assurance, to pay them a visit, saying " And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit; and to pass by you into Macedonia," &c. ver. 15, 16. The apostle, however, altered his mind concerning the proposed journey, and as he supposed that he would be charged with fickleness of purpose, he adds, "When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay?" He then appeals, in proof of his sincerity, to the success of his ministerial labours among them. "But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea," ver. 18, 19. This he shews was agreeable to the general economy of the gospel-" For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us." As a proof of his position, he refers to their religious state before God-"Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God," &c. It is therefore obvious, that the scope of the apostle's reasoning regards not the perseverance of individuals, but the gracious state of all true believers. Besides, if the former were meant, it would as effectually preclude the possibility of a partial, as of a final, fall from grace.

31st, 2 Cor. iii. 3. "Forasmuch as ye are mani

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festly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart." The apostle declares, that in reference to his apostolical authority, he had need of no other proof than the fact of their conversion to Christianity; which fact served as a letter of recommendation to them, and the report of which served to others as a letter of recommendation from them-" Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart."-It is evident, therefore, that it was the manifestation, and not the permanency, of the work of God among the Corinthians, which occupied the apostle's attention. Further, a partial, no less than a complete, decay of grace, would have had the effect of obscuring that manifestation.

32nd, Gal. ii. 20. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."-If Christ lives in the Christian by faith on the part of the Christian, and if a man ceases to live by faith in proportion as grace decays, then Christ may cease to live in the man who ceases to exercise faith; and if this may take place for a season, there is nothing in this passage which assures us that it may not be the case for ever.

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33rd, Eph. i. 13, 14. "After that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance." -The import of this passage seems to be, that the Ephesians, after they believed, received the gift of the Holy Ghost, which had been promised by the prophets of old, and by Jesus Christ before his departure out of this world; also, that they became, by the indwelling of the Spirit, the sealed property of God, having been previously purchased by the blood of his Son; and that the same indwelling of the Spirit acted as an earnest on the part of God, for the faithful performance of the promise which had been made in reference to an eternal inheritance. This view of the subject, however, leaves it still undecided, whether or not the power of God is engaged to preserve the believer faithful unto death.

34th, Eph. iv. 30. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."-An exposition similar to the foregoing will also answer in this place. If believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption in an absolute sense, then they are equally secured from a partial, as from a complete, decay of grace.

35th, Eph. v. 25-30. This passage regards the actual relation that subsists between Jesus Christ and his church; but, as it respects individuals, it does not render unnecessary such a caution as this"Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."

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Now, whether this caution should be found to regard an occasional or a final separation from Christ, the argument founded on the passage above referred to, is alike untenable.

36th, Philip. i. 6. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."-The apostle commences his epistle to the Philippians pretty much in the same way as he does several of his other epistles, by expressing the sense of gratitude which he felt towards God, on account of the gracious state of the converts whom he addresses, and the desire which he had for a continuance of their spiritual prosperity; thus-" I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, (always, in every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy,) for your fellowship in the gospel, from the first day till now; being confident of this very thing," &c. Having said that their fellowship in the gospel, even from the day of their conversion until the time at which he was writing his epistle, was, on his part, the subject of continued thanksgiving to God, he intimates that he also continually prayed for the completion of the work which he had been instrumental in beginning among them. But there is a peculiarity in his prayer for the Philippians, which is worthy of our observation. He prayed for them not merely in faith, but with joy-" making request," says he, "with joy." He then goes on to assign the reason for his praying for them with joy-" Being confident of this very

thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (or finish) it until the day of Jesus Christ." He next proceeds to give the ground of his confidence" Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ," ver. 7, 8. There being considerable ambiguity in the authorized translation of the seventh verse, the following, in some parts more literal, and in others more free, is presented to the reader's consideration: "As it is just for me to think this concerning you all, because I have you in my heart, ye all having been contributors to the supply which you sent me, while in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel." The following remarks, we presume, will tend to establish and illustrate the facts contained in the foregoing translation: 1. Paul preached the gospel at Rome while in bonds, Acts xxviii. 16. Philip. 1.13. 2. The Philippians administered to the apostle's wants while he was at Rome: "I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God," iv. 15. 3. The word rendered partakers is a participle of the verb which is rendered communicate, (chap. iv. 14.) "Notwithstanding, ye have well done that ye did communicate with my affliction." Now, the import of the word