faith. I am persuaded, also, that
many must have felt, that the Atonement and the
Righteousness of faith, are connected in this way
— the Atonement being the objective view of the
doctrine, and the righteousness of faith the sub-
jective, — so that the Atonement when experienced
by ourselves, is the righteousness of faith; and
PREFACE. XIX
the righteousness of faith, when viewed out from
ourselves, in Christ, is the Atonement. Thus to
die with Christ, or to he partakers of His death,
or to have His blood cleansing us from all sin,
means the same thing as to be justified by faith, or
to have the righteousness of faith, — and thus also the
blood of Christ, when taken subjectively or experi-
mentally, means the shedding out of the life-blood
of man's will, in the Spirit of Christ, inasmuch as
no one can know the blood of Christ purging his
conscience, in any other way than by personally
shedding out the life-blood of his own will.
From the habit of viewing these two doctrines as
thus connected, and also from a conviction of the
exceeding importance of understanding that the ob-
jective view of the doctrine is quite useless, when
separated from the subjective, I have occasionally, in
speaking of them, used language which I am aware
may at first strike the reader as unusual, but which
I trust he will see the justness and reasonableness
of, as he advances. I do not mean to confound the
two doctrines together, but to connect them toge-
ther; as I do not mean to confound the root of a
tree with a branchy but only to mark their con-
nection, when I speak of them as having the same
sap circulating through them both; for though I
thus speak of them, I do not forget that the sap is
originally concocted not by the branch but by the
root, and that the branch could have no sap at all,
unless it had a root, by which the sap might be
prepared and communicated to it.
XX PREFACE.
Now, God in our nature, — that is, Christ, — is the
root of the new sap or eternal life in man, without
which no man could have been righteous, and by
the presence of which in our nature, every man may
be righteous. This is the root, which connects the
whole tree of man with God and heaven, as the
carnal Adam is the root which connects it with Sa-
tan and corruption; — for the tree has two roots and
two saps, and the atonement is just that acting of
Christ, the new root, that voluntary dying, or shed-
ding out by him of the old sap, or corrupt will
of man, — through which he separated himself and
all the branches that would adhere to him, alto-
gether and for ever, from the corruption and con-
demnation which belonged to, and lay upon, that old
sap, — that so they might be filled exclusively with
the holy sap, the eternal life, and bear the eternal
blessing which rests upon it. But the adherence
which the branch gives to him, which is the right-
eousness of faith, is just a repetition of the same
acting, by which he, the root, separated himself
acceptably to God — namely, a voluntary dying, or
shedding out of the old sap, performed by the
branch, in the power of the new sap communicated
to it from the root, and without which it would be
incapable of performing it.
This view of these doctrines, connects them dis-
tinctly with the conscience. We must acknowledge,
that that corrupt sap or life within us, which seeks
self-gratification instead of righteousness, is indeed
the source of all the evils of our condition, and
PREFACE. XXI
deserves the punishment of sorrow and death which
God has laid upon it — and we must also acknow-
ledge, that the only way of escaping from the bond-
age of that corrupt life, is by getting quit of it, or
by shedding it out; but this we could not do, with-
out another principle of life within us, in the strength
of which we might do it, and yet survive. To bring
this principle of life, the eternal life, into the whole
race, so as to be within the reach of every man, was
the work of the root, and He eflPected it by shed-
ding out the life which belongs to the flesh and
blood, in which he along with the other children
of the family partook ; and to receive this principle
of life, thus brought within their reach, so that it
should become their own life, is that co-operation
which is required of all men, and in which their
trial consists, and which they can only effect by
consenting in like manner to the shedding out of
the corrupt life of the flesh, in the strength of the
new principle.
The root does important things for the tree, but
in doing them, it is not a substitute for the tree, —
nor is its action intended to dispense with the co-
operating action of the branches. It commences a
process, which they are to carry on, in the power
communicated to them through it. They could not
have commenced the process, but the root by com-
mencing it, has put it in their power to carry it on.
Our Great Root received the sap for us, in say-
ing, " Not my will, but thine be done ;" that is, by
dying to the will of the flesh, and consenting to the
XXII PREFACE.
punishment laid on the flesh, — and we can receive it
from him to he our life, only by following out the
same process. And thus the history of Christ is
not only the history of God's love in calling us to be
partakers of His nature and blessedness, but is also
a model of the way in which alone we can truly
receive the unspeakable gift. Hence I see the one-
ness of meaning in the three following passages : —
" If they accept of the punishment of their iniqui-
ty, then will I remember my covenant with their
fathers." Levit. xxvi. 41, 42. — "The blueness of a
wound cleanseth away evil; so do stripes the inward
parts of the belly." Prov. xx. 30.— And, "The
blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from
all sin." 1 John i. 7. The meaning of them all is
the same, but the two first passages refer simply and
directly to the action of the branch, whilst the third
refers to the action of the root, by which the branch
has been made capable of performing its action.
The love which gave the root, and the spirit com-
municated through the root are profitable, only when
they are thus received and used by the branch.
Christ did not sufi'er to save men from punish-
ment, but to save them from sin, by enabling them
and encouraging them to accept their medicinal
punishment, that blueness of a wound which cleans-
eth away evil. See to this eff'ect, 2 Cor. iv. 10 — 18.
In looking over the book since it has been finish-
ed, I see that I have not always kept to the same
meaning of the word conscience, and that I have used
it sometimes to signify the Spirit of God in man,
PREFACE. XXIII
and sometimes to signify the man's own apprehen-
sion of the mind of the Spirit in him, which is often
a very different thing. But though this is a fault in
point of accuracy, I do not think that it produces
any confusion in the meaning, as the context always
shows which of these senses is intended.
Lastly, I should here account for the Epistle to the
Ephesians not having a more distinct place given to
it, amongst the passages commented on in this Work,
as connected with the doctrine of Election. The
fact is, that I had proposed to take it up, after going
through the Epistle to the Romans; but finding that
part of the work grow so much beyond what I had
intended, and anticipating the same result in treating
the Epistle to the Ephesians, if I should undertake
it, I determined to give it up altogether, rather than
to do it in a slight way.
T. E.
THE
DOCTRINE OF ELECTION, &c.
My object in this treatise is to set forth, as
distinctly and simply as I can, the grounds
on which I have come to the conclusion,
that the doctrine of God's Election, as taught
in the Bible, is altogether different from, and
opposed to that which has passed under the
name of the Doctrine of Election, and been
received as such, by a great part of the pro-
fessing church, through many ages. I know
that this undertaking will appear to many
nothing else than a foolish and presumptu-
ous attempt to pry into the secret counsels of
God, and to bring down to the level of man's
understanding, that which he has placed
above it. But God knows that this is not
true. He knows that I have undertaken the
exposition of this subject, only in as far as I
see that it belongs not to the secret things,
from which man is shut out, but to the re-
vealed things, which man is invited and re-
2 Object and Plan of the Work.
quired to know, in order that he may do the
will of God. And because I know that the
minds of many, specially in this country of
Scotland, are much prepossessed by the doc-
trine here condemned, I earnestly and so-
lemnly, as in the presence of God, entreat
the reader to give me his honest attention,
that he may be able to judge truly, whether,
in treating the question, I endeavour to
make out a case, by setting aside or passing
over any part of Scripture, or by putting
forced interpretations on any expressions
contrary to the tenor of the passages in
which they occur; or, on the contrary,
whether I do not uniformly ground the ar-
gument on the general scope of Scripture,
and on the natural meaning and tenor of the
passages generally cited in support of the
received view of the doctrine, giving its full
weight to every expression, as one who does
not wish to escape from the will of God,
but to discover it.
The doctrine of election generally held, is,
that God, according to His own inscrutable
purpose, has from all eternity chosen in
Christ, and predestinated unto salvation, a
certain number of individuals out of the fal-
len race of Adam ; and that, in pursuance
Election as Generally Held. 3
of this purpose, as these individuals come
into the world, He in due season visits them
by a peculiar operation of His Spirit, there-
by justifying, and sanctifying, and saving
them; whilst He passes by the rest of the
race, unvisited by that peculiar operation of
the Spirit, and so abandoned to their sins
and their punishment. It is also an essen-
tial part of the doctrine, that the peculiar
operation of the Spirit, by which God draws
the elect unto Himself, is held to be alike
irresistible and indispensable in the work of
salvation, so that those to whom it is ap-
plied, cannot be lost, and those to whom it
is not applied, cannot be saved; whilst all
the outward calls of the gospel, and what are
named common operations of the Spirit,
which are granted to the reprobate as well
as to the elect, are, when unaccompanied by
that peculiar operation, ineflfectual to sal-
vation, and do only aggravate the condem-
nation of the reprobate.
I held this doctrine for many years, modi-
fied, however inconsistently, by the belief of
God's love to all, and of Christ having died
for all — and yet, when I look back on the
state of my mind during that period, I feel
that it would be truer to say, I submitted to
4 Objections to View Generally Held;
it, than that I believed it. I submitted to it,
because I did not see how the language of
the 9th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans,
and of a few similar passages, could bear
any other interpretation; and yet I could
not help feeling, that, on account of what
appeared to be the meaning of these few diffi-
cult passages, I was giving up the plain and
obvious meaning of all the rest of the Bible,
which seems continually, in the most un-
equivocal language and in every page, to say
to every man, " See I have set before thee
this day, life and good, death and evil,
therefore choose life that thou mayest live."
I could not help feeling, that if the above
representation were true, then that on which
a real and righteous responsibility in man
can alone be founded, was awanting; and the
slothful servant had reason, when, in vindi-
cation of his unprofitableness, he said, "I
knew thee, that Thou art an hard man, reap-
ing where thou hast not sown, and gathering
where thou hast not strawed." Above all, I
could not help feeling that if God were such
as that doctrine described Him, then the
Creator of every man was not the friend of
every man, nor the righteous object of con-
fidence to every man; and that when Christ
Reasons of Submission to it Answered. 5
was preached to sinners, the whole truth of
God was not preached to them, for that there
was something behind Christ in the mind of
God, giving Him to one, and withholding
Him from another, so that the ministry of
reconciliation was only an appendix to a
deeper and more dominant ministry, in
which God appeared simply as a Sovereign
without any moral attribute, and man was
dealt with as a mere creature of necessity,
without any real responsibility.
I at that time, used to answer and rebuke
this doubt of my heart, by the words, though,
I now see, not hy the meaning of Scripture,
"Who art thou that repliest against God?"
and by the consideration that the finite un-
derstanding of man was incapable of com-
prehending the infinite mind of God. But
still I remained unsatisfied, because I met
with passages in the Bible in which God in-
vites and calls upon men to judge of the
equality and righteousness of his ways, plac-
ing himself as it were at the bar of their con-
sciences, and claiming fi'om them a judgment
testifying to his righteousness, and clearing
him of all inequality, and that not on the
ground that his righteousness is above their
understanding, — far less on the ground that
6 Gods Appeals in Scripture
he has a sovereign right to do as He pleases,
— but on the ground that his righteousness
is such as men can judge of, and because it
is clear and plain to that principle of judg-
ment within them, by which they approve or
condemn their own actings, and the actings
of their fellow-men.
The passages to this effect which struck
me most forcibly were, the 18th and 33d
chapters of Ezekiel, and the 5th chapter of
Isaiah. I shall transcribe the greatest part
of the 18th of Ezekiel, that I may bring the
reader face to face with it. " The word of
the Lord came unto me again, saying, What
mean ye, that ye use this proverb concern-
ing the land of Israel, saying. The fathers
have eaten sour grapes, and the children's
teeth are set on edge ? As I live, saith the
Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any
more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold,
all souls are mine ; as the soul of the father,
so also the soul of the son is mine : the soul
that sinneth, it shall die." " The son shall
not bear the iniquity of the father, neither
shall the father bear the iniquity of the son ;
the righteousness of the righteous shall be
upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked
shall be upon him. But if the wicked will
to the Consciences of Men. 7
turn from all his sins that he hath committed,
and keep all my statutes, and do that which
is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he
shall not die. All his transgressions that he
hath committed, they shall not be mentioned
unto him : in his righteousness that he hath
done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all
that the wicked should die? saith the Lord
God; and not that he should return from his
ways, and live ? But when the righteous
turneth away from his righteousness, and
committeth iniquity, and doeth according to
all the abominations that the wicked man
doeth, shall he live ? All his righteousness
that he hath done shall not be mentioned :
in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and
in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall
he die. Yet ye say, the way of the Lord is
not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel, Is
not my way equal ? are not your ways un-
equal? When a righteous man turneth away
from his righteousness, and committeth in-
iquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity
that he hath done shall he die. Again, when
the wicked man turneth away from his
wickedness that he hath committed, and
doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall
save his soul alive. Because he considereth,
8 God's Righteousness to be Judged of
and turneth away from all his transgressions
that he hath committed, he shall surely live,
he shall not die. Yet saith the house of
Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O
house of Israel, are not my ways equal ? are
not your ways unequal? Therefore I will
judge you, O house of Israel, every one ac-
cording to his ways, saith the Lord God.
Repent, and turn yourselves from all your
transgressions ; so iniquity shall not be your
ruin. Cast away from you all your trans-
gressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and
make you a new heart and a new spirit : for
why will ye die, O house of Israel ? For I
have no pleasure in the death of him that
dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn
yourselves, and live ye."
It appeared to me impossible to read this
passage without perceiving that the right-
eousness of God is assumed throughout to
be a righteousness which man is capable of
comprehending and appreciating — and that
although His sovereignty is incontestable. He
yet, in a manner, holds Himself accountable
to the consciences of His intelligent crea-
tures, for the way in which He exercises it.
It farther appeared to me that this passage,
according to its obvious and natural signifi-
By the Consciences of Men. 9
cation, contained not only a denial of the
existence of an eternal purpose of God, hy
which any of the race of man are passed by
and left to their sins and their punishment,
but also the assertion of the existence of an
opposite purpose in God towards them, even
that they should turn from their sins and be
saved — and also, that it contained a denial
that the difference between the righteous and
the wicked arose from God's applying any
peculiar irresistible operation of the Spirit
to the former and withholding it from the
latter, because such dealing on the part of
God would destroy the very ground of the
appeal, so strongly urged through the whole
chapter, in as much as the intelligible equal-
ity of His judgment on both classes depends
entirely on the essential and true sufficiency
of the spiritual provision made for both of
them.
It farther appeared to me, that if men as a
race had, through the fall of Adam, lost any
capacity of knowing and serving God, which
was not restored to them also as a race in
the gift of Jesus Christ, then the proverb that
"The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and
the children's teeth are set on edge," would
have been true; but God, in asserting the
a2
10 God's Righteousness to be Judged of
equality of his ways, denies the truth of this
proverb in terms which mark that its truth
would, according to His judgment, be incom-
patible with equality. I may here observe,
that this proverb is amongst us also, and
that its form now is, 'Although man by the
fall has lost the power to obey, God has not
lost the right to demand obedience;' but, in
any form, such a proverb God disclaims as
inconsistent with the equality of his ways.
The passage in Isaiah is 'equally clear in
all these points. "Now will I sing to my well-
beloved, a song of my beloved touching His
vineyard. My beloved hath a vineyard in a
very fruitful hill, and He fenced it, and gath-
ered out the stones thereof, and planted it
with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the
midst of it, and also made a wine-press there-
in, and He looked that it should bring forth
grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And
now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of
Judah, judge I pray you between me and my
vineyard. What could have been done more
to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?
Wherefore when I looked that it should bring
forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?"
Isaiah v. 1 — 4.
Here again it appeared to me that God's
By the Consciences of Men. 1 1
righteouness is assumed to be such as can be
judged of and appreciated by man, even in his
unregenerate state ; for the invitation to judge
is here addressed to the men of Judah and
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the very criminals
on whom the sentence is pronounced. It is
before them that God pleads his cause, and
what is the amount of His pleading ? The
sufficiency of the provision made for enabling
them to meet His demand, is that which He
sets forth as the proof of His righteousness,
both in making these demands, and in pun-
ishing them for not meeting them. And this
provision He lays before themselves, that
they may say whether they can find any defect
or inadequacy in it. He thus evidently as-
sumes, that the righteousness of His require-
ment and judgment is a righteousness of
which man can judge, and ought to judge,
by the same rule as that which he applies to
his own conduct and to that of his fellow-men.
And He asserts that His righteousness, when
tried by this rule, will be found conformable
to it.
There are many passages in the Bible,
both in the Old and New Testaments, which
are equally strong and pointed with those
which I have noticed, against the generally
12 Reasons for still Adhering to the Common View.
received doctrine of election, but I shall not
at present cite more, as my reader may pro-
bably be in the condition in which I was my-
self, when first these things were presented
to me. I acknowledged the force of the pas-
sages — 1 acknowledged my inability to inter-
pret them in consistency with the doctrine of
election — I fully admitted the responsibility
of man and the righteousness of God — but I
could not allow any logical conclusions of my
own understanding to interfere with my sub-
mission to the inspired word ; and, therefore,
I still felt that whilst the 9th chapter of the
Epistle to the Romans, continued to be an un-
disputed part of Divine Revelation, it would
be an act of ungodly presumption in me to
reject a doctrine which appeared to be so
manifestly contained in it.
I felt also that there was something in the
doctrine, to which my own heart bore wit-
ness, as being true to experience, as well as
glorifying to God, namely, that there was
nothing good in man, but what was of the
direct acting of the Spirit of God ; and there-
fore, I could not receive any argument against
the doctrine which proceeded on the ground
of an inherent self-quickening power in man.
What I required, then, in order really to
Light received from Jeremiah xviii- 13
free my conscience from the power of this
doctrine, was to discover in the 9th chapter
of the Epistle to the Romans, and some other
similar passages, an unforced natural mean-
ing, different from that which hitherto they
had borne to me ; and in that new meaning
to find also what might correspond with my
distinct experience of the action of the Spirit
of God within me, in opposition to the spirit
of my own will.
I continued then to read this dark chap-
ter, from time to time, hoping always that it
would please God to give me farther light upon
it; for I felt quite free to do this in humility,
because God had said, "Judge, I pray you,
between me and my vineyard." The first ray
of light that visited me in this course, was
in reading the 18th chapter of Jeremiah, to
which the 21st verse of the 9th chapter of the
Epistle to the Romans, evidently refers. No
part of the chapter appeared to me more dark
than this 21st verse, for it seemed as if in it
the apostle were claiming for God, the right
of making a man wicked, and then denying
to the man the right of complaining that he
had been so made. " Nay, but O man,
who art thou that repliest against God?
Shall the thing formed say to him that form-
i
14 The Parable of the Potter
ed it, why hast thou made me thus ? Hath
not the potter power over the clay, of the
same lump, to make one vessel unto honour
and another unto dishonour?"
These verses do certainly seem to assert
in unequivocal terms, the Calvinistic doc-
trine of election; but let us turn to the 18th
chapter of Jeremiah, to which they refer.
In the beginning of that chapter it is thus
written: "The word which came to Jere-
miah from the Lord, saying. Arise and go
down to the potter's house, and there I will
cause thee to hear my words. Then I went
down to the potter's house, and behold he
wi'ought a work on the wheels, and the ves-
sel that he made of clay was marred in the
hand of the potter; so he made it another
vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make
it. Then the word of the Lord came unto
me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do
with you, as this potter? saith the Lord.
Behold as the clay is in the potter's hand,
so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel."
ver. 1 — 6.
This passage, so far as we yet see, appears
to give full confirmation to the Calvinistic
interpretation of the 9th chapter of the Ro-
mans. It seems to say, that as the potter
Apparently in Favour of the Common View. 1 5
has the right of making or marring a vessel,
as may appear good to him, so God claims
to Himself the right of making or marring
the character and condition of a man, as
seems good to Him ; and that as the potter
in this particular instance appeared to have
chosen to mar a vessel, so God would choose
to mar the condition of some men, without
giving any reason, hut His own sovereign
pleasure. Such a claim on the part of God,
were indeed a fearful thing ; but if this be
really the meaning of the passage, there is
no replying to it, and we must either ac-
knowledge the Calvinistic doctrine of elec-
tion in its darkest extent, or deny the author-
ity of the Scriptures.
But this is not the true meaning of the
passage, as we shall see by merely going on
to the following verses, in which God him-
self makes the application of the spectacle
which He had brought the prophet to wit-
ness in the potter's house. " O house of
Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter ?
saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in
the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand,
O house of Israel. At what instant I shall
speak concerning a nation, and concerning a
people, to pluck up and to pull down, and to
16 The Parable of the Potter
destroy it, if that nation against whom I
have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will
repent of the evil that I thought to do unto
them. And at what instant I shall speak
concerning a nation and concerning a king-
dom, to build and to plant it ; if it do evil in
my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I
will repent of the good wherewith I said I
would benefit them. Now, therefore, go to,
speak to the men of Judah and to the inhab-
itants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the
Lord, Behold I frame evil against you, and
devise a device against you, return ye now
EVERY ONE from his evil ways, and make his
ways and his doings good^^ ver. 6 — 1 1 .
I saw from this inspired application and
interpretation of the action which the pro-
phet witnessed in the potter's house, that
what, to a superficial reader, appears to be
the meaning of the passage, is not its real
meaning. I saw that it contained a meaning
not only different from, but opposed to the
ordinary doctrine of election, for it declared
that the future prospects of men were placed
by God in their own hands; and that as
God's promises and threatenings were ad-
dressed not to individuals but to characters,
a man by changing his character, might
Really Opposed to the Common View. 1 7
change God's dealing towards him. I saw
that it was adduced for the purpose of main-
taining, not that the potter had a right to
make a vessel good or bad according to his
own pleasure, but that he had a right, if a
vessel turned out ill in his hands, to reject
that vessel, and break it down, and make it
up anew into another vessel. The right of
making a thing bad, is not contemplated at
all in the passage — the matter considered is,
whether the potter, after having once made
a vessel, is bound to preserve it although it
turns out quite unfit for the purpose for
which it was made, or whether, in such a
case, he has the right of rejecting it. And as
the exercise of this right of rejection on the
part of the potter is unquestioned, although
his works do not go wrong hy their own faulty
much more does God claim to Himself the
right of rejecting a people, whom He had set
up for a particular purpose, if they refused
to answer that purpose.
We read in the following chapter that the
prophet was desired to carry on and con-
clude this allegorical instruction to Judah,
by taking a potter's vessel and breaking it
at the entering in of the east gate of Jerusa-
lem, as a sign of the rejection of the Jews,
1 8 The Jewish Notion of
and the desolation of the city, because they
refused to answer God's purposes in setting
them up. They were thus warned that God
was not bound to them, merely because He
had once chosen them for His people — ^but
that He was at liberty to reject them, be-
cause they had rejected Him.
It is most notable through the whole his-
tory of the Jews, both in the Old and New^
Testament, that they were continually fall-
ing into the error against which this instruc-
tion was given to guard them. They thought
that, because they were God's chosen peo-
ple, and the depositaries of His promises
concerning the Messiah, they were therefore
secure, however much they sinned — they
thought that God was bound to fulfil those
promises to them, and could not without for-
feiting His own truth, cast them off — they
thought there was an absolute decree inter-
posed between them and rejection. And as
this error blinded them to the danger of sin
and the nature of God's righteousness, God
set His face against it, from the beginning of
His communications to them. Thus when
they rebelled against Him in the wilderness
by refusing to go forward into the land of
Canaan, on account of the evil report brought
Unconditional Election Disclaimed by God. 19
back by the spies; He took them at their
own word, and said, "Doubtless ye shall not
come into the land, concerning which Isware
to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son
of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun."
" After the number of the days in which ye
searched the land, even forty days, each day
for a year shall ye bear your iniquities, even
forty years, and ye shall know my breach of
promise, ^^ Num. xiv. 30, 34.
The context of the passage in Jeremiah
proves that it was to guard against this very
error of supposing themselves uncondition-
ally elected that the parable of the potter was
spoken, for it is introduced immediately after
the utterance of great promises and great
threatenings, as the reader will see, by look-
ing back to the 17th chapter from the 19th
verse to the end, where it is declared that if
the people would really hallow the Sabbath,
then there should enter into the gates of the
city kings and princes, sitting on the throne
of David, and the city should remain for ever;
whereas, if they profaned the Sabbath, a fire
should be kindled in the gates of the city,
which should devour its palaces, and should
not be quenched. It was to guard against
their besetting error, and lest they should.
20 God's Election is His Approbation.
according to their manner, shelter themselves
under the former distinguishing mercies of
God to them, and thus put away the fear of
His present threatenings, as if He were re-
strained by His own faithfulness from execut-
ing them, that the prophet is here commis-
sioned to expound to them the true nature
of their standing, — and of the standing of all
men before God, — namely, that He in very
deed judges men according to their charac-
ters, and makes promises and threatenings to
them simply in relation to their characters,
and with the view of drawing them out of
evil into good ; and that, in accordance with
this principle. He would in righteousness
cast off the Jewish people, notwithstanding
all his promises to them, if they refused to
fill the office of His witnesses, which He had
designed them to fill, and would raise up a
people in their room who would fill it ; and
as He had at first made their nation a vessel
unto honour, so if they refused to answer
their honourable calling. He would make
them a vessel unto dishonour, by openly
rejecting them, and inflicting on them a
punishment as signal as was their former
preferment.
Here, therefore, I found a plain and nat-
JRom. ix. illtcstrated by Horn, iii. 21
ural solution of the difficulty in Rom. ix. 21;
and I saw that this apparently dark passage
was, in truth, nothing else than an assertion
of God's right to cast off the Jews from being
His visible church, and that the apostle was
arguing here with his countrymen exactly in
the same strain as he had already been doing
in a former part of the epistle (chap. iii. 5, 6,)
answering, in both places, their self-justify-
ing murmurs and excuses, with the same
summary declaration of God's right to judge
them, and righteousness in punishing them.
A comparison of the two passages will satis-
fy the reader, that the same subject is treated
in both, and that the question (chap. ix. ^1,)
" Hath not the potter power over the clay ?"
(or, better and more literally, ' right over the
clay?') corresponds exactly with the question,
"Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance ?"
in chap. iii.
I thought, also, that I discerned a similar-
ity between the Jewish apologies in both
the passages, which changed considerably my
apprehension of chap. ix. 19. It seemed to
me that the spirit of the defence set up,
chap. iii. 7> " For if the truth of God hath
more abounded through my lie unto His
glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner?"
22 Romans ix.
is very nearly allied to that of the defence in
chap. ix. 19, *' Why doth he yet find fault,
for who hath resisted his will ?" and hence
I concluded that, in the latter case as well as
in the former, the apostle means altogether
to deny and disallow the principle of the de-
fence, and not merely to rebuke the pre-
sumption of it ; and that his answer, in both
cases, meant to convey to them, that they
knew in their consciences that God was
righteous in holding them responsible for
their doings. I was farther confirmed by
the contents of the 10th and 11th chapters,
which relate to the casting off of the Jews
and the calling of the Gentiles, that this
view of the potter's right over the clay, was
the true view of the passage.
About the same time, I received a very
satisfying light on the preceding portion of
the chapter, from an expression used in it,
which I am surprised has been so little con-
sidered by interpreters and commentators.
I transcribe the 7th and 8th verses, " Neither
because they are the seed of Abraham are
they all children, but, in Isaac shall thy seed
be called; that is, they which are the chil-
dren of the flesh, they are not the children
of God, but the children of the promise are
Rom. ix. illustrated by Gal. iv. 22, 24. 23
counted for the seed." The expression to
which I refer is, ^' that is" I could not
help seeing that this expression indicated,
that the history of Ishmael and Isaac was
intended by God to be a great type or para-
ble, by which He might give public warning
when He was calling the family of Abraham
to be His visible church on the earth, that
His real choice rested not on a natural fam-
ily, but on a character ; and that not the flesh
but the spirit should inherit the blessing.
Let the reader turn to Gal. iv. 22, where
this same history is introduced, and let him
observe, ver. 24th, where it is said, " which
things are an allegory," and then let him con-
sider, whether this latter phrase be not
equivalent to the expression, ^^ that is," in
our chapter. And so the meaning of the
apostle would be, to caution those who
trusted in their descent from Isaac, that they
were trusting in a shadow, for that the truth
which God intended to declare by the history
of Isaac, was in direct opposition to their
hopes, which truth was, that God rejected
the carnal mind, and chose the spiritual
mind, which waited for the promise through
and beyond death.
By extending this allegorical character to
24 Romans ix.
the cases of Esau and Jacob, Pharaoh and
Israel — consecutive pairs representing the
same things — the whole chapter became quite
clear, being nothing else than a continued
declaration of God's rejection of the flesh,
and election of the spirit, in the form of an
inspired interpretation and application to the
Jews of the typical instruction contained in
the early history of their race, Avhich they
had hitherto explained according to the let-
ter and not according to the spirit, and had
thus perverted to a sense directly opposed
to the true one. We have only to interpose
the key, " that is, the flesh and the spirit,"
as we proceed through the allegory, and
the difficulties vanish. Thus, " the elder
shall serve the younger ;'' that is, the flesh
which is the first Adam, shall be subjected
to the quickening spirit, who is the second
Adam, — " Jacob have I loved, but Esau have
I hated ;" that is. The spiritual mind have I
loved, but the carnal mind have I hated —
" He hath mercy on whom He will have
mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth ;"
that is. He hath mercy on the spirit, and He
hardeneth the flesh, according as it is writ-
ten, " My mercy will I keep for Him (the
quickening Spirit) for ever, and his seed will
Rom. ix. opposed to Unconditional Election. 25
I make to endure for ever/' (Ps. Ixxxix. 28,
29 ;) " But flesh and blood shall not inherit
the kingdom of God," (1 Cor. xv. 51,) which
is the meaning set forth under the figure of
Pharaoh the king of Egypt, or the flesh, being
hardened.
I thus perceived that the chapter, instead
of being an argument in favour of the com-
mon view of election, was in fact an argu-
ment expressly written for the purpose of
disclaiming and condemning, on God's part,
all idea of personal or unconditional elec-
tion. This discovery gave me a general
suspicion of the soundness of the interpreta-
tion of all passages adduced in support of
the received doctrine, and encouraged me to
expect to find a very different meaning really
contained in them.
I shall come back upon this chapter again,
and explain more fully what I believe to be
its meaning, and the grounds of my behef ;
but, in the meantime, I hope that my reader
has seen enough, in what I have set before
him, of its structure and object, to diminish
his jealousy of my views about it, and to per-
suade him that I have not formed my judg-
ment of the matter lightly, and that therefore
he will allow me to leave it for a little while,
26 Jer. xviii. illustrated hy 2 Tim. ii.
that we may together proceed to the consid-
eration of some other passages, which may
assist us in the general apprehension of the
subject, and so may enable us to return to
this particular chapter with understandings
more exercised on the principles contained
in it.
I found much in this passage of Jeremiah,
to convince me, not only that it was the true
key to the passage referring to the potter in
Rom. ix., but also that it was the true key to
the doctrine of God's election in general. But,
that I might have more light upon it, I had re-
course to other passages, where the same sym-
bol occurs, and specially one in the 2d Epistle
to Timothy. I shall transcribe the passage
at length, that the reader may see and judge
of the connection. "And if a man strive for
masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he
strive lawfully. The husbandman must first
labour, before he partakes of the fruits. Con-
sider what I say ; and the Lord give thee un-
derstanding in all things. Remember that
Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised
from the dead, according to my gospel:
wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil-doer,
even unto bonds ; but the word of God is not
bound. Therefore I endure all things for
2 Tim. ii. 27
the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain
the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with
eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: for
if we be dead with him, we shall also live
with him : if we suffer, we shall also reign
with him: if we deny him, he also will deny
us : if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful ;
he cannot deny himself Of these things put
them in remembrance, charging them before
the Lord that they strive not about words to
no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun
profane and vain babblings ; for they will in-
crease unto more ungodliness. And their
word will eat as doth a canker: of whom
is Hymeneus and Philetus; who concerning
the truth have erred, saying that the resur-
rection is past already ; and overthrow the
faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation
of God standeth sure, having this seal, the
Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let
every one that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity. But in a great house
there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth ; and some to
honour, and some to dishonour. If a man
I
28 The one predestined way to glory lies through death.
therefore purge himself from these, he shall
be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet
for the master's use, and prepared unto every
good work." 2 Tim. ii. 5 — *2r.
The meaning of the passage is evident; no
man can arrive at the end, ivithout travel-
ling the road ; no man can obtain the crown
of life, except by striving according to God's
way, and that way is set forth thus — "Jesus
Christ was raised from the dead according
to my gospel :" that is, He entered into His
glory through death; and He is the way,
no man entereth into glory by any other
way. If we die with Him, we shall live
with Him, if we suffer with Him, we shall
reign with Him. This is the foundation of
the Lord which standeth sure, notwithstand-
ing the vain babblings of men who would
teach that there is an easier way to glory,
like Hymeneus and Philetus, who say that,
because Christ is dead and risen, we may
save ourselves the pain of this daily dying,
and may enter at once into the privilege of
the resurrection state, in which, as no tempt-
ation will then be able to reach the inner
man through the spiritual body, so there
will be no need for self-denial or watchfulness
against the flesh and the influence of seen
The one predestined way to glory lies through death. 29
things. These vain babblings, which are the
suggestions of the flesh, prevent or destroy
the faith of many, and it is the poison pro-
ceeding from them which, by infecting the
soul and eating it as doth a canker, makes it
and keeps it a vessel unto dishonour. But if
any man will purge himself from these vain
babblings, and will yield himself to be a par-
taker of Christ's death and sufferings, he
shall be a vessel unto honour, he shall live
with Him and reign with Him. Every vessel
unto dishonour is thus invited and instructed
to become a vessel unto honour, and that by
the process of purging himself from the vain
babblings of the flesh, the first Adam, and
following the voice of the second Adam, who
says, "Take up thy cross and follow me, and
where I am, there shall also my servant
be." So that to live in the spirit of the first
Adam, is to be a vessel unto dishonour, as
the first Adam is; and to live in the spirit
of the second Adam, is to be a vessel unto
honour, as the second Adam is.
The importance of this passage, in its bear-
ing on the subject of election, is more fully
seen if it is read in connection with a pas-
sage from the preceding chapter, which
ought to be considered as a part of the same
30 The eternal purpose of God in Christ
context; I quote from the 8th verse, "Be
not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner : but be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel,
according to the power of God ; who hath
saved us, and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given
us in Christ Jesus, before the world began ;
but is now made manifest, through the ap-
pearing of Jesus Christ, who hath abolished
death, and hath brought life and immortality
to light, through the gospel, whereunto I
am appointed a preacher, and an apostle,
and a teacher of the Gentiles." S Tim. 8 — 11.
Mark especially what is contained in the 9th
and 10th verses. The apostle says, God
"hath called us with a holy calling, not ac-
cording to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace." It is evident that
the purpose and grace here mean one and the
same thing, even that eternal purpose which
God has purposed in Christ, and which is so
much spoken of in the Bible, and specially
in the Epistle to the Ephesians i. 11 ; iii. 11 ;
and Rom. viii. 28, &c ; it is a purpose, for
it is the mind of Him who changeth not, and
it is grace, for it is purposed in order that
cannot relate to the election of individuals. 31
sinners may be saved. It would perhaps be
truer to the sense, and more according to
our language, to read the phrase thus, " ac-
cording to His own purpose, even the grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus, before
the world began, but is now made manifest
by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death," &c. Here then
it is plainly declared, that, the 7r^ok<riq t«» uimm,
or the eternal purpose of God's grace, which
had been hid for us in Christ before the ages,
was actually opened up and made manifest
through the appearing of Jesus Christ, It is
something which is already made manifest ;
it is something which could be, and which
was shown out in the history of Jesus Christ
on this earth ; it cannot therefore relate to the
personal salvation of a certain number of in-
dividuals, for such a purpose is not already
manifested, and certainly was not made man-
ifest through the appearing of Jesus Christ,
and indeed cannot be made manifest by any
thing else than the manifested salvation of
these individuals. It must also be something
which is preached when the gospel is preach-
ed, for it is " made manifest through the ap-
pearing of Jesus Christ, who hath abolished
death, and brought life and immortality to light,
32 The eternal purpose of God is
through the gospel;" that is, the purpose of
God is manifested by that very history which
constitutes the subject matter of the gospel;
and the wai^ of Christ's victory over death, and
of His entering into the resurrection life, is
the revelation of God's purpose, as it is also
the preaching of the gospeL Connect this with
chap. ii. 8, <' Remember that Jesus Christ, of
the seed of David, was raised from the dead,
according to my gospel," and with the whole
passage following it, and then let it be weigh-
ed, whether or not the eternal purpose of
God, can be any thing else than that faith-
ful saying, — that foundation of the Lord
standing sure, which is expounded in the sec-
ond chapter, according to which it is ap-
pointed that the way up out of the fall, and
out of death, should be through a willing dy-
ing to the flesh and to the will of man ; and
according to which the Word took flesh, in
order to make this way, and to become this
way, and, as the Captain of salvation, to lead
by it all who would consent to die with Him
unto themselves, that they might with Him
live unto God.
This purpose was most certainly mani-
fested through the appearing of Jesus Christ,
and a personal selection to salvation was not
that the way to life should be through death. 33
manifested. Moreover, the purpose here ex-
plained has such decided marks of identity
with the eternal purpose spoken of in other
parts of Scripture, and especially in Eph. i.
and in Rom. viii. 28, that it is scarcely pos-
sible to suppose that any other purpose than
this can be referred to in these passages.
Thus let the purpose mentioned in Eph. i. 11,
be compared with the prayer appended to it
in verses 19 and 21 ; and let Rom. viii. 28,
be compared with verse lyth of the same
chapter, and the oneness of the purpose
throughout, will be acknowledged. And
surely every Christian would be thankful to
find, that the true preaching of election, was
nothing else than the preaching of the grace
of God. On the whole, I was confirmed by
these considerations, in the conviction, not
only that the passage which I have quoted at
length from the 2d chapter, is intended by
the Apostle to be an exposition of a purpose
of God, but further, that it is in truth an ex-
position of that great purpose in Christ
which is so constantly referred to in the
Bible — being indeed that which truly forms
the subject of all God's revelations to man,
and the ground of all man's hope towards
God.
b2
84 Adam the Reprobate Head, Christ the Elect Head,
I now saw the doctrine of election clearly ;
for I saw that the vessel unto dishonour was
the reprobate vessel, and that the vessel unto
honour was the elect vessel, and that under
these figures, the first Adam and the second
Adam, the flesh and the spirit are set forth.
The first Adam was created for glory,
honour, and immortality, as God's vicegerent
upon the earth ; but by following his own will,
separate from and independent of God's will,
he was rejected and fell under the sentence
of degradation and death, and thus became
a vessel unto dishonour. And the second
Adam, by following not his own will, but the
will of the Father, and accepting the punish-
ment of death, as the Father's righteous
judgment on the flesh, was raised from the
dead to a glorious immortality, as the Father's
vicegerent, instead of the first Adam, and
thus became a vessel unto honour. This is
the Reprobation and the Election.
Let us for a moment look at it in the type.
Saul was reprobated or rejected from being
king over Israel, because he was disobe-
dient in the matter of Amalek ; and David
was elected or chosen into his place, because
he was according to God's own heart; so that
the mind of God expressed in this transac-
of the tohole race, as is typified in Saul and David. 35
tion, is just a seeking after righteousness.
Saul was made king, that he, along with the
people, might serve the Lord in his king-
dom ; but, when he refused to serve Him, he
became a snare to himself and to the people,
and he was rejected, because the Lord
desired righteousness, and David, who was
according to this desire, was chosen into his
place. Saul, however, was not immediately
removed out of the way. Although rejected,
he was still permitted to retain his power in
the kingdom. But David was there also.
Thus these two kings, the one rejected, and
the other elected, by God, were both togeth-
er in the land, as if to try the people whether
they would cleave to God's reprobation or
God's election. The nation thus had two
heads, and every individual in the nation
might choose to which of these heads he
would give his heart and adherence. And
according to their choice, so was it unto
them ; those who followed the reprobate
head partook in his reprobation, and those
who followed the elect head partook of his
election.
We are not, then, to think of God as look-
ing upon two men and choosing righteous-
ness for the one and unrighteousness for
36 Every man called to choose between these tiao Heads ^
the other. The desire of God is always for
righteousness. And so the election in Christ
is indeed the coming forth of God's desire
that all should be righteous, as we shall see
more fully afterwards.
The first Adam, who is the antitype of
Saul, is rejected like him from the favour of
God, and from being king ; but still he is not
taken out of the way, he is still permitted to
retain his power : the flesh still reigns. The
Second Adam, who is the true David, is
elected into his place, and honoured with the
favour of God, and with the kingly office;
but His power is not yet manifested ; He is
still, like David, seeking where to lay his
head. Both these kings are in the world,
under the character of the flesh and the
spirit — the one, the reprobate head ; the
other, the elect head ; and they are so in the
world, that every individual may join him-
self to, and identify himself with, the one or
the other, according to his own choice. And
those who follow the flesh partake in its re-
probation, and those who follow the spirit
partake of its election. The sentence of
dishonour and death passed on the first
Adam is the decree of reprobation, by which
flesh, with the blood thereof, which is the
and becomes reprobate or elect according to his choice. 3 7
life thereof, is for ever excluded from the
favour and kingdom of God; as it is writ-
ten, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God, neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption." 1 Cor. xv. 50. And
whoever would escape from the reprobation,
must escape from that on which the repro-
bation lies, even flesh with the life thereof.
And the promise of an eternal kingdom to
the Messiah, is the decree of election, "I
will be his Father, and he shall be my Son ;
and I will not take away ray mercy from
him, as I took it from him that was before
thee, but I will settle him in my house and in
my kingdom for ever, and his throne shall
be established for evermore." 1 Chron. xvii.
13. And whoever would partake in the
election, must abide in Him on whom the
election lies, according to that word, "There
is no condemnation to them who are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh
but after the Spirit." Rom. viii. 1. And all
the benedictions in the Bible are addressed
to Christ's Spirit, and to the partakers in it ;
for example, "Blessed are the poor in spirit;"
" Blessed are they that mourn," &c. And
these benedictions are nothing else than de-
clarations of that decree of election which
38 Reprobation is blame of evil, election is approval of good.
limits the favour of God to the righteous
spirit of the Righteous Head. The election
is on the righteous One, and as a man be-
comes righteous through Christ the righteous
head dwelling in him by faith, so also does
he become elect.
It surely is a strong argument in favour of
this view of the subject that, according to it,
the doctrine of election so harmonizes with
the preaching of the gospel, with its benedic-
tions, and its exhortations, and its threat-
enings.
The decree of reprobation, is not a de-
cree which shuts in a man to sin and to
punishment, — it is a decree which pronoun-
ces a sentence of punishment against sin;
for thus it spoke to Adam, " Because thou
hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife,
and hast eaten of the tree," &c. And the
decree of election does not shut in a man
to holiness and blessedness, but pronounces
a blessing on holiness ; for thus it spoke to
Christ, " Thou lovest righteousness and ha-
test wickedness, therefore God, thy God, hath
anointed thee with the oil of gladness above
thy fellows." Ps. xlv. 7. The importance of
this observation lies in this, that as Adam
and Christ are the heads of the reprobation
God's account of the difference amongst men. 39
and the election, so they are also specimens
of the way in which every individual falls
under one or other of these sentences. They
who follow the reprobate head, they are re-
probate ; they who follow the elect Head,
they are elect.
But some one will say — this is true, but
we must go farther back, to see what is the
cause of this difference amongst men. What
makes one man follow the reprobate head,
and another follow the elect head ? We may
seek to go farther back, but God does not go
farther back; He has provided man with
ability, and He lays the use of that ability to
man's own door. Thus in accounting for a
wicked man's turning away from his wicked-
ness, He merely says, " Because he consid-
ereth, and turneth away from all his trans-
gressions, he shall surely live." Ezek. xviii.
29. And in like manner, in accounting for
a wicked man continuing in his wickedness.
He merely says, ** Because I have called,
and ye refused^ I have stretched out my
hand, and no man regarded^^ &c. Prov. i. 24.
The difficulty that men feel in this matter,
is nothing else than the difficulty which they
have in believing that God really has made
a responsible creature with the power of
40 Enlarged meaning of the parable of the Potter,
choice between flesh and spirit, to whom he
can truly and reasonably say, *' I have set
before thee, this day, life and death, blessing
and cursing, therefore choose life."
I now saw the large meaning of the action
of the Potter. That mystery indeed signi-
fied that God, the great Potter, had the
right, and would exercise the right, of reject-
ing a vessel which misgave in his hands, and
of making a new one to fill its place; it sig-
nified that God would reject the Jews from
being His visible church, and would call
another people to that office; but it signified
more than all this — it signified that after the
vessel was marred, the purpose of God was
to be fulfilled, not in making an entirely new
vessel, but in making up the clay of the
original marred vessel into another vessel;
for it is not said that the potter made
another vessel, but that he made it — that is,
the clay of the first marred vessel, — into
another vessel. I saw that the mysterious
action of the potter, symbolized the whole
history of man; the first vessel representing
the fallen state of man as standing in the
first Adam, who was marred in the hands of
the Potter; and the second vessel, represent-
ing the resurrection state of man, as stand-
Jer. xvii. 25. and Col. ii. 16. 41
ing in the second Adam, who was raised out
of the ruins of the fall, the first-begotten from
the dead.
It seemed to me, also, that, by the same
symbol, the prophet was taught that the pro-
mise of the Messiah's kingdom, contained in
the 25th verse of the preceding chapter, (Jer.
xvii.) namely, that there should enter into
the gates of the city, kings and princes, sit-
ting on the throne of David, was not to be
accomplished, in its true substance and mean-
ing, to the first vessel, that is to man in his
present state, but to the second vessel, that
is to man in the resurrection state ; and that
the true substance and meaning of the ob-
servance of the Sabbath, on the condition of
which the promise was made, consisted in
waiting for the Lord of the resurrection, who
is the Lord of the Sabbath, and ceasing from
Festing, or seeking rest, in present things,
but expecting the rest and the glory reserved
for his reign; and that both the outward
promise and the outward commandment,
were only shadows of spiritual things, but
that the body and substance were in the cru-
cified and risen Messiah, (Col. ii. IG, 17;)
and it seemed to me, also, that by the same
spectacle, the prophet was prepared to see a
42 Jer. xvii. and 2 Tim. ii. compared with 1 Cor. xv.
hope and a way of deliverance for his people,
out from the apparently irretrievable ruin pre-
dicted in the xixth chapter, 11th verse, under
the sign of the breaking of a potter's vessel,
which cannot be made whole again; for
though the marred vessel was not to be made
whole again in its original condition, yet the
potter could and would make into another
and more glorious vessel the clay,however
marred, which yielded itself into his hands
to be broken down and to be renewed.
I saw farther, that the vessel unto honour
in Timothy was the second vessel in Jere-
miah, and that the vessel unto dishonour was
the first. I found much corroboration of this
view of the subject in 1 Cor. xv., where the
first and second vessels are contrasted: '^ It
is sown in corruption, it is raised in incor-
ruption ; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised
in glory." Observe that there is an identity
in that which is sown and that which is
raised. The same it is sown and raised.
This agrees with what we have observed in
Jeremiah and Timothy. God willeth not the
destruction of a sinner, but that he should
turn and live. He calls on him to purge
himself from vain babblings, and to give up
The parable of the potter, in reference to the Jews. 43
his old nature to be broken down, in order to
his being made into a new vessel.
Thus the parable of the potter has two
meanings, — the one^ more outward and con-
fined, being of special application to the visi-
ble church of God, which consisted, during
that dispensation, of the Jewish people, to
whom it gave warning that God was not
bound to retain them in that place of honour,
unconditionally, but that He might and would
reject them, if they refused to answer His
purpose, and would elect another people in
their room ; the otlier^ more inward and en-
larged, being a declaration of the common
history and common hope of man, in the
fall of Adam and the redemption of Christ.
The reference to it in Rom. ix., regards the
first of these meanings primarily, though it
embraces also the second. According to the
first meaning, the Jewish race was the same
lump, out of which God made one vessel
unto honour, when He constituted them His
visible church, and another unto dishonour,
when He broke down the whole frame of
their polity, and scattered them as outcasts
among the nations, after their rejection of
Jesus. Their place of honour was connected
44 God's sovereignty appears in appointing mavUs trials j
with a heavy responsibihty. It was indeed a
high place, but the penalty attached to a
failure in the duties belonging to it was as
high ; and we have intimations in their his-
tory, that they often desired to get quit of
the responsibility, though at the expense of
giving up their place. They said, " We will
be as the nations;" just as a man might
wish to get quit of responsibility and eter-
nity, though at the expense of becoming a
lower animal. But God did not relieve
them of their responsibility, because they
felt it burdensome; He had given them a
provision in which they might have met it,
and therefore He asserted that He had a
righteous right both to lay on them the office,
and to require the fulfilment of its duties.
He had not consulted them whether they
would undertake to be His visible church,
though He at different times called on them
to avouch what He had done. He had, of
His own counsel, put them at once into the
office and the responsibility; just as He had
not consulted man whether he would con-
sent to be made in the image of God, but
had invested him originally in the privilege
and the responsibility appended to it. And
when they fell, although they had not chosen
not in determining his reception of them, 45
their own dignity, yet God inflicted the pen-
alty, and asserted his own righteousness in
doing so. *' And who art thou that repliest
against God ? shall the thing formed say
unto Him that formed it, Why hast thou
made me thus?"
Let the reader observe, that the view here
given of God's sovereignty, is quite different
from that which is given of it in the common
doctrine of election ; here, it is set forth as
exercised in determining what shall be the
different privileges and opportunities of dif-
ferent men, but not in determining how they
shall use them, which is the view taken in
the common doctrine.
This first meaning of the parable of the
potter, as specially addressed to the Jews,
will come again to be considered in our
analysis of the Epistle to the Romans ; in
the mean time, let us proceed with some
farther reflections on its more general and
enlarged meaning.
The two vessels which the potter made out
of the same lump, were Adam and Christ,
partakers of the same flesh and blood, the
two heads of the race. But He did not make
them both at once. He did not divide the
lump in two, and then out of the one piece
46 The clay not originally divided into two lumps, but
make a vessel unto honour, and out of the
other, a vessel unto dishonour. But the
whole of the clay first appeared in the mould
of Adam the first head, and so became sub-
ject to the sentence of dishonour which was
laid on that mould, on account of transgres-
sion ; — and the whole was again represent-
ed in Jesus, when the Lord laid on Him the
iniquities of us all, and was offered up by
Him in a willing subjection tfo that sentence;
and then the Father raised Him from the
dead, as the new Head and mould to the
whole clay, in which it is indeed His will
that the whole should yet appear, and in
which all of it shall appear that is yielded
up by the individuals clothed in it willingly
and as a living sacrifice, to be broken down,
as the first vessel in Jesus was yielded up ; —
so that the very same piece of clay is first a
vessel unto dishonour, and then being brok-
en down, is, on certain conditions, made up
into another vessel meet for the Master's
use.
The Jews trusted that the clay had been
originally cut into two lumps, and that their
nation had been made of one of these, and
the Gentiles of the other ; and that all the
Jewish vessel was unto honour, and all the
afterwards^ according as it is yielded up or not. 47
Gentile vessel unto dishonour; and thus they
considered themselves as already meet for
the Master's use, without passing through
death, not knowing the real predestination
of God, which is, that no vessel of the whole
clay, can, since the fall, become a vessel unto
honour, except by passing through the dis-
honour, and that all who will submit them-
selves to the righteousness of God, whether
they be Jews or Gentiles, shall become ves-
sels unto honour; for the true honour is a
participation in the Messiah's kingdom, which
shall and can only be enjoyed by those, who
dying to their own spirit, live in that spirit
which suffered in Him, and thus become one
with Him. For all the promises of God are
made to him, they are not made to the seeds
as of many, but to the one seed which is
Christ, (Gal. iii. 16, 29,) and therefore they
only who are partakers with him partake in
the promises, and they who refuse to be par-
takers with Him shall experience what to the
flesh appears a breach of promise. Heb. iii.
6, 14. Num. xiv. 34. And this is man's con-
troversy with God, that whereas God has
passed hy the first vessel on account of sin,
and sentenced it to be broken, that He may
make it into another vessel, and has made
48 This is the Controversy of man with God.
all His promises of happiness to that second
vessel ; — yet man will insist on having his
glory and happiness in the first vessel, and
refuses to he broken down, as a preparation
for being new made, and would seek to re-
verse the decree that flesh and blood shall
not inherit the kingdom. But he prevails
nothing by this controversy ; God's election
stands firm; He hath passed by the first
vessel, — He hath chosen the second vessel.
This is the election, not that God hath ap-
pointed one man to be holy, and another
man to be unholy, — one man to be saved,
and another man to be lost; but that He
hath declared that flesh and blood shall not
inherit the kingdom of God ; but that if any
man will die with Christ he shall live with
Him, if any man will suffer with Him he
shall reign with Him ; he shall be a vessel
unto honour, meet for the Master's use.
The Jews would have welcomed Jesus, if
he had come as a deliverer of the first vessel,
as Joshua, and Gideon, and David; but their
carnal minds would not receive a Captain of
salvation made perfect through sufferings,
whose deliverance and whose glory belonged
not to this state of things, but lay beyond
death, and could only be partaken in by those
The Two Thieves Crucified with Jestis. 49
who would consent to partake in his death,
and to yield up their first vessel to be broken,
that they might be made into the new vessel
which God delighted to honour. Thus they
rejected that on which God's election lay,
and chose that on which His reprobation
lay. And such is the course of the world.
Man in the first vessel, is under the sentence
of sorrow and death, and feeling the pres-
sure of this sentence, he seeks deliverance
from it. This is the salvation which he
is truly seeking; and thus he comes into
controversy with God, for he is seeking a
salvation froin the cross, whilst God's sal-
vation is a salvation through the cross — a
salvation by death, a redemption through
blood.
The two thieves crucified with Jesus, re-
present mankind, as divided into two great
classes, according to their choice in this
thing. They were both on the cross, suff'er-
ing under the same righteous sentence of
sorrow and death. But they received their
punishment differently. The one said to
Jesus, ** If thou be the Christ, save thyself
and us," meaning thereby, <« Take us down
from the cross." The other answered him,
" We indeed justly, for we receive the due
50 These Tivo Thieves
reward of our deeds;" and unto Jesus he
said, " Lord remember me when thou com-
est into thy kingdom." The one desired a
salvation for the first vessel, the other waited
for the salvation of God, the redemption
through blood. The one disallowed the
potter's right over the clay, to punish with
rejection the first vessel, because it was mar-
red, and to make it up into a new vessel,
meet for the Master's use ; the other acknow-
ledged the righteousness of God, and accept-
ed His punishment, in the hope of the glory
to be revealed in the second vessel.
I cannot but feel that this is the true ex-
planation of the history of the two thieves ;
and therefore I cannot but feel how far from
the truth that explanation is, which would
represent it as a mere exemplification of the
sovereign and distinguishing grace of God,
taking one and leaving another. If such were
the true explanation of it ; if the diff'erence
between these two men were truly expound-
ed, by saying that God visited the one with
a peculiar operation of his Spirit, and with-
held it from the other, — then, all that we
could say of them would be, that the one
was fortunate in being the object of God's
favour, and that the other was unfortunate in
Represent the Whole Human Race. 51
not being so ; we could not say that the one
was worthy of approbation, and the other of
disapprobation ; we could not take any lesson
from them to ourselves, by learning how the
one came to have God's favour, and how the
other missed it. — It is an explanation which,
when fairly followed out, makes God dark-
ness and not light, destroys all moral distinc-
tions in the character of man, and makes his
hope of eternal life a chance. Is it not much
more agreeable both to the Bible and to con-
science to say, that the one thief was an ex-
ample of the grace of God yielded to, and
that the other was an example of the grace
of God resisted? Is not this an explana-
tion more in harmony with that word of
Stephen, "Ye do always resist the Holy
Ghost, as your fathers did," (Acts vii. 41 ;)
and with that word in Rom. ii. 3, " Despisest
thou the riches of God's goodness, and for-
bearance, and long-suffering, not knowing
that the goodness of God leadeth thee to re-
pentance?" And does not the conclusion,
according to this view, commend itself to
every conscience ? Jesus answered the will-
ing sufferer, " To-day shalt thou be with me
in paradise." We are all on the cross ; let
us remember that it is the appointed way to
52 The Seeds or First Principles
Paradise, when accepted as the righteous love
of God.
When the parable of the two vessels in
Jeremiah is considered simply in itself, it
may be said that we see only certain results,
but not the causes leading to these results :
that is, that as we do not see any thing in
the first marred vessel which gives the hope
of the second vessel to rise out of its wreck,
so neither do we see how this hope is frus-
trated in the case of one man, and fulfilled in
the case of another — nor how a man has it
in his power, to make his choice whether he
will cast in his lot with the first vessel or with
the second. But on comparing it with the in-
spired comment on it, we have perceived that
to do evil is to take part with the first vessel,
and to turn from evil is to take part with the
second vessel, and that man's power to choose
between good and evil is distinctly assumed.
We have also seen in 2 Tim. i. and ii., that
according to the eternal purpose of God, the
fixed and predestined way out of the first ves-
sel which is unto dishonour, into the second
vessel which is unto honour, is by dying with
Christ and suffering with Him : so that the
hope of the second vessel is accomplished in
the man who consents to do so, and is frus-
of the tivo Vessels. 53
trated in the man who refuses to do so. In
that passage also we have seen, that there is
no respect of persons in this thing, for every
man is called to walk in this way, by Him
whose call gives both right and power to all
who will use them. But as it might still be
asked by man in his desire to justify himself,
whether indeed that very same thing which,
in those who are saved, grows up into the
second vessel, is also bestowed on those who
are lost, and is only prevented from growing
up in them likewise, by their own contrary
choice ; it has pleased God of his condescen-
sion, in various forms through the Scriptures,
to show us the seeds (so to speak) of the
two vessels lying together in every man, so
that he may live to the one or to the other
according to his own choice.
Thus Jesus sets before us the natural his-
tory of a grain of wheat as a type of our con-
dition, and of the way out of the first vessel
into the second vessel. It is evident from
what follows, that He intends to apply the
parable, John xii. 24, as a general instruction
to the whole race, and not to confine its ap-
plication either to Himself or to any parti-
cular class, for these two verses are manifest-
ly His interpretation of the parable. I shall
54 The Condition of Man Illustrated hy
transcribe from the 23d verse. The passage
is the reply which Jesus made when he was
told by his disciples that certain Greeks had
said, <' We would see Jesus." " And Jesus
answered them saying, the hour is come that
the Son of man should be glorified. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone ;
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he
that hateth his life in this world, shall keep
it unto life eternal. If any man serve me,
let him follow me; and where I am, there
shall my servant be ; if any man serve me,
him will my Father honour." They would
see Jesus, — and Jesus, who was the way to
the Father, answered by declaring the way.
His answer is evidently one with the pas-
sage in 2 Tim. ii., but it contains something
more \ for it figuratively sets forth that germ,
in man which is the hope of future glory, and
explains how that hope may be either fulfill-
ed in him or frustrated. " Except a corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone ; but if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit." Within the corn of wheat, there is a
germ of new life, which yet cannot spring
except through the dissolving and corrup-
the Parable of the Corn ofWIieat. 55
ting of the outer substance in which it is
contained. That germ is the hope of the
new plant, and that hope is frustrated when
the outer substance is preserved entire, and
is fulfilled when the outer substance falls into
the ground and dies. Both principles exist
at the same time, but the life of the one
neutralizes or destroys the life of the other.
And so when we see wheat laid up in store,
and the germ not appearing, we do not con-
clude from this that the germ is not there,
but we account for its non-appearance by
the preservation of the outer substance.
Now the outer substance of the wheat repre-
sents the fleshy the nature of the first Adam,
which is the seed of the first vessel ; the inner
germ represents the spirit^ the nature of the
second Adam, which is the seed of the
second vessel. But, besides these two prin-
ciples, man has a personality to which there
is nothing parallel in the wheat. The wheat
has only these two principles, the outer sub-
stance and the germ, it has no personality
within it, which can make a choice be-
tween the two, its fate depends on the ac-
tions of others towards it. It cannot resist
the operation of the ordinary process by
which the outer substance is dissolved, in
56 The condition of man Illustrated by
order to bring forth into life and fruitful-
ness, the latent germ. But man besides
the flesh and the spirit, has a personality in
him — he is a person, so that he can choose
whether he will live in the one or the other,
and he can consent to or resist that process
of casting him into the ground that he may
die, which God is continually carrying on,
by what is called the course of nature and
providence, for the breaking down of the
flesh, and the quickening of the spirit in him.
And according as he consents to or resists
the plan of God in this thing, the hope of
eternal life in him is either accomplished or
frustrated. He must himself co-operate with
God in this plan ; for if he consent not, al-
though God may and will cast him into the
ground, yet he will not so die, as that he shall
bear fruit. Therefore it follows, "he that
loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth
his life in this world shall keep it unto life
eternal." Whatever sorrows may be sent to
him, unless he consents to God's purpose of
breaking down self in him, he derives no
benefit from them, he stillloves his life in this
world, and so does not take hold of the life
eternal. Hence the importance attached to
accepting our punishment, as that on which
the Parable of the Corn of Wheat. 57
our benefiting by the covenant of life depends.
Lev. xxvi. 41, 42. And it is because men,
by the conditions of their being, thus touch
heaven and earth, flesh and spirit, and are
endowed with the capacity of living to either
of them, that it is reasonable and righteous
to say to them, " If ye live after the flesh, ye
shall die ; but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
We can choose, and necessarily do choose,
between these two natures, in every move-
ment of our minds, whether we consider it
or not.
It appears to me that we are distinctly
taught by this symbol, that we have not to
wait for the appearance of spiritual life in a
man before we can venture to determine
that the germ of life is in him, and that we
ought not to take its non-appearance as any
sign that it is not there. It is there, like the
germ in the wheat, whether it appears or not ;
and if it is not appearing, it is because the
man is refusing to die unto his own will, and
to acquiesce in God's plan of breaking down
his flesh. So also a man's own unconscious-
ness of its presence within him, is no proof
that it is not there ; for it is written in Rom.
ii. 4, " Despisest thou the riches of his good-
c 2
58 Two Powers Drawing Man, so that
ness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not
knowing that the goodness of God is leading
thee to repentance/' And it is also written
of the true light which lighteth every man,
that " it shineth in the darkness, and the
darkness comprehendeth it not f^ now the
flesh is the darkness, and whilst the man
lives to it, he comprehendeth not the light.
" Jesus was in the world, and the world was
made by Him, and yet the world knew Him
not." He was "the light of the world," and
yet the world was unconscious of His pres-
ence. And every man, in like manner, is a
little world, where Jesus, the true Light,
the quickening Spirit, is, though unknown.
There He stands at the door, and knocks \
and thus He fulfils that word, *' where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound."
Surely this is the only hope of glory for any
man, and, blessed be God, it is a hope which
God is watching over in every man, and or-
dering all His dealings with him to accom-
plish. Col. i. 27.
Thus, besides his own individual person-
ality, we see two powers in every man — the
one, the power of this world and of its prince ;
and the other, the power of the world to
come, and of its Prince. These are the
he has not to Originate but to Follow. 59
flesh and the Spirit, the seeds or principles
of the first and second vessels. The man is
not either the flesh or the Spirit, he is sepa-
rate from both, but they are seeds sown in
him, and his capacity of acting is merely his
capacity of choosing to which of these two
active principles he will yield himself up.
They are, as it were, two cords attached
to every heart, the one held by the hand of
Satan, the other held by the hand of God.
And they are continually drawing the heart
in opposite directions, the one towards the
things of self, the other towards the things of
God — the one being the reprobation, and the
other the election. Thus man, in all his
actings, Jiever has to originate any thing ; he
has only to follow something already com-
menced within him ; he has only to choose
to which of these two powers he will join
himself Here, then, I found that which I
had approved in Calvinism, and which I re-
quired as an element of every explanation
of the doctrine which should be set up in
opposition to Calvinism, namely, a recogni-
tion that there is no self-quickening power
in man, and that there is no good in man
but what is of the direct acting of the Spirit
of God. (See page 1^.)
60 The Glory which God Desires in Man.
I believe that it is the fear of attributing
glory to man in his own salvation, and of tak-
ing glory from God, that attaches many peo-
ple to the doctrines of Calvinism ; but they
would do well to consider whether they are
not, in fact, withholding from God the glory
which He desires in man, and seeking to
force upon Him a kind of glory which He
does not desire. God receives a glory to
His power in all the other works of His
hands in this world, but they give Him no
glory which they can keep back from Him.
When He made man. He made a creature
that might give Him a higher glory — a glory
to His love^ a free-will offering, a glory which
it could keep back, but would not, because
it loved Him.
Is it to give glory to man, to say, that once
he followed his own wisdom and leant on
his own strength, and that then he was al-
ways wrong, and always wretched, but that
he has at last learned to know the folly of his
own wisdom, and the weakness of his own
strength, and has believed God's assurance
that He is the true guide and portion of
man, and so has been persuaded to give up
all confidence in himself or any creature, and
to commit himself to the Lord, and that now
Tlie Root of Man's Responsibility. 61
he knows righteousness and peace ? I ask,
is this to give glory to man ? Or, is it not
rather a true description of the glory which
God desires from man ?
When we see the two natures, of flesh and
spirit, so in every man that he may join
himself to either of them, and thus become
either reprobate or elect, we see the root
of the doctrine of election. And when we
see rightly the gift of Christ, we shall see
that as He is the true light which lighteth
every man, so also there is in Him a com-
munication of life to every man. For " in
him was life, and the life was the light of
men;'' and thus, the light which lighteth
every man is a living light — a light where-
by he may live. And thus by the entrance
of the word into our flesh, not only has God
been brought near to us, as an object of trust
and love, but also His living Spirit, the
divine nature, has been communicated to us
subjectively as a capacity of embracing God,
whether we exercise it or not.
I do not mean that the divine nature is in
a man to his profit, unless he joins himself
to it; but there it is, — in him; " The light
shineth in darkness, and the darkness com-
prehendeth it not." The man himself is no
62 The Root of Man's Responsibility.
more the darkness than the light, but he has
both ; and when he lives in the light, he be-
comes light ; and whilst he lives in the dark-
ness, he is darkness. Thus it is written,
"Once ye were darkness, but now are ye
light in the Lord." It must have struck
every one, that in Rom. vii. and viii., the
apostle distinguishes the individual person
from the flesh in him, as much as from the
spirit in him. These, I repeat, are the two
cords in every man's heart, the one being
held in the hand of God, and the other in
the hand of the enemy of God — the one
drawing man towards God, the other tow-
ards self-gratification.
The whole responsibility of man consists
in his power to recognize and follow this in-
ward drawing of God, or to reject it, accord-
ing to his own personal choosing. When
he follows it, he is the wise son who maketh
a glad Father ; and when he rejects it, he
frustrates the counsel of God against himself,
as the Pharisees did in refusing John's bap-
tism ; (Luke vii. 38, marg,) and God holds
him responsible for this power, and deals
with him in righteous judgment, according
to his exercise of it. And this judgment is
not altogether deferred till after death. At
The Root of Man's Responsibility. 63
every step of the way there is a judgment,
though not a judgment that closes the ac-
count, — but at every step of the way, there
is a faithfulness or an unfaithfulness to a
present light, which God meets in a way of
judgment. In the case of faithfulness, the
man finds an inward reward of increased
light, unless he frustrates it by taking the
praise to himself, instead of rendering it
to his director; and in case of unfaithful-
ness, he will suffer from the hardening of his
conscience, and the obscuring of his light,
unless he repents, when God multiplies to
pardon. The voice is continually saying in
the conscience of every man, more or less
audibly, *«I will instruct thee, and teach thee
in the way in which thou shalt go, and I
will guide thee with mine eye ; be ye not
like the horse or mule, that have no under-
standing." The having this voice speaking
in him is the honour in which man is placed,
and by which he is distinguished from the
beasts that perish. Psalm xlix. 20. The
more obediently, and attentively, and rev-
erently, he listens to this voice, the more he
will hear, and if he waits upon it, as an in-
vitation to God, the more he will become
acquainted with the speaker — and the more
64 Errors Respecting Conscience.
he turns away his ear or his reverence from
it, the less will he hear, and the farther es-
tranged will he become from the speaker.
In this matter, there is a danger which is
often fallen into, and which therefore should
be mentioned — namely, that men are prone to
act on the supposition, that the voice in their
conscience is a faculty of their own nature,
like their feelings of benevolence or compas-
sion, as when the Jews said of Jesus, Is not
this the Carpenter's son? — and then, even al-
though they follow it, they are not brought by
it into a sense of their dependence on a divine
authority, which is their true creaturely con-
dition ; and they are not led to seek acquain-
tance with the speaker, because they attribute
it to themselves — and thus they do not un-
derstand the honour, and thus lose the bless-
ing, even when there is a certain semblance
of faithfulness to the voice. But it is only a
semblance, for every one may know that the
voice in his conscience is of a different order
from the faculties or feelings of his own
mind, because he knows that, however weakly
it sounds, he is sinning, unless he humbles
before it the highest and strongest move-
ments of his spirit.
There is another evil which is fallen into by
Errors Respecting Conscience. 65
those who do, in a certain way, acknowledge
the oneness of God with the voice in con-
science ; I mean the evil of stopping short at
conscience, as if that were all, and thus losing
God in conscience, instead of finding Him in
it ; their error lies in so identifying Him with
this voice in conscience, as to bring Him down
to the level of a mere voice, or intimation of
right and wrong, instead of rising up through
the voice to an acquaintance with Himself
from whom the voice comes, and who sends
it forth for the express purpose of leading man
up to Himself. Conscience is the link between
flesh and spirit, it is an entrance by which
the voice of the Word of God enters into
man, calling for the submission of his heart
and will, and through which He would com-
municate Himself personally and consciously,
if man would submit his heart and will, and
seek His manifestation. And because the
voice is the voice of the living Word, therefore
it not only gives direction as to what ought
to be done ; but it is also, in those who yield
to it, an efficient worker, working in them, not
to will only, but to do, of His good pleas-
ure. And thus it is that the apostle applies
even to the unbelieving Jews the words
which Moses addressed to their fathers :
66 The Word is Nigh thee,
"Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend up
into heaven to bring Christ down, or who
shall descend into the deep to bring Christ
up ; for the word is nigh thee, in thy mouth
and in thy heart, that is, the word of faith,
which we preach," — that Jesus whom we
preach outwardly, is the same Word, who is
nigh unto every man, in his mouth and in
his heart.*
The Bible is given to us to teach us who
it is that is speaking in our hearts, that we
may be persuaded to seek acquaintance with
Him and to take hold of His strength, that we
may be delivered from the voice and power
of the evil spirit, working in our flesh, and
may be lifted out of sin, and misery, and
death. It is given us to make us acquainted
with God in our own flesh, who stands knock-
ing at every heart. Jesus is not merely a
character or personage in a book ; He is a real
substantial being, whom we have not to seek
for at a distance, nor strive to picture to
ourselves by an effort of the imagination — it
is He who, however hitherto unknown or
* The distinction between pif^d and Xoyog need not
stumble any one, for the p^^os of Rom. x. is evidently the
Xoyog i^(pvrog of James, and the Xoyog of Matt, xiii., and the
corresponding passages in Mark and Luke, and 1 Pet. i. 23.
in thy Mouth and Hearty Rom. x. 8. 67
misnamed by us, is now in our own hearts,
condemning evil and reproaching us for
yielding to it, and holding out to us a fearful
looking for of judgment if we continue in
it. Let us listen to Him ; He hath come in
the name of the Lord to bless us, by turning
us away from our iniquities.
The Bible tells us of things which are
true in our own hearts, it does not make
them true. It is in this respect like a book
on anatomy, which describes the various
organs of our system, as the heart and the
liver, &c., but it cannot make them, nor give
them if they are awanting. So the Bible can
tell me that the power which condemns sin
within me is the living Word of God, in
my mouth and in my heart, but it does not
put it there — it may tell me that / have a
Saviour, but it does not make a Saviour — it
may tell me that what I have long known in
my own heart under another character, under
a false and mistaken character, as a task-mas-
ter and rebuker only, is really my Saviour
and my God; but if there were no such re-
buker really in me, this information would
be of no use to me.
