SER M. it

may be fashioned like unto his glorious XVII. body, according to that mighty working, Phil. iii. whereby he is able even to fubdue all things

21.

unto himself. St John adds another particular reafon, why we fhall in this sense be changed into the fame Image with Chrift; Job. iii. 2. We know, that when he hall appear, we shall be like him; For, fays he, we shall fee him as he is: The words are a perfect Explication of those in the Text; We all with open face beholding the Glory of the Lord, are chan ged into the fame Image.

THE Next expreffion, from Glory to Glory, may be understood to fignify the manner of Communication of Chrift's Glory to Us, whether in the way of Righteousness here, or of Happiness hereafter. We beholding the Glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame Image from Glory to Glory; that is, by Communication of Glory to Us, from His Glory: According to that Expreffion of our Saviour, beforecited, Job. xvii. 22. The Glory which thou gaveft Me, I have given Them; and that of the Evangelift, Of his Fulness have

we all received Fulness, and Grace for SER M. (or from) His Grace.

BUT the more natural and obvious Meaning of the words, from Glory to Glory, is, from one degree of Glory to another: We are changed into the fame Image from Glory to Glory: That is, from our Likeness to Chrift in works of Righteousness and true Holiness here, we fhall improve and go forward unto a further and more glorious Likeness to him in the Injoyment of eternal Happinefs hereafter. And This is the more probable to be the true Senfe of the words, because 'tis the Nature or Idiom of the Jewish language, to express any improvement in degree, by a repetition of the fame word. Thus P. lxxxiv. 7. They fhall go from ftrength to strength; that is, from one degree of ftrength to another : And Rom. i. 17. In the Gospel, the Righteousness of God, (or the Mercy of God,) is revealed from Faith to Faith; that is, from one degree of Faith to another; from one degree of Clearnefs of revelation, to another; from a lefs clear dif

penfa

XVII.

SER M. penfation under the Law, to a clearer one XVII. under the Gospel. And Thus therefore in the Text likewife, from Glory to Glory, may well be understood to fignify, from one degree of Glory to another; from a less degree here, to a greater and more perfect degree hereafter.

Laftly, THE Apostle concludes the Whole, with the addition of these words, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. The meaning of which is, that all these things he had hitherto been difcourfing upon, were accomplished in such a manner, in fo wise, so effectual, fo glorious a manner, as became the Dignity of the Great Agent, and were worthy the Operation of the Spirit of God. The clear Revealing the Gospel, to be the Spirit and End of the Law: The Liberty procured men by this merciful Dispensation, from the Burden and from the Terrour of the Law; from the Guilt of paft Sin by Pardon, which is Juftification; and from the Dominion of Sin for the time to come, which is Sanctification: The full and diftinct Manifeftation of the glorious Pur

pofe

pofe of God in Chrift, of bringing men SER M. through him to everlasting Salvation: XVII. The Communication of this Glory of Chrift to Us, by our being conformed to his Image in Righteoufnefs here, and in Glory hereafter: All These, are the Fruits of that One and the fame Spirit, which worketh all in all, and diftributeth Gifts to every man severally according to the Will of God: That Spirit, which inspired the Predictions of the Prophets, which worked Miracles by the Apostles, which spread the Gospel by the Gift of Tongues, which rejoices when Men embrace the Doctrine of Christ, and affifts them in practifing it, and supports them in suffering for it,and brings them finally unto Glory by it. As St Paul excellently argues, Rom. viii. 10, 11. If Chrift be in you, the Body is dead, because of Sin; but the Spirit is Life, because of Righteousness: And if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jefus from the Dead, dwell in you; he that raifed up Chrift from the Dead, fhall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

THE

SERM.

THE Application of what has been XVII. faid, is: First, from the true Explication of these words, The Lord is That Spirit, we may take occafion to obferve, that in all other places likewife of St Paul's epiftles, where the word, Spirit, is oppopofed to, The Letter or the Dead letter, to Flesh or carnal Ordinances; it always fignifies the Gospel, or the fpiritual and moral Precepts of Chrift, in oppofition to the Ceremonies of the Law of Moses. Which Obfervation is of great Use, against those who would make Religion to confift, not in the Practice of Virtue and true Righteousness, but in unintelligible myftical and enthusiastic Notions.

Secondly, FROM the right understanding of these next words, Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty; we may learn the true interpretation of those many paffages, wherein the Apostle contends earnestly for the Liberty of Christians, or for their being free from the Law. In all which places, his Meaning is not, (as fome in Modern times have moft unreafonably argued,) that Chriftians are dif

charged