into him; neither gathering in his name, nor baptism into it, professionally, availeth. The promise of salvation is sure to none but those who are truly gathered and baptized into the name itself and to these it cannot fail; for the name has all healing virtue in it. "Holy Father," says Christ, "keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." John xvii. 11. "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name." 12. "If ye shall ask any thing," says he, "in my name, I will do it." xiv. 14. This can never fail, any more than salvation can fail to such as are truly and thoroughly baptised into his name; for as this baptism is salvation, so asking in his name is in his own life, spirit, and power, and he cannot deny himself. As the Father always hears him, because of his asking in his (the Father's) life and power; so he always hears and cannot avoid hearing, all who ask in his name, for the one plain and all-sufficient reason, that his name is his life and spirit, his power and presence; and all done in it, is done to purpose; for therein there is no lack; therein is fulness and divine sufficiency. We are complete therein for ever, without any of the signs or symbols of former dispensations.

CHAPTER VII.

Paul's epistles to the Galatians and Colossians written purposely to dissuade from attachment to shadowy ordinances. Circumcision, water baptism, &c. plainly superseded; and true Christians shown to be complete in Christ without them. This the evident scope of these epistles. This chapter contains many quotations from, and remarks on them.

SEVERAL of the espistles seem to have been written on purpose to dissuade from attachment to and retention of the rituals of shadowy dispensations. Paul having his knowledge of Christ by immediate revelation, knew the dispensation of figurative institutions was ended; and that Christians viewing lifeless signs as gospel ordinances, must powerfully divert and detain them VOL. II.--68

from the living, saving substance: hence he pressingly invites to Christ, the life and substance, and warns against a continuance of ceremonials. His epistles to the Galatians and Colossians, and a good deal of several others, are full to this purpose. Some troublesome persons had got, in among the Galatians, insisting on circumcision, and the rites of the law; and had so influenced the believers, that this inspired apostle vehemently expostulates with them for being so easily shaken from grace, (of itself sufficient for all,) and turned to elementary observances. Chap. i. 6, 7. "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel." But as rituals are not of the gospel, he immediately adds, "which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." Indeed, every attempt to establish ceremonial institutions as gospel ordinances, is directly an attempt to pervert the gospel, and frustrate its blessed design, that of superseding all those figurative observations. And on this ground he pronounces any one, even though it were himself and companions, or an angel from heaven, that should preach any other gospel than that already preached unto them, accursed, v. 18. The gospel that Paul preached, was Christ within, the word nigh in the heart and in the mouth; which he expressly calls "the righteousness which is of faith ;" and declares of this inward word, that it is, "the word of faith which we preach." See Rom. x. 6, 8. A few words before, he had declared, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believeth." Hence it is evident, that this inward word of faith, which he preached as nigh in the heart, &c. is that which supersedes and ends the signs and shadows of the law to true believers.

The Israelites had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge; for they being ignorant of God's righteousness, (the inward righteousness of faith, Christ, the word in the heart,) and going about to establish their own righteousness (in the figurative observances, the letter and ceremonies of the law, and creaturely performances,) have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." See v. 2, 3. That he means by the righteousness of God, this inward living word in the heart,

and by their not submitting to it, their non-subjection to the motions and teachings of it, is evident by the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses. "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise; say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above :) or who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead:) but what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach." This will remain, through all ages, the one only gospel of life and salvation. It is Christ in man, and ends the types and shadows. Were it not Christ himself, the divine and holy word in the soul; did it not unite the life of the soul with the life of God, and bring into subjection to him, dependance upon him, and action by him, it would never effect complete salvation; for until all this is witnessed, God becomes not our "all in all." "Though we have known Christ after the flesh," saith the apostle, "yet now henceforth know we him no more. ."2 Cor. v. 16. It was necessary he went away, as to his visible appearance in the flesh, that he might come again, or more fully in spirit abide with and comfort his forever, This he promised, and performs it to every true believer, who rightly looks for him in spirit, not gazing up into heaven, watching for his outward coming, or seeking to know him after the flesh: unto all who thus inwardly look for him, he appears in them, where his kingdom is, “without sin to salvation." See Heb. ix. 28. His final coming to judgment will be to thousands who look not for him, and will not be unto their salvation, but condemnation, to their shame and everlasting contempt; but his second coming is promised only unto them that look for him, and is to their salvation. And thus he did come to those he said should not taste of death till they saw the kingdom; for this is truly the coming of his kingdom on earth, to those who rightly wait and pray for it, and livingly experience it, which many then did; for says the apostle, Col. i. 13, "who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.' Here Christ sitteth on the throne of the heart, in his inward kingdom; for Paul tells the Galatians that it had pleased God, who called him by his grace, " to reveal his son in him."