Persons professing Christianity often speak
of the natural conscience, as they call it, dis-
6S The Word is Nigh Thee.
respectfully, and yet all the true Christianity
that ever finds a place in man's heart must
enter through that door. That is the point
of connection between God and man, the
place of meeting, — there it is where man
either receives God, or rejects Him. What
they mean to condemn is the misjudgment
which a man, whilst he still lives in the flesh,
forms of what the voice speaks within him.
The light shineth in the darkness, but the
darkness comprehendeth it not. Whilst the
man is living in the purpose to keep his own
way and will, he is living in the darkness,
and cannot truly comprehend even what he
sees of the light; but, when he truly desires
to be directed by that condemning light with-
in him, then he comes into the light, and will
be enabled more and more to comprehend it.
This is the retribution which is continually
going on in man's life, and its equity rests
on the fact of his really possessing a capacity
to take part with, and yield himself either to
the Spirit of God, or to the spirit of dark-
ness.
Theologians say well when they say that
man by the fall lost all power of doing good ;
but surely they say not well when they do
not acknowledge that, through the redemp-
The Parable of the Sower ^ Matt. xiii. 69
tion, this power has been restored, with ad-
vantage. For what else can be the meaning
of these words, "Where sin abounded, there
hath grace much more abounded." And I
appeal to every candid reader of the Bible,
whether he does not feel that these words
might be rightly taken as the sample, and
text, and epigraph of the whole book. There
is a spiritual seed given through Jesus to
every man, at the commencement of his life,
that he may trade with it; and according
to his faithfulness or unfaithfulness in using
it, so is his capacity for receiving a farther
blessing. He may at any time turn from
his unfaithfulness, and then he is capable
of a farther blessing ; but whilst he refuses
to hear the voice, he is necessarily rejecting
all blessings.
There is much important instruction on
this subject, namely, the fact of man's re-
sponsibility and the ground of it, in the 13th
chapter of the Gospel by Matthew. The
continual retribution with which God meets
us at every step of the inner history of our
own hearts, is very strikingly and solemnly
set before us in the reason which Jesus gives
for speaking to the people in parables. " It
is given to you (the disciples,) to know the
70 The reason why Jesus
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to
them it is not given ; for whosoever hath, to
him shall be given, and he shall have more
abundance, but whosoever hath not, from
him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Therefore speak I unto them in parables, be-
cause they seeing see not, and hearing they
hear not, neither do they understand." In
John viii. 31, Jesus said, "Tjf ye continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed,
and ye shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free." These are the per-
sons to whom it is given to know the mys-
teries of the kingdom of heaven. " If any
man will do his will, he shall know of the
doctrine whether it be of God." John vii. I7.
<« Whosoever hath, to him shall be given,
and he shall have more abundance ; but who-
soever hath not, from him shall be ti^ken
away, even that which he hath ;" (Matt. xiii.
12 ;) that is, whosoever is faithful in using
that which is given to him, he shall receive
more, and whosoever is unfaithful, he shall
lose even that which he hath.
This word which Jesus then spoke, as the
reason of the difference of his dealing with the
disciples and with the multitude, is the same
word which we find given in Matt, xxv. 29, as
spoke to the People in Parables. 71
the equitable ground of the sentence to be pro-
nounced at the last judgment, on the unprofi-
table servant who had neglected his talent.
The man had a talent entrusted to him to
trade with, and he hid it in the earth. There
was a voice of God speaking in him, saying,
" I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the
way wherein thou shalt go, and I will guide
thee with mine eye ; be not like unto horse
and mule that have no understanding" — so
that he might have had a special direction
from God at each step, and might have walk-
ed in conscious fellowship with God, the
whole of the way, and yet he did it not, but
being in honour, he had no understanding,
but walked as the beasts that perish.
The talent was the true light, and by hiding
it in the earth, he made himself dark ; and
the Judge, in taking it from him, and casting
him into outer darkness, only gave him what
he had himself chosen, rendering to him his
own double. "He seeing saw not, and hear-
ing heard not ;" that is, whilst he had the
power of seeing the light and hearing the
voice, he used it not, and so threw away the
honour in which he was placed. During his
life, it was not taken from him, but though
it remained with him, and though the power
72 The instruction contained inPs. xlix. and Ixxviii.
to use it remained also with him, in its en-
tireness, yet, nevertheless, there was a retri-
butive dealing with him in judgment, both
inwardly and outwardly, for his disobedience ;
and especially there was an additional dark-
ening, of which he himself, though generally
careless about it, was often conscious, which
was at once a punishment and a warning call
to repentance.
This is the parable and dark saying which
the Psalmist opens in Psalm xlix. — man
being in honour and not understanding it,
and so becoming like the beasts that perish.
And it also is the parable of Psalm Ixxviii.
— Israel directed by God, and carried by
Him as on eagles' wings, and yet rejecting
Him. By the rejection of the light, man is
continually bringing on himself a greater
unfitness for comprehending the light. This
was the principle which Jesus was setting
before his disciples as distinguishing between
them and the multitude — for in the parallel
narrative in Mark iv. 33, it is said, " And
with many such parables spake he the word
unto them, as they were able to hear it ; but
without a parable spake He not unto them ;
and when they were alone he expounded all
things to his disciples." The way to an ex-
To those without, all things are in parables. 73
position of the difficulty was open to every
man — let him be faithful to the light, and let
him seek to be alone with Jesus, who is the
true light that lighteth every man. Unfaith-
fuhiess to light, and indifference about Him
from whom the light comes, tend to increase
the darkness, and to harden and confirm the
incrustation of the flesh.
Thus we see that Jesus did not speak to
the people in parables, in order that they
might continue in darkness, but he spake the
word unto them *'a^ they were able to hear
it" In fact, the condition of their own minds
darkened all that they heard from him, and
so converted it into a parable. For what is a
parable butanarrative of facts, the importarce
of which does not lie in the facts narrated, but
in the hidden meaning and spirit contained
in them. If, then, the hidden thing meant
be the mind of God, which is the spirit of all
the parables, those who are not waiting on
the Spirit, will necessarily take the outward
forms by which it is expressed, instead of the
thing itself. And thus we see also, how it
was needful to be alone with Jesus in order
to understand the parables, for he is the
quickening Spirit; and it is only in knowing
him that we know the mind of God. He
74 Idans life an unsolved Par able,
standeth at the door of every heart, and
knocketh ; if he is admitted, he expounds all
things to his disciple, but whilst he is shut
out, all things are to that heart in parables ;
and, therefore, the multitude could not un-
derstand the parables of Jesus, because they
were living in the flesh — in the outward
things — and so even his interpretations of his
parables, although they might have conveyed
some intellectual information, yet would have
been as dark spiritually to them, as the par-
ables themselves. And we, in this our day,
are in similar circumstances ; — the successive
scenes of our life, are the ''many such par-
ables,''' with which Jesus speaks the word to
each of us, and these scenes continue to be
unsolved parables and dark sayings to us,
that is, their importance to us continues to
lie in the outward circumstances which con-
stitute them, not in the mind of God con-
tained in them, till we meet Jesus in them,
till we are alone with him, and understand
the mind of God in him ; but then the secret
of the Lord is with us, we have got the key
of the mystery. And we have not to send
to heaven for Jesus, for he is nigh us, in
our mouths and in our hearts.
In the parable of the sower, the four differ-
until he is alone with Jesus. 75
ent kinds of ground evidently represent the
different ways in which every man may hear
the word; they do not represent any original
or unalterable distinctions amongst men, as
if one man's heart were necessarily wayside
ground, and another's rocky, and another's
good ground. This cannot be the meaning
of it, else such an application as the follow-
ing would not be found accompanying it, *« If
any man have ears to hear, let him hear;" and
^^takeheed how ye hear J' Luke viii. 18. This
application manifestly lays the weight of the
responsibility of hearing upon man.
And what is the word sown? I believe
that the word in this parable is generally
supposed to refer solely to the outward word
heard or read ; but I believe that, though it as-
suredly includes that, it has yet a deeper and
wider meaning, referring chiefly to that inner
word in the soul, in which consists man's
honour, and distinction from the beasts,
— the living word, nigh every man in his
mouth and in his heart. This seems intimated
by an expression in the next parable of the
tares, which is manifestly closely connected
with this one. It is there said, ^'He that sow-
eth the good seed is the Son of man,^^ — it is
not a preacher that sows it, — it is not a man
76 The seed sown is the word " nigh thee,'^
instructing another, even though he were
authenticated as an inspired teacher, — and it
is not a book though that book be the BibUy —
but it is the Son of man Himself, within the
heart ; it is the true light that lighteth every
man ; his Spirit's voice is the incorruptible
seed of the word, which liveth and abideth
for ever, and which he soweth in the ground
of man's heart. It is the seed of the king-
dom ; for whenever a heart recognizes its
authority, and submits to its entire guidance,
the reign of self-will has ceased, and the
reign of God's will has commenced there —
and this is the kingdom within. The seed
is sown every where, whether it is received
or not; for the different kinds of unfruit-
ful ground, are unfruitful not in consequence
of their being without the seed, but in con-
sequence of not receiving it rightly.
There is a peculiarity of expression used
in the interpretation of this parable, both in
the Gospels of Mark and Luke, which ought
to be observed, in order to see the full mean-
ing of the following parable of the tares in
the field. In both these evangelists, the in-
terpretation commences with the declaration
that the seed is the word — and yet in the pro-
gress of the interpretation we find the seed
and is the seed of the election. 77
spoken of as per^o/i* ; thus in Mark, '* These
are they likewise which are sown on stony
ground, who when they had heard the word,"
&c.; " and these are they which are sown on
good ground, such as hear the word and re-
ceive itr The seed in the man is the disting-
uishing thing in him, and he is therefore
identified with it, in all its history ; and so,
in God's estimate, every man, whilst the seed
remains in him, is either an unfruitful seed
or a fruitful seed — either an unfulfilled
hope or a fulfilled hope. The seed is the
seed of God, and whilst it is in man, how-
ever dormant, it puts him in the place
of a son, and so the prodigal was a son
although in the far country, and man must
continue so until it is said, "take from him
the talent;" and as this seed is also the elec-
tion, being the spirit of the elect one, every
man in some sense has the election in him,
and has it in his power to make his election
sure, whether he uses that power or not.
The parable of the tares of the field, (Matt,
xiii. 24,) is intimately connected with the
parable of the sower, and proceeds on from
it, taking for known all that is contained in
it. In the parable of the sower, our Lord
warns us of the danger of losing, through
78 The parable of the tares in the field.
negligence, the benefit of the good seed
which is sown in our hearts. In the par-
able of the tares He warns us of a farther
danger — there is another sower, a sower of
tares, an evil sower, who sows evil seed as
widely as the good seed is sown; evil seed
which bears the fruit of eternal death, even
as the good seed bears the fruit of eternal
life. So that we have not only to watch,
that we may not, by negligence and inatten-
tion to the inward seed of God, lose eternal
life ; but we have also to watch that we may
not, by yielding to the various movings and
suggestions of the evil seed, nourish it up in
us to the maturity of spiritual death.
In order to understand the interpretation
given of this parable by our Lord, that peculi-
arity I remarked in the interpretation of the
former parable must be borne in mind, along
with the addition which belongs to its own
special object. The persons are identified
with the seeds ; and as the spirit of the para-
ble carries us forward to the final judgment,
each person is represented in it by that seed,
whether good or bad, which had gained the
ascendency over him during his life, and
which will then distinctly stamp his charac-
ter. He who had yielded himself to the
Process of assimilation to the dominant seed. 79
good seed is called wheat, and he who had
yielded himself to the evil seed is called a
tare. And it is not only that they are so
called, but they become so indeed. This is
the consummation of that retributive judg-
ment which we have before adverted to.
We are continually in contact both with the
Spirit of Christ, and the spirit of the devil ;
these are the two seeds in us, the one leading
us to God, the other leading us from God —
and every act of our being, inward as well
as outward, according as it is done under the
influence of the one or the other of these
spirits, gives strength and predominance in
us to that spirit; and thus the work of as-
similation is continually going forward; one
or the other is continually gaining ground,
and when the process is concluded, we shall
be found to be wheat or tares, children of
the kingdom, or children of the wicked one.
I feel assured that the reader will acknow-
ledge that this interpretation is more at one
with the spirit of our Lord's discourse, than an
interpretation which would divide the human
race into two unalterable classes, the one of
which originally consisted of the seed of
God, which must be saved^ and the other of
the seed of the devil, which must perish.
80 The field is the loorld.
And as he will acknowledge that it is more
in agreement with the context, so I am
persuaded he will acknowledge that it is no
forced interpretation, but one to which we
are naturally led, by the observation of that
peculiarity which we have remarked in the
foregoing interpretation of the sower, ac-
cording to which the person in whom the
seed is, is identified with the seed. That
there is a responsibility attached to the con-
dition of man described in the parable, and
that this condition belongs to the whole race,
is implied in the solemn application with
which it is concluded, "Who hath ears to
hear, let him hear," — and it is manifest that,
unless the interpretation here given be the
true one, no responsibility could exist.
The field is the world; that is, the parable
applies to every human being in the world ;
and in that large field there are many smaller
ones, for, indeed, each individual is a little
world — a field in which that process describ-
ed in the parable, is continually going on,
the contest between the two seeds, the seed
of the woman and the seed of the serpent,
between the wheat and the tare. And here
let the reader observe, in confirmation of
what was said above, as to what the good
The reapers are the angels. 8 \
seed really is, that as the tare is surely
not a mere outward temptation, or outward
teaching of the devil, but the spirit of the
devil, working inwardly in the heart, and fit-
ting and disposing the heart to take hold of
any outward temptation ; so the wheat — the
good seed of the kingdom, is not an outward
teaching, or an outward book only, but the
Spirit of Jesus striving with men, fitting and
disposing them to take hold of the truth and
will of God in any outward manifestation.
By these two spiritual seeds in their various
manifestations, the little field of man's heart
is occupied, and this is the garden which is
intrusted to him, to dress it and to keep it,
that is, to cherish the good plants, and to
keep down and eradicate the evil. This
charge is committed to himself, and he must
be continually receiving strength from God,
through the good seed, to do it, for God will
not do it by an extraneous exertion of pow-
er, separate from man's own will; He icill
not allow the reapers, the representatives of
external power, to interfere till harvest, lest
in pulling up the tares they root out the
wheat also — lest in taking away the necessity
of fighting the good fight, they should also
d2
82 The lesson of life is the continual call to choose
take away the blessing connected with the
victory.
The lesson taught man by his present cir-
cumstances is, that, in the consciousness of
his inability by his unassisted efforts, to re-
sist the temptations which are continually
assailing him from within and from without,
he should be continually looking to God for
help, and taking hold of that strength which
God actually gives, in the good seed, to those
who in faith and patience wait for it. But if
the temptations were taken away, this lesson
would be lost ; " Blessed is the man that en-
dureth temptation, for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the
Lord hath promised to them that love Him."
James i. 12. The continual system of retri-
butive judgment carried on during this life,
and consummated at the conclusion of it, de-
pends on the growing together of the tares
and the wheat, in the little world of each
heart, as much as in the great world. God
was present with Israel to drive the Gentile
nations out of Canaan before them, but He
would not do it except through their own
faith. Man is continually left to make his
own choice in this world, between the two
between the wheat and the tare. 83
seeds; and man is himself the Moses who
gives the victory either to Israel or to
Amalek.
I rest the longer on this parable, because
I know that it is liable to misinterpretation,
from forgetting that man really becomes
identified with the seed to which he yields
himself, and because I remember the time
when I laboured myself under the burden of
this misinterpretation. No man can under-
stand the application of a parable to the great
world without him, until he has felt its appli-
cation to the little world within him — for
when Jesus is alone with his disciple, the
very secret of the interpretation is, " Thou
art the man." Nathan's parable was a dark
saying to David, till he received that word
into bis heart; and so all the prophecies con-
cerning the world without, and the church
without, have their true interpretation, as
well as their first fulfilment, within the man's
heart. And as there is a danger of spiritual-
izing away the substantial realities of prophe-
cy in its application to the outward history of
the race, so is there a danger of materializing
away the no less substantial realities of pro-
phecy in relation to the inward history of
each soul.
84 The treasure hid in the field.
At the 44th verse of this same chapter,
there is another remarkable parable closely
connected with those which we have been
considering. '* The kingdom of heaven is like
unto treasure hid in a field, which when a
man hath found, he hideth, and for joy there-
of goeth and selleth all that he hath, and
buyeth that field." The field is the same
field, and the treasure is the same good seed;
it is there hid,— unknown and unthought of
by the heart of man, — the field in which it is
hid; but when a man has discovered that
he has this treasure in him, then for joy he
makes room for it in his heart, by casting
out other hopes and fears, (the offspring of
the tares,) that he may have the full benefit
of it. "Jesus was in the world, and the
world was made by Him, and the world
knew Him not; He came unto his own, and
his own received him not ; but as many as
received Him, to them gave He power to
become the sons of God." His Spirit is the
seed, which is sown in each heart, and as
many as will receive this seed, will find in
it power, whereby they may become sons of
God. This was and is the treasure hid in
every field, as the germ in the corn of wheat,
the hope and the life of the second vessel ;
Power communicated through the seed. 85
but till we consent to the breaking of the
first vessel, which is here expressed by the
words "selling all," we are nothing the richer
by that treasure. It has been hid in the
heart, that it might be as leaven, leavening
the whole lump, and that it might gi'ow up
into a tree, under whose shadow the birds
of the air — the winged restless thoughts which
lly through the heart — might find rest; and
if man frustrates this purpose, by allowing
the talent to remain hid in the earth, at the
last it shall be taken from him, and he shall
be cast into outer darkness.
Men did, indeed, by the fall, lose all spirit-
ual life ; but, in the Living Word Jesus Christ,
God hath said to all men, " Live ;" " Look
unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the
earth." This word is the word of Him who
said, "Let there be light," and forthwith
" there was light ;" and it contains in it as
much of the power of God. Why then, it
may be asked, does it not produce its ef-
fect so readily? The only reason which
can be given is, that there is something
in marCs ivill which can resist GocTs wordy
whereas there is nothing in mere matter
that can do so. I know that there are
many who will feel startled by such a state-
86 Power communicated through the seed,
ment, as if it were dishonouring to God;
but surely the substance of it is implied in
such words as, " O that my people had
hearkened unto me;" Psalm Ixxxi. 13; and
Isaiah xlviii. 18, and in all the expressions
of the grieving of the Spirit. And more-
over the fact stands undisputed, — that God's
mighty word has been spoken to man, and
has been resisted. But, though resisted, it
abides on him ; and whenever he ceases
his resistance, he becomes sensible of its
presence, and in it finds a mighty power
in contact with him, to which he may join
himself, and then it will do its errand.
As long as a man continues to desire
only seen things, and to live for the first
vessel, he is joining himself to that which
is under the sentence of death — he is iden-
tifying himself with the tare, and thus he
is said to be dead in sins. But the mighty
word of God, which is the good seed, is also
in him, though he is not joining himself to it ;
and the presence of that seed in him is the
presence of a power, by which he may sepa-
rate himself from the flesh, and join himself
to the spirit at any moment. *« Awake thou
that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light," is a word which,
and that power is the power of God. 87
if it does not imply that there is a power in
the sleeper to awake, and to arise out of the
death in which he lies, most assuredly confers
on him that power; and that power is the
power of joining himself to the good seed.
The sleeper has no power to quicken himself,
but he has the power of yielding himself to
the seed, which will quicken him. K God's
seed were not there, the sleeper could do
nothing but sleep on in death; but the quick-
ening word is there, and there in such a way
that the sleeper may rise from the dead.
As it is written, " The word is nigh thee, in
thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou may est
do it'' It is not there that thou mayest be
condemned ; it is not there to aggravate thy
rebellion ; it is there that thou mayest do it.
And thus whenever a man is quickened, that
is, begins to live to God ; it is by his allowing
God's word to have free course in him, and
God's work to proceed in him, without frus-
trating it; and thus it is God's doing, it is
God's quickening; it is not the man's doing,
it is his ceasing from his own doing, and
yielding himself to God's doing. He must
choose, and can choose between the wheat
and the tare, and that is all his business ; but
88 The Flesh refuses to hear and obey the word ;
it is a continual business — it is the life and
the fight of faith.
To live in the flesh is to live to self, being
our own masters, and walking by a wis-
dom and a strength which we find within
ourselves, and feel to be our own. What-
ever direction or strength may be commu-
nicated to us by the spirit who works
and rules in the flesh, he does not require
any acknowledgment of their coming from
him ; and indeed there is no consciousness
of their being derived from any other source
than our own breast. The object of that
evil spirit is to make us seek independence ;
he does not desire that we should have any
feeling of his assistance or presence, but, on
the contrary, he desires that we should ac-
knowledge no control whatever over the wish
and purpose of our own hearts.
To live by faith is in all respects the op-
posite of this — it is to live to God, and to
live by a direction and strength which not
only do come from Him in fact, but which
we consciously receive from Him, through
the word which He is speaking within us
from moment to moment, feeling that we
are not our own property but His, and
Faith lives by the inward icord. 89
that as we have no right to act without
Him, and as all that we do act without Him
is sin, so when we neglect the word through
which He communes with us, and refuse to
listen to it, we are not only rebelling against
Him, but shutting out that life from our
souls, which alone can work in us to will
and to do what is good. Faith always has
reference to the inward word, and to that
which receives its witness, distinguishing it
from all other voices, whether from within or
from without, and resting on it as the living
word of the Almighty faithful God. As it
is written in Rom. x. 17, "Faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing through (as it is in the
original) the word of God." And of that
word of God which is here referred to, it
is written in verse 10th, " The word is nigh
thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that
is the word of faith which we preach''
So it appears that faith comes by heaiing
that which is spoken to us through the
word, which is in our mouth and in our heart.
There is then, a word of God nigh us,
in our mouth and heart ; and faith cometh
by receiving that which it speaks, or that
which passes through it. If a man or a
book says any thing, to which that inward
90 There is no faith without the inward witness.
word bears testimony, so that the thing passes
through it to us, then that thing becomes a
matter of faith to us ; but however much our
judgment may approve of it, and however
consistent and rational it may appear to us,
yet unless we receive it as listeners to the
inward word, unless it passes through that
channel to us, it is not a matter of faith, it
is not spiritual nourishment to our souls.
That f/iftx, that word of faith, is the seed of
the xoyoq, — the Word in whom is life. It is
the coming forth of that life which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world ; and
which is come forth not only to lighten him,
but to give him life, if he will receive the
light, if he will listen inwardly to the word
which is nigh him. This is the difference
between information ^n^ faith. Many have
much information about God, who have never
yet thought of listening to His voice, to and
in themselves. And so they have no true
religion, no religion which thei/ themselves
know to be true, from having received it direct
and at the first hand. They know nothing
of that covenant of which the characteristic
is, that They who have part in it are all
"taught of God." And the reason of this their
condition, is not that God hath withheld
John vi. 37—44. 91
His teaching from them, but that they have
not listened to Him. He is faithful to that
word, ^* I will instruct thee and teach thee in
the way in which thou shalt go, and I will
guide thee with mine eye," (Psal. xxxii. 8;)
but the caution which immediately follows
that word, namely, ** Be not like unto horse
and mule, that have no understanding," ex-
plains how God's instruction is frustrated, by
man's refusal to attend and understand.
In John vi. 37, 39, 44, 65, there are some
expressions which, at first sight, appear to
give a very decided support to the common
view of the doctrine of election, and which
accordingly have been much quoted and leant
to by its advocates, and have been felt to be
very dark and startling by those who see in
Christ a love of God for every man. But
if we attend to the context, and carry along
with us the recollection that there are two
opposite spirits striving in every man, be-
tween which he is ever called to make his
choice, we shall find that these expressions
have in reality a very different meaning from
that which is attributed to them. For if a
man is really standing between two draw-
ings, the drawing of the spirit of the world,
and the drawing of the Spirit of the Father,
92 Man stands between two dr awing s^
with the power of choosing which he will
follow, then such an expression addressed to
him, as that in ver. 44, <' no man can come
unto me, except the Father draw him," real-
ly imports only this warning, that if he would
go to Christ, he must follow, not the world's
drawing, but the Father's drawing. The
phrase might be thus varied, "no man can
come to me whilst the world draws him,"
that is w^hilst he yields to its drawing. Mani-
festly our Lord is condemning a wrong
choice, or a WTong way of coming to Him ;
and requiring a right choice, or a right way
of coming to Him. And then, as for the
expression " all that the Father giveth me
shall come to me," it is evident, that those
who follow the Father's drawing to Christ
are those who are given to Him by the Fa-
ther. This seems to me a plain and unforced
solution of the difficulty; but, as I know
the weight that this chapter has with many,
I shall expand my observations a little.
The Jews, as we read in the early part of
the chapter, were following Jesus in great
numbers, on account of the cures which he
had wrought on those who were diseased, and
on account of the miracle of the loaves, and
were even prepared to acknowledge Him as
and no man can serve two masters. 93
the Messiah, and on that ground would have
made him a King, saying, " Of a truth this is
that prophet that should come into the world."
But Jesus rejected this following of him, and
acknowledging of him, saying to them, *« Ye
seek me, not because ye saw the miracles,
(not for any thing ye saw of God in me,) but
because ye did eat of the loaves, and were
filled. Labour not for the meat which per-
isheth, but for that meat which endureth
unto everlasting life, which the Son of man
shall give unto you."
They were seeking such a Saviour as the
impenitent thief on the cross sought — they
were seeking one who would deliver them from
disease, and from hunger, and from nation-
al degradation, and other evils incident to
their present condition — they were seeking
for one who would take them down from the
cross — and it was under the impression that
Jesus was a Saviour who would satisfy these
desires, that they followed Him and acknow-
ledged Him as that prophet that should come
into the world. And Jesus, in rejecting their
advances, meant to condemn their worldly
thoughts, and to undeceive them, both as to
the nature of the salvation which he came
to bestow, and as to the true character of
94 The Flesh deceives by the language of Faith,
their own feelings towards him ; — He meant
to show them that his salvation was not for
the purpose of making this present life more
easy, but that it was a communication of the
will and life of God, to be received through
the laying down of the will and life of the
flesh ; and He meant also to awaken their con-
sciences to the fact, that although they were
professedly following him as a prophet, yet
they were not really seeking God or his sal-
vation, but the things of this life, and the
gratifying of their own wills ; and that there-
fore, although they gave him their bodily
presence as followers, yet they were not
truly and in heart his disciples, and could
not be so until they turned in earnest to
seek after God, and to attend to the draw-
ings of His Spirit within them.
But whilst he charges them with this
worldly spirit, he does not speak of it, as if it
were a condition to which they were bound,
or from which they could not change ; but,
on the contrary, He calls upon them at once
to leave the evil way, and to come into the
good way, saying to them, "Labour not for
the meat that perisheth, but labour for the
meat that endureth unto everlasting life." He
warns them in these words, that they were in
and by calling the broad way^ the narrow way.
95
the broad way, which leadeth unto death, but
he calls them out of it, into the narrow way
which leadeth unto life. They were walking
in the broad way, drawn by the flesh, and yet
they had the outward appearance of having
come to Jesus ; and thus they deceived them-
selves, thinking that by giving his name to
the broad Avay, they had really changed it into
the narrow way ; that is, they thought that
they had changed it from being the way of
death, into the way of life, whilst yet it re-
tained all that was agreeable in it to their
carnal hearts. They thought that if He were
the true Messiah, then surely those who fol-
lowed him must be God's chosen people.
But he declared to them, that it was not a
name nor an outward appearance of fol-
lowing him that could connect them with
his salvation — that nothing could do this
but a true leaving of the broad way, and
coming into the narrow way, in which the
drawing of God's Spirit, instead of the draw-
ing of the flesh, was followed.
The narrow way, which is the way of fol-
lowing God and denying the flesh, is the
only way of God's election. N o man can have
eternal life except in this way; and every
96 The narrow way is the way through death to life,
man is commanded to walk in it, by Him
whose commandment gives right and power.
And there is no substitute for the narrow
way — nothing will do but itself. And the
falsehood of all false religions consists in find-
ing substitutes for it, and changing the broad
way into the narrow way, by the use of a name
or a form, or by belonging to a particular party
or family. Thus, the Jews in general, thought
that the being circumcised, or being descen-
dants of Abraham, was a substitute for the
narrow way ; which error of theirs, as a mani-
festation of a most deep and wide-spreading
root, is condemned in the epistles to the Ro-
mans and Galatians, and in John viii. 31 — 40.
This also was the error of Hymeneus and
Philetus, whose vain babbling was, that a
substitute for the narrow way was found; for
that by the resurrection of Jesus, His follow-
ers were delivered from the necessity of dying
daily to the flesh, and were warranted, even
now, and whilst yet in the corrupt body, to
enter into the security of the resurrection
state. And here, in the passage before us, we
find the multitude confiding in an outward
following of Jesus, as if that could make the
broad way in which they were walking the
« The word nigh the^^ leads into the narrmo way, 97
way of life, or change the meat that perish-
eth into the meat that endureth unto ever-
lasting life.
It was this self-deception that He meant
to rebuke in them, when he said, " All that
the Father giveth me, shall come to me;"
and " No man can come unto me, except
the Father draw him." The flesh had given
them to Him, because they had followed him
drawn by the flesh, seeking not the king-
dom of God and his righteousness, but the
gratifying of their own desires, and hoping
to give a religious character to these de-
sires, by coming to a Prophet for their ac-
complishment. And He meant to show them
that such a giving and such a drawing^ un-
der whatever names or appearances, could
not but lead to death ; and that they must
resist them, and yield themselves to the giv-
ing and drawing of the Father, if they de-
sired really to partake of his salvation.
God's election rests on the narrow way,
as it rests on the word by which He is draw-
ing all men into it. To follow that word is
to walk in the narrow way ; and His personal
election rests exclusively on those who do
walk in it. Thus the seed of the word sown
in every heart is the cord which, if followed,
98 The Father draws men
brings a man under the election ; and thus
every man has to choose, whether he will be-
long to the election or not.
The interpretation which has been here
given of the expression " No man can come
unto me, except the Father draw him," is
farther confirmed by comparing it with verse
45th, which our Lord gives as an explanation
of it ; " It is written in the prophets, and
they shall be all taught of God ; Every one,
therefore, that hath heard and learned of the
Father cometh unto me." For we have seen
that the continual presence, in every man, of
that word which is nigh us in our mouth and
heart, is both the teaching and drawing of the
Father, and thus he who obeys it, is he who
hears and learns of the Father, and is drawn
of Him to Jesus, And the continual pre-
sence of the worldly spirit in every man, is
the continual drawing of the flesh ; and he
who obeys that spirit, is drawn away fi'om
Jesus, along the broad way that leadeth
unto death. " Wherefore lay apart all filthi-
ness and superfluity of naughtiness, and
receive with meekness the ingrafted word,
(tm Ao'yflv 'lfi(pincv, the word come into our nature)
which is able to save your souls." James i.
^1. I quote this verse not merely for its
by the word sown in their hearts. 99
own value, but that I may refer the reader
to its whole context, as a passage in which
he will find farther illustration of the sub-
ject.
Our Lord's explanatory comment on the
passage proves, in the first place, that it is
not by a mere influence, but by the inward
word, that the Father draws men, for it is by
that which they hear and learn from the
Father Himself; and, in the second place,
it proves that when men do not come to
Jesus, it is not from failure of the Father's
drawing, but because they will not hear and
learn of the Father, for he says, "Every
one that hath heard and learned of the Father
cometh unto me."
I repeat, that it must be by the inward
spiritual word, known and felt in the heart,
that God draws men. For the multitude
had come to the true Word in His outward
manifestation, and were acknowledging his
authority, for they would have made him a
king, and they must have been doing thus
from comparing him with what had been
said of the Messiah by the prophets; and yet
they were not owned by Him as having truly
come to Him ; and why ? Reader, let us
weigh the objection; it was because they had
100 The followers of that word alone truly come to Jesus.
not themselves heard and learned of the
Father that this was He. He was the true
Christ, and they had come to him acknow-
ledging him to be such, — and they were so
zealous in their acknowledgment of him,
that they would have risked their lives, and
defied the Roman power, on his behalf-
hut their acknowledgment of him lacked
that element which alone could make it life
to their own souls, or give it any value in the
sight of God ; it did not spring from an in-
ward hearing and learning of the Father.
They had not the witness of the Spirit within
them, to the truth of Christ's character, and
therefore their acknowledgment of him was
not a true acknowledgment, although He
was the true Messiah. Faith in Christ im-
plies, that a man has felt and recognized the
oneness of the Lord Jesus with that seed of
the word which he has found within his own
heart, for it is thus only that he can know,
with certainty and of a truth, that He is in-
deed his God, come into his flesh to save
him. And hence it is evident, that, in order
to have a true faith in Christ, a man must
be listening to that inward word, for other-
wise he cannot know its oneness with Him,
and therefore cannot come to Him by the
Exposition ofProv. i. 101
Father's drawing. I cannot know light, but
by its presence in my own eye, and I cannot
know God, but by His presence in my own
heart.
The Word is in every heart, just as Jesus
was in the world — and the wisdom, and
hypocrisy, and self-conceit, and lusts of the
flesh, despise and reject Him in that little
world, just as the Scribes, and Pharisees,
and people of the Jews, despised and reject-
ed Him in the great world. These are the
sinners of whom we read in Prov. i., who
entice us, saying, " Let us lay wait for blood,
let us lurk privily for the innocent, without
cause." And this woi^d, this true witness
for God within us, is the innocent. But al-
though innocent, He disturbs the quiet of the
heart, by testifying against all its wisdom, and
lusts, and decency. And therefore these sin-
ners within us desire to get our decision and
choice on their side, against the disturber.
They say, " Cast in thy lot with us, let us all
have one purse," that is, let us have a com-
mon interest, let us make enjoyment our
object. But in asking us, (that is the indi-
vidual personality within us,) to make com-
mon cause with them against the disturber —
they do not avow all this — they do not openly
102 Importance of the inward choice
profess to oppose God or duty. On the
contrary, by the help of the carnal wisdom,
they endeavour to give their plea a moral or
religious aspect, — they profess to give reli-
gion its own place, and to honour God in
the enjoyment of His gifts, and to do what
is reasonable; and thus, in profession and
pretence, they are taking part with God's
witness at the very time that they are really
seeking to silence him and to cast him out.
If He would consent to call the broad way
the narrow way, they would be thankful for
the sanction of his presence, but as He will
not do this, they seek idi false Christ who will.
We are no uninterested spectators of this
wonderful contest that is going on within
us. We all know in the bottom of our
hearts, that the Reprover is right, and that
we ought to give Him the rule within us —
but then we must consent to deny ourselves
and take up the cross, and these inward
counsellors will suggest to us plausible rea-
sons for not doing this. On this unseen
ground of the heart, the question of every
man's religion is determined, and here it is
that man is the Moses who gives victory
either to Amalek or to Israel. We may and
we must choose our side. If we are inward
between the true Christ, and the false Christ. 103
followers of the false Christ, it will avail us
little to be outward followers of the true :
we are defiling our consciences, and turning
the light which is in us into darkness. And
if we are inward followers of the true Christ,
we are in the only right way of being the out-
ward followers also.
In order to undeceive the multitude in
their expectations from him, and to prove
to them, that they were following him by
mistake, and were not really desiring the
blessing that he came to give, Jesus pro-
ceeded to set forth to them the nature and
character of that meat which endureth un-
to everlasting life. That meat is the will
of God, by which He himself lived, as he
told the disciples, when he sat hungry on
the well, and yet refused the bread which
they brought him ; and as He told the Devil,
when he tempted Him out of the stones to
make bread. And as He himself lived by
that meat, so it is the meat which he came
to give to men. But the will of God, in its
relation to fallen man, does not look like
meat, — it does not look as if man could live
by it, but the contrary ; for it not only lays
on him the sentence of sorrow and death,
but also is continually requiring the mortify-
104 Chrises broken flesh meat indeed^
ing and the crucifying of all those desires of
the flesh, in which his life seems to consist.
Man expects life in having his flesh unhurt
in any of its feelings, and in having the
current of his blood unchecked. And the
will of God breaks the flesh and sheds the
blood, and seems to destroy life instead of
giving it, and thus appears as if it were not
meat by which man could live.
Yet Jesus came to give this meat to men ;
that is. He came to show men that the will
of God, although it crucified the flesh, was
meat indeed, yea the only meat that nourish-
eth unto eternal life. And the way in which
he showed them this, was by showing them
the will of God towards them fulfilled in
himself, — in his own person. He, in their
sight, eat this meat which seemed so dead-
ly ; He did not his own will in any thing,
but the will of the Father. He lived by the
will of the Father. And they saw that this
will of God did indeed break His flesh and
shed His blood ; for He was marred more
than any man ; but after it had brought Him
to the dust of death, they saw it raise Him
from the dead, freed for ever from all touch
of mortality and corruption, to partake in the
glorious and blessed life of the Father for
and His shed blood drink indeed. 105
ever and ever. He thus showed them the
eflfect of this meat ; He showed them that it
might be safely taken; He showed them that
He who had provided this meat for man
might be trusted by man ; for He says, " I
have trusted Him, and I am delivered." He
showed them that love in the heart of God
towards them, which had sent forth the only
begotten Son from His bosom to taste death
for every man, and to be the Head of every
man, and the channel of sonship to every
man, so that every man might through Him
look up to God as a present Father, forgiv-
ing him and loving him even as He loved
Christ. He thus showed them that as God
was his Father, whom he could trust, so He
was their Father, whom they might trust;
and that His will concerning them, was no-
thing else than the outcoming of a Father's
love, who had made them and redeemed them,
and who afflicted them not willingly, but
that they might be partakers of His holiness.
He thus showed them that there was a
purpose in the heart of God towards them,
of love and of righteous blessedness, which
could not have its fulfilment except through
the crucifixion of the flesh.
Until man knows God as a Father, he
£2
106 No man knoweth the Father, save the Son.
cannot find it his meat to do and suffer that
will which crucifies him ; he may know it to
be righteous, if he listens to the word with-
in him, but he will feel it to be grievous ; he
will not find the broken flesh meat indeed,
nor the shed blood drink indeed. But as soon
as he knows the Father, " every bitter thing
becomes sweet." He finds the broken flesh
meat indeed, and the shed blood drink indeed.
But as no man knoweth the Son, but the
Father, so no man knoweth the Father save
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal Him. Matt. xi. I7. It is not by any
scholarship, or any intellect, it is not by hear-
ing from any outward voice, or learning
from any outward book, that we can know
God as our Father. No heart except a son's
can know a Father. It is only in the spirit
of the Son, that we can know the Father.
And no step in the whole work can be
taken in the wisdom or strength of man.
But God is faithful to that word, " Whosoever
hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have
more abundantly.'' If we follow the inward
word, whilst yet we know it only as the word
of God, and not as the word of a Father,
He will lead us by it unto the Son, and into
the spirit of sonship — and then shall we know
The continual supper of the Lord. 107
the Father, and then shall we find the flesh
of Jesus meat indeed, and his blood drink in-
deed; then shall we discern the Lord's body,
and the Father's dealing with his body, in
all the Father's dealings with us — and His
commandment will be no more grievous.
In the flesh of Jesus broken, and in his
blood shed, we see the manifestation and
forthcoming of that love of God which saves
man through suffering ; and to eat his flesh
and to drink his blood is to live on that love,
and to discern it in all its dealings, with our-
selves and with all men. When we walk
in the spirit of Jesus, we shall know his suf-
ferings in our own, and feed on his broken
body and shed blood, in yielding ourselves
to the righteous love which crucifies our
own will. This is the Lord's Supper, to
feed with Jesus on His Father's will, which
crucifieth the will of man ; and many eat that
supper in the outward form, like the Jews
coming to Jesus in the outward form, who
are yet "eating every man his own supper,"
feeding on the desires of their own heart,
and refusing to be crucified ; and so " one
is hungry and another is drunken," — either
cast down with disappointment or intoxicat-
ed with success.
108 Outward followers of the true Christy who are
When Jesus had explained to the multi-
tude, that he came to feed them with broken
flesh and shed blood, and that it was not
the gratifying of the flesh, but its breaking
down, which they must seek if they would
really come to him, they were offended at
him. They discovered that He came to save
them from the very things which they wish-
ed to enjoy, and not from the things which
they wished to escape. They had at first
said, ''Lord evermore give us this bread,"
but now they discovered that this was not
the bread which they were seeking, and im-
mediately the difference between the true
followers, and the apparent followers was
manifested ; for many said, " This is an hard
saying, who can hear it?" and Jesus said,
" Doth this offend you? What, and if ye shall
see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?" Are ye so offended by the call for
self-denial, that even the prospect of the re-
surrection cannot reconcile you to it? "It is
the spirit which quickeneth, the flesh pro-
fiteth nothing." The flesh is the marred
vessel destined to be broken; the spirit is
the seed of the new vessel destined unto
honour, it is the only cord which the Father
hath given to men to draw them to himself;
proved to be inward followers of the false Christ. 109
cease then from the flesh and yield to the
drawing of this cord of God, for whatever
your imaginations may be, you can arrive
at eternal life by no other way ; "therefore
said I unto you, that no man can come unto
me, except it were given him of my Father.^*
You thought when you came to me to get
the loaves, and to make me a king, that you
were really coming to me ; but no man can
come to me, except by following that cord
which my Father gives to conduct men to
Himself, and you have come following an-
other cord.
They seemed to have left all, and to have
taken up the cross ; and they were also fol-
lowing what appeared to them the instruc-
tion of the Bible ; but they were not hearing
and learning of the Father, and thus all that
they did was in the flesh. They seemed to
crucify the flesh, when they proposed to risk
their lives and properties by braving the Ro-
man power, but it was from a feeling of na-
tional honour, or of enterprize it might be —
which is only another form of the flesh, and,
therefore, it was not a spiritual sacrifice — it
was not sacrificing the flesh altogether from
submission or love to God ; it was sacrificing
one feeling of the flesh for another.
110 Seething the kid in its mother's milk,
This was doing what is forbidden by
the law of Moses, when it is said, " Thou
shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk."
Under the laws relating to food, the true
bread, which is also the true worship of God,
is evidently set forth. Now, the kid, and
its mother's milk, are manifestly only dif-
ferent forms of the same flesh, and thus
seething the kid in the mother's milk, is
typical of offering up the flesh, in the flesh.
The spirit, on the other hand, is represented
by the two symbols of fire and water; and,
as it is in the spirit only that the sacrifice
of the flesh is truly acceptable to God,
and profitable to the soul, so the Israelites
were commanded to dress the flesh of their
daily food in the symbols of the spirit, that
they might thus, in the way of preparing the
nourishment of their natural life, bear a con-
tinual witness to the only way in which God
can be rightly worshipped, and the spiritual
life truly sustained.
Jesus off'ered up Himself " through the
eternal Spirit." And this is our rule.
For we may offer ourselves up, and yet in
that off'ering, we may neither receive true
life to our souls, nor give true worship to
God, because we may be doing it, not in the
typical of sacrificing the flesh in the flesh. 111
eternal Spirit, We know how much may be
sacrificed, in order to gain the esteem of
others, or to maintain our esteem of ourselves
— and we must feel, that although the things
which we do under these influences may be
in themselves according to the will of God,
yet, being thus done, they cannot be true wor-
ship to Him, and they cannot be true life to
ourselves, because they receive their charac-
ter from their source, and they do not come
forth from His will within us, which is the
only source of true worship and true life.
We know also how much may be done and
endured, in order to rid conscience of a bur-
den. And here the sacrifice looks more like
a spiritual sacrifice — ^but it only looks so ; for
whilst our end is to obtain ease of mind, and
not to have the will of God fulfilled, we are
still seething the kid in its mother's milk.
We may know a thing which is contrary to
our will to be according to the will of God,
and it may so lie as a painful weight on our
consciences, that we may be led to the actu-
al doing of it, — and yet such a self-sacrifice
is merely a choosing the least of two evils ; —
we are hearing the voice within us, but we
are not seeking after the Speaker, nor learn-
ing of Him J — we are seeking after our own
112 Those who eat Chrises flesh and drink His bloody
ease, and not after the will of God ; and thus
there is neither worship nor life in it.
In the often repeated declaration, — that it
is only through eating the flesh of Jesus, and
drinking his blood, that we can be partakers
of His eternal resurrection life, — this passage
agrees with the parable of the corn of wheat,
which must die before it can bring forth
fruit, — and also with the faithful saying and
eternal purpose of God, 2 Tim. i. and ii. —
that if we die with Jesus, we shall live with
Him, if we suffer with Him, we shall reign
with Him, — and also with the parable of the
Potter, whose first vessel must be broken,
in order to the making of the vessel unto
glory. So that we have in it the same tes-
timony as in them, that God elects the second
vessel and its spirit, and lays His reprobation
on the first vessel. Perhaps even the figure
of eating the flesh and drinking the blood,
expresses more strongly both the willingness
to suff'er with Jesus, and the oneness with
him in suff'ering, than any of the other ex-
positions of the principle.
But that to which I would now draw the
reader's attention chiefly, is the connection
between this passage and the parable of the
Sower. In both of them we may observe
are those who follow the Father's inward word. 113
that certain steps in the progress of salvation,
are marked and insisted on. Not only is
there a certain condition of character re-
quired, but there is a way to the attainment
of that condition distinctly defined, and de-
clared to be the only way that can lead to it.
Thus, in our passage, it is not only set down
as a principle, that we must eat the flesh
and drink the blood of Jesus if we would
have eternal life, but it is farther set down
as a principle, that we cannot do this accord-
ing to God's judgment, as we cannot even
come to Jesus, except hy hearing and learn-
ing of the Father^ that is, by yielding our-
selves to the authority and direction of the
voice of the spirit which speaks within us.
This state of hearing and learning of the
Father^ is evidently the same thing as the
good ground in the parable of the Sower,
which our Lord interprets to be those that
hear the word and understand it. All the
other kinds of ground heard the word, as well
as the good ground, but they understood it
not — they heard, but they did not learn of the
Father. The word was nigh them, in their
mouths and hearts, but " they hearing^ heard
not^ neither did they understands^ and there-
fore the word was an unsolved parable to
114 The first step in true religioUt
them ; they yielded not to it — they did not re-
ceive it into good and honest hearts — and this
was their sin — and, whilst they continued in
this sin, they shut themselves out from God's
election ; they followed not His drawing, and
therefore he could not give them to Jesus.
The first step in true religion consists in
turning to this word and yielding to it, as
the word of power and righteous authority.
And as we have no true religion until we
have made this step, or entered into this
condition, so whenever we leave it, we leave
true religion. And thus all farther knowledge
that we get from without, either from the
Bible or any other source, can only profit our
souls by nourishing this seed of the word, and
so enlarging the compass of its instruction
to us, and its quickening influence over us.
So that whenever a man acquires religious
knowledge, or sets about the outward acts
of a religious life, without this first step ; —
without "this hearing and learning of the
Father," — however zealous and sincere he
may be, still he is deceiving himself, like the
multitude following Jesus ; he is yet out of
the only way by which he can come to Him,
and feed on his broken body.
This, then, is the all-important step, by
is turning to the inward word. 115
which man is called on to connect himself
with God's predestination. It is indeed an
all-important step j for, until he takes it, the
infinite love of God flowing out upon him,
and the blood of Jesus shed for him, cannot
save him. And how is he to take this step ?
Is he capable of taking it? He has no
power of his own to take it; but in the
living seed of the word, which is sown in
his heart, the Spirit of God is communicat-
ed to him, in the strength of which, he may
take it. (See on this subject, pages 86, 870
This step or condition of mind, which im-
plies a preparedness for receiving Jesus, is
described in the passage before us, under
two forms — the one, " labouring not for the
meat that perisheth, but for the meat that
endureth unto everlasting life ; " the other,
" hearing and learning of the Father." But
it is the same condition of mind that is de-
scribed under both ; for the meat by which the
everlasting life in man is sustained, is not
bread, but " every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of God ; " so he that laboureth
for that meat, is indeed he who is hearing
and learning of the Father, because his la-
bour consists in receiving the Father's word,
and following it.
116 The Searcher of hearts watches for the
That word always calls for a present sur-
render of our own will ; and thus in effect it
truly calls upon us to give up the hope which
is connected with the present life, that we
may take hold of the eternal life. There is
no real seeking after eternal life, except in
turning to that word ; and that word is only
turned to in truth by those who are prepar-
ed to lay down the present life, in the hope
of a life of righteousness yet to be revealed.
Those who are in this condition, — who have
turned to hear that voice, and to seek after
God and eternal life, are prepared to receive
Jesus ; they are given to Him by the Father;
they are drawn by the Father to the Son.
This condition of heart, is the thing which
the Searcher of hearts is searching for; He
seeketh such to worship Him ; " He looks
down from heaven, to see if any will under-
stand, and seek after God;" and when He
sees any turning to the word, there is joy
over them in the presence of our Father.
They are following the drawing by which He
would draw them to Himself, and they are
desiring the meat which will nourish them
unto eternal life; and, therefore, now there
is room for the fulfilment of the promise,
" Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and
turning of the heart to the inward word. 117
he shall have more abundantly*^ Hitherto
all God's words to them within, and all His
dealings towards them without, had been
without profit to them, because they would
not hear nor understand ; now they have in-
clined their ear, and therefore they are in a
condition to understand the long-suffering
love of God towards them, and His purpose
in their education, so as to co-operate in it
with Him. This is the condition which fits
them for recognizing and receiving Jesus as
the Son, and for receiving the spirit of the
Son, into which the Father leads those who
hear and learn of Him.
Whilst a man is occupied with the voices
which promise good only on this side of death,
he cannot apprehend the Christ of God,
whose salvation is through death — who de-
livers through the breaking down of the flesh
and the shedding of the blood. But as soon
as he ceases from them, and turns to the voice
which calls him to God and eternity, then
he is ready for instruction, he is a disciple fit
for the crucified and risen Teacher. And,
therefore, as a physician waits for certain
symptoms in his patient, before he can use
particular medicines, so the Father waits for
118 Those who are turning to the inward word,
this turning of the ear, before he can give any
one to the Son.
This is the thing which the Father requires
to know in a heart, before He can train it
into the image of His Son. Here is the
foreknowledge which precedes the predestin-
ation, as we shall see more fully expounded
in Rom. viii. 29.
The principle now stated, is, indeed, the
key to a great many passages, which ap-
pear obscure merely from overlooking it.
Thus, it opens the generally misinterpret-
ed passage, in Acts xiii. 48, " As many as
were ordained unto eternal life, believed."
The words translated " ordained unto,^
mean strictly, hent upon^ or directed towards
— that is, having the desires directed to-
wards — nrocyf^ivci iig (mv ectaviov, "dircctcd towards
eternal life," as an army directed towards
a particular point. But this expression evi-
dently describes the condition of persons
" labouring for the meat that endureth unto
eternal life," and " hearing and learning of
the Father;" and thus their beheving in
Christ, when they heard Him preached by
Paul and Barnabas, was just a fulfilment of
that word, " Every one, therefore, that hear-
are prepared to believe in Jesus. Acts xiii. 48. 119
eth and learneth of the Father, cometh unto
me."
With respect to the translation of this text
in our English version, I may observe in the
first place, that the meaning here attributed
in it to the word nrctyfAim is unprecedented, and
unsupported by a single instance in the New
Testament; and, secondly, in confirmation of
the translation which I have proposed, I may
refer to 1 Cor. xvi. 15, where the verb ratraei
is used in the signification of directing the at^
tention to a particular object, or of setting
one to a particular employment. The verse
is, ** ye know the house of Stephanas, that it
is the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they
have addicted themselves to the ministry
of the saints :" the words, ** tJiey have addic-
ted themselves" being the translation of
It4«v ixvrovi;. Thc circumstaucc of the verb
being in the passive voice in our passage,
is no objection, for that voice is often used
in the reflective sense ; as in James iv. 7 ;
1 Pet. ii. 3.
I may also refer to Luke xiv. 33, — where
uTTtrxfTircfActi is uscd iu thc signification of for-
saking, which is really the same thing with
directing the desires away from, — as affording
additional evidence in favour of the interpre-
120 Our English version of Acts xiii. 48 loses the contrast
tation proposed, by its parallelism both in
principle and in language.
Our translators, hy their version of the
passage, have lost to the English reader the
entire instruction intended by the inspired
historian to be conveyed, in the contrast
between those who rejected the preaching of
Christ on that occasion, and those who wel-
comed it. There were many hearers of that
preaching; and those among them whose
desires were directed towards eternal life,
welcomed a salvation through and beyond
death; whilst those whose desires were di-
rected to something connected with this life,
did not and could not welcome a despised
and crucified Deliverer, whose kingdom was
to rise out of the wreck of this life and all its
hopes. It is said of this latter class, ver. 46th,
that they " put the word from them, and judg-
ed themselves unworthy of eternal life." The
apostle in saying this of them, certainly did
not mean to describe them as having formed
a humble estimate of themselves ; he meant
to say that in their rejection of the preaching,
they betrayed the secret evil condition of their
hearts, and passed sentence on themselves
as unworthy of eternal life. Now we know
that no man is worthy of eternal life, in the
between the prepared and the unprepared. 121
sense of having a claim to it ; and therefore
it is evident, that in the unworthiness here
ascribed to these despisers of the gospel, the
idea of unfitness and uncongenialness, chiefly
is contained. And what made them unfit for
eternal life ? They were not seeking after it,
they were seeking the present life ; and no
man can serve two masters. Unworthiness
of Jesus, who is the eternal life, is uniformly
through the Scripture referred to this cause :
thus, in Matt. xxii. 8, those who had been in-
vited to the marriage-feast, and who, instead
of going to it, had gone one to his farm, and
another to his merchandize, are said to have
heen " not worthy /' and so likewise in Matt.
X. 37, 38, Jesus says, "He that loveth father
or mother more than me, is not ivorthy of
me ; and he that taketh not up his cross, and
followeth me, is not worthy of me,''' So that
when Paul said to those who rejected the
preaching of Jesus, that they judged them-
selves "unworthy of eternal life," he meant
to show them, that their unbelief was the
consequence of their hearts being set upon
the things of this present life, and of their
preferring the meat that perisheth, to the
meat that endureth unto eternal life. These
despisers of the gospel, if they had been
122 The preparation of the heart for faith or unbelief
asked to give the reason why they despised
it, would have answered that Paul had not
made out the proof that Jesus of Nazareth
was the Messiah of the prophets. But the
Searcher of hearts saw the true reason, and
has recorded it for our instruction ; — their
expectations of happiness were founded on
the present life, and therefore a Saviour who
required the laying down of the present life,
was no Saviour for them. And as in their
history He has taught us what the true root
of unbelief is, so He has, in a parallel in-
stance, taught us what the true root of faith
is, by recording what that preparation of the
heart was, which led others to welcome a
Saviour whom these had rejected. " All
who were seeking after eternal life, believed."
All who were hearing the voice of an unseen
God, calling them out into an unseen world,
welcomed Jesus.
No one can deny that the words of the
passage perfectly admit of the interpretation
here given, and surely no one will deny its
harmony with the general tenor of Scripture,
and the importance of the instruction con-
tained in it. It is a farther illustration and
exemplification of the principle expounded
in John vi. — teaching us that faith and un-
is placed within our own power, 123
belief are not the results of intellectual pro-
cesses, but are the indications of previously
cherished or allowed conditions of the heart,
which we all feel and acknowledge to be un-
der our own control, and as such, to be the
proper objects of approbation or blame — so
that faith is commanded as a duty, and un-
belief rebuked and forbidden as a sin, in the
same way as we are commanded to love God,
and forbidden to set our affections on the
things of the world. Every one feels in his
conscience, that he ought to seek the will of
God, rather than his own will, and that he
ought to seek the eternal life, which lies in
His favour, rather than the present life. Now,
this passage teaches us that those who faith-
fully follow this inward voice in conscience,
do put themselves in a condition truly to be-
lieve in Jesus, and to profit by the outward
word, when they meet it ; whilst those who
disregard this inward voice, and continue to
seek their own will and the things of the
present life, cannot truly believe in Jesus,
and cannot profit by the outward word,
whatever their profession may be, or how-
ever they may deceive their own soul, by
their intellectual assent to it. This word,
then, is the true call to the unconverted — be-
124 Tendency of the common version of Acts xiii. 48.
cause it shows conversion to be within the
reach of every man, and lays it as a personal
duty upon every man's conscience. I feel
that this preparation of the heart, as a pri-
mary moral duty, binding every man's con-
science, is a most important, as it has been
a most neglected part of Christianity.
It must be obvious to every one, that the
common English version of this passage,
throws no light, but rather darkness, on the
character of God, and, therefore, contains
nothing which can help man on his way to
God; — that it leaves him at gaze, as it were,
wishing, perhaps, that he may himself turn
out to be one of those who are ordained unto
eternal life, but, at the same time, reflecting
that that point is already determined by an
eternal decree, altogether independent of, and
irrespective of, any efforts and acts of his,
so that it must be vain to think of attempting
now to bring himself within the limits oithat
ordination, I am sure that the substantial
instruction contained in this view of the pas-
sage, can bear no comparison with that of the
view which I have been contending for; and 1
do hope, that the reader will agree with me in
the conviction, that the authorized version,
however good in general, is, in this instance,
The case of Lydia^ Acts xvi. 14. 125
as incorrect as it is uninstructive, leaving,
as it does, unnoticed, the real object of the
passage, which is to teach that those who
seek the will of God and eternal life, are
prepared to believe in Jesus, when He is
presented to them ; whilst those who seek
the will of man and the things of the pre-
sent life, cannot believe in Him : according
to that word, "Whosoever he be of you, that
forsake th not all that he hath, (whose de-
sires are not directed away from this present
life,) cannot be my disciple." Luke xiv. 33.
And it not only passes over the true mean-
ing of the passage, but conveys an opposite
meaning, by referring that to God's appoint-
ment, which in the original is really referred
to the state of man's heart.
This same principle also, is the key to the
history of Lydia, in Acts xvi. 14. " She wor-
shipped God," it is said ; that is, she was one
of those whom the Searcher of hearts, in
His search for spiritual worshippers, had
found hearing and learning of the word,
which He had sown in her, and following its
drawing ; — and so He gave her to the Son ;
"He opened her heart, to attend to the things
which were spoken of Paul."
This same principle also gives the expla-
126 Who the sheep of Jesus are in John x.
nation of any difficulties connected with our
subject in John x. All who were faithful to
the inward teaching of God, were prepared
to know and acknowledge Jesus as the Christ,
when they met him or heard him preached.
They were prepared to hear that a salvation
from sin could only come to man from the
love of God, and that the only way by which
that love could lead them to it, lay through
sorrow, and humiliation, and death. And
all such were his sheep. And thus he had,
even then, other sheep who were not of the
Jewish fold, and who had never seen him,
nor heard his outward voice, nor known his
name ; — but who from hearing and learning
of the Father, were drawn to the son-ship,
and thus knew the Son when they met Him,
recognizing his oneness with that word with-
in them, with which they were already ac-
quainted, and which they already honoured
as the word of God. The connecting link
between this chapter and the 6th, will be
found in verse 29 ; " The Father who gave
them me^ is greater than all," &c. Now we
have seen in chap. vi. that the Father gives to
the Son, all who are " labouring for the meat
that endureth unto eternal life," and who are
"hearing and learning of Him." These,
" Thou hast hid these things from the wise" Matt. xi. 127
then, are the sheep of Jesus, whom the
Father gives to Him. They have already,
although perhaps in much darkness, ac-
knowledged Him, when they had heard and
learned of the Father — for He and the Fa-
ther are one. And their preparedness to
recognize Him consists in this, that "the
word which He speaks, is not His, but the
Father's who sent Him," and that word of
the Father they already know within their
own hearts.
In Matt. xi. 20 — 30, we have another
striking illustration of the same principle.
Jesus upbraids the cities in which most of
His mighty works were done, because they
repented not ; and then He explains the rea-
son of their impenitence, in these words, " I
thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and '
earth, that thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
imto babes.'* " They were wise in their own
eyes, and prudent in their own sight ;" they
were not hearing and learning of the Father.
They were following the drawing of their
own carnal wisdom, instead of following the
drawing of the Father, and therefore they
could not come to Jesus. The babes are
those who yield to God's drawing; who
128 TJie way to the Father.
'' hear and learn of the Father," and thus
they are led to Jesus.
In the 27th verse, it is written, " All things
are delivered to me of my Father; and no
man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither
knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal
Him." This verse at first sight appears to
present a great difficulty as to the way of
commencing the life of godliness ; because it
says at one and the same time, that we can-
not come to the Son, except by the Father;
and that we cannot come to the Father, ex-
cept through the Son. But we have seen
that the Father draws by the word sown in
the heart, and that they who hear and receive
that word, are really under the Father's
drawing, although they may riot as yet have
discovered Him to be their Father. And
those that are faithful in hearing and learn-
ing the word, are given by Him to the Son.
He shows them that it is not only righteous-
ness, but Fatherly love, that afflicts and cru-
cifies them ; for He shows them the Man of
Sorrows, and says to them, — That willing
sufferer, " marred more than any man," " is
my beloved Son," hear Him, and follow Him.
And when they receive the Son, He reveals
Rest consists in knowing the Father. 1 29
the Father to them; that is, " they become
sons of God." To reveal God as our Father,
is the end and object of Christ's coming*
He came in His Father's name, to declare
the Father : and, therefore, those who do not
know God as their Father, have not received
the revelation of the Son — for He is the re-
vealer of the Father ; and they have not
found that rest to their souls into which He
would introduce them — for that rest is the
Father's heart.
I may farther observe on this passage, that
when He says, " Come unto me all ye that
labour," &c., He implies that they should
come by the right way, namely, that they
should come, not as wise, but as babes, fol-
lowing the inward drawing of the Father, for
no man can come otherwise. And when He
tItan/is the Father, that He had hid these
things from the wise and prudent, and had
revealed them unto babes, we are to under-
stand, that He really thanks Him for having
called man to a true participation in the di-
vine wisdom — unmixed and undebased by
the wisdom of the flesh; and also, that He
acknowledges the Father's righteousness, in
refusing farther spiritual light to those who
do not walk in the spirit but in the flesh.
f2
1 30 The later promises regarding particular periods
The passages of the Bible which might be
cited in confirmation of this principle are
innumerable. The Psalms and Proverbs,
especially, are full of it. Thus, " The meek
will He guide in judgment ; the meek will
He teach his way." Ps. xxv. 9. "I love
them that love me, and they that seek me
early shall find me." " Whoso findeth me,
findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the
Lord." Prov. viii. 17, 34.
There are passages, however, which ap-
pear io have an opposite meaning, and which
may here occur to the reader as a counter-
balance to all the statements and quotations
which I have been setting before him. Some
of these I shall now notice, pointing out, at
the same time, what appears to me the true
principle of their explanation. Thus, the
promises of spiritual blessings to Israel, in
Jer. xxxi. 33, and xxxii. 39, and xxxiii. 8,
andEzek. xxxvi. 25 — 27, appear to be uncon-
ditional promises of sanctification, holding
forth the expectation of a time when God
will no longer permit the resistance of man's
independent will to defeat or hinder His
purpose of blessing. But when we consider
that these promises are really only repetitions
of much more ancient promises, recorded in
ought to he compared with the earlier, 131
the books of Moses, in reference to the very
periods prophesied of by Jeremiah and Ezek-
iel, we shall see the propriety of comparing
the repetitions with the originals, and of
carrying on in our minds the spirit of the
originals, into all the repetitions of them. I
do not mean by this manner of expressing
myself, at all to suggest the idea that Jere-
miah and Ezekiel borrowed from Moses;
or that the prophetic spirit, coming through
one earthen vessel, is to be less accounted
of, than the same spirit coming through
another. What I mean to say is, that
through the whole Scriptures, we find God
always assuming in His later revelations,
that the earlier ones are known, and build-
ing, as it were, the one upon the other.
We are thus continually referred back to
past dealings, and past promises and threat-
enings, as to the prototypes of those made
afterwards, which must be known and un-
derstood, in order to the right understanding
of these others. And this is especially the
case with regard to the books of Moses,
which seem to hold the same place in the
Old Testament, that the four Gospels do in
the New.
Now, the passages in Moses which serve
132 Promises which seem unconditional^
chiefly to illustrate those cited from Jeremiah
and Ezekiel, are to be found in Lev. xxvi.
40 — 45, and Deut. xxx. 1 — 10, or, indeed, I
may say, throughout the chapter. These are
the fundamental records of God's mind to-
wards Israel, and through the type of Israel,
towards the world; and we must bear in
mind the principles declared in them, as we
advance to farther revelations ; for God in
His farther revelations assumes that these
are known and consented to. But in both
of these passages, we find the most direct
and unequivocal requirement on the part of
God, that the people should return to Him
and confess their iniquity, as a necessary
preliminary condition, on which His after
blessings to them depended.
As these passages are not very long, I shall
put them under the reader's eye altogether,
that he may see their connection more easily.
Jer. xxxi. 33, " But this shall be the cove-
nant that I will make with the house of Is-
rael ; after those days, saith the Lord, I will
put my law in their inward parts, and write
it in their hearts ; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people." Jer. xxxii. 39,
" And I will give them one heart, and one
way, that they may fear me for ever, for the
shown to be conditional, by a comparison with others. 133
good of them, and of their children after
them." Jer. xxxiii. 8, " And I will cleanse
them from all their iniquity, wherehy they
have sinned against me ; and I will pardon
all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned,
and whereby they have transgressed against
me." Ezek. xxxvi. 25 — 28, " Then will I
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall
be clean : from all your fil thin ess, and from
all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit
will I put within you ; and I will take away
the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you an heart of flesh. And I will put
my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk
in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judg-
ments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in
the land that I gave to your fathers ; and ye
shall be my people, and I will be your God."
And now follow the passages from Moses,
which contain the key. Lev. xxvi. 40^—42,
" If they shall confess their iniquity^ and the
iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass
which they trespassed against me, and that
also they have walked contrary unto me ;
and that I also have walked contrary unto
them, and have brought them into the land
of their enemies ; if then their uncircumcised
134 The original promises to Israel, rest on the
hearts be humbled, and they then accept of
the punishment of their iniquity ; then will I
remember my covenant with Jacob, and also
my covenant with Isaac, and also my cove-
nant with Abraham will I remember ; and I
will remember the land." Deut. xxx. 1 — 6,
" And it shall come to pass, ivJien all these
things are come upon thee, the blessing and
the curse, which I have set before thee, and
thou shall call them to mind among all the
nations whither the Lord thy God hath driv-
en thee, and shall return unto the Lord thy
God, and shalt obey his voice, according to
all that I command thee this day, thou, and
thy children, with all thine heart, and with
all thy soul ; that then the Lord thy God will
turn thy captivity^ and have compassion up-
on thee, and will return, and gather thee
from all the nations whither the Lord thy
God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be
driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven,
from thence will the Lord thy God gather
thee, and from thence will he fetch thee.
And the Lord thy God will bring thee into
the land which thy fathers possessed, and
thou shalt possess it ; and he will do thee
good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine
condition of listening to the word. Deut. xxx. 135
heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the
Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with
all thy soul, that thou may est live."
There is a verse in this chapter of Deuter-
onomy which I ought to have taken notice of
before, when we were considering John vi.,
as a striking commentary on the expressions,
" No man can come unto me, except the
Father draw him;" and " Every one there-
fore that hath heard and learned of the
Father, cometh unto me." It is the 17th
verse — " But if thine heart turn away, so
tliat thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn
away, and worship other gods, and serve
them," &c. Evidently, two rival drawings
are here supposed, and the being drawn
away, is evidently the yielding to the wrong
drawing, in consequence of a refusal to hear
the word which is described in verse 14th as
"very nigh thee." The connection of this
17th verse also with the 15th, " See I have
set before thee this day, life and good, death
and evil," abundantly confirms the view that
has been given of the passage in John vi., and
the doctrine that man is indeed placed be-
tween two drawings.
The same view receives farther confirma-
tion from the parallel passage in James i.
136 We are begotten by the word, into the ability
14, " Every man is tempted, when he is
drawn away of his own lust and enticed."
The apostle is, through the whole of his
argument, manifestly seeking to clear God
of all participation in the sins of men, and
to lay the whole blame upon man him-
self. And he rests his vindication of God,
first, on the fact that man falls into sin, not
by following God's drawing, but by following
the drawing of his own lust ; and secondly,
on the additional fact, that man's following
of his own lust, is contrary to, and notwith-
standing of, an opposite drawing of God.
For <' every good, and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the Fa-
ther of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning." As He is the
unchanging Father of lights, all His will to-
ward us, is light. "Of His own will (or pur-
pose of good) He begat us by the word of
truth, in order that we should be a kind of
first-fruits of His creatures." This will or
purpose of begetting us by the word of truth,
as appears from the context, does not refer
to the election of any particular persons, but
to the restoration of the whole race from the
fall, by the entrance of the living word into
our nature, that so man might be the first
of working out our own salvation. 137
link in the chain of creation, and that every
one who would turn to that word might
be saved. This begetting then, is only the
sowing of the seed which we read of in
the parable of the sower, and which may
be frustrated by man's refusing to hear
and understand. " Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear
(that word,) slow to speak, slow to wrath,"
slow to take counsel of his own wisdom, or
of his own passions ; "for the wrath of man
worketh not the righteousness of God : where-
fore lay apart all filthiness, and superfluity
of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, (the word put into your
nature,) which is able to save your souls.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hear-
ers only, deceiving your owrt selves,*^
It is quite clear that the if*(pvroi -hoycq, " the
word put into our nature," spoken of in the
21st verse, is the same " word of truth," with
which, in the 18th verse, God is said to have
begotten us. And it is equally clear that the
expression, i^^wtos, in the latter verse, de-
scribes that which was done for man by the
hegetting^ spoken of in the former. But of
this ^<^vTo? Aoyoj it is merely said, that it " is
able to save the soul," and we are exhorted
138 The engrafted word is the seed sown in the heart,
to receive it with meekness, in order that it
may have its effect. The passage, then, can-
not refer to any act of irresistible electing
grace, but simply to the sowing of the seed
in man, which, though " able to save his
soul," does not make his salvation a certain or
necessary thing, but only possible, and which
may be frustrated by his yielding himself to
be drawn away by other voices, by his being
swift to speak and swift to wrath, and by
his being a hearer only, and not a doer, de-
ceiving himself. I am persuaded that any
one who will candidly compare these pas-
sages in Deuteronomy and James with each ^
other, and with Matt. xiii. and John i., will
see, at least theoretically, that the word is
the seed of the election sown in every
man, and that this is indeed that mystery
which Paul preached to the Colossians,
" Christ in you the hope of glory." Col. i.
There are some remarkable expressions of
our Lord bearing on this subject, which
ought not to be omitted here. They relate
to his birth in the flesh, and to the relation
in which his mother stood to him, and they
indicate that that relation was typical of a
higher relation, in which every human being
The mother of Jesus, Luke i. 34, 45, viii. 21, xi. 28. 139
may stand to him. Thus, once as he was
teaching the people, a woman lifted up her
voice and said unto him, "Blessed is the
womb that bare thee, and the paps which
thou hast sucked; but he said, yea rather
blessed are they that hear the word of God
and keep it." Luke xi. 27, 28. The blessed-
ness of Mary, in giving birth to Jesus, was
an outward and typical thing ; but the true
blessedness typified by it, belongs to those
who cherish to maturity the seed of God
which He hath sown in their hearts. And
at another time, when he was told that his
mother and his brethren stood without, de-
siring to speak with him, *' He answered
and said unto him that told Him, Who is
my mother^ and who are my brethren ?
