V.

CHAP. mandments, as he kept the commandments, of his Father. As Jesus said, "If ye keep my commandJohn xv. ments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."

10.

3-7.

3. Hence his true followers who copied his exam1 John i ple, could freely testify to others, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."

shap. ii. 4, 5, 6.

chap. iii.

7,8.

shap. 17. 12, 13.

4. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all, If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

5. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he [Christ] walked.”

6. "Little children, let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous, even as he [Christ] is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning."

7. "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his shap. v. Spirit. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we do keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous."

8. Here is the character of a true follower of Christ, a transcript of the moral perfections of the Son of God-a true copy of his holy life, transcribed by obcdience by receiving his word, his commandments, and his Spirit, and walking therein, even as he walked. Herein was the whole law fulfilled, not in Christ only, but in every one of his true followers, without the failure of one jot or tittle.

V.

9. Thus, while sin and death reigned from Adam CHAP. to Moses, and the law brought wrath and condemnation, and made, as it were, the very life and existence of the transgressor, offensive to God; Christ came and burst the bands of sin and death, and brought forth the prisoners out of their prison houses, and the captives out of their dungeons, saying, in the language of the Spirit, Deny yourselves, and follow me.

10. And by obedience to his commands, following his example, and walking even as he walked, salvation from all sin was obtained by every one of his true followers, the love of God verily perfected, and the whole law fulfilled.

11. Such then, were the nature and effects of Man's Redemption, brought to light by the gospel of Christ Jesus, and manifested to his church, his true followers, and members of his body, who saw, and tasted, and handled of the Word of Life.

12. The work of Redemption by Christ, in his followers, did not consist in any change in the position of their natural bodies, but in the disposition of their souls. Their dispositions, affections, lives and manners, were changed by the Spirit of God, through faith in Christ, and in obedience to his law.

13. The nature and work of redemption, is a perfect contrast to the nature and manner of man's fall from his first rectitude.

14. The first Adam lost his union and relation to God by disobedience to his righteous law, and became a captive to the desires and works of the flesh; and all his posterity, being begotten in that nature, were led captive by the same, and continued to fall with him, in the same line of disobedience.

15. Christ the second Adam, who was the beginning of a new creation, and by whom all things were made and created, did not come to condemn man kind, but to redeem and save them from that which was their loss and separation from God.

16. And therefore he set the example of perfect obedience to the law of God his Father, and of complete self-denial, and a final cross against all the carnal desires of the flesh, and the actual works of natural generation. And all his true followers found

CHAP. their union and relation to God, through Christ, in the same line of obedience with him.

V.

John iii.

16.

17. And herein it was, that he and his kingdom, and his true followers, were not of this world. And herein lay the secret cause of all the enmity between those who were born after the flesh, and those who were born again, of the Spirit. For this cause Christ was hated.

18. God did not hate the world, but," so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

19. He created man at the beginning for his own honour and glory, and in his first creation, as he proceeded immediately from the fountain of all goodness, there was nothing in his soul or body that was offensive to the pure nature of God his Creator. But man receiving by his disobedience, a foul and rebellious spirit against God, which lusted to envy, it was this that ever stood in opposition to God's holy and pure law, and was the object of his just indignation.

20. By this the soul, with all its noble affections, was led captive into sin; but ever remained the object of God's love, and became punishable only as it yielded to the influence of sin.

21. Through the influence of this foul and rebellious spirit, the natural body, with all its faculties, became polluted, directed and improved to an evil use, contrary to the pure law of God. But the natural body, simply considered in itself, remained the same after the fall as it was before, with all the form, natural properties and propensities thereof, and only shared with the soul in its punishments, by reason of sin.

22. The natural body of Man, comprehending male and female, being of the earth, earthy, and created for time, stood in need of temporal food for its subsistence, before the fall, as well as after. And so in regard to the formation of his body, and its natural properties, for the increase of posterity, simply considered in itself, there was no change, it remained the same after the fall as it was before the change was in his inclination to sinful actions, and in his obedience thereto.

:

V.

23. In the beginning God saw every thing that he CHAP. had made, and behold it was very good; and he never found any fault with his own work since; but as Man had corrupted himself and the earth, by reason of sin, 2 Pet. ii therefore he promised to create new heavens, and a 13. new earth, wherein should dwell righteousness.

24. When therefore, the law went to condemn any property, as sinful or unclean, either in male or female, which was necessary in the natural creation, it was not because there was any evil in the thing simply considered in itself; but because it was corrupted, and must be redeemed from that corruption before it could ever come into the new creation.

25. The Son of God himself, the Redeemer of mankind, although he was not of this world, yet he was found in fashion like other men, touched with a feeling of their infirmities, and tempted in all points as they were, subject to hunger, and weariness, and stood in need of temporal subsistence. But he knew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

26. And it is enough, said Jesus, that the disciple be as his master, and the servant as his Lord. And in his prayer to his Father for his disciples, he says, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of Joanxy. the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

27. And hence the words of the apostle, The very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

28. The apostle did not pray that God would change the form or properties of their bodies, or the faculties of their souls from what he had made them at the beginning; nor did he pray that the corruption of nature might be sanctified; but that their souls and bodies, which at the beginning were pure, innocent and lovely, might be wholly sanctified and cleansed from sin, the cause of every corruption and offence.

29. Christ Jesus was a man, who had no other bodily appearance than that of other men. And his followers were men and women, like other men and

P

14,15,&c.

1 Thes.v.

23.

CHAP.

V.

women, who possessed all their former properties, and faculties of body and mind with which they were at first created. But the change which was wrought in the followers of Christ, by the gospel, consisted in their being saved from sin; and hence the cause of every offence between God and them was removed.

30. And by receiving his word and abiding in it, they received his Spirit, and had power to become the Sons of God, and joint-heirs with Christ in his kingdom-were freely justified by his grace, and were no longer under the guilt and condemnation of Rom.vii. the law. As it is written, There is therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. They are made free from the law of sin and death, by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

1-10.

31. The law could never save the soul from sin, and therefore the guilt and condemnation of sin remained; it was weak through the flesh, because those who were under it, lived in the gratification of

the flesh.

32. Hence it is written: "What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

33. "For they that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit," the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally [fleshly] minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace: Because the carnal [fleshly] mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

34. "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; [Christ and sin cannot dwell together; where he has the lead and government of the mind, the body is dead and inactive to sin;] but the Spirit is alive because of righteousness."