much debased and enervated to afpire to, SERM. and contend for that noble privilege of their IV. nature; so the Jews, accustomed to the rigorous injunctions, and wordly elements, which were really the imperfection and weakness of their religion, yet were so attached to them as the have no relish for a more rational and liberal form; they were superftitiously fond of those dark shadows and external appendages, which obfcured the luftre of true moral piety, fubftituting them in its room, and rejected the divine beautiful fimplicity of worship in spirit and truth, which is a moft reasonable fervice, confifting in inward reverence and esteem for the amiable perfections of God, and an imitation of them fo far as the frailty of our nature will allow.

This was the prevailing prejudice which fixed the generality of that nation in their unbelief; not only fo, the Jews who believed and became the difciples of Chrift ftill imagined that the ceremonial law was obligatory, and upon that foundation were for excluding the Gentiles from the privileges of chriftianity; it was not till after repeated miracles and extraordinary instructions by the Holy Ghoft, that the apostles themselves understood the gofpel-liberty,

and

SERM. and that the diftinction made by the law IV. was taken away; but through the whole apoftolic age many others retained fuch a refpect for their ancient rites and the traditions of their fathers, that they would have the obfervance of them continued in the christian church together with the gospel inftitutions, which was the principal fubject of contention among the primitive believers. But the truth was, and it appeareth plainly from the main principles of the chriftian religion, and the whole strain of the New Teftament writings, that this obligation ceased, and Jefus Chrift made his followers free from that bondage. Indeed charity directed those who were inftructed in chriftian liberty, to bear, for a time, with their weak judaizing brethren, even so far as in some instances, to comply with them, by obferving the antiquated ceremonies. St. Paul, than whom no man was a more zealous advocate for liberty, was yet fo charitable as to become all things to all men; particularly, to the Jews he became as a Jew, and under the law: To render Timothy the more acceptable to the Jews, and that he might more fuccessfully minister to their converfion, he circumcifed him; and rather than offend weak brethren by eating what they account

ed

ed unclean meat, he would eat no fuch meat SERM, (though in itself lawful) while the world IV. flood.

But there were certain bounds fets to this condefcenfion, and circumftances in which liberty was to be afferted; he was not to be prescribed to by the humours of any man, nor would please them any farther than for good to edification. Particularly, it appeareth from his writings, that his rule was, as in the nature and reafon of the case it should be, that when peremptory demands were made upon him, as of right and neceffity, to conform to the notions and practices of others in fuch matters, he as peremptorily refufed, and ftill would have his declining the exercife of his li berty, in fome particular inftances, a matter of free choice, not of ftrict obligation, to be directed by his own prudence and charity, not determined by the decrees of others. The great error at that time relating to the jewish rites, was infifting upon the obfervance of them as neceffary either to falvation or religious communion, and St. Paul expreffly declareth himself against both; Gal. v. 2. Behold I, Paul, fay unto you, that if ye be circumcifed, if being chriftians you will add to your religion and the founda

SERM. tion of your hope towards God, circumcifion IV. and the mofaick ceremonies, as neceffary

to juftification, Chrift fhall profit you nothing ; for, I teftify again to every man that is (fo) circumcifed, that he is a debtor to do the whole law: Chrift is become of no effect unto you, whofoever of you are juftified by the law, ye are fallen from grace.

And for the other erroneous opinion connected with and pursuant to that last mentioned, the neceffity of circumcifion, and the ceremonies as terms of religious communion, or a qualification for the chriftian service; the apostle as clearly determineth against it, in the 2d chap. of the fame epistle: The cafe was this; after fourteen years abfence from Jerufalem, during which time he had been labouring in the work of the miniftry among the Gentiles, he returned again to Jerufalem, and he communicated to the christians there the doctrine which he had preached; (chriftianity free from the obligation of the Jewish law) but he first communicated it privately to them who were of reputation, the apoftles and other chief men among the brethren, leaft by the artifices of the Judaizers fome prejudices might have been raised against him and his miniftry. In this expedition he took with

him Titus his companion and fellow la- SERM, bourer in the work of the gofpel, who was IV. known to be a Greek, and uncircumcifed. Now, to fhew that circumcifion was not a neceffary term of chriftian communion, or a neceffary qualification in a chriftian teacher, Titus was not compelled to submit to that ceremony; and if it had been infisted in, the apostle would have peremptorily rejected it, for the reafon which he giveth himself, ver. 4, 5. because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to Spy out our liberty, which we have in Chrift Jefus, that they might bring us into bondage; to whom we gave place by fubjection, no not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. The plain meaning of which is, that though circumcifion was fo far indifferent at that time, that it might be practifed, when it fhould tend to the furtherance of the gofpel by removing prejudices; St. Paul himself on that account circumcifed Timothy, as we read in the 16th of the Acts, not from any supposed obligatory force in the law, which formerly required it, for then he should have been circumcifed before, and independently of any particuler circumstances, but it is expreffly said at the 3d verse, that he did it because