And He stretched forth his hands unto his
disciples, and said. Behold my mother and
my brethren, for whosoever shall do the will
of my Father^ which is in heaven, the same
is my brother, and sister, and mother T Matt,
xii. 50. The Holy Ghost had come on
Mary in physical power, and yet even in
that case it would seem that her own faith,
the consent of her own spirit, was needful to
the accomplishment of God's purpose con-
cerning her, for it was said to her by the
140 In regeneration, our own consent is necessary.
mouth of Elizabeth, " And blessed is she
that believeth, for (or therefore) there shall
be a performance to her of the things spoken
by the Lord.'' Luke i. 45. The Holy Ghost
has come to men through Jesus Christ, and
blessed are they who believe, for there shall
be a performance to them of the purpose for
which it was given. In our natural birth,
we are altogether passive ; in our regen-
eration, our own consent is necessary — we
must yield ourselves to the quickening word
— we must hear and understand.
Thus it appears that this class of passages
does not belong to the secret things from
which man is shut out, but to the revealed
things, which he is called to understand. And
most important, as well as most intelligible
instruction do they contain. They teach
how a man may turn to God, how an uncon-
verted man may become converted; and they
encourage him to the work, by assuring him
that God will meet him in it with fresh sup-
plies of grace. I know that these passages
have been generally cited as proofs that, in
the communication of His converting grace,
God acts as a Sovereign; that is, (according
to the meaning of those who use the expres-
sion,) without any rule revealed to us, and
" He giveth more graced' James iv. 6 — 10. 141
that He chooses the individuals to whom He
will make such communications, without re-
spect to any thing of fitness previously dis-
cerned in their characters; whereas, the dis-
tinct testimony borne in them to the dealings
of God, is directly opposite to this meaning
— being a declaration that He bestows His
special grace on those who have already
turned to Him, according to the rule, " who-
soever hath, to him shall be given, and he
shall have more abundantly;'* so that the
special grace of God does not go before con-
version, but follows it as its recompence.
" The secret of the Lord is with them that
fear Him, and He will show them His cove-
nant;" (Ps. XXV. 14.) and Wisdom cries to
the simple ones, " Turn you at my reproof,
behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I
will make known my words unto you."
Prov. i. 23.
Let me not be misunderstood, as if I said
either that man can, in his own strength, turn
to God, or of his own origination would ever
desire to do so, — but man, since the gift of
Christ, need not do any thing in his own
strength. The strength of God is communi-
cated to him, in the seed of the word sown in
his heart, so that he may take hold of it, and
1 4i'2 The power is given to man^ in Jesus,
walk with God ; and it is only by his own
wilful refusal to use that strength, that he is
without it. Conversion is, indeed, man's
first step in the spiritual life, but he never
could have taken this step, nor could he ever
rightly have been commanded to take it, un-
less God had first taken a step towards him.
The Word who was with God, and was God,
and in whom there is life, hath come into
man's nature — into the whole mass of the
nature, — as a fountain of life, to quicken
every man, and as a living cord, to draw
man up to God. And shall we now speak
and reason about man, as if he were yet in
the condition into which Adam's fall brought
him, before the Word was given ? Though
now in Him, " God is the Saviour of all men,
specially of those who believe." And in Him
also, " The grace of God which bringeth
salvation to all men hath appeared." And
" where sin abounded, there hath grace much
more abounded." Most assuredly there is
in Jesus Christ a general salvation for the
whole race, inasmuch as in Him, they are
lifted again into that state of probation
from which in Adam they had fallen, and
are provided with spiritual strength to go
through their probation, whether they use
of living to God. 143
that strength or not: but none becomes
personally a partaker of salvation, except by
personally turning to God. And, in like
manner, there is in Jesus Christ, a general
election for the whole race — inasmuch as, in
Ilim, they are lifted out of that state of re-
probation into which, in Adam, they had
fallen ; but no one becomes personally elect,
except by his personally receiving Christ
into his heart.
Before proceeding farther, I think it right
to take notice of two objections to the views
which have now been explained, because I am
aware, that if they remain unanswered in
the mind of the reader, they will prevent him
from forming an unbiassed judgment on the
whole subject.
The first of these objections, refers to the
principle of retributive judgment, according
to which, it has been maintained, God deals
out His spiritual communications to men.
It may be said, that if He indeed limits His
more abundant supply to those who have
used aright the gift already bestowed, then
the doctrine oi free grace is really practically
denied, and Christian hope is founded on
human merit. But surely it will not be con-
tended by any one, that men are, by free
144 Retribution not opposed to free grace,
grace, lifted out from a state of probation.
We are, undoubtedly, under probation, whilst
we are in this world ; probation and free grace
must then be consistent with each other.
And how are they consistent? Just in this,
that having Jesus Christ given to us by the
free grace of God, we are under probation,
whether we will receive Him or not, whether
we will walk in Him or not. " We beseech
you that ye receive not the grace of God in
vain." 9> Cor. vi. 1. The receiving it, or
the refusing it, then, lies with man person-
ally ; and, as there must be a difference
between those who receive it and those who
refuse it, or receive it in vain, it cannot be
contrary to the true doctrince of free grace
to mark this difference, and to teach that
those who do receive it shall receive yet
more abundantly, and that those who receive
it not shall have that taken from them which
had been at first given to them. And all
objections to this system of retribution, must
arise from mistaken views of the nature of
free grace, and of man's condition here.
There is surely a very false and diseased
feeling on this subject. A man whose life
is saved by the kindness of another, never
supposes that his own mere consent to be
but founded on it, 145
saved, detracts fi-oni the kindness of the
other, or takes its place as the meritorious
cause of his being saved. If, for instance,
he has fallen from a ship into the sea, and is
pulled out by a rope thrown to him by an-
other, he does not think of challenging much
merit to himself for taking hold of the rope,
and having thus submitted to be pulled out.
His consent to be saved, could not have
saved him, unless his deliverer had been ex-
erting himself in his behalf. Now, man's
probation is, whether he will take hold of the
rope or not. The cord of love let down to
us, and the power of taking hold of it, are
the free grace given to every man, in Jesus
Christ. When we exercise faith, which is
the power of taking hold of the cord, we walk
like Peter on the top of the water; but the
flesh is continually tempting us to neglect
this cord, and is continually putting another
cord into our hand, which is fixed in the
bottom of the sea, whither it would draw us ;
and, when we yield to this temptation, we
sink. He then who is saved, is saved by
grace, but by a grace which every man is fi^ee
to use — and he who is lost, is lost by refus-
ing grace, which he might have used: " For
by grace are ye saved, through faith, and
146 Grace must be received as grace.
that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."
Eph. ii. 8. Mark here, that it is the gift of
God — that is, God has given it ; — and there-
fore, let not him that uses it, boast as if it
were his own ; and let not him who uses it
not, excuse himself, by saying that he had it
not in his power, for — God has given it.
Grace must be received as grace — that is,
as a supply for which we have no claim ; and
it must be received as coming to us from
God personally. There is a temptation to
regard the power communicated in the word
sown in the heart, as if it were a steady, uni-
form supply, which, though emanating from
God, is now made over by Him to us, in
such a way that we may use it at our own
leisure and convenience, as we use the law
of gravitation, or other natural powers. But
if we proceed on such a supposition, we shall
soon find our mistake, in the failing of our
supply. For with God is the fountain of life,
and with Him only, and spiritual life in us
can only be sustained, by our directly and
consciously receiving its supply from the
Fountain. The natural life flows on with-
out any need of recognizing its source — but
every movement of the spiritual life depends
on a personal recognition of God. ** For
The sovereignty of God. 147
this is life eternal, that they should know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent." John xvii. S.
This fixed and established rule of righteous
retribution, does indeed, at first sight, seem
to limit God, and to be opposed to all re-
ceived ideas as to his sovereignty in the
government of His creatures; but it is not
60 in truth ; for the basis on which this
retributive rule rests, is God's own sove-
reign gift of spiritual life in Jesus Christ, — a
gracious appointment, altogether indepen-
dent of any thing in us which could give us
a claim to it, in any shape. And, besides
this, as a sovereign He appoints to all crea-
tures the conditions of their being — as a
sovereign he has made us responsible crea-
tures, for we had no right to fill one place in
creation, rather than another. He does not
enter into explanation with us, why He has
thus constituted us, but he enters into deal-
ing with us at once, as creatures so constitu-
ted. And although it be true that the condi-
tion of man, and the sufiferings consequent
on the fall, when considered as penal, cannot
properly be said to be appointed in sovereign-
ty, but in righteous judgment, being the re-
ward of transgression ; yet, in so far as they
148 Sovereignty allots the talents ;
are considered as constituting a system of
spiritual discipline and training, fitted to bring
man back to God, they do certainly belong
to the class of sovereign appointments. And
thus we may farther say, that as a sovereign,
He appoints not only the various talents, but
also the various circumstances, and oppor-
tunities, and trials, inward and outward, of
every individual. As a sovereign, He brings
one man under the sound of the gospel, and
leaves another to the law written in his
heart — as a sovereign. He calls one to fill
one place, and another to fill another, and
provides all with the means of meeting the
call, and filling the appointed place aright.
These things constitute our condition here ;
and they constitute the basis on which our
trial or probation rests — and when we look
into them, and enquire why they are so, and
not otherwise, the only answer that can be
given is, " that God hath so ordered them."
But surely it would be contrary to reason,
and conscience, as well as to the whole tenor
of the Bible, if we were to give the same
answer in explanation of the use or misuse
which we make of our circumstances.
It is right, surely, to attribute Adam's creg,-
tion in such a condition, and with such cap-
Equity judges of the use made of them. 149
acities, and opportunities of holiness and bles-
sedness, as he had, to God's sovereignty ;
but we all feel that it would not be right to
attribute his misuse of these things to God's
sovereignty. His condition, and capacities,
and opportunities, were the basis on which
his probation rested. And, " blessed is the
man that endureth temptation ; for, when he
hath passed through it, he shall receive the
crown of life." Adam put from him this
blessedness, by not enduring his trial. His
fall put an end to his probation for the
crown of life, for by it he forfeited his life,
and along with life, his condition, and capa-
cities, and circumstances. There was no-
thing of sovereignty in this : it was righteous
retribution. But, after the fall, sovereignty
again appeared in behalf of ruined man.
Through the promised seed, God again put
him on probation for the crown of life, and
furnished him for the trial. This was
sovereignty, but the use which man makes
of this advantage, is not to be attributed to
sovereignty, but to the exercise of that prin-
ciple in himself, on which his responsibility
is founded. Thus, retribution proceeds on
the basis laid by sovereignty. I am respon-
sible for the use which I make of the advan-
150 The talents committed to the stetvardy
tage of being born in a land of Bibles — but
I could not be held responsible for the cir-
cumstance of being born out of the reach of
a Bible; though, in such a situation, I should
still be responsible for the use I made of the
law written in my heart. In all situations, my
trial or probation is marked out by my circum-
stances. God's sovereignty has ordered them,
but it does not order my use of them. God's
sovereignty is exercised towards a particular
end, in regard to man, namely, that of put-
ting him on probation for the crown of life,
and providing him with a condition and cap-
acity, to meet and pass through his proba-
tion ; and sovereignty would be defeating its
own end and purpose, and would be destroy-
ing the very principle of probation, if it not
only ordered man his circumstances, but also
his use of them.
Thus, both Jeremiah and Balaam, by the
sovereignty of God, were appointed to be
prophets, sanctified or set apart to that office
from the womb ; (Jer. i. 5 ;) but their own
personal probation lay in the use which they
made of the appointment. The sovereignty
of God appointed for Balaam the temptation
of Balak's gold, but it did not appoint his
yielding to the temptation. Nor can it be
distinguished from his faithfulness in their use. 151
truly said that God's sovereignty prevented
Jeremiah from yielding to the threatening of
the king and princes, although it appointed
that temptation for him. Had Jeremiah or
Balaam prided himself on being a prophet,
or on the power and beauty of his prophecies,
the right answer would have been that which
is supplied by 1 Cor. iv. % 7j ** It is required
of stewards, that a man be found faithful :"
and thou art but a steward, " for who mak-
eth thee to differ from another, and what
hast thou that thou didst not receive ? Now,
if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory,
as if thou hadst not received it?"
I mention this passage, because I have
heard it quoted in support of the common
view of the doctrince of election, and I wish to
show, from a consideration of the whole con-
text, that it has nothing to do with it. The Cor-
inthians esteemed themselves and others, ac-
cording to their abilities, and eloquence, and
gifts. " The Jews who lived amongst them,
required a sign, and the Greeks sought after
wisdom ;" and the demand for these things ex-
isted to a considerable extent in the church.
This led them to put a false value on both
supernatural and natural gifts, and to feel a
carnal pride in having for their teachers such
152 The responsibility of the steward
gifted and eloquent men as Paul and Apol-
los. But this same carnal pride split them in-
to factions amongst themselves, some main-
taining the superiority of Paul, and some of
Apollos. The Apostle shows them their car-
nality in this thing, by supposing the contest
for superiority actually to have been taken
up by himself and Apollos. He knew that
they could not fail to see, that such a strife
between their teachers would have been sin-
ful, and he holds it up to them, that they
might see that they were themselves guilty
of the self-same sin of vain-glory, in ascrib-
ing to men what was due to God, whilst
they were claiming a superiority for the one
over the other, on account of spiritual gifts
or eloquence. " These things have I trans-
ferred, in a figure, to myself and Apollos
for your sakes, that ye might learn in us not
to think of men above that which is written."
Chap. iv. 6. That which was *' written" was,
that they were not to think of men otherwise
than as stewards, whose duty and praise is
faithfulness in the use of the things commit-
ted to their care. It is not to the praise of
the steward, that he has ten talents commit-
ted to him, — for that is entirely his Lord's
doing ; — but it is to the praise of the steward,
founded on the trust reposed ifChim. 1 53
that he is faithful in his charge, whether it
be of little or much. And thus the question,
" Who maketh thee to differ from another ?"
refers to the amount of the talents commit-
ted to the steward's charge, and not to his
faithfulness in his charge.
The man who uses God's gifts in God's
service and to God's glory, is a faithful
steward; and the man who uses them in his
own service and to his own glory, is an
unfaithful steward. God gives the capacity
of being faithful when He gives the trust,
and thus the difference between stewards,
in point of faithfulness, lies with themselves
and not with God, for He willeth that all
men should be faithful. He who is boasting
himself of any gift, is an unfaithful steward ;
and thus to him the rebuke applies, *« who
maketh thee to differ from another ?" but it
has no reference whatever to a faithful stew-
ard, who is making his boast in God, and
who is asserting his own faithfulness in so
doing. There is a most marked line of separ-
ation distinguishing between the talents en-
trusted to us, and our faithfulness or unfaith-
fulness in the use of them ; and a doctrine
which does away this distinction in any
measure, is destructive of moral truth, and
G 2
1 54 The difference in the talents, belongs to the Lords
must be erroneous. In the first five verses
of chap, iv., the apostle recognizes this dis-
tinction most fully, for he there recognizes,
that although any difference in the amount
of talents intrusted to the stewardship of
ApoUos or himself, was to be attributed not
to the steward but to his Lord, yet there
was in each of them a real ground either
for praise or blame, according to his faith-
fulness, and therefore whilst he warned the
Corinthians to refrain from judging of their
respective deserts in this matter, considering
that they could not see into the heart, he at
the same time assured them that, when the
Lord came, He would give judgment on the
comparative deservings of all men, making
manifest the counsels of the heart, and
awarding to each man his due praise or
blame.
I am confident that the conscience of the
reader must go along with me in these things,
and I do hope that he now sees that the
righteousness of God and the meaning of
the Bible are, on this point, in complete har-
mony with his conscience.
The common doctrine of Election sup-
poses that faithfulness is a special talent of
itself, given to some and not to others, dif-
the difference in the faithfulness^ to the steward. 155
fering in this one respect from all other
talents, that wherever it is given it irresisti-
bly operates its own fulfilment. But the
passage before us proves that this is not the
case, for it distinctly marks, that whilst the
talents entrusted to us are so entirely of
God that no approbation can be at all due
to us for being entrusted with them, the
faithfulness in the use of them is so of our-
selves that there is an approbation which
the righteous Judge, on the day when He
bringeth hidden things to light, will bestow
on those who shall be found to have been
faithful. The allotment of five talents, or
of two, or of one, is of sovereignty, but the
praise, " well done, good and faithful ser-
vant ;'* and the blame, " O thou wicked and
slothful servant," are of righteous judgment.
Matt. XXV.
The second objection to which I referred,
as having probably suggested itself to the
reader, is this, that the place in these state-
ments, which I have given to the inward word
sown in the heart, seems to detract some-
what from the importance of the outward
manifestation of Christ, and also from that of
the Bible, the outward Word, so as to make
them of inferior moment. This objection,
X
156 Importance of the outward manifestation of Christ.
then, divides itself into two heads, the first
relating to the importance of the personal
manifestation of our Lord in flesh ; the sec-
ond relating to the importance of the in-
spired Book which contains the history of
God's dealings with men, and of his purpose
towards them in Christ Jesus.
With regard to the first head, namely, the
importance of the outward manifestation of
Christ himself, I make answer, that I have
always, throughout the course of this work,
meant to teach, that it was only on the ground
of the outward manifestation of Christ, the
Word, in our nature, fulfilling all righteous-
ness as our Head, either anticipated in the
purpose of God, or actually accomplished,
that the inward word is given to man. Jesus
Christ is the link by which man is again
united to God, after the disruption occa-
sioned by the fall. And this link is a living
open channel, through which the inward
word, a pulsation of the Divine nature, is
communicated to every individual of the
human family ; so that the benefit resulting
from the gift of the Saviour, even to those
whom no Bible or no missionary has ever
reached, is not simply that an atonement has
been made, through which the forgiving
Importance of the outward^ or Written Word, 157
mercy of God visits them, as partakers of the
common nature, but also that there is in their
hearts, as well as in the hearts of those who
know the outward sound, a witness for God,
a seed of spiritual life, striving in them
against sin, and leading those who follow it
into the life of God.
With regard to the second head, namely,
the importance of the outward word, I am
sensible that I have exposed myself to mis-
apprehension, especially in those parts of
the work where I have asserted the unprof-
itableness of the outward Word, in the case
of persons who were not listening to the in-
ward word. But the reader will understand
me, if h€ carries along with him, that by
this expression I mean to describe persons
contenting themselves, and pacifying their
consciences, either with the formal read-
ing of the Bible, or with the mere under-
standing of its theology, but without seek-
ing or finding spiritual communion with
God in it. Whilst they continue thus
to read it or study it, ^ no one surely who
knows what religion is, would consider it
profitable to them. Yet even in their case,
I could not wish that they should give up
the reading of the Bible. They are at pre-
158 Importance of the outward^ or Written Word.
sent without faith, but the Bible has an in-
trinsic aptitude to produce faith. It con-
tains, in the largeness of its inspiration, a
tally corresponding to every thing in the
hearts of all men, and a key to every variety
of their outward circumstances; and God
is continually preparing a way for it into
their consciences, by the events with which he
is meeting them in His providence, making
them, through the discipline of these events,
feel the truth of what it testifies of the wick-
edness and desolateness of the heart which is
away from God, as well as the suitable-
ness of its counsels and threatenings and
consolations, to their experience and condi-
tion. And as the Spirit of God is ever
bearing the same witness within them, al-
though it may be generally disregarded, the
coincidence of these two solemn voices, from
within and from without, will sometimes
strike like a knell upon them, and bring
home to them the feeling that the Searcher
of hearts is dealing with them, and that
they are entangled in his net, and that
there can be no true deliverance for them,
and no true abiding rest for them, but in
knowing Him, and in being of one mind
with Him. It is in the hope of such a result
Use and abuse of the Evidences for the Bible. 159
as this, that I feel thankful to know that
even those who are without faith, are read-
ing the Bible ; for those who are in the prac-
tice of reading it, are more in the way of this
operation, than those who read it not.
And for this same reason, it appears de-
sirable that there should be books, proving
the inspiration and authority of the Bible, by
all sorts of argument, notwithstanding the
danger there is, of men mistaking their as-
sent to a demonstration, for that faith which
saves the soul ; because a man who is really
convinced that the Bible is a supernatural
book, is more likely to seek God in it, than
one who regards it as of at least doubtful
origin.
Far indeed is it from my purpose, in any ex-
pressions which I have used, at all to convey
the idea that the gospel is not God's message
to every man, or that it is not the bounden
duty of those who have themselves received
the gift, to declare the righteousness and the
mercy of God to men in all circumstances,
however inattentive they may be to the voice
within them, or however ignorant they may
even be of its existence. My purpose is to
warn against the danger of taking a counterfeit
faith for true faith, and all that I mean to say,
1 60 The outward word quickens
is, that the Bible, with the gospel contained in
it, cannot profit any man until he really he-
lieves it; and I am only saying this, and at
the same time explaining what I mean by
believing the Bible, when I say, that until
the outward word receives the sanction of the
inward word, so as to come to the heart as
from God himself, requiring the laying down
of our own will, it cannot give life to the
soul. Men often go to the Bible, or a church,
as if these could be substitutes for true re-
ligion and inward fellowship with God, in
the same manner as the Jewish multitude
followed Jesus; but the answer which he
made to this latter class, applies equally to
the former ; "no man can come unto me,
except the Father draw him :" no man can
receive my salvation, except by hearing and
learning of the Father, who teaches through
the inward word.
The great use which I see in the outward
word, read or spoken to unbelievers, is to
awaken the attention to the inward word, —
and to call out an echo, as it were, from
within the heart, to the truth spoken with-
out. I believe that it is thus that souls are
often brought to God. Men who have been
entirely engrossed with outward things, and
wJien it awakens to the imvard word. 16 L
the voices of their own flesh, and who have
never thought of any spiritual relation be-
tween God and their souls, are called by the
outward word, read by themselves or spoken
to them by their fellow-creature, to consid-
er the approach of death and judgment, and
the solemn responsibility of having been dis-
tinguished from the beasts that perish, by
a capacity which they have never used, of
knowing God, and walking with Him — and
thus they may be induced to pause, and listen
to the confirmation of the call, by that inward
witness whose voice they have long been ac-
customed to disregard — and may repent and
be saved: but until the inward testimony is
heard, no blessing can be received from the
outward word, or from any means of grace
whatever. The awakening of the attention
to the inward dealing of God with us, and to
His word sown in our hearts, so as to be led
to seek after him, is the beginning of life, and
thus a man is sometimes called to God by
the commission of a great crime — because
his attention is forcibly drawn by it to the
inward witness — and there the life lies.
It is written, (1 John v. 9,) "If we receive
the witness of men, the witness of God is
greater." We know that God is greater
162 The witness of man contrasted toith
than man ; but that is not the truth taught
here. We are taught here that His witness,
or testimony, is greater than the witness of
man, that it is of a different and higher kind
— so that it cannot be communicated by one
man to another. It is a witness within a
man ; for it is farther written, " He that
believeth on the Son of God, hath the wit-
ness in himself." And this inward witness,
and the eternal life, go together ; for " this
is the witness, that God hath given to us
eternal life, and this life is in his Son." I
may observe, that there is a striking con-
nection between what is here said of the in-
ward witness^ and what is said in Rom. x.
8 — 17, of the inward wordy through the
hearing of which alone faith comes. Now, if
a man who has received that greater witness
or testimony, tells me the things which he
has learned of God by it, unless I also have
the same higher testimony, I am left to the
man's own testimony ; and if I know him to
be truthful and reasonable, I may believe
him — but my belief in what he tells me is
very different from his ; for he believes upon
God's testimony, whilst I believe upon his ;
I have only the witness of man, he has the
witness which is greater. Yea, although he
the witness which is greater. 163
may have miraculous credentials, authenti-
cating him as God's messenger to me, which
commend themselves fully to my conviction,
yet still I require to hear the word in my
heart, testifying to what he tells me, — I re-
quire the inward witness to the substance of
his message, before I can be said to have
faith in it, and before I can find eternal life
in it. Thus Jesus Himself, appearing before
that multitude clothed in his high creden-
tials as the Messiah, and acknowledged and
listened to by them as such, yet declared to
them that they had not true faith in Him,
and could not have it, until they turned to
the inward word, by which the Father would
teach them. And surely what applies to
Him in this respect, must also apply to the
written word — the Bible. Men may have
a very strong and zealous persuasion of the
inspired character of the Bible — and yet that
persuasion may not rest at all on the witness
which is greater, in which case there is no true
faiths however real the conviction may be.
I may give a practical example, illustrative
of these observations, which I am sure will
commend itself to some at least of my read-
ers. All men know that they are to die,
they have an absolute conviction of it, and
164 True faith is founded on the greater witness,
yet we see nothing flowing from this convic-
tion, in the great mass of mankind, at all cor-
responding to its weighty meaning, — we see
no weakening of the tie which binds them to
present things, produced by it, — and the rea-
son is that they are looking on it as a mere
fact, and are not meeting God in it, which
is the very essence of faith. Faith receives
instruction from God Himself, — it is a
conviction formed in the light of God's
Spirit ; and no other conviction is faith.
And therefore when we receive instruction,
even in the truth of God, if any thing inter-
venes between God and the soul, so that the
soul does not meet Himself in the instruc-
tion, it is not his witness which is received,
and thus there is no true faith. And in this
way, I believe it is that there are many so
sincerely and honestly convinced of the truth
of the Bible that they would readily die for
it, who nevertheless have no true faith in it,
and thus their conviction has so very little
influence on their hearts and lives. And,
as 1 believe that this is a very general case,
although I have already urged so much the
necessity of listening to the inward word,
through which alone the spirit is communi-
cated, in order to the receiving of any profit
which is the voice of the Spirit in the heart. 165
from the outward word, I think it may be
profitable to show, in a striking example,
how the life of the flesh is cherished, and the
eternal life rejected, by taking the outward
word as a substitute for the inward.
In the Jewish dispensation, we have an
instructive type of the condition of man
when he consents to receive the communi-
cations of God not directly from Himself,
but through another, and at second hand, as
it were. Moses met God and had commun-
ion with Him, — the people met Moses, and
received his report. This was the veil which
was upon their hearts. It was much easier
for them to receive instruction in this way,
it did not keep them in a state of awe or
prostration. They could hear the familiar
voice of Moses, without being on the stretch,
without the consuming of their flesh ; they
could hear him and live — but they felt, that
they could not hear God and live. They
could not enjoy the things of the natural life,
in that supernatural intercourse, in that
flesh- withering presence — and as they wish-
ed to enjoy these things, they declined the
high privilege of direct dealing with God. But
God wishes man to understand that it is
only through this communion that the corn
166 The outward J eiD knew not God^ but God's law;
of wheat can so die as to bring forth much
fruit; and to believe and know that there
is a life in this communion, which far over-
pays the withering of that passing life which
is sacrificed for it. But the flesh ever joins
with the Israelites who said to Moses,
** speak thou with us, and we will hear, but
let not God speak with us, lest we die."
We know, indeed, that many of them had
direct spiritual communion with God, but I
speak of the typical character of their dis-
pensation, as marked by this peculiarity.
No doubt they thought that by escaping
from direct communion with God, they were
escaping from a yoke and burden, that would
have kept them from rest and from the free
enjoyment of themselves, and therefore it
was that they declined it. And yet it was
by declining this communion, that they shut
themselves out from the true rest, and the
true liberty, and made the spirit of their
dispensation, a spirit of bondage. For with-
out this communion we can only know God
as a giver of laws, and an imposer of tasks,
we cannot enter into His mind and into His
love, we are servants and not sons. If we
would meet the love of His heart, we must
meet the terror of His presence ; and if we
Christ reveals the Father, and not His law only. 167
would have a part in the new covenant, we
must consent to be directly "taught of God."
And it was to this very communion that
Jesus invited men, when he said, " Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am
meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find
rest unto your souls." For the revelation
of the Father was the learning which He
invited them to receive, according to the
word which He had said just before, "no
man knoweth the Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal
Him." And now here was the Son, the
revealer of the Father, inviting men to re-
ceive his revelation, that they also might
become sons.
It was in this direct personal knowledge
and communion with the Father that He had
rest and liberty, for he set Jehovah alway
before him, and he called men to participate
in the same rest and liberty, by participating
in the same direct personal communion,
that is, by meeting God in the spiritual seed
of the word, which He had sown in their
own hearts. It is in this point, that the
chief difference lies between the dispensation
of Moses and the dispensation of Christ.
And as the difference lies in this reality, and
168 Men turn Christ into Moses, when
not in a mere name or knowledge, it is very
possible for a man to be living in the prin-
ciple which characterized the dispensation
of Moses, whilst he is using the language
of Christianity. For if he is receiving the
words of Christ, without personally and di-
rectly meeting God in them for himself,
he is turning Christ into Moses, that is, he
is making the same use of Christ, that the
Israelites made of Moses; and whilst he
thinks that he is living under the new cove-
nant, he is in reality living under the old.
The Israelites interposed Moses between
themselves and God, and thus they retained
the life of the flesh, which could not stand
His presence; "for the grass withereth when
the Spirit of the Lord breatheth upon it.*'
This is the resource of the old Adam, ever
since the fall ; he seeks to hide himself
amidst the trees of the garden, that he may
retain his life. And let us observe that
it was not through an irreligion that they
escaped from God, it was through a religion,
and a divinely-appointed religion, even as
Adam hid himself amidst the trees of God's
own planting. And thus they came into
this condition without offending their con-
sciences, for although they had no direct
they do not meet the Father in Him, 169
intercourse with God, they had to do with
ordinances of his own appointment.
There was a great delusion in this, for
thus they came to have a religion for their
God^ instead of having God for their religion,
God was not their confidence ; their religion
was their confidence. And thus that reli-
gion which God had given them, in order
that in it they might meet with himself, and
learn what true worship was, they used for
an entirely opposite purpose, namely, as a re-
fuge from His presence, and yet as a ground
of confidence towards Him, which kept them
easy, even when their hearts were going after
all manner of idols. They said not, where is
the Lord, but they said, «« the temple of the
Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of
the Lord are these." Jer. viii. 4. This was
their snare, and it is our snare, under dif-
ferent names, for it is the snare of the flesh
that refuseth to meet God, lest it die.
When a man comes really in spirit into the
presence of God, he cannot possibly have con-
fidence before him, unless he is consciously
surrendering himself to His will. He can-
not look to God, the searcher of hearts, in
peace, whilst he is consciously cherishing any
thing in his heart which he knows to be dis-
H
170 A confidence in doctrines contrasted with
pleasing to God. This, then, is the great
triumph of our subtle enemy — to take an or-
dinance or a doctrine which is really, or is
believed to be, of God's own appointment,
and to give it to a man, so that he may carry
it with him when he is out of God's presence,
and may have confidence towards God on
account of it, although his heart is not con-
sciously right with God. We must guard
against this snare, as we value eternal life.
No doctrine is true, apart from the presence
of God ; when it is separated from Himself
it loses its truth and life and saving power,
and becomes an instrument of evil — like the
serpent of brass in the days of king Heze-
kiah. It was by this abuse of them, that the
forms and doctrines of the Jewish worship,
though of divine appointment, became snares
to the souls of the people, and the most hate-
ful of all abominations in the sight of God,
as is testified through the whole Scripture.
Thus, in Isa. i. 13, it is written, " Bring no
more vain oblations, incense is an abomina-
tion to me ; the new moons and Sabbaths,
the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with ;
it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting ;" and
much more to the same purpose.
Reader, Do you not believe, that the doc-
a confidence in God. 171
trines of Christianity are treated in this
way as well as the ordinances of the Jewish
law ? Do you not believe that the finished
work of Christ, is often in this way separated
from God, and carried about, as a peace to
the conscience and a ground of confidence,
whilst the man who is thus using it, is not
meeting God directly, nor trusting in God
directly. If you have ever realized the near-
ness of death, have you not felt that you
were seeking peace, rather by grasping at
particular doctrines, than by leaning on the
tried love and faithfulness of God ? For
example. Have you never felt that the doc-
trine of justification by faith has at such times
given you an indistinct sort of religious con-
fidence, whilst yet you were very far from ac-
tually and consciously meeting with God in
the doctrine, or entering into his mind, as re-
vealed in it ; and whilst, therefore, you were
very far from having a real confidence in
God Himself? When a man's belief of a
doctrine rests merely on his belief that it is
taught in the Bible, and is not confirmed by
his seeing and feeling its oneness with the
goodness and righteousness of God, revealed
in his own conscience, it certainly is not that
faith which is of the operation of the Spirit ;
1 72 The history of Christ is the manifestation of
and the doctrine so believed, instead of being
a manifestation of God, is a veil between
God and the soul, or even it may be an idol,
receiving the honour which is due to God
only. Doctrines received in that way, how-
ever true they may be in their own place,
are yet to such receivers no better than ros-
aries or crucifixes, or the serpent of brass in
the days of Hezekiah. Let us remember
that all revealed truth is merely God's pro-
vision for awakening, and nourishing, and
expanding the lf^(pvTo^ xoyo?, the word in the
heart, which is the only seed of true religion,
and which, as it is the spirit of God within
man, so it requires from man a continual
personal dealing with God himself.
The history of Jesus Christ is the mani-
festation of God's purpose towards every
man; inasmuch as it is the history of the
word of God in the conscience of man, fully
revealed and fully followed. And God has
put the seed of the word in every conscience,
desiring that it should have the same history
in all, as it had in Jesus. He is the quick-
ened and purged conscience of the whole
race, as each man's conscience is Christ, or
the spirit of Christ the hope of glory, in his
own individual person. This is our con-
Godts purpose to every man. 173
nection with Him, and the cord that unites
us to Him, and we can only rightly under-
stand his history, in following this cord.
He is in the root of the race as the fulness
of God, and out *' of his fulness have all
we received :" that is, a stream of his Spirit
flows to each of our hearts, " and as many
as receive Him, to them gives he power to
become the sons of God." John i. 12, 16.*
I believe that the Socinianism of the heart,
that spiritual evil, of which the outward
creed of Socinianism is merely the type,
consists in separating the doctrines of reli-
gion from the living presence of God, so
that they change their nature and become
plagues instead of blessings. The reproof
of all this false religion lies in that word,
" no man can come unto me, except the
Father draw him," except by listening to the
inward word sown in his heart.
And here let me repeat, that when I speak
of listening to the inward word, I mean list-
* The language of revealed religion must be inter-
preted in our hearts, into a language which our hearts
understand, in order that its doctrines may have their
true meaning to us, and their true power over us. Re-
vealed religion is a telescope, which is of no use unless
it is fitted to the eye, the natural organ of vision.
174 The conscience may be used as a veil.
ening to it as consciously knowing it to be
indeed the word of God, spoken by Himself
to our own souls — so that in it, we not only
know His will^ but, what is still higher, we
know Himself, Nothing below this is true
faith, for nothing below this, is eternal life,
according as it is written, ''This is life
eternal, to know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."
John xvii. S. kxi^ faith and that knowledge
are one and the same thing — being the one
channel of eternal life. I urge this explan-
ation of "listening to the inward word,"
because I believe it to be no less possible, to
use the conscience as a Moses, or as a screen,
between us and God, than it is, so to use
the outward word. When we attend to con-
science only as a voice indicating what is
right and wrong, and do not seek to rise
through the voice, into the personal presence
and fellowship of the speaker \ it becomes to
us like a mere message from a distance ; we
are at our ease in hearing it ; we can hear it
and live, for it thus appears to us rather as
a direction how we may so conduct our-
selves as to secure the enjoyment of a bless-
ing in this present world, than as the call of
the crucified and risen Saviour, inviting us
The use of the Bible to a believer, 175
to partake of his death here, that we may
partake of his eternal life in his Father's
kingdom, yet to be revealed.
The Bible then is a blessing as leading to
faith, but its chief blessing is to those who be-
lieve it, that is, to those who receive it on the
witness which is greater, knowing its truth
by its oneness with the word in their own
hearts. And its blessing to them is not merely
that it is nourishment to their inward life ;
but also that it is a test by which they may try
the word within them. The flesh is continually
seeking to mix up its voice, with the voice of
the Spirit in the heart, so that the truth may
be in a measure received, and yet be without
fruit, in consequence of this mixture. And
in this state we generally find the inward
word, where the light of revelation does not
shine. Now the Bible comes to us pure —
and whilst it commends itself to the consci-
ence, by calling forth the echo of the inward
word, it also detects the mixtures of the
flesh, so that we may not take our own fancies
for the Spirit's voice. It reveals to us, more-
over, what the inward word is, and *' whence
it comes, and whither it goes." It is an un-
speakable blessing ; and yet it would be
nothing to us, unless we had the inward
176 The outward word tried hy the inward,
word — as the telescope would be nothing to a
man without eyes. And this inward word is
more than eyes ; it does not merely give us
a capacity of apprehending spiritual things,
but it farther enables us to judge of the
truth or falsehood of spiritual things — so that,
without it, we could have no real means of
ascertaining that Jesus was the eternal Word,
the Son of God, or that the Bible was the
inspired word of God.
Jesus himself declared this, when he said
to the people, ** If any man wills to do the
will of God, (as the literal translation is,) he
shall know of the doctrine whether it be of
God, or whether I speak of myself ;" that is, he
shall have the witness which is greater, testi-
fying in him to the truth. It is evident that
this is only another way of saying, that if
any man will be faithful to the voice within
his own conscience, and to the law written in
his heart, he shall be in a condition to discern
the divine truth and authority of the gospel.
Jesus thus Himself referred to the inward
word in man, as to the test by which His own
outward preaching was to be tried ; and thus
it was that He spoke as one having author-
ity, and not as the scribes, for He spoke to
the conscience, — to that principle in man
The evidence of miracles. 177
which could distinguish the will of God, from
the mere opinion of a fellow-mortal — and
that principle bore witness to Him. There
could indeed be no sin in rejecting the claims
of a true messenger from God, or in acknow-
ledging the claims of a false one, unless man
had the means of distinguishing them with
certainty.
It may be said, that miracles give the sub-
stantial proof; but to this I may answer, that
we know from the sacred history, that God
often sent forth messengers without such
credentials, and yet that He held man inex-
cusable for not recognizing them when they
spoke his word to them ; as, for instance, we
read in Luke vii. 29, 30, that Jesus condemn-
ed the Pharisees and Lawyers for rejecting
John the Baptist, saying of them, that " they
frustrated the counsel of God against them-
selves" by so doing; and that He commend-
ed the Publicans, as having justified God in
receiving him, although <« John did no mira-
cle." And we farther know, that since that
period, through many ages, and in the vast
majority of cases, the truth has been preach-
ed without any such credentials, so that the
history of the miracles which accompanied
its early preaching, has become itself a mat-
H 2
178 Faith is, living in the Spirit of God.
ter of human testimony, and thus, if the con-
demnation against unbelief rested on the ex-
istence of miracles only, that condemnation
would, in a great measure, have ceased since
the second century, and the ground of faith
must have altogether been altered.
But, besides all this, we have seen from
John vi. that the miracles might be witnessed
and believed, and yet that the persons thus
acknowledging the miracles might be alto-
gether without true faith. Faith in God is a
deeper thing than the belief of a miracle ; for
it apprehends the nature of God, and the
character of God, and the presence of God —
it seeth Him who is invisible. Many who
believed in the resurrection of Lazarus de-
sired to put him to death, on account of the
popularity that his re-appearance brought to
Jesus.
I may believe all miracles, without faith ;
for I may believe them without meeting God
in my heart. A miracle is a reason for men
to believe that God calls on them to know
Him in a person or in a thing; but they may
satisfy themselves with believing that He
does so call them, without meeting His call.
When I see holiness in any thing, I feel that
I have a still greater reason for believing that
Faith is, living in the Spirit of God. 179
God is there, than when I see power ; and if
a miracle were wrought before me, in proof
that God loved selfishness or deceit, I should
feel that it would be giving true glory to God,
to reject the power that wrought such a mir-
acle, as an evil power, and to acknowledge
His voice in my conscience, as His true pre-
sence and manifestation. But I must, in this
case also, consciously meet God in the thing,
before I can have faith in it.
Faith seeth God, because it is itself of the
nature of God ; nothing else could see Him
— nothing but the Spirit of God, can appre-
hend God. And therefore man could not
have faith, unless God had given him His
Spirit. But the redemption of man, consists
in this gift being given to him in Jesus Christ.
And faith is this gift in exercise ; and the
condemnation on the want of faith is, the
condemnation on having hid the talent in the
earth, or having wrapped it in a napkin.
Faith is opposed to sight, in the Bible, as
the spirit of God is opposed to the spirit of
this world. To live by faith is to live in the
spirit of God, having reference to God and
to his will, and to his yet unfinished pur-
pose, expecting its consummation on the
other side of death. To live by sight is to
180 Faith sees and consents to
live in the spirit of this world, having refer-
ence to the maxims and principles recogniz-
ed amongst men, and to pm-poses vrhich have
their consummation on this side of death. I
am conscious of a principle within me which
condemns things which are highly approved
in the world, and approves of things which
are despised in the world — so that I know
that if I gave continual expression and ut-
terance to this principle, by my words and
actions, I should be considered as a disturber
of the peace, and an enemy of all with whom
I have to do. And yet I am most assured
that the principle giving forth these words
and actions, is the will of God revealed by
his own voice in my conscience, and the con-
sciences of all men, and therefore that these
words and actions must have a witness in
their favour, even within the hearts of those
who are most offended by them. The con-
demnation of them, however, is that they are
not suitable to this world. But I know that
the will of God must finally be the universal
law, and that a system of things which is not
suitable to the expression of His will is evil,
and must soon pass away in righteous judg-
ment ; and that then a kingdom will come in
which it will not be dangerous to do and to
the purpose of God in all things. 181
speak His will. In the meantime however,
I must choose whether I shall take my part
with the present world, and suppress the
will of God within me — or whether I shall
take my part with the coming kingdom of
God, and be content to be considered as an
alien or an enemy here. I must choose be-
tween faith and sight. The Bible is God's
message to me, to help me in my perplexity;
it tells me that this present state of things is
but for a short time — and it sets the history
of Christ before me to direct me and en-
courage me in the right choice — and it shows
me my connection with that history, by mak-
ing known to me the oneness of Christ with
the word in my own heart. It shows me
Jesus Christ persevering in all things to do
the Father's will, and passing through danger,
and sorrow, and death, holding that will as
his guide, and strength, and consolation — and
it shows me how that will, which he meekly
followed, though it led him to the cross and
the grave, went down with him into the grave,
and lifted him up out of it, so that death should
henceforth have no dominion over him, and
placed him at the Father's right hand ; from
whence he is ever saying to men, *« Follow
me, and where I am there ye shall be also ;"
182 The faith tohich knows God
trust God's will implicitly, though it lead you
in the way of sorrow and death ; I have trust-
ed it, and have not been confounded ; — and it
assures me that as many as follow that voice,
and are led by him whose voice it is, they
also become the sons and the elect of God —
they are justified by the faith of Jesus — for
they have the same faith that He had, and
the same righteousness.
It is by no natural faculty, that man can
hold communion with His Creator. His in-
tellect may guide him to the conclusion that
there is a First Cause, and his imagination
may surround that First Cause with the ful-
ness of all which is now seen in part ; but in
order to meet the living God in truth and
reality, he must have something uncreated —
he must have God's own Spirit. And that he
might be thus provided, the Word, who was
God, has come into the root of man's nature,
that He might be there a fountain of the
divine Spirit, fi'om which a rill might run to
every individual of the race, not compelling
any one, but enabling every one, to know
God and walk with Him.
The intimations of the Spirit in the con-
science, are often much mixed up with the
actings of the intellect and the imagination,
is itself of the nature of God. 183
and are often used by them as materials for
their own buildings; — but it must itself be
predominant, it must be the user and not the
used, if we would know God and walk with
Him. That Divine Spirit, given to us in
Jesus Christ, is the eternal life — it is the life
of God Himself, given to us that we also
may live by it, and thus may be partakers of
the Divine nature — the sons and daughters
of the Lord Almighty; for "this is the re-
cord, that God hath given to us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son."
This eternal life, which appears in our
hearts under the form of the will of God, has
striven with man ever since the fall, con-
tending against, and condemning the carnal
life, which is the will of man, and which on
its side seeks to shut the ears and the en-
trances of our hearts against its heavenly
rival, or to deaden and corrupt its intima-
tions by polluting mixtures.
Let us now compare what has been said of
man's position between the drawings of these
two spirits, with 1 Cor. ii. 9 — 14, "Eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love him ; but God
184 Man must choose between
hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep
things of God. For what man knoweth the
things of a man, (or human things,) save the
spirit of man which is in him ? even so, the
things of God knoweth no man, but the
Spirit of God. Now we have received not
the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which
is of God ; that we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God,'* &c.
And first, what is the true meaning of the
expression, " We have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is of
God ?" Is it not most certain that Paul and
his fellow-labourers, had the spirit of the
world in their flesh ? Was it not continually
seeking to draw them away from God ? As-
suredly it was ; else he could not have writ-
ten such a word as that which we find in
1 Cor. ix. 27, " But I keep under my body,
and bring it into subjection, lest that by any
means, when I have preached to others, I
myself should be a castaway." What, then,
does he mean by saying that he had not
received the spirit of the world, but that he
had received the Spirit of God ? The mean-
ing can only be, that when these two spirits
the spirit of the world and the Spirit of God. 185
were both, as it were, pressed on his accept-
ance, or seeking the mastery in him, he
accepted the one, and refused the other.
This use of the word receive^ is very com-
mon in the Bible. Thus, in John i. «* He
came unto His own, and His own received
him not; but as many as received Him, to
them gave He power to become the sons of
God." The question is not, whether God
has given the Spirit, but whether man will
accept it. Paul accepted it, and thus it was
that he knew the things that were freely
given him of God, whilst those who resisted
the Holy Spirit, knew them not. The only
way by which any man knows the things of
God truly, is by receiving the Spirit of God
as his guide; and the only reason for any
man's ignorance of the things of God, is his
refusing or quenching the Spirit of God, and
receiving the spirit of the Avorld as his guide.
*«For the natural man (or the *soulish man,' as
it is literally,) receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto
him, neither can he know them, for they are
spiritually discerned." The soulish man is
the man who lives in the First Adam, who
was made a living soul ; and the spiritual
man, is the man who lives in the Second
1 86 Peters vacillation
Adam, who was made a quickening spirit.
If we live in the first, we cannot know the
things of God, nor be subject to the law of
God; and if we live in the second, according
to the measm^e of our so doing, we shall be
free from ignorance and from sin. We may
live sometimes in the one, and sometimes in
the other ; but the choice is always fixed upon
one of them in opposition to the other, so that
we walk willingly and designedly in the one,
whilst it is against our design, and as it were
by surprise, that we walk in the other. These
are the two masters concerning whom Jesus
warns us, saying, " No man can serve two
masters, for either he will love the one, and
hate the other," &c. ; and thus a yielding to
the one, is really a resisting the other ; as a
resisting the one, is a yielding to the other.
In Matt. xvi. we have an example of Peter
judging first in the one and afterwards in the
other. When he confessed the man of sor-
rows to be the Christ of God, Jesus said to
him, " Flesh and blood hath not revealed it
unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven ;"
and, afterwards, when the prospect of the
cross offended him, Jesus said to him, *' Get
thee behind me Satan, for thou savourest
not the things that be of God, but the things
between the two spirits. 187
that be of men." There were two spirits
revealing two opposite things in his heart;
and whilst he yielded to one of them, he
learned and knew the things which eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, and which have not
entered into the heart of man to conceive, —
and whilst he yielded to the other, he lost
the knowledge of all these things, and present
ease became his sole object. In the one
instance he was the spiritual man, living in
the Second Adam, the quickening spirit ; and
in the other instance, he was the natural or
soulish man, living in the first Adam, who is
flesh and blood. In the one instance, he was
yielding himself to God's drawing, and so he
truly came to Jesus ; in the other, he was
yielding to the drawing of a present thing,
so he could not believe. Here is righteous-
ness, and here is unrighteousness, lying in
man's choice. For who will say that Peter's
righteousness in the one instance, and his
unrighteousness in the other, are to be ex-
plained by the supposition that God first
vouchsafed him the assistance of His Spirit,
and then withdrew it? Such an explanation
is utterly inconsistent with the approbation
and the condemnation pronounced on him
by Jesus, in these two cases. The consist-
188 The good and the evil treasure.
ent truth evidently is, that both spirits drew
him, and that his righteousness and unright-
eousness lay in his making the right or the
wrong choice.
Now we know that the election of God
rests on Jesus and his spirit, and that His
reprobation rests on the world and its spirit ;
and therefore as man is called on to choose
between these two spirits, he is in truth call-
ed on to choose between God's election and
reprobation. Both are in him, as both spirits
are in him. They are in him as the good
and the evil treasures of the heart, of which
it is said, "a good man out of the good
treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that
which is good, and an evil man out of the
evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that
which is evil." Luke vi. 45. The good man
has an evil treasure in his heart, but he bring-
eth not forth of it, and the evil man has a
good treasure in his heart, but he bringeth
not forth of it. The good condition of the
one consists not merely in his having a good
treasure in his heart, for he has an evil trea-
sure also ; but in his choosing to draw out of
the good treasure, and in refusing to draw
out of the evil; and in like manner, the evil
condition of the other consists not merely
Make your election sure. 189
in his having an evil treasure, but in his pre-
ferring to draw out of it, although he has a
good treasure out of which he may draw if
he will.
In this view of the subject, the exhortation
in 2 Pet. i. 10, to '* give diligence to make
your calling and election sure," is just an
exhortation to yield to, and live in that spirit
on which the election lies, and to resist that
spirit on which the reprobation lies. And,
accordingly, the whole context proves that
this is its meaning. At verse 3d of the
chapter it is written, " according as His di-
vine power hath given us all things that per-
tain to life and godliness, through the know-
ledge of Him who hath called us to glory
and virtue ; whereby are given to us exceed-
ing great and precious promises ;" mark
now, to what end these things are given, —
namely, "that by them, ye might be par-
takers of the divine nature, having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through
lust." The participation in the divine na-
ture, and the participation in the corruption
which is in the world through lust, are the two
conditions set before us to choose between,
— the one approved or elected of God, to
which He calls us as the way of glory and
190 Give diligence to make
virtue ; the other condemned and reprobated
by Him. And these two conditions are set
before us, with the assurance that the divine
power hath given us all that is needful to
obtain the one, and to escape from the other.
And then follows an exhortation founded on
this assurance, that we should " add to our
faith, virtue," &c., which exhortation is, in
verse 10th, gummed up in these words,
" Wherefore the rather, brethren, give dili-
gence to make your calling and election sure,
for if ye do these things^ ye shall never falir
The word sure here, ^i^Mu.v, does not mean
sure in point of knowledge, but sure in point
of stability, that is, firm, or steady. The
apostle is not calling on the disciples to seek
to ascertain that God had decreed their
election ; he is calling on them to give dili-
gence themselves, to make it sure ; thereby
intimating that their election was not a thing
fixed, but was something that depended on
their diligence. The expression evidently
supposes that there was an oscillation be-
tween the two conditions, a rival action be-
tween the two principles in the heart, but
that this might be terminated in favour of
the election, by their giving diligence, " For
if ye do these things, ye shall never fall ;"
your calling and election sure. 191
that is, if ye do these things, ye shall make
your election sure; if ye neglect these things,
ye shall come short of your election. Let
the reader consider the context, and he will
see that the exhortation to " give diligence
to make our calling and election sure," must
have been meant by the inspired writer, as
a recapitulation of the preceding exhortation
to give diligence to " add to faith virtue, and
to virtue knowledge," &c. ; else what is the
meaning of the words at the end of verse
10th, " for if ye do these things, ye shall
never fall ?" Most certainly, these things
are *' faith, virtue, knowledge," &c. ; and
thus, we are distinctly taught, that a man's
personal election is the consequence of his
diligence in cultivating faith, virtue, know-
ledge, &c., instead of his diligence being the
consequence of his personal election.
I may remark that there is a striking
agreement between this passage and the
parable of the potter in Jeremiah, and the
passage in 2 Tim. ii., so much insisted on
in the earlier part of this essay, and the par-
able of the corn of wheat in John xii. The
point of agreement is to be found in the 9th
verse, "he that lacketh these things, (lack-
eth them because he) is blind, shutting his
192 Work out your own salvation.
eyes, and forgetting that by which he was
purged from his old sins," namely, the death
of Christ. It is by forgetting that we are
redeemed through his death, and so ceasing
to be partakers of his death, that our calling
and election are lost. " Remember Christ
Jesus raised from the dead, according to my
gospel." " If we die with him, we shall also
live with him." 2 Tim. ii. 8 and 11. And
then again in 2 Pet. i. 11, the election is
more definitely described; "for so an en-
trance shall be ministered unto you abun-
dantly, into the everlasting Kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," which is
the second vessel, the vessel unto honour.
The true election thus comes out in this, as
in the other passages — he that forgets the
death of Christ, that is, refuses to partake of
it, shall be a vessel unto dishonour ; he that
purges himself from the vain babblings of
the flesh, in the blood of Christ, shall be a
vessel unto honour.
To this class also belongs the passage in
Philip, ii. 1^, 13, "work out your own sal-
vation with fear and trembling, for it is God
which worketh in you, both to will and to do,
of His good pleasure." The words, " work
out your own salvation," are evidently a
It is God that worketh in you. 193
summary of the exhortation contained in the
3d, 4th, and 5th verses ; "let nothing be
done in strife or vain glory, but in lowliness
of mind, let each esteem other better than
himself: let this mind be in you, that was
also in Christ Jesus." This mind is set forth
in the intermediate verses — as manifested
in Christ's taking on him the condition of
man, and humbling himself to the death of
the cross : that is, coming into the first ves-
sel, and then consenting to its being broken
— and then the recompence is declared ;
^'wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,"
making him the vessel unto honour. Then
follows the text, " work out your own salva--
tion," that is, receive the mind of Christ, that
you may be partakers in his exaltation ; and
you have not to originate any thing in this
matter, you have only to yield yourselves to,
and co-operate with, a great Worker, who
from the beginning of your being has been
striving with you and working in you, both
to will and to do, according to this mind of
Christ ; work then with confidence, and yet
"work with fear and trembling," for that
Worker is the jealous God, who hath said
"my Spirit shall not alway strive with man,"
and you may frustrate His working in you,
194 Comparison of Phil. ii. 12, ivith 2 Pet. i. 10.
by neglecting the intimations of His Spirit,
and so yielding yourselves to another work-
er, who would lead you to do every thing
" in strife and vain-glory."
The oneness of this passage with the pas-
sage in 2 Peter, last quoted, is manifest.
The election in the one, is the salvation in
the other ; and as in the one the election
is made to depend on man's diligence, so in
the other the salvation is made to depend
on man's working with fear and trembling,
in submission to God's working in him. It
seems but reasonable and even unavoidable
to infer from these passages, that man is
called on to choose between the Spirit of
God, and the spirit of the world — and that
the decree of election is not a decree com-
pelling man's choice in this thing, or deter-
mining some individuals for salvation, and
passing by others ; but that it is the expres-
sion of God's fixed approbation of those who
choose His Spirit, which would work in
them that mind which was in Christ, and
his fixed determination to make them par-
takers in Christ's glory.
Jesus said, " Come unto me all ye that la-
bour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest;" and he also said, " Many are called, but
The way of becoming elect, set forth, 1 Pet, ii. 195
few chosen." Now why is it that all those
who are called, are not chosen ? For this one
and only reason, that they will not come unto
Him that they may have life. And so it is
written in Rev. xvii. 14, that those who are
with Him, "are called, and chosen, and faith-
ful." They, along with the whole multitude
of Adam's children, are called to Jesus, and
because they obey the call, they are chosen.
By coming to Him, and abiding in Him
they make their calling and election sure.
He is the elect one, and they become elect
by coming to him.
There is a passage in 1 Peter ii. 1 — ^9, in
which the way of becoming electa is very strik-
ingly and plainly set forth. In that passage
Jesus is described as a *' living stone, disal-
lowed or disapproved indeed of men, but cho-
sen of God and precious." It is important to
observe that chosen is here opposed to disal-
lowedy or more literally disapproved, because
we are thus taught to consider the election,
not as an original absolute decree, irrespec-
tive of character, but as an equitable sen-
tence, pronounced after trial, approving and
rewarding righteousness. The passage then
proceeds thus, "To whom coming, as unto
a living stone, ye also as living stones, are
196 The way of becoming elect.
built up, a spiritual house, an holy priest-
hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, accepta-
ble to God, by Jesus Christ. Wherefore
also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold
I lay in Zion, a chief corner stone, elect, pre-
cious, and he that believeth on Him shall not
be confounded." The word rendered pre-
cious here, might be rendered honoured, and
thus it gives an additional meaning to the
word elect, over and above that which we
gathered from its being contrasted with dis-
approved. He was disapproved and despis-
ed by men, but he was approved and honour-
ed by God — He was made a vessel unto
honour, or a chosen vessel. Now mark. He
has entered our flesh as a fountain of life, so
that in receiving Him, or coming to him, we
receive life. And that life is the divine na~
ture ; it is that on which God sets his seal of
approbation and election, in opposition to
the life of the flesh, so that in receiving it,
we receive election, we become elect. And
this is distinctly expressed in the passage
before us, for as it is said, that by coming to
this living stone, ye become living stones, —
so also it is said, that by coming to this
chosen one, ye become a chosen generation.
And we may add, by coming to this precious.
The order of God's appointment. 197
this honoured one, ye become vessels unto
honour.
If any one interposes the question, But
what makes one man come, whilst another
holds back ? And what is the meaning of
that expression in the 8th verse, " where-
unto also they were appointed?" I must an-
swer, by repeating a statement which I have
already often made — The Father is drawing
every man by his Spirit, even by that living
and incorruptible seed of the word, (spoken
of in the end of the 1st chapter of this Epis-
tle,) which is sown in every heart, whether it
be way-side or good ground. If he yields to
this drawing, he will come to Christ, and be-
come one of the living stones, and one of the
chosen generation ; but if he be disobedient
to this drawing of the word, he cannot come
truly to Christ, but will find him a stone of
stumbling and rock of offence. No man
can come unto Jesus but by following the
Father's drawing — this is the appointment —
and thus those who are disobedient to that
drawing, bring themselves under the ap-
pointment, to find Jesus a stone of stum-
bling, instead of a sure foundation stone,
I may here bring forward some passages
in which the principle of personal election,
1 98 Sovereign election consistent with
according to its received meaning, is contrast-
ed with the principle of election founded on
approbation of character ; and in which it
seems as distinctly to be denied, that the for-
mer has anyplace in God's government, as it
is asserted that the latter is His rule. These
passages are important also in showing the
misinterpretation by which the false view is
supported. There are few titles more fre-
quently claimed for God, throughout the
Bible, than that of being no respecter of
persons ; and in some of the places where
it is claimed for Him, it appears as a direct
and explicit denial of the common view of
the doctrine of election. The first place
where it occurs, is Deut. x. 17 ; and it is
introduced there evidently for the same pur-
pose as the parable of the potter in Jere-
miah, namely, to warn the Israelites against
misinterpreting God's peculiar and distin-
guishing kindness to them, and inferring
from it that they were definitively elected
by Him, and safe from his displeasure, al-
though they walked after their own coun-
sel. I shall cite from verse 14th, " Behold
the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the
Lord's thy God ; the earth also with all that
therein is. Only the Lord thy God had a
Judicial election. 199
delight in thy fathers to love them, and He
chose their seed after them, even you, above
all people, as it is this day. Circumcise
therefore the foreskin of your hearts, and be
ye no more stiff-necked ; for the Lord your
God is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, a
great God, a mighty and a terrible, which
regardeth not persons, nor taketh rewards."
The Israelites were thus taught to dis-
tinguish God's sovereignty, which had rais-
ed them in point of privilege above the rest
of the nations, from His real judicial election,
which rests only on those who circumcise
their hearts, and are no more stiff -necked ;
and they were warned against supposing
that God's personal and final election, was
determined by any thing except character.
Indeed, when it is said of God that He is
no respecter of persons, the meaning evident-
ly is, that he is a respecter of characters.
Some of the other instances in which the
expression occurs, are perhaps even more
striking than this one ; but if I were to ad-
duce all the striking passages to this effect,
I should transcribe a great proportion of the
Bible. I shall therefore leave the reader to
find them out for himself, in a concordance,
and I shall only add two other passages to
200 Sovereign election consistent with
the same purport, out of 1 Samuel. One is,
the threatening message to Eli on account
of the wickedness of his sons, 1 Sam. ii. 30.
" Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith,
I said indeed, that thy house and the house
of thy father, should walk before me for
ever ; but now the Lord saith. Be it far from
me, for them that honour me, I will honour,
and they that despise me shall be lightly es-
teemed." The reader may compare this
most explicit declaration, with that similar
one in Num. xiv. ^8 — 34, which concludes
with these remarkable words of the God of
truth, "and ye shall know my breach of pro-
mise." The other passage is Samuel's ex-
postulation with the people, on their offence
in asking for a king, 1 Sam. xii, 20 — 25. "And
Samuel said unto the people. Fear not ; (ye
have done all this wickedness ; yet turn not
aside from following the Lord, but serve the
Lord with all your heart; and turn ye not
aside : for then should ye go after vain
things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for
they are vain :) for the Lord will not for-
sake his people for his great name's sake:
because it hath pleased the Lord to make
you his people. Moreover, as for me, God
forbid that I should sin against the Lord in
Judicial election. 201
ceasing to pray for you : but I will teach you
the good and the right way. Only fear the
Lord, and serve him in truth with all your
heart; for, consider how great things he hath
done for you. But if ye shall still do ivick-
edly, ye shall be consumed, both you and
your king.^^
In these passages, the distinction between
the election of sovereignty and the definitive
election of judgment is plainly marked. God
in sovereignty appoints the conditions of his
rational creatures, giving them their provision
of natural and spiritual gifts according to the
place in the world or the church, which He
elects them to fill — He gives spiritual mani-
festations to one man, which He does not
give to another; in the same way as He
gives greater intellectual talents, or moral
firmness, to one than to another. But this
is not the definitive election — it is only an
initiatory or provisional election. The de-
finitive election, is the judicial election, which
rests only on those who rightly use their
provision, whatever that provision may be.
There is as great a diversity in the inward
visitations of the spirit sent to different per-
sons, as in the outward events of their lives.
Some are visited by a sense of the presence
i2
202 Sovereign election consistent with
of God and of His love, producing, perhaps,
a very joyful feeling in their souls; and some
know little of such visitations. Those who
are favoured with them, are often tempted
to think that religion consists in having such
things, and they therefore look out for them,
and seem to neglect the common course of
their lives which is unmarked by these lights,
as if it were shut out from religion, and even
seem to rest their hope before God, on the
fact of their having had such manifestations.
Whereas, religion does not consist in having
such things at all, but in the heart giving up its
own will, and yielding itself up to the will of
God, known and felt in the conscience.
I do not mean to undervalue such mani-
festations of the Spirit, any more than I have
meant to undervalue the revelation of the
outward word in the Bible ; all that I mean
to say is, that both the one and the other are
only spiritual provision^ which may be be-
stowed without salvation, and may be with-
held without perdition. If the steward of the
five talents had hid them in the earth, he
would, at the judgment, have been deprived of
them, and been cast out as reprobate ; and if
the steward of the one talent had been diligent
in his little, he would have been judged faith-
Judicial election. 203
ful, and therefore he would have been chosen.
"The Lord's delight is in them that fear
Him, in them that hope in His mercy." He
gives the gifts, but He asks the heart — and
on the answer of the heart, His final judicial
election is suspended. By his sovereign
election He appoints to each man his pro-
vision ; by His judicial election He rewards
the faithful use of the provision. With the
sovereign election, man's will has nothing
to do; with the judicial election, man's will
has every thing to do.
Out of the confounding of these two elec-
tions, I believe has arisen, in a great mea-
sure, the common doctrine of election ; and
that which has led to the confounding of
them, has been an inattention to, or a denial
of, the fact, that there is an inward spiritual
provision bestowed even on those who neglect
and misuse it — according to the warning in
Ps. xxxii., " be ye not like to horse and
mule," following that word, " I will instruct
thee, and teach thee," &c.
Let us now proceed to the consideration
of the Epistle to the Romans. Every verse
of it is not only most important in itself, but
also in its bearing on the subject of election.
And although the limits within which I wish
204 The Epistle to the Romans.
to confine this treatise, do not permit me to
enter into a full exposition of the argument
of the apostle, yet I should be neglecting a
chief part of my object, if I did not in some
degree show how the righteousness of God,
which is the great topic of the early chapters
of the epistle, is connected with, and identi-
fied with, the doctrine contained in the 8th
and 9th chapters.
We shall begin at the 14th verse of the 1st
chapter. " I am debtor both to the Greeks
and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to
the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am
ready to preach the gospel to you that are
at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ ; for it is the power of
God unto salvation, unto every one that
believeth : unto the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. For therein is the righteousness of
God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written, the just shall live by faith." It is
not easy to conceive words more fitted than
these, to convey the idea of a general mes-
sage of good to all mankind, depending for
its efficiency on the single condition of its
being received. Indeed, it is of this charac-
ter of general applicability, that the apostle
here specially boasts. He was a debtor, in
Universality of the gospel. 205
respect of the gospel, to all men — they had a
claim on him for it — they had a right to it
from him, because God had given them an
interest in it, which they might follow out,
whether they did so or not. And when he
says that its saving power is limited to those
who believe it, he does not mean to repre-
sent this condition of faith as an arbitrary
limitation of God's making, but as the only
way of profiting by the gospel, according to
the nature of things ; — and he only means
to point out to men the importance of not
missing this way, that so they might make
their interest in it secure.
When the different results of the word to
them who believe, and to them who do not
believe, are set forth in the Scriptures, we
feel that this is done for the purpose of per-
suading us to believe, and of warning us
against unbelief; — we feel that it is done for
the purpose of teaching us, not that there
are two distinct classes into which men are
originally and unalterably divided, but that
there are two distinct ways in which every
man may receive the word — the one way
leading to salvation, and the other to con-
demnation.
The observations formerly made on the
206 Faith an open door to all.
different kinds of ground, in the parable of
the sower, apply with equal force to the ex-
pression, "to every one that believeth." In-
deed, if we suppose, that faith is a special
gift, vouchsafed only to the few who really
make use of it, though without it no man
can receive Christ, then we must acknow-
ledge that the apostle's words are much larger
than his meaning or his message, and that
he must have had a mental reservation, lim-
iting all that he said to those alone to whom
God had given this private key. And yet,
in opposition to such an idea, it is demon-
strable, that through the whole New Tes-
tament, the appointment of faith as the door
of access into the church, is always repre-
sented as an opening of the way to all, and
as a removal of all disabilities and exclusions.
The great difference, indeed, between the
kingdom of God preached in the gospel, and
the type of that kingdom which was shown
amongst the Jews, was this, that the title to
the true kingdom lay in a character attain-
able by every one ; whereas, the title to the
typical kingdom, lay in natural birth, which
was a fixed unalterable thing, unattainable
by those who had it not by original appoint-
ment. Every one feels that he could not be
The righteousness of God. 207
righteously responsible for not believing in
Jesus, unless he had the capacity of so doing,
any more than he could be responsible for
not being born a Jew; and he is only de-
ceiving himself, when he allows any form of
words to pass upon him as an explanation of
the contrary supposition.
And now let us inquire what that righteous-
ness of God is, which is revealed in the gos-
pel, and which makes it the power of God
unto salvation, to every one that believeth it.
And let us begin our inquiry by considering
what instruction is conveyed to us on the sub-
ject, by the prophecy of Habakkuk, to which
we are referred by the quotation, "the just
shall live by faith." For, to that prophecy
the apostle undoubtedly refers us, by this quo-
tation, and by his prefixing it in this way to
his whole argument as its text, and summary,
he evidently commends it to us, as a pas-
sage containing an elementary explanation of
that same righteousness which is more fully
revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ ; and
therefore we should be manifestly neglect-
ing the most obvious way of ascertaining the
meaning of the apostle, if we did not com-
pare his argument with that prophecy.
The prophecy of Habakkuk, like every
208 The prophecy of Habakkuk.
other complete prophecy, contains an antici-
pated view of the history represented by the
spectacle which Jeremiah saw at the house of
the Potter, in as much as it announces the
breaking down of the first vessel, (the pre-
sent state of man,) and declares that breaking
down to be not only the righteous punish-
ment of sin, but also to be the necessary pre-
paration for the glorious building up of the
second vessel, the resurrection state. The
book commences with a complaint of the
prophet against the sinful state of Israel ; in
answer to which, he is forewarned of the
complete overthrow and ruin of the nation,
by the invasion of the Chaldeans, as the re-
ward of their multiplied transgressions. He
is much overwhelmed by this announcement,
but yet he stays himself upon the faithfulness
of God, in the confidence that this scourge
is not sent for destruction but for correction,
i. 1^ ; and he sets himself to look to God,
and to wait for something from him that
may reconcile this fearful message with the
covenant of mercy to Israel. Whilst he is
thus waiting, the word comes to him, and he
is desired to write down distinctly, a vision
which is shown him of that final glorious re-
demption which was to rise out of, and to ter-
The prophecy of Habakkuk. 209
minate all these calamities : "And the Lord
answered me, and said, Write the vision, and
make it plain upon tables, that he may run
that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an
appointed time, but at the end it shall speak,
and not lie ; though it tarry, wait for it ; be-
cause it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Behold, his soul which is lifted up (or the
unbeliever, as the vulgate renders it), is not
upright in him : but the just shall live by his
faith." The just man — the man who trusts
God, who is the giver of the vision — shall be
sustained by the belief of it, through all the
calamities that are to come — he shall live
through them, as a good ship through a
storm. This is the preface to the word of
consolation, which proceeds to denounce a
woe against the conqueror, who had made
Israel and the nations of the earth to drink
out of the wine-cup of the Lord's anger. He
had " transgressed by wine ;" he had trans-
gressed in ministering the cup of wrath
which had been committed to his ministry,
serving therein his own pride, and not God's
glory — and his downfall is foretold as the
reward of his transgression. And then it is
declared that the Chaldeans should labour in
the fire, and weary themselves for very vanity.
2 i The prophecy of Habakkuk.
failing in their own projects, and being made
subservient to an object which they never
contemplated — for that instead of setting
up an empire for themselves, the issue of
all their schemes and operations should be,
that '' the earth should be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters
cover the sea." And then, in the 3d chapter,
follows the glorious vision of the Lord's com-
ing to bring and establish redemption for
His people, as the prophet saw it, which is
so written that those who run may read — it
is the accomplishment of all the promises —
the fulness of the deliverance.
This vision set the prophet's own heart at
rest in God ; for, as soon as he understood
that the destruction and calamities that had
been denounced, were by the divine control
to be made subservient and preparatory to
the coming glory, he immediately found him-
self prepared to welcome them, whatever
they might be ; for he did not any longer
judge of them by the present feeling of the
flesh, but by God's purpose in them, which
he saw, as it were, shining through them.
He was thus justified by faith, — he was
brought into submissive conformity to the
will of God. For the joy set before him, he
The righteousness of faith. 21 1
was ready to endure the cross. And thus hav-
ing the mind of Christ, he had the righteous-
ness of Christ ; and he sang the song of the
righteous, "although the fig tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine,
&c., yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy
in the God of my salvation." That is, let the
Chaldeans come, let all calamities come ; I
know who sends them, and why they are
sent ; I know that there is a blessing con-
tained in them which outweighs them far
— let the first marred vessel be broken, I
know that God will make out of the same
clay a new vessel unto honour, meet for the
master's use.
This is the only prospect by the faith of
which man is brought to submit himself
rightly to the will of God, in the trials and
desolations of life, which are here typified
and represented by the Chaldeans. It is by
this faith then, that he becomes righteous, —
for conformity to the will of God is righteous-
ness, — and the more he realizes the vision,
the more will he feel the truth of that word :
"the just, or the man who trusts God, shall
live by the faith of the purpose of God re-
vealed in it."
