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his own devices; they that sow to the flesh, shall of the flesh corruption, and they that sow to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting, (Gal. vi. 8.) Lastly, observe who is to be our Judge: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is appointed to this office by the Father, and is fully qualified for the discharge of it, being possessed of infinite knowledge, justice, power, and holiness. In this arrangement we discover the wisdom and goodness of God. He who was set at nought, judged and condemned by men, in his state of humiliation, shall now appear, in his proper dignity, as the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. We shall be judged by one in human nature, who was in all points tried as we are, and who has a thorough knowledge of our condition; there will therefore be no room to complain of injustice. He was distinguished, while on earth, by meekness, gentleness, and love, and we shall have no reason to charge him with undue severity. He will then appear arrayed in majesty and girded with might. Every eye shall see him-every knee shall bow to him. The fact of his holding this high office proves his essential deity. Infinite knowledge, rectitude, and power, are necessarily implied in Him, who is to be Judge of the quick and dead. This is the conclusion formed by the Apostle in a parallel passage, (Rom. xiv. 10, 12.) "For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God; so, then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Our Saviour will come in a sudden and unexpected manner, "as a thief in the night," (1 Thess. v. 2, 3.); he will appear "in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." Then all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him; but his saints shall lift up their heads with joy, for the day of their complete redemption will then arrive. On this solemn occasion, the righteousness of God will be displayed his government vindicated the apparent inequalities in providence rectified, and all insubordination for ever subdued. "The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."

It will then appear what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! Who shall abide the day of his coming? What heart shall endure what hands be strong, when he shall deal with them? What are the combined efforts of earth and hell, when opposed to his irresistible might! By his powerful

arm he drove the rebel angels out of heaven-he expelled our first parents from paradise-he overwhelmed the old world with the waters of the flood-he consumed with fire the cities of the plain. And at that day" the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works thereof shall be burnt up." Men's hearts shall fail them for fear,-they shall cry to the rocks to fall on them, and to the hills to cover them, for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? Now the Apostle had a lively conception of the grandeur and certainty of these events: 11. "Knowing, therefore, the terror (or fear, po‰sv) of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest to God, and I trust also we are made manifest in (or to, ») your consciences." The expression "knowing the terror of the Lord," may also imply, that he had some experience of the pangs of a guilty conscience; he had been taught what a vain thing it is to contend with the power of the Almighty Saviour, when he lay trembling and astonished at his feet, (Acts ix. 6.), and he was anxious to conduct himself in such a manner, that he should be clear from the blood of all men; he knew they were in a state of sin and danger, and exposed to the vengeance of heaven. He could not therefore see them perishing around him, without warning them, by the most persuasive arguments, and in the most earnest and affectionate manner, to flee from the wrath to come. To this he was impelled, not more by a sense of duty, than by feelings of compassion and benevolence. In doing this, he was aware that his character and motives lay open to the all-seeing eye of God; but conscious of his sincerity, he rejoiced in the thought, amidst the reproaches and calumnies of an ungodly world; and he could not but indulge the hope, that the Corinthians also were convinced, in their own consciences, of the faithfulness and consistency of his conduct, though the pride and prejudices of some, prevented them from making the acknow ledgment.

He did not advance these things, as some might be ready to allege, with a view to court their good opinion: 12. “For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you occasion of boasting (xavaros) on our account, that ye may have (an answer) to them who boast (or glory) in appearance, and not in heart." It was painful for him to be obliged to say so much in his

own justification; but he considered it his duty to set before them such proofs of his integrity and zeal, as might afford them an opportunity («pogu ») to glorify God on his account, for the abundant grace bestowed on him, and enable them to refute the false aspersions of those teachers, who endeavoured to bring his ministry into contempt, and to ingratiate themselves into the favour of the people. They founded their claim of superiority on those outward advantages, in which they alleged Paul was deficient,on their birth, education, talents or personal accomplishments (« #gowπ~); while they underrated the less shewy, but more solid, qualities of the heart,-humility, devotedness to God, superiority to the world, and faithfulness in the discharge of duty.

