St. Paul afcribes their declenfion to the fubtlety of their falfe teachers [Sin has an astonishingly fafcinating power Error, whether in faith or pratice, foon infinuates itself into our hearts Whenever people are drawn from the truth, they are first beguiled by the fpecious appearances of falfe principlesApoftates therefore may be juftly confidered as deluded creatures And if at any time they be recovered, they wonder at themfelves how they ever could have been fo "bewitched," fo blinded, fo Lefooled-] Nevertheless he defervedly cenfures their compliance with them [He was far from indulging a contemptuous or vindic tive fpirit Yet he judged it his duty to "rebuke them sharply ". He therefore fpoke of their conduct with holy indignationHe e preffed his wonder that they could be fo foon turned from the truth P. He feems at a lofs to reprefent their folly in terms sufficiently humiliating Yet his queftion evidently imports alfo a mixture of pityHe felt deeply in his foul for their spiritual welfare a— He therefore expoftulated with them in order to reclaim them-] INFERENCES 1. How great is the evil and danger of felf-righteoufnefs! [The Galatians intended to honour God's own inftitutions But by laying an undue ftrefs upon them they endangered their own falvation How careful then thould we be not to truft in any righteoufnefs of our own !→ Let us remember in what light our own righteoufnefs fhould be viewed Let us bear in mind our Saviour's direction'— Let us cultivate the difpofition of the great apostle '—] 2. What need have even the moft eminent Chriftians to watch against apoftafy! pent [The attainments of the Galatians seemed to be very emi This feem's the exact import of the original. P Gal. i. 6. • Luke xvii. 10, Yet Ifai. lxiv. 6. Phil. iii. 9. Yet they were foon feduced from the fimplicity of the gofpel Who then are we, that we fhould be over-confident ?— Our dearest friends may well regard us as Paul did the Chriftians at Corinth" y Let us attend then to the advice which he gives us * Nor let us defpife that falutary admonition of St. Peter '—] 3. What caufe of thankfulness have they who are kept fredfaft in the truth! [They who know their own inftability will wonder that they are kept at all Suely fuch will adopt the grateful acknowledgment of Di d And thefe are the perfons in whom that declaration shall be verified We conclude with that fuitable doxology -] LVI. THE WHOLE AND THE SICK, THE RIGHTEOUS AND SINNERS, DESCRIBED. Mark ii. 17. They that are whole, have no need of the phyfician, but they that are fick: I came not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance. THERE is no action, however benevolent, which cavillers may not centre― Every part of our Lord's conduct was worthy of his divine character Yet was he conftantly "enduring the contradiction of finners," &c. He was now converfing familiarly with publicans for their good This was condemned by the feribes as unbecoming an holy perfon, if not alfo as giving countenance to finOur Lord vindicated himflf on principles acknowledged by them-- His words contain I. A generally established maxim Perfons defire not a phyfician unless they be fick- DD 4 [A perfon [A perfon in health withes not for any medical affiftanceHe would refufe it if it were tendered to him— He would not fubmit to any regimen that fhould be prefcribed- But they who are difeafed are glad to hear of a skilful physician They will cheerfully put themfelves under his directionAnd they will follow his prefcriptions, that they may obtain a cure-] It is more particularly fo in a figurative sense [There is an analogy between fickness and finThis is a diforder of the foul as that is of the body A perfon unconfcious of his finfulness defires not a faviour→ Nor will he comply with the felf-denying directions given him But one who feels his loft ftate longs earneftly for a cureHe delights to hear of Chrift, and to make application to him Nor does he esteem any injunction too fevere-] This being acknowledged, cur Lord proceeds to make II. An application of it to his own conduct The phyfician's office leads him to converfe with the fick Our Lord's work required him to maintain an intercourfe with finners There are many who conceive themfelves to be "righteous" [None are abfolutely and perfectly righteous — But many fuppofe that their fins are neither great nor nu] merous Such were the Scribes and Pharifees whom our Lord addreffed d And there are many of this defcription in every age ‘-] Such perfons were not fo much the objects of our Lord's attention ance [He willed indeed that all fhould come to repent But he knew that they would not receive his offersThey faw no need of the falvation which he came to accomplish Their pride and prejudice unfitted them for receiving it a 1 John v. 3. He b None by nature, Job xiv. 4. and xv. 14. None by practice, Rom. iii. 10, 12, 23. Prov. xxx. 12. Luke xviii. 9, 11. 2 Pet. iii. 9. He therefore beftowed lefs labour in calling them to repentance-] But there are many of more ingenuous difpofition [They are not really more heinous "finners" than othersBut they are made fenfible of their guilt and dangerSuch was the publican at whofe houfe our Lord was— And fuch are to be found in every place-] To call these to repentance was the great object of Chrift's minitury [Thefe were prepared, like thirfly ground for the rainTo them he was a welcome meflenger They rejoiced to hear that repentance could profit themAnd our Lord delighted to encourage their hopes -] Thus did his conduct accord with the dictates of reason, and with the great ends of his miffion INFER 1. The danger of felf-righteoufness [Men feel of themfelves the danger of grofs fin But they cannot be perfuaded that they will fuffer any thing by felf-righteoufnefs But a perfon who, under dying circumftances, denies his need of help, as effectually deftroys himself, as if he drank poifon or plunged a dagger to his heart Deny not then your need of the heavenly Phyfician— Nor think to heal yourfelves by any felf-righteous methodsYou muft refemble the publican, if ever you would enjoy his lot ] 2. The folly of unbelief [We are apt to make the depth of our mifery a reafon for defpondency- But the doubting of the Phyfician's power will be as de ftructive to the four, as the denying of our need of him O behold the remedy! are you fick1?finners 1 ?—lost * ? Chrift fuits his promifes to your state- He addrefles himfelf to each', nor fhall any fuppliant be difappointed"] f Luke iv. 18, 19. 1 Tim. i. 15. Luke xviii. 13, 14. h Jer. viii. 22. ! John v. 6. LVII. THE REST THAT REMAINS FOR GOD'S PEOPLE. Heb. iv. 9. There remaineth therefore a reft to the people of God. THE fervants of God poffefs many diftinguished pri vileges Their ftate in this world is far happier than that of the ungodly But there is an infinitely richer portion referved for them hereafter To this David had refpect in that awful denunciation Whence it appears, that though prefigured by other refts, it remains yet to be enjoyed – I. Who are the people of God This title cannot belong to all indifcriminately [The greater part of the world are idolatrous heathensThe generality of thofe who are called Chriftians are igno-. rant of God- Impiety and profaneness abound in every place This indifputably proves the apofile's affertion The finful works of men plainly fhew whofe people they ared Nor do all who "profefs godlinefs" really belong to GodThere are many who deceive both themfelves and others -] Those who alone have a right to it are described by God himself *— They "worship God in the Spirit" [It is the characteristic of God's enemies that they neglect prayer Nor will formal fervices prove us to be God's people 1– No a Pf. xcv. 11. The apostle's argument feems to be this: God inftituted a day of reft in commemoration of his having ceafed from his works of creation. And many centuries afterwards he promised a raft to his people in the land of Canaan. But that reft was only typical of a more glorious fabbath, of which David ipake a long time after the other had been enjoyed. From hence the apoftle concludes that there must yet be a rest, or Eaßßations (for he changes the word which he had before used, in order more ftrongly to intimate the analogy between the different refts there fpoken of,) remaining for the people of God. Rom. ix. 6. d 1 John iii. 8. John viii. 44. Pf. liii, 4. Rom. ii. 28, 29. Tit. i. 16, Matt. xv. 8, 9. |