It is quite evident from the use made of
212 The righteousness of faith is
this passage in the Epistle to the Romans, as
well as in Hebrews chap. x. 37, that the vision
of Habakkuk, like the promise in the end of
Jeremiah xvii., "that kings and princes should
enter into the gates of Jerusalem, sitting on
the throne of David," belongs properly to the
resurrection state, and cannot have its full
accomplishment before it. Indeed, any dif-
ferent expectation could not but have the
effect of separating from Christ the Captain
of Salvation, who entered into his rest through
death. It is thus evident that the faith which
is here taught, is a confidence in God, and a
trusting of ourselves to his guidance, knowing
that He will lead us safely through, though
it must be by a way of sorrow and death, into
His own kingdom. It is such a confidence
as the penitent thief on the cross had, which
was not a confidence that Jesus would de-
liver him from the cross, but a confidence
that he would carry him, through the cross,
into His kingdom. This confidence made
him righteous, for it subdued his will to the
will of God, though manifested in the break-
ing of the hopes and life of his first vessel.
And this same confidence made Habakkuk
righteous, for it made him of one mind with
God, in his whole dealings with man. •
confidence in the final purpose of God. 213
This, then, is the righteousness of faith, as
set forth in the book of Habakkuk, that a
man should know that the great purpose of
God towards him, is to accomplish a good
in him, which can only be accomplished by
the breaking down of his independent will,
through sorrow and death willingly endured,
and that therefore his great concern is to live
in this purpose, adopting it as his own pur-
pose, and subordinating to it all the purposes
which his own heart may suggest to him.
And as this passage is used by Paul as the
text of the Epistle to the Romans, written ex-
pressly to show what that righteousness is,
which is by the faith of Christ ; and as it is
also used by him in the Epistle to the He-
brews, at the close of chap, x., as a preface
or introduction to that bright record which is
contained in chap, xi., of the faithful before
Christ, we have the most distinct proof that
this same righteousness always has been, and
always must be, the true righteousness which
God acknowledges. On this ground, then,
I understand the expression '*the righteous-
ness of God," as it occurs in chap. i. 17, iii.
^1 — 26, and in many other places through
the Epistle, to mean that condition of heart
which God will acknowledge as righteous in
214 Connection of righteousness with election.
man, in opposition to the imaginations of
man's own mind on the subject. I shall trust
to the development of the argument, for the
farther proof of this interpretation, without
directly answering, at least in this plalbe, the
interpretations either of those who consider
the expression to mean God's own right-
eousness in his dealings with men, or of
those who consider it to mean God's me-
thod of justifying men.
When a man lives hy sights he lives in his
own plans, and for this present world, which
is the first vessel; when he lives hy faiths he
lives in God's plan, and for His coming
kingdom, which is the second vessel. Now,
this last life is the life which God reckons
righteous^ and it is really so, for it consents to
the punishing of that which deserves punish-
ment — -and it waits and longs for the estab-
lishment of that which deserves to endure.
Here, then, is the connection between the
righteousness of faith, and the election of
God. God's election rests on the second
vessel, and on His own Spirit, by which He
would draw men out from the first vessel,
into the second vessel ; and the righteous-
ness of faith consists in man's entering into
this purpose of God.
The righteousness of faith. 215
I ask the reader to judge what I write in
the spirit of candour, and to try it by his own
conscience, as well as by the written word.
I am sure that there is no conscience that
can refuse its assent to what I have said
concerning righteousness. A man may sup-
pose, from what he has been accustomed to
consider the meaning of the Bible, that there
is another righteousness necessary, besides
this which I have described — a theological
righteousness, founded on a theological faith
— but I know that he cannot in his heart
deny that this is true righteousness, when
the creature gives up its own will and way,
and adopts God's, yielding itself to Him to be
slain, that it may be made truly alive. And as
I do believe that there are many who would
feel it to be a great relief to their hearts, and
a great infusion of light, to know that the
theological righteousness, is really nothing
else than this righteousness which I have
described, and which commends itself to
every man's conscience in the sight of God,
so I hope that there are some who, from
what they have already met with in this
book, are prepared to find many passages in
the Epistle, which they have hitherto read in
a different sense, really corroborative of the
216 Righteousness as described in the Psalms.
view of righteousness, which the reference to
Habakkuk in the commencement of the ar-
gument leads us to expect.
There is a great deal about righteousness
in the Psalms, and I can appeal with confi-
dence to every reader of the Psalms, whether
the general impression conveyed by them, be
not, that righteousness and confidence in
God are one thing. I would refer, in special
proof of this, to the 10th and 11th verses of
Psalm xxxii., in which the wicked is evidently
contrasted with the man that trusteth in
the Lord ; " Many sorrows shall be to
the wicked : but he that trusteth in the
Lord, mercy shall compass him about ;" and
then the trusters in the Lord are thus ad-
dressed: " Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice,
ye righteous,'''
I would also refer to Psalm xl., which is
one of the most marked prophecies of the
gospel history in the Old Testament; be-
cause there is in it a particular exposition
of righteousness. At the 9th verse, the
speaker, who is certainly none other than
the Saviour, says, " I have preached right-
eousness in the great congregation." Now,
what is here meant? In the Psalm a man is
set before us, standing on a rock, by the
Righteousness as described in the Psalms. 217
side of a horrible pit, and miry clay, out of
which he has just emerged alone ; who de-
scribes the way by which he has escaped,
for the instruction and benefit of those who
are still overwhelmed in it.
As the man is Jesus, so the horrible pit is
the condition into which man has brought
himself by the fall. Into this condition Jesus
came, that He might show men the way out
from it. He had come, indeed, into it, for He
says, verse 12, as going back on that from
which he had escaped, ** Innumerable evils
have compassed me about, mine iniquities
have taken hold of me, so that I am not able
to look up," &c. And what was the mode
of his escape? He describes it summarily in
the first line of the Psalm, " / waited pa-
tiently on the Lord, and He inclined unto
me, and heard my cry." Then, in the 4th
verse, " Blessed is the man that maketh the
Lord his trusts Then he describes it more
fully in verses 6, 7> and 8, " Sacrifice and
offering, (* which are offered by the law,'
according to the inspired comment in Heb.
X. 8,) thou didst not desire ; mine ears hast
thou opened : burnt-offering and sin-offering
hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I
come : in the volume of the book it is writ*
K
218 The way of deliverance from the pit.
ten of me, / delight to do thy will, O my
God ; yea, thy law is within my heart."
This agrees exactly with what is written
of Jesus in the New Testament ; " I came
not to do my own will, but the will of Him
that sent me." This was the righteousness of
Jesus. This was that on account of which
he was delivered from the horrible pit. This
was what the Father reckoned righteousness.
He did not reckon the sacrifices of the law
righteousness, but He reckoned trust in Him,
and the doing of his will, righteousness.
Jesus trusted in his Father, and committed
himself to Him, though he knew that it was
unto death — He thus fulfilled righteousness.
But Jesus is the true witness of the way
out of the pit up to the Father ; and he was
given to men, not only that they might have
a living principle in them, by which they
might take hold of the strength of God for
their deliverance, but also that by His exam-
ple they might learn how to take hold of that
strength, so as to be delivered by it. And now
He is standing outside of the pit, where we
are lying, and saying to us. There is but one
way out — that word in you which speaks
of right and wrong to your consciences, and
which calls on you to give up your own will.
Justification by Faith. 219
is the only cord by which you can be drawn
out, for it is the Spirit of God — and God
has let it down into your hearts, to this end,
that you may take hold of it, and be drawn
up by it — I got out that way — I waited pa-
tiently on the Lord, I looked to no other
helper, or counsellor, or comforter — I yielded
myself entirely to His will, and he brought me
up out of the horrible pit, and miry clay — and
now I announce to all, that God acknow-
ledges no other thing as righteousness, or as
a reason of deliverance from the pit, but
trust in Him, and submission to His will.
I am an example of the way of escape, and
the Spirit which brought me out, is that
which is striving in each of your hearts, to
prevail on you to allow yourselves to be
drawn out also.
But, some one may ask, Is justification by
faith really so intelligible a thing as this? Is
this all the doctrine? Dear reader, what-
ever truth there may be in any doctrine, it
is not true to me, that is to say, I do not
profitably know its truth, until I find it wit-
nessed to, and sealed by a sense and light of
truth, in my own heart — it must be trans-
lated into a language which my heart under-
stands — it must meet and tally with a living
220 Justification by Faith.
consciousness within me, else it is of no use
to me. I know that a great many of my
readers must have been in the habit of
thinking that justification by faith, means
a forgiveness and acceptance which God
bestows on a man, who believes in cer-
tain doctrines, only known by revelation,
so that they can scarcely understand how it
can have any place in what may be called
natural religion.* It seems to them as, a
theological privilege, connected with theo-
logical knowledge. They could not conceive
a heathen, who had never heard of Jesus
Christ, possessing it. But there must be
something in true natural religion to tally
with this doctrine, else the doctrine as it
stands in the Bible, however true, would be
to us as a telescope unfitted to the eye.
Let me here propose a simple case, by
which I may explain the elementary mean-
ing of justification by faith, a meaning to
which I feel the fullest testimony rendered
* By natural religion, I do not mean any thing that
man's own intellect imagines or discovers of God, and His
relation to men; I mean only, that inward knowledge of
God and His purpose toward us, that every human being
gains or may gain by the striving and teaching of the
Spirit in his conscience.
Justification by Faith. 221
in my own conscience, and to which I am
confident, the consciences of most of my
readers will also abundantly testify.
I shall suppose a man who has decidedly,
and consciously, through all his life, made
his own gratification, his sole object — so that
he has habitually, in the most direct and pro-
fligate manner, and in the most glaring in-
stances, offended against what he knew to
be his duty ; and whenever he has discharged
the duties of any of the relations of life, it
has been without any regard to God, or any
sense of conscientious obligation, but simply
with a view of making life more agreeable,
or of avoiding unpleasant jarrings. This
man is brought, on some occasion, into cir-
cumstances where he sees he must lose his
life, unless he chooses to rescue himself by
an act quite easy for him to do, but which
involves in it violence and fraud. He has
committed such acts a hundred times before ;
but now, for the first time in his life, with
the thought of the conclusion of life brought
near to him, he listens to the inward word,
which says, " Do it not, you know that it is
wrong to do it." He hears the voice, and
acknowledges in his heart that it is the
voice of God, and that what it speaks is true
222 Justification by Faith.
— but he considers, If I obey this voice
now, which I have neglected all my life,
I must die without hope of salvation ; for
what can I expect after death but to meet the
just judgment of Him whose voice I have
so long set at nought ? Would it not be the
certain loss of my soul, if I were to die in
this unprepared state? And would it not be
better to commit this small offence now, that
so I may prolong my life, and have oppor-
tunity of repentance, and of reconciling my-
self to God ; and so be prepared, if such an
occasion as this occurs again, to do what I
know to be the will of God, without fear of
the consequences ? Still the voice within
him, in answer to all this, repeats, " Do it
not, it is the will of God that you should not
do it, you know that you ought not to do it."
He hears the voice, and feels its authority;
he feels that it is the voice of one who has
power; and the thought comes to him, I ought
to do what is right — and if so, can it be un-
safe for my soul, in any circumstances, to do
what is right ; can it be unsafe for me at any
moment to do the will of God? He looks up
to Him who is thus striving with his con-
science, and he says, I may surely trust Thee ;
it is impossible that the first step that I make
Justification by Faith. 223
in obedience to Thy voice, can be a step into
hell. As soon as the man has got hold of
this, he feels that he has hold of a reality.
His trust is not a peradventure ; it is a sub-
stance. He feels that he can commit to God
all the consequences of obeying God. He
does not expect life, but he has hold of eter-
nal life, as the penitent thief on the cross
had hold of it. He could deliver him-
self from his present cross by using his own
counsel, but he chooses rather to submit
himself to the counsel of God, trusting God
with the consequences of His own counsel.
He feels that he has nothing to trust to,
except God, who calls him by the manifesta-
tion of His will to his conscience — on that
will alone he takes hold, and ventures into
death with it, as a man confidently leaps
over board, having hold of a rope. Reader,
can you believe that God would disappoint
such a trust as this ? No ! Do you not feel
that this man has at once, from being un-
righteous, become righteous, by simply trust-
ing himself to God ? He is justified by
faith — he has become righteous by entering
into God's purpose, into God's righteous-
ness. The will of God is the righteous life
of God — and the will of the flesh is the un-
224 Justification by Faith.
righteous condemned life of man. He had
hitherto lived in this latter life, and thus he
had been unrighteous, but now he is living
in the former, and thus he is righteous, with
God's own righteousness. This is what is
meant by being born again of the Spirit, be-
cause it is the ceasing from the life of the
flesh, and living by the life of God. And this
is Christ's righteousness, though the man
may never have heard of the blessed name
— and as a proof that it is indeed so, we
may observe how correctly the words of
Psalm xl., describing the righteousness of
Christ, apply to him — " Blessed is the man
that maketh the Lord his trust, and respect-
eth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to
lies." He has trusted in the Lord, refusing
to listen to those lying suggestions of the flesh
which would have urged him to save his life
by substituting some other sacrifice in place
of obedience. " Burnt-off'ering and sin-offer-
ing hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo,
I come to do thy will, O God." Heb. x. 9.
The man might have vowed to have made
any sacrifice — he might have vowed to have
fasted and prayed, and to have built churches,
and to have given his goods to feed the poor
— but these sacrifices were not the sacrifices
Justification hy Faith. 225
which God called for, He did not reckon
them righteousness — He called for a ready-
service, and an implicit confidence — He call-
ed for the sacrifice of the man's heart — and
this sacrifice was offered. And yet the man
in looking back could say, "Innumerable
evils have compassed me about, mine iniqui--
ties have taken hold of me, so that I am not
able to look up ; they are more than the hairs
of my head, therefore my heart faileth me."
Let me observe here, that the righteous-
ness or justification of this man, did not rise
out of the mere fact of his being ready to
face death, in what he considered a good
cause. His righteousness was a quite dif-
ferent thing from what we call magna-
nimity. It rose out of a present aban-
donment of every stay and support but
God, and of every guidance, but His will.
And thus, such an abandonment of himself
to God, if in spirit and truth, would equally
have been righteousness in any other cir-
cumstances — that is, though the temptation
to sin had existed alone, without the present
danger of death being before him ; or, though
his trial had been simply an inevitable dan-
ger of death coming suddenly upon him in
his state of ungodliness, containing in it a
K 2
226 Justification by Faith,
present call on him to accept his punishment,
and to submit his will to the will of God,
whose will is always eternal life to man.
I have selected the circumstances solely
to make this principle more apparent. His
righteousness was a righteousness of faith ;
and his faith was a faith through blood, that
is, by it he shed out the blood of man's
will, and of man's confidences ; and shrunk
not from shedding out the blood of his
natural life, because he took hold of God
and his will, as the true life of man, and
because he felt that that true life could not
be enjoyed, except by giving up the other.
And thus, also, his righteousness was not of
debt but of grace, for though the righteous-
ness was a true righteousness in itself, yet it
belonged to one whose past life had been a
continued sin, and who therefore, stood as a
condemned criminal, with his mouth shut
before God.
We see then that this righteousness does
not consist in any record of past obedience
or services — nor in any forms or notions, so
as to be dependent on any amount of reli-
gious knowledge or instruction that can be
acquired through reading or hearing — but
that it consists simply in a man's personally
Justification by Faith, 227
and consciously meeting God in his own
heart, and surrendering himself to Him as
to one who is trust-worthy ; so that it is
properly no doctrine, but the living principle
of all doctrines, as being a real conscious
exercise of the life of God in the soul of
man. And therefore it is most worthy of
being called, as Luther called it, articulus
stantis aut cadentis ecclesice, the thing on
which the standing or falling of a church
truly depends. For a church may have very
confused doctrinal notions, but still if its
members are meeting God in their own
hearts, and giving themselves up to Him, it
is a standing and living church ; and, on
the other hand, a church may have very
clear and correct doctrinal notions ; but if
this personal intercourse with God, and sur-
render to Him be awanting, it is a falling,
dying church.
This righteousness then is a thing which
calls us distinctly to distinguish between
knowledge and life, between the Bible and
its author, for here the Bible can only help
us, by referring us back to God Himself,
with whom we have personally to do. It is
connected with the inward witness spoken
of in 1 John v. 10 ; for it is by faith, that is
228 Justification by Faith.
through the hearing, and understanding, and
obeying of that "word, which is nigh thee in
thy mouth and in thy heart." Rom. x. 8, I7.
It is indeed the vitality of all religion, and
the conversion of it into a theological doc-
trine, appears to me to be one of the greatest
triumphs of the enemy of souls — realizing
the condition described in that text, *« If the
light that is in you be darkness, how great is
that darkness !"
Such a righteousness as this then is alto-
gether most suitable to mankind in their
present circumstances. For it is a right-
eousness into which a man may rise at once,
out of a course of sin, and out of a con-
sciousness of guilt ; and yet it is at the
same time no fictitious thing, but a true
righteousness, not making void the law, but
establishing it, and commending itself to
every conscience : and God also is just,
whilst He acknowledges it as righteousness :
that is. He does not, in so acknowledging it,
remit the punishment due to sin, but on the
contrary He executes it, with the consent of
the sinner himself; for there belongs to the
very substance of this righteousness, a pre-
sent accepting of punishment, and a present
shedding out of the offending blood of man's
Justification by Faith. 229'
will — as it is in fact a casting in of our lot
with the second Vessel, and a consenting to
the breaking of the first, as preparatory to its
manifestation.
Now this is the very righteousness which
the apostle describes in chap. iii. 21 — 26,
of this Epistle, as the righteousness reveal-
ed in Jesas Christ. The statement there
made, is preceded by a judicial examination
into the characters and conduct of men, both
Jew and Gentile, as compared with the will
of God made known to them, whether only
inwardly as to the Gentile, or both inwardly
and outwardly as to the Jew, which examin-
ation leads to the conclusion, that a righte-
ousness which consists in an undeviating con-
formity to the will of God, from the begin-
ning of life, is unattainable by man, for that
all have sinned and come short of the glory
of God, so that every mouth is stopped, and
the whole world is guilty before God. And
then comes forth the declaration of this
righteousness, as a righteousness perfectly
accessible and suited to those whose mouths
are stopped, and who are guilty before God.
I may repeat here, that it is quite clear from
the context, that the righteousness of God
in this place, cannot mean to refer to God's
230 Justification hy Faith.
own dealings with man, but to that condition
of character which He will acknowledge as
righteousness in man. The apostle has
said in verse *20th, that "by the works of
the law, no flesh shall be justified ;" that is,
" attain righteousness," — and then he pro-
ceeds to make known a righteousness which
is attainable. But, indeed, the whole of the
preceding part of the Epistle relates to the
condition of man's character before God —
and the following chapter is manifestly on
the same subject, so that it is only by losing
the train of the argument, and taking hold
of \hQfor7)i of the expression^ that we are in
danger of thinking otherwise of this passage.
At the same time, I would observe, that the
two views are really one at the loot ; for the
righteousness of God in His dealings towards
men, consists in His purpose of leading man,
through the purifying process of penal sor-
row and death, into His own eternal holy
life ; and the true righteousness of man, —
that righteousness which is by faith, consists
in his yielding himself to that purpose of
God, and adopting it as his own, — by doing
which, he manifestly becomes a partaker of
God's own very righteousness, not in fiction,
but in reality.
Justification by Faith, 23-1
I shall proceed to give a free translation
of the passage, from the 21st to the 26th
verse, including both — which the literate
reader may compare with the original, and
which the unlearned reader may compare
with the common version, aided by the re-
marks which I shall subjoin.
" But now a righteousness of God, that is,
a righteousness which God will acknowledge,
is manifested, which though beyond the li-
mits of the law, is yet witnessed to by the
law and the prophets, — even a righteousness
of God, through the faith of Jesus Christ,
that is, a righteousness consisting in trusting
God as Jesus did, which is offered to all,
and rests upon all who thus trust Him ; for
there is no difference, as all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God ; — and
such trusters are justified freely by his
grace, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus, whom God hath set before
us as making reconciliation by a trust exer-
cised even in offering up or shedding his
own blood, that is, by committing himself
with filial confidence to his father's leading,
through sorrow and death ; as an example of
the righteousness to which He calls us, and
which is founded, not on past rectitude, but
232 Justification hy Faith.
on the forgiveness of sins committed dm-ing
the whole time that the mercy of God has
been sparing us : as an example, I say, of
the righteousness to which He calls us at
each successive present moment, according
to which God is just, whilst He acknow-
ledges the righteousness of the man who has
the trust of Jesus — that is, who has the
same trust that Jesus had."
The first objection that I anticipate to this
interpretation, in the mind of the reader,
is that, according to it, Jesus is represented
rather as an example of righteousness than
as a Saviour. My answer to this objection
is, that Jesus certainly is not only the foun-
tain of new life and strength to the race, but
also the example of the way in which that life
and strength are to be taken hold of by each
man — and that the first of these subjects is
treated of in chap, v., and the second in the
passage before us. Indeed, it is apparent that
the design of the apostle in this passage is to
show us a righteousness by faith, of which a
man is capable, though his mouth be stopped
from a sense of guiltiness before God. And
Jesus, who is the Author and the Finisher of
our faith, is set before us, as a pattern of the
way in which we may possess ourselves of
Justification by Faith. 233
that righteousness. I may refer the reader to
Ps. xl., as giving a view of the righteousness
of Christ as a pattern, precisely similar to
the view which I have supposed this passage
to contain. And 1 would farther entreat of
him to remember, that I am not denying to
Jesus the place in the work of redemption
which could only have been filled by the
God-man, whilst I am maintaining that this
particular passage holds Him up before us,
chiefly in the character of a leader in the
walk of faith.
The whole history of Jesus Christ is not
only a manifestation of the character of God,
but also a pattern of that righteousness to
which man is called. Both of these views
are equally consonant to the general truth of
Scripture ; and therefore, when a passage
occurs, in which there is any doubt, as to
which of these views is meant to be taken,
we are left free to follow the common prin-
ciples of fair translation, in the choice which
we make between them. Now, it appears
to me, that if the apostle had been discours-
ing, in this place, of God's dealings towards
men, we should have been directed, by the
tenor of his argument, to have interpreted
that mention which he makes of the propi-
234 Justification by Faith.
tiation in the 25th verse, into an explanation
of the righteous ground on which God for-
gives past sins ; but as he is manifestly, both
in the context which precedes, and in that
which follows the passage, discoursing of
man's character, it appears to me equally
evident, that we are following the rule of
fair translation, when we interpret his mean-
ing to be, that God had set forth that sacri-
fice, by which Christ the head had made pro-
pitiation for the whole race, as a pattern of
the righteousness to which every individual
of the race is called, and of which every one
is made capable, although his mouth be shut
by a sense of guiltiness before God, because
it rests on the forgiveness of by-past sin.
In the first place, let me observe, that though
some readers may be startled by this state-
ment, as if it were derogating from the dig-
nity of the Saviour to consider his sacrifice
as the pattern of righteousness to fallen men,
yet if they will recollect that Jesus truly par-
took of that same flesh and blood of which
the children were partakers, and on which
the righteous sentence of condemnation lay ;
and that, therefore, in his sacrifice, he was
the real Head and not the mere substitute of
the sinful race, and did what he did, as the
Justification by Faith. 235
right thing, becoming and fitting himself to
do, as a partaker of that nature, and what
would have been right for all men to do, and
what must still continue right for all men to
do ; and if they will farther reflect that he
did this thing, not that men might be reliev-
ed from doing themselves any thing that is
right, but that they might be enabled to do
it — they will see that the statement, however
startling it appears, is in perfect accordance
with the word of God.
Secondly, in the Psalms we find Jesus con-
tinually confessing sin as one of the sinful
race on whom the Lord had laid the iniqui-
ties of all, although he had no personal sins;
and casting himself on God as the faithful
God who forgiveth sin, and forsaketh not
those that trust in Him. Jesus confessed
sin, and the Father was faithful and just to
forgive him his sin. He accepted his punish-
ment, and God remembered the covenant of
life and raised him from the dead. And, in-
deed, His propitiation consisted much of these
two things, confession of sin, and acceptance
of punishment ; but these are not the actions
of one who is preferring a claim to God's
favour, founded on by-past obedience. On
the contrary, they indicate that his official
236 Justification by Faith.
righteousness was founded on the forgiveness
of past sin, and a forgiveness exactly similar
to that which is bestowed on us, namely, a
forgiveness which does not remit the punish-
ment of sin, but which carries us through it,
into eternal life, on the other side of it.
This view, then, is surely agreeable to
Scripture, and I may appeal to every reader,
whether it does not commend itself to his
conscience, as well as his reason, as most
right, that the way by which Jesus made re-
conciliation for the race, as its head, should be
also the pattern of the righteousness to which
every individual of the race is called ; as it
is certain that it is only by yielding ourselves
to that same Spirit in which Jesus lived and
offered his sacrifice, and which He brought
as a fountain of righteous life into our fallen
nature, that any of us can become righteous,
so that our righteousness must be essentially
the same as His, being, in fact, only a rill out
of His fountain.
As to the mere language of the passage, I
may observe, that the correctness of the
translation of one of the clauses of the 25th
verse, given in our English Bibles, is very
doubtful ; I refer to the expression, *' to be a
propitiation through faith in His blood." The
Justification by Faith. 237
preposition h is very rarely used to denote
the object of faith — and faith in the blood of
Jesus, even with the appropriate preposition
£<5, is a phrase not to be found in the Bible.
We, therefore, are called on to enquire,
whether any analogy of doctrine or language
in the Bible may not conduct us to another
meaning than that given in the common
version. 1 have been led to the translation
which I have given, namely, "through trust,
whilst he offered up his blood," by com-
paring our passage with Heb. ix. 25, where
the preposition h is also used in connection
with blood. The High-Priest of the law is
described in that verse, as entering into the
holiest, to make propitiation h ut^otn uxxor^t»,
with or in blood of others. The evident rela-
tion of our passage to the chapter in Hebrews,
seems to warrant us in following its guidance
in our interpretation, so far as to connect
ixcccrrn^iov and Iv ut^xTi together. It is certain
that Jesus made propitiation by his own
blood-shedding, so that there can be no dif-
ficulty except from the intervention of the
words ^ix 7ri<rrwi — but thcsc words may be co-
ordinate with sv utfixTi, that is, they may de-
scribe the condition of our Lord's spirit dur-
ing the shedding of his blood. And thus we
238 Justification hy Faith.
have Jesus here represented as appearing
with his own blood, offered up in faith, or in
confidence towards his Father, and so mak-
ing propitiation as the great High Priest.
If we suppose that the expression means to
declare that the way in which Jesus made re-
conciliation, was by trusting himself into the
Father's hand, even when it pleased Him to
bruise him, and to awake the sword against
him, as one charged with the sins of the
world, and that this way is really the way of
righteousness, which we are called to enter
on immediately, whatever our past lives may
have been, every thing is consistent, and there
is neither a forcing of words norof sense. This
agrees with many other places of the Bible ;
for instance, *' Therefore my Father loveth
me, because I lay down my life, that I might
take it again." John x. And it also agrees with
the whole history of the life of Jesus, and es-
pecially with the history of His last sufferings,
the termination of which was marked by an
expression of filial confidence, "Father into
thy hands I commend my spirit." It agrees
also with the reproaches cast on him at
that solemn hour, " he trusted in God that
He would deliver him." It agrees also
with Job's confidence, *« Though He slay
Justification by Faith. 239
me yet will I trust in Him ;" and with Hab-
akkuk's, when he welcomed the Chaldean
correction, as the preparation for the glory
of God.
At the conclusion of the passage in the
26th verse, it is said that God is just whilst
He is justifying, or acknowledging the right-
eousness of the person who is of the faith of
Jesus. Now, we have seen that the faith of
Jesus, is a faith which continually sheds out
the blood of man's will — because it is a faith
which continually accepts the condemnation
of death laid on the flesh, and which accord-
ingly puts down man's inclination and wis-
dom from the place of control and guidance,
and puts God's will there instead. The man
therefore who is living in this faith is contin-
ually executing God's sentence upon sin,
or consenting to the execution of it ; and
therefore God is just, at the very time that
he acknowledges his righteousness ; that is.
He is punishing the flesh of the man, at the
very moment that He is acknowledging the
righteousness of the Spirit in him. And I may
add, that the man is continually rejecting the
first vessel, which God rejects, and choosing
the second vessel, which God chooses; and
thus attaching himself to the election of God.
240 Justification by Faith.
All this agrees with the description given
of the righteousness to which men are called,
throughout the whole Bible. Thus, Lev.
xxvi. 41 : " If ye accept your punishment,
then will I remember my covenant" towards
you. Is not this, a trusting of ourselves in
God's hands, even whilst He is shedding the
blood of our wills and of our hopes for this
life ? And is it not a following of Him who
made reconciliation through his trusting his
Father, even whilst He bruised him ? *' He
that heareth reproof, getteth understand-
ing," and " is honoured." Prov. xv. 32, and
xiii. 18, is an observation of very frequent
recurrence in different forms — meaning al-
ways, trust under correction, or whilst the
blood is shedding, as the right condition of
man.
Also 1 John i. 9, "If we confess our sins.
He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous-
ness." Compare this with the 7th verse,
"If we walk in the light, as He is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son,
cleanseth from all sin." From the compari-
son of these passages, it may be inferred
that the confession of sin, means the same
Justification by Faith. 241
thing as the receiving of reproof, or the ac-
cepting of punishment, and that this is the
blood of Jesus Christ, or the shedding of the
blood of man's will in the Spirit of Jesus.
For surely it is not to be supposed, that two
different ways of being cleansed from sin,
are set before us in these two verses of
John ; but that the one only way is set forth
in both, under two different forms of ex-
pression.
All sin consists in man's independent will ;
and therefore the shedding out of the blood
of man's will is that which cleanseth from all
sin. And as the true confession of sin, is the
condemnation which a man passes on his
past life and doings, considered as a ground
of confidence ; so it is an accepting of death
as his due, which is the virtual shedding out
of the blood of all his past life, and a cast-
ing of himself, in the Spirit of Jesus, oi> God
and on his mercy, which endureth for ever,
as the only life and hope of life.
This was the continual sacrifice of Jesus,
who bore and confessed the sins of all men.
And He is the unspeakable gift of God to all
men, not in order that they may be excused
from making this sacrifice, but in order that
they may partake of the Spirit of Jesus, and
242 Justification by Faith,
thus may be enabled to partake with Him
in this sacrifice of self — in this acceptable
service — so that God may be just, whilst
reckoning them righteous.
The righteousness described in Ezekiel
xviii. and xxxiii. is evidently a righteous-
ness to which a sinner is called, and which is
therefore necessarily founded on the forgive-
ness of all past sins, as well as on the denial
of all claims resting on past obedience. It
is a present condition of consciously trusting
ia- God, because He is good, and of con-
sciously choosing His will as our way and as
our guide, knowing that it leads through the
valley of the shadow of death into a blessed
rest. A man who had lived a life of true
faith, and then who should begin to trust,
not in God, but in his past faith — would,
by so doing immediately fall from the right-
eousness of faith. The will of God in every
thing, as a present trusty is the spiritual
food of which the manna, on which the
Israelites lived in the wilderness, was the
type. The manna would not keep a night —
if it was kept it bred worms ; even so a past
trust in God is not to be trusted in as a
righteousness, it will not keep as a ground
of confidence, because it draws away from
Justification by Faith. 243
a present dealing with and dependence on
God. And thus hath the Lord spoken,
" The righteousness of the righteous shall
not deliver him in the day of his transgres-
sion : as for the wickedness of the wicked,
he shall not fall thereby in the day that
he turneth from his wickedness." Ezekiel
xxxiii. 12.
This present trust also most manifestly
possesses those characteristic marks which
are ascribed to the true righteousness, in the
end of this 3d chapter of the Epistle. ** It
excludes boasting," — " it is not by the works
of the law," — and yet " it establishes the
law." It establishes the law, not only by ac-
knowledging the righteousness of the law in
condemning sin, but by being the only prin-
ciple which can produce true obedience. In
fact, it is true obedience — for it is a present
and entire surrender to the will of God, to
be directed by him, in doing or in suffering.
And therefore, if any one says, "I have this
faith," whilst yet he is doing his own will, he
is deceiving himself. In this principle, I see
the easy reconcilement of what is said by
James, with the doctrine of our Apostle.
In the 4th chapter, the apostle continues
the illustration of the righteousness of faith.
244 Justification by Faith.
He shows from the Old Testament record,
that this was the righteousness of Abraham.
God did not reckon, or account, or consider,
(for all these English words give the mean-
ing of the original better than impute,
which conveys the idea of a fictitious trans-
action, J — He did not reckon Abraham right-
eous on account of any thing which he had
done, or of any privilege which he had re-
ceived above others, but simply because he
trusted in God, who raiseth the dead.*
Indeed, Abraham's righteousness rested on
the forgiveness of past sin ; and whilst he held
it, his mouth was necessarily shut, as to any
claim against God ; for his blessedness was
the blessedness of the man " whose iniquities
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered."
He was thus righteous by a faith which re-
ceived forgiveness of past sin, from moment
* With regard to the common doctrine of the imputa-
tion of Christ's righteousness to believers, let me here ob-
serve, that although it is founded on, and defended by, the
expressions of this chapter, yet the expressions them-
selves, certainly do not bear it out — ^for it is twice dis-
tinctly asserted in the chapter, viz., in verses 5th and
9th, that faith is reckoned for righteousness— not that
Christ's righteousness is reckoned to a man who has it
not, but that the faith which a man truly has, is in God's
estimate reckoned righteousness.
Justification by Faith. 245
to moment. But a faith which looks to
God as the forgiver of sin, from moment
to moment, is that faith which is continually
shedding out and offering up the blood of
man's will, and the blood of his whole past
life, as a vain and unprofitable thing for sal-
vation, and thus testifying that he has no-
thing to depend on or live by, but God
himself and His holy will. And the man
who has this faith, is a man living by grace
and not by debt, and who is receiving every
moment a new life, fresh as it were from
God, springing out from amidst the wreck
and ruins of his by-past life.
This was the faith by which Abraham
received and took hold of God's promise
of the seed, although its fulfilment was con-
trary to all human hope — for by it he looked
through, and beyond, his own body now
dead, and the deadness of Sarah's womb, unto
Him who quickeneth the dead. He be-
lieved that out of his death, God would
raise life, — that out of his dead body, He
would raise that seed, in the springing, and
spreading, and establishment of which, man's
salvation should consist ; and therefore, he
refused not to be dead, but trusted in Him
that raiseth the dead. This trust in the
246 Justification by Faith.
Raiser of the dead was reckoned to him for
righteousness. <' Now it was not written for
his sake only, that it was so reckoned to
him, but for our sakes also, to whom it shall
also be reckoned, if we also trust in Him
who raised up Jesus our Lord from the
dead, who was delivered to death for the
offences which lie upon us, and was raised
again in virtue of an acquittal which applies
equally to us." Chap. iv. 23 — 25.
Dear reader, I believe that this last verse
is given, to show us how perfectly the cir-
cumstances of Jesus are our circumstances,
and so to encourage us to perfect confidence
in following him in his death. There may
be, and there doubtless is, much disposition
to say — Jesus might well commit himself
without fear into his Father's hand, though
he knew it was for death, and he might well
be raised from the dead ; but what is this to
me, in the way of encouragement to confi-
dence? My circumstances are so very dif-
ferent from his, that I cannot apply his
case to myself Now our verse answers
this doubt; Jesus was delivered to death for
the very sins on account of which you feel
afraid ; and he was raised from the dead by
an act of judicial acquittal, which applies
Justification by Faith. 247
equally to you, if you trust in God, as it did
to him. The emphatic word in the verse is,
«^«v, our — His condemnation and His ac-
quittal were ours.
If we consider this fully, we shall see, that
to believe in Jesus, really means to trust
God as Jesus did, that He will conduct us
by a right way, through sorrow and death,
unto glory, even as He conducted Jesus —
that it means to partake in the faith of Jesus,
for it is to believe that He was our head,
and was in our very circumstances, and could
truly say, *' I go to my Father and 'your
Father; to my God and your God." It is
to believe by that faith, of which He is the
fountain, for He has been given to us for
this very end, that we might be enabled to
believe by the same faith.
My dear reader, the exhortation, " Let
this mind be in you, that was also in Christ
Jesus '" and the exhortation, " Believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ," are one and the
same exhortation. Through having such a
Head given to us by God, we are put into
the capacity of trusting God, and we are
also encouraged and instructed to trust God,
even as our Head did ; for the Father
*« raised Him from the dead and gave him
248 Justification by Faith.
glory, that your faith and hope might be in
God." 1 Pet. i. 21.
This faith evidently is the life of the young
germ, the new creature, that belongs not to
this state of things, but pants after its inher-
itance, the coming glory of God, and takes
part with God in his righteous judgment on
the flesh. As that germ is the spirit of the
Second Adam, so it naturally longs for his
kingdom, and draws the heart where he is.
This faith is the faith of Habakkuk — it ex-
pects and receives the blighting of the fig,
and the vine, and the olive, and says with the
thief on the cross, ^^we indeed justly ^^ — and
it looks through it all to God, assured that
His salvation is to be wrought out by it and
beyond it. Jesus is himself the root and
source, the Author and Finisher of this faith.
He lived by it himself, — and all who receive
him as their head, live by it also. '* Ye took
joyfully the spoiling of your goods, (the break-
ing up of the first vessel,) knowing in your-
selves that ye have in heaven a better and
an enduring substance." Faith is the laying
down of man's will, and the taking up of
God's will — it is the laying down of that on
which the condemnation rests, and the taking
up of that on which there is no condemnation.
Justification by Faith. 249
God's will has been manifested in laying
the sentence of sorrow and death on the old
man, the first vessel, on account of sin — and
man's true righteousness consists in being
of one mind with God in this thing, and in
submitting to his will, trusting that he is the
God of salvation.
Thus we see that the sacrifices of the law
were continual symbolical seals of the great
truth that God's mercy flowed on man
through the breaking up of the first vessel —
and the Jews themselves, as a nation, were
set up as a great type of the second vessel,
continually rising up morning after morning,
out of the blood of the legal victims, as out
of the ruins of the first vessel ; they were
set up as a great type of a righteous race,
continually consenting to the will of God in
the destruction of the flesh. But they mis-
took the shadow for the substance — they did
not understand the parable. Their history
was the great parable of God's dealings with
man — and it is a main object in this Epistle,
and in the Epistle to the Hebrews, to expound
the parable. They thought themselves right-
eous, because they were the type of the
righteous, and they thought themselves elect,
because they were the type of the elect; and
l2
250 Justification by Faith.
the apostle, to undeceive them, expounds to
them what is the true righteousness and
what is the true election. He shows them
that both the righteousness and the election,
consist not in outward or past things, but
in a present faith, which meets God, and
chooses His will as its guide, and which
looks through the breakings and the sha-
kings of all the things of this world, into the
vision of the coming kingdom of God, where
its inheritance lies. This faith continually
sheds that blood in substance, of which the
Jewish sacrifices were the types, and it does
this, because it is the faith of Jesus, the
spirit of him who said, "Father, into thy
hand I commend my spirit." The Jewish
sacrifices were inefficient, because they were
substitutes — they suited the Jew outward
— they were not the shedding of the blood
of man's will, which is the true sacrifice.
But the faith of Christ sheds out the blood
of man's will, and thus it is that which makes
the Jew inward, and gives the spiritual reali-
zation of the type of Israel rising out daily
from the slain sacrifices of the law, which
represented the life, and flesh, and will of
man daily crucified in the strength of a new
life, continually received fresh from God;
Justification hy Faith. 251
and this evidently is a faith equally within
the reach of Jew and Gentile.
The Jew outward had a confidence in the
sacrifices of the law, whilst yet his own will
remained unsacrificed, and he loved the
doctrine of substitution, because it seemed
to combine the safety of the narrow way,
with the ease of the broad way ; and his chief
objection to Jesus was, that he declared the
necessity of a personal sacrifice in each in-
dividual, and denied the possibility of sub-
stitution in this great work. My dear reader,
Jesus is not the substitute for men, but the
head of men — and the work by which he
made propitiation for men, is that same right-
eousness in which he presents himself as a
pattern for the imitation of all men. *' Take
up thy cross and follow me, and where I
am, there shall my servant be." ** If ye
die with him, ye shall live with him ; if ye
suffer with him, ye shall reign with him."*
This teaches us also what the nature of
God's forgiveness of sin is ; God does not
forgive by withdrawing his condemnation
from the flesh, but by giving us another
* I have treated this subject already at such length in
*' The Brazen Serpent," 2nd chap., 2nd edition, that I
shall not dwell on it here.
252 Justification by Faith,
life, an uncondemned life, even His own
eternal life in Jesus Christ. This general
forgiveness is given as a provision to every
man ; hut still it is true that those who live
in the flesh, live under the condemnation
which lies on the flesh, and that those only
who live in that new life, live in the for-
giveness. Reader, this is the forgiveness of
sin — " He hath given unto us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son." 1 John v. 11.
When Jesus is considered as a substitute,
his sacrifice is degraded to the same class as
that of bulls and goats. For the superior
value of His blood-shedding over theirs as a
sacrifice for our sins, does not consist in the
mere superiority of his nature to theirs, but
in the fact that it was not a substitution,
but the true proper sacrifice for our sin, as
being the shedding out of the blood of our
will — of that will which had offended. The
greatness of a sacrifice does not necessarily
imply appropriateness. Most surely there is
much known when the greatness of the love
of God is known which gave Jesus ; but the
suitableness of this particular manifestation
of love to our circumstances must also be
known, before we can understand the coun-
sel of God in it.
Grace abounding over the FalL 253
In the fifth chapter, the apostle gives an
opening up of the counsel of God in the gift
of Christ. In doing so, he first sets forth
the greatness of the love of God to man,
manifested by the greatness of that gift, as a
ground of confidence and hope. He goes on
to declare more fully the manner of the love,
namely, that as it is by His death that we
are reconciled to God, so it is by His life
that we are saved. He then proceeds to the
particular nature and form of the gift, as
called for by man's circumstances, and to
bring out this, he describes the condition of
all men, in consequence of the fall and of
their connection with Adam ; he describes
them as inheriting, by their descent from him,
a sinful or perverted nature, and a subjec-
tion to death, as attached to that sinful na-
ture. And then he infers, with a ttoxxu) ^xy^xov,
a <* much more" resting on the acknowledg-
ed goodness and righteousness of God, that
by the gift of Christ, He had fully met this
evil condition of man, and met it with ad-
vantage — so that where sin had abounded
through the fall, grace now superabounded. '
In fact, this assertion of the co-extensive-
ness of the grace of God in Christ, with the
effects of the fall of Adam, is by far the clear-
254 The superabounding of grace
est thing in the chapter. There are many
difficulties in the chapter, hut this one point
is perfectly plain, so that if the authority of
the Bible has decided distinctly one point of
doctrine more than another, it is this, name-
ly, that the free gift through Christ has come
to all who have sustained damage by their
connexion with the fall of Adam, that is,
to all mankind, and that it has come to them
bearing full compensation for that damage.
In proof of this, I refer the reader specially
to the 15th, 18th, and 20th versus of the
chapter.
As the ground which the apostle here
assumes is, that as the gift of Christ is the
remedy which God has appointed for the
damage sustained through the fall, therefore
it is to be expected from the goodness and
righteousness of God, that it should in all
points meet and overcome the damage ; the
course of his argument naturally leads him
to dwell on the extent and the quality of the
damage, in order that his readers may be
able to judge of the extent and the quality of
the free gift. And when we reflect on the
general expectations and thoughts cherished
amongst the Jews on the subject of salvation
through the Messiah, we shall perceive the
over the evil of the Fall. 255
peculiar propriety of this line of argument.
They thought that their nation alone was to
have the benefit of that salvation — and they
also thought, that it consisted in a deliver-
ance not from sin itself, but from the conse-
quences and the punishment of sin. They
thus misapprehended both the extent and the
quality of salvation, and therefore, they need-
ed, in an especial manner, to be set right on
these two points.
Now, observe, how carefully he lays the
foundation of his argument in the 12th, 13th,
and 14th verses, pressing in them chiefly
these two points ; first, that the evil or dam-
age of the fall, having commenced with
Adam, the root of the race, has extended
consequently over the whole race ; and, se-
condly, that that evil or damage has come
in the form of a sin or perversion received
into, and corrupting our nature. This last
particular is urged on our attention, chiefly
by the care with which he separates the
ufAx^Tix, the sin or perversion of the nature, as
a cause, from the death, which was only an
effect flowing from it.
Thus he speaks. For "as through one
man, the sin, the perversion, entered into the
world, (the xca^^o?, the system,) and death
236 The super abounding of grace
through the perversion — and so death passed
upon all men, Tjecause all were perverted,
or were partakers of a perverted nature."
(ver. 12th.) He does not say, " through one
man sin and death entered into the world,"
as if they had come in a-hreast, as it were,
and not the one introduced by the other ; but
he carefully says, "and death through the
sin, or perversion." The reason of death
being on the race, was not that Adam's sin
was charged on them, it was not an impu-
tation of a perversion, without the actual
existence of such a perversion ; but it was,
because of a true and actual perversion com-
municated to them by their partaking in the
nature of their first parent and head, Adam.
The apostle clearly means to show the
Jews that this perversion of the nature, with
its consequences, constitutes the evil which
the Messiah was sent to remedy ; and he
argues, that as the evil is not exclusively con-
nected with their nation, nor derived from
an offence against their law, but is connect-
ed with the whole race, being derived from
an offence committed by the father of the
race against a law imposed on him at his
creation, that therefore, the remedy must also
belong to the race, and cannot be confined to
over the evil of the FalL 257
any section or division of it. He proves the
universality of the perversion, and its uncon-
nectedness with their law, by the fact of the
universality of death, the consequence of the
perversion, and by its having reigned before
the existence of their law, from Adam till
Moses,* even over those* who had not sinned
against any promulgated law of God award-
ing death as the penalty of its transgression,
as Adam had done, who is the type or figure
of Him who was to come.
There evidently is much meaning in this
last expression — and we assuredly are crip-
ling and misunderstanding the parallelism
asserted in it, between the First and Second
Adam, if we do not discover in it at least
this assurance, that all which the one had
lost, the other would restore.
And now if any of my readers are dis-
posed to stop here and ask me, *Do you in
your conscience think that this dealing of God
* The period described as reaching from Adam till
Moses, may be either considered literally as a period in
the history of the race, or figuratively as the correspond-
ing period in the history of each individual, namely, the
period from his birth until his conscience is awakened —
that is, the period of the sleep of conscience — character-
ized in these words of chap, vii., "I was alive without the
law once."
258 On the Fall and Original Sin.
towards man, in allowing an innumerable
race to suffer by the act of a single individ-
ual, is consistent with goodness and right-
eousness ?' I feel quite free to meet the
question, — and I answer unhesitatingly, that
I cannot think it good or righteous that any
one should suffer, on the whole, or taking
the whole of his existence into the account,
by the fault of another — and that my con-
fidence in the goodness and righteousness of
God in this dealing of His towards man,
is founded on the conviction that out of
it a greater amount and a higher kind of
blessedness will arise than could have been
produced without it — and that eventually no
one individual will fail to participate in that
greater good, except by his own determined
rejection of it.
I might have just cause to complain, if
my condition were such, that I was exposed
to trials, without an adequate provision of
strength to meet them ; or that I was exposed
to sufferings, without a prospect of deriving
good from them. And I do not feel that
the justice of my complaint would be at all
affected by the circumstance of this condition
coming to me by inheritance, in consequence
of the sin of another, whether that other
On the Fall and Original Sin. 259
was my progenitor or not. I cannot admit
the justice of a demand being made upon
me which He who makes it knows I can-
not meet, and of sufferings being laid upon
me which he knows cannot produce any
good to me. And I feel that my complaint
is equally well founded, whether this condi-
tion comes to me by original creation or by
inheritance. Indeed, I do not feel that the
way of its coming to me makes any differ-
ence on the justice of the dealing, so long as
it does not come in consequence of a culpable
act of my own.
But again, I do not feel that I have any
right to complain of being called to any
exertions or sufferings, however great and
however irksome they may be, if the appoint-
er of my lot supplies me with strength to
meet them, and if I have a prospect of deriv-
ing good from them, in proportion to their
difficulty. And as I do not feel that I should
have any right to complain of being original-
ly created in such a condition of things, so
1 do not feel that the circumstance of its
coming to me by inheritance from a progen-
itor on whom it was denounced as a mark
of God's disapprobation of his disobedience,
changes the case, so as to give me a right to
260 On the Fall and Original Sin.
complain as if such a condition of things
were unrighteous.
If according to the nature of things, a
created mind can only rise to spiritual ex-
cellence and blessedness, by passing through
a spiritual and moral conflict, which em-
braces sufferings and self-denial — and if
there be a proportion between the amount
of excellence and blessedness obtained on
the one hand, and the difficulties met and
overcome on the other, — then it will follow,
that God is indeed only calling us to a higher
holiness and blessedness, by placing us under
such a condition of things as we now find
ourselves under, in consequence of the fall ;
and although that condition of things may
have come to us as marking God's displeas-
ure against the sin of our progenitor, it will
not on that account alter its own character
in relation to us, or cease to be a reason for
gratitude to God for His goodness to us in
giving us this higher call.
As to the idea of one man being consid-
ered actually culpable on account of what
another man has done amiss, it appears to
me just as opposite to the whole tenor of the
Bible, as it is to our own consciences. But
at the same time, I feel that I have an in-
On the Fall and Original Sin. 261
struction conveyed to me in the fact, that the
perversion of my nature, and consequent li-
ability to pain and death, come to me by in-
heritance from a man who had brought them
upon himself and his descendants by his per-
sonal transgression, that I could not have
had, if I had been created originally in that
condition, without any such apparent cause
leading to it. So that if it were said to me,
" It is the plan of God, to put you into this
state of trial and suffering; but you may
choose whether you will have it so settled by
original appointment, or whether you will
have it come as the consequence of the sin
of a progenitor," I feel a reason for choos-
ing the latter way. With regard to me,
they are equally dealings of sovereignty, ir-
respective of deservings ; but according to
the first way, I have only the wise appoint-
ment of the circumstances of my probation,
whilst in the other, I have an additional
speaking testimony from God, warning me
of the poisonous nature of sin, by the ex-
ample of my progenitor.
I may add, that in like manner, the fact
that I am invited to receive, through another
One, the favour of God, and the gift of the
Spirit, as a reward for His having resisted
262 On the Fall and Original Sin.
and overcome all sin, notwithstanding of
his having been encumbered vrith all the
disadvantages arising from Adam's fall, con-
tains an instruction which I could not have
had if these blessings had been bestowed
upon me in unexplained sovereignty.
I am instructed by these two facts, to
consider spiritual darkening and weakening,
to be the consequence of voluntary alien-
ation from God, — and spiritual enlightening
and strengthening to be the consequence of
a voluntary surrender of self to God ; for 1
can never in my conscience suppose that I
shall suffer a true and permanent evil from
the acts of the First Adam, except by yield-
ing myself to that spirit of self-pleasing
which brought on his penalty, or that I
shall derive a real benefit from the acts of
the Second Adam, except by yielding myself
to that spirit of self-sacrifice, which brought
on his reward.
And thus if the condition in which Adam
was placed after the fall, was one in which
he was called to greater exertions and suf-
ferings, than in his former state ; and at the
same time, if his supply of strength was
proportionally increased, so that by using
that strength faithfully in meeting his trials
On the Fall and Original Sin. 263
he had the certainty of obtaining to a much
higher place both in holiness and happiness,
than he could have reached under his orig-
inal condition — then we may say that Adam
was a gainer by his punishment, and that
his posterity, notwithstanding of what they
suffer through him, have a higher hope set
before them than they would have had if
they had stood with him, in the original
condition in which he was created.
But it will be answered on the other side,
that although the truth of all this be granted,
still it must be taken into the account, that
whilst they have a higher hope set before
them, on this new footing, they have also a
greater risk, as well as a more arduous task,
and that therefore they are tempted to wish
that they had an easier part to act, and less
responsibility, though at the expense of hav-
ing a lower hope before them.
They may be tempted to wish this ; but they
cannot in their consciences deny that such
a temptation proceeds from an evil source,
that it proceeds from a base, low-minded
slothfulness, — indifferent and careless about
the gracious purpose of God to lead us up-
ward to Himself — and, at all events, they
cannot charge their Maker with unrighteous-
264 On the Fall and Original Sin.
ness, in calling them to a good and righteous
conflict against evil, whilst He does not fail to
provide them with strength adequate to their
needs. They might as well complain, that
they are not in the condition of a wild horse
in the plains of Tartary, or of an eagle
amongst the Andes, — set free at once from
all responsibility. Nay, they might as well
complain that they have a God at all over
them, and that they are not their own gods.
But they may change the ground of their
objections, and take another view of the
subject, and say, that the perversion of our
nature is something more than a mere in-
crease of our trial and conflict, nay, that it
is an actual disabling of us for any trial or
conflict whatever, and that to speak of a sup-
ply of strength being provided for creatures
in such a situation, is really as much a
mockery as it would be to speak of provid-
ing a sword and shield for a man who had
lost both his arms.
If my reader is at all acquainted with Cal-
vinistic writers, he will feel that this is really
no exaggeration of the language commonly
used on this subject; and, in fact, as I have
already often observed, our systematic the-
ologians seem to consider, that since the fall
On (he Fall and the Restoration. 265
man has never been, in the true meaning of
the words, a responsible creature ; for they
teach that he not only by that event became
spiritually dead and incapable of any good
thing, but that he has ever since continued
in that state. And accordingly they account
for the appearance of any spiritual life in
any of the race, since that time, not by at-
tributing it to the exercise, on the part of
these individuals, of any permanent power,
brought by the redemption within the reach
of all men, and for the exercise of which all
are responsible, but by attributing it to dis-
tinct isolated special acts of divine interposi-
tion in behalf of these individuals.
I need not repeat here what I have said
in a former part of the book on this subject,
— in connection with those passages of the
Bible which speak of the " word being nigh
us " and in our hearts, that we may do it, —
I need only to refer to the argument of the
Apostle in this very chapter now before us,
which most distinctly goes to prove, that
whatever the damage sustained through the
fall may have been, that damage is abun-
dantly repaired, and compensated in Christ.
So that if Adam before the fall had it truly
in his power to walk with God, and if by
266 On the Fall and the Restoration.
the fall he lost that power, then if the Apos-
tle's authority is to be received, he must have
had it restored to him with advantage, in the
gift of Christ.
And if the objector still urges, that though
the power was restored, yet the will remains
biassed to the side of evil, then I make an-
swer, that if the will received this bias by
the fall, then the gift did not truly compen-
sate the damage, unless there were counter-
balancing weights laid on the other side, so
as to restore the equilibrium, or to deliver
the will from the preponderating influence
of the supposed bias.
I know well that an objector, of the de-
scription that I have been supposing, will
not be satisfied with these answers — for I
know that his objection really rests on a dif-
ferent ground; and as I wish to show the
fallacy of that ground, I shall pursue the
argument, by stating in his name, what I
believe he would say, if he were to speak his
mind freely. He would say then, "Do you
expect me to be persuaded by any words, in
opposition to the facts which I see and feel ?
You say that the damage of the fall has been
universally remedied by the gift of Christ ;
but look around you and into your own
MarCs condition before the Fall, 267
heart, and consider, whether the things which
you see, agree with your argument ; consi-
der whether the condition of the world and
of your own heart, have any resemblance to
the righteousness and peace of Eden ? It can-
not be denied, that there are passages of the
Bible which seem to favour your view of full
compensation ; but must not the justness of
an interpretation be determined by its cor-
respondence with facts ? I cannot admit
that the damage resulting from the fall has
been compensated, whilst I see Adam before
the fall, holy and happy, and myself and all
others, now in consequence of it, so unholy
and so unhappy."
To this I answer. You take a wrong view
of the condition of man before the fall. You
appeal to facts, I call you to examine the
facts ; the condition of man, in point of spiri-
tual strength and holiness, before the fall, is
marked by this fact, that the whole of those
who were in it — namely, the first pair —
yielded to the devil, and rebelled against the
only commandment of God, almost as soon
as they were created. Does this fact cor-
respond with that idea of perfect purity and
holiness, which you set before your mind,
when you compare their condition, and their
268 MarCs first state compared with the present,
dispensation with the present ? The whole
who belonged to that dispensation fell, and
there was no remedy, no principle of recov-
ery, within the limits of the dispensation, —
a new dispensation had to be constituted
for their recovery.
Now, compare this sad history with the
history of our own dispensation. Dark as it
may appear to us, there has already risen out
of it a great multitude whom no man can
number, who have washed their robes and
made them white, in the blood of the Lamb,
and who out of weakness have been made
strong, by taking hold of the strength of Je-
hovah, who lifteth up those that be bowed
down. You look at that first state of man
not as a critical and perilous state of proba-
tion in which they were found wanting, which
is its true character, but as a state of enjoy-
ment and security from temptation and dan-
ger. You make the same mistake with
regard to their condition, which they seem
to have made themselves. Their mistake
arose from their wish. They wished their
condition to be one of undisturbed security,
and they allowed themselves to think it was
so ; and so they were off their guard, and fell.
Your mistake, and the regret connected with
MarCs salvation^ a salvation through death, 269
it, may arise from the same root, and if so,
it must have the same tendency.
And now, as a farther opening up of the
subject, let me ask my reader. Whether, in
his secret thoughts about the fall, he ever
considers it in the light of an unfortunate
accident ; and whether he supposes that if
it had not been for that transgression of
Adam, we should all now have been enjoy-
ing the blessedness of a holy, and happy, and
immortal nature ? I feel quite satisfied that
if he answers Yes to this question, he has
not entered much into the counsel of God
revealed in the history of our race. In the
first place, he forgets that as Adam himself
was placed in this world under a system of
trial or probation, so we must suppose his
posterity would also have been, although he
had never fallen, and thus that each indivi-
dual of the race must for himself have run
the risk of falling. But farther, I believe
that it is one great object of the Bible to
prove to us that this question should be
answered in the negative, by proving to us
that it is only through death that such a
being as man could ever have become a
partaker in the life and joy of God. Or, in
other words, I believe that the eternal pur-
270 Salvation through death,
pose of God in Christ Jesus, to bring man
through death into His own glory, is one
with the eternal nature of things.
I believe that it is a great object of the
Bible to prove this to us, in all manner of
ways. I have already shown, that this is the
meaning of the parable of the potter in Jer-
emiah xviii., and of many other passages.
I have suggested that this is the meaning
of the history of Adam; and I would now
say, that we have a remarkable proof that
this is its meaning, if we compare it with
the prophetic picture of the world given in
Revelation xx. In that chapter, the Spirit
foretelling the apostasy which is to terminate
the Millennium, gives warning, that notwith-
standing of the long innocency of the hitherto
untempted population, all will join in it, except
*' the saints," that is, according to Ps. 1. 5,
" those who have made a covenant with God
by sacrifice," or, wJio have consented to par-
take in Chrisfs death,
Man is always disposed to complain of the
hardships and sufferings attached to his moral
existence, as if they were unnecessary, and
God would instruct him in the Bible, that
this discipline is not of arbitrary appoint-
ment, but that indeed there is no other way
Salvation through death. 271
of arriving at the high end in view. The
winding up of the Millenniunn always ap-
peared to me a most dark and unintelligible
event, until I saw it in this light ; and now
it appears to me, full of instruction, and
a most suitable conclusion to the revealed
word. For first, in the commencement of the
Bible, Adam is set before us as a man seek-
ing and finding enjoyment without dying to
himself, and without having passed through
death ; but as we look at him, and follow
him with our eyes in his course onwards,
we find that his path terminates in ruin and
corruption. Then Jesus is set before us,
doing not his own will, but dying to himself,
and consenting to pass through death ; and
as we follow him with our eyes, we find that
his termination is immortal glory. And then,
lest any should put away these plain les-
sons, by saying that Adam's history was
a solitary example, and was not of general
application, and that surely it might be pos-
sible to arrive at the blessed conclusion of
the Second Adam by the easy way of the
First, the veil of futurity is rent for their in-
struction, and it is declared to them by the
fatal catastrophe of an innumerable multi-
tude, exactly placed in the circumstances
272 Salvation through death,
which they are wishing for themselves, that
there is salvation in no other way — that there
is no secure standing for man, except in the
willing death of Jesus Christ.
I believe that the original condition of
man, and then the fall, and then the redemp-
tion, are only so many consecutive distinct
steps in that mighty plan which is now in
progress, and which may continue to be so
for ever, by which God would train up a
creature for a real participation in His own
holy and blessed nature. 1 cannot conceive
that a creature such as man will be when
that purpose is accomplished, could have
been made at once, or in other words, that
such a production is within the province of
creative power. I believe that holiness is
an acquirement which can only be made by
the co-operation of the creature's own per-
sonal will, for it is a habit, and not a mere
capacity, and thus belongs not to the first
creation, but to the second, which requires
the consent of the creature.
And here lies the difference between the
nature of the First, and the nature of the
Second Adam. They are both of them the
same human nature ; but that nature, as held
by the First Adam, was pervaded and ani-
The nature distinguished from the individual. 273
mated by the principle of self-gratification ;
whilst, in the keeping of the Second Adam,
this animating principle is slain, and its
blood shed out, and its place occupied by
the Spirit of God.
Let us here observe, that the human
nature itself is distinct from the individual
personalities that may be placed or planted
in it. It is the medium through which they
know, and feel, and act. They are respon-
sible for the use which they make of it, but
they are not responsible for the condition in
which they find it. Its condition is their
trial, and they have to take hold of God's
strength to use it aright ; but thei/ are not
it — they are separate from it, and are in-
dividually responsible for the use which they
make of it, being indeed entrusted each of
them with the charge of it, both for their
own education, and also for its purification
and perfecting.
We may conceive of the nature as of a
great organized medium of intelligence and
feeling, having in it an element or germ of
every thing in creation, so that it has an
attraction for all things, and a capacity for
understanding all things, and sympathizing
with them, and enjoying them — and we may
M 2
274 Self the life-blood of the old nature^
conceive of the individual minds placed in it
as put, in consequence of their connection
with it, into a state of active and living com-
munication with external things, from which
impressions are continually flowing in upon
them, so that they are tempted to feel them-
selves, as it were, the centres to which all
things tend, and to whose gratification all
things are subordinated. Here then we see
the trial of man — for although he knows
that he himself and all other things belong
to God, and are in their right place only
when in subjection to His will, as their true
and rightful centre, yet there is a continual
tendency in his nature, leading him to make
himself the universal centre. This is that
principle of self-gratification which runs
through the nature as its life-blood — it is a
living cord, attached to the hearts of all
men, by which, whilst it remains alive, the
devil has influence with them or over them.
And as the goodness of the Second Adam
consists in slaying this living principle, and
receiving the Spirit of God in its room, so
the goodness of the first Adam consists in
restraining it, or giving it a direction appar-
ently conformed to the will of God. But
there is much evil connected with this latter
which ivor ships God as a Giver of gifts, 275
condition of goodness, for besides being a
state of bondage, which it always must be,
there is a continual danger of a man's de-
ceiving himself with regard to it, and yield-
ing to the evil principle, whilst he is quite
unconscious of doing so. Thus so long as
God appears to him only as a Giver of gifts,
and as his Protector and Guardian, in the
enjoyment of these gifts, this principle will
not lead him directly to oppose God, or
refuse Him honour, — for he may acknow-
ledge God in this character, and give Him
the honour attached to it, whilst in fact he
is only using God's ministry for his own
ends, and thus continuing to make himself
his centre ; and consequently in this state
of things the rebellion of his heart may
remain undiscovered even to himself, and
he may really think himself a worshipper
of God, whilst he is in fact his own god.
And therefore as it is desirable for man, that
he should be placed in circumstances which
will bring to light the evil Avhich is in him
— so it is desirable that God should be mani-
fested to him, as aWith-holder and Forbidder,
as well as a Giver and Guardian, for thus
His claim jars with the evil principle, and
brings it to light and action.
276 Salvation through the shedding
And thus God dealt with Adam to dis-
cover him to himself. For the fall did not
put the evil thing into his nature, it only
discovered it. Neither did the fall consist in
the existence of this evil tendency in his
nature, for he might have resisted it. The
fall took place when he yielded to the ten-
dency — it took place when he, being in the
knowledge of what God's will was, deliber-
ately chose what was opposed to it. This
was the surrender of the nature to the devil, so
that what before was only a tendency, became
now its allowed character and condition.
But as this tendency really existed in the
nature originally, it is evident that it could
only have been by sacrificing it, and shedding
out its blood, that Adam could have walked
with God in the spirit of a child, giving
obedience to His law of liberty, and finding
it not grievous, and that any obedience which
he rendered without such a sacrifice, must
have been comparatively only external and
literal, and not spiritual ; so that even in the
original state, it was only through death
that man could spiritually have come to
God or obeyed him — and it was only by
the voluntary shedding out of the proper
life-blood of the nature, on the part of the
of the blood of the old nature. 277
individuals placed in it, that a way could
have been opened for its veins being filled
with the life or Spirit of God.
Considering the matter in this light, I feel
constrained to regard that original condition
of man, as only preparatory to the dispensa-
tion with which it has pleased God to follow
it up ; and his fall from it, as an opening up
of a way for the accomplishment of what
was behind in the purpose of God towards
him, by placing him under a higher dispen-
sation. Adam by the fall ceased to be upon
trial ; he had been tried and had been found
wanting, — he was therefore no longer on
trial, but under sentence. In fact, whilst
things continued thus, there could be no
trial for him, — for he had no longer good
and evil to choose between. He had un-
fitted himself for trial, for by his disobedi-
ence, he had surrendered up the nature with
which, as its Head, he had been entrusted,
to the power of the devil, who now entered
into it, and took possession of it, confirming
the selfish tendency in it, thus shutting out
God, and making it impervious to light and
truth, as well as subject to sorrow and death,
so that any individual henceforward living
by it, must have lived away from God.
278 MavUs deliverance from the Fall
Had things been permitted to remain in
this state, with regard to the nature, the
introduction of any more individuals into it,
beyond the two already in it, would, in the
free judgment of our consciences, have been
an unrighteous appointment — for they would
have been subjected to evil, not only without
having merited it, but also without the pros-
pect of benefiting by it. At any rate, they
could not have been considered in a state of
probation, for they could not have had any
power of extricating themselves from the
evil influence under which they were placed,
and of uniting themselves to God.
But God did not permit things to remain
in this state — He lifted man out of the fall —
and again put him on trial. And He did
this, not by any act of authority doing away
with the sentence of sorrow and death, which
He had himself pronounced on him ; nor
by any act of power, unmaking the fallen
nature, and making it anew in its unfallen
state — which would have been an avowal
that the first part of man's history had been
such an entire failure that it could not be
made subservient to his future well-being —
but by making an advance on the origin-
al ground, and by converting penalties in-
is not salvation, but reneioed probation. 279
to purifying processes, and by introducing
within the nature itself a counterbalancing
power, which the individual persons planted
in it might take hold of, and so doing might
pass through the sentence laid on the nature
on account of the perversion, submitting to it
as righteous judgment, and finding it a price
to buy wisdom, being taught by it to shed
out the blood of the old nature, and yield
it to God to be filled with his eternal life.
And observe, that as the fall had come by
an individual, who was the First Head of
the nature, sacrificing the will of God to self-
will, so this restoration and counterbalanc-
ing power came into the nature by another
individual, its Second Head, in all things
sacrificing self-will to the will of God.
That other individual was Jesus Christ, the
Word made flesh, who though not personally
manifested for four thousand years, yet en-
tered into the nature immediately after the
fall, and commenced his great work of the
new creation, by bringing his Spirit close to
all the individuals of the nature, striving in
their consciences, and enabling them to join
themselves to him, and in his strength to
accept their punishment, and to sacrifice
their self-will to the will of God. Wherever
280 What is the new nature ?
this is done, the work of Christ is accom-
plished, that is, the new nature is formed —
for the new nature, or the new creation, is
nothing else than the old nature purged of
the corrupt life-blood of self-will, and filled
with the will of God instead. But this can
only be accomplished by the individual per-
sons planted in the nature, actually taking
part with the Spirit that has come to their
deliverance, and consenting themselves to
the needful sacrifice. And thus we are called
to be fellow-workers with God, in our own
salvation — and we are warned by the tears
of Jesus, that, whilst we refuse this, the love
of God cannot save us. Responsibility is
thus the character of the whole process — for
we have in fact two natures, between which
we may choose, and therefore the corruption
of the old nature is no excuse for our walk-
ing in sin, because we have another nature
in which we may live without sin.
Before the fall, both the good and the evil
seem to have been at a greater distance from
man, they seem to have carried on their con-
test for him, as it were, on the outside of his
nature, rather influencing him through it
than entering into it. But now the nature
has itself become the scene and ground of
Three wills in man. 281
the contest. Both God and Satan have en-
tered it, in the persons of Adam and Christ.
And they have entered it, not as dividing it
between them, but each affecting, and influ-
encing, and seeking to obtain dominion over
the whole race. And every man has the
proof of this to his own experience, in the
fact that he is in circumstances which he
could not be in if he belonged only to one of
them — he feels both the temptation to sin,
through the devil, and the responsibility of
being able to resist it by the help of God.
He is under the sentence of sorrow and
death, because of his connection with Adam
— and he is called to repent and to turn to God
that he may live for ever, which call comes to
him only through his connection with Christ.
Thus every man has, in his present state
of trial, three distinct wills within him, of
which he is himself conscious, — first, the will
of God striving with his conscience ; second,
the will of Satan or self ruling in his mem-
bers 'y and third, the elective will, in his own
personality, which determines with which of
the other two wills he shall side. This last
will, though it has this peculiar prerogative,
is yet never itself the dominant will, it only
chooses which of the other two shall be
282 The man represents the nature;
dominant. This view of the condition of
our nature seems evidently the basis of the
apostle's reasoning in Rom. vii., and Gal. v.
In man's perfect state there would be
only two wills, namely, the will of God, and
the will of the personality choosing God's
will as its dominant. And it would appear,
that the division of man into two sexes, shows
forth this mystery — the female representing
the individual, or the personality planted in
the nature, in as much as she is the bear-
er of the fruit, and, moreover, as she is not
her own dominant, but has the power of
choosing her dominant; and the male repre-
senting the nature, pervaded by one or other
of the dominant wills, and seeking to mani-
fest its tendencies in the individuals or per-
sonalities that are planted in it. For the
nature cannot manifest itself or bear fiiiit,
except through the individuals — and thus
Christ, as the root of the new nature, calls
himself the Vine ; and he seeks individual
wills, to be the branches, through which he
may manifest himself, and bear his fruit.
This view likewise agrees with the fact
that the woman first fell, and brought on the
fall of Adam — that is, the individual planted
in the nature, by yielding to the temptation
the woman represents the individual, 283
of the evil spirit, gave up the nature to be
possessed by him. And so also Christ is the
seed of the woman — that is, the restoration
can only be effected through the individual
again personally yielding to the will of God.
It gives a reason, also, why the Bible should
so constantly describe sin under the figure
of fornication and adultery; and holiness
under the figure of a marriage-union to
Christ. It appears to me also to give the
only satisfactory key to Rom. vii. 1 — 3 ; the
first husband in that passage being the First
Adam — and the second husband, the Second
Adam. We are under the dominion of the
first husband, and our consciences lie under
the condemnation laid on him, and we know
the voice of the Spirit only as the voice
of a condemning law, until we yield our-
selves to that Spirit for the shedding out of
the blood of the old nature, which is the
death of the first husband, when we are
married to the second Adam, to bring forth
fruit unto God.
We, in fact, identify our fate with that of
the husband whom we choose, in the same
way, as it has befen already observed, that
we identify ourselves with the wheat or the
tare sown in our hearts, according as we
284 On the Law,
live in the one or the other. The two cases
are indeed but one, for the tare is the first
husband, and the wheat is the second.
Connected with this subject, there is a
most important question to be answered,
before we can understand the reasoning of
the Apostle — namely. What is the distinctive
character of the law ? In order to arrive at
a true answer to this question, let us bear in
mind, that man was lifted out from the fall,
by the coming of the personal Word into the
common nature, and by His so coming into
it, as to be near to, and within the reach of
every individual placed in it, as a warning,
and a help, and a life from God. He came
into it, that, by a manifestation of the loving
purpose of God toward man, and by an in-
fusion of the Spirit of God, he might engage
and enable all the individuals in it to con-
sent to the shedding out of the self-will,
which is the life-blood of the old nature, as
a necessary step to their being made par-
takers of the new nature, which lives by the
Spirit of God, and is conformed to His will.
