1. The efficacy of the Gospel to Justification; for which end the Law failed:

2. The extension of this Grace to all, both Jews and Gentiles, through faith:

He proceeds to the remaining Gospel-graces.

FOR it must be noted, that in St. Paul's sense, there is a certain order and progression of the Christian graces; from the first beginning of them, the pardon of sins past; to the crown and end of all, Eternal glory.-This order is,

1. Justification, or pardon of sins past.

2. Peace with God, v. 1; which ensues immediately upon Justification, and is the same with Reconciliation, ver. 10. and a state of favour, ver. 2.

tension of this grace to the Gentiles, is manifest from the form of the expression, Ch. v. 1: dikaIWDEVTEL 8V EK TISEws: “Therefore being justified by faith :" which represents Justification, as a grace already conferred upon the Gentile Converts, and as an act already past.

3. The Hope of glory, ver. 2. or of the glorious inheritance of the Sons of God in heaven. (See 1 Pet. i. 3, 4.)

4. The gift of the Holy Spirit, ver. 5, which is the seal of our adoption, vIII. 15; and the earnest of our heavenly inheritance, Eph. i. 14*.

"Justificationem hominis necessario præcedunt actus quidam, ceu dispositiones, (ut loquuntur,) quibus homo ad tantum beneficium a Deo recipiendum aptus atque idoneus reddatur: cujusmodi sunt, dolere de peccato, detestari peccatum, humiliter se Deo subjicere, ad Dei misericordiam confugere, in Christo Mediatore spem figere, divinum favorem ante om nia ambire, novæ vitæ firmum propositum inire, aliaque consimilia; quæ omnia Sacra Scriptura sub Fidei et Pænitentiæ vocabulis complectitur. Hi autem actus, sive dispositiones, neutiquam ex meris humani arbitrii viribus proficiscuntur; sed per Spiritum sanctum, hominem prævenientem, excitantem, adsistentem, comitantem, (nondum vero in ipso homine habitantem) omnino efficiuntur. Efficiuntur vero in homine atque ab ipso per Dei Gratiam, non in instanti, (quod fieri nequit, siquidem ut exerat quis actus illos omnes, tempore et quasi serie quadam pii discursus omnino opus esse per se manifestum est;) neque necessario sive irresistibiliter, ut loquuntur; sed gradatim, et prout homo se ductui verbi Spiritusque Divini obsequentem præbuerit. Homini ita per Gratiam disposito, ex summa Dei misericordia per ac propter Christum, maximum

THESE are privileges freely conferred upon us by God, upon our admission by Baptism into the Christian Covenant.

illud Justificationis beneficium confertur; hoc est, peceata ipsi sua, quotcunque et quantacunque, plenissime remittuntur, atque jus ad salutem æternam conceditur. Demum in hominem jam justificatum, eoque viodeoias privilegio donatum, in signum amoris ac veluti tesseram adoptionis, Spiritus adoptionis a Deo emittitur: (Gal. iv. 6.)

"Hæc Spiritus donatio, quæ Justificationem sequitur, a Gratia ejusdem Spiritus hominis conversionem præveniente et operante, bifariam imprimis differt. Primo, quod animæ jam a vitiis purgatæ Spiritus Divinus arctius atque intimius, quam antea, unitur, in ipsam altius penetrat, pleniusque ejus facultates omnes pervadit: unde in Scripturis dicitur Spiritus Divinus ante conversionem hominis, quasi ad cordis ostium pulsare; post conversionem vero interiora domus intrare. (Apoc. iii. 20.) Deinde, quod Sanctissimus ille Spiritus in anima, quam antea veluti inviserat tantum, et Gratia sua præveniente in domicilium sibi præparaverat, jam habitat, et quasi sedem suam figit; nunquam inde discessurus, nisi per peccatum aliquod gravius foras extrudatur; adeoque, si quando tale quid acciderit, lubenter rediturus, modo per seriam ac tempestivam pœnitentiam revocetur.

"Hæc non sunt Novatorum somnia, sed ipsa veritas in Sacris Scripturis manifestissime tradita: quæ, cum passim, ac verbis disertissimis, donationem Spiritus Sancti post Fidem et Pœnitentiam, ponant, ipsumque Spiritum Sanctum non nisi animis jam bene præparatis ac dispositis infundi doceant; tam Fidem

5. Sanctification of heart and life, through the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. VI. 2. 4. 6. 11. 14. 22.-VIII. 3, 4. 12, 13. -This is the Condition to be fulfilled on our part: upon which there follows:

6. A grounded Hope of a glorious Resurrection. v. 11; VI. 5. 8. 22; VIII. 14. 16, 17, 18. 23, 24, 25.

7. Salvation finally perfected in the everlasting possession of the heavenly kingdom. v. 9, 10, 11; vI. 22, 23; VIII. 13. 17, 18, 19. 23.

Now the Apostle having affirmed, 1. 16, that the Gospel of Christ was the power of God unto salvation; and having as yet advanced no farther

tamen, quam Pœnitentiam, gratiæ Divinæ verbis æque claris tribuunt. Obtestor Lectorem, ut non perfunctorie legat, sed attente ac serio expendat, hæc Scripturæ loca : Prov. i. 23; Esa. lvii. 15; et lxvi. 1, 2; Luc. xi. 9. 13; Joan. xiv. 17. 23; Act. ii. 38. et v. 32; Gal. iii. 14; Eph. i. 13; 1 Pet. v. 5 ; Apoc. iii. 20; coll. cum Joann. vi. 44; Act. xvi. 14; Eph. ii. 8: 2 Tim. ii. 25." Bp. Bull. Apol. pro Harmonia. Sect. 3, No. 4.

toward this end than Justification, or the remission of sins that are past, which takes place upon our admission to the Gospel Covenant; it was requisite that he should proceed to further degrees of the grace and efficacy of the Gospel.

ACCORDINGLY, in the two first verses of Chap. v., we have the two Gospel-graces, which come next in order after Justification, viz. Peace with God, and the Hope of Glory.

v. 1, 2. δικαιωθεντες εν εκ πίσεως, ειρηνην εχομεν, &c.

"Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Peace with God is an immediate consequence of Justification. The Hope of Glory, i. e. of a glorious resurrection, and final salvation, he confirms by the indubitable testimony of the Love of God toward them, which they possessed in the gift of the Holy Spirit : (See Acts x. 45.)

2