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former claffes, as the latter? To mention the a poftles and elders, firft, in the reference: verf. 2.-then, in the federunt; verf. 6.-and, and laft of all, in relating the ufe which Paul made of the decrees; Acts xvi. 4.-to mention them, uniformly, in the fame order, and upon very different occafions; without fo much as infinuating, that the brethren were referred to,--that they had a locum ftandi in the fynod, or any hand in the decifion at all :--and to do fo while the brethren were, notwithstanding, all along in the hiftorian's eye, is unlikely nay, is it not rather inconceivable?

As the fentence, referred to, in this letter, feemed good to the apostles and elders, only because it, feemed good to the Holy Ghoft, (and, indeed, it could have feemed good to them, upon no other terms;) fo the argument ufed with the Gentile converts, in the close of the epistle, must appear natural, ftrong, and conclufive. "From which if

ye keep yourselves, ye fball do well."

Had the decree been no more than a commandment of men, they might have done well, though they had paid no regard to it.-Regard to it !-If it! had been no more, they would have done extremely ill, in receiving it for a doctrine. But, as it seemed good to the Holy Ghoft, there was no alternative between obedience to it, and rebellion against God.!

OBSERVATION VII.

That, upon receiving, and reading the epiftle, the Gentile converts "rejoiced for the confolation."

It does not, indeed, appear, that the difciples were fo much as confulted in the reference; but, all due refpect was paid to them, as parties concerned, in the deliverance.

The

The meffengers, from Judea, did not overlook the multitude, as any how below their notice; but, in discharge of the truft repofed in them, conven ed the brethren, and delivered the epiftle.

It is not faid, that they convened the presbyters at Antioch. Their unanimous reference to the fy nod fuppofed, according to our former reasoning, a refolution to reft in the decifion, in as far as it fhould refpect their teaching or ruling capacities; -and, therefore, unless for information, the neceffity of calling them together was quite fuperceded

Befides, the meffengers had no business, by the fynod's authority, to tranfact with the prefbyters at all. Their inftructions were reftricted to the brethren, as much exclusive of their office bearers, as the inftructions from the prefbytery to the fynod, were of the multitude.

For the brethren's behoof, the reference was made. Through the fynod's whole reasoning, the intereft of the brethren was kept in view. In the judgment itself, their edification and comfort were principally confulted. And, to them, precifely in the quality of church members, the fynodical letter was addreffed. Wherefore, all the refpect was put upon them, that, in fuch peculiar circumftances, they had reafon to look for.

The reception with which this announciation of the fynod's deliverance met, from the brethren in Syria, falls now to be confidered.

They fuffered not themselves to conclude what part they should act, until, in one body, they had read the epiftle.

However ftrictly the difciples kept, within their own proper spheres, while the caufe was in dependance-it is not to be imagined, that they were ftrangers to the merits of it. Rather, of neceffity,

they

they behoved to be acquainted with both fides of the question; and, confequently, conference upon the fubject in debate must have been familiar to them. Nor could fuch intelligence and conference fail of influencing their judgments, concerning the litigated doctrine.

According to this fuppofition, every one who knows human nature, muft, at once, perceive, that, before the messengers arrived, the difciples at An tioch might have been byaffed, in favour of the "men who came down from Judea," or of Bar nabas and Paul and perceive, that, in propor tion to the degrees of fuch prejudice, their wishes respecting the iffue of the caufe, might proportion ally have been engaged, one way or other.

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Notwithstanding, as the prefbtery referring, and the fynod determining, were their lawful fuperiors in the Lord; the decifion no fooner reached them,. than-denied to all pre-conceived opinions, they unanimously confidered themselves as prefent before God, to hear all things that," by it, might be "commanded of God," Acts x. 33. And, therefore. as an appointed mean of discovering the divine will, -with folemen attention, doubtlets, and becoming reverence, they read the epiftle.

This leading ftep, on the brethren's part, was the more neceffary, that, from the litigation which happened among their own prefbyters, they had a recent proof, how eafily the commandments of men might be received, as the will, of God. Circumcis fion, for inftance, under the New Teftament difpenfation, behoved to be, a doctrine of God, or a com→ mandment of men :- but, whether of the two, the difciples durft not pofitively fay ;-fince their immediate fuperiors, by an unanimous reference of the queftion, had practically acknowleged themselves at a lols in the folution of it.

In reading the letter, they both attended unto it's feveral contents, and understood them. Without this, it could neither have been productive of rational joy nor forrow.

What commanded their attention, and became a new object of their understanding, may be inferred from the epiftle itself.

They faw, that they were happily delivered: from circumcifion, one weighty link in the ceremonial chain-that the difputable part of negative obedi ence was reduced to a few heads, and equally levels led to the meaneft capacity:-that the whole was agreeable, not only to all the apoftles and elders, but, to the mind of the Spirit of God:-that the doctrine contained in this letter was, not only good in itself, but, neceffarily good for them,-fince it feemed good to unerring Wisdom that, as all unnecessary precepts were ftruck out, their encourage. ment, in the ways of practical Chriftianity, had been uniformly ftudied by their fuperiors that farther evidence, and a more explicit illuftration of these things, were, by the coming of Judas and Silas, rendered practicable and cafy:-and that tho' the mul titude of the difciples, who were their ecclefiaftic peers at Jerufalem, had no judicative capacity ;-yer their favourable impreffions of the ftatute itlelf were abundantly inftructed, by their nomination of the meffengers who brought it.

These discoveries were confidered, by the brethren as grounds of confolation.

If uncertainty, with respect to the nature, degrees, and effential qualities of Chriftian privileges and duties, is productive of anxiety and pain to believ ers; every one must be fenfible, that the pointed knowlege of thefe will effect and fecure quite oppofite fenfations.

There

There can be no enjoyment in privileges, as long as the being of them, and one's intereft in them, do not appear;-nor can there be any peace in the performance of duties, while the reasonable perfua fion of their being fuch, is not exercised.

But clear apprehenfions of both, (especially, where grace for enabling men to perform the latter, and righteousness for fecuring the acceptance of their perfons and performances, belong to the for mer) neceffarily beget that pleasure, and justify that peace, which conftitute true Chriftian confola tion.

The difcoveries, made by the letter from Judea, were confidered alfo in the light of an exhortation, as the word * is fometimes rendered in the New Teftament, Acts xiii. 15.

The exhortation was, indeed, properly confined to negative duties; but then, it evidently implied an obligation, upon the difciples, to the performance of pofitive duties alfo expreffing, under each clafs the whole, by one particular branch.

As the exhortation ftrongly recommended itfelf fo, from the apoftolical epistle, the multitude plain. ly faw it enforced by weighty motives. The mo tives were calculated to make impreffion on their minds, as men and Chriftians. As men, because it was adminiftred by thofe who had "like paffions "with themselves, Acts xiv. 15. and were naturally interested in their happiness. And, as Chriftians, because it was accompanied with conclusive eviden ces of divine authority.

The fentiments, which those views of the epiftle produced, were, precifely, fuch as the contents of it were intended to ftimulate.

Rejoicing for the confolation," is obviously ex preffive of acceptance, approbation, gratitude, hu

* Paraclefei.

mility,

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