the reafonings, nor fo much as a lift of the fpeakers, he hath affured us, that, amongst the members of court, there was "much difputing," verf. 7.

Happy, however, for the churches of Chrift, an abftract of what Peter and James delivered, as their fentiments, is preferved in the facred record.

Peter's judgment, in the caufe, appears to have been chiefly influenced by what he understood to be the will of God, from the difpenfations of his providence.

In providence, the gofpel was fent to the Gen tiles, the Holy Ghoft was poured out upon them,? and their hearts were purified by faith, Ats xv. 7, 8, 9.-From thefe phenomena, he reafoned to this purpose:

If God, in fovereign wifdom and love, hath freed them from the greatest of all dangers,-the curfe of the law; and delivered them from the worst of all fervitudes, the flavery of fin; why fhould his fervants, in the gospel of his dear Son feem to coun-teract fuch gracious defigns, by laying them under embaraffments which make no part of the Chriftian, but were altogether peculiar to the Old Teftament, difpenfation ?—And, more efpecially, why should we unneceffarily involve them in difficulties, with. which, by fad experience, our ancestors were, and we ourselves are, fo thoroughly acquainted-How difrefpectful to our master,-how cruel to his members, would fuch procedure be!

Accordingly, after relating what God had done for the Gentiles, he faid, "Now, therefore, why "tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of "the difciples, which neither our fathers nor we "were able to bear ?" Acts xv. 10.

Gratitude, for their own redemption, was another argument

argument whereby Peter's judgment was influenced.

If the favours which God heaped, with fuch a liberal hand, upon the Gentiles had been peculiar to them;-if the apoftles and elders at Jerufalem had been excluded from any lot or part in that matter;-then the motive, for eafing them of fuch burthens, would have been greatly weakened: but the apoftle faw, falvation flowed in one channel both to Jews and Gentiles:-That both were equally indebted to the righteoufnefs of Chrift for falvation; and that the final and complete redemption of both was equally fecured, and would be rendered equally effectual. "We believe (faid he) that)

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through the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, we "fhall be faved, even as they," verf. 6. 11. And, therefore, as if he had added, it would be inexcuf ably illiberal in us, to impofe arbitrary hardships upon those who are fo precious in the eyes of our beft Friend; efpecially, fince we know, that whatever is done to them, He confiders as done to himself, chap. ix. 4.

James, again, feems to have been determined in his judgment by motives equally reafonable and fcrip tural.

In general, he proceeded upon the fuppofition of God's having actually called the Gentiles by his grace. The prejudice originally imbibed by the Jews against this doctrine, did not hinder him to allow fuch evidence of the fact as now lay before him, all the weight it deferved. However invete, rate these prejudices might have been, he renounced all attachment to them, as foon as he underflood

they were wrong. Nor did he only lay them afide, but cordially acquiefced in the newly difcloted plan of mercy, concerning the nations, faying, "Simeon " hath declared how God at the first did visit the "Gentiles,

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Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his "name," Acts xv. 14. And, as if he had faid, fince we have no reason to doubt the truth of the report, why should we not give them all the indulgence and encouragment that is competent for us, or confiftent with the true fpirit of Chriftianity?

But, what more especially influenced this apostle in the fentiments he delivered, was the harmony which (poffibly not till then) he difcovered between this recent difpenfation of providence, and many antient predictions and promifes. He was, at once, but fully, convinced, that the converfion of the Gentiles was an accomplishment of various words of grace, which God had "spoken in his holiness," and which then occurred to his mind, with fuch light, fuch power and evidence as he was not able, nor, indeed, in the least, inclined to resist.

"To this (faid he) agree the words of the prophets, as it is written," in the book of Amos, Amos ix. 11, 12. After this will I return and build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down and I will build again the ruins thereof, " and I will fet it up: that the refidue of men might feek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, faith the Lord, "who doth all thefe things," Acts xv. 15, 16, 17.

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Upon which feafonable difcovery, the apostle's reafoning was to this purpose,-Since Peter has re lated nothing, as a hiftorian, but what Amos foretold, as a prophet, why should we, by uncommanded feverities, difcourage the acceffion of the Gentiles to the church of Chrift?

Another motive by which James was influenced, in the healing overture he propofed, was, the view of God's prefcience; which he alfo learned from the accomplishment of Old Testament prophecies, in New Teftament

Teftament events. As if he had faid,-though we laid not our account with God's calling the Gentiles, and have, therefore, been furprized with the news of it; there is no reafon againft our giving then the right hand of fellowship, and purfuing every lawful measure to recommend Chriftianity to their efteem, fince, “known unto God are all his works from the "beginning of the world," verf. 18.

Moreover, as this apoftle was influenced, by thefe confiderations, to free the Gentile-converts from unneceffary burthens; he took notice like wife of an argument, by which he was determined, in his own judgment, to lay other obfervances upon them, which he forefaw might, in fome future periods of the church, be reckoned frivolous and indifferent; namely, that "Moles, of old time, hath, in every city, them that preach him, being read in the "fynagogues every Sabbath day," Acts xv. 21.

Men and brethren, would he have faid, while we loose the Gentiles from any obligation to one pofitive inftitution under the law, it is highly neceffary to guard them against other things, pofitive ly forbidden in the Old Teftament scriptures ;~ which were familiar to them in their heathen state; -which ftill apear as harmlefs, as circumcifion would have appeared unreafonable ;-and the propriety of which will be justified, even by the Gentiles themselves, in proportion as they attend to the fpirit, and improve in the knowlege of the fcrip

tures.

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"Wherefore, my fentence," or overture, to be turned, if you will, into a fentence, is, that we "trouble not them which, from among the Gen"tiles, are turned to God, but that we" announce our decifion by writing" unto them that they "abstain from pollutions of idols, and from forni❝cation,

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cation, and from things ftrangled, and from "blood,” verf. 19, 20.

Hitherto, the apoftles and elders are reprefented by the hiftorian, as having deliberated upon the queftion referred to them, without the leaft appearance of the brethren's having interfered at all.

Whether they were prefent, during the debate, or not, there is no fort of evidence, that they claimed or obtained a locum ftandi as judges. The apoftles and elders alone, without the intervention of the multitude, brought the caufe to this iffue.

The acceffion, indeed, of the fynod to James's fentiments is not explicitly mentioned, by the hiftorían-but their unanimous adoption of them will appear, under the following obfervation, from their carrying the deliverance, propofed by him, into execution.

Befides, the hiftorian, relating a future excurfion of Paul from Antioch, fully fupplies what feems here to have been omitted, by telling us, that "he "went through the cities, delivering them the "decrees, for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders, which were at Jerufalem," Acts xiv. 4.

And, in a conference which Paul held with James himself, at Jerufalem, about feven years after the date of the decree,-when" all the elders were pre"fent," Acts xxi. 18. that venerable apoftle, referring to it, faid, "WE have written and conclud"ed," verf. 25. i. e. we the apostles and elders, whereof the former fynod was, and prefent meeting is, compofed.

From this fupplement, it is evident, that James's overture was enacted, and, thereby, rendered a decree of court. It was not enacted by him alone, nor converted into a ftatute by the fuffrages of the

people: