Upon the commencement of Christ's public ministry, Philip-one of the first disciples called-speaks of him to Nathaniel, as their longexpected Messiah—“ We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write;" and on Nathaniel's expressing his doubt that "any good thing could come out of Nazareth," invites him to come and see for himself. The Lord, seeing Nathaniel approach, points him out as a true Israelite-"Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." The words mark him, as not merely a descendant from Abraham according to the flesh, but a partaker of Abraham's faith, of "faith unfeigned." Nathaniel, expressing his surprise that Jesus should speak as knowing him,-"whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee."

I believe it has often been remarked, but the remark is not the less true and important, that Nathaniel-previous to Philip's finding him -had been engaged in secret communion with the God of Israel.* He had been alone under a fig tree. No eye saw him, but the eyes of HIM from whom nothing is hid: and the language of the Lord Jesus, proving that He had then been privy to and cognizant of the most secret aspirations of Nathaniel's soul, produces in this Israelite the suitable conviction, and the corresponding acknowledgment, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." All his doubts were now dispelled, whether Jesus of Nazareth could indeed be the MESSIAH, whose coming had been so long foretold, and was so ardently desired by the Jewish people.

But the Lord, in his reply, marks the grand design and effect of his coming in the flesh and marks it as opposed and superior to any glory of an earthly kingdom, such as the Jews generally expected their MESSIAH to establish. "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these. Henceforth ye shall see HEAVEN OPEN, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. In these words the reference is obvious to Jacob's dream at Bethel, as related in Gen. xxviii. when " he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the

I happen to have no Annotator on the New Testament but ROSENMULLER; a man who exemplifies what a thin partition separates the modern German divine from the avowed deist. However, not wanting to get theology from him, or any man, I have kept him for the sake of a little sprinkling of learning in his Annotations. As I penned these remarks, I felt somewhat curious to ascertain whether R. admits the nature of Nathaniel's engagement under the fig-tree; and, if he does, how he could contrive to evade the conviction which forced itself upon the Israelite. Perhaps the reader may be a little amused, as I have been, at the learned German's annotation. After referring to the Talmud, to shew that the Jews were accustomed to select a station under fig-trees, for maintaining conversation with their friends, for meditation, for reading, for prayer, or study,-he adds, that Nathaniel seems to have been seated under a fig-tree not far from Jesus; so that Jesus could see Nathaniel, and hear part of the conversation between him and Philip! How fully is that word verified in these infidel divines-"he taketh the wise in their own craftiness." Professing themselves to be wise, they become fools indeed; and their folly is equalled only by their dishonesty. The avowed deist is at least more honest and more consistent.

LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, &c. . . . . and in thee, and in thy seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Here the promise of the MESSIAH, given before unto Abraham, was now renewed to Jacob; and accompanied with a vision or dream, representing a medium of free communication established between heaven and earth, in that ladder upon which Jacob saw the angels of God ascending and descending.

And now the Lord declares to Nathaniel, that what was represented symbolically to Jacob in that dream should be realized, and have its full accomplishment in him, the Son of man, the promised seed. "Henceforth," from this period of my coming in the flesh to finish the work given me by the Father, ye shall see that fulfilled and verified, which was set forth in vision to Jacob at Bethel; "ye" believers in me "shall see heaven open," the way into the holiest of all, established and made manifest; the new and living way, by which sinners have free access unto God with acceptance, and are called to draw near to him continually with the sacrifices of praise; the way, in which JEHOVAH is seen at once just, and the justifier of the ungodly, glorifying alike his righteousness and his mercy, while he descends in continual blessing on his redeemed people, the people of his own inheritance.

All the blessedness brought unto sinners by the work of the MESSIAH was indeed testified of old; but it was in prophecy and type. We are taught, that "the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while the first tabernacle was yet standing" (Heb. ix. 8.); the gifts and sacrifices then offered being such as "could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience." It was obviously impossible that "the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean," should take away sin, and so purge the conscience; however they produced that purification of the flesh, that outward and ceremonial cleanness, which was required under the Levitical law. But the MESSIAH having in the last age of the world appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (Heb. ix. 24, 26.), and having finished that work in his obedience unto death, as the substitute of his people, has now entered into the holiest of all, "into heaven itself, to appear in the presence of God for them." There the eye of faith sees him at the right hand of the Majesty on high, established and accepted as the great High Priest over that redeemed Church which is his house, established in this office even by the oath of Him who cannot lie.