But this result, which is the blessed con-
summation of God's pilrpose, even when
accomplished, is arrived at only by succes-
sive steps — though these steps may be very
On the Law. 285
close to each other in point of time. The
primary condition, that condition in which the
Word finds a man, is selfishness, allowed and
uncondemned, though it may be disguised.
This condition, the Word in the name of
God condemns, and declares to be most dan-
gerous, making a claim at the same time to
the subjection of man's will, and calling him
to a better condition. In the knowledge of
this condemnation on self, and of this claim
on his will, consists the state of man under
the law. It is a state of bondage ; for,
whilst a man is in it, he cannot shake off the
obligation of conscience, and yet he feels
himself unable to fulfil it, and therefore
wishes to escape from it. He does not
know the tender heart of God toward him
— and therefore he feels the sorrows of
life, and the sentence of death, as merely
penalties, and the commandments of God,
as painful duties, — instead of feeling that
God's purpose in every part of the process,
is to make man a partaker in His own eter-
nal life and blessedness. And as he has no
thought of that new and heavenly life, so he
cleaves to the life of the old nature, even
though he may at the same time endeavour
to suppress and restrain its evil manifesta-
286 OntheLaio,
tions from conscience or fear of punishment.
He regards God, not as a forgiving friend,
far less as a tender Father, but as a justly-
offended Judge ; and therefore he does not
trust himself in His hands, but seeks to bar-
gain for his favour by partial obediences, or
observances, instead of surrendering himself
altogether up to Him. It is evident that in
such a state, and under such a Law-influence,
the man in the hypothetical case which I have
given at page 220, would have endeavoured
to avoid death by any means, in order to
avoid meeting his angry Judge — although he
felt the will of God most distinctly calling
him to meet death ; and thus we see how a
Law-influence may not only detect sin in us,
but produce it.
This evil eff"ect of the law does not,
however, arise from any thing wrong or
false in the law itself, but from the wrong
or false way in which the heart receives it.
A man lying on what he thinks his death-
bed, and apparently within an hour of eter-
nity, who has lived an ungodly life, feels
perhaps the word of God in his conscience,
rising up against him, recalling forgotten
sins, and condemning the whole texture of
his past life, as abominable in the sight of
On the Law. 287
God. The poor sinner interprets this ter-
rible voice into an assurance of the wrath
of God, and of eternal damnation — and, to
any one who would suggest that there was
yet a hope for him in God, he would answer,
that it was God's own voice within him that
pronounced the fearful doom, and that in
expressing his fears he was only uttering
what God w^as speaking in his conscience.
This is a dreadful condition to be in, for
what can his heart desire in such circum-
stances, but that he were out of God's
hands, and in his own. Now what is it that
is wrong here? Is the man supposing a
condemnation which does not exist ? Is
he attributing to himself a sinfulness which
does not belong to him — or is he attributing
to God a hatred of sin which does not be-
long to Him ? No, he is not wrong in any
of these ways. His error lies in not know-
ing that this terrible voice is yet the voice
of a friend, the voice of one who would bless
him in the only way in which he can be
blessed, namely, by turning him away from
his iniquities. It is indeed a terrible voice —
for it is the voice of an executioner calling
for blood — but yet it is the voice of one who
may be trusted with a perfect confidence.
288 On the Law.
for He tasted death for every man, from love
to every man, and as He himself through the
shedding of His own blood entered into his
glory, so now would He persuade the poor
trembling sinner to consent to partake in
his blood-shedding, with the assurance of par-
taking also in his glory, and to yield him-
self up to the will of that God who killeth
to make alive.
Thus a man may be under a true word,
and a true teaching of God, and yet be
without profit from it, because he gives it
a false interpretation within his own heart.
He is living in the flesh, and the spiritual
law comes to his conscience, and denounces
death on the flesh ; and because he is living
in the flesh, and identifying himself with it,
so he interprets into a denouncement of
eternal death to himself, the denouncement
of death to the flesh, instead of welcoming it
as the voice of One come '* to bless him, by
turning him away from his iniquities," by
separating him from the flesh, through the
shedding of its blood.
1 believe that it is a common idea, that,
however men may misinterpret God's out-
ward teaching in the Bible or in provi-
dence, the inward teaching of the Spirit
On the Latv. 289
cannot be misinterpreted — and hence it is in-
ferred, that all who have the Spirit's teach-
ing are saved, and that those who continue
unconverted have not had the Spirit's teach-
ing. But this is a great delusion, a delusion
which relieves man from responsibility, and
lays on God the burden of all the souls that
continue in rebellion. God is continually
teaching man inwardly in his conscience,
and man can and does misinterpret the in-
ward teaching as well as the outward; for the
law is as much the voice of the Spirit, as the
gospel is, only that that voice, when it is in-
terpreted in the flesh, is law, and when it is
interpreted in the Spirit, is gospel.
As the subject is most important, let us, in
farther illustration of it, suppose this same
man raised from the bed of sickness and
carried into other circumstances. Let us
suppose him suffering under a grievous act
of injustice from a fellow-creature, on whom
he had conferred benefits. He feels the
offence most bitterly, and he sees most dis-
tinctly the wickedness of the offender. He
condemns the injustice and ingratitude of his
conduct, and vents his feelings in express-
ing the strongest desires that vengeance may
overtake him. We reason with him on the
290 On the Law.
uncharitableness and wrongness of his own
conduct in this matter — but he answers us,
that he is expressing no more abhorrence
than what he feels in his conscience to be
in God's own judgment due to such acts.
We might then reply. You make the same
mistake now in this fellow-creature's case,
that you made before in your own — ^you did
not know that the voice of terror then was
the voice of a friend, and you are now not
entering into the purpose of Him who is
speaking within you in this matter. He is
not speaking in hatred to that poor creature,
but is showing you the evil of his conduct,
that He may prevail with you to co-operate
with Him, in blessing him, by turning him
away from his iniquity.
And let no one think that the inward wit-
ness or teaching of God's spirit, is really
reduced to nothing, or at least to an absolute
uncertainty, by the acknowledgment of its
liability to misinterpretation; for the misin-
terpretation is not necessary, but belongs to
man's responsibiHty, being a consequence of
his living in the flesh. And what teaching
can we conceive, either inward or outward,
free from such a liability ? For does not the
very idea of teaching suppose something in
On the Law. 291
the mind of the person taught, which needs
to be changed, and which, of course, whilst
unchanged, resists or modifies the teach-
ing ? And, moreover, is not this liability in
perfect agreement with that word, *' the light
shineth in the darkness, and the darkness
comprehendeth it not ? " The carnal mind
of man is the darkness in which the true
light shines ; and though the light is seen in
a certain way, yet it is misinterpreted. But
still, when the misinterpretation is placed by
the side of the true interpretation, it will, I
believe, almost always be discerned and de-
tected, by the conscience even of the person
who has made it.
Thus in the two instances given above,
I believe that almost any man would, in his
conscience, acknowledge the justness of the
interpretations which I have opposed to the
misinterpretations, if he would calmly com-
pare them, even though he himself had pre-
viously made the misinterpretations ; which
would prove that he had all along within
himself, not only an inward witness, but also
a test by which he might try the truth of any
interpretation put on the suggestions of the
witness, whether he used that test or not.
There is, doubtless, something culpable
292 On the Law.
in every misinterpretation of the inward
word — but yet, there is a vast difference be-
tween an honest misinterpretation of it, and
a direct violation of it. And this difference
is fully recognized in the Bibl6. Thus it
appears to me quite evident, that among
the Jews there were many who followed
their consciences, or at least did not offend
against them, in rejecting the claim of Jesus
to be the Messiah. This might happen
from their not seeing much of him, and
from their satisfying themselves with the
judgment of the Scribes, that one who
broke the law by doing works on the Sab-
bath day, could not be a messenger from
God. Between such honest and con-
scientious rejecters of him, and such as
refused to acknowledge him although they
really felt his holiness, and his miracles,
and his heart-Searching words commend
him to their consciences as a true messenger
from God, — because they feared that in con-
sequence of making such an acknowledgment,
they might be called to make sacrifices of
ease, or property, or life, which they did not
like to make, — between these two class-
es of persons Jesus distinguished, when he
said, (Matt. xii. 32,) " Whosoever speaketh a
Universality of the inward witness. 293
word against the Son of man, it shall be
forgiven him, but whosoever speaketh against
the Moly Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this dispensation, (that is of the
law,) nor in the dispensation that is to come,"
(that is of the gospel.) The man who sins
against his convictions must bear his pun-
ishment, even under this dispensation of for-
giving mercy — yet let him accept his punish-
"ment, and the Lord will remember his cove-
nant of life towards him.
I have known persons who seemed to
think that the whole doctrine of the inward
witnessing, was overturned by the mere fact
that opposite interpretations are put up-
on its intimations, in different parts of the
world and by different individuals. Thus
they would ask, <« What sameness or identity
can be recognized in an internal monitor
which, in India, prompts a son to lay his
bed-rid father within the water mark of the
Ganges, and, in Europe, commands the son
to sustain and prolong the old man's life,
even by abstracting from that which nature
might require for his own support ? " But the
true answer is, that the inward voice does
not specify the particular form of the exter-
nal action, but teaches the principle or spirit
29^ Universality of the inward witness
in which the action should be done. The
specific form of the action is the interpreta-
tion which man puts on the inward teaching.
If the Hindoo really feels that by thus expos-
ing his father to the sacred flood, he is doing
the best for him in his power, and that he
is acting towards him in love and reverence,
we may condemn the interpretation, but we
must approve the principle, and acknowledge
its oneness with the European conscience.
I believe that in every people, nation, and
language, the voice within, condemns self-
ishness, and approves of self-sacrifice. And
here I see the identity between that voice
and Jesus Christ, whose continual word was,
" take up thy cross and follow me." If we
would lopk through the corruptions of man's
interpretation of the voice within him, and
make allowance for them, we should find that
God has indeed put a testimony to the truth
of Christianity in the heart of every man.
For example, if we ask a North American In-
dian, Who is the best man in the world ? he
will answer, *«The man who devotes himself
for his tribe ;" — if we go back to past times,
and ask the same question of Ancient Greece
and Rome, they also will answer, *' The man
who dies for his country j" and if we return
to the truth of Christianity. 295
to polished, and civilized, and infidel Europe,
and ask the same question, will not the true
sentiment of all hearts concur with the mod-
ern savage, and the ancient patriot? Now
what is this, but the concurrent testimony of
the world, that there is set up in the hearts
of all men, a living representation and type
of the work which was completed on Calvary,
when Jesus tasted death for every man ? No
doubt, it is much misinterpreted by the dark-
ness, — much mixed up with pride, and van-
ity, and falsehood — but still it is a testimony
to the excellence of self-denying love, and to
there being a blessedness in such a death
beyond what there is in any earthly life,
which testimony is truly the spirit of Jesus.
The reception and interpretation which
the Jews gave to the outward manifestation
of the Word, when they would have made
Jesus a king, to deliver them from the power
of the Romans, exactly correspond to this
reception and interpretation which the in-
ward word meets with in the hearts of men.
And as we do not the less on account of the
Jewish misinterpretation of him, judge Jesus
to have been the true Messiah, so neither let
us allow the vain imaginations with which
men have mixed up God's testimony within
296 Comparison between
them, to lead us to deny God the glory of
having placed in every heart that true light
which is the gift of righteousness abounding
unto the many, and becoming eternal life in
those who will accept it.
In accordance with all this, it appears to
me, that the difference between the law and
the gospel consists more in man's reception
and interpretation of God's communications,
than in any real difference between the com-
munications themselves. And if any one
objects that this view of the subject is dero-
gatory from the gospel, and should support
his objection by saying, that the law declares
death as the wages of sin, whilst the gos-
pel declares life, as the gift of God through
Jesus Christ — I would answer, that the gos-
pel declares death as much as the law does,
only that along with death it declares a love
of God which uses death as the way to, and
the preparation for, eternal life — for it de-
clares the death of Jesus as the way by which
the Father's love led Him to His own right
hand — and now it proclaims the same way
to us, saying, ** If ye die with Him, ye shall
live with him ; if ye suffer with Him, ye
shall reign with Him."
A man is in the state of law so long as he
the Law and the Gospel. ' 297
hears the voice of the Spirit in his conscience
without knowing the love of God, and there-
fore without surrendering himself up as a
criminal, who is indeed to be punished with
sorrow and death, but who is to have the pun-
ishment inflicted on him by the hand of a Fa-
ther who desires to purify him by it, and bring
him through it all safe to the other side,
where an eternity of holy blessedness awaits
him ; — and he is in the state of the gospel,
when, in the knowledge of God's love, he
does thus surrender himself. Without this
surrendering, there is room for a certain faith-
fulness before God as a servant, and though
there cannot be the love or the liberty of
a child, yet doubtless there is that which
God will acknowledge. In both cases, how-
ever, there is a teaching of the Spirit, and
thus those that were faithful under the law,
knew the voice of the Spirit, although they
gave it a limited and somewhat carnal
interpretation ; and Jesus recognised this,
making it the distinction between them and
the ungodly world, saying to them, John xiv.
16, 17, "I will pray the Father, and he will
send you another Comforter — even the Spirit
of truth, whom the world cannot receive, be-
n2
298 Comparison between
cause it knoweth him not, hut ye know him,
for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in
youJ"^ Those who are faithful under the law
receive the word as a direction and a rule,
but not as a life — the Spirit is with them, —
they know him as a director — ^but he is not
in them, because the life-blood of the old
nature is still allowed to remain in its veins,
although its manifestations are restrained,
and it is only by the shedding out of that
blood, that there is room made for receiving
the spirit into them as their living principle.
Whilst we read the Bible as an external
history, we regard the time from Adam to
Moses, as the period without law — and the
time from Moses to Christ, as the period of the
law — and the time since then, as the gospel
period; and therefore we assume, that those
who lived before Christ were under the law,
and those who have lived after Christ have
been under the gospel. But the truth is, that
many who lived before Christ lived under the
gospel, and many who have lived after Christ
have lived under the law ; and thus we may
understand that these outward dispensations
in the history of the great world, do also
represent and correspond to certain condi-
the Law and the Gospel, 299
tions in the inward history of individuals, at
whatever period of the world's history they
may have lived.
The Bible is the history of God's inward
dealings with man's heart ; and we can only
rightly understand it when we find our per-
sonal history in it. The field of each man's
heart is the world; and the succession of dis-
pensations recorded in the Bible is not pro-
perly a chronological, but a natural succes-
sion, for they may all co-exist, and they do
often co-exist in the same house and family.
There is a mysterious parallelism between
the history of the individual, and of the
whole race.
The dispensation of the law belongs to the
first vessel. Under it man does not meet
God himself; he does not meet the loving
purpose of God, he only meets His auth-
ority, and thus he is an unwilling victim of
the sentence of sorrow and death ; he would
put them away from him, even whilst he ac-
knowledges them to be a righteous sentence,
because he does not know that this is the only
way by which he can enter into blessedness.
The dispensation of Christ is the dispen-
sation of the second vessel. Those are un-
der it who consent to the sentence, knowing
800 Comparison between
God's purpose in it — and thus they meet
God himself. There is no other way of
meeting God ; no man can meet God and
live ; that is, without previously dying to the
self-will. And thus Jesus "came not by
water only, but by water and blood." Al-
though he brought the living Spirit to all, yet
that Spirit cannot be received as a life by any,
except through the shedding out of the blood
of the old nature . Until we consent to this, his
voice can be known to us only as a law ; but
when we consent to it, then we shall partake
in the baptism of Jesus, and we shall know
him as the baptizer with the Holy Ghost.
Some of my readers may observe that the
distinction which I am now making between
the law and the gospel, is in fact the same as
that which I noticed in a former part of the
book, between knowing the inward voice
and knowing Him whose voice it is. We
cannot understand rightly what the voice
means, unless we understand the Utterer of
it. But the voice is given to us, to draw us
to the Utterer — as the law is a schoolmaster
to lead us unto Christ.
Christ is in the nature, as the leaven in the
three measures of meal — and the law and the
gospel are different results of the action of
the Law and the Gospel. 301
that same leaven, according to the disposition
of the individual wills with which it comes
in contact. The law is like impulsion which
produces movement, but not fruit, — the gos-
pel is like the infusion of sap into the vine,
which produces fruit. If we could conceive
the branch of a vine, in its wintry and sapless
condition, hearing a voice within it saying,
bring forth fruity without knowing that this
was the voice of the sap ascending from the
root, and seeking entrance into every twig,
that it might clothe it with fruit; and if we
farther conceived that, in consequence of that
voice, it should painfully and vainly set itself
to produce grapes without the sap, we should
have a fit symbol of man in the state of law.
In that state the commandment is grievous,
because it is only known as an authority —
whilst under the gospel, the commandment is
not grievous, because a Father's love is re-
vealed, and is felt to be life, and power, and
liberty. And thus Jesus invited the weary
and heavy laden to find rest, by learning of
Him who knew the Father, and who came
to reveal the Father to them.
Nothing but dying to the flesh, or shedding
out the blood of self-will, and creature-confi-
dence, can make room in man's nature for
302 Christ the power of God unto salvation.
the spiritual life of God, which alone can
bear the fruit of true obedience to the law
which is spiritual — and nothing but a perfect
confidence in God, founded on a knowledge
of His loving purpose to make us partakers of
that life, through the process of dying to the
flesh, can prevail with any man to yield him-
self up cordially to that process. And there-
fore nothing but a manifestation of God's
love, and an infusion of God's Spirit, could
ever have put man into a capacity of obey-
ing the law — for nothing else could prevail
on him, or enable him to consent to the pro-
cess of shedding out the blood of his own will.
Now Christ is given to us as the quicken-
ing Spirit, and also as the manifestation of
God's love to all men — and thus in Him we
have all that we need, for we have both the
subjective ability, and also the objective at-
traction. And he is also set before us, yield-
ing Himself up to the process of blood-shed-
ding, as our leader in it, and as the proof of
its blessed result — and thus " in Him is re-
vealed the righteousness which is by faith, in
order that we also might believe." Rom. i. I7.
And now let me ask the reader to look
back with me to page 257, where this digres-
sion on the nature of the Fall commenced,
Exposition of Rom. v. 1 5. 303
that we may again take up our examination
of Chapter 5th of the Epistle to the Romans,
which that digression interrupted.
I had been remarking that the Apostle, in
verse 12th, distinctly specifies that the en-
trance through Adam of a sin or perversion,
(a^«^T/^,) into the nature, was the great evil
which constituted the Fall, — and that he thus
prepares us to expect that the restoration, if
there was a restoration, would consist main-
ly in the entrance of a counteracting princi-
ple of righteousness, through the Messiah, of
whom Adam was a type.
This brought us to verse 15th, which, as
well as the l6th, I cannot help thinking, in
accordance with many eminent critics, has
been much darkened by being translated as
if it contained a denial of a parallelism be-
tween the first and second Adam, instead of
being translated as an interrogation, implying
a strong and emphatic affirmation of such
a parallelism. There can be no doubt that
the words perfectly admit of this significa-
tion, and surely the whole tenor of the
argument would lead us to suppose that it
is the parallelism between these two Heads
of the race, that the Apostle is chiefly intent
upon inculcating here, and not the dissimi-
304 Exposition of Rom. v. 15.
larity which rises out of the superabound-
ing of the one over the other. He assumes
it as an axiom, founded on the character of
God, that the restoration from the fall should
meet the damage of the fall, and that with
advantage; so that the superabounding of
grace does not really stand forth as a dissimi-
larity, but rather as the filling out of such
a parallel between the damage and the res-
toration as accords with the rich bounty of
God. Each reader must here judge accord-
ing to what seems to himself most agreeable
to the spirit of the passage ; but it does
indeed appear to me wonderful, that this
suggestion should not have met with a larger
and readier welcome.
If we did but fully appreciate the Apostle's
apprehension of the perniciousness of that
tendency in men's minds, which leads them,
in one way or other, to limit the grace of
God, and to make it come short of all the
wants of all mankind, either by supposing
that it is restricted within the bounds of a
family, or sect, or profession; or by suppos-
ing that the true and efficient means of sal-
vation are only really conferred on those
who do in fact make use of them, — if, I
say, we did but fully appreciate the Apostle's
Exposition of Rom, v. 15. 305
apprehension of the evil of this tendency,
an apprehension which is manifested through
the whole of his writings, we would, I think,
be more generally open to the probabilities
of this interrogative interpretation.
The two features of the gospel righteous-
ness on which the Apostle chiefly dwells, are,
first. That all are invited to partake in it ; and,
second. That none can partake in it except
through a willing death. Both these points
he has treated in the preceding part of the
Epistle, and when he comes to verse 11th of
chap, v., the headship of Christ seems to sug-
gest a new demonstration of them, founded
on the correlativeness of the two heads, Adam
and Christ, — each being the head of all men,
and therefore all men having a part in each ;
Adam being the corrupt fountain, and there-
fore rejected, Christ being the renewed foun-
tain, and therefore elected.
I shall here subjoin a translation, which
though free, will, I think, commend itself as
faithful to those who compare it with the
original, and with the context; and as the
principles or conclusions which I draw from
the passage do not depend at all on those
parts of it in which I differ from the com-
mon authorized version, but on those in
306 Exposition of Rom. v. 15.
which I agree with it, namely, the latter part
of verse 15th, and the whole of verse 17th,
the reader needs not be jealous of my alter-
ations.
The Apostle had concluded verse 14th by
saying that the first Adam was a type or
figure of the seond ; and then he proceeds
in verse 15th, " But if this be so, must not
the free gift by the one, extend as wide as
the offence by the other ? And thus, if by
the offence of the one, the many die, much
more (may we conclude that) the grace of
God, and the gift bestowed in favour to the
other man, Jesus Christ, hath also abounded
unto the manyr
I need scarcely stop to remark, that the
o^ ^cxxci, the mani/f in this verse, to whom the
grace abounds, are just the same many who
have sustained injury by the fall ; and that
they are in fact also the all of verse 18th.
In our own language we often express all
in the same manner ; thus when we say,
that in a monarchy the one rules the many,
we mean all.
The evident import of this verse is, that
in no point whatever, is the fall unmet by
the restoration. To interpret it, therefore,
as if it contained a denial of the parallelism
Exposition of Rom, v. 15. 307
of the two Adams, as is done by those who
reject the interrogative interpretation, seems
to me to deprive it altogether of its meaning.
The gift given to the many, in favour to
the one man, Jesus Christ, which is men-
tioned generally in this verse as a character-
istic feature of the restoration, is manifestly
identical with that which is more particu-
larly described in verse 17th, as the gift of
righteousness, given through Christ to coun-
terwork the itf^x^rixy the sin or perversion, the
evil principle which had been infused into
the nature through Adam. It is not difficult
to see why it should be called the gift of
righteousness in the latter verse, and only
the gift in favour to Jesus Christ, in the
former. In the former it is spoken of with-
out reference to its being either accepted or
rejected, but simply as a capacity conferred
on the race ; in the latter, it is spoken of as
accepted, which brings out its character of
righteousness as manifested in the person so
accepting it.
Let it be observed, that the universality
here attributed to the advantages of the re-
storation, and their alleged parallelism to the
disadvantages of the fall, do not imply the
removal of the latter, nor do they imply the
308 Exposition of Rom. v. 15.
necessary salvation of a single individual —
they merely import that all incapacity for
righteousness induced by the fall, is met
by the gift of a counter-capacity, placed with-
in the reach of the vrhole race. This 15th
verse does not touch on the use made by
man of his advantages, but merely asserts
that these advantages have been given to
him*
If any one thinks that the necessary death
inherited from Adam could only be truly par-
alleled by a necessary eternal life through
Christ, it is clear that he forgets that be-
fore the fall man was responsible^ having life
and death within his choice, — and therefore,
the gift of a necessary eternal life through
Christ, would not have restored him, nor par-
alleled the evil of the fall, because it would
not have restored, but on the contrary, far-
ther destroyed, his lost state of responsibility.
If such a one would consider the true pur-
pose of man's being, he would see that the
restoration of a sufficient capacity to choose
between good and evil, life and death, is the
only true restoration of man from the fall.
The I6th and 17th verses, relate chiefly
to the nature of the principle which is the
instrument of the restoration, namely, the
Exposition of Rom. v. 16, 17- 309
gift of righteousness, and to the way in which
that principle works, as parallel to the nature
of the opposite principle and its working.
Before proceeding to the matter contained
in these verses, I may make one remark on
the form of the language in the beginning of
verse l6th, in corroboration of what I have
already said in favour of an interrogative in-
terpretation. It appears to me, that if a ne-
gation had been really intended by the wi-iter,
in the former verse, and that it was his purpose
to carry on the same negation through this
verse, he would naturally have said ota' aq li i^o^
uf*cc^rK<rccvroif ^' neither as through one that had sin-
ned," instead of kai oyk, ug xta, ^^and not as."
And now with regard to the matter of
these verses, it appears to me, as I have al-
ready often said, that the apostle assumes
that the cause of the general tendency to sin
in man, is an internal corruption inherited
from Adam ; and that he infers from this,
and in opposition to it, an infusion of a cor-
responding good principle through Christ —
the ificpvTog Ao'yo?, " thc cngraftcd word, able to
save the soul." Then he supposes the man-
ner of working of that evil principle to be
two-fold — first, as it directly leads men to
selfishness ; secondly, as it indirectly alien-
310 Exposition of Horn. v. 16, 17-
ates them more and more from God, by a
fear of Him connected with the conscious-
ness of transgression. This two-fold working
he represents as met by a parallel working of
the good principle — first, as directly leading
to what is good ; secondly, as delivering man
from slavish fear of God's wrath, in conse-
quence of its being accompanied by a procla-
mation of the forgiveness of all past sins,
through the new Head ; and also as lifting
man, when he joins himself to it, out from
the sense of condemnation, by identifying him
with a righteous thing, the spirit of Christ,
which is the substance of vital union with the
righteous Head from whence it flows.
And now I proceed with my translation, or
rather paraphrase, as it cannot but be, owing
to the remarkable conciseness of the lan-
guage — indeed, in such passages, all that a
translator can aim at, is to express the true
sense.
Ver. l6th. " And farther, as the fall came
through one who had sinned, (that is, through
the infusion of his nature,) does not the gift
correspond to it in this respect ? For as the
judgment after one off'ence, became a gen-
eral sentence of death on the race, (proving
the general difl^usion of the corrupt nature to
Exposition of Rom, v. 16, 17. 311
which that sentence belonged ;) so the free
gift puts every man again, even after the
commission of many offences, into the capa-
city of obtaining the approving sentence of
God, which will carry him through the sen-
tence of death into the eternal life beyond it ;
(proving in like manner the general diffusion
of the righteous principle to which that hope
belongs.) Ver. lyth. And thus if by the of-
fence of the one, death hath reigned through
that one, that is, by the participation of his
nature, much more shall those who accept of
the grace and gift of righteousness, which
abounds unto all, reign in life, through the
other man, Jesus Christ, that is, by the par-
ticipation of his nature/'
In considering the passage, and in judging
of the paraphrase which I have given of it, the
reader must not forget the principle which
we found so explicitly laid down in verse 12th
— namely, that sin and death did not come
into the world a-breast, so to speak, but that
death came into the world through sin, — fol-
lowing the trace and track of sin, attaching
itself to it, as its concomitant — and that sin
came through Adam, that is, through the
propagation of his nature, which had been
corrupted by his offence, and which had
312 Exposition of Rom. v. 16, 17.
passed through him to his descendants in
that corrupted state — so that the liability to
death proved the sinfulness or corruption of
the nature which had this liability. The
similarity of the form of expression in the
12th and I6th verses, indicates that they both
refer to the same principle ; and as it is im-
possible to doubt that this is the principle
taught in verse 12th, I have considered my-
self justified in explaining verse l6th by it.
It seems to me quite clear, that the apostle
uses language expressly chosen to mark that
it was not an imputation of sin, but the pro-
pagation of a corrupted nature, which was
the instrumental cause of the universal sen-
tence of mortality ; and that it was the real
participation in the same corrupted nature,
that put the descendants of Adam in the same
position as himself in respect of this. And
it seems farther clear to me, that he presses
this point, in order to draw out from it the
proof of the necessity of the introduction of
a counterbalancing principle into the nature
through the second Adam, even the gift of
righteousness, which forces none, but enables
all who join themselves to it, to become
righteous, and to pass through the condem-
nation of death into the eternal life, awarded
Eom.y, 16. 313
by the judge to the righteous ; thus putting
them in the same position as Christ, by a real
participation in his nature, on which there is
no condemnation.
Verse 16. Kui ii^a^h'tvog uftx^rticrxvTog ktX, **And
as the fall came through one who had sinned,
has not the gift come in a similar way?" Now
how did the fall come through Adam? Was it
not by the actual communication of his cor-
rupted nature to the rest of the race ? We
can give no other answer — and therefore, the
principle of this answer, until we see reason
against it, must lead us to judge that the
restoration has come also by the communi-
cation of the nature of Jesus Christ to the
rest of the race.
Then follows the clause, to f^h U^—'^iKxiauui
which clause has, I believe, through a mis-
understanding of its meaning, furnished the
chief reasons against the interrogative inter-
pretation of these verses, to those commen-
tators who have opposed that interpretation.
Their misunderstanding has consisted in sup-
posing that the antithesis stated in it, be-
tween the "one offence" and the "many of-
fences," was intended to convey the idea, that
the benefits of the restoration so far outwent
the damage of the fall, that there could be
314 Rom. V. 16.
no comparison between them ; thus justifying
the common translation, in its explicit denial
of all parallelism, " But not as the offence,
so also is the free gift," and, " And not as it
was through one that sinned, so is the gift ;"
whilst in fact no other idea is really convey-
ed by the clause, or the antithesis, than that
the fall is fully met by the restoration, not
only in its source, but in all its ramifications^
so that however much any one may have been
tainted by the fall, the restoration is both
open to him, and sufficient for him. These
commentators say, that if the fall came
through " one offence," and if the free gift
blots out not merely that one offence, but
" many offences," the difference between the
two is such as may well justify the denial
of all comparison between them. But they
ought not to forget, that as these " many of-
fences" were in some measure at least the
effects of the " one," so a restoration which
would truly meet the " one offence," ought
also to embrace "the many" as its conse-
quences.
The reader will observe, that I am arguing
here at a great disadvantage, because I ap-
pear to be arguing against the glory of God's
grace ; but I know that I am not doing so,
JRom. V. 16. 315
either in the purpose or in the efifect, for I
know that the true recognition of a parallel-
ism, such as I have stated, would be a true
and blessed recognition of the gospel — such a
recognition of it, indeed, as is not generally
found even amongst those who would con-
demn this parallelism as a low statement of
the gospel, and who yet, I believe, do really
in their hearts honour God's name, and ac-
knowledge the authority of the Bible.
In verse 15th the Apostle had, in his argu-
ment from parallelism, taught us to infer the
universality of **the gift" through Christ, from
the fact of the universality of death, the con-
sequence of Adam's transgression. He would
now teach us something more about this gift,
namely, what it is, and how it works, — and
this he does in the same way, that is, he does
it by referring us to what we know of the
way in which Adam's condemnation is ex-
tended. Now we know only that Adam's
condemnation is extended, simply by the ex-
tension or propagation of his nature, for
we know that wherever that nature appears,
the sentence of death accompanies it, and as
it were, claims it. And thus he would teach
us, that the judicial reward of eternal life that
rests on Christ, is extended, in like manner,
316 Fom.v.16.
by the extension or propagation of his nature,
to which that judicial reward cleaves, as
death does to Adam's. This is the answer,
or at least a part of the answer, which the
Apostle intends that we ourselves should
make to the xat ovx &'? ^*' ^vog ufAx^r^o^xvrogt 'OYTr22
(which ought certainly to be supplied,) ro }a>^y)fcx.
The nature of Christ is **the gift," and it is
by the extension of this that men are to rise
out from the kutuk^iux, the consequence of par-
taking in Adam's corrupted nature, into the
hKXioif^x, the judicial award of eternal life.
But here a doubt occurs : — this *' gift," we
are told in ver. 15th, is as universal as death.
How is this consistent with the appearance
of the world, where we see all men dying, and
but few turning to God, or showing any signs
of Christ's nature in them, or of Christ's re-
ward upon them ? Surely, — one is tempted
to think, — surely, there is some limitation of
this gift, which has not been yet mentioned ;
it may perhaps come only to those who have
not added to the corruption derived from
Adam, by any personal sins ; or, at least,
there may be some certain amount of guilt,
which excludes a man from it; for how else
can Ave explain the rarity of its appearance ?
No, nothing of this kind is the explanation
Rom. V. 16. ' 317
of the rarity of its appearance. The re-
medy is adequate to the length and breadth
of the calamity ; and as the nature of Christ
has come as a universal antidote to the mor-
ally diseased nature of Adam, it does not
except any, on account of the particular vir-
ulence of the form which the disease may
have taken in them. Indeed, as Adam's na-
ture had the advantage of prior possession, in
consequence of which men find themselves,
at the commencement of their conscious
existence, already under the influence of its
evil tendencies, and gradually drawn on by
it, before they are well aware, into acts of
personal sin, which go on multiplying from
day to day, whilst they continue unregener-
ated ; if such cases as these were excluded
from the restoration of Christ, it would be
no better than a merely nominal restoration.
But it is not a merely nominal restoration,
for " the gift" — the nature of Jesus — does
come to all, and the parallelism between it
and the nature of Adam continues to hold
good, for as Adam's nature proves its origin
and shows its power, by bringing under sin,
(or at least under temptation,) and under
death, those into whom it enters, although
they were new spirits, personally unpolluted
318 Rom.. V. 16.
before its entrance into them, even so Christ's
nature proves its origin and shows its power,
by delivering from sin and from death all
into whom it enters, however deep their
personal pollution may have been in past
time, and however *</^^a?^^/" their ^^ offences"
This is the true meaning of the clause
under question, and assuming that this is its
meaning, surely we must acknowledge that
it is necessary, not for the purpose of doing
away all comparison between the fall and the
restoration, but for the opposite purpose of
vindicating the parallelism between them,
and of maintaining that the limitation in the
apparent effects of the restoration, does not
arise from any limitation in its nature, or
in the purpose of God.
For if the character of the fall be this, that
one offence, by one man, polluted the whole
human nature, in the very fountain from
which all its streams flowed, and brought
upon it a moral taint, and a condemnation
to death, which followed it wherever it went,
so that whether it appeared in an infant or
an idiot, who had never exercised a moral
volition, or in a saint who had successfully
striven against its evil tendency, it still did
tend to sin, and carried along with it the
Rom. V. 16. 319
sentence of death, so that it was the unfailing
token of weakness, and sorrow, and mortal-
ity, to the creature who partook in it, — if this
be the character of the fall, I cannot think
that any restoration, or act of grace, could
truly be said to meet such a calamity, unless
it met the evil in all its streams, as well as
in its fountain, that is, unless it put every in-
dividual, however much he had personally
sinned by yielding to the evil bent which
had been thus induced upon the nature, into
a condition and capacity of rising out of the
fall, into a holiness and blessedness, equal to,
if not beyond, what he would have had, on
the supposition that the fall had never taken
place.
And if there were foundation in fact and
truth, for any man fearing that from any
cause, and especially from his having in past
time yielded to the evil tendencies brought
on the nature by the fall, he was really so
shut out from grace that "the gift which
has abounded unto the many" is not per-
mitted to abound to him — or that, though it
does abound to him, the capacity of receiving
it, has been withdrawn from him, — or that
though he may and does receive it, it may
not bring to him its saving healing power,
320 Rom. V. 17.
nor its seal of the judicial award of eternal
life — then the Apostle's boast is gone, and
the triumph of evil in the fall is above the
triumph of good in the restoration.
But our clause denies that this is the case,
and as it recognizes that the nature has been
corrupted, and has lain under the condem-
nation of death, ever since the one offence of
Adam, and brings its death to all, even to
those who have had no personal guilt of their
own ; so it asserts, that the free gift comes to
all, even to those who have committed ''many
offences," and that no amount of previous
wickedness shuts a man out from it, and that
as it comes to all, so it may be received by
all, and wherever it is received, it seals the
soul with the forgiving favour of God. The
clause thus interpreted, agrees with the last
clause of chap. iii. 25, where the righteous-
ness to which man is called, is said to be a
righteousness founded on the forgiveness of
all the past sins of the whole life, — that time,
during which God's mercy has been waiting
for us.*
The limitation of the effects of the restor-
* For the significations which I have attributed to the
prepositions he and g;^. in this clause, I refer the reader to
Schleusner, in «x — (1 1,) and (15 b.) — and in it^ — (210
Ronu V. 17. 321
ation is explained in verse 17th. The cause
of it lies in man's exercise of his elective
power. He may and he does refuse entrance
to " the gift" into his heart — and, whilst he
continues to do so, he shuts out the blessing
contained in the gift. But even whilst he
refuses entrance to it, the love which sent it
is not withdrawn, and the presence of the gift,
though unreceived, lifts him out of the fall,
and puts him in the condition of responsibil-
ity, which he could not have been in unless
the capacity of good had been communicated
to him.
The Apostle had in ver. 15th declared that,
in opposition to the fall through Adam, there
is a gift of grace through Christ, which fully
meets the fall, and extends as widely as the
fall. He does not specify its nature or mode
of working, but we proceed on from his state-
ment with the conviction that a general re-
establishment of the race, in a state of pro-
bation or trial, and in a capacity of obtaining
salvation, is certainly the lowest interpret-
ation which his language will bear. It would
not have answered his purpose to have said
anything in th^t verse, about the way in which
the gift was received, for he was there con-
sidering it, only in reference to that one of its
o 2
322 Rom.v. 17.
results, which did not depend at all on the
disposition of those on whom it was bestowed
— namely, that it placed them all in a new
course of trial and responsibility, by con-
ferring on them all a new capacity of right-
eousness.
In ver. I6th, he led us to see that the gift
bestowed was the nature of Christ, which,
wherever it entered, carried with it the seal
of God's approbation and blessing ; and now
in ver. 17th, he teaches us, that the gift only
enters into those who accept ^V— and that con-
sequently such only as accept it, shall reign
with Christ in life eternal.
He thus shows us, that, although the nat-
ural birth of man, is a thing entirely independ-
ant of his own volition, it is far otherwise
with his regeneration or spiritual birth, which
cannot be effected without his own consent
and co-operation.
Here then we see, that the doctrine of
righteousness, and the doctrine of election,
are one and the same thing. We see that
the nature of Adam is the unrighteous nature,
which God reprobates, and that the nature
of Christ is the righteous nature, which God
elects, — we see that they are both in every
man, and that though the old evil nature has
Eo7n. V. 17. 323
an advantage over the new, by being, as it
were, first in possession of us, in consequence
of our being born in its life, yet the new-
nature, as a seed of God, is given to every
man in the gift of grace, and continues with-
in his reach during his life, whatever his
offences may have been, so as to be a full
counterbalance, in the judgment of eternal
wisdom, to the weakness and the condem-
nation brought on by the fall ; — we see that,
whilst we are walking in our first natural
life, and not accepting the gift, that is, not
living to God by faith, which is the nature of
Christ, we are still under the reprobation,
and that it is ouIt/ by accepting the gift,
which personal act God lays upon us to do,
as our part in the work of salvation, that we
come under that election which ever rests,
and exclusively rests, on the righteous nature
of Christ, and on all who join themselves to it.
Let me call the reader's attention to the
agreement of all this with the beginning of
John's gospel, where it is said of the True
Light that cometh into the world, "that He
lighteth every man," and yet it is only to as
many as receive or accept him, that "he giveth
power or right to be the sons of God" — that
is, to be identified and sharers with himself.
324 Rom. v. 17.
who is the Son. The light is God's nature, it
is the gift of righteousness, which abounds to
the many, but only those who accept it, are
really partakers of God's nature, and those
only shall reign in life with Jesus Christ.
I may refer also to 2 Cor. v. 21, and the
verse following, at the beginning of the next
Chapter ; *« For He hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him : we
then as workers together with him, beseech
you that ye receive not the grace of God in
vain:" and to Philip, ii. 12, 13, "work out
therefore your own salvation, with fear and
trembling; for it is God which worketh in
you, both to will and to do, of His good
pleasure."
I know that there are difficulties connected
with the interpretation of the 1 8th and 1 9th
verses, but I shall not enter upon them. I
think the key to them is contained in what
we have already found in the verses which
we have examined — and I know that if I did
enter upon them, they would carry me in-
to subjects, which would require more space
than I can here allot to them.
Before leaving this most fruitful Chapter,
however, I would observe, that commentators
Parallelism between the Fall and the Restoration, 325
seem to me generally, to have demanded, in
the parallelism which it institutes between
the two Adams, a kind of reciprocity which
the Apostle never contemplated. They have
looked for such a reciprocity, that the ad-
vantages of the restoration should remove
the disadvantages of the fall; — whereas, the
parallelism for which the Apostle contends,
is such a meeting of the supply from the one,
with the damage from the other, that a man
may he enabled to find a gain in the damage^
so as to pass through it into an immortal
glory. Nothing of the damage is put away yet
— the evil infusion remains — and the con-
demnation to sorrow and death remains ;
and the supply which the restoration brings,
is a good infusion — a gift of righteousness in
which a man may live, defended against the
evil infusion, and by which he may survive,
and rise out from, the full execution of the
original sentence, — a gift which bears wit-
ness that the prodigals of the earth have a
loving Father who sincerely longs for their
return, and has provided them with means
altogether and abundantly sufficient for
their so doing.
1 am sure that there must be many who,
on considering the statement given of the
326 Rom. v.
parallelism between the fall and the restora-
tion in these verses, will be of the opinion
that the fall is really not met by the restora-
tion, inasmuch as the evils arising from the
former, are, many of them, necessary and in-
evitable, whereas the benefits of the latter de-
pend on their being accepted. To such 1 will
now only reply, that the re-establishment
of man in a true and hopeful state of pro-
bation, with opportunities of moral growth,
and of obtaining eternal life placed within
his reach, is a benefit bestowed independent
of the use made of it, and constitutes a true
and substantial counterbalance to the fall ;
being indeed a necessary and inevitable
benefit, for men are made responsible by it,
whether they will or not.
The parallelism seems to me to consist in
the three following particulars : — First, The
fall and the restoration have come, each of
them, through one man. Second, Both affect
all the race. Third, Both operate through
the infusion of a principle, derived from the
respective Heads, and identifying those who
join themselves to it, with the Head from
which it flows.
This last particular, however, is to be taken
in consistency with what I have already said,
Remark on the Imputation of Righteousness. 327
of all men being by birth made partakers of
the evil infusion, and so identified with the
First Adam, as far as the sentence of mortality
is concerned, whilst those only are identifi-
ed with the Second Adam, who by a conscious
act of choice, join themselves to his nature.
I may observe, also, with regard to the rule
in God's government, above adverted to, of
identifying those who join themselves either
to the good or the evil infusion or principle,
with the Head out of which the infusion
flows, that it seems to have given rise to the
doctrine of the Imputation of Christ's right-
eousness. But the difference between the'
true doctrine, and the popular doctrine of
that name, lies in this, that according to the
former, when a man in the spirit of Christ,
really trusts himself to be led by God, God
declai^es such trust to be truly, and in
its own nature, righteousness, yea, Christ's
righteousness ; — and then He deals with the
man not according to the evil desert of his
past life, but according to the good desert of
Jesus, from whom, as from its Fountain, that
faith or trust flowed into him, and to whom
it unites him as a member to the Head : —
whereas, according to the popular doctrine,
a righteousness is supposed to be conferred
328 Rom. v.
on the man by imputation, whilst yet he
continues in fact unrighteous. There is a
fiction of law in this latter, which has no
place in the former.
I read this Chapter, as a commentary on
the spectacle which Jeremiah saw in the
Potter's house. It opens up to us the
plan of God in the whole history, past and
future, of our race — I see in it the Second
Adam set forth as the seed of the second
vessel, sown in the first,-^by the breaking of
which it is to be developed, and for the break-
ing of which, its developement is abundantly
to compensate. )
I shall now take leave of it, after a single
observation on its concluding passage, from
the middle of verse 20th, *' But where sin
abounded, there hath grace abounded over
it, (beyond it, and after its exhaustion ;) that
as sin hath reigned, in the infliction of death,
even so might grace reign, through the
reception of righteousness, unto eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Grace does
not interfere with sin's infliction of death, or
the breaking of the first vessel,-^that goes
on,— but grace sows the gift of righteousness,
as a seed of eternal life, and sows it wherever
sin hath put her stamp, that is, throughout
Rom, vi. 329
the whole nature; and wherever that seed
is accepted, it becomes righteousness and
eternal life in the souls which accept it, and
carries them through the dissolution of the
clay, into the incorruptible glory.
The following Chapter (chap, vi.,) carries
forward the argument which we have been
considering, by teaching how a man may
become a true participant in Christ's na-
ture, and a true receiver of the gift of right-
eousness, so that he may reign in life with
Christ.
Supposing the interpretation which I have
given of chap. v. 17, to be correct and just, we
should expect the explanation of this very
point, to come in here — for though the im-
portance of receiving, is much magnified
in that passage, yet the wag of doing so, is
not explained.
The Apostle evidently fears, that the dis-
ciples may mistake the abounding of the
gift to the many, for the real blessing, which
only belongs to those who accept the gift ;
or, in other words, that they may mistake a
mercy of God towards them, for a union
with the Spirit of God. And so he proceeds
in chap, vi., which I thus translate : —
Ver. 1 — 5. "Shall we continue in sin, be-
330 Rom. vi. 1—5.
cause* grace abounds ? Not so, how shall
we who have died to sin, or under the con-
demnation of sin, yet continue to live in it?
Or do you not know that as many of us as
were baptized into Jesus Christ, were bap-
tized into his death; we were therefore bur-
ied with him, by our baptism into his death,
to the end that as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, so we also
might walk in a new life. For if we have
been united to him in the likeness of his
death, we shall be also united to him in the
likeness of his resurrection^^
This last verse gives the needed instruc-
tion as to the way of " accepting the gift of
righteousness," which in chap. v. 17th, is
declared to be the essential condition, on the
fulfilment of which alone, «'we shall reign
in life through Jesus ;" and this needed in-
struction in reality sends us back to the pas-
sage so often quoted in 2 Tim. ii. 11, ^^If ye
die with him, ye shall also live with him ; if
ye suffer with him, ye shall reign with himJ^
I am led to this opinion, by comparing
this 5th verse of chap, vi., with the latter
* The tenor of the argument is best sustained by trans-
lating Ivxi either because or when. For examples of both
these uses of it, I refer to Schleusner, in loco, (5,) (6.)
The likeness of Christ* s death. 331
half of verse 17th of chap. v. Both verses
conclude with a promise, which, though ex-
pressed in different words, is surely one
and the same promise — for " the being
planted or united with Jesus, in the like-
ness of his resurrection," must mean the
same thing " as reigning in life with him ;"
— it seems to me, therefore, to follow, that
the two previous steps conducting to the
promise, in the two verses, must also agree
in one; and thus that "the being united with
Jesus in the likeness of his death," is the
indicated way of " accepting the gift of right-
eousness." But Christ's death we know was
a willing surrender of himself up to the
Father, through faith in the Father's love
and purpose to raise him from the dead.
A likeness to this death, then, is the only
way of accepting of the abundance of the
grace, and of the gift of righteousness.
The supposition that the expression ofAtioifuc
ra^ocvxrov, the Ukencss of his death, refers in
this place to the mode of baptism by sub-
mersion, appears to me quite inconsistent
with the whole context. For if submersion
or baptism be the likeness of Christ's death,
what is the likeness of his resurrection ? To
332 Rom, vi. 1—5.
suppose that this means, the emerging or
rising out from the baptismal font, is to nul-
lify the passage altogether j and yet if we take
the first step in this way, consistency demands
that we should take this also. This, however,
cannot be admitted ; for a participation in
the likeness of Christ's resurrection is pro-
mised here, as a reward to those who will con-
sent to partake in the likeness of his death ;
but surely to suppose that the mere emerg-
ing from the baptismal font, should be held
out as a reward to those who would consent
to be submerged, seems not very reasonable.
Partaking in the likeness of Christ's resur-
rection, cannot mean any thing short of par-
taking with Him in his true resurrection ;
and thus we are constrained to interpret the
partaking in the likeness of his death, as a
partaking in his true death. Every act of self-
denial, in the spirit of faith, is a real conform-
ity to his death ; and every such act will be
followed by a real rising out from the power
of sin and death. Such voluntary acts of
death, and such rewards of resurrection, are
of the same nature with the ultimate acts and
rewards, and truly preparatory to them ; and
therefore the language which belongs pro-
jRom. \\. 5-^10. 333
perly to the one class, is also applicable to
the other.
Ver. 5 — 10, " For if we be planted or united
with him, in the likeness of his death, or by-
dying the same death, we shall be also united
with him in the likeness of his resurrection,
or by rising as he did. Understanding this,
(by the likeness of his death,) that our old
man is crucified, (with him, or,) as it was in
him, in order that the body or power of sin
should be destroyed, so that we should no
longer serve sin — for he who thus dies is de-
livered from sin. But if we die with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with Him,
understanding this, (concerning his life,) that
Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no
more, death hath no more dominion over
him ; for in that he died, he died unto sin
(or under the condemnation of sin,) once —
but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God, or
by the life of God."
''Our old man" in verse 6th, evidently
means, the human nature, (as distinct from
the individuals planted in it,) animated by
the selfish principle — that nature into which
Jesus came, that he might shed out its evil
life-blood. And the purport of the verse
seems to me, to define what is meant by a
334 Eom,\u5—\0.
likeness to Christ's death, showing it to be
no forensic thing, but a real substantial per-
sonal thing. I have sometimes thought that
the 7th verse refers to Jesus, and shows the
consequences of his death to himself, thus
indicating what consequences we might ex-
pect from a similar death. The words will
bear it perfectly, — ^the o (the article) standing
for uvrog — and this would agree well with the
Sth verse. The 9th and 10th verses define
the likeness of his life, just as verse 6th de-
fined the likeness of his death. And then
verses 11th, 12th, and 13th, contain an ex-
hortation founded on these foregoing defin-
itions.
The interpretation which I have given of
this passage, may disappoint those who have
been accustomed to regard it as a descrip-
tion of foi'ensic, or imputed righteousness ;
and yet I think, that if they will compare it
with the passages, 2 Tim. ii. 11, " If ye
die with Him, ye shall live with Him;" —
John xii. 24, " Except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone ;" —
1 Peter iv. 1, 2, " For as much then as Christ
hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm your-
selves therefore with the same mind, for he
that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased
Defence of interpretation given. 335
from sin ;" they will feel constrained, in can-
dour to admit, that it belongs to the same
class with them, — so great is the similarity of
the form of thought and expression through
them all. They must also see how exactly
it coincides with the principle declared in
the parable of the Potter ; and how consist-
ent it is with the uniform tenor of the views
contained in this epistle, on the subject of
" the righteousness of faith," — and especially
with that definition of it, which is given in
chap. iii. £1, 25, where it is said, that the
Father set foilh Jesus to make " propitia-
tion through faith and with his own blood,
to declare His righteousness," or as a pattern
of the righteousness which He required in
man, and which He would acknowledge in
man.
The ifAoiufM, the likeness, in the one passage,
agrees exactly with the U h^uliv — as a speci-
men, (as the phrase might well be translat-
ed,) in the other. He who crucifies the old
man in himself, manifests a likeness to the
specimen or model of righteousness, which
the Father hath set before us in Jesus.
To the list of parallel passages given above,
I ought to add Philip, ii. 5 — 12 ; " Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ
336 Rom. vi.
Jesus," &c. Christ's yielding up of himself
to the Father's will, in perfect confiding love,
although he knew that that will was to bruise
him and slay him, was his righteousness ; and
this righteousness was the propitiation for
the human race, inasmuch as it was re-
warded by the favour of God, and by his
being made the fountain-head of the Spirit
of God, to the whole race, so that within the
limits of their own nature, all men might
have that same Spirit by which Jesus was
righteous, to enable them also to return to
God and be righteous, even as he was. And
thus the righteousness of Christ which was
the propitiation for the race, is the mould
and model of all the righteousness of the
race ; and the same Spirit of loving confi-
dence which produced it in him, is still stored
up for us in him, as a fountain out of which
streams ever run, which produce it in all those
who will accept it.
And as in him, we have the abundance of
" the gift," so have we also in him the abun-
dance of "the grace," which gave the gift;
for he is to us the continual objective mani-
festation of that original, central, love of
God, from which the whole scheme of salva-
tion emanated, and which is indeed the true
On the influence of the legal spirit. 337
and substantial, and ultimate hope of e very-
living thing ; as he is also the blessed chan-
nel, through which that love continually flows
to us.
In verse 14th, the Apostle introduces a new
subject, "For sin shall not have dominion
over you, for ye are not under the law, but
under grace." This implies that sin must
have dominion over us whilst we continue
under the law, and that it is only by coming
truly under the dispensation of grace that we
are delivered from that dominion.
Now let it be remembered, that by contin-
uing under the law, is meant, our continuing
to regard God merely as a judge, who has
certain claims upon us, which he enforces
simply from a regard to his own rights, — and
not from any regard to our welfare. With
such a thought of God, we may consider him
either as a severe judge, or as a lax judge ;
and so, we may either tremble, or be easy
under His government ; but we shall cer-
tainly know nothing of that filial confidence,
which rises out of the knowledge that God
is a loving Father, who, in all his dealings
with us, has the purpose of blessing us, by
turning us away from our iniquities. It is
this knowledge, most evidently, which can
338 Rom. vi. 14.
alone make sorrow welcome, and so enable
us to submit ourselves with affectionate con-
fidence, to the sentence of sorrow and death,
laid on us by Him, and so to shed out the
blood of our own self-wills. And therefore,
whilst a man continues under the law, and
consequently without this knowledge, he can-
not but stand in a defensive attitude, if I
may so express myself, towards God; he does
not accept his punishment, nor commit him-
self unconditionally to the will of God, nor
shed out the life-blood of his own independ-
ent will ; but always bargains for something,
because he thinks that God has some other
interest or object in relation to him than to
make him holy and happy. On the other
hand, to be under grace is to receive into
our hearts this blessed truth, that God has,
and can have, no other object in us, and in
all His dealings towards us, but simply and
solely that of making us holy and happy for
ever. He who knows this truly, can have
no wish to elude any of God's command-
ments, or corrections, or judgments, because
he feels that he would by this only elude his
own blessedness — he can have no other wish
than that all God's will should be accom-
plished in him, and on him.
On the influence of the legal spirit. 339
Considering the subject in this light, we
easily acknowledge the reasonableness of the
Apostle's position, that it is not possible to
escape from the dominion of sin, by means
of the law, but that we must come under
grace for that purpose. This is the point
towards which he is advancing, but before
entering fully upon it, he prepares his way,
by guarding against such a perversion of
his doctrine, as would make grace rather
a refuge from the punishment of sin, than
from sin itself.
His guard consists in an admonition, that,
as it is sin itself which is the evil from which
grace would deliver us, we are in fact resist-
ing grace whilst we obey sin, and that we
are then only obeying grace when we walk
in righteousness ; and that it is not the pur-
pose of grace to disjoin the consequences of
sin from the indulgence in it. He seems,
moreover, , designedly to vary the form of
expression, in carrying on the argument,
changing ;^;«gK' grace, into v5r<«xo>j, obedience, and
hxcciotrvvYiy righteousness, as he also does in chap.
V. 17 — 19, that he may mark their inseparable
connection. It appears to me that verse
20th is intended to contain a summary of
the argument, in the form of an appeal to
340 Rom. vi. 14—23.
their personal experience, and that it ought
to be translated thus : — " For when ye were
the servants of sin, ye became free by right-
eousness;" that is, by becoming righteous
with Christ's righteousness, or by trusting
the Father's love as Christ did, in the
strength of that Spirit which he communi-
cates to those who will receive it.
Manifestly throught his passage, the Apos-
tle assumes that men are, by the restoration
in Christ, not delivered from the danger of
temptation, but only placed in favourable cir-
cumstances for resisting temptation. They
are placed between two masters, and they
may choose either, but they must choose one
— not in name, or in creed only, but in heart.
All this is directly opposed to the forensic in-
terpretation also.
The last verse of the chapter is not only a
conclusion of this monitory passage, but is
also a transition-link, bringing us back to the
subject which the Apostle had in his mind,
when he wrote verse 14th ; " The wages of
the sin is death, but the gift of God is eter-
nal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." We
are all partakers in the sin, and therefore in
its wages. How then are we to get out from
under the weight of these wages ? How does
Eternal life through Jesus Christ. 341
this claim of the law over us cease ? Being
in the grasp of death, how are we to get out
from it ? The answer is, "The gift of God is
eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord."
This answer does not refer merely or chiefly
here to the fact that eternal life is put within
the 7^each of the race, as the reward of the
righteousness of Jesus its Head ; but rather
to the fact that it is by partaking in his will-
ing death, that we, actually and personality
become partakers of eternal life. And so
the antithesis here of death and eternal life,
does not require that death should be inter-
preted eternal death; for it is not an anti-
thesis, in which the one side excludes the
other, but on the contrary, we have to pass
through the one, in order to get the other.
I believe that not only in this passage, but
very generally indeed, the expression ** in
Jesus Christ," means, (or rather includes
within its meaning this idea,) through fol-
lowing the way by which Jesus led; that is,
by a willing death.
There is no other way of getting eternal
life, but through death, and thus death is, as
it were, " the price put into the hand of the
fool to buy wisdom," (Pro v. xvii. 16,) because,
by accepting it in meekness and confiding
342 Rom. vii.
love, as the wages of sin, the fool ceases to
be a fool, and becomes a partaker of eternal
life. This is a part of the mighty triumph
of God's goodness and gi'ace, that sorrow
and death should become part and parcel of
the gospel, by being converted into instru-
ments, through the right use of which, man
may obtain possession of eternal life. For
without them in his present moral condition,
he could not be saved ; whereas, by submit-
ting to them in the Spirit of Jesus, he works
out his salvation.
The Apostle now proceeds, in chap, vii.,
to show that the law, (in the sense already
given,) cannot produce righteousness, but
rather has a contrary tendency, — in confir-
mation of his remark, chap. vi. 14, " sin shall
not have dominion over you; for ye are not
under the law, but under grace ;" — and he
prefaces his argument with an illustration,
by which he proves to those amongst them
who were conscientious in their adherence
to the law, that they were not defrauding the
law of its rights, when they went over to the
gospel, because in fact the gospel pays to
the law its due, in the death of the old man,
over whom the law hath dominion only so
long as he liveth ; and at the same time.
The Man, and the Woman, 343
he carries on the subject of the last verse
of chap, vi., by showing how we may suffer
death and yet survive — how we may receive
the wages of sin, and yet partake of eternal
life.
The Apostle grounds his preliminary illus-
tration, (contained in the first four verses of
chap, vii.,) on the distinction between the
common nature, and the individuals planted
in it, which he had noticed in chap. vi. 6,
and on which some observations have already
been made in this work. (See pp. 273 and
281-284.)
By the man, rv «v^g«7r», in ver. 1st, over whom
the law is said to have dominion so long as
he liveth, the Apostle seems evidently to in-
tend the corrupt nature — the vxxsctc<; uvS^aTro? —
the old man of chap. vi. 6, on whom the con-
demnation always rests, and through whom
it passes on all men in consequence of their
connection with him. By the woman which
hath an husband, (verse 2,) he means, the
individuals planted in the nature, which is
the old man ; and he compares their connec-
tion with him to the marriage-relation, in
order to show that they are not to be consid-
ered as inseparable parts of the old man, but
yet as so united to him that it is only by his
344 Rom, vii. 1—4.
death that they are loosed from him, and
from the obligations which arise out of their
union to him. And he presses this compari-
son, in order to explain that by partaking
in Christ's death, and by that alone, the
sentence of death is truly executed on the
old man, in such a way that the individuals
consenting to that participation, survive the
death, even as Jesus did, and pass through
it, and thus escape from the power and con-
demnation of sin, by escaping from their
connection with the old man, through whom
sin influences and condemns them, and yet
do not defraud the law, by thus escaping
from it ; they were under it, in consequence
of their relation to the fallen flesh, or old
man — they were under him, and he was un-
der the law — but now he is dead, and their
relation to him ceases, and their obligations
rising out of that relation, are at an end.
If, whilst he was still alive — that is, whilst
they still walked in the flesh, — they were to
assume to themselves a freedom from the
condemnation of the law, by taking the name
of a new husband who was not under the
law, they would be casting off obligations
which truly belonged to them ; they would be
separating themselves from their lawful hus-
The illustration cleared from perplexity. 345
band, and thus would be acting the part of
adultresses ; but, as he is dead, they may
now rightfully join themselves in marriage
to another, even to Him who is raised from
the dead, that they may bring forth fruit
unto God, and who, being himself under no
condemnation, communicates the same free-
dom to all souls truly espoused to him.
This view of the illustration seems to
me completely to clear the passage from all
perplexity ; for we shall not feel that there
is any thing unnatural or perplexed, in the
Apostle's change of persons in verse 4th, —
where he uses the expression " Ye are dead
to the law through the body of Christ," as
an equivalent for "Ye are delivered from
the law through the death of your old man,
who is slain by your participation in Christ's
death," — if we consider that it is truly our
own death, inasmuch as it is our flesh that
dies, although it is a death which instead of
terminating our being, only terminates our
bondage, whilst it is the destruction of the
old man.
That word spoken to Eve, (Gen. iii. 16,)
in reference to Adam, " To him shall be thy
desire, and he shall rule over thee," is the
ground and explanation of the comparison
p 2
346 Rom. vii.
here instituted. " To hirn in thy restless
longings," shalt thou look for rest ; and who-
soever he be, to whom thou dost thus look, he
must rule over thee. Whilst our hearts in
their restlessness, look for rest to the things
of this world ; that is, whilst our desire is to
them, the flesh or old man is our husband,
and his law rules over us. And as it is only
in the shedding out the life-blood of every
such desire, that we can truly look with the
longing of our souls, and for the rest of our
restlessness, to him who has entered into his
glorious rest through the cross, and who is
the manifestation to us of that love of God,
which would bless us also through the slay-
ing of our flesh ; so when we do thus look
to him, he does indeed become our husband,
and he rules over us ; and we fall under his
law, which is the law of liberty.
Let us now bear in mind, that the object
of the Apostle is to carry forward his demon-
stration, that in all circumstances we can
only " accept the gift of righteousness" by
partaking in Christ's death — and that he is
through this chapter applying his principle
to the case of those who were living under
the law, either in its outward type of the
Jewish dispensation, or in its inward reality
The working of the law unveiled. 347
of the dispensation of conscience ; and who,
from possessing a well-founded conviction
that in these dispensations they really had
to do with God, and were walking in a reli-
gion revealed to them by Himself, either out-
wardly or inwardly, or both, might think that
there was no occasion for any thing farther,
and might meet every call to enquiry by
asking, *« What more could a man have, in
the way of religion, than a divinely-revealed
religion ?" — and what is the use of this dy-
ing, if a man keeps himself from committing
sin? Let us bear in mind that his object
is to answer such opponents, and we shall
see how aptly and forcibly the whole of his
reasoning is directed towards it.
He speaks as one who feels his oneness
with the whole race. He speaks from human
experience to human experience — confessing
and deploring the little real moral progress
that man makes under the law — the little be-
nefit that he seems to derive fi'om the know-
ledge of the will of God. Yes^ he seems to
retort upon them. If we could indeed keep
ourselves from sin by the law, and without
this dying to the flesh, we might be justified
in rejecting this participation in Chrisfs
348 Rom. vii.
death: but do we indeed keep ourselves from
sin by the law ?
When, in ver. 5th, the Apostle says, " For
when we were in the flesh," he evidently
does not mean, to describe a character decid-
edly alienated from God, but the character of
persons who, living under the law, have not
consented to die with Christ ; that is, of per-
sons still married to the first husband, {<rec^%
being the tuxxU^ «vd§&»;rof,) and of them he tes-
tifies by his own experience whilst he was
one of them, that the motions of sins, which
were by the law, wrought in his members, to
bring forth fruit unto death ; and, in contrast
with this condition, he gives his own pre-
sent experience of the results of dying with
Christ, that he now served or obeyed in the
Spirit, and not in the old external way.
He then takes up the delicate point which
he has already suggested in chap. vi. 14, and
now again in the verse just quoted, by the
expression, " the motions of sins which are
by the law." What ! motions of sins by the
law ? Is the law sin then ? or does it pro-
duce sin ? In his reply, he justifies the law ;
but he shows, from the history of the race, of
which he makes himself the representative,
The working of the law unveiled. 349
that mere law, that is, authority, recognised,
however fully, as emanating from sovereign
power and founded on right, but not recog-
nised as directed by a loving regard to the
interest of those subject to it, never did pro-
duce true obedience, but rather, by its inter-
ference, has been the occasion of stinung up
the enmity of the heart. At verse 9th, the
Apostle seems to me to identify himself with
human nature in its very infancy, before even
that law was given, "But of the tree of know-
ledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat," as
if to show that the fall itself, in its outward
manifestation at least, was occasioned by the
introduction of a law ; — not meaning thereby
to imply that the law, which was holy, and
which was unto life, had any intrinsic ten-
dency to lead man to sin, but that man had
an enemy, to whom he gave access into his
heart, who took occasion from the command-
ment to deceive him, and so to slay Mm,
Now how did sin deceive man through the
commandment? Certainly by persuading him
that the prohibition proceeded from want of
love to him, on the part of the Lawgiver.
The fruit was pleasant to his eye and appar-
ently good for food ; and his appetite desired
it, and it was a slaying of his appetite to
350 Rom. vii.
withhold it from him. He felt a death in-
flicted by the authority which withheld it,
without seeing the love of the Lawgiver who
desired to lead him through that death to
a better life ; and therefore he refused to die
voluntarily, or to partake in Christ's death —
and thus he was slain by the sentence of the
law, — he fell into the death of judgment.
The inclination to be our own masters is
always interfered with, by any command-
ment whatsoever ; and nothing but the be-
lief that a wise and loving purpose towards
us, in the heart of the Lawgiver, is the root
and source of the commandment, can in-
duce and enable us to shed out the blood of
that inclination. We may restrain it and
suppress it, but this will only produce an
outside obedience, a dead obedience, for such
an obedience is not an exercise of the life
within us, but a restraining of it. It is a
negative obedience, not a positive. But in
order to give to God a living and positive
obedience, we must have within us a life,
which in its own natural and unrestrained
actings would obey. And the Apostle's
argument is, that we cannot be animated by
this good life^ which is the loving spirit of
God, without consenting to shed out the
The working of the law unveiled. 351
blood of the old life^ in accordance with that
word of John, *« Jesus came not hy water
only, but by water and blood.'* We must
have the new nature in us, not as a director
only, but as a husband, in whom our rest-
less longings find rest, and to whom our
desire is; and this cannot be, without the
crucifixion of the old man in us.
Verse 14. " The law is spiritual," — it
comes forth from the loving purpose of God,
and is fully intelligible to those only who are
living in the knowledge of that purpose.
The expression, "the law is spiritual," as
followed up by that other expression, <« but I
am carnal," seems to me to indicate, that
the dispensation of the law, as it has been
manifested in the history of man, is not so
much a direct and designed appointment of
God, as a necessary consequence of man's
unspirituality, and an example of the exer-
cise of that condescending kindness on the
part of God to him, which speaks the word
to him as he is able to bear it.
The Apostle is here personating and ad-
dressing man, not in his Christian state, nor
yet in his state of unresisted sinfulness, but
in his state of honest legality. It is worthy
of remark, that whilst personating this char-
352 Rom. vii.
acter, he speaks of the evil principle in him,
— the ufAx^rtxy — as being a thing as much dis-
tinguishable and separable from himself, as
the Holy Spirit of God is ; — (see verses 17 and
20.) He goes on to describe himself in his
assumed character, as one who wished to do
what was right, but who was unable to do it,
in consequence of the power of sin within
him. Now, how was it so? The explanation
is this : Sin reigned in his flesh, in that
part which finds or seeks its rest in self-
gratification, and finds or seeks its home in
the present world, and the present order of
things ; or, to return to the language bor-
rowed from the parable of the potter, sin
reigned in the first vessel. God reigned in
his conscience, the spiritual part of man, in
which the immortal seed of the second ves-
sel is sown, and through which the voice of
God enters him, and which can find its rest
only in accordance with what is believed to
be the will of God; (I refer to the last verse
of the chapter, as my authority for this state-
ment.) Now, he lived, — that is, he sought
his habitual enjoyment, — in the first vessel —
in the flesh, that region where the will of self
or sin reigns, and through which the pursuits,
and interests, and gratifications of the prq-
The working of the law unveiled. 353
sent world attract and engage the heart. He
did not thus live or seek his enjoyment in
conscience, the region where the will of God
reigns ; but though he did not look to con-
science for his life or enjoyment, he was not
disrespectful to it, or negligent of it, — he
looked to it, but then it was merely as a di-
rector, and restrainer, and modifier of his
life ; and he obeyed its authority in the hope
that under its sanction, or at least without
its compunctious visitations, he might enjoy
that to which he did look for life and enjoy-
ment. Thus the principle of his life, and
the principle which he acknowledged as the
legitimate direction of his life, were essen-
tially opposed to each other. And thus, as
I have already said, his obedience could not
be a living thing, nor a deep cordial thing,
but was necessarily a forced thing, a super-
ficial restraint and suppression of that which
was the genuine acting of his real life.
He was living in that which was alienated
from the life of God, and which carried about
with it an instinctive feeling, that it was un-
der the condemnation ; and thus all his con-
scious connection with the will of God, if
that connection was close, was of a condem-
ning character — and it was only when he
354 Rom. vii.
was comparatively distant from God, and
when he could hide himself amongst things
or occupations which he thought could not
be sinful, that he felt at peace with Him.
His life lay in that very thing on which
the sentence of sorrow and death lay, and on
which the providence of God was continually
carrying that sentence into execution ; —
and thus he felt continually that he was at
war with his circumstances, and that he was
pursuing an end in them quite opposed to
God's purpose in sending them. He could
not trust, and therefore he could not love,
and therefore he could not obey.
Now what is all this, but an expansion and
a filling out of the words with which this
chapter and address to legalists commences?
*« Know ye not that the law hath dominion
over the man, the old man, so long as he
liveth?" And, "For when we were in the
flesh, or married to the old man, the mo-
tions of sins which were by the law, did
work in our members to bring forth fruit
unto death."
The point to which the Apostle endea-
vours to bring the legalist, is to feel and
acknowledge the hopelessness of all his ef-
forts to arrive at peace with God, and con-
The working of the law unveiled, 355
formity to His will, until he not only seeks
his direction in God's law, but finds his life
in God's favour, which he can never do
whilst he still continues to find his life in
the flesh^i and confines his endeavours to
the restraining or modifying of that life.
The Apostle leads him on to this con-
clusion, by standing with him on his own
ground, and personating his character, and
so appealing to his experience. And in
doing so, he seems at last so fully to rea-
lize his oneness with the man, and so over-
come by the deplorable wretchedness which
he is himself describing, that he bursts forth
into that pathetic cry, " O wretched man
that I am, who shall deliver me from the
body of this death ?" which he has no sooner
uttered, than he feels at once compelled to
drop his assumed character, that he may
triumphantly declare the remedy for that
wretchedness, " I thank God, through Jesus
Christy our Lord." He is the true husband
of the soul, and in him there is redemp-
tion from the old man and his law.
This burst of the Apostle here, is in its
import, perfectly similar to what he says
in the concluding verse of chap, vi., ** The
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
356 Rom, vii.
eternal life, by or in Christ Jesus our Lord."
And as he does not there, hold out any pros-
pect of escaping from death, the wages of
sin, but only by passing through it, follow-
ing in the spirit and track of Jesus, " who
through death overcame him that had the
power of death;" so also here, the deliver-
ance which he himself has experienced, and
which he proclaims to others, is still of
the same kind ; it is through Jesus, that
is, through death willingly received, as the
righteous appointment of the Righteous
Father.