13. The Apostle and his companions were sometimes charged with madness by the men of the world, on account of the mysterious nature of their doctrines, the earnestness of their manner, their patience under suffering,-their contempt of danger, and their laborious exertions in preaching, without any apparent advantage; they were considered as devoid of common prudence, as reckless of their own safety, reputation, and interest. When the Epicureans and Stoics encountered Paul, they exclaimed, "what will this babbler say?" (Acts xvii. 18.), and when he made his defence before Agrippa, he was interrupted by the Roman magistrate, in this indecorous manner : Paul, thou art

beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad, (chap. xxvi. 24.) But none of these things moved them; "for whether we be beside ourselves (our) it is to (or for) God, or whether we be sober (of a sound mind, groups), it is for you (v)." To the reproach of foolishness they cheerfully submitted, for the glory of God, from love to him, and to promote the interests of his kingdom; and they committed their cause to him who judgeth righteously, and who could duly appreciate their character and motives. When at other times they pursued a more cautious method, and were counted sober or discreet persons; when they used every prudent means to preserve their liberty and their lives from danger, when they argued with men according to their different views, habits, or tempers, appealing with coolness and deliberation, to reason, experience or revelation, for the truth of their doctrines,—it was for the sake of the church,—to promote the edification of believers,-to silence the cavils of gainsayers, to secure the attention, and to remove the prejudices, of their hearers in general.

In both cases they were impelled by a sense of the infinite goodness of the Lord Jesus, and by a lively feeling of gratitude for his redeeming mercy, which carried them forward, like an impetuous torrent, and left them no room to deliberate with flesh and blood, or to consult the cold maxims of human policy. 14, 15. "For the love of Christ constraineth (or presseth, rv) us, who judge (xguarras) thus, that if one died for all (vrig wavrov), then were all dead: and (that) he died for all, that they who live ( Carrs), should no longer live to themselves, but to him that died for them and rose again." Their admiration of the Saviour's love had all the force of a moral necessity lying upon them, and superseded every other motive to exertion. Nor was this feeling unreasonable or inordinate; it was the dictate of sound judgment. For to Him they owed all their happiness in time, and all their hopes for eternity. They knew that he had, by the grace of God, "tasted death for every man;" yea, that he had voluntarily laid down his life in their room (g). But if it were necessary that the surety should suffer death, this of course implied, that those whom he represented merited this punishment; they were all under the condemnation of the law, dead in trespasses and sins, and liable to endless misery, "which is the second death." By thus giving himself a ransom for many, he has bought them off from the curse, he has delivered them from the wrath to come; they are legally absolved from guilt; they are considered, in the eye of law, as having suffered the penalty; they have died in him as their substitute, and by faith in his blood they are quickened to spiritual life, and raised to endless glory; consequently to him they are indebted for spiritual and eternal life: and what could be more reasonable than that they should devote their life to him, by whose kindness it had been restored, so that henceforth he should be the great object of their love, and the great end of their being? They judged this to be their duty, to live no longer to themselves; for the gratification of their own ease and pleasure, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, without any regard to the honour or the authority of their Saviour; but they considered themselves laid under the most powerful obligations to devote their time, their talents, their influence, and their lives to his service. Nay they judged this not merely to be their duty, but the great design of His dying in their stead: "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,

and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works," (Titus ii. 14.) And surely no argument can be more forcible or affecting, than such an exhibition of divine benevolence. This argument is elsewhere stated more fully, (Rom. xiv. 7, 9.) "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself; for whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." As was observed before, (1 Epis. viii. 11.) the virtue of Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world; but the benefits of it are available only to those who are made alive by faith in him.

Such being the spiritual condition of mankind, all are on a level in the sight of God, and every christian must be considered as equally indebted to divine grace for his salvation. Outward distinctions are therefore of no further advantage. Those who believe in Christ are entitled to all the privileges of the family of God, to whatever nation they may have belonged, or whatever may have been their former character; while no external advantages will avail those who are still in a state of spiritual death. The Apostle durst not make any other distinction between different classes than this: 16. "Wherefore, henceforth we know no man according to the flesh; yea, though (« de xa, and if even) we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now, henceforth, (after this manner) we know him no more." Before the introduction of the Gospel, the apostles, in common with other Jews, gloried in their relation to Abraham, and in the outward privileges of their nation; they looked upon themselves as the peculiar favourites of Heaven, and considered all other men as unclean; as outcasts from the divine mercy. But now they had been taught to call no man common or unclean; they knew that Christ had broken down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile, "to make in himself, of the two, one new man, so making peace." They would therefore give no preference to their own countrymen, on the ground of carnal descent. The Apostle would not be restrained from preaching to the Gentiles, who were, equally with the Jews, the objects of the Saviour's dying love. Neither could he overlook the faults of his christian brethren. He must faithfully execute the laws of Christ against offenders, however painful the duty might be. He dare not allow himself to be influenced by private friendship, or personal