bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believeth." (x. 2, 3, 4.; compare Acts XIII. 38, 39.; Phil. 111. 3-9.)

2. THAT the Jews placed very great confidence in their dearness to God, as the Sons of Abraham, is too well known to require any proof: but it may be useful to set down the ground of that confidence, (and indeed of all their boasted privileges,) in the account given in Genesis, Chap. xvii. 7-11, of the covenant made by God with Abraham, and of the institution of circumcision as the seal of that covenant. "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant; to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee: and I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my

covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee, in their generations. This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee; every man-child among you shall be circumcised and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you."

HERE, it must be allowed, was a strong foundation laid for lofty and exclusive claims, in the mind of a Jew: and these, in after times, were greatly heightened and confirmed by several advantageous circumstances, of momentous importance, enumerated by St. Paul, in Chap. ix. 4, 5, of this Epistle: "Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the Fathers; and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came; who is over all, God blessed for ever, Amen." We may conceive then, how astonishing it must have been, to the mind of a zealous and bigoted Jew; or rather, how perfectly. shocking and incredible; what was implied in an alleged Divine commission to preach the Gospel to all nations, and in the comparative success of

that preaching among the Jews and Gentiles; that God had cast off his ancient people, and had adopted the believing Gentiles to be his Church and People in their room.

To combat such prejudices, in an Epistle addressed to the chief seat of empire, was an undertaking every way worthy of the great Apostle of the Gentiles.

I.

SYNOPSIS OF THE ARGUMENT b.!

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EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

THE Apostle himself has, I conceive, laid down the subject of the Epistle, with the utmost precision, in Chap. i. 16; where he affirms of the Gospel of Christ, that it is, δυναμις θες εις σωτηρίαν παντι τῳ πιςευοντι, Ιεδαιῳ τε πρωτον, και ΕλAnvi:-"the power of God unto salvation, to every ληνι one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Now this affirmation, we may observe, comprehends these two things:

1. THE perfect efficacy of the Gospel to salvation for it is, dvvapuç des ELC owenplay," the power of God unto salvation:" and this, by implication, includes the inefficacy of the Law, whether of Moses, or of Nature, to that purpose. (See Gal ii 21)

2. THE universal extent of this saving efficacy, in the gracious design of God, to all mankind, to Gentile as well as to Jew : παντι τῳ πισεύοντι, Ιεδαιφ τε πρώτον, και Ελληνι - to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

IN this Epistle therefore, the Apostle does, mainly, these four things:

1. HE shews the inefficacy of the Law to salvation: {

2. HE shews the perfect efficacy of the Gospel to the same:

3. HE destroys the exclusive claim of the Jew to the benefits of this salvation :

4. HE perfectly establishes the right of the Gentiles to be the people of God, through faith in Jesus Christ; without their coming under any obligation whatever to the law of Moses.

THESE are the points upon which all his arguments bear, with full and manifest effect; and