He then returns for a moment to his per-
sonated character, that he may complete the
description of it, before he finally passes to
another subject; " I myself," says he, that is,
"I, the same individual — I, though having on-
ly one personal identity in me, yet have two
natures in me, for * with my mind or con-
science, I serve the law of God, and with
my flesh, the law of sin.'" This two-fold
nature of man, this participation which he
has both with heaven and earth, is the great
mystery of his being, out of which arise the
strange contradictions which appear in him ;
the high and holy aspirings that are some-
times in the same man mixed up with the
The working of the law unveiled. 357
most debasing earthliness ; the desire to do
what is right, and yet the almost necessity,
as it seems, of doing what is wrong.
This mysterious character of man's nature
was well known to the ancients, without the
assistance of outward revelation, and many
striking and true things on the subject of it,
are scattered through their works. I may
refer to the well-known passage in the Cyro-
psedia, lib. vi., where Araspes is made to say.
Aw yoL^ <ra,(^wq £^ft» ^'y;^^?. *ta, "I havc manifestly
two souls," &c. But, indeed, the knowledge
of this truth is intimately connected with the
feelings of responsibility and remorse, which
all men have in some degree.
The Apostle having now finished his
description of the conscious weakness and
condemnation, and of the hopeless wretch-
edness, which must always be felt by those
who, though they are really desiring to do
the will of God, continue still married to the
old man, and consequently are still under his
law, by those, namely, who though they ac-
knowledge God as their lawgiver, do not
make his fellowship and favour their chief
good, and therefore, instead of crucifying the
flesh, really live in it, by finding, or seeking
to find, their enjoymient in the creature ; —
358 Rom. viii.
the Apostle, I say, having finished this pic-
ture, returns in chap. viii. to the opposite
picture, of which he had given a sketch in
chap. vii. 4, 6, the picture of the liberty and
peace of those who are married to the sec-
ond husband, the Lord Jesus Christ; and
he contrasts it with the other, and holds it
up in the view of the legalist, that he may
compare his own state with it, and may thus
be persuaded to become a partaker of Christ's
death, that so he also may become a partaker
of this liberty.
Ver. 1, ** There is therefore now no con-
demnation to them who are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the
spirit." This verse has an evident relation
to the preceding verse; its u^<t fZv, " now there-
fore" corresponding to the u^xow, the ^'so
then" of the other ; and as the ct^u oZv there sig-
nifies that the concluding words of chap. vii.
contain the whole that can be said in fa-
vour of the legal system, so the u^x wv here
marks the summing up of what can be said
in favour of the opposite system.
But though it is thus decidedly connected
with the context immediately preceding, yet
its true logical place in the discourse is per-
haps somewhat farther back, namely, imme-
Its connection taith chap. vii. 359
diately after chap. vii. verse 6, making the
intervening matter parenthetic. Indeed, if
we will consider what is contained in chap,
vii. 5, we shall see, that the remainder of the
chapter after verse 6, is merely an enlarged
exposition of it — a parenthetic excursus, or
dissertation, on the influence of the law upon
the character of man ; so that there is no-
thing forced in knitting chap. viii. on chap,
vii. 6. Let us then repeat from the 4th verse
of that chapter, for the sake of the connec-
tion. ** Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law by the body of
Christ ; that ye should be married to ano-
ther, even to him who is raised from the
dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto
God. For when we were in the flesh, (that
is, still married to the old man,) the motions
of sin, which were by the law, did work in
our members, to bring forth fruit unto death.
But now we are delivered from the law, by
having died to that by which we were held,
(that is, by partaking in Christ's death,) so
that we serve in newness of spirit, and not
in the oldness of the letter."
** There is therefore now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the spirit."
360 Rom. viii.
Evidently our verse comes well in here, for
it contains the conclusion to which the ver-
ses which I have placed immediately before
it, naturally conduct us. These verses say,
that by dying to the old man and his law,
we are married to the new man, who is risen
from the dead, and so bring forth fruit un-
to God, serving Him in newness of spirit,
or a new spirit. The ground of the con-
demnation being thus removed, we are pre-
pared to learn that the condemnation it-
self is also removed. " We serve in new-
ness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the
letter. There is now therefore no condem-
nation to them who are in Christ Jesus,"
that is, to them who are married to Him who
is raised from the dead, and who receive from
Him the new spirit, which produces the
fruit, which the old letter could not. By this
arrangement, there is also brought more im-
mediately before us, the indissoluble connec-
tion that subsists between dying to the flesh,
on the one side, and receiving Christ and his
blessings, on the other, — which is the great
point of the Apostle's urgency.
Whilst a man finds his life in the flesh,
that is in God's gifts instead of in God
himself, he remains, as we have seen, un-
The deliverance from the curse of the law. 361
der the condemnation, the curse^ as it is
in Gal. iii. 10, however much he may desire
to obey God's law — for he leels the sen-
tence of sorrow and death to be the de-
struction of his happiness — he feels it to be
a condemnation, a hard and an unloving
sentence, even when he acknowledges it to
be a righteous one. And as he feels this con-
cerning it, so he cannot go cordially along
with God, in the fulfilment of His plan of
breaking down and withering all the things
of this world. But when his life and his
enjoyment are hid with Christ in God, and
in that hope which is laid up for us in
Christ, — a hope which knows that sorrow
and death are the way to its fulfilment, be-
cause they are the way to perfect holiness
and perfect blessedness, — then, to him, sor-
row and death have ceased to be a curse,
because he no longer finds them a bar exclud-
ing him from the fountain of life, which is
the only thing to which the character of *' a
curse" properly belongs ; the knowledge of
God's love in all things having made them
the channels of sweet fellowship with Him,
even in this present state ; — and also because
as he looks through them, and beyond them,
to the complete deliverance from all evil, so
362 Botn. viii. 1.
he recognizes them as the divinely-appointed
means of accomplishing that blessed end.
He is now therefore able to enter into the
counsel of God in them, and in the wither-
ing of all visible things through them.
The curse belongs to the old man and
his old life, and accordingly we find it assum-
ed in the following verse, that he who is
separated from him, and united to Christ,
the quickening Spirit, partaking in his new
life, is out fi'om under it. " That which is
born of the flesh, is flesh, and that which
is born of the Spirit, is spirit." And as the
KXTXK^ti^x, OT Judicial curse on the flesh, cleaves
to all who live in its life, so the hxMWf^cx, or Ju-
dicial blessing on the Spirit, cleaves to all
who live in its life. This dealing commends
itself as righteous to every conscience, and
it has indeed been always the principle and
basis of all God's warnings and exhortations
to man, from the very beginning. Thus,
** Cursed is the man (he is under the KccrecK^t/^x,
the condemnation,) that trusteth in man, and
maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart de-
parteth from the Lord, for he shall be like
the heath in the desert," &c. ''Blessed is
the man (he is under the 5<x«<«^«c, the Judicial
award of life,') that trusteth in the Lord,
The deliverance from the curse of the Imo. 363
and whose hope the Lord is, — for he shall
be as a tree planted by the waters, and shall
not cease from yielding fruit." Jer. xvii.
5—8.
This ^^ cursed ^^'^ who continues married to
the old Adam, making flesh his arm, is the
reprobate ; and this ** blessed,'^ who trusts in
Jehovah, and ceases from the flesh, and so is
married to the new man, is the elect; and the
whole purpose of God's dealings with man,
and the whole purpose of the Bible — and
specially the whole purpose of this Epistle to
the Romans, — is to set before men the curse
and the blessing, and to show them the way
out from the curse into the blessing, and to
persuade them to walk in that way, and
choose blessing, that they may live for ever,
" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven." Our Lord com-
mences his public ministry, by declaring who
the elect of God, or the blessed of God, are —
who they are to whom there is no condem-
nation. There is no condemnation to the
poor in spirit. There is no condemnation to
any one who will receive <* the gift of right-
eousness," which is the new nature. It is
on this quality that Jesus pronounces bless-
edness, and it is to the same quality that
364 Ro7n. viii. 2—4.
the Apostle here promises the deliverance
from the curse, as appears from the follow-
ing verses.
Ver. 2 — 4. " For the law of the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from
the law of sin and death. For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God hath done, by sending His
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin, (or as a sin-offering, — that is, as a
shedder-out of the blood of man's carnal will,)
for thus He hath condemned sin in the flesh,
so that the ^Kxiufcx, the approving sentence or
judicial blessing of the law, should have its
fulfilment in us, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit."
The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is evi-
dently the new spirit of chap. vii. 6, in
which those who have died with him, serve
God; it is the gift of righteousness, chap v.
17 ; it is the sap of the true vine, John xv.,
which bears fruit unto God ; it is Christ's
own nature, coming forth from him into
those who yield their hearts to him, and
thus uniting them to him. And the law of
this Spirit, here is taken both in a subjective
and in an objective sense, — it expresses both
the power of this Spirit in delivering from the
The law of the Spirit of life. 365
power of sin, and the award of approbation
or life which is passed upon it, as delivering
from, and opposed to, the sentence of death
passed upon sin.
The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus
thus does what the law written on stone
could never do. Its stony character made it
a weak antagonist to the life of the flesh.
A life is required to cope with, and con-
demn a life. It denounced sin, but it seem-
ed to denounce it, not as loving the sinner,
and desiring his good, but as grudging him
an enjoyment, for the loss of which it was
neither able nor willing to compensate.
And in its denouncement, the sinner felt,
not so much that sin was an evil and bitter
thing in itself, which, by its own nature,
poisoned man's life, as that God insisted on
making those miserable who fell into sin ;
and hence he also felt, as if the denouncement
were not against sin, but against himself,
and his life, and his happiness. And thus
it was, that the law never condemned sin in
such a way as to produce a fulfilment of the
law in men, but seemed rather to condemn
men for being sinners.
But God hath done it, by sending His own
Son into the condition and nature of the sin-
366 Rom. viii. 2—4.
ner, to help him out of that evil condition,
and to cure the disease of his nature. For
He thus showed man, that it was not a table
of stone, but a Father, that he had to do with,
— a Father, who so loved the world as to
give the only-begotten Son to suffer and die
that he might save the world. And as the
sin in the flesh arose from, and consisted in,
a distrust of God's love, so God condemned
it, by a manifestation of love.
And yet farther He condemned sin in the
flesh, by sending His Son into the flesh, to
be in it a sin-offering ; (which is the mean-
ing, in which the phrase Tciet uuBc^rM<i is used
by the LXX.) ; for thus He intimated, that
the only way of deliverance from the power
and consequences of sin, and the only way
of living safely and holily in the flesh, as it
now stands, was by living in it, even thus,
as a sin-offering — that is, in the continual
mortifying of its corrupt will, and shedding
out its corrupt life-blood.
Jesus proved by his own example, that this
was the way of deliverance, for he became
man, and followed this very course, — where-
upon he was raised from the dead, bearing
with him the human flesh made clean, and
holy, and immortal ; and he became a foun-
Condemnation of sin in the flesh, 367
tain-head of spiritual life, united with the hu-
man nature, from which a rill flowed to every
one of the race, enabling every one who
would receive it, that is, who would consent
to be a partaker in His death, to walk in His
steps, so as to partake in His reward, in His
resurrection, and immortal glory. Thus
God truly condemned sin in the fleshy by
demonstrating its sinfulness, and by show-
ing that the creature in whose nature it was,
could only escape from it, by consenting to
die to its flesh. And in the example which
demonstrated this, He also taught us that
nothing but filial confidence could enable
any one to consent so to die.
" Weak through the flesh," properly
means, weak through our living in the flesh ;
the weakness of the law, to produce right-
eousness in man, arises, as I have already
shown, from man having his life in the flesh,
whilst he has only direction in the law.
'OfAciotfM aec^KOi Mf4,x^rtxg, «' thc Hkcness of flesh
of sin," or " sinful flesh," is evidently the
same thing with xotmnx o-x^ko? u^x^rix?y «« fellow-
ship" in it, as appears from both words being
used by our Apostle in expounding this same
subject, Heb. ii. 14, 17 ; and also from a
comparison of Rom. vi. 5, with Philip, iii. 10.
368 Rom. viii. 2—4.
Jesus took the flesh, just as the "children"
have it, Heb. ii. 14 ; but that does not make
him a sinner, for as he was without sin in a
sinful world, so he was without sin in a sin-
ful nature. And how was he so? Was it not
by a continual accordance of his whole life,
with that word, " not my will, but thine be
done ?" Was it not by a continual refusal
to live to the flesh, and a continual choosing
to live to the Spirit ? And how did he con-
demn sin in the flesh, but by thus living, and
by submitting himself to the sentence of sor-
row and death laid on the flesh, not merely
as a righteous judgment, but as a gracious
provision, by which the Fatherly love of God
would lead those who in filial confidence
submit to it, out from the horrible pit into
which the nature had fallen ? And the
Father sealed the condemnation of the sin
in the flesh, by raising from the dead, with-
out the touch of corruption, him who had
thus lived in the flesh, without ever con-
senting to live to it.
It was thus that Jesus condemned sin in
the flesh, and it was through his condemna-
tion of it, that the Father condemned it — for
the Father could only condemn it, as He de-
sired to do, namely, in a way consistent with
Condemnation of sin through the Son of God. 369
the salvation of men, by doing it through
the co-operation of man's own will ; and
therefore He had sent His own Son into the
flesh, not only to prove His love to man, but
also that He might have a man, a partaker of
the flesh, who would go along with Him in his
condemnation of the sin in it, and who would
be a witness to his brethren, from his own
experience, that God's will is man's only life,
as it is his only guide, and that sorrow and
death when received in Filial confidence, are
the medicine of the soul, and the way out of
the corruption ; and who would not only be
a witness to them of these things, but would
also be in them and to them, a fountain
of the same filial life, by the strength of
which he himself had done this work, ena-
bling all of them who would receive it, to
yield themselves unto God, and to become
co-operators with him, and co-witnesses with
him of the same truth.
It seems to me, that this subjective view,
though founded on the objective one, was
chiefly in the Apostle's mind when he wrote
verses 3d and 4th ; because it is in taking this
view of them, that we best see their connection
with the preceding verse. Thus, *' For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath
q2
370 Rom, viii. 2 — 4.
made me free from the law of sin and death.
For that which the law could not do,"
&c. Now, what is there in verse Sd which
justifies the "JPor" in its commencement,
and which appears as a reason explanatory
of the power of the Spirit of life, thus to free
him ? Why this — the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus, wherever it is received, will do in the
members, according to what it has done in
the Head ; it is the spirit of the Father's
"own Son," which trusts the Father, and
which sheds out the life of the flesh in Paul,
and accepts the punishment in him, even as
it did in Jesus himself, and thus makes him
also a co-operater with the Father, in con-
demning sin in the flesh, and a partaker in
Christ's righteousness.
For the only condemnation of sin in our
flesh, which can be effectual towards the ful-
filment of the requirement of the law in us,
is when we ourselves consent, in the spirit
of Jesus, to the execution of the sentence of
death, that is, to the shedding out of the
blood of our own self-will, surrendering our-
selves up to God to be led and animated by
His Love and His Spirit. This we know
was the substance of that sin-off'ering, that
T^i^i kuu^Ticc^i — which Jesus off*ered. For we
Condemnation of sin through the Soiis spirit. 371
know that as his blood was shed for a sin-
oiFering, so also he was consenting to its
being shed — and thus in his sacrifice he ful-
filled that word in Psalm xL, *«I come to do
thy will." This is the righteousness of faith,
and the fulfilling of the law in which he calls
us to follow him. And thus we have the de-
monstration of the Apostle's thesis, that the
law, instead of being made void by faith, is
established by it. Rom. iii. 31 .
The work of the Son personally, is here set
forth to show what the working of the Son's
spirit is, in the hearts which receive him ;
and, in this respect, the passage bears a
strong resemblance to chap, iii. 25, includ-
ing the context. The difference beween the
two passages consists in this, that in chap,
iii. 525, the atonement is simply set forth as
a pattern of the righteousness to which men
are called ; whereas in this latter passage, it
is set forth not only as a pattern of right-
eousness, but also as the ground, on account
of which Jesus was made the fountain and
the channel of the Spirit to the race, so that
those who would receive it may follow the
pattern, by having the very life and right-
eousness of Jesus within their own hearts.
I think that it may be well, to mark out
372 Horn. viii. 2—4,
the points of resemblance between these two
passages, as in so doing, I may perhaps give
the reader a more correct idea of the mean-
ing which I have attached to them both.
1st. In both passages, the propitiatory
work of Christ is evidently held up as an
example of the righteousness which God asks
and acknowledges in man. Thus chap. iii.
25, " Whom God set forth making propitia-
tion," t^? lvhii%iv rn<; ^iKxiotrvm uvrov " as a declar-
ation or specimen of His righteousness,"
namiely, of that righteousness which He ap-
proves, in opposition to the righteousness
which man would make for himself.
The parallel to this in our passage in chap,
viii., we find in verse 4th, in which it is said,
"that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled
in those who walk after the Spirit," in which
Jesus made the atonement, as described in
the foregoing verse.
2d. In chap. iii. 25, the h ra uvrov (or lecvrovy
as in the Vatican codex) ^ifx,oiri, is paralleled
in chap. viii. 3, by ^rg^; kftxsrixq, both phrases
signifying the shedding out of the blood of
man's will, as a sacrifice.
3d. The ^^x TCKma^ in chap. iii. 25, in sub-
stance, most fully corresponds with rov Uvrov hm,
in chap. viii. 3, for the faith which consent-
Compared with Rom. iii. 25. 373
ed to the blood-shedding, was nothing else,
and could be nothing else, than the spirit of
the Son, that knew the Father's mind, and
entered into it lovingly. And as the atone-
ment consisted in Christ's shedding out his
blood, in filial confidence, so the righteous-
ness of his members consists in walking in
the same spirit, and in the same steps ; and
thus the atonement was not a mere opus op-
eratum, a mere act on account of which God
blesses man, but it was and is a living prin-
ciple, reproducing itself in the hearts and
lives of those that receive it.
What I have said on this subject, is in fact
nothing more than is implied in that com-
mon expression of Jesus, "Take up thy cross
and follow me ;" for the cross is the symbol
of the work of the atonement, and it is at
the same time £<5 lv^g<|<v, (the pattern) of the
Christian's walk and righteousness. 1 may
refer to Phil. iii. 10, as a direct proof that
the Apostle considered the righteousness of
faith to consist in a conformity to the death
of Christ. And the fact that the paschal
lamb was slain within each individual house
in Israel, is also a proof that the atonement
must be reproduced in each heart, in order
to that heart receiving the blessing.
374 Rom. viii. 2—4.
Indeed, when we consider that the epi-
graph and text of the whole Epistle is, that
the righteousness which God acknowledges
in man, consists in that faith of Habakkuk,
which welcomed the blighting of the vine
and the fig-tree, because it saw through that
blighting, into the glory which should rise
out of it ; and when we farther see, that the
object of the Epistle, is first to show all men
their need of this righteousness; and then
to show them, that as in Jesus Christ,
God has fully revealed it to them, so He
has also provided them with the means of at-
taining it ; ought we to be surprised to find,
that the work of atonement by Christ, is
a mighty developement and manifestation
of that same faith, which accepts and wel-
comes sorrow and death, as the righteous
wages of sin, because it looks through them
to a glorious resurrection, according to the
abundant grace and faithful promise of the
Father, and is thus not only the ground of
our hope, but also the pattern of our right-
eousness, as well as the appropriate channel
through which the very spirit of Jesus, which
wrought it, is communicated to every hu-
man being, so that every one who will re-
ceive it, may have the blood which cleanseth
The atonement by Christ alone. 375
from all sin sprinkled on his own heart, and
the very righteousness of Christ really re-
produced in him ? I may refer also to the 2d
chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, as
containing much matter to this purpose.
The atonement required a perfect right-
eousness from beginning to end. It is the
root of all human righteousness, because on
account of it, that Spirit by which men be-
come righteous, was communicated. But it
differs from their righteousness not in kind,
but in degree, and in order — for it was
wrought in virtue of the same Spirit, by
which the lowest of the disciples of Jesus
do their Master's will — and therefore the
feeblest manifestation of righteousness, is as
truly a supernatural work as the atonement;
but it is of a lower degree, and of a lower
order.
For righteousness does not originate with
man, nor could it now ascend from man to
God, had it not first descended from God to
man, — in the atonement, — the Lamb slain
before the foundation of the world ; as it is
written, " No man hath ascended up to
heaven, but he that came down from heaven,
even the Son of man which is in heaven,"
376 Bom. viii. 2 — 4.
and those in whom his Spirit is received.
John iii. 13, and i. 12,
Jesus Christ was God, taking human na-
ture into union with himself — and he made
the atonement. Christians are men who
yield themselves up to be taken into union
with God, by submitting themselves to be
led by his Spirit — and thus they become
righteous. Christ's atonement was right-
eousness — but their righteousness is not
atonement, for it did not bring the Spirit of
life into them ; it was produced in them by
their receiving the Spirit, the gift of right-
eousness, which had been brought to them
through the atonement of Christ ; and their
righteousness does not put away their past
sins, for it is founded on the forgiveness of
sins declared, through the atonement of
Christ. Jesus Christ was alone in the atone-
ment, to show that the work of redemption
was God's own work, in which man could
have no share, except as a receiver. This
was set forth in the Jewish law, by the ex-
clusion of all the people from the tabernacle,
whilst the high priest made atonement, on
the great day of atonement. See Lev. xvi.
17.
The gift of Christ, is the gift of adoption. 377
God can require no motive to show mercy
to a creature that needs it, beyond his own
goodness, and the creature's need ; but He
requires fit channels to convey His mercy,
in order that it may be beneficial to the
creature.
I may observe here, that it was not merely
to prove His love, and His readiness to make
a sacrifice, that God gave His Son to the
world — but because He desired to make the
world sons of God, The gift of the Son, was
the gift of sonship, — the only-begotten Son,
is the Fountain of adoption. The reader
will remark, that verse 3d seems distinctly
to prove, that there was a sonship attached
to the Word, before He appeared in flesh.
" That the righteousness of the law should
be fulfilled in them," &c. From what I have
already said on this subject, the reader will
understand that I consider the hKxiuf^u. to be
the antithesis oi koctoik^i^x. At the same time,
1 have not the least objection to his taking it
as the 7nghteousness of the law, according to
our common version, which is very agreeable
to the use that the LXX. make of the word.
Indeed, I do not lay any stress on my trans-
lation here, for the substantial meaning of
the passage remains the same, in whichever
378 Rom. viii. 2—4.
of the two ways we translate hKoti&ifica — but it
seems to me, that the point and force of the
passage is increased, by considering it as the
antithesis of kxtxk^i^x, and therefore I take it
so. It is to the risen Jesus, as appears from
chap. vii. 4, that we are called to unite our-
selves — and as it is after his resurrection that
he is described as becoming the fountain of
the Spirit of life to man, so that Spirit comes
forth to them, bearing the impress of the
^ucxtuf^a, in the remission of sin, and the fa-
vour of God, and also in the assured hope
of glory.
In the Saviour, as the new Head of the
race, thus raised according to the ^kxcu/^x,
or judicial award of life, and glorijfied by the
free grace of the Father, over and above
that award, we see the manifestation of the
eternal purpose and grace of God towards
all men — the manifestation of the Tr^oko-t? Kxt
^x^igaoditTx yifictv Iv X^iTT6> lifid-ov tf^o ^povm uiaviuv. 2 1 im.
i. 9. We see accomplished in Him that
which it is the loving design of God should
be accomplished in every individual of the
nature which he assumed. Jesus is thus to
us, the pattern and specimen of the purpose
of God towards us — in his resurrection and
glorification, we see the blessed and desired
The eternal purpose of God. 379
result to which our Father would lead us —
and in his life in the flesh, we see the pre-
destined way to that result — the way which
is fixed in the nature of things, and in the
eternal counsel of God. He lived (^<« viirw^
Iv uif^cecrt uvrovy — or aS, 'O viog Qiov — 7rg§< uf^x^rtx^J Ofier-
ing up his own blood in submissive con-
fidence — or, as the well-beloved Son mak-
ing himself a sin-off'ering, and therefore,
he was raised from the dead. He is thus
our pattern, and he is more than our pat-
tern ; for in him, the grace of God, and
the forgiveness of sins committed during the
sparing mercy of God, are freely declared
to the chief of sinners — and through him,
living water is communicated, enabling those
who will receive it, to walk in the same
steps towards the same glory.
That spiritual stream comes back to us,
as it were, through the gates of death, from
the other side of the gulf; and thus it is a
stranger here, for its home and its interests
are all on the other side ; and as it is itself a
stranger, it makes those to become strangers
and pilgrims who receive it. They seek
back to the fountain-head of their life, and
desire to be with Him. And as they know
that it is only through sorrow and death
380 Rom,, viii. 5.
that they can arrive at him, they enter into
the counsel of God in His plan, of leading
them by this way, with their whole hearts ;
whilst those who do not receive this spirit,
but still seek their life in earthly things, can-
not enter into it ; because they cannot but
take part with, and desire the continuance
of, the things in which their life lies — and
here is the distinction between the carnal
and the spiritual mind.
Ver. 5th. " For those who are after the
flesh," (or who walk according to the impulses
of the flesh, and seek their life and enjoy-
ment in it,) " do mind the things of the
flesh;" that is, they become carnally-minded
— they have their minds embued with the
flesh. Their nainds acquire the very nature
and character of the flesh, in which they are
imbedded, and thus they necessarily resist
every plan, of which the breaking down of
the flesh forms a part. <' And those who are
after the Spirit," (who follow the guidance of
the Spirit, and seek their life and enjoyment
in it,) ** do mind the things of the Spirit ;"
that is, they become spiritually-minded, —
they have their minds imbued and impreg-
nated, with the divine Spirit ; and they ac-
quire the very nature and character of the
Rom. viii. 6—8. 381
Spirit, and thus they necessarily enter with
alacrity into the purposes of God. ^govoyir; r»
TD$ (Tu^Kcq, sapiunt carnem aut carnalia^ they
acquire the savour of the flesh — the taste
of the flesh — the light which is in them
becomes darkness, ^^ovova-i rx rov TmvfMrosj sapi-
unt spiritum aut spiritualia, they acquire
the savour of the Spirit, the taste of the
Spirit — their inward candle is lighted from
God's light.
Ver. 6 — 8. "And the carnal mind is
death, but the spiritual mind is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against
God, for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be ; so then they that are
in the flesh cannot please God."
I cannot but think that our translators
have been right, in considering the (p^ovnfM, rr^g
(Txqxai; and the (p^ovn/Lcx rov TTvivftoiTo^, not as expres-
sing the abstract tendencies of the flesh and
Spirit, but as concretes, describing a human
mind under the influence either of the flesh
or of the Spirit — and therefore either op-
posed to, or conformed to God's purposes.
The carnal mind seeks the continuance of
present things, and sees nothing in suff*ering
and death, but unmixed evil. It cannot
therefore submit, or be subject, to the pur-
382 Rom. viii. 9—10.
pose of God, which embraces suffering and
death, as the way by which man is to be
brought to the blessed result for which he in-
tends him.
Ver. 9th. " But ye are not in the flesh, but
in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God
dwell in you. Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
To have the Spirit of God dwelling in us,
and to have the Spirit of Christ — evidently
mean, to yield ourselves up to the Spirit of
God and of Christ, that is, to " accept the
gift of righteousness," which requires, as we
have seen, a consent to partake in Christ's
death.
Ver. 10th. " And if Christ be in you, the
body is dead, because of sin ; but the Spirit
is life, because of righteousness."
If you really yield yourselves to the Spirit
of Christ, your body will be dead on account
of sin ; that is, you will have given up the hope
of life or enjoyment in the flesh, as a corrupt
and condemned thing, and you will be neces-
sarily shedding out its blood, under the influ-
ence of the Spirit of him, who condemned sin
in the flesh, by making himself a sin-off'er-
ing. But the spirit, the spiritual part of
man in you, will be life, full of life, in con-
Rom. viii. 11. 383
sequence of its participation in, and union
with, the righteous Spirit of Christ.
Ver. 11th. " But if the Spirit of him who
raised Jesus from the dead, dwell in you ;
He that raised Christ from the dead, shall
also quicken your mortal bodies, by or on
account of his spirit dwelling in you."
The Apostle fails not to direct our eyes to
the glorious resurrection — the end of God's
purpose, — that so we may be encouraged
and strengthened to walk in the predestined
way of suffering.
I would here again, and at the risk of
being accused of needless repetition, desire
the reader's particular attention to the fact,
that, although the great general distinction
between the flesh and the Spirit is, that the
one seeks the will of self, and the other, the
will of God — yet that the specific distinction
between them, and that which is more direct-
ly before the Apostle's mind through the
course of this argument, as well as through
many other parts of his writings, is, that the
Spirit enters cordially into that eternal pur-
pose of God in Jesus Christ, by which He
would lead men through sorrow and death
to glory ; and that the flesh cannot and will
not enter into it.
384 Rom. viii. 12 — 15.
And as the Apostle knows that it is only
by the knowledge of God's gracious purpose,
and by the hope of the blessed and glorious
conclusion, that we can be strengthened to
live in the Spirit, sympathizing with God's
purpose, whilst the process of suffering and
death is actually going on, so he is most
abundant in setting before us that conclu-
sion, as well as in declaring the loving heart
of God, which endures to lay on the afflic-
tion, and to break the first vessel, because
He sees the end to which it leads, in the
production of the second vessel.*
Ver. 1% — 15. "Therefore brethren, we are
debtors, not the flesh, to live after the flesh ;
for if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die ; but
if ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds
of the body, ye shall live. For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the
* That a conformity to Christ's death, in dying to the
world and the flesh, and more directly still, a willingness
to suffer with him, is very often the special and appropri-
ate meaning oi walking hyfaith^ and walking in the Spirit^
may be shown from many passages, — thus 2 Cor. iv. from
10th verse, to chap. v. 9, marking particularly chap. iv.
13, and chap. v. 5, in their connection with the rest of the
passage. See also Philip, iii. 9, to the end. And Heb. x.
from verse 32d, forward through all chap. xi.
The Sons of God. 385
sons of God ; for ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have
received the spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry, Abba, Father."
Those who live after the flesh, acquire the
carnal mind, which is death ; and those who
live after the Spirit, acquire the spiritual
mind, which is life and peace. Those who
follow the Spirit of God, are those who are
led by it ; and as that Spirit is the Spirit of
the well-beloved Son, they who are united to
it, are in truth sons of God, Krt<r6ivrig h x^tcra,
'iixrot/, as it is in Eph. i. 10, constituted in
Christ Jesus, and so made partakers of his
relation to the Father.
They have not received the word of ex-
hortation, in the spirit of legality, as their
fathers in the wilderness, but in the spirit of
sonship, which has confidence in God as a
Father, however appalling the outward as-
pect of His dealings may be, because it is
assured of His gracious design, through them
all; which is the meaning of the following
verses.
Ver. 16—18. "The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the chil-
dren of God ; and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ ;
386 Eom. viil. 16—18.
if so be that we suffer with him, that we
should be also glorified with him. For I
reckon, that the sufferings of this present
time, are not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us."
Paul here intimates, that He who speaks in
every conscience, when his voice is listened
to, by any man, and welcomed, and obeyed as
the voice of a Father, is not slow to justify
such confiding dependance, but reveals him-
self inwardly to that man as indeed a Father,
and shows him the inheritance ; whilst at
the same time He teaches him by the suf-
ferings of Jesus, the first-born of the «T«r<?
or family, — what is His mode of training all
the rest of the family.
Thus we see that the witness of the Spi-
rit is here set forth as sustaining us under
affliction, by representing it to us, as a part
of that large inheritance, in which we are
called to be joint-heirs with Christ, and as a
part in which we must partake with him, if
we would also partake with him in his glory.
The Apostle himself, then, ver. 18th, as a
member of the family, gives his own testi-
mony, as he does in many other places, to
the insignificancy of the present sorrow, in
comparison of the hope set before him.
Rom. viii. 19—25. 387
And then, he proceeds to show, from
verse 19th to 25th, that he is not singular in
this testimony, for that all the children of
God — all who expect the future glory, are
sustained by that hope^ under the present
afflictions, typified by Habakkuk's Chaldeans ;
and that indeed nothing else could so sustain
them. Jn this view, the passage is in fact a
summary of the reasoning and exhortation
of the same Apostle, in Heb. x. 34, to the
end, and through the whole of chap xi.
Ver. 19 — 25th. "For the earnest expecta-
tion of the creature, (or family of God,)
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of
God. And indeed, the creature, (or family,)
has submitted to affliction, not willingly or
from choice, but from a hope founded on the
knowledge of the purpose of Him who hath
appointed it, namely, that the family is in this
way to be delivered from the bondage of cor-
ruption, into the glorious liberty of the chil-
dren of God. For we know that the whole
creature, ox family^ from the very beginning,
has been groaning and travailing together in
pain until this present time; and not only
they, but we also, (for we are no exceptions,)
even we, which have the first-fruits of the
Spirit, (the revelation of the truth and Spirit
388 On the meaning of'Hhe creature,'^
in Christ,) even we ourselves, groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit,
the redemption of our body. For we are
saved or sustained by hope. But hope that
is seen, (that relates to things visible, to
things on this side of death,) is not hope, for
what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for
it ? But if we hope for that we see not, then
do we with patience, wait for it."
It appears to me, that the coherence and
scope of the argument before us, require
this interpretation. I am sensible that «r<(r<?,
the creature, when it has the signification of
Kno-hv-rK; h x^Krva, thc family of God, created in
Christ Jesus, has in other places, >t^<v»), new,
added to it ; but it seems to me, that in this
place, the constitution of the family has been
so distinctly marked in verses 14 — 17th, that
the usual explanatory addition would have
been altogether superfluous. And I cannot
also help thinking, that the way in which
the word is here introduced, shows that it
refers to persons, supposed to have been
already mentioned and described ; as other-
wise its introduction would appear rather
abrupt.
If I had not assumed that tcTKn^ in these
verses, is equivalent to «5< Kria-hin? h x^i<rrai, I
• On the meaning of'-- was made subject.^' 389
should have taken it to mean, the human
race in general — and then I must have in-
terpreted verse 19th thus — " That unsatis-
fied seeking after happiness, which is to be
found in all men, is an instinct implanted in
them, to indicate to them, and to guide them
to the revelation of a future glory." And
verse 20th thus — " For man submits reluc-
tantly to affliction, until he embraces the
hope, which the knowledge of Him who ap-
points the afflictions would inspire, that man
shall yet be delivered," &c. But this inter-
pretation did not appear to me to connect so
well with the context, either going before or
following, as the interpretation which I have
given.
The passive of i.^eT«7<r«, is very generally
through the New Testament, and by the
LXX. used in the sense of the middle voice,
and I have therefore taken the liberty of
translating it so here ; that is, I have sub-
stituted *' submit," for " was made subject."
I have also translated the 2d Aorist, as if it
were a perfect tense — as our common ver-
sion does in verse 15th.
If y;riT^y« — wus made subject^ is taken in the
passive sense, then naturally the following
clause — " not willingly, but by reason of
390 " The creature was made subject'* •
Him who hath subjected it," must be under-
stood, as indicating the cause of this suffering
condition of the family, instead of indicating
the cause of their meek submission under
the suffering, though in itself not joyous, but
grievous, which I conceive to be its true
sense ; but in that case, it is not easy to see
the use of introducing the unwillingness of
the creature ; and besides this, such a state-
ment really does not appear to harmonize
with the Apostle's present argument, which
is evidently rather of an experimental or
subjective character, tending to show with
what feelings the spiritual children of God
submit to affliction, and how the hope of an
enduring future glory, animates them to sup-
port a passing present affliction. The con-
tinuity of the meaning is preserved by this
interpretation, which certainly is not the case
in the common version. And as the words
agree with the one interpretation, as well as
with the other, I feel perfectly justified in
attributing to them that signification, which
agrees best with the tenor of the argument,
of which they form a part. The difficulty of
accounting for the introduction of the un-
willingness of the creature here, according
to the common view of the passage, has in-
" Hope that is seen, is not liopeV 391
duced tho^e who have adhered to that view,
generally to interpret Uk kova-x, not hy its own
faulty which seems rather forced.
M«T««oT»5?, the vanity here meant, is evident-
ly the unsatisfactoriness of the present life,
through affliction, aaa^, hut^ seems used in
verse ^Oth for u f^vi, unless, except, indicating
the only cause which could deliver them from
their unwillingness, — as it is used in other
places of the New Testament. — (^See Schleus-
ner in voce,)
Ver. 24th, 25th. A hope of any thing on
this side of death, (and all visible things are
on this side of death,) is not the hope which
will suffice, for it cannot sustain us in going
through death. I may refer to the corres-
ponding part of the Epistle to the Hebrews,
as illustrative of the whole passage. " Now
faith is the substance or assurance of things
hoped for, the conviction of things not seenJ''
Heb. xi. 1. A hope of glory on the other
side of death, is the unseen hope which will
encourage us to meet death, and to pass
through it ; and as this hope is in accordance
with the purpose of God, so it is by it, that
the Spirit sustains our weaknesses, and by
it, the spiritual mind is enabled to welcome
392 The connection of these lierses
the whole will of God ; as the Apostle goes
on to say in the following verses.
But let me, before going to them, shortly
point out the connection of the interpreta-
tion offered, with the foregoing context. In
ver. I6th and 17th, the Apostle describes the
family of God as consisting of those who
are taught by the Spirit to appreciate and
to welcome the whole of Christ's inheri-
tance, — that is, both the suffering and the
glory — and to regard the first part as a ne-
cessary preparation for the second ; and then
in ver. ISth, as himself one of the family,
he gives his personal testimony, in confor-
mity with the general statement that he has
just made of the family feeling.
He then, in the verses last translated, en-
ters more minutely into the characteristic
features of the family — thei/ are waiting for
the second part of their inheritance, namely,
the glorious liberty of the children of God —
or their own manifestation as the sons of God.
Compare this also with ver. 25th, *' If we
hope for that we see not, then do we with
patience wait for it ;" — aTViK'^ixcf^iU, and «^at-
^iy^ir<^i — the same word being used in both
verses. Then in ver. 20th and 21st, he cor-
with the foregoing context, 393
roborates his statement, and at the same
time makes an addition to it, by declaring
that the patience of the family does not arise
from their nature being so changed, that they
like or prefer suffering, but simply because
of their hope of the deliverance, to which the
sorrow leads, — a hope, ^r^ tov v;Tor«|«vTflt, found-
ed on what they know of Him who hath sub-
jected them to it.
In ver. 22d, he brings the saints of the
former dispensation, as witnessing the same
truth, and as having lived under the same
principle. And then in ver. 23d, he op-
poses an idea, (but without stating it ex-
plicitly,) which probably had suggested it-
self to many minds, however unreasonably,
namely, that along with the new and higher
dispensation of the Gospel, there might have
been expected a remission of the sufferings,
which hitherto had been the lot of the family
of God.
And now let us proceed, observing how
the verses which follow correspond to, and
carry forward, the sense which has been put
on this passage.
Ver. 26th — 30th, " For in this very way,
the Spirit helpeth our infirmities ; for we
know not what we should pray for, as we
R 2
394 Rom. viii. 26—30.
ought, did not the Spirit itself inspire and
direct the unuttered groanings of our hearts.
And He that searcheth the hearts, recognizes
the spiritual mind, or the mind in agreement
with His own Spirit, because this Spirit
brings the saints to desire the things which
are according to God's purpose. And we
know that all things work together for good,
to them that love God, to them who obey
the call to enter into His purpose. For as
many as He previously knows, or pre-ascer-
tains, to be in this state, them He hath fore-
appointed to be conformed to the image of His
Son, that he might be the first-born among
many brethren. And as many as He em-
braces within this fore-appointment, them
He visits with corresponding calls in con-
science and providence ; and whom He thus
calls, (assuming that the calls are answered,)
on them He pronounces His judicial appro-
bation ; and whom He thus judicially ap-
proves, them He also glorifies."
I entreat the reader not to condemn the
freedom of this translation, without examin-
ing, whether it does not give the real mean-
ing of the original more truly, because more
fully than our common translation does.
But let us take the verses in their order.
" The Spirit helpeth our infirmities'' 395
Ver. 26th. Although, in like manner, is
the accurate translation of a><r»vrug, yet the ex-
pression, as it stands in our version, seems
to me, to give the idea that the Apostle
means, besides, and that he is here intro-
ducing the Spirit as a new auxiliary, rather
than as teaching, that the hope which he
has been describing, is that encouraging
principle, by the suggestion of which, the
Spirit, of which he had been already dis-
coursing, enlightens the minds of believers,
and brings their desires and prayers into
harmony with the purpose of God. He is,
in fact, in this verse, re-inculcating, what
he had ah-eady said in ver. I6th, 17th, and
24th.
I feel confident that few of my readers
will object to the general principle which I
have assumed, in translating these verses re-
lating to the intercession of the Spirit for the
saints, — namely, that He does not intercede
separately from them, but in them, and along
with them ; and that He does so, by mould-
ing their own petitions into a oneness with
the mind of God.
In the end of verse 26th I have omitted
t.*rg§ mm, for usy an omission fully authorized ;
396 " He that searcheth the hearts,
and I have ascribed the groanings to man,
according to verse ^2d, and the directing of
these groanings to the Spirit.
Ver. 27th. And now let me call the par-
ticular attention of the reader to verse 27th,
which appears to me the ready key to the
difficult passage which follows. Hitherto
the Apostle has been explaining the influ-
ence of the truth and of the Spirit upon
men, as a system of heavenly dynamics, act-
ing upon them, almost like the fixed laws of
nature, being appointed by God for drawing
them out of sin, and keeping them for glory;
but in this verse he makes a change ; he in-
troduces the living personal God, who has
brought this spiritual apparatus to bear
upon men, as coming Himself to search
their hearts, that He may see what recep-
tion is given to it, and that He may par-
ticularize the individuals who have so yield-
ed themselves to His Spirit, as to acquire
the spiritual mind. " He that searcheth the
hearts," recognizes " the spiritual mind,"
the so much desired object of all his deal-
ings with men, the moment that He sees
it. He knows it at once, because, un-
like other human minds, it is in sympathy
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit" 397
with Himself; in consequence of yielding it-
self to the leading of the Spirit, it is now
xxroc Qiov, that is, in harmony with God,
I have rendered this passage by a peri-
phrasis in my translation, because I believe
that Paul himself has done so in the next
verse ; and I have only intended to substi-
tute his comment for the phrase itself. They
whose desires are ^^ according to Godj^* are
they who love God, and who have understood
and obeyed His call to enter into His purpose,
so that they are no longer opposers of it, but
cordial co-operators in it, and thus have be-
come fitted for being placed in a higher class,
so to speak, of God's school. In verse 6th,
it had been said, that the spiritual mind is life
and peace, in opposition to the carnal mind,
which is death. In other words, the one is
under the election, and the other under the
reprobation. And here, in verse 27th, God
is represented as searching diligently into the
hearts of men, for this precious thing, and at
last finding it. And are we to suppose that
nothing takes place in consequence of His
finding it? Impossible. He who is here de-
scribed as the searcher of hearts, is the same
God, who is in another place set forth as a
shepherd, seeking a single lost sheep, — he
398 To ^^ foreknow,^' in this passage
sought diligently till he found it. And did
he leave it then, satisfied with having found
it ? Oh no, he laid it on his shoulder re-
joicing, and carried it home with him, and
there continued to rejoice over it.
He is also the same God whose declared
and established rule towards men, is this,
"Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and
he shall have more abundantly." And so here,
a great change in the condition of such souls
is declared immediately to take place, in con-
sequence of their having accepted and used
the gift of righteousness. All things work
together for their good, — and necessarily so,
for now they find their Father's healing and
quickening will, in all events, whereas, before,
they had only found in them reasons for self-
ish joy or sorrow. But this change on their
perceptions, is not the whole account of them.
A new train of providence comes forth upon
them, suited to their new character, for
" whom God hath pre-ascertained to be in
this spiritual state, them he introduces into
the school of Christ — the school of willing
scholars."
The only condition of mind, in which
training into the likeness of Christ is possi-
ble, is where the scholar is willing, that is.
means to ^^ pre-ascertaiti'' 399
where there is the spiritual mind ; and there-
fore this is the condition of mind which God
has predestined to a conformity to his Son.
And therefore as soon as the searcher of
hearts, " who is seeking such to worship
Him," marks a mind in this condition, He
brings it under this training — the training of
those who are called according to God's pur-
pose.
But He must see or know, that they have
actually come into this condition, before He
can take them into the higher training. As
a physician who requires certain symptoms
in his patient, before he can adopt a particu-
lar treatment.
God calls all men, even the most thought-
less, to consider death and judgment to
come, — that is the lowest class of the school,
— and when any consider and open their
ears, the searcher of hearts marks them im-
mediately, and introduces them within His
predestined training.
That the word, argosy v^;, translated, he did
foreknow, in verse 29th, may possibly have
the meaning which I have here attributed to
it, I believe few acquainted with the Greek
Testament, and the Greek of the LXX.,
will deny ; for they know, that at least in
400 Internal evidence in support of
Acts xxvi. 5, it does, in point of fact, bear this
very meaning ; and in the Wisdom of Solo-
mon (in the Apocrypha,) vi. 18, and viii. 8, it
is twice used for the simple yim<rKUy to know^
which is quite enough for my purpose. But
they will perhaps deny that this is ground
enough, and therefore they may deny the
probability of this being its meaning here.
I believe that, in fact, the usus loquendi,
or ordinary use of the word, as far as the
New Testament goes, is rather in favour of
my interpretation, than against it, but I wish
the reader to weigh the internal evidence for
it, in the first place. 1^
Let us then shortly consider the proba-
bility of the proposed translation, as far as
probability depends on coherence of thought
and argument, and on consistency with the
laws of reasoning. The meaning which I
here attribute to Tr^oiyya, is, as I have said,
nearly the same which evidently and unques-
tionably belongs to 7r§oy<y«o-xovTg?, iu Acts xxvi. 5,
which word our Apostle there uses to signify
the knowledge which the Jews had of his
history, antecedently to the time at which he
was addressing them j " my manner of life
— know all the Jews, who TF^oyivairxcvrii knew
me previously and from the beginning — that
the proposed translation ^ 401
after the most straitest sect of our religion,
I lived a Pharisee." Accordingly I translate
ovq TT^oiym, <* whom God has previously known
or ascertained to be spiritually-minded ;" that
is, persons <« loving God and obeying the call
to enter into His purpose ;" which sense con-
nects our verse with the foregoing context,
where God is described as searching into the
hearts of men, for the very purpose of dis-
covering who amongst them were thus
spirifMally -minded^ or had the mind of the
Spirit ; as it also connects it with the suc-
ceeding context, beginning with " Kxt Tr^ca^Kn,'
because it explains the ground of God's spe-
cial dealing towards such persons, in now
embracing them within his predestined dis-
cipline — a ground evidently agreeing with
that established rule of His government,
" Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and
he shall have more abundantly."
But let us go farther back, to ascertain the
general line and direction of the argument.
In chap. V. 17, it is said that those who ac-
cept the abounding grace of God, and the
gift of righteousness, shall reign in life with
Christ Jesus, — which words set before us
the first step of the Christian's course, and
the last step, or the ultimate blessing with
402 Internal evidence in support of
which God crowns it. In chap. vi. 5, the
Apostle teaches, that a conformity to Christ's
death, is the true standing in, and following
up of this first step. In chap. vii. 6, he teaches
that it is by this death alone, that we can
serve in the newness of the spirit. In chap,
viii. 5 and 6, he shows, that those " who are
after the Spirit," that is, those who serve in
the newness of the spirit, do thus acquire
spiritual'tnindedness, which "is life and
peace." In verses 16 and 17) we are taught
that the witness of the Spirit in those who
are spiritually-minded, bears, not only that
they are God's children and heirs, but also
that they are joint-heirs in the sufferings, as
well as in the glory of Christ ; thus connect-
ing suffering and glory together, as means to
an end, in the minds of believers, and pre- -
paring them to receive afflictions, as the way
by which God would perfect them in the like-
ness, and lead them into the glory of Christ.
Then take verse Syth, and observe how in it,
God is represented as searching for hearts,
thus prepared to receive the full training
which belongs to the school of Christ, and
to drink the cup which Christ drank; and
how in it also, the assurance is given, that
He will not pass over any who are really
the proposed translation. 403
yielding themselves to the Spirit — for He
knoweth the spiritual mind, and that not by
his divine attribute of omniscience merely,
but by sympathy, for the Spirit moulds the
desires of the saints into a conformity with
the will of God, kutcc ©gov, as it is here, and
He feels their oneness with Him. Then
comes verse S8th, which is most important
in connecting what goes before with what
follows. " We know that to persons who
are in such a state of spiritual mindedness,
being Kxrcc ©gov, and who are in this verse
described as loving God, and as having accep-
ted His call to enter into His purpose, all
things work together for good." That is,
God has noticed them, and has taken them
under his own especial charge — into the
school of his own children. See 1 Cor. viii.
8, where it is said, that " if any man love
God, the same is known of him ;" he does
not escape God's notice. And God is not
satisfied with merely noticing him — He
makes all things work together forhis good.
He takes him under a special discipline,
after he is thus known of Him^ lyvuarou iv avrov.
And this leads us to the 29th and 30th
verses, which give the detail of God's deal-
ing towards those in whom he has discovered
404 Grammaiicat evidence in support of
the spiritual mind: ** For whom He has
thus known or marked as being already or
previously in this prepared state of spiritual
mindedness, them He introduces into the
discipline, pre-ordained for carrying such
learners forward to the perfect likeness of
Christ ;" which discipline consists in calling
them to suffer with Christ, that he may
make them partakers in his judicial award
of life, and in his glory.
This is the evidence from coherence, and
from the laws of reasoning, which supports,
and to my own reason and conscience, com-
pletely vindicates the translation which I
have offered.
And now, as a grammatical argument in
support of this translation of 7r^oyim<rKcoy I may
adduce in addition to the example from Acts
xxvi., another instance from chap. xi. 2, of
this very Epistle, where I feel persuaded that
no other sense, except that which has now
been given, will suit the context. The Apostle,
in the prospect of the national rejection of the
Jews, is vindicating God from any suspicion
of unfaithfulness to the spiritual-minded — the
true Israel. " God hath not cast off His
people, — those in whose hearts He has dis-
covered the spiritual mind. For as in the
the proposed translation. 405
days of Elias, the searcher of hearts knew
and preserved for Himself those who had not
bowed to the image of Baal, so now the true
Israel may rest assured that He knows those
that love Him, and that enter into His pur-
pose, and that He will be with them, and
preserve them for Himself, and will show
Himself strong in their behalf/' See 2 Chron.
xvi. 9.
It appears also to me, that 5rgay»»«r<5, in 1
Peter i. 2, has a similar signification. Thus,
** To the strangers of the dispersion, elect,
(according as God the Father has marked
them to be entering into His purpose,) to the
sanctification of the Spirit, for bringing them
into the obedience of Christ, and into a
participation of his death," — which is the
sprinkling of his blood.
If yivu<T-xu, to knoWy is taken in the sense
which it bears in Matt. vii. S3, and 1 Cor.
viii. 3, the compound verb, Tr^cyt^frKu, would
necessarily have the sense which I attribute
to it.
The whole argument for the common trans-
lation of the passage, consists in an alleged
usus loquendi, or ordinary use of the word,
the existence of which usus, I have disproved,
as far as the New Testament is concerned ;
406 The same subject
for I have adduced more than one half of the
instances in which the word occurs there, in
support of the proposed translation. And as
to the interna] evidence on the question, I
am sure that the reader will agree with me
when I say, that it is all on the other side ;
for unquestionably the passage as it stands
in our common translation, is as an embank-
ment, drawn across the entire current of the
argument of the Apostle, which stops it and
prevents its flowing on to the conclusion
which he had himself anticipated; it is the in-
troduction of a new subject which supersedes
and renders nugatory all that goes before, and
infuses contradiction into all that follows ;
whereas, the interpretation off*ered, opens a
clear unincumbered passage to the stream,
receiving that which comes from above,
and sending it on to the ground yet to be
watered by it.
A particular quality, described from its
formation, till its developement, has been,
through the whole course of the Epistle, held
up before us as the object of God's appro-
bation and blessing — and here, at this very
point of the argument, which we have now
reached, when God Himself, personally, is
represented, as searching into the hearts of
continued. 407
men, to ascertain who among them are pos-
sessors of this quality, in order that the bless-
ing to be bestowed on them, may not seem
to come upon them through a mere necessity
of nature, but by the discriminating act of a
wise and loving Father, who gives more
abundantly to those who rightly use the
talent entrusted to them ; at this very junc-
ture, the common interpretation o^ foreknow,
comes in, disconcerting and overturning the
whole of the argument and illustration, by
converting God's discovery of spiritual-mind-
edness, in the hearts of those who have
yielded themselves to Him, into an absolute
decree of election, which regards not char-
acters but persons, and leading on to the
farther error of converting also his retributive
acts, in recompence of their faithful steward-
ship, into arbitrary acts of mere sovereignty.
I am certain that I have the conscience of
my reader with me, in all that I have said ;
and I cannot but hope that his reason also
goes along with me. The following list
refers to passages which confirm the prin-
ciple I have assumed in this interpretation :
John iv. 23. 2 Chron. xvi. 9. Psalm iv. 3.
Psalm xxxiii. 18. The passages which fol-
low illustrate the subject differently ; 1 Cor.
408 The same subject concluded.
viii. 3. Mark v. ^5 — 35. Luke xv. Acts
xvi. 14.
I shall add only one more consideration
in proof of the truth and coherence of the
view which I have given ; and it is this, that,
at the beginning of Chap, xii., after conclud-
ing the argumentative part of the Epistle which
bears on the subject of election, the Apostle
gives an exhortation to the disciples, tallying
perfectly with the view which has here been
taken, namely, implying, that God has put
the blessing within their own reach, and that
the way to obtain it, is to die to their flesh,
and to yield to the will of God, '' I beseech
you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies a living sac-
rifice, holy, acceptable, unto God, which is
your reasonable service. And be ye not con-
formed to this world, but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your minds, that ye may
prove what is that good and acceptable, and
perfect will of God."
Ver. 30. '' Moreover, whom he did pre-
destinate, them He also called ; and whom
He justified, them he also glorified."
There appears to me to be nothing abso-
lutely fixed or irrevocable intended in this
sequence. It is the substance of the hope
Rom, viii. 29. 409
set before the spiritually-minded, as the or-
der of God's purpose towards them ; which
shall most surely be accomplished to those
who maintain their spiritual-mindedness ;
whilst such as fall away, " shall know God's
breach of promise."
IJiat IirSt step, U^oa^ia-i crvuf^,o^^ovg rvjg liKovog rov
ifiov uvTov, He predestinated to he conformed to
the image of His Son^ — embraces all the
three following steps, which are merely the
detail of it. '£x«a?« seems to refer to the call
to suffer with Christ, as, in 1 Peter ii. 23,
"EhKdiuxri may either mean. He made them
righteous — or. He judicially acquitted them,
in raising them from the dead ; I have chosen
the latter, to make it agree with ver. 34th.
When 1 say, that I believe this series of
acts to be conditional, on the maintenance
of the spiritual mind, I would refer to a
somewhat similar series in Chap. v. 3, 4, 5,
where evidently each successive step is con-
ditional, on the previous one being perse-
vered in, — and the whole series is condi-
tional, on the believer continuing in that
love of God which is shed abroad in his
heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him.
(See also, John xiv. 23 ; xv. 6, 7, 10.) So
here the series is conditional. The thing
410 The Spirit of the Son.
marked in it is God's purpose ; not a pur-
pose to be accomplished independently of
man's will, but through man's co-operation.
And it is made known, in order that man
seeing the excellence of the purpose to be
accomplished by the breaking down of the
flesh, may give himself up to God, as a will-
ing instrument in the blessed work ; not re-
fusing his punishment, but " taking joyfully
the spoiling of his goods, knowing in himself,
that he has in heaven a better and an en-
during substance," Heb. x. 34.
Let me remind the reader here, that a sub-
mission to God's will or purpose, in the Spirit
of Christ, does not mean a mere submission
to authority, nor even a mere affectionate
and confiding submission to the authority of
a loving Father; it means farther and beyond
all this, a submission to the will of God,
grounded on a discernment of its excellence
and righteousness — so that it is not a mere
obedience — it is a sympathy — it is a consent
to the purpose of God, on the very principle
which induced God to form the purpose ;
and thus it is an actual participation in His
righteousness, not by imputation, but in sub-
stance and in reality, as is the participation
of Jesus with the Father. This is the full
Eom. viii. 38, 39. 411
sonship — the participation of the Divine na-
ture, through union with the Son of God.
When a man is in this condition, he is pre-
pared for every event — he loves God, and
he enters into God's purpose, and thus he
feels that all things work, and must work,
together for his good. Nothing but his own
rejection of the love and the purpose of God,
can separate him from the blessing which
accompanies the progress, and crowns the
completion of the work ; and the thought of
such a thing his very soul abhors.
Ver. 38, 39. " For I am persuaded, that
neither death nor life, nor angels, nor princi-
palities, — nor any other creature, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which
is in or through Christ Jesus, our LordJ*
I think that the remarks which were made on
the expression, in Christ Jesus, at the con-
clusion of Chapters vi. and vii., apply here
also — that is, I believe that the Apostle
means to say, that God's electing love is
limited to those who consent to partake in
Christ's death, namely, the spiritually-mind-
ed; and that nothing can separate such
persons from the love of God. And this
meaning is a most apt introduction to the
412 True Righteousness.
following chapter, as will immediately ap-
pear.
The Apostle has now finished that part of
his discourse in which it was his object to
explain the nature of true righteousness, in
its first principles, in its progress, and in its
consummation, and he has done it in a way
fitted to bring home to the consciences of
his readers, the conviction that the right-
eousness which he has described, is really
righteousness, the right condition of man's
heart and mind before God, and not a mere
conventional thing, consisting in forms or
ceremonies, or opinions, or points of doctrine ;
— and that, as it is accessible to all, so it is
also necessary for all, as being that state of
heart in which alone salvation consists, and
on which alone the favour and blessing of
God can rest.
He has shown that it is a turning from all
confidence in the flesh, as a life or as a di-
rection, and a returning to God, and a trust-
ing in Him, as the true rest, and life, and
direction of our souls. He has shown that it
is the condition of a heart, which rejecting
all other confidences than God, and all
other grounds of confidence in Him, than
True Righteousness. 413
His own essential love and righteousness,
commits itself unreservedly to His hands,
that His purpose in its creation and redemp-
tion may be fully accomplished, — and which
makes this surrender of itself to Him, in the
full knowledge both of its own sinfulness
and liability to punishment, and of His deter-
mination to punish sin, and to slay the flesh
which hath been tainted with sin. Such
a confidence, it is evident, can only have
place in a heart, which, believing that it
is the loving desire and purpose of God to
make it blessed by making it holy, enters
fully into that purpose, and gives itself into
His hands for that end, in the expectation of
sorrow and death, — as a man afflicted with a
cancer might put himself into the hands of
a surgeon, of whose skill he is assured, and
who has said to him, I will answer for your
cure, even now, if you will give yourself up
unreservedly to my treatment.
But God's cure is always and exclusively
through the death of the flesh, lovingly and
confidently consented to, on the part of the
patient. And to inspire us with this loving
confidence. He hath set forth Jesus Christ,
as our Head and the Captain of our salvation,
passing through this very process before us,
414 True Righteous7iess.
and so entering into glory, — and giving himself
to us as the pledge, — that the Father's desire
for every man, and purpose for every man,
is that very desire and purpose which has
been exemplified and accomplished in him-
self, and that the same Spirit, in the strength
of which he passed through it, is given to us
in him, that we also may pass through it to
the same glorious issue.
To consent to this purpose of God, is to
partake of Christ's death, and to cast in our
lot with him ; — it is to live in the Spirit, and
not in the flesh, and this is that righteousness
which God acknowledges in man.
But this was not the righteousness which
the Jews as a nation even conceived of
Their confidence before God rested on out-
ward privileges, and their hope looked for-
ward to a fleshly glory; and in rejecting
Christ they had not rejected a new system
of doctrine, bat they had rejected the Spirit,
and chosen the flesh ; they had rejected the
purpose of God, and had chosen the devices of
their own hearts. They could not plead in
their defence that they had only made a
mistake, and that, in their righteous zeal for
God, they had taken vengeance on one who
seemed to them to dishonour God. Their
Rom. ix. 1 — 9. 415
sin did not consist in mistaking a man, but
in rejecting those flesh-crucifying truths to
which he bore testimony.
It is with this view of their state, that
Paul now turns to them, and resumes that
direct and personal expostulation which he
had been addressing to them in chaps, ii. and
iii., the object of which is, to prove to them
what they were most unwilling to admit,
namely, that the rejection and condemnation
under which they now lay, were in perfect
accordance with all the promises of God to
their fathers — and at the same time to assure
them, that each individual Jew was still in-
vited to partake in the righteousness, and so
to partake of the kindgom of God.
Chap. ix. 1 — 9. "I speak the truth in Christ,
i lie not, my conscience also bearing me wit-
ness along with the Holy Spirit, that I have
great and unceasing sorrow in my heart :"
(namely, on account of the Jewish people,
who, by their carnality and rejection of Christ,
have not only shut themselves out from that
electing love, Avhich flows through him only,
but have brought down a fearful judgment on
themselves :) " for I ^ould wish that after
the example of Christ, or following the steps
416 Bom.'ix. 1—9.
of Christ,* I might be made a curse, or
might suffer for my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to
whom pertains the adoption, and the glory,
and the covenants, and the giving of the law,
and the form of worship, and the promises ;
whose are the fathers, and of whom, as con-
cerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over
all, God blessed for ever." But though I
thus grieve for my countrymen, mv feeling
is " not as though the word of God's promise
to them had failed, for they are not all Israel
who are of Israel j neither because they are
the seed of Abraham, are they all children ;
but. In Isaac, shall thy seed be called : that
* 1 have varied considerably from the common version
in verse 3d. It seems to me impossible to suppose that
Paul could really have wished to be separated from Christ
for any object whatever, and therefore, I have adopted
that use of the preposition u7ro,Jromf which we find made
in 2 Tim. i. 3, where it signifies, after the example of, or
following the steps of: — " I thank God, whom I serve,
following the steps of my forefathers."
And in the same way, we probably ought to explain
the book out of which Moses desired his name to be
blotted, when he made the intercession recorded in
Exod. xxxii. 32, as the book containing the names of
those who were to enter into the promised land.
Rom. ix. 1—9. 417
is, they which are the children of the flesh,
these are not the chihiren of God, but the
children of the promise are counted for the
seed." (And therefore if the Jews have now
chosen the flesh as their hope and portion, and
are thus the children of the flesh, they have
separated themselves from the promises,
which belonged to Isaac, only as the type
and representative of the children of God,
the spiritual seed, and have come under the
rejection which lay on Ishmael, as the type
of the flesh.) "For this is the word of pro-
mise, at this time will I come, and Sarah
shall have a son."
The Apostle, however deeply aff'ected he
was by the thought of the rejection and over-
throw of his nation, yet saw nothing in it
but what was according to God's promises.
The Jews, on the contrary, thought that
their rejection would bring a charge against
God of unfaithfulness to his promises. The
object of the Apostle, accordingly, in this
passage, is to prove to them, from the facts
which occurred at the commencement of
their family history, that all God's promises
were really made, not to a fleshly line of
descendants from Abraham, but to the spirit-
ual mind, the spiritual seed of God, — those
s 2
418 i?ow. ix. 1— 9. .
who live in the hope of His kingdom — of
whom Isaac was only a type ; — so that he is
here merely making a particular application
to the Jews, of that doctrine about the flesh
and the Spirit, which he had been laying
down in the former chapter, and deducing
from it the vindication of God's righteous-
ness in punishing them. That this is in-
deed his meaning, is proved not only by
the consistency and consecutiveness which
the assumption of it gives to his reasoning,
but chiefly (as I have before said) by the
emphatic words in verse 8th, ''That is,"
which, as they stand, most distinctly declare,
that under this history of the birth of Isaac,
and of his being preferred to Ishmael, as
the heir of his father, a deeper and more
important truth was concealed, namely, that
God's favour and election rested not on the
flesh, represented by Ishmael, but on the
Spirit, represented by Isaac — for the child
of the promise, that is, the heart which lives
by the promise, and the spiritual mind, are
one thing.
This view of the argument is abundantly
confirmed by referring to Gal. iv. 24, where
after the same history has been brought
forward, the Apostle adds, «« which things
The spiritual seed is the true heir. 419
are an allegory," or, which things contain
under them an exposition of the general
principles of God's dealings towards men.
The same view is farther confirmed, by
referring to Gal. iii. 16, where it is said, that
"to Abraham and his seed, were the promises
made ; he saith not, and to seeds, as of many,
but as of one, and thy seed, which is Christ:"
for thus it is evident, that Isaac was but a
type of him to whom the promises were
truly made ; and hence also it follows, that
inasmuch as the Jews separated themselves
from, and rejected Christ, they also separated
themselves from, and rejected all the promises
of God.
The coincidence of verse 9th in our pas-
sage, with Luke i. S5^ also marks that it was
God's seed, rather than Abraham's, that was
the object of all this revelation. " At this
time I shall come, and Sarah shall have a
son." " The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee — therefore that holy thing, that shall
be born of thee, shall be called the Son of
God." As the one event was a type of the
other, so the one child was a type of the
other. And both births were in their out-
ward circumstances typical of that personal
regeneration, which takes place in those who
420 JRom. ix. 1—9,
yield themselves to be led by the Spirit af
God, which comes upon all, and striveth
with all the children of men.
Thus Christ, being that true seed, to which
the promises were made, was also the true
Isaac, the true Jacob, and the true Israel
that came out of Egypt ^ and therefore those
who mocked him, were the true Ish'mael,
and those who despised his future kingdom,
in comparison of this present world, were
the true Esau, and those who slew him, were
the true Pharaoh — in the judgment of Him
who searcheth the hearts, whatever their
names might have been amongst men. "Eor
he is not a Jew, that is one outwardly ;"
<« but he is a Jew that is one inwardly," and
he only.
Now, what was the mistake which the
Jews at that very time were making? They
thought themselves Isaac, whilst in fact, by
living in the flesh, they had actually taken
IshmaePs place ; and therefore whilst they
were fondly appropriating to themselves the
promises, the word that truly now applied to
them was, " Cast out the bond woman and
her son," &c. For ** they which are the
children of the flesh, these are not the chil-
dren, of God, but the children of the promise
Isaac and Jacob types of the seed. 421
(who live on the hope of the promise,) are
counted for the seed." (Ver. 8th.)
This was their error. They were set up as
a type of the elect church — and they thought
that they were the elect church. And this
error was a wilful error, for God had been
warning them against it from the beginning.
For when He set up a type of the elect church
in their family. He wrote, as it were, in large
letters, on its very forehead, this fundamental
truth, that His true Church consisted only
of those who lived by the Spirit of Christ,
waiting for the hope of glory beyond death.
The large letters in which He wrote this,
were, the history of Abraham's two sons,
Ishmael and Isaac ; and of Isaac's two sons,
Esau and Jacob. God set up Abraham as
the type of the elect church ; but there was
much in Abraham that He could not approve
or elect, — indeed, there was but one thing in
him which he could approve, and that was
his yielding to the Spirit. As far as Abraham
lived by the Spirit of Christ, which led him
to look beyond death for his portion, God
approved of him, and elected him as an heir
of the promise ; and as far as he lived in the
flesh, seeking a present portion, by present
means, God disapproved of him. Abraham
422 Rom. ix. 1—9.
had in him the seeds of both these things,
namely, of the First Adam as the carnal
mind, and of the Second Adam as the spir-
itual mind ; but it was only one of them
that was the true representative of the elect
church, namely, the spiritual mind, which is
no type, but the very thing itself. When,
therefore, it pleased God to set up Abraham
as a type of the church. He desired to mark
that it was not the flesh of Abraham, but the
Spirit of Christ in Abraham, that he really
chose. This could not be done by dividing
Abraham himself into his two parts, and
therefore God divided him, as it were, in his
sons, and thus showed forth his two parts,
separated the one from the other, — Ishmael
representing the flesh, and Isaac the spirit.
This was a great typical representation of
the same nature as that which Jeremiah saw
in the potter's house. Ishmael, whose birth
was, in the blind course of nature, not di-
rected by God, but by a carnal wisdom deter-
mined on securing, by ordinary means, an
heir to Abraham's house, was a fit type of
the old Adam, or carnal mind, which grows
up in a heart that calculates, for the accom-
plishment of its objects, on the known pow-
ers of this present life, which go on blindly,
Isaac and Ishmael. 423
and, as it were, independent of God. And
Isaac, by being the child of promise, born out
of the course of nature, born of Abraham's
body now dead, and raised out of the dead-
ness of Sarah's womb as out of a grave, was
a fit type of the new nature, the second ves-
sel, raised from the ruins of the first. For
spiritual life in the soul springs up out of a
despair of all created help. The will of the
flesh was in Abraham, and it was the seed
from which Ishmael typically sprung. The
word of God was also in Abraham's con-
science, and it was the seed from which
Isaac typically sprung. But this good seed
was not quickened into an Isaac, until the
will of man was despaired of. These two
seeds are in every human being, and this
great type was set up, that every human
being might know which of these seeds was
God's elect, and how that good seed might
be brought to life and to maturity.
The typical election must be on persons,
but the real election is on characters; and
when we forget this, and look on Isaac as
originally elect, and Ishmael as originally
reprobate, without regard to the Spirit and
the flesh, of which they were types, we make
the same mistake as the Jews, confounding
424 Rom. ix. 10—13.
the type with the thing typified, and we need
to be recalled to that word again, ** In Isaac
shall thy seed be called, that is, they which
are the children of the flesh, they are not the
children of God, but the children of the pro-
mise, or those who live by the hope of the
promise, are counted for the seed."
Ver. 10—13. <«And not only this, but
when Rebecca had conceived by one, even
by our father Isaac ; (for the children being
not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to
election might stand, not of works, but of
him that calleth,) it was said unto her, the
elder shall serve the younger ; as it is writ-
ten, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I
hated."
Tlie same important instruction was re-
peated in the next generation also. God
would teach the Jews and the world, that
although He had thus shown the flesh and
the spirit of Abraham, typically separated in
Ishmael and Isaac, yet that the wheat and
the tares still grew together, and He would
guard them against supposing, that all Abra-
ham's carnality went off with Ishmael, and that
nothing now remained in Isaac but what was
elect, so that his descendants must be elect
Jacob and Esau. 425
also ; and therefore he made the same divi-
sion in Isaac that he had before made in
Abraham, thereby testifying by a most speak-
ing type, that this separation of the elect and
the reprobate, was to be made in every man,
because the two seeds were in every man,
and therefore that there was no hereditary
election, that there was nothing elect except
the spiritual mind, which must, in every in-
dividual instance, be formed by a voluntary
cleaving to the future hope, and a consent to
the breaking down of present things.
But there is an addition made here to the
preceeding type. Both seeds are now re-
presented as together in one womb, just as
they are in every man, and then we have the
word which was spoken to Rebecca, "the
elder shall serve the younger."
Esau, like Ishmael, is a type of the First
Adam, who is elder than Christ, as being the
First Head of the race, and who has the ad-
vantage of being first in possession of the
heart of man. Jacob, like Isaac, is a type of
Christ, who is younger than Adam, though
the ancient of days, as the Second Head,
and who comes into the heart of man as in-
to a field already occupied by another. These
two who are the fiesh and the Spirit, strug-
426 Rom. ix. 10—13.
gle for the mastery in man's heart ; and the
elder, who is the first occupant, seems to
be the stronger, so that it even sometimes
appears hopeless to resist him, — but God,
who brought Isaac out of the deadness of
Sarah's womb, desires us not to regard ap-
pearances, but to know assuredly that the
younger is the stronger, and shall prevail ;
so that if we join with him, we shall partake
of his victory, whereas if we join the flesh,
we shall perish with it.