This entirely supersedes the occasion of signs, as eating, drinking, or the like, to keep him in remembrance.

This inward revelation and knowledge of the son, in man, the hope of his glory, was a mystery that had been hidden from ages and generations. The mists of darkness, and their resting in the law of carnal commandments and ceremonies, had hid and vailed from their minds the clear knowledge of it: but the vail being done away in Christ to the saints in that day, the apostle declares this mystery was "made manifest to them;" and goes on to show what is the very life, riches, and glory of it, saying, "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the hope of glory." See Col. i. 26, 27. There never was but one true life and substance of religion. Hence, though this mystery of Christ within was greatly hid to most men for ages, yet was it the very thing Moses referred Israel to of old. Deut. xxx. 14. "The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayst do it." Here Moses preached the gospel and Paul affirms it was preached to Abraham. Gal. iii. 8. Indeed it must be so; for Abraham saw Christ's day, rejoiced in it, and came in degree into the life of it, though not to the end of all the signs. He not only saw it, as then to come in greater fulness and glory; he knew it in himself: for when the Jews said to Christ, " Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham ?" he did not escape their dilemma by telling them, Abraham foresaw his day afar off. That was not the thing he aimed at: but he came directly to the ever important point, to the very life of the matter; “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am," John viii. 57, 58: not I was. For, as the holy word, (the same that appears in the heart,) he is the eternal I AM. Abraham knew and enjoyed him as such, as the life and substance of the new covenant, "four hundred and thirty years" before the giving of the outward law. This is the inward gospel which Paul learned by the revelation of Jesus Christ, (Gal. i. 12,) by God's revealing his son in him. Had he not so learned it, but only taken it by report from others, though well authenticated, he might have preached up Jesus and the resurrection in word, with as much

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zeal as ever he had in the Jews' religion, while he was so ceedingly zealous of the traditions of his fathers," (v. 14,) and yet never at all have preached the gospel of Christ, which ever is in itself, and is never preached but in "the power of God to salvation."

I mourn that the preachers of our day so generally lay hold of the history of the gospel in the letter, out of the life and power of it; zealously urging and using elementary observances, as ordinances of Christ, to the subversion of many souls from a close and single attention to the inward word of life, under which, for a season, they have been well exercised. Thus "the letter killeth." 2 Cor. iii. 6. The literal preaching of what is called the gospel, being out of the newness of life, leading into and landing in the ceremonials of religion, has slain its tens of thousands, even of such as have in degree begun in the spirit, and run well for a season, but by and by, through the influence of this lifeless ministry, have turned to and come under the shadows, and there rested from the further pursuit of their journey in the spirit, which they ought to have fervently prosecuted in the open light, and under the warmth and animating beams. of the sun. Paul knew the danger of these things, and considered the attempt of those "false brethren" to continue the observance of outward ordinances, as directly tending to bring the believers "into bondage," Gal. ii. 4, and would not give place to them," by subjection," (to such observances,) "no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel," says he, " might continue with you." v. 5. By the truth of the gospel, he means its pure and genuine simplicity, unfettered with signs and ceremonies; against the retention whereof he was so bold and faithful, that he declares he even withstood Peter "to the face," at Antioch, (v. 11,) and reproved him "before them all," for compelling the "Gentiles to live as do the Jews;" (14.) and especially, seeing he himself had," before that certain came from James," eaten with, and lived "after the manner of the Gentiles."

And then this great apostle pertinently inculcates, that even the believing Jews themselves could not be "justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ." 16. It is evident he means, by the works of the law, the outward obser