whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are," ver. 11. Again, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil," ver. 15. 3rd, Who were not the objects of Christ's prayer-The world, as the world. Christ could not have prayed that the world should be one, or that it should be kept from the evil of the world; yet we find the world as believers prayed for-" Neither pray I for these alone (meaning the apostles) but for them also which shall believe on me through their word, (ver. 20.) that they all may be one," ver. 21. Again, we find the world, as the world, the objects of Christ's supplication, the subject not being either union or protection, but forgiveness-" Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.". Luke xxiii. 34.

5th, John xii. 37-40. "But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him; that the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." We will in this place insert Paul's quotation--" Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and

seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with the heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will hear it." Acts xxviii. 25-28. From Paul's application of the prophet's address, we learn, that the words quoted were, in their primary sense, applicable to the "fathers" in the days of Isaiah, and, in a secondary and accommodated sense, to the unbelieving part of the Jews under the gospel dispensation. Hence it follows, that the words in question are so far from being a revelation of the decree of reprobation, that they occupy only the rank of a secondary and accommodated kind of prophecy. It is further worthy of remark, that the quotation from the prophet is uniformly restricted to the case of the unbelieving Jews, and consequently, it cannot support the application of it made by our author, who refers it to the case of all unbelievers.

Again, there were some in our Lord's day, concerning whom the words were not applicable, whose case nevertheless appears to have been equally hopeJess with that of those who disbelieved. Thus, in a subsequent part of the chapter, (ver. 42, 43.) we read, "Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him, but because of the Pharisees

they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Further, we have reason to believe, that many of those, in our Lord's day, concerning whom the words were applicable, afterward believed to the saving of the soul. It was said by Jesus Christ, (Mark iv. 11.) "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: that seeing they may see," &c. Now, all those that believed on the day of Pentecost and subsequently, once ranked among them that were without, and, consequently, in them were fulfilled the words of Isaiah-" that seeing they may see," &c.

6th, Eph. ii. 8. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." We propose the following translation as being fully more literal—“ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, being the gift of God."-This passage is adduced by our author, in order to prove that God has decreed not to bestow the gift of faith upon certain individuals of mankind. Now, admitting that faith is the gift of God, in the sense in which our author holds it, still it does not follow, that, because it is a gift, it is sovereignly bestowed on some, and sovereignly withheld from others. But it is a subject of inquiry, whether or not faith is that which the apostle means to be understood by-" the gift of God." In the

preceding chapter, the apostle, after detailing the various blessings and privileges which believers in Christ enjoy, sums up the whole, by stating the relation in which Jesus Christ stands towards them ; "He gave him (Jesus Christ) to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all," ver. 22, 23. Having represented the church as the body of Christ, the apostle, still keeping up the figure, goes on to shew, that the Gentile believers, who formerly walked according to the course of this world, and "were dead in trespasses and sins," that is, spiritually dead, as it regards the performance of acceptable service to God; and legally dead, as it regards the state of justification before God; were now quickened from their twofold death into a living body, viz. the body of Jesus Christ, chap. ii. 1, 2. In like manner, he shews, that the Jews, by their vile affections and wicked practices, were, like the generality of other nations, "the children of wrath," that is, exposed to the wrath of God, ver. 3. "But," says the apostle, "God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were [legally and spiritually] dead in sins, hath quickened us [both Jews and Gentiles] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved,) and hath raised us up together, [into one body, as from the dead,] and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," ver. 4-6.

Having thus represented the church of Christ, then consisting of believing Jews and Gentiles, as first

quickened, then raised up, and lastly seated in heavenly places with Christ, the apostle proceeds to state an important result, that should arise from such a constitution of the church, viz. "That in the ages to come, he (God) might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus," ver. 7. He assures the Ephesians of the justness of this observation, by declaring, "For by grace are ye saved through faith." Had their state of salvation not been by grace, it could not have been an occasion of shewing, in ages to come, the exceeding riches of God's grace. Now, as the apostle had declared, that they were saved by grace, it would naturally follow, that their salvation could not be of themselves, but be the gift of God. Again, had their salvation been of themselves, then, it is evident, that it would have been of works; but, says the apostle, it is "not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them," ver. 9, 10. Hence it follows, that the words, "by faith," according to the train of reasoning above elicited, are merely supplementary to the phrase, "by grace are ye saved." Again, if we suppose faith, and not salvation, to be that which the apostle calls "the gift of God," we represent him as declaring, that faith is "not of works, lest any man should boast." We remark, lastly, that our exposition of the passage is corroborated by the grammatical construction of the original. But as