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Such, then, are the religious privileges which to distinguish, from mankind in general, the members of the true visible church of Christ; and which, as it relates to them, are universal. They are in a peculiar manner brought out of darkness into marvellous light -they experience the exceeding greatness of the er of God revealed in Christ for their salvation-they are cheered by a prospect of immortal joy, clearly manifested to them by the Gospel; and they are brought into spiritual fellowship one with another. May the love which cements together the varied members of this mystical body of Christ more and more abound; may the barriers which ignorance and prejudice have reared among them, be broken through and demolished; may Christians be enabled increasingly to strive together for the hope of the Gospel; and, while they individually draw nearer to the Fountain of all good, may they be enabled yet more perfectly to enjoy "the communion of the Holy Ghost," to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace!"

ADDENDUM TO CHAPTER I.

A.D. 1834.

ON UNIVERSAL LIGHT.

"If ye were blind," said our Saviour to the Pharisees, "ye should have no sin." This is a most equitable principle, and it is plain that the apostle Paul

1 John ix, 41.

kept it steadily in view, when he declared the sinfulness of the Gentile world. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold (or restrain)2 the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the foundation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because, that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools; and changed the glory of the incorruptible God, into an image made like unto corruptible man, &c."3

It is evident that the "ungodliness" of the Gentiles is here condemned, on the ground that some knowledge of divine truth was bestowed upon them. Not only were they furnished with a visible evidence, in the outward creation, of the eternal power and godhead of Jehovah, but "that which may be known of God was manifest in them." They were not left without some sense of his holiness, and of their responsibility to him, as the righteous governor of the world. Thus it appears, that their guilt consisted in restraining the truth, by their unrighteousness. Graciously

2 xarεxóvrov. So Schleusner, Rosenmüller, Beza, Castalio, Hammond, Doddridge, &c. The verb xarxa has the same sense in Luke iv, 42; 2 Thess. ii, 7.

3 Rom. i, 18-23.

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provided as they were, not only with outward proofs of the omnipotence of God, but with a measure of light respecting his moral government, they nevertheless followed the corrupt desires and devices of their own hearts. They held the truth in bondage, not yielding to its influence, so that it was suppressed in their hearts, and did not rise into dominion.

Having thus convicted the Gentiles of sin, in the breach of that part of the divine law which relates to the worship of God, the apostle proceeds to describe their dissolute and wicked practices-and especially those fearful transgressions against their fellow-men, which were the inevitable consequence of their falling from God-" being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, &c.” Here again their guilt was inseparably connected with their knowledge of the divine law-" knowing the judgment (or rather the righteous rule)4 of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."5

Now it may be freely allowed that some scattered rays of information respecting the supremacy of God, and respecting this righteous rule by which he governs mankind, might have descended to the Gentiles, in the apostle's days, from original revelation, by means of tradition. It is probable also that some of their more inquisitive philosophers may have obtained a little knowledge on these subjects, indirectly, from the Jews. But it is sufficiently obvious, that the apostle's

argument mainly rests on a far stronger and wider basis-even on that of an inward and universal light.

mentators.

That he alluded to an inward light, we may in the first place learn from his declaration respecting the Gentiles, that the truth of God was "manifest in them;" that God" had showed it unto them." For although the outward creation afforded them an evidence of the omnipotence of the Deity, their knowledge of God, as a moral governor, which the apostle's argument obviously includes, must have arisen chiefly from what passed in their own minds. Such is the view of the passage taken by the generality of comMuch of the nature and properties of God," says Burkitt, " may be known by the light of nature. His infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, are manifest in the minds and consciences of men; for God both showed it unto them partly by imprinting these notions of himself on the hearts of all men, and partly by the book of creation, &c." "There are some things," says Dr. Gill on this passage," which may be known of God without a revelation... as that he is all powerful, wise, good, and righteous; and this (knowledge of God) is manifest in them or to them, by the light that is given them; it is light by which that which may be known of God is manifest; and this is the light of nature which every man has that comes into the world; and this is internal; it is in him, in his mind and conscience, and is communicated to him by God, and that by infusion or inspiration;7

6 Although Dr. Gill calls this light the "light of nature," he goes on to describe it as a work of the Spirit.

7 See Job xxxii, 8.

for "God hath showed it unto them ;" i. e. what may be known of him by that light; and which is assisted and may be improved by a consideration of the works of creation and providence."8 Again, that the "righteous rule" which the apostle describes the Gentiles as knowing, was a rule inwardly revealed to them, is evident from ch. ii, 14, 15, in which passage he speaks of some of them as doers of the law, and as showing the work of it "written on their hearts"-" their consciences also bearing witness; and their thoughts the meanwhile, accusing or else excusing one another."

Secondly, that the light alluded to by the apostle was universal, we may learn from the doctrine so plainly declared in ch. iii, that both Jews and Gentiles are all proved to be under sin,"-that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Soon after pronouncing his verdict against the whole world as guilty before the Lord, he states, in the most explicit manner, that sin is not imputed where there is no law "that where no law is there is no transgression." Hence it appears that, according to the views of this inspired writer, the sinfulness of men, and the knowledge of the divine law are absolutely coextensive; and since all men are sinners, it inevitably follows, that all men have some knowledge of the law.

Now I conceive that it forms no exception to the universality of this divine law, as the gift of God to man, or to that of the conscience as one of the faculties of our nature, that the former is not perceived, and that the latter does not operate, when the intellect

8 So also Beza, Whitby, and Pool, in loc.