The instruction and warning contained
in this type, receive additional point and
strength from that verse, *' for the children
being not yet horm, neither having clone any
good or evil, that the purpose of God accord-
ing to election might stand, not of works,
but of Him that calleth, it was said unto
her. The elder shall serve the younger," &c.
God gives us a true judgment of the two
seeds, before they come to fruit. He would
not have us say, «' The will of man is not
to be condemned, until it break out in some
open act of evil ; — till then, we may nur-
ture it in ourselves or others." He would
have us know before-hand, that it is a seed
of death, lying under the condemnation.
And this is needful, for whilst the evil prin-
" The children being not yet born^ 427
ciple of the flesh is restrained within a man,
from bringing forth effects which interfere
with the peace and comfort of society, al-
though the seed of the Spirit remains un-
quickened in him, he may think of himself,
and others may think it of him, that he has
no need to die unto his own will, and to the
flesh — for he is not disposed to do any thing
wrong. To such a one, God addresses this
word, " The children being not yet born," —
that is, the two principles of the carnal and
the spiritual mind, being not yet manifested
in their eff'ects, are nevertheless known and
judged by God, the one as the reprobate, the
other as the elect. God refuses all the ser-
vice and worship of the flesh; — He will none
of it. He will accept only the service and
worship of the Spirit. He is not now put-
ting the flesh on its probation, as if to see
whether it will yet choose righteousness ;
He knows that it cannot; He has already
condemned and rejected it, and he has
put man on his probation, whether he will
walk in the Spirit or the flesh. And He has
forewarned him of the consequences of his
choice : " The elder shall serve the younger,"
— the younger is the Lord's anointed, and
by joining him, you will partake in his king-
428 Rom. ix. 10—13.
dom ; the elder is the flesh, and by continu-
ing joined to it, you will continue a slave.
*« That the purpose of God according to
election might stand, not of works, but of
Him that calleth," &c.
The flesh, whatever its works may be, is
still the flesh — its works are outside things
merely, springing not from love, but from
selfishness 5 and the Spirit is that which
God hath called to serve Him and enjoy
Him — yea,* He hath called it out of the flesh,
" Out of Egypt (the standing type of the
flesh) have I called my Son'' This is the
true Jacob whom God loves, and the true
Esau whom he hates. They are in every
man as seeds, and each seed contains the
future tree — and thus, every man by yield-
ing himself to the Spirit, though yet only a
seed, comes under the blessing of Jacob ; as
by continuing in the flesh, though it has not
yet broken out into violence, he abides un-
der the curse of Esau.
The importance of this point to the
Apostle's present argument with the Jews,
will be more felt, if we remember, that from
the time of the captivity, they had nev-
er fallen into the sin of outward idolatry, —
and that, at the time of Christ's appearing
«« Esau have I hated:* 429
amongst them, they made a greater profes-
sion of religion than, perhaps, they had ever
before done. Their fault was, that their
religion was a lie, being rooted in the flesh.
But in consequence of their sin not taking
that gross form which it had done in their
forefathers, they deceived themselves, and
thought themselves far advanced in holiness.
And they needed to be told, that the evil
root, out of which their whole life grew,
made it altogether an abomination in the
sight of God.
The subsequent transactions by which the
prophecy was fulfilled in the type, proves
that Jacob's election was only a typical elec-
tion, but still the circumstances are illustra-
tive of the principle on which God's election
is truly founded. Esau, as the type of the
flesh, seeks his good things now, and for one
morsel of meat sells his birth-right — Jacob
gives up the present for the future, and thus
supplants his elder brother. Esau casts in
his lot with the first vessel, Jacob with the
second.
The last clause of verse 13th, "Jacob have
I loved and Esau have I hated," is a quota-
tion from Malachi. God's hatred for Esau
declared in that passage, clearly means His
430 Rom. ix. 10—13.
judgments on Esau ; and the Apostle evi-
dently introduces the clause here, for the
purpose of warning the Jews, that as they
had taken Esau's place, they ought to expect
to share in these judgments.
This had been denounced to them by
the Apostle, in chaps, ii. and iii. He had
declared chap. ii. 8, that " To them who
are contentious and do not obey the truth,
but obey unrighteousness, God would ren-
der tribulation and anguish, indignation and
wrath, upon every soul of man that doeth
evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gen-
tile." And when, in chap. iii. 5, the Jew
acknowledging the truth of the charge of sin
against his nation, is yet supposed to plead
against the infliction of the punishment, by
saying, " But if our unrighteousness com-
mend the righteousness of God, what shall
we say ?" He instantly replies, " Is God
unrighteous, who taketh vengeance ? God
forbid, for then how shall God judge the
world?"
Let the reader observe, that the Apostle
is now following out, in the passage before
us, that same line of argument with the Jews
personally, by which he justifies God in
their rejection and punishment, which he
Eom. ix. 14—18. 431
had commenced in chapters ii. and iii. The
comparison of the two passages throws great
light on both.
Chap. ix. 14—18. "What shall we then
say ?" If the promises to the fathers, as has
been shown, really belong only to the spir-
itual seed, and exclude the flesh, the carnal
xnind — and if the Jews have, as a nation,
rejected the Spirit, and chosen the flesh, and
are deep sunk in carnal mindedness, — "Is
there unrighteousness with God'' in dealing
with them accordingly? Or is there any
thing in His covenant with them, or in His
long toleration of them, which would make
it to be unrighteousness in Him, if He were
now to cast them off"? "Far from it." There
is not even the smallest ground for such an
accusation. For, at the great ratification of
the national covenant at Sinai, and on the
occasion of the people setting up the golden
calf, God expressly declared, that He might
even then have righteously consumed them,
and that the relation into which He had
taken them, as His peculiar people, laid
Him under no obligation to them, either to
retain them in that relation, or to abstain
from punishing them, like other nations ;
and that, though He then exercised forbear-
432 Rom,'ix. 14—18.
ance towards them, this was not to be teter-
preted into a pledge of future impunity, for
He exercised it, not because they had any
claim to it, either on their own account or
on account of their fathers, but because it
served His purpose of grace, both towards
themselves and towards the world ; *« as He
said to Moses, (in answer to his intercession
for them,) I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, and I will have compassion on
whom I will have compassion." So then, it
is not owing to their own deserts, or to the
deserts of any man, that the Jews have been
upheld to this day as the peculiar people, but
simply, to the forbearance of God, who might
justly have cast them off, on account of
their rebellious spirit, at any period of their
history. And surely it is manifest, that
God's forbearance in times past, more espe-
cially if it has been neglected and misused,
so far from being a just ground for expecting
impunity in the time to come, ought rather
to be taken, — as an assurance of an increas-
ed aggravation of punishment yet to be in-
flicted, proportioned to the aggravation of
guilt, when God's purposes, in providence,
no longer require the active services of the
sinner, — or even as an indication that God
Rom, ix. 14—18. 433
has not only had a present use to make of
the sin, but has also been waiting a fitter
opportunity of proving the evil of such a
course, by the fearfulness of the conclusion to
which it leads. '« For the Scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I
deferred thy punishment, and continued thee
in life, that 1 might, through thee make my
power known, and that my name might be
declared throughout all the earth. Thus He
Himself determines how long forbearance
is to be exercised, and when is the time for
judgment — who are the fit objects of for-
bearance, and who are to be set forth as ex-
amples of the consequences of hardening
the heart."
I beg the reader to suspend his judgment
of this paraphrase until he reads the defence
of it.
When the Apostle had explained, that
under the types of Isaac and Jacob, Christ
and his spiritual seed, that is, the spiritual
mind, was meant to be set forth, as the true
heir of the promises, and the true object of
God's judicial election ; — and that, under the
types of Ishmael and Esau, the carnal mind,
which desires the things of time, and disre-
gards the things of eternity, is set forth, as
434 Bom. ix. 14—18.
excluded from any participation in the pro-
mises or the election, — he felt that he had
satisfactorily proved that the Jewish nation,
— as they then stood, living in the flesh and
rejecting the Spirit, desiring the kingdom of
this world, and refusing the kingdom to which
God called them, through dying to the flesh,
— had evidently no claim to the promises or
the election ; and that, in fact, the existence
of such a claim on their part, in their present
circumstances, would have been a practical
contradiction of the principles' of which they
were set up as the typical witnesses.
He saw also, that if the election of their
fathers and of themselves, to fill that place of
typical witnesses for the truth of God, which
they had so long held, and in consequence of
which they had possessed so many advan-
tages, was only a typical election, shadowing
forth the true election of the spiritual mind, —
it necessarily followed, that being thus only an
outward and preparatory dispensation, subor-
dinate to a higher dispensation, it was subject
to the purpose, and fell under the law, of
that higher dispensation, — and consequently,
that it was perfectly consistent with God's
righteousness at any time to set it aside,
or to continue it, as He saw it to be most
" Is there unrighteousness with Godf' 435
conducive to the accomplishment of the ob-
ject embraced by that higher dispensation ;
and farther, that it was especially consistent
with His righteousness, that He should show
out the meaning of the higher dispensation
through it, by making that very people, —
whom he had so remarkably favoured, by
setting them up as the types of the spiritual
mind — if they, notwithstanding, should them-
selves reject the Spirit, and choose the flesh
— a signal example of vengeance, as they had
made themselves a signal example of unfaith-
fulness in their trust. This conclusion was
evidently contained in the explanation which
he had given of the early patriarchal history ;
and as he had given them that explanation
with the view of pressing the conclusion upon
them, he now, in the passage before us, ap-
peals to themselves, whether the conclusion
is not just and reasonable.
W hat shall we say then ? Is there unright-
eousness with God in casting off the Jewish
people, and making them a monument of
vengeance, after so long an acknowledgment
of them ? Is there any reason to think that
He would not do it ?
That this is the meaning of the question
which is here put, will not.be disputed by
436 Rom. ix. 14—18.
any one who keeps in mind the train of the
reasoning both before and after, and who
compares it with the parallel passage in chap,
iii. 1 — 8. And yet I believe, that from in-
advertence, and a traditional habit of inter-
pretation, it is often read as if its meaning
were — *' Is there unrighteousness with God
in making one man a Jacob, and another an
Esau — in giving one man the Spirit, and re-
fusing it to another ; in predestinating one
man to be eternally blessed, and another to
be eternally miserable?" But such ideas
have no connection with the argument ; they
may be brought by a reader to the chapter ;
but they certainly cannot, with any reason,
be drawn from it.
The real difficulty of this part of the chap-
ter, consists in determining what that plea
is, which Paul here supposes that the Jews
are setting up in their own minds, against his
position, and which he replies to, by the two
following quotations from the book of Exo-
dus. For as it is not explicitly stated, it can
only be gathered by inference from parallel
passages, or from the reply which he makes
to it.
But these two sources supply most abun-
dant evidence as to what it really is. An
" Is there unrighteousness with God ? " 437
important parallel passage is in chap. iii. 1 —
8, where evidently the Jews are supposed
to plead for themselves, that, although their
guilt were proved, yet that did not prove that
they ought to be punished ; for that the glory
of God's faithfulness to His covenant with
them, was magnified, by their very unworthi-
ness, and his wisdom was shown in drawing
good out of their evil.
The Apostle answers the plea in that
place, by a simple appeal to their con-
sciences, and by showing them that it in-
volved a complete subversion of all righteous
government, and all moral principle. But
here he answers it by an appeal to the Scrip-
tures, and to God's recorded dealings with
men, in parallel circumstances.
The similarity of the two expressions —
** Is there unrighteousness with God ?" and,
<' Is God unrighteous who taketh ven-
geance?" is not casual, but marks the re-
sumption of a train which had been dropped.
This circumstance, therefore, gives us reason
to suppose, that this same claim to impunity,
notwithstanding the proof of their guilt, is
still the basis of the objection here again in-
troduced for examination. And this idea is
confirmed by the agreement of the Apostle's
438 Rom, ix. 14—18.
answer to it ; whilst, at the same time, it is
evident from that answer, that the claim is
here set up upon a new ground, which I shall
state at once, leaving my statement to be
verified by the Apostle's answer, as we pro-
ceed with it. The objection, then, is this —
that if the sinfulness of the Jews were really
just cause for God's casting them off. He
would have done it long ago, inasmuch as
they were always sinning; and thus, that
their continued existence as a nation, and
their continued enjoyment of their privileges,
became a proof, that God Himself did not
consider it consistent with righteousness to
cast them off, merely on account of sin.
If this be the true view of the Jewish ar-
gument, it is evident that the Apostle's an-
swer, in order to meet it, besides containing
an express contradiction of their claim to
impunity, ought also to show a reason, first,
why God had so long borne with their sins ;
and, secondly, why He should now cease to
bear with them.
But this is precisely the substance of his
answer. He adduces two passages of Scrip-
ture, recording the decision of God Himself
on these very points ; — the first proving,
from the tenor of His answer to Moses when
" Is there unrighteousness with God 9 " 439
he interceded for the people in the matter
of the golden calf, that whilst He held Israel
to be as much liable to punishment as any
other nation, He yet reserved to Himself the
right of exercising forbearance to them, when,
by such forbearance. He might either lead
themselves to repentance, or otherwise ad-
vance the great purpose of grace which
He was carrying on in the world ; — the se-
cond proving, from God's manner of dealing
with Pharaoh, (whose place, in respect to
the true spiritual seed, the Jewish people
now most completely occupied,) that His
delaying to inflict punishment on obstinate
sinners, was not an abandonment either of
His right, or His intention, to punish them ;
but was a part of His scheme for accom-
plishing His purpose of grace either in them-
selves or others ; and that therefore, when
He saw that their preservation could no
longer serve that purpose. He would make
them serve it by their punishment, and by
holding them forth, in their full-grown in-
iquity, as examples of the danger of resisting
His warnings, and neglecting the advantages
which He had bestowed, and hardening their
heart against His long-suffering.
The Apostle's object in making these two
440 Eom. ix. 14—18.
quotations, is not so much to mark any dif-
ference, in point of magnitude, between the
sin of Israel in the matter of the golden calf,
and that of Pharaoh, as to give a reason why-
God should exercise forbearance at one time,
and inflict punishment at another, although
no great difference might be discernible in the
two cases. And that reason, as I have just
said, he explains to be, that God is carrying
on a great plan of grace in the world ; and
that, for the promotion of this plan. He makes
use of men and their actions ; and that there-
fore, whilst He is using a man's instrumen-
tality in it, although the man may, on ac-
count of sin, deserve to be cut off from the
earth, yet He will defer his punishment un-
til His use of him is finished ; and thus, He
farther promotes His all-embracing plan of
grace, either by the sinner's ceasing from his
sin, and yielding to grace, or by his becoming
a more striking and signal monument of the
evil consequences of sin.
If we take for granted that this is the true
view of the two passages here quoted by the
Apostle, their application to the matter in
hand is evidently most plain and direct. For
by them he completely overturns the argu-
ment of the Jews, and forces on them the
" / tvill have mercy on whom 1 will have mercy." 44 1
conclusion, that the long delay of their pun-
ishment, which they had been interpreting
into a pledge of impunity, was the conse-
quence of God's having a purpose to accom-
plish through their national existence and
instrumentality; and that therefore, when
that purpose was accomplished, the reason
of forbearance would cease, and punishment
would necessarily come.
In this view, also, the wisdom manifested
in the choice of the two instances quoted, is
most manifest and striking. In the first,
God appears rejecting that plea of Moses,
(Exod. xxxiii. 13,) " Consider that this na-
tion is thy people ;'* and answering, '« I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy," —
I acknowledge no claim in Israel to sin with
impunity, any more than in another nation ;
but I will exercise forbearance as I see fit
and good. We cannot avoid applying this
word to the peculiar people, inasmuch as it
is expressly addressed to them. But most
assuredly it reduces them, in point of claim,
to impunity, to the level of the Gentiles ;
and thus it prepares us to apply to them also
the second passage quoted, (which, other-
wise, we might have hesitated to do,) in
T 2
442 Rom. ix. 14—18.
which God addresses a Gentile sinner, and
tells him, that, notwithstanding all his pride,
and obstinacy, and self-will, He was using
him, and would use him, for purposes the
very opposite of those which his own heart
intended j and that it was only because He
had such purposes to serve by the continu-
ance of his life, that He had hitherto delayed
his punishment; but that that punishment
was even now hanging over him ; and that it
should be as memorable as his offences, and
that the record of it should remain through
all ages, as a perpetual demonstration of
God's power and will to punish those who
trampled on His forbearance.
It must have been a very galling thing to
the Jews, to have had their own condition,
and character, and prospects, thus compared
to, and illustrated by, those of Pharaoli. But
the Apostle evidently introduces the instance
for the direct purpose of warning them, that
in very truth they were now occupying Pha-
raoh's ground, and were actually standing on
the very brink of a punishment like that
which overwhelmed him at last, for that they
had sinned just as he had, and that the pur-
pose which God had in view by their contiriu-
" For this purpose have I raised thee up,** 443
ance as a nation, and on account of which
He had so long borne with them, was now
accomplished.
So long as Israel remained in Egypt, God
bore with Pharaoh's presmnption, because
He had a use to make of it ; but as soon as
Israel had crossed the Egyptian boundaiy,
and had entered the Red Sea, his instrumen-
tality was of no more use, and that was the
moment that vengeance overtook him. And
so long as the promised seed continued
within the husk of the Jewish nation, God
had a gracious purpose to answer in for-
bearing to cast them off and destroy them
for all their rebellions ; but as soon as that
seed passed out from them, as soon as
Jesus Christ was manifested, and his church
formed, the continuance of their nation was
no longer required, and the reason of God's
forbearance ceased.
It is interesting to observe how perfectly
the words of God to Pharaoh apply to the
first Adam, immediately after the tldl. Thus
— " For this very purpose have I raised thee
up, (from the fall, deferring the execution of
the sentence of death, which still lies upon
thee,) that I might show my power in thee,
and that my name might be declared through-
444 Rom. ix. 14—18.
out all the earth." God might, in righteous-
ness, have executed the sentence of death on
the offending life of man, as soon as he fell,
but he had a purpose of grace to accomplish
by the continuance of it, which He has been
carrying on from that time to this, through
the successive generations of men, amongst
whom His name and power have been de-
clared, and which will be accomplished in
the day when the earth shall be filled with
the knowledge of the glory of God, as the
waters cover the sea. Then shall the sen-
tence be executed, and the corrupt life of the
flesh perish for ever, when the end of for-
bearance towards it is fulfilled.
Let me here remark, that as Pharaoh is
one of the most prominent types of the first
Adam given in Scripture, being the king of
Egypt, the great type of the flesh, the suit-
ableness of this address, so interpreted, to
Adam, is not merely an interesting illustra-
tion, but an argument for the justness of the
interpretation given.
I hope that none of my readers will con-
found this overruling wisdom of God — by
which he draws good out of evil, and uses
the actions of men for the eff'ecting of His
own great plans — with the common doctrine
Distinction between providence and election. 445
of election and predestination. The differ-
ence between them cannot be better shown
than by this last illustration. God did not
predestinate Adam to fall, but He took ad-
vantage of his fall, to bring in a higher dis-
pensation — as he has taken advantage of the
corruption and misery that are in the world,
to frame out and order trials and exercises
of faith, and love, and patience ; and to give
the lesson, that the creature is a broken cis-
tern, and God the only Fountain; — and thus
He has brought good out of evil, and open-
ed the way for a higher kind of holiness and
happiness in man, than could have had place
in him on the footing of his original creation.
It is particularly important to take firm hold
of this distinction, and to see, that whilst the
common doctrine of election does away with
a true responsibility in man, — the doctrine
that God can and does bring good out of
man's evil, takes nothing away from man's
guilt in the evil, but only gives much glory
to God ; — it is important I say, to take firm
hold of this distinction, as the next objection
of the Jew which the Apostle supposes and
answers, is in fact, a proposal to justify
man's sin, on the ground that God uses it in
His wisdom for ultimate good.
446 Rom, ix. 14—18,
And as to the character of that providen-
tial dealing, or external election, by which
God confers advantages, such as those which
the Jews as a nation possessed, on one man,
or one nation, and withholds them from an-
other, I refer the reader to what has been
already said on that subject, or rather, on
the principle of which it is an exemplifica-
tion, in pages 44, 45, and 147 — 150.
The reader will find this view of the Apos-
tle's meaning much confirmed, by comparing
it with chap. ii. 1 — 15, to which I entreat
his attention, as another important parallel
to our passage. In the beginning of chap, ii.,
the Apostle turns from the Gentiles, whose
moral condition he had been describing
in chap i., to the Jews, and charges them
with being equally guilty, although they set
themselves up as the condemners of others.
In verse second he threatens them with
the judgment of God, on account of their
sins, and assumes it as an undeniable prin-
ciple, that such judgment would be, ac-
cording to truth, i. e. righteousness, against
them who commit such things, whoever
they might be. This verse then agrees
with the question in our passage, " Is
there unrighteousness with God.^" And now
Compared with Chap. ii. 3 — 5. 447
let US mark how verses 3 — 5, agree with
the whole view which has been taken of our
passage, and especially with the interpre-
tation given of the two texts quoted from
Exodus. ^^ And thinkest thou this, (O Jew,)
O man that judgest them which do such
things, and doest the same, that thou shalt
escape the judgment of God ? Or despis-
est thou the riches of His goodness, and for-
bearance, and long -suffering, not knowing
that the goodness of God (is not intended to
make thee secure against the fear of punish-
ment for the future, but) is intended to lead
thee to repentance ? But after thy hardness
and impenitent heart, (like Pharaoh,) treas-
urest up unto thyself wrath against the day
of wrath, and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God,vf\io will render to every
man according to his deeds?" Is not the
view which we have taken of our passage in
chap, ix., just a following up of this expostu-
lation with the Jews, by adducing in support
of its principles, actual instances of God's
dealings, both with their own nation and
with others ? And does it not appear evi-
dent, that these particular instances have
been selected on account of their perfect and
448 Bom. IX. 14—18.
beautiful adaptation to the support and il-
lustration of its principles ?
The undeniable suitableness of these in-
stances to the matter in hand, and the logi-
cal coherence of the whole passage under
consideration, upon the assumption that
the texts quoted by the Apostle have been
rightly interpreted, seem to me very strong
proofs that they have indeed been so. I
may add, that the agreement of the inter-
pretation which has been offered, with the
conclusions which he draws from these two
texts, (in reference to that delusion of the
Jews against which he is contending,) great-
ly confirms the proof. Thus from the words
spoken to Moses, he draws this conclusion in
verse 16, " Therefore, it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy" or forbearance. That
is, the continuation of the Jews in the en-
joyment of their peculiar privileges, is not in
consequence of any claim on their part to
impunity, grounded on any supposed deserv-
ings of their fathers, but simply in conse-
quence of God's having a purpose of grace to
accomplish by His forbearance towards them.
And, from the words spoken to Pharaoh, he
Exod, nxx. 19, 449
infers, in verse 18, " Therefore hath He mer-
cy, or exerciseth forbearance, on whom He
sees fit ; and whom He will. He maketh ex-
amples of the punishment due to hardened
obstinacy." That is. He chooseth the pro-
per time for punishing sin, that He may by
severity, as well as by forbearance, forward
the grand scheme.
Let us now go back upon the texts them-
selves here quoted from Exodus, and let us
examine them critically and minutely, that
we may see whether they will bear the
sense that has been put upon them.
And first for the words quoted from
Exod. xxxiii. 19, as spoken to Moses.
It is evident, that in order fully to ap-
prehend their meaning, we must refer to the
time when they were spoken, and to the
history of which they form a part. Let it
then be observed, that they were spoken
at the time of that great ratification of
the national covenant, which took place at
Sinai, and of that great sin which the people
committed in worshipping the calf, and on
the occasion of Moses making intercession
for the people, that, notwithstanding of this
sin, God would still acknowledge them for
His people, and go before them as their
450 Rom, ix. 14—18.
leader, into the promised land. They must
therefore be considered as forming a part of
the original charter of the nation, and thus,
if we take into account the time and the
circumstances of their being spoken, we
may well expect to find in them a full an-
swer on the subject of the Jewish claims.
When God first made known to Moses on
the mount, that the people had set up the
golden calf. He spake of the offence in these
terms — Exod. xxxii. 9, " I have seen this
people, and behold it is a stiff-necked people,
now therefore let me alone, that my wrath
may wax hot against them, and that I may
consume them, and I will make of thee a
great nation;" thus most distinctly declar-
ing, that He did not hold Himself bound to
them on any ground whatever. And even
when He afterwards consented to pass over
their offence, and to continue them in their
peculiar privileges, so far was He from giv-
ing any reason to conclude, that this indul-
gence should be considered as a ground for
their reckoning on impunity for any future
sins, that He expressly declared, (Exod.
xxxii. 34,) that even this offence, though
passed over for the present, should yet be
visited on them. And He gave the fullest
Exod. xxxiii. 13, 19- 451
proof that He did not hold Himself bound
to pass over their future offences, when a
few months afterwards, on account of a new
act of rebellion, in which they showed more
of the spirit of Esau, who despised his birth-
right, He sentenced that whole generation,
with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, to
perish in the wilderness, (Num. xiv.,) — thus
dealing with them as He had before dealt
with the Egyptians.
But farther, the words here quoted, seem
to have a special reference to a plea, which
Moses had used, Ex. xxxiii. 1 3. He had said,
«« And consider that this nation is thy people."
It is to this plea in which Moses seemed
to claim forbearance, in some measure, as
a right due to Israel, that God answered,
" I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy :" — as if He had said, I am not bound
to Israel nor to you, I will exercise forbear-
ance as I see it good.
The connection here pointed out, will, I
think, commend itself to any one who com-
pares verse 13th with verse 19th in Exod.
xxxiii., — the former being Moses' prayer,
and the latter, God's answer to it, — the first
clause of the one verse agreeing with the
452 i?om. ix. 14— 18.
first clause of the other, and the last with
the last.
And the more closely we examine the
passage, the more strongly does the meaning
here attributed to the words come out.
Moses had prayed God to show him His
way^ and to consider that Israel was His
people. He saw the perversity of the people,
and the danger to which it was continually
exposing them, of being consumed by God's
displeasure, he therefore wished to have
some pledge from God, some security for
the future, — he wished to know what he had
to expect for them, either in the way of for-
bearance or punishment, from the character
of God. He accordingly prayed God to
show him His way, or the principle of His
government, in His dealings with men. God
promised to do this, saying, verse 19, "I will
make all my goodness pass before thee, and
I will proclaim the name of the Lord before
thee, and will be gracious to whom I will be
gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will
show mercy." It must be evident to every
one who considers this answer, in connec-
tion with the prayer of Moses in verse 13,
to which it refers, that, in the first place,
The way of God ; Exod. xxxiii. 19. 453
the goodness and the name of God here pro-
mised to be made known to him, were in-
deed no other than that way of God towards
men, which He had asked to see ; and that,
in the second place, that name was here set
forth as the only standard or rule, accor-
ding to which God could show mercy to
any man, or nation ; and that thus the full
meaning of the answer was — that God would
give Moses no pledge of future indulgence to
Israel, nor admit any plea in their behalf,
which could interfere with His own stand-
ard ; — for that His name was the pledge
that He gave to all His creatures, and that
He could give no other pledge.
This interpretation seems to me unavoid-
able from the very construction of ver. 1 9th,
in M^iich, after promising to show His good-
ness, and proclaim His name, God immedi-
ately subjoins the words, ^^ And I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy." For
what else can be the meaning of that em-
phatic and, but to connect the exercise of
His mercy, with His name, or the way of
His government, which He had promised
to make known ?
Assuredly the meaning is as if He had
said to Moses, I will reveal my character and
454 Rom. ix. 14—18.
purpose to you; — when you understand these,
you will understand in what way I dispense
mercy and compassion.
The name is given in the following chap,
xxxiv. 6, 7, *' The Lord, the Lord God, mer-
ciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abun-
dant in goodness and truth ; keeping mercy
for thousands (of generations,) forgiving, or
rather bearing away, iniquity and transgres-
sion, and sin, but that will by no means clear
it, or leave it unpunished ; visiting the in-
iquities of the fathers unto the third and
fourth (generation.'')
Let me observe that the Hebrew word,
here translated forgiving, has also very gen-
erally the sense of lifting up and removing,
and that it has in fact, been taken in this
sense in this very passage, both by the Seven-
ty, and by the authors of the Vulgate, so that
we have good warrant to translate it so.
But if this be allowed, the meaning of the
name will be, that it is the great purpose of
God, in His dealings with men, to deliver
them from sin, and this, not by the way of
impunity, for He will not pass sin unpunish-
ed, but by the way of punishment, inflicted
according to mercy and grace, and long-suf-
fering love. He is abundant not in good-
The Name of God; Exod, xxxiv. 6, 7. 455
ness only, but in truth, which is a severer
attribute, and cannot but frown upon in-
iquity.
This is evidently that name of God which
Jesus came to declare, and in which he came
to bless us, by turning v^ away^ every one
of us, from our iniquities, (See Matt. xxi. 9,
and Acts iii. 26.)
Removing iniquity, transgression, and sin,
constitutes the focus or centre of the name ;
and on the one side, we see as its rays, long-
suffering and forbearance ; — and on the other
side, severity and retribution, by no means
clearing sin ; which rays, though apparently
opposed to each other, yet tend to, and ter-
minate in the same common centre.
This name of God then, is nearly related
to, or rather, is identical with, that purpose
of God, to which our attention has been so
much called through this book, namely, the
purpose of leading men through sorrow and
death, lovingly submitted to, into perfect
holiness and blessedness. And we are here
taught by it, that in the carrying forward of
this great purpose, which embraces the good
of the whole, as well as the good of each,
God exercises forbearance, or inflicts pun-
ishment, according as He in His wisdom
45G Rom, \x. U—\8.
sees that His object will be best accomplish-
ed, by the one course or the other, in the
individual, or in the race.
He who holds the balance of the sanctu-
ary, weighs these things, and amidst all the
darkness that often covers His doings in
this matter ; He has given us His name as a
pledge, that the principle on which He acts,
is one which our reason, as well as our con-
science, must approve.
Impunity has no place in this name of God.
It is not the blessing He designs for man.
Holiness is that blessing — a deliverance from
iniquity — and thus the long-suffering of God
towards sinners, or his deferring of their
punishment, being intended only for this
end, if this end is frustrated by their ob-
stinacy, terminates only in heavier judg-
ment — because by their refusal to profit by
God's dealings with them, themselves, they
constrain Him to make them profitable to
others, in the way of examples.
This then is the name according to which
God shows mercy or exercises forbearance.
And thus it appears, that these words spoken
to Moses, and quoted by the Apostle in this
place, when expounded and illustrated by the
history and the context, do not at all mean
*< For the Scripture saith unto Pharaohr 457
to claim for God any right of acting in an
arbitrary manner, or on the principle of fa-
vouritism, but that they mean to claim for
Him the unfettered right of punishing a
sinner, or of exercising forbearance towards
him, whether he be Jew or Gentile, as He
sees best fitted for the accomplishment of
His grand purpose of grace in the world —
and to disclaim for Him any obligation,
(such as the Jews fancied He lay under,
with respect to their nation,) of passing from
righteousness, and overlooking transgression,
in the case of any human being.
And now let us proceed to the words ad-
dressed to Pharaoh, and which are quoted
from Exod. ix. 16.
Ver. 17. "For the Scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I
raised thee up, that I might show my power
in thee," &c. The great difficulty that is
found in these words, arises from their be-
ing understood as a distinct avowal by God
Himself, that He had actually called Pharaoh
into being, that He might make him a monu-
ment of vengeance. But this is a meaning
which the words will not bear. The Heb-
rew word here translated, / have raised thee
up, never has the sense oi calling into being ;
458 Rom, ix. 17.
it always supposes the previous existence of
the object ; it means to establish, restore, or
protract the existence of any thing, but never
to bring into existence. The Seventy, in their
translation of Exod. ix. 16, have rendered
this Hebrew word by him^vih?, thou hast been
preserved or kept alive ; making the sense of
the passage to be this: — "Thou hast already
forfeited thy life, by thine oppressions and pre-
sumptions, and my delaying to punish thee,
which thou art interpreting into an assurance
that I either will not, or cannot punish thee,
is really intended for this end, that I may a
little longer use thy pride, for a purpose
which thou thinkest not of, and that thy pun-
ishment at last, since thou refusest to repent,
may be more productive of good, and more
demonstrative of my character and name,
than it would have been had I cut thee off at
first." As an instance of the meaning of
the word in Hebrew, 1 may refer the reader
to Exod. xxi. 21, where the word translated
continue, that is, cofitinue in life, is a part
of this same verb.
Paul has chosen to render it by an-
other word, in which he has retained the
Hebrew construction, e|»jyg<|«, / have raised
thee up. This seems at first a stronger
" For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh'' 459
word, and yet it is often used by the Seventy,
through their version, to express the sense
which I am here contending for; thus in
Psal. iii. 5, it means, awakening from sleep ;
and in Dan. xii. 12, awakening from death ;
and in Isaiah xxxviii. 16, protracting a for-
feited life ; which last is exactly in point.
Pharaoh's life was already forfeited to jus-
tice, and therefore the prolongation of it, for
however short a time, was a re-awakening of
him, a raising of him up, just as the prolon-
gation of Adam's life, was a raising of him
up from the sentence of the law.
We are not to suppose that God prolong-
ed Pharaoh's life, in order that he might add
sin to sin ; — for such a supposition is in di-
rect opposition to the plainest language of
Scripture, as well as to the plainest princi-
ples of goodness ; (see especially Ezek. xxxiii.
11, and James i. 13,) — but we must inter-
pret the words here, as we do the words of
Jesus in Matt. x. 34, 35, which indicate not
the ultimate purpose, but the immediate effect.
We are to understand that God's ultimate
purpose was to manifest His name, that is,
to put away sin — and that seeing how Pha-
raoh's pride could be used for this purpose,
by its leading him to dash himself against
460 Rom. ix. 17.
the bosses of God's buckler, and so to be-
come a more marked example of the fearful
consequences of the creature's striving with
the Creator, He gave him a temporary re-
prieve. Pharaoh was not shut out from re-
pentance, any more than Adam, and God's
name would have been more glorified by his
repentance, than by the catastrophe that
took place ; but God saw that he would per-
sist in his pride, and therefore out of that
pride. He prepared to draw an advantage —
not against Pharaoh, but for the cause of
righteousness, and against the cause of sin.
The verse, thus explained, seems to me freed
of difficulties.
It is quite evident from the connection of
this notice of Pharaoh, with the whole of the
following passage, relating to the rejection
and overthrow of the Jews, that the Apostle
intends to put his case as a parallel to theirs,
and from his destruction, notwithstanding a
long previous forbearance towards him, to
argue the certainty and righteousness of
theirs. It is even evident, that he assumes
that his Jewish readers will understand that
this is his intention, as appears by his tak-
ing it for granted, that they will be rous-
ed up by it, to an indignant or at least sullen
Tlie case of Pharaoh. 461
self-defence, of which he gives the utterance
in verse 19th. For surely if he had been
merely considering the case of Pharaoh in
itself, he could not have anticipated such a
retort. Whereas if he knew that they would
perceive, (as they had before perceived, of the
parables of Jesus,) that he spake the parable
against them, he might well expect that their
angry feelings would be roused.
It is necessary to understand that this is
his intention, in order to apprehend the place
which Pharaoh's case fills in the argument.
The reader must judge for himself, how far
this intention is proved by the context; to
my own mind, the proof appears complete.
The coherence of the reasoning can only
be preserved by this supposition. For thus
only does the case of Pharaoh so connect
with the case of the Israelites, in the matter
of the golden calf, as along with it, to exem-
plify and explain the double manifestation
of God's providence, in forbearance, and in
severity, — and thus to make up a full reply
to the Jewish claim of impunity, — and a full
vindication of God's righteousness, in first
bearing with their rebellions, and then at
last in casting them off.
Besides, the very introduction of Pharaoh
462 Bom. ix.\7.
here as a parallel to the generation of the
Jews then existing, carries with it prodigious
weight in the expostulation which the Apos-
tle is addressing to them. He might have
compared their case to that of the very gen-
eration which, after experiencing the for-
bearance of God in the matter of the calf,
yet perished in the wilderness, excluded from
the promised land. But this comparison
would not have answered his purpose,^ — for
although that whole generation was punish-
ed, yet the nation remained in possession of
their privileges. And though they had sin-
ned, yet their sin at that time did not form a
just parallel to the fulness of iniquity which
was now manifested in the nation.
By comparing them to Pharaoh, he declar-
ed them nationally unchurched — he declared
them to have now filled up the measure of
their fathers, and to have become, by their
sin and the judgment of God upon it, the
types of the flesh, like Pharaoh, instead of
the types of the spiritual seed, which they
had been before.
This is in agreement with that strain of
typical and allegorical meaning, in which he
had begun this chapter, and which is still
remaining in his mind as illustration, al-
" Whom He will, He hardenethr 463
though he does not directly use it as argu-
ment.
Let us now examine the conclusions in
verses I6th and 18th, which he draws from
these two passages.
I need not say anything on ver. I6th, both
because there is no great difficulty in it, and
also because it is really resumed and con-
tained in ver. 18th, along with the conclusion
drawn from the case of Pharaoh, — which last
verse I have paraphrased above, in this way,
"Thus He himself determines, how long for-
bearance is to be exercised, and when is the
time for judgment — who are the fit objects
of forbearance, and who are to be set forth
as examples of the consequences of harden-
ing the heart."
The Apostle is evidently combining the two
instances, of God's forbearance to Israel in
the matter of the golden calf, and of His se-
verity to Pharaoh, after a similar forbearance,
— and from them both taken together, he is
drawing the conclusion, that the forbearance
which Israel had hitherto experienced, was,
according to God's plan of government, quite
consistent with an awful overthrow at last.
He thus also most distinctly puts Israel into
Pharaoh's place, and so warns them to ex-
464 Rom, ix. 18.
pect a similar judgment. God declares His
name, both by forbearance and by punish-
ment, and He is Himself the only Judge of
the proper time for each.
I know that the great, and perhaps only
objection, that will be made to this interpre-
tation, is that the verb ffK\^vva, (translated in
our version to harden,') will not bear the
sense here attributed to it ; and I do not at
all dispute that the common use of the word
is against the translation proposed, and
agrees with the common translation of the
passage. But there are strong reasons for
believing that this unusual signification is
nevertheless the true one, in this place.
In the first place, however, and before
proceeding to these reasons, let it be observ-
ed, that the change proposed is simply that
we should translate (rKXr^^vvu, (he makes hard,)
He permits them to prove the effects of their
own hardness, — or perhaps as if it were
o-kxy^o^ la-Ti he is hard and severe ; and let it
also be remembered, that there is an ex-
ample of u7ro<TKX^vva, bclng uscd by the Seven-
ty, in the very sense here last mentioned,
viz., in Job xxxix. 16, *« The ostrich (utto-
(TKX^vni rec riKvct Uvrngi) is hardened against her
young ones," or rather, <« treats them harsh-
Meaning of " hardening,^ here, 465
ly ;" SO that although this use of the word is
contrary to the usus loquendi^ there is no-
thing in it of so forced or violent a charac-
ter, as puts it out of the reach of proof.
The reasons in favour of this unusual sense,
are these : —
1st. That the usual sense is perfectly in-
consistent w\\h the train of the argument,
the object of which is, to demonstrate to the
Jews, from the recorded events of their his-
tory, not that God makes men obstinate
rebels, but that He has a right to bear long
with their rebellion, without losing His right
at last to punish and cast them off, at the
time and in the way that He sees best. I
need not, however, enlarge on this reason,
having already done it sufficiently. I shall
only refer the reader to chaps, ii. and iii., for
proof that this is the argument.
2nd. ^KM%vni, undeniably stands here in
direct contrast to 'ease;, (He has mercy ;) so
that to preserve the balance of the reasoning,
we must either translate (^km^ij^i in the way
proposed, or we must suppose, that the
mercy which God is here said to show con-
sists in softening^ or opening the heart.
Now although such a meaning is perfectly
away from the line of argument, yet, if the
u2
466 Bom. ix. 18.
recorded facts of the history justified it, we
might in the circumstances find it difficult
to reject it, because doubtless the mercy of
God is capable of bearing that meaning.
But do the facts of the history justify this
interpretation? That is, — ^Does it appear
that the hearts of the Israelites were soften-
ed or subdued by the grace of God, at the
time when the mercy here spoken of was
shown to them ? Quite the reverse. We
have the direct testimony of God Himself,
twice expressed on that very occasion, (Exod.
xxxiii. 3, 5,) that the people were, and con-
tinued to be, tDcM^or^ccxr^y^'iti hardened in their
neck — and we have also the no less direct
testimony of God in Psalm xcv. that they
continued, (^o-kx^wuv rx? Kx^hxg uvrm,^ to harden
their heart s^ throughout the forty years that
they wandered through the wilderness. We
have a similar testimony, still more strongly
expressed, in Acts vii. 40 — 43, and also in
Ps. Ixxxi. 10—12.
What then was the striking difference be-
tween the case of Israel in the matter of the
golden calf, and the case of Pharaoh ? Was
it, that the heart oflsrael was softened, and
the heart of Pharaoh hardened? No, — we
have God's testimony, that this was not
Meaning of " hardening i* here. 467
the difference. The real difference was —
that when both had hardened their hearts,
God still bore with Israel as seeing yet
much to accomplish in them, and by them,
— and He ceased to bear with Pharaoh,
seeing no more to be accomplished in him,
and having accomplished by him, that which
He proposed, through the delay of his pun-
ishment.
And this difference is the thing, which
the Apostle means to put forward in verse
18 th.
It is surely most unreasonable to suppose
that he would describe God's manner of
dealing with Pharaoh, by a mark which ap-
plied with equal force to the opposite case
of Israel, on the occasion referred to ; and
yet we must either fall into this unreason-
ableness, or else contradict the testimony of
the record, as to the character of Israel, —
unless we consent to adopt the proposed in-
terpretation of ffKM^vwt or some one similar
to it.
This interpretation seems to me to receive
much support from a passage which occurs
in this same argument, a little farther on,
namely, in chap. xi. 22, which certainly is
nearly related to the passage before us ;
468 Rom, ix. 18.
" Behold then the goodness and severity of
God ;" where the goodness and severity, the
xe,-^7rorm and ccTToro^ix, which correspond to 'txiu
and (TKXvi^vva here, certainly do not consist in
softening and hardening the heart, but in
showing favour, and in punishing.
I am here arguing with those who would
go along with me in admitting, that when
God is said to harden Pharaoh's heart, the
real meaning is, that He permitted him to
harden his own heart ; - as indeed in the
chapters which relate to that history, we
find it as often said, that Pharaoh hardened
his heart, as that God hardened it. It is the
idiom of the Hebrew language ; and we
ought always to read such expressions along
with this explanation, " Let no man say,
when he is tempted, I am tempted of God,
for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth He any man." James i. 13.
But even this modified meaning will suit
neither the design nor the construction of
the passage, both of which manifestly re-
quire that we should translate (rxx^vm, He
treats with severity ^ or He permits them to
prove the consequences of their hardness.
As for those who even reject this common
modification of the meaning of the word.
Meaning of « hardening" here. 469
they must find a very great difficulty in our
passage ; for they cannot contradict the re-
cord that Israel's heart was hardened as
well as Pharaoh's, and it is impossible to
suppose that the difference which the Apos-
tle intended to mark between the two cases
was, that God had mercy on those who
hardenexl their ow7i hearts, and made an
example of the man whose heart He Him-
self had hardened.
It seems to me most probable, that Paul
in making use of t^KM^vya here, has had in
view to combine in one word, the idea of
punishment, along with the idea of the of-
lence puniSned kxtu. ^i rnv a-KXri^oryiToc <rov, — 5-xA»^yyg<,
He makes thee an example of the fearful
consequences of hardening thy heart ; (see
chap. ii. 5.)
The use made of the word by the Seventy,
in the history of Pharaoh, evidently suggest-
ed it to him as the proper description of the
nature of the offence, but as he wished not
merely to describe the offence, but also its
punishment, he introduces this last idea into
it, by contrasting it with Ias-w, (to have mercy,)
for thus he shows that he means to express
by it, the cessation of mercy, — or more pro-
470 Rom. ix. 19-— 21.
perly of forbearance ; — ** for His mercy
endureth for ever."
Ver. 19 — 21. ** Thou wilt say then unto
me, Whi/ doth He yet find fault, for who
hath opposed His purpose ? Nay, but O man,
who art thou that disputest against God?
Shall the thing formed, say unto Him that
formed it, why hast thou thus dealt with me?
Hath not the potter power over the clay, out
of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honour, and another unto dishonour?'*
This passage is probably the part of the
sacred writings, on the authority of which
the doctrine of absolute election has its
chief hold on the minds of most people ; and
accordingly, I have observed that it is gen-
erally read with a feeling of painful perplexi-
ty, by those who do not receive that doctrine,
whilst those who do receive it, are forward
in quoting it, as the most full and convincing
confirmation of their theological system, in
general, and as a proof of the correctness of
their interpretation of the preceding passage,
and of the word, <tkx^vvu, in particular. This
authority which the passage possesses, arises
from the very general understanding and
admission that the meaning of the apology
« Why doth He yet find fault ?'' 471
which the Apostle puts into the mouth of
the Jew in verse 19th, is this : — " Why doth
God find fault with men, seeing they do no-
thing but what they are constrained to do,
by His over-ruling will?" And indeed if
this were its true meaning, the Calvinistic
divines would have some ground for their
high appreciation of the importance of the
passage, as a support of their views ; for
in that case, they might with considerable
plausibility argue, — as in fact they do, — in
the first place, that the Apostle, by putting
such an objection into the mouth of the Jew,
shows, that he must either have really in-
tended to state the common doctrine of elec-
tion, in the foregoing verses, or at least that
he must have felt, that he had said in them,
what would naturally be interpreted into it,
as otherwise he would not have supposed
such an objection to be suggested by them ;
and, in the second place, that, by the answer
which he makes to the objector, in verses,
20, 21, "Nay, but O man, who art thou that
repliest against God," &c., he virtually ac-
knowledges that this is really his doctrine, in-
asmuch as he does not attempt to deny the
substance of the objection, or to give any
solution of it, but simply rebukes the ob-
472 Bom, ix. 19—21.
jector for questioning God's proceedings,
and calls on him to submit himself blind-
ly, to the absolute and almighty control of
Him who does what He will, and gives no
account of His doings.
The whole validity of this reasoning,
however, evidently rests on the assumption,
that the meaning thus generally attributed
to the objection, is indeed the true mean-
ing, and that the Jew is really here re-
presented by the Apostle, as defending his
nation from the charge of guilt, on the
ground that their actions were appointed for
them, and forced upon them, by the irresist-
ible decree of God, Now even if I admit-
ted that this was the meaning of the objec-
tion, I could not go along with the reasoning
founded on it — and therefore much more,
disallowing as I do that meaning, I also dis-
allow the reasoning.
It seems to me that the obvious meaning
of the objection is, as I have rendered it
above, "Why doth He yet find fault, for who
hath opposed or thwarted His plan or pur-
pose?" — that is. Why doth God condemn
me for actions which do not counteract His
purposes, and of which He even takes ad-
vantage for accomplishing His purposes ?
« Who hath resisted His will F" 473
The Apostle had taught in the preceding
verses, that God made use of men, and even
of their sins, for advancing His own large
schemes, — and that sometimes the reason
why he forbore to punish flagrant sinners,
was, that He would still turn them to account,
in the arrangements of his providence, — and
having taught this, he most naturally con-
cludes, that the self-justifying Jew, would im-
mediately take advantage of it, as furnish-
ing a plea to urge against the punishment of
his nation, — because, however much they
had sinned, God had still effected His pur-
poses by means of them.
The plea of the Jew for his nation, there-
fore is, not that God had constrained them
to commit sin, but, that He had not suffer-
ed any loss by them, inasmuch as He had
taken advantage of their sin, after it was
committed, for the advancement of His own
ends ; and his inference is, that God, having
thus gained His object by them, and in a
manner profited by their sin, ought not, and
needed not, to cast them off for it. This
view of the Jewish objection, seems to me
most satisfactorily, and decisively, confirmed,
by the parallel passage in chap. iii. 7.
We have already seen, in our examination
474 Rom. ix. 19,
of the preceding verses, that the Apostle is,
in this part of the Epistle, resuming that ex-
postulation with his countrymen which he
had been addressing to them in chapters ii.
and iii., and reproducing the same objections
which appear there, and which he had there
answered by an appeal to their consciences,
and to general moral principles, in order that
he may here answer them by an appeal to the
Scriptures. He has already treated in this
way, the objection which the Jew founded on
the length of time during which his nation
had been upheld in the possession of their
privileges, as we have shown, by comparing
chap. ix. 14 — 17, with chap. ii. 4 and 5, and
chap. iii. 5, And now, agreeably to his plan,
he is proceeding to treat, in the same way,
the remaining objection which is thus stat-
ed in chap. iii. 7> " But if the truth of God
hath more abounded through my lie, unto
His glory, why yet am I judged as a sinner ?"
That the objection stated in our passage,
(chap. ix. 19,) " Why doth He yet find fault,
for who hath opposed His purpose ? " is real-
ly a reproduction of this old objection from
chap, iii., must be manifest to any one who
will compare them together. For is it not
plain, that the man who defends his lie on
Compared with Chap, iii. 7. 475
the gi'ound, that God has taken advantage
of it to make the glory of his own truth more
abound, is using the self-same plea as the
man who defends his sin on the ground, that
he has not hy it thivart'^d God's purpose ?
" Why doth He yet find fault ;" for after all,
has not his purpose been fulfilled, and even
by the co-operation of that very thing vi^hich
he calls sin ?
The comparison of the two passages, es-
pecially when taken in connection with the
plan which the Apostle is manifestly pursu-
ing, of resuming the argument of chap, iii.,
seems to me decidedly to lead to the conclu-
sion, that they are strictly parallel, and that
therefore the Calvin istic meaning attribut-
ed to the objection is erroneous, and conse-
quently the reasoning founded upon it, is in-
validated. For thus the Apostle's answer in
ver. 20th and 21st, " Nay but, O man, who
art thou that repliest against God,'* &c.,
ceases to be an implicit acknowledgment of
the doctrine of election, and becomes merely
an assertion of God's right to make use of
even the wicked actions of the Jewish nation
for the advancement of his plan of grace,
without thereby disqualifying Himself for
righteously punishing those very actions.
476 Rom, ix. 19—21.
As the Apostle has already answered this
objection on the grounds of moral reasoning,
by identifying it, in chap. iii. 8, with the
principle of those who say, *' Let us do evil,
that good may come," he considers the mat-
ter settled as a question of right and con-
science, — and he now goes back on it, not
with the view of repeating his moral argu-
ment, but with the view of confronting the
Jews with the express declarations of God,
in former times, that He would cast them off
when their iniquities should be full. And
indeed thereappears a greater need for him
to adduce such arguments in this place, be-
cause his last-cited example from Exodus,
showing that God's forbearance when de-
spised, must terminate in judgment, having
been primarily addressed to Pharaoh a Gen-
tile, might therefore be refused by them as
an inapplicable case. He accordingly frames
a reply entirely made up of references to
passages of Scripture, of which God's pro-
phetic declarations of His dealings with the
Jews, form the direct and principal subject.
And as he wishes to set before them, not
only the certainty of their own national re-
jection, but also the unwelcome fact of the
" Who art thou that repliest against God ?" 477
call of the Gentiles, he generally selects pas-
sages which combine both these objects.
I may observe also, that in agreement
with his own feeling of the present state of
the question with the Jews, it would seem
that he considers the objection now repro-
duced, as urged here, on a somewhat differ-
ent ground from that on which it was urged
in chap. iii. There, it appeared as a question
of justice ; " Could actions be righteously
condemned, of which God had taken advan-
tage ?" Here, it appears rather as a question
of state policy ; " Is God justifiable, as a wise
sovereign, in casting off His people, on whom
He has expended so much care, on account
of sins which do not hinder the accomplish-
ment of His purposes?"
" Nay, but O man, who art thou that re-
pliest against God ? Shall the thing formed
say to Him that formed it. Why hast thou
thus dealt with me ? Or why hast thou
taken this way with me? Hath not the
potter power over the clay, of the same
lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and
another unto dishonour ? "
These two figurative appeals, " Shall the
thing formed," and " Hath not the potter,"
&c., though not accurate quotations of the
478 Bom. ix. 19—21.
letter, yet evidently refer to the substance
and meaning, of two distinct passages of the
Scriptures — the first to Isaiah xxix. 16, and
the second to Jeremiah xviii. 6.
We have observed in the examination of
this Epistle, that Paul, vi^hen he quotes, or
refers to, certain words of a passage, does
not always mean to limit his reference to the
expression quoted, but often takes into view
the whole subject, of which that expression
forms a part, — as for instance, in the case of
the quotation from Habakkuk, and of that
also from Exod. xxxiii. He seems to go
upon the same principle, in the references
now before us.
Let us then shortly consider what is set
before us of the mind of God, in Isa. xxix.
In the first place, it comes after a very
remarkable passage, with which chap, xxviii.
concludes, in which God's dealings with men
are compared with the husbandman's mode
of cultivating the ground, in order to pre-
pare it for fructifying the seed cast into it.
And we are thus, as it were, warned that
God has a similar purpose in what He does
to men, and that the prophetic history of
chap. xxix. is an exemplification of the way
in which He accomplishes that purpose.
Isaiah xxix. examined. 479
The chapter is somewhat obscure, partly,
it may be, from errors that have crept into
the text, and partly also from bad transla-
tion, but still we can see, that it begins with
a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem,
for sins which are thus particularized in
ver. 13th, " Forasmuch as this people draw
near me with their mouth," &c., (a passage
quoted by our Lord, as applicable to that
generation of the Jews,) — that in ver. 15th
there is a woe denounced on those who,
being guilty of these sins, would yet seek to
justify themselves before God, and to put
away from them the punishment with which
He threatened them, as if He did not see
their hearts, — and that in ver. l6th, the
folly of those persons is exposed by simply
setting their own thoughts before them, in
the words to which the Apostle specially re-
fers in our passage. These words in our
English version of Isaiah, are as follows : —
" Shall the thing framed, say of him that
framed it. He hath no understanding?"
Which words seem to express the feeling of
the Jews, with regard to the destruction
foretold in the previous part of the chapter,
- — a feeling, namely, that God was unwise,
in that, after He had at such cost reared
480 Eom. ix. 19—21.
their nation, He should now cast it away
without any adequate cause, — a feeling show-
ing that they did not give God credit in His
dealings with them, for any wisdom like that
which guides the husbandman in breaking
the surface, and tearing up the bosom, of his
soil. " He made me not," — I am the crea-
ture of chance, and not of an intelligent and
provident Creator. These words thus seem
to me to have precisely the same meaning
with those which the Apostle uses in our
passage, namely, ** Why hast thou made me
thus ?" or rather, " Why hast thou thus dealt
with me, or taken this course with me ? "
Isaiah proceeds, in ver. 17th, to show,
in vindication of God's wisdom, that, by
the ordering of His providence, the calling
in of the Gentiles was to rise out of the
rejection of the Jews, — for the word trans-
lated there, fruitful field, is in the origin-
al, Carmely which properly signifies, God's
vineyard, under which figure the Jewish
nation had just been described in chap, xxvii.
2. — And so, when it is said, that Lebanon
shall be turned into Carmel, and Carmel into
a forest, — the meaning is, that a people which
had been hitherto left as an uncultivated
forest, should now become, or be treated as,
Compared with Isaiah xxix. 481
the vineyard of God, — and that the people
which had been so long treated as the vine-
yard, should now have no more care bestowed
on them than if they were a forest. And as
the crowning proof of God's wisdom, the
prophet intimates, in the conclusion of the
chapter, verses 22 — 24, that not the Gen-
tiles only, but the Jews themselves, should
finally benefit by this dealing of God with
them, which seemed now so dark, but which
" came forth from Him who is wonderful
in counsel, and excellent in working." Isa.
xxviii. 29.
This chapter therefore contains not only
a prophecy of God's judgments on His peo-
ple, but also a vindication of them : 1st, on
the ground that they were righteously due,
and 2dly, because the result of them should
be so glorious to the cause of truth amongst
the Gentiles, and even so beneficial to the
Jews themselves at last ; and thus it suits
admirably with the Apostle's purpose in this
place, which, as we have seen, is to answer,
by an appeal to the Scriptures, the Jewish
plea, that though their nation had sinned,
yet God ought not to cast them off, because
He had still been able to accomplish His
purposes through them. For here He shows
482 Rom. ix. 20,
them, that as their sin had been foreseen by
God, so their punishment formed a part of
His plan, and that, in inflicting it, He was
not merely manifesting his righteousness as
a Judge, but was carrying forward that great
purpose of grace, which embraced Gentiles
as well as Jews, and which, they would ulti-
mately find, embraced even the condemned
criminals themselves.
The Apostle, evidently, has the whole
course of the vision in Isaiah xxix., before
him ; and as he is, in chapters ix. and x.,
declaring the rejection of the Jews, and the
calling of the Gentiles, in agreement with
the first and second parts of that vision,
so in chapter xi., verses 25 — ^6, he declares
the third and last scene of the vision, namely,
the end and the fulfilment of all God's work-
ing, — the termination of that plan, the glory of
which consists in overcoming evil with good.
It seems to me perfectly clear, from the
comparison of this chapter of Isaiah with
our passage, that the question in verse 20th,
** Why hast thou made me thus ?" refers not
at all to any inward character which God
had given to the vessel thus complaining,
but to the outward judgments and calamities
which He had brought upon it.
Compared with Isaiah xlv. 483
Although I have been led from its greater
fulness and aptness, to regard Isaiah xxix.,
as the passage chiefly referred to in that
word, *' Shall the thing formed, say to him
that formed it," &c., yet I would not exclude
Isaiah xlv. 9, from all share in the reference.
This latter chapter begins with a prophe-
cy of the deliverance of the Jews by the
instrumentality of Cyrus, which is follow-
ed by various announcements of the call of
the Gentiles, as in verses 6, 8, 14 ; and more
distinctly in verses 22 and 23, " Look unto
me and be ye saved, all the ends of the
earth," &c. Now although deliverance could
not but be desired by the Jews, yet, — as
they would doubtless be disappointed, that it
should come to them, not through a divine-
ly-commissioned leader of their own nation,
like Moses, or Joshua, or Samuel, or David,
but through a Gentile prince, — and as their
disappointment in this matter, would be
farther aggravated, by the thought of their
hitherto peculiar privileges being made pub-
lic to the world, — the prophet seems in verse
9, to be led to anticipate, and to condemn
beforehand, all such mm'muring thoughts
in them, by calling them to consider the
right of the Creator, to use the means
484 Rom. ix. 20,
which He sees to be best fitted for the ac-
complishment of His ends, and to extend
the knowledge of Himself amongst all the
families of the earth. He also, in verse
25th, gives an assurance, that Israel shall
not finally be a loser by this providential
arrangement.
It thus appears, that the just inference to
be drawn from this chapter, as well as from
chapter xxix., is, that in the presumptuous
question, which the creature is supposed to
put to its Creator, in verse 20th of our chap-
ter, viz., *« Why hast thou made me thus ?"
it is not the purpose of the Apostle to repre-
sent it, as complaining of any inward char-
acter which God had given to it, but of the
outward circumstances io which He had sub-
jected it.
I have accordingly felt warranted to trans-
late this question, — " Why hast thou thus
dealt with me ?'' or, " Why hast thou taken
this way with me ?" instead of, '« Why hast
thou made me thus ?" as it is in our English
Bible. And I have done so chiefly because
the question, according to the common ver-
sion, seems, at least in the apprehension of
most readers, to look back to original crea-
tion, and to be equivalent to the complaint,
Compared with Jer, xviii*. 485
" Why hast thou made me wicked, and then
blamest me for being wicked ?" — whereas it
is merely a complaint of the Jewish vessel,
at being degraded from a vessel of honour
into a vessel of dishonour, on account of sins
which had been so long tolerated, and which,
after all, had not prevented the purpose of
God from being fulfilled. This use of the
verb, Ttoiia, is not at all unusual. For exam-
ples, the reader may look at Exod. xxii. 30,
and xxiii. 1 1 , according to the Seventy, —
and in the New Testament, at Matt, xxvii.
22, and John xvi. 2, in which last passage,
" They shall put you out of the synagogues,"
18 the translation OI uTroa-wxyuycvi; Tro/'/jaoyp-^v vf4,cc<;
literally, " They shall make you unsyna-
gogued persons."
The close connection of all this, with
the principle developed in Jer. xviii., to
which reference is next made, is most appa-
rent. He who had so long maintained the
Jewish vessel in honour, notwithstanding of
their unworthiness, was now about to de-
grade the nation from their honourable office
as the visible church, and to call others into
it. He had indeed accomplished great pur-
poses through them, by the working of His
own wisdom ; but there was one purpose
486 Rom.\%, 21,
nearest His heart which they had still suc-
ceeded in frustrating, namely, that they
should themselves be converted to God, and
thus become co-operators with Him by the
choice of their hearts, and not merely by
necessity, like the horse and mule, which
have no understanding ; and therefore He
would now try another people, and see
whether they would not be more pliant in
His hand. At the same time he taught them,
by the very allegory which conveyed this
threatening to them, that the way of rising
again into a vessel of honour, was by sub-
mitting to be broken in the Potter's hands.
I have already in another part of the work
said so much on the subject of the parable
of the Potter, that it would be mere repeti-
tion to say any thing more here.
The great Potter had made the former
generations of Israel, a vessel of honour, and
had retained them in honour, although most
4inworthy of it ; and now, of the same lump
or family. He was about to make the gen-
eration then existing, a vessel of dishonour,
a monument of the sin and danger of despis-
ing the long-suffering of God.
The following observations on the lan-
guage of verse 21st, " Hath not the Potter,"
Philologically examined. 487
&c., are important to the right understand-
ing of it.
Ist. The expression, to make a vessel mito
honour, or unto dishonour, according to the
Hebrew idiom, does not at all mean to de-
scribe, the creation of the vessel, or the encl
or purpose for which the vessel is made ; it
means only to describe that which actually
befalls it. Thus, when the prophets de-
nounce that "Israel shall be made a re-
proach and a hissing to all nations," —
although, according to the Hebrew idiom,
their mode of expressing this is, that "Is-
rael shall be made for or unto a reproach
and a hissing," — they do not thereby mean
to say, that Israel was made for that very
end, but that that end should come upon
them on account of their sins.
2d. The preposition unto, here, (in Greek,
!<?,) is the translation of the Hebrew Lamed,
which is used to mark that ivhich any thing
is turned into. The verb tfoiw also has a
signification which agrees with this same
idea. Thus the phrase in Isaiah xli. 18, "I
will make the wilderness a pool of water,"
that is, "I will change it into" — is rendered by
the Seventy, noimu mv l^ni^ov !<? ixn v^xrav ; and in
Jer. vi. 8, their version is, uomco <n Ug afiutov yn^-^
488 Rom. ix. 22—24,
** I will make thee (into) a land which is
untravelled."
This verse (21st) therefore is merely an
assertion of God's right to east off the trans-
gressing Jews, and to carry on His scheme
of government, by what providential arrange-
ments He sees to be best. It thus agrees
with verse 20th, and, along with it, forms an
answer to the Jewish plea in verse 19th,
<« Why doth He yet find fault, for who hath
thwarted His purpose ?" by intimating, that
though there were some parts of God's pur-
pose which permitted forbearance to offend-
ers, there were other parts of it which re-
quired the execution of the sentence, and
which therefore would have been thwarted
by the continuance of forbearance.
It appears to me, that all the evidence
which can be gathered from the examination
of the context, of the parallel passages and
of the quotations, most distinctly confirms
the interpretation which I have given of this
passage.
Ver. 22—24.—" What if God hath, with
much forbearance, upheld the Jewish people,
long after they had become vessels of wrath,
(punishment,) fitted for destruction, with the
purpose of making more manifest what the
Illustrative of the preceding verses. 489
nature of His wrath is, and of making
known His power ; — and also that he might
make known the riches of His glory on the
vessels of mercy, which He had already
prepared for filling the place of the Jews in
their glorious office, as God's witnesses in
the world — even us whom He hath called,
not fronj amongst the Jews only, but also
from amongst the Gentiles ; — Who art thou
that disputest against God's righteousness
or wisdom in thus doing ? "
These verses are evidently explanatory of
the two which precede them, — being a direct
application of the principles there taught, to
the particular circumstances of the Jewish
nation at that very juncture : and the com-
ment which they thus afford, seems to me to
harmonize entirely with the view which has
been taken of that preceding context.
There is considerable difficulty in the
grammatical construction of these verses,
owing to their very elliptical form, but the
sense is not so obscure.
As God had borne with Pharaoh, long
after he had become a vessel of condemna-
tion, for the purpose both of making him a
more signal example of punishment, when
the time arrived, and also of making the
x2
490 Rom. ix. 22—24.
difference which He put between him and
Israel, the spiritual seed, more apparent ; — •
so now he had borne with the Jewish peo-
ple long after they had righteously forfeited
their privileges, both that He might make
their punishment more instructive, and also,
that before casting them away. He might
have another people prepared as vessels of
mercy, on whom He might make known the
riches of His glory, in contrast with the na-
tion which He was now rejecting, — namely,
a people composed of all men, whether
Jews or Gentiles, who would worship God
in the righteousness of faith.
That righteousness is again brought for-
ward at the end of this chapter, and declared
to be the ground of election in all who are
elected, as the want of it is the ground of
reprobation in all who are rejected. The
Jewish people had rejected that righteous-
ness, and therefore the judgments of God
were even then ready to burst upon their
heads ; but these judgments, terrible as they
were, were not sent merely as the just re-
ward of their sins, — they were sent to lead
them to righteousness, for God's object in
them was not destruction, but correction, as
Habakkuk had before said ; and accordingly
The true righteousness. 491
the Apostle is emboldened to declare them,
by knowing that such was God's purpose in
them, and also by the consciousness that he
was the bearer of a message concerning the
true righteousness, which would enable those
who embraced it, to take joyfully the spoiling
of their goods, and to accept their punish-
ment, receiving in it the salvation of God.
That this is his feeling, is apparent from the
character of the exhortation — with which he
follows up the prophetic view which he gives
of the course of God's providence towards
Jews and Gentiles, — in the beginning of
chap, xii., " I beseech you therefore, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service." This
conclusion towards which he is advancing,
by every step of his argument, shows that he
has not been speaking of absolute decrees,
and proves his own conviction that it now
lies with man entirely, whether or not he
will have the true righteousness.
I have now completed all that I had pro-
posed to myself, in the exposition of this
Epistle. I have felt my own mind much
enlightened and liberated by the views de-
veloped in it; and though I am well aware
492 Conclusion,
of the power and tenacity of traditional in-
terpretation, especially when that interpre-
tation has, however erroneously, been asr
sociated with much that has been felt to
be most solemn, and most fundamental in
religion, I still hope that not a few of
my readers will welcome what I have writ-
ten, and will thank God, as I do, for the
consolation and the freedom they have re-
ceived through it.
CONCLUSION.
I have more than once, through the course
of this work, used the expression, natural
religion, as synonymous with true religion;
and have even expressed my belief that this
naturalness was the test by which the truth
of any religion proposed to man must ne-
cessarily, in the last resort, be judged. And
as I knew that by speaking in this manner
I ran the risk of offending those persons
who have been accustomed to think of na-
tural religion, as if it were the mere produc-
tion of man's own reasoning and imagina-
Natural religion. 493
tion, and have on that account been accus-
tomed to condemn it, as the presumptuous
rival and enemy of supernatural and reveal-
ed religion ; I have, in different parts of the
book, endeavoured to explain, that the nat-
ural religion of which I spoke, was nothing
of this kind, — that it was neither the pro-
duction of man's reasoning, nor at all op-
posed to supernatural and revealed religion,
but was itself a supernatural revelation in
the heart of every human being, testifying to
what was righteousness, and declaring that
the way to God was by the way of right-
eousness.
Let us pursue the subject a little farther.
I say, then, that by natural religion, I do
not mean the science of theology, or that
exercise of the intellect by which we trace
effects to their causes, and thus arrive at a
First Cause, which we call God ; but that I
mean to distinguish by it, a religion which
has a real root in our nature^ so that the
doctrines of it are believed, not merely, or
chiefly, on any outward authority whatever,
nor on any process of reasoning whatever,
but on the authority of an inward conscious-
ness, — in the same way as we believe that
there is a God, and that justice is right, and
494 Natural religion here not opposed to supernatural,
injustice wrong, not on any outward author-
ity, but through an inward consciousness.
And thus it will appear, that by the epi-
thet natural, used in this connection, I do
not mean to refer to the source from which
the suggestion of a doctrine first comes to
us, but to the authority which finally seals
it to us ; and that I include within the de-
scription of natural religion, all doctrines,
though coming to us by external revelation,
which meet with, or awaken that inward
consciousness, and are thus known by us to
be true, on the authority of that conscious-
ness.
The elements of the religion which I
mean, are to be found in the conscious-
ness, (by whatever means it may have been
awakened,) — that the voice within us, which
condemns unrighteousness, and approves
righteousness, is the voice of a Being separ-
ate from ourselves, whose approbation or
disapprobation we are continually receiving,
according as we obey or disobey Him ; and
that this being is the God who made us, and
upholds us, and that He has taken up this
mysterious position within us, that He may
direct us in the way of righteousness, and
bless us in communion with Himself; and
But to conventional religion. 495
that He will assuredly punish those who re-
sist his gracious purpose.
This description shows that I do not
oppose natural religion to supernatural,
— for it assumes that all religion, in so
far as it is true, must be supernatural,
being the incomprehensible, though con-
scious meeting of the spirit of God, with
the spirit of man. I do not oppose it to
supernatural religion, but to conventional
religion^ — that is, religion adopted on ex-
ternal authority i without any living con-
sciousness within our hearts corresponding
to it.
Whilst a man is not feeling the voice in
his conscience, to be the voice of a Great
Being, who in this way comes near to him,
and desires to make Himself known to him,
but is considering it and treating it as a part
of himself, like his feelings of benevolence
or compassion, or regard for self-preserva-
tion, he may be acknowledging the truths of
theological science, or of the Bible, and he
may be ordering his conduct according to the
received maxims of the age or country in
which he happens to live ; but he has not a
religion which has a living root in his heart,
he has a conventional and not a natural re-
496 True natural religion,
ligion. He does not yet know God at first
hand.
The God of theology is a power or a
principle — discerned by the intelligence,
through a logical process ; the God of the
conscience is a personal being, possessing a
personal character, discerned by the con-
science, as light is by the eye. Those whose
knowledge of God comes through theology,
often dispute as the Epicureans and others,
whether there be such a thing as special
providence, and whether God cares about
the condition of individual men, and seeks
the direction of their character and conduct ;
whereas those who know God through their
consciences, begin with these very points, as
the grounds and elements of their religion,
and as matters not of inference, but of con-
sciousness.
But some one may here interrupt me, and
say, " I have no consciousness of this voice
within me, as you are pleased to call it, be-
ing any thing else than a part of my own
nature, and especially I am not conscious of
its proceeding from a Being distinct and
separate from myself; and surely you have
no right to make your own consciousness,
or your imagined consciousness, a general
True natural religion. 497
standard of human consciousness, or as in-
dicating a general fact with regard to the
condition of men."
I answer, that there are many things even
in our physical constitution, which, whilst
unattended to, are not matters of conscious-
ness, but which become so by being attended
to. Thus the action of the stomach and
of the heart, whilst we are occupied about
other things, is not matter of conscious-
ness to us, in general. But if we read a
book on the subject of these organs, and
thus have our attention drawn to them, we
gradually grow into a consciousness of their
action. But this could not be, unless there
were actually within us a dormant con-
sciousness of this action, prior to any such
attention. Attention could not create that
consciousness, it only awakens it.
