be fo far from being his Protection that it would highly aggravate his Disobedience, and encrease his Condemnation. In the third and fourth Chapters he anfwers feveral Objections started, in Favour of the Jewish Dispensation, and proves from the Example of Abraham himself, that no Man is or can be justified in the Sight of God, by the Works of the Law, but by the Righteousness of Faith. And in the fifth he fhews, that the Benefits of this Juftification, which is only to be obtained by the Death of Chrift, are as extenfive as they are great, and are propofed to all the Sons of Adam, that As by one Man's Difobedience many were made Sinners, fo by the Obedience of one Shall the many be made righteous. In the fixth he answers an Objection against his Doctrine, as if it made good Works unneceffary; and fhews that the Gospel does not leffen but encrease our Obligations to Piety, and more ftrictly requires that we should have our Fruit unto Holiness, if we expect that the End fhould be everlasting Life. And in the feventh Chapter he proceeds to fhew, that this Holinefs is not attainable by the Law, or by Nature; but only by the Grace of the Gofpel of Chrift; which leads him to enumerate the great Advantages of that Gospel in the former Part of the eighth Chapter, and to magnify that Difpenfation, one Benefit of which is, That there is now no Condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after

after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. And the Sufferings of the primitive Christians, being a very obvious Objection against their being fo much the Favourites of Heaven as the Apostle here affirms, he therefore proceeds in the eighteenth Verse of the eighth Chapter to answer that Objection, and to encourage his fellow Chriftians to fupport those Sufferings with Joy. And here it is we meet with the first Paffage which feems to favour the Predeftinarian Doctrine, and for the Sake of explaining which I have taken this fummary View of his Design in the whole Epiftle. His Reasoning, and his Words, if we confider them exclufive of a long Parenthesis, from the 19th to the 28th Verfe, which is no uncommon Thing in St. Paul's Epiftles, and may very well be fuppofed here, I fay, St. Paul's Reafoning and Words in this Place, if fo confidered, are as follows. This, fays he, is the great Benefit of our Chriftian Profeffion, that we are thereby made the Children of God, and if Children then Heirs, Heirs of God, and joint Heirs of Christ, if fo be, or rather, although, or fince, we fuffer with him, that is, fuffer in this World as he did, we may be alfo glorified together hereafter. And as to thefe Sufferings they are no juft Objection to our Title to that Inheritance, or juft Caufe of Dejection in you, for these two Reafons; because they are fmall in Comparifon of the Glory which shall be the future

C 4

Reward

Reward of them, and because we know, that the fame God, who has decreed that we shall fo fuffer, has alfo determined to fupport us powerfully under our Torments, and to crown us in the End with that Reward. For I reckon that the Sufferings of this present Time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us, ver. 18. And ! we know that all Things work together for good to them that love God; to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, them he also did predeftinate, to be conformed to the Image of his Son, (in his Sufferings) that he might be the first born of many Brethren. Moreover, whom he did a predeftinate, them he also called, and whom he called them be alfo juftified, or will justify, notwithstanding their prefent Oppreffions, and whom be juftified, or will justify, them be allo glorified, or will glorify, in the Sight of Men and Angels. And the Inference he draws from thefe Reasonings is, that the Romans fhould therefore defpife the Malice and Punishments of Men; look up to their Defender with Joy and Confidence; and not fuffer any Thing to feparate them from their Love of God. in Chrift Jefus. So that the Whole of the Apoftle's Exhortations amounts to the Subftance of what he advifes the Hebrews, that fince it pleafed God to determine, that they fhould follow the Steps of the Captain of their Salvation, who was made perfect through Sufferings,

ferings, (Heb. ii. 10.) they ought therein to imitate his Example; look up to him the Author and Finisher of their Faith, like him endure the Cross, and defpife the Shame, for the Joy that was fet before them; always remembring, that as he was fat down at the right Hand of the Throne of God, (Heb. xii. 2.) fo they should one Day be made conformable to him, in the Likeness of his Refurrection. What shall we then say to thefe Things? If God be for us, who can be against us? What then becomes of the Objector's Pretence, or of your Doubts or Fears? If God be for us, what shall be able to deject or to distract us? Is any Thing too hard for the Almighty? Or is he a Man that he should lie, and not perform his Promises to us? And if he will confirm us in the Adoption of Sons, who is he that ball lay any Thing to the Charge, or rather, that shall accufe us Chriftians, the Elect of God, as laying Claim to an Inheritance to which we have no Right? Since God has declared he will justify us, who is he that dares to condemn us? Chrift indeed is dead, but then he is likewife rifen again, and is at the Right of God, where he maketh continual Interceffion for us: And I trust therefore, that neither Tribulation, nor Diftrefs, nor Perfecu tion, nor Famine, nor Nakedness, nor Peril, nor Sword, nor all the Powers of Earth and Hell, fhall be able to feparate us from the Love of Chrift; but that on the contrary, we shall

be

be more than Conquerors over all thefe, through bim that loved us.

This is the Reasoning of St. Paul in this Paffage, this the Triumph of that great Apostle, over all Oppofition to his Gospel; and whoever confiders the whole Paffage in this Light, will, perhaps, find it to be the warmeft and most nervous Exhortation to Christian Fortitude that ever dropped from his Pen. And if the whole Paffage be thus taken together, we must make St. Paul very incoherent, if not inconfiftent with himself, unless we understand the Predeftination he here fpeaks of, that eternal Decree of the Almighty, which our bleffed Lord was continually fuggefting to his Difciples, that if they would follow him it must be by taking up their Cross, and enduring all Kinds of Indignities, for his Sake, by following him through Loffes, Perfecutions, and Death. We find him continually preparing his Difciples for fuch Treatment, and in Order to fortify them against the Fears of it, he likewife declares to them the fame Decree that his Apoftle here mentions, that whoever fuffered any Lofs of any Kind, on his Account, fhould be amply ftrengthened with inward Joy and Comfort here, and be infallibly crowned hereafter with everlafting Life. At least this is the most plain and natural Conftruction; is very confiftent with the Defign of the Context, and with all other Paffages of Scrip

I

ture;