Now, surely we are warranted to reason
analogically from this fact, that there may
be a similar dormant consciousness, with re-
gard to many things in our moral or spiri-
tual constitution, which it only requires fit-
ting circumstances to awaken, by calling at-
tention to it, and that therefore we ought
not to be hasty in disclaiming for ourselves,
the existence of the root of any particular
498 True natural religion.
consciousness within us, although we are
not yet alive to it.
And, in fact, all this reasoning is in per-
fect agreement with the general feeling and
judgment of mankind ; for I conceive that
1 am not opposing that general feeling, when
I say, that I believe that there are many per-
sons in this world, who from the circumstan-
ces of their being born and brought up in
the midst of ignorance, and barbarism, and
wickedness, and in consequence of being
trained from infancy to regard self-gratifi-
cation as the only rule of life, have perhaps
never had a distinct consciousness of the
wrongness and blame-worthiness of what is
wrong, or the rightness and praise-worthiness
of what is right ; and who yet, if they were
taken out from these darkening circumstan-
ces, and if they had the qualities of justice
and injustice, of self-sacrificing love, and
wreckless self-gratification, presented stead-
ily to them, in contrast with each other,
would feel a new consciousness on these
subjects awakening within them, — a new
consciousness of a living principle in their
hearts, taking part with that which is good,
and condemning all transgression of it,
either in themselves or in others.
True natural religion. 499
And, farther, I conceive that I am still in
harmony with the general sense of mankind,
when I ascribe such a change as this in the
character of any individual, to an awakening
of certain principles which had been all along
in him, though dormant, rather than to the
implanting of any new ones at the time of
the change; and, also, when I maintain, that
unless these hitherto dormant principles be
really awakened in him, so that he himself
consciously knows and approves of what is
right, and condemns what is evil, not as fol-
lowing the opinions or fashions of different
nations or men, or orders of society, but as
feelingly tasting and discerning their oppos-
ite natures in his own heart, — no true moral
change, but only a conventional one can be
said to have taken place in him.
But if it be admitted to be a true state-
ment, that the consciousness of an approv-
ing and condemning voice within the heart,
may long lie dormant, and yet afterwards
prove its prior existence, by awakening un-
der the influence of circumstances which
call a certain degree of attention to it, there
is nothing unreasonable in the supposition,
that a farther degree of attention should
still farther enlarge the consciousness, so
500 Connection hetioeen morality and piety.
that the mind may recognize that voice to be
the voice of its Creator — of a Being separate
from itself, but seeking oneness with it.
It seems to me, that this expansion of the
limits of consciousness, from the acknow-
ledgment of the voice, to the acknowledg-
ment of the Speaker, marks the true con-
nection between morality and piety, and is
in fact the answer to Plato's inquiry in his
" Euthyphron," as to the relation between
(to oirm,) holiness, and (to §««<oy,) justice or
rightness. I say the expansion of the con-
sciousness, — for I do not recognize a mere
intellectual inference, that there must be a
speaker because there is a voice, as true
religion. Such an intellectual inference
may lead to the conscious recognition of
the speaker, by calling attention to Him,
but until it does so, it is only a part of
theological science.
I am confident, that the reader will find
no difficulty in going along with me, when I
say, that true righteousness, and true piety,
must have their root, not in any conclusion
or inference of the understanding, however
strong, nor in any submission to authority,
however sincere, but in the conscious awak-
ening of a living principle in the heart, which
Wherein moral awakening does not consist. 50 1
corresponds to and assents to the outward
statements of moral and religious truth.
But let us, in order to get deeper into
the subject, go back to the case of that indi-
vidual, whose moral consciousness we sup-
posed to have been entirely laid to sleep, by
the circumstances of his early training amidst
scenes of ignorance, and barbarism, and
wickedness — and afterwards to have been
awakened by circumstances and scenes of
an opposite description, — and let us con-
sider what this awakening would consist
in, and in what it would differ from other
changes which might take place in him, of
a similar appearance.
Suppose, in the first place, then, that on his
being brought out from his evil circumstances,
he is placed under a teacher, who by his power
of mind and by kindness, acquires great in-
fluence over him, both through his venera-
tion and his affection, and that this teach-
er inculcates upon him, that his former
habits of fraud and selfishness were bad and
deserving of punishment, and that truth and
benevolence are good and deserving of re-
ward, and that he believes his teacher's
word, and with the help of a good general-
izing intellect, forms his notions and his
502 Wherein moral awakening does not consist.
judgments accordingly, through a long list
of particulars, being influenced therein, sole-
ly and exclusively, by the authority of this
much-loved and much-admired teacher, and
not at all by any consciousness in his own
heart of the excellency of truth and love,
and of the evil of falsehood and selfishness ;
I ask my reader, whether he would consider
such a change of creed or judgment as this,
though accompanied by a change of conduct,
worthy of the name of a moral change, or
worthy to be regarded as an indication of
any moral awakening whatever ; and wheth-
er he would not consider the slightest true
independent consciousness, that justice from
its own nature, and for its own sake, has a
right to the obedience of all men, though all
men should deny the claim, as a much more
satisfactory evidence of moral awakening,
than all this second-hand knowledge, how-
ever strong the conviction might be, with
which it was held ?
In fact, a man really in such a condition
of mind as we have supposed, would mani-
festly have no idea whatever of truth, or
righteousness, in themselves, and could there-
fore only comprehend that certain forms of
outward action, which he learned to call by
Wherein moral awakening does not consist. 503
these names, were to be assumed by him, in
order to gain the favour of his teacher.
Let us next suppose, that his teacher, in-
stead of founding his instructions on his own
authority, shows his pupil a book, which
he tells him is God's book for the instruc-
tion of the world, according to which God
who is Almighty, will reward or punish
men, — and that he founds his instructions
on the authority of this book, and that he
does so with precisely the same success as
in the former case, — that is, he succeeds in
impressing on the man's mind a conviction,
founded on the authority of this book of God,
that certain things are worthy of praise and
reward, and certain things are worthy of
blame and punishment, — but still, as before,
without awakening in him the slightest per-
sonal consciousness of the intrinsic excel-
lence of what is right, and the intrinsic evil
of what is wrong, independent of all author-
ity whatever coming to him from without ;
I ask the reader, whether the substitution of
the authority of God's book, for the author-
ity of the human teacher, makes any such
difference in the true state of the case as to
warrant us in saying, that a moral awaken-
ing has now taken place in the man, — al-
504 Wherein moral awakening does consist.
though it is evident, that as yet, he has not
the smallest love for what is good, for its
own sake, nor even the smallest apprehen-
sion of what it really is ? Or shall we say,
that there is some virtue or efficacy in his
mere submission to the authority of this
book, which compensates for his wanting all
consciousness of a supreme moral authority
within his own heart, and all love of good-
ness for its own sake ? I am sure that no
one who understands this question, can an-
swer it in the affirmative.
Now, what are the conclusions to be
drawn from all this ? Are they not, first,
that the moral life consists in an inward
conscious knowledge of the difference be-
tween right and wrong? — and a conscious
choosing of that which is right ? — and sec-
ondly , that the true purpose of the authority
of the man, or of the book, is to awaken,
and nourish, and purify, and strengthen,
that consciousness — and that they are use-
ful when they do awaken it, and that they
are perverted from their use when they
stand in its place ?
I am confident, that no one will question
the soundness of this principle, when applied
to mere morality. I ask then, does it not
Connection of the Conscience with true religion. 505
apply with equal soundness to religion ?
Or shall we suppose, that there is a living
type within man, corresponding to every
outward rule or form of truth in morals —
and that there is not a similar living type
within him, corresponding to every outward
rule or form of truth in religion ? Shall we
suppose that God has delivered us from the
necessity of trusting to any outward authority
for our knowledge of right or wrong, in the
commonest step of life — and that He has
left us to lean upon outward authority for
our knowledge of Himself, and of His re-
lation to us, and of His ways toward us ?
It is impossible to believe it ; it is as impos-
sible to believe that we are cast altogether
on an outward authority for our religion,
as it is to recognize that as true religion
which rests entirely on an outward author-
ity. For we all feel that we are capable of
judging of what is presented to us under the
name of religious truth, in the same way
that we are capable of judging of moral
truth ; and we feel that we are responsible
for the judgments which we form in the one
department, as well as in the other, even in
the absence of all external authority.
In fact, we feel that morals and religion
506 Connection of the Conscience with true religion.
are not two departments, but one ; and that
the light which is given to us as our guide
in the former, is intended also to be oui*
guide in the latter. If a man who had been
brought up and educated in the knowledge
of righteousness, but without instruction in
any special form of religion, had the Bible
and the Koran put together into his hands,
to choose between them, we feel that he
ought to prefer the Bible, and that there
would be a moral culpability attached to his
preferring the Koran, because we feel that
the Bible agrees with that of God which is
written in the heart, more than the Koran
does. Indeed, if this principle be not ad-
mitted, there evidently can neither be a
right nor a wrong in our choice of religion.
The difference between morals and true
religion, therefore, is rather a difference in
degree than in kind, although the difference
in degree may be so great as to make them
appear different in kind. A man is living
simply in a moral state, when he recognizes
the light within him as a righteous direction
of his conduct and of his judgments of things;
he is living in a religious state, when he re-
cognizes the light to be life, — that is, when
he recognizes it to be the presence of a per-
Connection of the Conscience with true religion. 507
sonal infinite Being, the true living per-
sonification of righteousness, who made all
things, and by whom all things consist, and
who has come thus into him, not merely
to give him directions how to act, but to
make him a partaker in His own righteous
nature, that he may be also a partaker in
his righteous purposes, and finally in His
blessedness, — and when he, in the light of
righteousness, consents to these purposes.
I believe that we arrive at the conviction
that there is a God, by other ways, and
through other channels ; but I do not believe
that we can ever become acquainted with
the true God in any other way than through
the light of righteousness, shining in the
conscience. The feeling of weakness and of
incapacity to satisfy ourselves, and the ten-
dency to look up, and to seek for the origin
and the explanation of all things in the
supernatural and the infinite, assure us that
there is a God; but they do not make us
acquainted with Him, they do not bring us
in contact with the Life.
"The Life was the Light of men'^ — And
we cannot truly know that Life or living
God, except through and in that Light. And
it is only by a patient waiting on the Light,
508 Connection of the Conscience with true religion.
that we shall find the Life. We are prone
to make haste, and to be satisfied with the
light as a mere direction, instead of waiting
on it till we find it to be Life. And we
are perhaps still more prone to be satisfied
with the tidings which our fear or our won-
der, or our faculty of tracing effects to their
causes, bring us of a God, without waiting
for the consciousness of His real presence
with us as the Righteous One, in our con-
sciences.
Is it not manifest that all false religions,
all mere intellectual theologies, all supersti-
tions, and poetical mythologies, arise out of
these wrong ways of seeking God ? And is
it not also manifest, that all religions so
formed, necessarily tend to pervert the con-
science, and darken the light in it ? For do
they not subject it to another law than that
of a discerned and felt righteousness, which
is the only authority to which it ought to
bow? For surely there is no rightness in
yielding obedience to any authority, except
in so far as we discern it to be a right-
eous authority. Indeed, obedience to mere
power, without discerning righteousness in
it, can only be the effect of selfish hope or
fear, and must therefore be necessarily op-
Connection of the Conscience with true religion. 509
posed to all that is true, both in morals and
in religion.
Whenever therefore we feel the authority
of God, separated from the conscious judg-
ment and choice of righteousness within our
own hearts, we have got out of the proper
limits of true religion. True religion con-
sists in the conscious perception of the
union of these two things, or rather in the
seeing them as one. It does not consist in
taking the one for granted, because of the
other, but in seeing them really as one.
We are thus led to the same conclusions
with regard to religion, as with regard to
morality. And as we have seen that mor-
ality does not consist in adopting the opin-
ions of any man or any book, however well
authenticated as an authority, or even how-
ever well ascertained to be divinely commis-
sioned, — but in the awakening of that in-
ward consciousness which perceives the
distinction between right and wrong, and
chooses the right ; so also we see that true
religion in a man's heart, cannot consist in
any mere submission to authority, however
believed to be, or even ascertained to be, the
authority of God, but only in the awakening
of an inward consciousness which discovers
510 Wherein true religion does not consist.
the Life in the Light, — the Righteous One in
the righteous command, — and which chooses
to do His will, not merely because He is the
Sovereign, but because He is the Righteous
One, and because it loves the righteousness
of His will.
And thus, however true the form of reli-
gion which we profess may be, and however
sincere and zealous our profession of it may
be, it is not in us a true religion, whilst we
hold it merely on the authority of inspira-
tion, and not on an inward authority, — that
is, whilst we do not ourselves discern its
truth and righteousness, and whilst we do
not in its truth and righteousness meet with
the True and Righteous One within our own
hearts.
It may assist our conception of what true
religion consists in, if, (as we did in our ex-
amination of the moral principle,) we bring
it also into comparison with other changes
which might take place in a man, differing
from it in principle, and yet somewhat simi-
lar to it in appearance and language. Let us,
then, take the case of a man much alive to
the importance of possessing the favour, and
avoiding the displeasure, of the most power-
ful Being in the universe, — and let us sup-
Wherein true religion does not consist. 511
pose, that to him is granted the privilege of
having continually with him an inspired per-
son, whom he may consult at all times, and
who makes it his business, distinctly and
definitely, to tell him at every step of his
progress through life, what the will of God
is, thus enabling him to do every thing by
a special guidance, and in perfect confidence
that what he does is agreeable to God ; and
let us farther suppose, that he actually
makes use of his gifted guide, and follows
his counsel at every step ; but that he does
it, simply because he believes that it is
agreeable to God, and without the slightest
sympathy with, or enjoyment of, the right-
eous character of God, manifested in that
counsel.
Now, what shall we say of this man's
religion? On the first glance of such a
condition, we might be tempted to think
that the man who was placed in it, was
highly favoured in a religious point of view,
and that he possessed in the guardianship of
his inspired companion, a greater gift than
we possess generally as a race, in the gift of
conscience. But when we consider that the
desire of God with regard to us is, that we
should ourselves possess the mind of Christ,
512 Wherein true religion does not consist.
and that we should know His will and love
it through a oneness of mind with Him, and
not by a mere direction, and that we should
love it, and be fellow-workers with Him in
it, through the conscious approval and choice
of our hearts, — we cannot but see, that the
condition which I have supposed is quite
opposed to true religion, and is far below
the high calling wherewith the meanest ot
the children of men is called, and that the
man who walks by such a guidance, instead
of having the teaching of God in it, is in fact
only relieved by it, as it were, from the ne-
cessity of seeking the true teaching of God,
the object of which is, not to point out
particular steps, but to lead man into the
purposes of God, and to enable him to ap-
prehend righteousness and eternal life, in
all the will of God.
Let us now vary the instance a little, and
let us take the case of the inspired person
himself, — the case of the man who has an
oracle within himself, distinctly and defin-
itely indicating to him what things he ought
to do, and what he ought to avoid, so that
the business of every hour of the day is
fixed for him, by a supernatural direction,
communicated to him in the way of an
Wherein true religion does not consist. 513
inward impression; — and let us also sup-
pose, that he, in the assurance that this or-
acle is really of God, obeys it, but still in
such a way as that his obedience flows not
from any discerned righteousness in the
things ordered, but, as in the former instance,
from mere submission to the authority of
God. Would the change of the locality of
his oracle, from being outside of him to
being inside of him, make any real differ-
ence in the case, so that his obedience to it
now could be considered as true religion ?
or would it not leave him in precisely the
same state as before, namely, trained in
submission, but untrained in righteousness,
and true religion, and in real conformity to
the mind of God? In truth, such an oracle
although it appears to be an inward author-
ity, is as much outward to the man, as if it
were lodged in another person— for he is
not one with it.
The conscience which God has given to
every man, is a much higher gift than either
an outward or an inward oracle, such as
we have been supposing. It is a capacity
of entering into the reasons of God's actions
and commandments, it is a capacity of a
true spiritual union with Him ; and thus
y 2
514 The purpose of Conscience.
when we meet the will of God in our con-
sciences, we receive it in the way of par-
ticipation, or as an infusion, so to speak;
whereas, when we meet it in an oracle sim-
ply; we receive it as an impulsion. That
which does not enter by the conscience, but
is merely put upon us, or conferred on us,
can never really affect our nature, — it
may elevate us as instruments in the hands
of God, but it cannot elevate us into fellow-
ship with God. And therefore the smallest
conscious and sympathetic conformity to the
will of God, is a much higher thing than the
being made the instrument of raising the
dead, or declaring things to come. In the
one case the nature is really elevated : in
the other, it is only used for an elevated
purpose.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is admirably
suited to our consciences, for it teaches us
principles, and deals little with particular or
definite directions. It contains centres and
not circumferences; it sows seeds, without
defining the exact form of the tree; and
thus it does not relieve us from the contin-
ual necessity of the true personal teaching
of God, but only ministers to it.
I am sure that there are many who in the
The duty of trying all things by Conscience. 515
uncertainty and perplexity of their minds,
as to the steps which they ought to take,
have often wished for such an oracle, either
inward or outward, as I have been describ-
ing, not considering that by such a wish
they have really been seeking to escape from
the true teaching of God, who would have
them learn themselves, to judge between
good and evil. I believe that this very wish
to escape from uncertainty at once by a
definite direction, instead of seeking to rise
out of it, by a patient waiting on the light
in our consciences, has been the parent of
Popery and of all similar religious forms.
A person by becoming a Papist, relieves
himself from the personal obligation of ap-
prehending truth in the light of his own
conscience, and substitutes implicit obedi-
ence in its place.
The Protestant does the same thing with
regard to the doctrines of religion that the
Papist does with regard to religion through-
out. He relieves himself from the person-
al obligation of apprehending their truth in
the light of his own conscience ; he looks to
the Bible as the Papist looks to the churchy
and he adopts whatever dpctrines he thinks
that he finds there, without feeling the ob^
516 The duty of trying all things by Conscience.
ligation of personally seeing their truth in
the light of his own conscience, before he
is really entitled to call himself a believer of
them. He thus substitutes outward author-
ity, in the place of the light which is Life,
although he condemns the Papist for doing
that very thing.
There is a very interesting story, in some
part of RaynaPs History of the East and
West Indies, if I remember right, which I
have often reflected on in connection with
this subject. The purport of the story is, —
that two Missionaries, one a Christian, the
other a Mussulman, arrived about the same
time at an island of the Indian Ocean, and
propounded their respective doctrines to the
natives, who received them both with great
respect and attention. After they had taken
their departure, the king called the people
together, and said to them, that as neither
he nor they were capable of deciding which
of these two religions was the true one, he
wished them to join with him in desiring
from God, that He would deliver them from
their perplexity, by so ordering circum-
stances that the first ship which reached
the island should be to them a sign, indi-
cating that the religion of the people to
The duty of trying all things by Conscience. 517
whom it belonged, was the true religion.
He, accordingly, along with his people, made
this prayer; and soon after, a Mahometan
vessel arrived, on which the whole island
became Mahometan, in obedience as they
thought, to the will of God expressed by
this sign.
I can scarcely believe that the story is
true, but supposing it is true, it deserves to
be considered whether the way which these
people took of getting rid of their difficulty,
was a right way or not. To me it appears
that it was decidedly a wrong way, being
nothing less than a culpable renunciation of
their standing as moral beings. They had
that within them by which they were able,
and therefore were bound, to have tried and
compared the two religions; and they had
no right to escape from this duty. God had
set the duty before them, as an opportunity
of receiving a blessing through it. But the
great blessing which is derived from a true
religion comes through appreciating and
receiving the righteousness of God, which
is revealed in it ; and therefore they, by re-
fusing to try it by their consciences, did in
fact put from them the blessing intended.
And God answered this conduct by sending
518 The duty of trying all things by Conscience.
the Mahometan vessel first, as if to teach
us who hear of it, that Mahometanism and
Christianity are of equal value to those who
judge of moral truth by outward authority.
I cannot help associating in my own
mind, this little story with that most beau-
tiful of all stories, which Herodotus tells of
a nation which had received under their hos-
pitality, and pledged their faith to, a prince
who had been driven from his dominions
by Croesus, then in the midst of his con-
quests. Whilst Croesus, with his army, was
at a distance from them, they maintained
their fidelity to their guest; but when he
approached their boundaries, and threaten-
ed them with the weight of his vengeance
if they did not deliver up his enemy, they
began to hesitate, and sought counsel of an
oracle whether they should give him up or
not. We feel at once that they had already
committed a great crime, by asking counsel
from an outward authority, in a case which
they themselves ought to have determined
by consulting the authority within their own
consciences ; and that they deserved as the
punishment of their offence, the permission
which they received, to break their oaths
and surrender their guest : but we hesitate.
The duty of trying all things by Conscience. 519
perhaps, about allowing ourselves to look on
our Indian islanders, as in circumstances
at all similar. There is, however, a resem-
blance between the two cases in principle,
although the degrees of culpability are cer-
tainly very different. And if my reader
does not see a resemblance between them,
he certainly is not yet acquainted with a liv-
ing religion in his own heart, — nor does he
yet see a satisfying reason why any one re-
ligion should be preferred to any other.
"The Jews seek after a sign, and the
Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach
Christ who was crucified, to the Jews a
stumbling-block, and to the Greeks fool-
ishness ; but to them who are called, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God,
and the wisdom of God." The Jews were
continually asking a sign, that they might
be delivered from the necessity of judging
doctrines by the light of God in their con-
sciences. And the Greeks, the learned, in
like manner desired to escape from con-
science, and to be allowed to rest their re-
ligion on the authority of an intellectual
demonstration. But the Apostle preached
redemption from sin and death, through a
dying to the flesh, consented to, in filial de-
520 True religion at once natural and supernatural.
pendance on the fatherly love of God, de-
claring, at the same time, that his doctrine
could have no other effectual witness or
proper basis, but the light of God in the
conscience, — the true witness of the Spirit.
The instruction indeed may, and does
come from without, both in morals and in
religion, but that authority which seals it,
is within, — the inward spiritual conscious-
ness, which constitutes the life in religion
as well as in morality.
This is the true natural, and, at the same
time, supernatural religion, to which all out-
ward revelation must be subordinate. It is
natural, because God has planted it in, and
suited it to, man's nature ; and it is super-
natural, because it is the union of the nature
of God with the nature of man. And the
outward revelation is subordinate to it, not
in the sense of being inferior to it, as a
manifestation of God's will, but in the sense
of being a letter, and not a spirit, and of
being both judged by it, and ultimately in-
tended for its use, that is, for its awakening
and nourishment.
In saying this, the reader will observe I
do not mean to deny that real truths may
often be presented to a man, without meet-
The inward witness. 521
ing or awakening this consciousness in him,
and that, not from any want of suitableness
on their part, but from spiritual deadness
on his ; and therefore I do not mean to jus-
tify any one on this ground, in the rejection
of a truth presented to him from without —
and far less do I mean to maintain that the
want of this consciousness or inward wit-
ness in any individual or number of individu-
als, in reference to any doctrines, is a proof
against these doctrines ; but what I mean
to say is this, that there is no more of true
religion in any man's soul, than there is of
this awakened consciousness ; and that all
the doctrines which he holds, without this
authority, and simply on an outward au-
thority, although it be the authority of an
inspired man, or an inspired book, or even
on an inward authority, if that authority be
only an impressioriy and not a real enlight-
ening of the conscience, are mere notions
or opinions, and not true religion.
I believe that the objections that many
feel to the doctrine of the inward witness of
the Spirit, arise often from a misapprehen-
sion of it. It is supposed, for example, that
when a man says, that he has the witness
of the Spirit to any doctrine, or to the in-
522 The inward witness.
terpretation of any text, he is necessarily
claiming infallibility to himself, on that par-
ticular subject at least.
Now I do not deny that many persons
when they say such a thing, do indeed claim
infallibility on the subject ; but I deny that
a person, rightly understanding what the
witness of the Spirit is, would feel himself
at all entitled to claim infallibility even on
a subject in which he most strongly felt the
confirmation of the inward witness ; be-
cause I believe that that witness witnesses
not to intellectual, but to moral and spiritual
truth, and I therefore do not consider it to be
a revelation to a man enabling him to solve
an intellectual difficulty, such as an obscure
passage of Scripture, or a disputed point of
church usage or history, but to be the liv-
ing sympathy and apprehension with which
his heart answers to, and takes hold of, any
announcement of the love or righteousness
of God, and any claim which God makes
on man to be conformed to His likeness,
wherever he meets them, or thinks he meets
them. And thus I conceive that a man of
a right spiritual mind, on reading a passage
in which he thinks that he perceives such
an announcement, or such a claim, although
The inward witness, 523
his perception is founded on an entire mis-
take of the meaning of the passage, may
yet have the true witness of God's Spirit
within him, to what he feels of life to his
soul in it, no less certainly than if he had
been right in his intellectual apprehension
of the passage.
I have met with people who conceived
that this doctrine of the inward witness
was completely disproved, by producing two
acknowledged Christians, opposed to each
other, and maintaining, each of them, that
they had the witness of the Spirit to their
view of a subject. But this is no proof
against it; for it is perfectly possible, that
each of the contending parties may connect
his view of the subject with announcements
of God's nature, or of man's duty, which
may be most true and most quickening to
his own soul — and it is to these quickening
truths that the witness alone refers.
But when I say that we are not left to
lean on any outward authority for our know-
ledge of God, and of His ways towards us, let
no one think that I am putting aside the Bi-
ble as an authority ; for my meaning is sim-
ply this, that although many most important
truths are set before us in the Bible, which
524 Purpose of the Bible illustrated.
never would have entered our hearts, had
they not been thus set before us \ yet that
being thus set before us, they are then only
profitable to us, and even truly believed by
us, when they awaken within us a corres-
ponding form of our inward spiritual con-
sciousness, so that we recognize them hence-
forth, as truths which we ourselves know to
be truths, by conscious experience, and not
merely on the outward authority of the Book.
There are many facts in our intellectu-
al experience, quite analogous to this, which
might be used to illustrate it. Thus, a man
may be perfectly incapable of making any
advance in mathematical science, by his own
original and unassisted efforts, — and yet if
Euclid be put into his hands, he may find
himself quite able to follow and appreciate
the reasoning, and thus to gain a very con-
siderable acquaintance with the subject.
His mind in consequence is filled with a new
class of ideas, which he has acquired entirely
from the reading of this book. And yet it is
not on the authority of the book, that he
rests his conviction of the truth of any of
the propositions contained in it, but on his
own personal discernment of their truth.
Indeed, we could not consider him to have
Purpose of the Bible illustrated. 525
entered in the slightest degree into their
meaning, if we found him resting his belief
of them on the authority of the book, or on
any outward authority whatever. Nor in-
deed would we call such a belief a mathe-
matical belief at all. And yet had not the
book presented the truths outwardly to him,
the inward intellectual types might have lain
for ever dormant within him.
In this case, we do not feel that we detract
from the importance of the book, when we
say, that it is subordinate to the inward in-
tellectual authority ; that is, when we say,
that it is to be judged by that authority, and
that no man can believe it rightly except by
discerning its agreement with that author-
ity within him ; and that any other kind of
belief is not a belief which suits the subject,
because it is not a belief which discerns
truth in the subject.
And in the same way we do not detract
from the importance or from the authority
of the Bible, when we say, that then only
can its authority be rightly acknowledged
by us, when we discern its agreement with
the testimony of the spiritual witness within
us — and that its great importance consists
in awakening our consciousness to the pre-
526 Can the Conscience test, or judge of,
sence and the instructions of that spiritual
witness.
I believe that most people will acknow-
ledge the justness of this principle, as long
as its application is limited to what are
commonly called the truths of natural reli-
gion. Thus people do not rest their belief
of the existence of a God on the author-
ity of the Bible, nor their belief that God
loves righteousness and hates wickedness,,
nor their belief of many other truths of the
same order ; because they find in themselves a
living consciousness of these truths, corres-
ponding to, and authenticating the outward
statement of them, — which inward conscious-
ness naturally becomes the authority for their
belief of them. But as soon as they enter
upon the facts of Christ's history, and what
are called the peculiar doctrines of Christi-
anity, they think that there can be no other
authority but that of the Inspired Book, on
which they can rest their belief.
And yet if these truths are so out of the
bounds of natural religion, as to have no
corresponding living consciousness within
us, which may be awakened by the outward
statements being presented to us — then it
is not easy to see how they can affect our
the peculiar doctrines of Christianity f 527
character, or of what use the revelation of
them could be to us ; — unless indeed we
suppose that the intellectual acknowledg-
ment of them is followed by the implanta-
tion of a corresponding living consciousness
within the heart. But still in this case the
conviction of their truth would rest on the
inward consciousness thus created, and not
exclusively on the outward authority.
Instead, however, of pursuing this subject
any farther in the way of conjectural reason-
ing, let us consider what light is thrown on
it by the Bible itself.
In the first place, then, it must strike every
reader of the Gospel history, that in all his
instructions, Jesus constantly and directly
appeals to the consciences of men, for the
truth and the righteousness of what he says.
He does not require any of his words to
be received on his personal authority, but
on the authority of their own self-evident
truth. This is plainly what he means, when
he says that " He had not come in his own
name," and that he did not speak in his
own name, "but in his Father's." This also
is the meaning of that word in Luke xii. 57,
"Why even of yourselves, judge ye not what
is right?" in which he evidently condemns
528 The Spirit of Christ in the Conscience is the test.
the Jews for not knowing God's truth when
they heard it — and it is also the meaning of
that other word, " And if I say the truth,
why do you not believe me ? He that is
of God, heareth God's words, ye therefore
hear them not, because ye are not of God."
John viii. 46, 47- He spoke the same thing
outwardly, which the Spirit of the Father
was speaking inwardly in all consciences ;
and so the word was not his, but the Fa-
ther's who had sent him.
And thus he appeared in the world as
the true witness of God, and as the living
conscience of the whole world, giving free
and willing utterance to those truths, which
though suppressed, and darkened, and per-
verted in the individual consciences of men,
by unfaithfulness, and the power of the flesh
in them, yet never can be heard without
calling forth a testimony that they are of
God.
But it will be said, that all this relates
only to religious precepts, and that although
it be granted that there are within us types
corresponding to the truths which Jesus
taught, it does not follow that there are
any such corresponding types to the events
of his history, his miraculous birth, his sac-
of all spiritual things. 529
rificial death, and his resurrection, which
yet constitute the chief doctrines of the
Christian faith.
But if it be true, that Jesus did appear
indeed as the living conscience of the whole
world, then in the inward history of our own
individual consciences, we must have the
types corresponding to his outward history.
And surely it is with the purpose of lead-
ing us to look for, and to find such corres-
ponding types within us, that John begins
his gospel, by identifying Jesus, Jir^st, with
God, " The word was God ;" and theriy with
the Spirit or light in man's conscience, " In
Him was life, and the life was the light of
men. That was the true light which light-
eth every man."
For, in these words, the Evangelist, as
it were, puts his hand on each man's heart,
and says to him, " The history which you
are now to read, is the history of God mani-
fest in your flesh ; but it is also the history
of this mysterious power which you feel
within your own heart, — for they are one, —
and you can only understand the outward
history, by comparing it with your own
consciousness of the inward power. The
power in you, is a stream from a Foun-
530 The separation of outward religious knowledge^
tain ; and as you cannot know the Fountain
except through the stream which has visited
your own soul, so you cannot understand
the stream, except by knowing what the
Fountain is from which it flows.
And thus the reason that Jesus has a wit-
ness to what he says in every conscience is,
that in every conscience there flows a stream
of spirit, of which He is himself the Fountain,
and every utterance of the Fountain is felt
electrically through the streams. And the
reason that His actions in the outward world
have corresponding living types within each
man's conscience is, — that He Himself is
truly in each man's conscience, present by
His Spirit, and seeking to manifest there,
in the secret of each man's personal con-
sciousness, the same great things which He
outwardly and publicly manifested in his own
personal humanity in the world. Seeking, I
say, to manifest the same great things, — and
to this end inviting the willing co-operation
of each individual soul, as the necessary
condition, without which He cannot ac-
complish that inward work.
If we found a man who was resting his
belief of the existence of the sun, and of its
relation to our earth, merely on a book of
from imvard consciousness ^ illustrated. 531
astronomy, we should infer that he did not
know what the sun was ; because we should
feel, that if he really knew that the bright
luminary which he was accustomed to see
every day, was the very same sun of which
his book spoke, his belief of its existence
would rather rest on his own personal ex-
perience of it, than on any extraneous record
whatever. His book of astronomy is written
with a reference to things and to facts which
are open to his observation and experience ;
and it is impossible for him to understand
the purpose of the book, unless he connects
with it, the results of his observation and
experience.
It would be a curious and eccentric phe-
nomenon, to see a man well versed in theo-
retical astronomy and natural history, who
yet walked forth into the world and viewed
the various objects, in the heavens above, and
in the earth beneath, without ever recogniz-
ing them as the same objects of which his
books treated, and with the laws of which
he was so well acquainted, through the
means of his books. Such a man would
evidently have two worlds, perfectly uncon-
nected, — the one, the world of his experi-
ence 5 the other, the world of his theory ;
532 This separation specially guarded against,
and in consequence of this separation, his
theory would be without the life of experi-
ence, and his experience would be without
the light of theory.
There is surely something very like this,
presented to us continually, in the case of
that great multitude of religious people, who
separate their religious knowledge received
through revelation, from their own personal
consciousness of spiritual things, which I
have here called natural religion. Whilst
a man's belief of the being and character of
Jesus Christ, rests solely on revelation, it is
manifest that he has never yet in his own
mind connected, or identified, the idea of
Jesus given in the sacred record, with any
living reality, of which he himself has a con-
scious experience. He reads that a glorious
Sun has come into the moral system of man
— he reads and believes the record ; — but he
does not look for Him, nor expect to find
Him, in the moral system of his own experi-
ence ; nor does he identify the outward ac-
count of His movements with any thing that
he feels and knows within his own heart —
for if he did, his belief would no longer
rest on the outward record, but on his own
personal knowledge and experience. And
hy the Gospel according to St. John. 533
yet Christ is there within him, and the
purpose of the outward record is to draw
his attention to this living power come in-
to his own nature, to bless him there. But
he separates the two, instead of identifying
them, and thus his theory is destitute of
life, and his experience is destitute of know-
ledge .
It seems to me that John's Gospel has
been specially intended to guard us against
the danger of separating between our out-
ward and our inward religion, — between our
knowledge concerning God, and our con-
sciousness of God; — and that it fulfils its
purpose, by continually referring to the
oneness of Christ with the Spirit in the
conscience of man.
This purpose is very observable in chap, i.,
as I have already remarked. It appears to
me equally observable in our Lord's conver-
sation with Nicodemus, chap, iii., where re-
generation, or the spiritual birth, is con-
nected with, and made to depend on, the
knowledge of that oneness.
Both passages evidently treat the same
subject — they both show how fallen man has
been put into a capacity of becoming a
child of God, and how he may profitably
534 John i. compared with John iii. 8.
use that capacity, so as actually to become a
child of God, a conscious partaker of the
Divine life and nature, — and they both tes-
tify that the recognition of God in the voice
of conscience, is the way to that blessing.
In chap, i., Jesus and his Spirit are de-
scribed as the ^^ Light ofmen^^ as "the true
Light which lighteth every man," or that
which in every man's conscience pointeth
out to him, the direction in which he should
go. And then it is said, " as many as re-
ceived Him, to them gave he power to be-
come the sons of God, (or to be regenerated,)
even to them that believed in his name,'' —
that is, to them that recognized the Light
which lighted them, to be the Word who was
with God, and was God — who had come
from God, and went to God, — for this was
His name, the description of His being and
His office.
The ^«? ** light" of chap. i. is indisputably
the -Tcnvfx.x "Spirit" of chap, iii., and therefore
it is to be expected that the same results
should be attributed to the recognition of
the Spirit, in the latter chapter, as were
attributed to the recognition of the Light in
the former. And this agreement would be
perfectly apparent, if verse 8th were trans-
John iii. 8. 535
lated literally. That verse is thus translated
in our English Bibles, " The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh
and whither it goeth ; so is every one that
is born of the Spirit."
As I write for the unlearned, let me ob-
serve, that the word here translated wind, is
the same word which is translated Spirit in
the last clause of the verse, and through all
the rest of the chapter. Now it seems to
me that there is something palpably wrong
and forced in this change, and that surely if
a suitable meaning can be found in the verse,
without resorting to the expedient of vary-
ing the sense of this word, we ought to
regard that meaning as the true one — and
that, as the subject of the conversation is
the spiritual birth, we are warranted to
conclude, in the absence of any internal
evidence to the contrary, that wherever in
the course of the conversation, the word
xnvfAx Spirit occurs, it is intended to bear
a sense corresponding to that subject.
The Latin Vulgate retains the same sense
of Trnvfccc throughout the verse, and ren-
ders the first clause, " spiritus, spirat,^ the
Spirit breathes ; and both Ambrose and
536 John iii. 8.
Augustine adopt the same signification, —
Ambrose as if he knew no other, and
Augustine expressly contending against the
meaning which our translators have prefer-
red, — so that there is sufficient authority and
antiquity in favour of this view of the verse,
to defend us from the charge of presump-
tion or novelty, in urging its superiority.
I may also add, that the verse, in its pre-
sent translation, contains no information
whatever on the subject of the new birth,
though it purports to be an answer to an
inquiry on that subject, — which is a far-
ther reason for our trying the other trans-
lation, — thus,
"The Spirit (within man) breatheth in
the direction which He chooseth, and thou
hearest His voice, but knowest not whence
He Cometh, and whither He goeth, (there-
fore art thou not born of Him ; and as the
Spirit is,) so is every one that is born of
the Spirit."
As the True Light and the Spirit are evi-
dently one, and as it has been said, chap. i. 9,
that " the light lighteth every man," it neces-
sarily follows that the Spirit breathes in
every man. We ought not then to translate
10 Trnvf^ct TTHt oTTov hy.ii, as if the meaning were,
John iii. 8. 537
— the Spirit breatheth upon one man and
not upon another, — which would contradict
that statement, but we ought to give ottow,
the signification of quo, whither^ and not of
ubi, where, as in John xiv. 4, and James iii.
4, making the sense of the verse to be, —
" The Spirit intimates the direction which
he approves, or in which he would have men
to go, and thou hearest his voice, but thou
knowest not whence he cometh and whither he
goeth" In this last phrase our Lord shows
Nicodemus the reason why he was not
born of the Spirit, although the Spirit was
breathing within him, and uttering His
voice in him, and although he even heard
the voice, — namely, because he did not know
that it was the voice of the Spirit of God
in him, which had come from God, in order
to lead him up to God.
Nicodemus had been compelled by this
very voice to come to Jesus, but he came
under the cover of night, from fear of the
Jews. And why was he afraid of openly
following this voice? Because he did not
know that it was the voice of Him who
divided the Red Sea before his forefathers,
— that it came from God, and led to God, —
and that, therefore, in following it, there
z2
538 John iii. 8.
could be no danger. Hence he did not
open his heart to it, — he did not cast him-
self upon it, — and therefore it could not
regenerate him, or make him a partaker
of its own life.
This then is the instruction, as to how we
may be regenerated, which our Lord gives
us in this verse, viz., that we should learn
to know the voice in our own consciences,
as the presence of God in our flesh, guiding
us out of corruption, into the eternal rest ;
that so the sense of right in us, may be
fortified by an assurance of ultimate bless-
edness, and may be quickened into life, by
fellowship with the Spirit of righteousness.
If we follow out the general use of the
phrase here employed, *' thou knowest not
whence it comes, and whither it goes," we
shall be farther confirmed in the convic-
tion, that Jesus meant, by using it, to
identify himself with the voice of con-
science.
We find Jesus' knowledge of Himself thus
described in John xiii. 3, "Jesus knowing
that the Father had given all things into his
hands, and that he ivas come from God, and
went to God " and his act of humility on
that occasion, is there ascribed to that self-
John iii. 8. 539
knowledge ; and in like manner, in chap,
xvi. 28, he says of himself, " I came forth
from the Father, and am come into the
world, again I leave the world and go to the
Father." And we find in other parts of the
same Evangelist, his disciples characterized
as those who ** knew whence he came, and
whither he went," and the rulers and the
multitude who rejected him, as those who
"knew not whence he came and whither he
went ;" see John xiv. 4 ; xvi. ^7 ; viii. 14 ;
ix. 29 ; xvii. 8 ; vii. 28 ; which last passage
ought to be read interrogatively, thus, " Do
you both know me and know whence I
am ?" implying a strong negative, as is
evident from the last clause of the verse.
From these examples, it would appear
that this phrase is appropriated to Jesus,
and that it refers to his coming out from
God, into the human nature, that he might
go back to God, carrying the human nature
with him ; and thus it seems even required
by the common use of the phrase, that we
should interpret it in chap. iii. 8, not of the
wind but of the Spirit of Jesus. And yet
it is evident, that it is not an outward voice
to which our Lord here alludes, but to that
540 " Thou hnowest not whence
inward voice, which is one with the " true
Light w^hich lighteth every man."
Jesus Christ is God in our flesh, — and
what is the voice in man's conscience, but
the voice of God in man's flesh? Chris-
tianity, then, is the unveiling of the true
nature of conscience, as it is in every man.
If a man really knows what it is, and
whence it comes, and whither it goes, he
will not fear to follow it, but will feel that
his whole hope of good, lies in becoming
fully one with it ; whereas if he knows not
these things, he cannot choose but shrink
from the self-denial and sufferings into which
it necessarily leads him. The light is come
into our nature, that we may become one
with it, and so may ascend with it into
heaven. And we can ascend thither in no
other way, than by this union; for " no man
hath ascended up into heaven, but he that
came down from heaven, even the Son of
man." Ver. 1 3. By following the leading of
the light, we become one with it, and so one
with the Son of man who came from God
and went to God.
When Nebuchadnezzar commanded his
whole empire to worship the golden image
it comethf and whither it goeth^ 541
which he had set up, we may be sure that
all the Jews in Babylon heard the same
voice within their consciences, saying, " Wor-
ship it not.'' Those amongst them who
knew not whence the voice came and whi-
ther it led, and who only saw that its first
step would be, to lead its followers into the
liery furnace, refused to trust themselves to
its guidance. But Shadrach, Meshech, and
Abednego, who knew that it came from
God, and returned to God, were not afraid
to follow it, assured that it would take them
with it, to God, whatever difficulties might
meet them on the way.
On that occasion God gave an outward
token of the security of those who thus
yielded themselves to His Spirit's guidance,
by bringing them uninjured out of the fur-
nace. The Word went into the furnace with
them, and led them out safe.
But this was a remarkable and an uncom-
mon case, for often the Word leads its fol-
lowers into difficulties, out of which it does
not appear to extricate them, so that such a
case could not be taken as a general chart
of the way by which the Word leads men ;
and as it was desirable to have a chart which
might truly mark the way by which, and
542 " Thou knowest not whence
the end to which, the Word leads all men
without exception, God sent Jesus Christ to
be himself our chart, by showing us, in his
own history, the full consequences of fol-
lowing the word.
He was the Word made flesh, and in
following the word, he never listened to
the voice of the flesh, which would have
prompted him to spare himself, and to
avoid many painful contests with the evil
of the world, but went straight on, follow-
ing the voice of the Spirit in him, whither-
soever it led him. And it did lead him into
distresses, and persecutions, and insults, and
tortures, and death, without delivering him,
as it did the three Jews in Babylon, He
was laid in the grave, and thus to the eye
of man, it seemed that the Word had con-
ducted its faithful follower to ruin. But
this was in truth the way of deliverance, for
then began the glorious part of his history,
and then it was proved that the Word in-
deed was life, and that as it came from
God, so it led to God, for it raised Jesus
from the dead, and exalted him in that
body in which he had obeyed it, to the
right hand of the Majesty on high.
He that knows this history of Jesus, and
it comethf and whither it goeth.'* 543
recognizes the oneness of the voice of Jesus
with that voice which he hears in his own
conscience, is no longer in doubt what that
voice is, or whether he may safely follow
it, — *' he now knows whence it cometh and
whither it goeth," and thus it is that he is
born of the Spirit; he receives the life of
the Spirit as his life, and thus as the Spirit
is, so is he, for whither the desire of the
Spirit tends, thither his tends also.
And it is in this way alone that man as-
cends to heaven, for it is in this way alone
that he really becomes one with Jesus, "and
no man hath ascended up to heaven, but
He that came down from heaven, even the
Son of man," as it is written in verse 13th.
In verse 14th, Jesus seems to give a
sketch of the way by which the Word would
lead himself, the Captain of salvation, as
well as all his followers, out from the bond-
age of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the sons of God. ** As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son
of man be lifted up, that whosoever believ-
eth in Him, might not perish, but have
everlasting life."
I think that it is impossible to read this
verse, as following up the meaning of the
544 The importance of knowing
preceding one, "no man hath ascended up
to heaven but he that came down from hea-
ven," &c., without feeling, that it must surely
contain some explanation of the way of as-
cending up, and thus, that the ascending up
of the one is connected with the lifting up
of the other. And when we find, that the
same word v^}/«&', which our Lord here uses,
is used in other places to describe both his
exaltation to the right hand of power. Acts
ii. S't^^ and also his death on the cross, John
xii. 32, we may be allowed to suppose that
he intended here to conjoin both meanings,
that he might show their inseparable con-
nection, and that he might teach Nicode-
mus, — who to spare his flesh had come to
him by night, — that the reason of his not
being born of the Spirit, was not the ab-
sence of the Spirit, but his own ignorance
that the voice within him was the voice of
the Spirit, and that though it did lead into
suffering, it did so, because there was no
other way to eternal happiness, for who-
ever would ascend up to heaven, must as-
cend by the cross.
Metaphysicians have disputed whether
conscience is a simple faculty, or whether
the impressions which we ascribe to it are
whence the voice in conscience comes. 545
produced by a combination of faculties.
And if there be no higher nature in it, than
man's nature, it is of little consequence
which of these opinions we adopt j because
on this hypothesis, our power of obeying its
intimation, which is certainly the important
point, could not be affected by the correct-
ness or incorrectness of our opinion. But
if the voice in our conscience is the indica-
tion of the actual presence of God within
us, a knowledge that it is so, is of immense
importance to us ; for thus we enter into the
secret of God's love towards us, and of His
purpose concerning us, that our hearts
should be His temples, and that we should
be one with Him, through Jesus Christ ;
and thus also we discover, that though in
ourselves, we are only ignorance and weak-
ness, yet we have within our reach, and
within the limits of our own nature, the in-
finite wisdom and infinite strength of God,
to which we may unite ourselves, and we
are thus encouraged to run with confi-
dence the race that is set before us.
Some of my readers may think that I
have given too great a place throughout the
whole book, to the subject of conscience ;
but in this, I have acted from the convic-
546 Edwards on the
tion, that neither the doctrine of Election,
nor any other doctrine, can be rightly un-
derstood, except through the doctrine of
conscience.
Indeed, it appears to me, that the radical
error of President Edwards, in his work on
the Freedom of the Will, is, that he does
not at all enter into the consideration of
what constitutes man a moral being, or of
what conscience is, or of the condition of
man in consequence of having a conscience;
and that thus having failed to found his reas-
oning on the basis of a true view of human
nature, he necessarily also fails of throwing
any satisfying light on the subject which he
treats, and of commending himself to the
consciousness of any human heart; and al-
though he subsequently constructs his argu-
ment with admirable skill, yet as the prem-
ises on which it rests are defective, he is
conducted by it to conclusions which are
contradicted by all our most intimate moral
convictions. For the truth of this charge,
I can confidently appeal to any reader and
admirer of Edwards. I would ask him to
point out a passage in the book, which lays
open the secret workings of man's mind, or
presents to us scenes of inward conflict, or
Freedom of the will, 547
defeat, or triumph, in which we can recog-
nize our own conscious feelings. And yet
it assumes to describe that which is nearest
to the consciousness of every man, and which
therefore if truly described would have a
witness in the consciousness of every man.
Edwards considers all men whilst unre-
generated, as still standing in that state of
helplessness, into which Adam's fall brought
the nature, and as being no otherwise af-
fected by the redemption of Jesus Christ,
than as having been placed by it in such
circumstances that God may now, consist-
ently with justice, by a special act of grace,
apply the benefits of it to such individuals
as He chooses ; but he sees no gift of spirit-
ual light or life, given to them as a race, in
Christ. He thus regards them as born heirs
of a nature possessed exclusively by a cor-
rupt will, and as destitute of any means
of resisting it, and of course he concludes
that nothing but a new and special power
acting upon them from without, can rescue
them from that necessity of evil, to which
they are bound.
This is his theory of man's condition, and
he persuades himself, as he has succeeded
in persuading many others, that this condi-
548 Edwards's definition of
tiori is consistent with a true liberty and
responsibility, by adopting a definition of
liberty which makes no reference whatever
to the moral condition of man, and which
therefore confounds his rational liberty with
the unconscious liberty of a beast.
It seems to me that Edwards's great
success as a theological metaphysician, has
arisen from the fact, that this definition
has been generally passed over, uncriticised
and unquestioned, and that the true an-
swer to his book would consist in pointing
out the deficiency and incompleteness of
this definition, on which so much of his
reasoning rests.
The definition is as follows, "Liberty is
the power or advantage that any one has
to do or to conduct as he pleases."
Now, it is evident, that this definition,
as I have already said, makes no reference
whatever to the moral condition of man,
and in fact applies equally well to the liber-
ty of a beast as to that of a man, — for it
requires nothing more in the subject than
an inclination to act, and the power to act
according to that inclination.
Edwards avails himself to the full of the
Liberty i examined. 549
advantage which this definition gives him —
for he tests by it, the condition of man such
as the highest Calvinism supposes him to
be in, namely, destitute alike of all inclina-
tion, and of all means, to resist the power
of evil ; and, because he finds that amidst
all this destitution, there is still left him the
inclination to do evil, and the power to act
according to that inclination, he pronounces
him as free as it is possible to conceive a
creature to be, and of course thoroughly
responsible.
By this same definition also, he proves
the consistency of absolute unconditional
decrees of election and reprobation, with
liberty and responsibility, — because notwith-
standing of the darkest of these decrees, the
inclination and the power to do evil are still
left to the reprobate.
As therefore his whole demonstration of
the consistency of the Calvinistic view of
man's condition with liberty, rests on the de-
finition, a proof of deficiency in the definition
undermines the demonstration. This proof
I shall now endeavour to lay before the
reader, and in the exposition of it, I hope
moreover to show, that a true definition of
550 Inquiry into the essential cotiditions
human liberty requires conditions utterly
incompatible with the common doctrine of
Election.
If I wish to remove an animal from one
part of a field to another, I have only to re-
move his food, and the animal, following his
own natural impulse, and exercising "the
power to do as he pleases," goes to the
place which I have destined for him. Ac-
cording to Edwards' definition of liberty,
this animal is perfectly free; but surely it
is not free, with a liberty which we could
consider suitable to a moral being.
We cannot but see, that the definition
here proves itself to be too wide, because it
lets things pass through it, which ought not
to pass through it, — and that it is deficient
in discrimination, because it makes no dis-
tinction between the blind liberty of a beast
and the rational liberty of a man ; we can-
not therefore be justified in placing any
dependence on it.
But let us pursue this path a little far-
ther.
In the same way that I manage this ani-
mal, a ruling man of governing talents may
manage his fellow-men, and without putting
any constraint upon them, may make use of
of human liberty. 551
their appetites, and passions, and interests,
so as to accomplish purposes by them, of
which they are perfectly ignorant, and in
which they have no sympathy with him,
but the contrary. They are thus blind, un-
conscious tools in his hands, and yet in
all that they do, they only exercise " their
power or opportunity of doing as they
please."
It is evident, that neither the animal nor
the men who are under such management,
can properly be called free, because although
they act according to their own purposes,
they are unacquainted with the real domi-
nant purpose, which is to be fulfilled by their
actings, and in subordination to which, all
their private purposes have been foreseen
and arranged.
So far, then, the animal and the men thus
managed are on an equal footing with re-
spect to liberty, or rather to bondage. But
there is this difference between them, that
the animal is incapable of any higher free-
dom than that which it has, whilst the men
are. The animal is incapable of entering
into my purpose, in wishing to remove it
from one place to another, and therefore I
cannot get it to become a co-operator with
552 Inquiry into the essential conditions
me, bat am necessarily obliged to address
to it a subordinate motive, quite separate
from my real purpose. Whereas, the men
are capable of entering into the purpose of
their ruler, and if that purpose embraces
their interests as well as his own, he may,
by disclosing it to them, be delivered from
the necessity of employing subordinate
means to influence them, and may hence-
forth have the benefit of their exertions in
the capacity of friends and co-adjutors, in-
stead of using them as unconscious instru-
ments.
If he succeeds in this object, they evident-
ly become free in a sense in which they
were not before, — they become free in re-
lation to him and to his purpose, — for they
are no longer used by him for the advance-
ment of his purpose under the semblance
and notion of advancing a purpose of their
own, and they now act with a conscious
view to that object which is the real ulti-
mate object of their acting.
The idea of liberty, of which we get a
glimpse here, is, that it consists in a sym-
pathy, or agreement of choice, with regard
to the dominant purpose of our acting, with
the ruling and directing mind, which ap-
of human liberty. 553
points our acting ; and the capacity of lib-
erty consequently consists in a capacity for
this sympathy.
We thus arrive at a principle which dis-
tinguishes the blind liberty of a beast from
the rational and moral liberty of a man, and
we cannot allow any definition of human
liberty to be just and complete, which does
not embrace this principle.
But, in order more distinctly to under-
stand the conditions which are necessary to
this sympathy, and of course to liberty, let
us now suppose that the object which this
ruling man desires to accomplish through
the instrumentality of his fellow-men, is a
purely selfish object, and directly opposed
to the interests of those whom he is making
use of to procure it ; — is it not evident, that
in such circumstances he never can by
any disclosure of his purposes, gain their
voluntary co-operation with him, inasmuch
as they can never sympathize with him in
that which they know is to be hurtful to
themselves ? — and therefore is it not evident,
that for subjects placed in such circumstan-
ces, that is, in a state of subjection to a
ruler who has a design contrary to their
good, rational liberty is impossible ?
A a.
554 Inquiry into the essential conditions
As a state of rational liberty therefore
requires, on the part of the subject, a capa-
city of sympathizing with the ruling mind,
so it requires on the part of the ruler, that
his ultimate purpose should embrace the *
good of the subjects. Where these two
conditions do not meet in the condition of
a subject, his sympathy with the ruler is
impossible, and therefore he is incapable
of liberty.
But when we have once admitted the
principle, that in order to be free, we must
sympathize with our ruler, in the dominant
purpose which he has with regard to our
actings, we must carry it up to the head of
creation ; for it is evident, that whilst there
remains a ruler or a purpose more dominant
than those with which we are acquainted,
we are still in bondage, — and that we must
arrive at the most dominant ruler and pur-
pose in the universe, and must embrace
that purpose, so as actually to make it our
own, and to be at one with the ruler in it,
before we are truly and essentially free.
And if it be discovered that we have not
such minds as are capable of entering into
that dominant purpose, then it is also dis-
covered that we are incapable of freedom,
of human liberty. 555
on the same ground that the animal is,
though our difficulty occurs at a different
part of the scale. Or if it be discovered
that the dominant purpose of the ruler is
not for our advantage, and does not embrace
our happiness, then also it is discovered
that we are in circumstances in which it is
impossible that we can be free, because it is
impossible that we can have sympathy with
the ruler or in the purpose.
Now let us gather up these things. The
reason why the beast cannot be free under
my management, is, as we have seen, that
it has not a human spirit, and therefore
cannot enter into a human purpose, nor
sympathize with it, however much it may
be for its good. And the reason why men
may be free under the management of one
of their fellow-creatures, is, that they have
human spirits, and are therefore capable of
entering into a human purpose, and thus oj
sympathizing with it, if it be for their own
good.
Are we then capable of freedom under
God's government ? It is evident from the
preceding argument, that we cannot be so
except on two conditions, first, that God's
Spirit be communicated to us, enabling us
556 Inquiry into the essential conditions
to enter into God^s purpose^ — and secondly,
that His purpose be one that embraces our
good, thus enabling us to sympathize with
Him in it.
If true liberty consists in our full sym-
pathy with God in His purpose, — then the
capacity of liberty consists in the meeting
of these two conditions. For as no man
knoweth the things of a man, but by the
human spirit in him, so no man knoweth
the things of God, but by the Divine Spirit,
(1 Cor. ii. 11 ;) and no man can willingly
co-operate in a purpose, unless he knows
that it embraces his good. I must, there-
fore, have the Spirit of God, in order to
fit me to enter into God's purpose, — and
that purpose must be truly and decidedly
for my good, in order that I should be
capable of sympathizing with it.
It is obvious, that this view of liberty, if
just, completely does away with Edwards's
attempt to prove that the theory of Calvin-
ism is consistent with human liberty, — I
mean his attempt to show that man is free,
even on the supposition, that he is lying under
a decree of reprobation, and abandoned by
God to the power of the evil spirit. The
reader will judge of the view for himself, but
of human liberty. 567
to me it appears that, so far as it goes, it
commends itself to the understanding, as
just and reasonable, and that Edwards's de-
finition is manifestly wrong, inasmuch as it
is a mere abstraction, which makes no ref-
erence either to the nature of man, or to
his relation with God.
But I would say farther, that whilst I be-
lieve that no man could be truly free under
God's government, unless the two conditions
above mentioned were found united in his
case, I do also believe, that even thus he
could not be free, if the Spirit of God sup-
posed to be communicated to him, were not
the Spirit of righteousness, and if the pur-
pose of God toward him, were not, that he
should be righteous. Could we conceive such
a horrible and impossible thing, as that God
should have a purpose which was not right-
eous, and which yet embraced the happiness
of man, and that He should communicate
to man the Spirit in which He had con-
ceived that purpose, so enabling and per-
suading him to sympathize with Him in it,
— we feel that liberty would not be the true
name for such a state. True liberty exists
only when that which ought to rule does
rule, — and we all feel that nothing ought to
558 Inquiry into the essential conditions
rule which is not righteous, — and thus we
feel that the willing service of God is liber-
ty, not merely because it is willing, but be-
cause God is righteous.
When a man knows in his own heart what
is right for him to do, he also feels that he
ought to do it; and if he is living in the
flesh, and so is prevented from doing it
by the thought either of pleasure or pain,
or by the hope or fear of any thing that
may happen in consequence of his doing
it, he is truly in bondage, and he has a con-
sciousness of being so. The deliverance
which such a man needs, is to know that
the Ruler, without whom a sparrow falleth
not to the ground, is the Righteous One,
who loveth righteousness, and desireth his
righteousness, and hath placed him in these
circumstances, to educate him in righteous-
ness ; and that assuredly it shall be well
with the righteous, and ill with the wicked.
It is the union of omnipotent rule with
righteousness, and with the desire of uni-
versal righteousness, (which is love,) that
makes God what He is ; and it is the
knowledge of this union of qualities in God
that can alone produce full liberty in the
hearts of men, as it is this knowledge alone
of human liberty. 539
which can strengthen them to resist and
overcome all passing motives connected
with present ease or gratification, and to
take hold of eternal righteousness, — thus
submitting themselves to that in them which
ought to rule, and casting down that in
them which ought to be in subjection.
When we are conversing with God's pur-
pose concerning us, that we should be right-
eous, and when we are considering and
using all the circumstances of our being,
as opportunities given to us by God of co-
operating with Him in its accomplishment,
then are we free, " we walk at liberty, seek-
ing His precepts;" but when we are oc-
cupied with any thought or plan in which
this purpose is not embraced, though by so
doing we may appear to be exercising our
liberty, yet we are in fact throwing it away,
and yielding ourselves to be used by God as
we use the lower animals, in unconscious
subserviency to a purpose, which, although
it can only be accomplished in our own in-
dividual cases by our consenting to aban-
don all other plans, and to adopt it as
our own, is yet, through the all- wise con-
trol of God, who makes the wrath of man
to praise Him, advanced in the general, even
560 The Spirit and the flesh are the roots
by the doings of those who are most op-
posed to it, — as we have seen exemplified
in the case of Pharaoh. God is always car-
rying forward this purpose, and whenever
therefore we turn our eyes from it, we fall
from true liberty.
And as it is in the Spirit alone, that
we can apprehend righteousness, as distinct
from all selfish ends, and can enter into,
and sympathize with God's purpose, so it
is only whilst we live in the Spirit, that we
have true liberty. In the Spirit, both of the
conditions of liberty meet — for it has the
mind of God, and it is beloved of God.
Whereas the flesh seeks self-gratification and
not righteousness, — it does not apprehend
the mind of God, and moreover it is, and
feels itself to be, under His condemnation ;
and therefore when we live in the flesh, we
are necessarily in bondage — we are slavishly
seeking to ward off some selfish sorrow, or
to obtain some selfish good, instead of enter-
ing into the plan of the universe, and mak-
ing common cause with God, in the great
work of righteousness, — and thus we re-
nounce our high calling of being fellow-
workers with Him, and we compel Him to
use us as blind tools, and to draw His own
of liberty and bondage, 561
ends out of the ruin of the projects which
we are vainly cherishing.
And when we understand that the Spirit
is liberty, and that the flesh is bondage, we
can then understand that the command to
deny ourselves, and to crucify the flesh, is
really a call to liberty, a call to enter into
the secret of God, and to partake in His
mind and in His blessedness ; — and we can
then also understand, that the sentence of
sorrow and death, with all the trials and
sufferings included in it, is not only a right-
eous judgment upon sin, but is also a gra-
cious course of discipline, teaching us and
aiding us to escape from bondage, by escap-
ing from that through which the bondage
comes, and to live in that in which alone is
liberty — for " where the Spirit of the Lord
is, (yielded to as the guide,) there is liberty."
" And Jesus said to those Jews who be-
lieved on him, if ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed, and ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall
make you free ;" and again, " If the Son
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
John viii. The liberty of the Son, embraces
the liberty of the truth, for it rests on a full
knowledge, and a full agreement $ it does
A a2
562 The liberty wherewith
not consist in a mere submission to au-
thority, but in a perfect confidence in a
Father's love, and in a perfect comprehen-
sion of and sympathy with a righteous pur-
pose. This then is the only perfect liberty,
and it is the liberty which God intends for
man, and He has given him the capacity of
it, in giving him the gift of the Son. For it
was not with a mere outward message that
the Father sent the Son into the world ; He
sent him into the nature^ as a fountain of
filial spirit^ — and thus it was, that "to as
many as received him, he gave power to be-
come the sons of God" — and thus also it is
that the Son still makes those who receive
him, free, — not in name or in notion, —
but by participation in the filial spirit.
No lower life than the life of the Son
could enable us to enter into the full love
and righteousness of the Father's purpose,
that we should become His righteous child-
ren, by consenting to lay down the life of
our own wills j — no lower life therefore could
enable us, in the days of prosperity, to re-
sist the current of the natural will, whilst it
is greeted by the fulfilment of all its hopes
and desires, and even then to shed out its
life, by refusing to take our portion in it ; —
the Son maketh free, 563
and in the hours or years of darkness, no
lower life could enable us to take joyfully
the spoiling of our goods — the breaking up
of all which the natural will holds precious,
— and to welcome the bereavement, the dis-
appointment, the suffering, the death, which
are the lot of man in this world. And thus
the love of God in giving us His Son is
only rightly understood, when it is seen to
be a love which desired that we should be
sons, and which accomplished its desire by
sending Him into the nature to baptize
and to quicken it, with His own filial spirit.
And thus also the meaning of the verse,
" God so loved the world that he gave his
only-begotten Son," (John iii. 16,) is only
rightly understood, when it is filled out by
the meaning of that other verse, ** Be-
hold what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should
be called the sons of God." (1 John iii. 1.)
The Sonship and the spiritual life are
identical with, or necessary conditions of,
true liberty, and thus the Gospel, which de-
clares the gift of the Spirit to men, and the
purpose of God to make them His Sons
through Christ, is most truly the "procla-
mation of liberty ta the captives."
564 On Edwards* s rejection of a self-determining
I shall leave the reader to consider the
oneness of these things, with the views
set forth throughout this whole book, and
I shall proceed to say a few words on that
idea maintained by the Arminians, of a
self-determining power in the will, — in the
refutation of which Edwards revels so tri-
umphantly throughout the entire course of
his work. As to the inaccuracy of the
form in which the idea is expressed, it is
possible that Edwards is right ; but I can
easily suppose a reader, feeling that Ed-
wards, by his argument on that subject,
may indeed have removed a logical error,
but that he has left the place, where it
stood, empty, instead of filling it with a
satisfying statement of the truth — and that
he has destroyed the will entirely, by at-
tempting to remove from it, something
which does not belong to it.
I am conscious that I have within me two
principles, — the one leading me to make
self-gratification my chief object, and to
judge of all things according as they affect
self, — and the other leading me to find my
good, not in self-gratification, but in that
which is right, and to judge of all things
according to that which is right. These are
power in the will. 565
two distinct wills within me, each of which
is at every step of my life, continually solicit-
ing me and urging me by the motive pecul-
iar to it, to yield myself up to be guided by
it. I am also conscious, that although I am
connected with both these wills, yet I am
distinct from them both ; that is, that I am
neither the one nor the other of them, and
that though they are within the limits of my
nature, they are separate from, and external
to my individual personality, evidently com-
ing to me from two opposite sources, the
great fountains of good and evil.
Thus, besides those two wills which I have
been describing, 1 am conscious that I have
another, more closely connected with my
own personality, namely, the power of de-
ciding to which of those two I shall give my-
self up, — a will more inward and more my
own than either of them.
And I am conscious, that in exercising
this power of deciding between the two
wills of good and evil, I am not passive, but
active, — and that though I never act without
a leading, yet I can always choose my lead-
er, — that I am not necessarily carried along
by a current, but that I often rise forcibly
out from one current, and cast myself into
566 On Edwards^ s rejection of a self-determining
another, and break off from one line, and
connect myself with another. I am con-
scious that I have a power communicated to
me from both the good and the evil, but
that it rests with myself to determine which
I shall use, — and that I have motives sug-
gested to me by both, but that I can spon-
taneously put myself into a condition of
seeing, either the one set of motives or the
other, to be weightiest. I can choose to
stand either in the Spirit or in the flesh, and
so to be prepared to form a judgment either
on the one side or on the other. I feel that
I am not a part of the natural universe, gov-
erned and carried forward by fixed laws, but
that I can stop and go on, and stand up in
the midst of the surrounding machinery,
and look to Him who created it, and who
set it in motion, and either enter into His
purpose, to my own salvation, or resist it to
my own destruction.
I believe that this, which appears to me
to be the true description of man's condi-
tion, and the view which the Bible assumes
as the basis of all its instructions, is the very
thing which has been aimed at by those,
who have maintained (in illogical terms, it
may be,) the existence of a self-determining
power in the will. 567
power in the will, and which has, under
that name, been so successfully ridiculed by
Edwards j and therefore I have no sympa-
thy with his triumph, especially as I see
that the use which he puts it to, is, to
make out, that man being still under the
whole consequences of the fall, is absolute-
ly destitute of the power of resisting evil,
and must necessarily go on in it, unless his
progress is arrested, and his course changed,
by a special electing power coming upon
him from without, — thus teaching that con-
version is a process in which man is en-
tirely passive, being a special interposition
of God in every case in which it occurs.
Arminians have generally been under-
stood to regard the voice in conscience as a
merely human faculty, a relique of the ori-
ginal state of man, which has survived the
fall, and passed to us through it, instead of
considering it to be the Spirit of the Word,
which came into the nature after the fall, as
a seed of regeneration, and as an anticipated
fruit of the sacrifice of Christ, and which is
thus a real and substantial pledge and bond,
connecting every child of Adam with the
blessings of the New Covenant, being in fact
the very presence in him of the light and
568 On the tendency and tone of
life of Jesus,* "the ingrafted word which is
able to save the soul ;" — which view alone,
however, seems to meet the language of
John i., or the meaning of Paul, when in
his Epistle to the Colossians he describes
the gospel as the preaching of " the mystery,
Christ in you, the hope of glory ;" — and I
believe that in consequence of their low way
of considering this subject, Edwards was
probably led at once to condemn their
doctrine of a self-determining power in the
will, as an assertion of man's sufficiency
for himself, that is, as Pelagianism, with-
out allowing himself candidly to enquire
whether they might not mean something
by it, which is vouched by the conscious-
ness of every human heart.
Theoretical truth lies between two errors,
and thus it is difficult to oppose one er-
ror, without verging into its opposite. If
Edwards had not been opposing Whitby and
Chubb, but had been simply desiring to set
forth the truth of God, he would, in all pro-
bability, have written a very different work.
I believe that he was himself a good and
* According to Cave, in his life of Justin Martyr, all
the primitive fathers of the Church regarded conscience
as the Spirit of Jesus.
Edwards^s Work. 569
holy man, but assuredly he has left a dark
legacy to the world, in that book on the
Freedom of the Will. It is a book which in
its principle denies the love of God to man,
I so forbiding man to trust in God ; and in
its mode of argument, appeals from man's
conscience to his logical faculty, so putting
him out of the way of knowing God, — and
thus both in principle and in argument,
it is directly opposed to the gospel of Je-
jsus Christ. Jesus came preaching peace, by
Ideclaring his Father to be the common Fa-
ther of men, prodigals and all ; — Edwards's
book has not preached peace; it has preach-
ed perplexity and doubt, by declaring that
the Father of Jesus Christ is not the Father
of all men — and that though He created all
men. He only loves a few of them.
Jesus came preaching to the common
Iconscience and common sense of men ; he
came saying, "If I speak the truth, why do
ye not believe me ? " Edwards's book sets at
naught the conscience and common sense,
and preaches to a faculty which few possess
to any extent, and fewer still have opportuni-
ties of cultivating. He thus really addresses
the vanity of men, because he speaks to a
faculty in which one man differs from ano-
570 Conclusion*
ther, and on account of which, one thinks
himself superior to another. And after all,
he does not address that faculty on true
grounds, as I have shown to be the case
in his definition of liberty.
I am sensible that there are many faults
in this book of mine ; but yet I feel thankful
to think, that there is not a sentence nor a
sentiment in it, which does not invite and
encourage every man to trust with perfect
' confidence in the love of the living God, —
and also, that there is a continual testi-
mony borne throughout it to the righteous
nature of God's love, and to the truth that
all trust in Him must be a delusion, which
is not according to righteousness, and which
does not crucify the life of self, and foster
the life of the Spirit,
NOTE.
In two former publications of mine, the one entitled,
a Tract on the gifts of the Spirit, — the other, the Brazen
Serpent, — I have expressed my conviction, that the re-
markable manifestations which I witnessed in certain in-
dividuals in the West of Scotland, about eight years ago,
were the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, of the same char-
acter as those of which we read in the New Testament.
Since then, however, I have come to think differently,
and I do not now believe that they were so.
But I still continue to think, that to any one whose
expectations are formed by, and founded on, the declara-
tions of the New Testament, the disappearance of those
gifts from the church must be a greater difficulty than
their re-appearance could possibly be.
I think it but just to add, that though I no longer
believe that those manifestations were the gifts of the
Spirit, my doubts as to their nature have not at all arisen
from any discovery, or even suspicion, of imposture in
the individuals in whom they have appeared. On the
contrary, I can bear testimony that I have not often in
the course of my life, met with men more marked by
native simplicity and truth of character, as well as by god-
liness, than James and George M'Donald, the two first
in whom I witnessed those manifestations.
Both these men are now dead, and they continued,
I know, to their dying hour, in the confident belief, thaf
572 Note.
the work in them was of the Holy Ghost. I mention
this for the information of the reader, who may feel
interested in their history, although it is a fact which
does not influence my own conviction on the subject.
To some it may appear, as if I were assuming an im-
portance to myself, by publishing my change of opinion,
but I am in truth only clearing my conscience, which
requires me thus publicly to withdraw a testimony
which I had publicly given, when I no longer believe
it myself.
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denunciations of woe and wrath have been accomplished to the very letter ;
and not one jot or tittle forgotten or forborne. But their future story is writ-
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THE volume disappoint US." PRESBYTERIAN REVIEW.
14 DAY USE
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