In this work and office of the MESSIAH every sinner, believing the testimony of him, sees heaven opened indeed; is made perfect in things pertaining to the conscience; is thoroughly furnished with all that he needs for leading him to draw near with boldness to the throne of Grace, and to walk with the living God in peace and joy and filial confidence, with the assured prospect of speedily exchanging faith for sight, and of being ever with the Lord. To conceal the

blessedness and glory of this view, is the great object of Satan and his agents, of all false teachers, in all their endless disguises, who would corrupt the Gospel of Christ. Indeed it is ever the ungodly tendency of that flesh, which in believers themselves is essentially

and invariably contrary to the spirit, and lusteth against it. This is "the sin that doth so easily beset us," against which we are called to watch and fight in the strength of him whose the battle is, and who giveth power to the faint, and "increaseth strength to those that have no might." While we are kept "looking unto Jesus," we see heaven open indeed, and are strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." Believers of the truth! Beware of dogs; beware of the concision; beware of Satan transforming himself into an angel of light.

"

In Luke xxii. 69. our translators have fallen into a similar inaccuracy, to that which I have remarked in John i. 51. Instead of Hereafter shall the son of man," we should read "Henceforth shall the son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." [Here the original is aо T vv, a phrase perfectly identical both in import and in structure with an' agr.]

XI.

INSTANCES OF ELLIPSES INACCURATELY SUPPLIED.

"And he spake a parable unto them... that men ought always to pray, and not to faint."-Luke xviii. 1.

Ir ought to run— that they ought always to pray." And it appears from the context, taken up from the 22nd verse of the preceding chapter, as well as from all the language of this parable, that the persons instructed by the Lord, "that they ought always to pray, and not to be discouraged," were his disciples, of whom he speaks as the "elect of God." v. 7.

No man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him," Matt. xi. 27.—literally-" is pleased to reveal him." Now those who know not " the only true God," cannot pray to HIM: for how can they "call on him in whom they have not believed?" Rom. x. 14. They may abound in the most fervent prayers and piety to the various gods which they have set up in their vain imaginations and unbelieving hearts; but on the name of the LORD no man ever calls, or can call, till he knows HIM, and therefore has that eternal life which is his gift. Rom. vi. 23. John xvii. 3.

Thus it is plain to every disciple, that this parable could not have been addressed to any but disciples. And it is in utter contempt of the word of God, that so many of the divines would inculcate the natural duty of prayer on all men, in recommending their idol of natural religion; which they represent indeed as auxiliary to revealed,

while it is really set up in opposition to that " only true God,” whom no man naturally knows, and none ever knew but those "to whomsoever the Son is pleased to reveal him."

"That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."-Heb. ii. 9.

HERE again the word "man" has been unwarrantably inserted. We should leave the ellipsis unsupplied, and read, "that he by the mercy of God should taste death for all." And who the "all" are, for whom he has tasted death, we may see distinctly marked in the words immediately following:-" for it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee."

Now what can be a more plain specification of the persons in whose behalf "Jesus was made for a little while lower than the angels for the suffering of death, that he by the mercy of God should taste death for all?" What can be more plain, than that the "all" here intended are all the many sons, of whose salvation he is the Captain; all whom it is the purpose of God to bring unto glory by him, and to whom he declares (or manifests) the name of the LORD; the whole of that church, or congregation, in the midst of which he sings praises to JEHOVAH? Ps. xxii. 22. And, in perfect accordance with this, Christ is declared to have "loved the church, and given himself for it :" Eph. v. 25—to have "laid down his life for the sheep," even those his sheep of whom he declares, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand." John x. 15, 27, 28.

The notion that Christ has tasted death for any others, even for those who yet ultimately perish in their sins, is utterly inconsistent with the faith of the Gospel; and goes to pour utter contempt upon the cross of Christ. I am well aware that many who have spent their lives in maintaining the blasphemy, have at times-and particularly on their death-beds-spoken strongly of deriving all their hope towards God from the consideration that Christ died for them. But their strongest language to this effect, unaccompanied with any professed change of mind, must be considered by the disciple as great swelling words of vanity." 2 Pet. ii. 18. For must it not be the most absurd inconsistency to maintain, at once, that any shall perish for whom Christ has died, and yet that all a sinner's hope of salvation is to be derived from Christ's having died for him? Assuredly, if Christ has tasted death for every individual of the human race, and if any such individual fails of salvation, those who are saved must owe their salvation to something else than to Christ's having died for them.

But as the holy Scriptures are the great storehouse, from which "the man of God is thoroughly furnished unto all good works," so Satan borrows from them his chief supply of weapons against the truth. Accordingly, the Arminian objector has often urged-Is it not said, that "Christ Jesus gave himself a ransom for all?" And is not this said in connexion with the declaration, that God "will have all men to be saved?" (1 Tim. ii. 4, 6.)—Yes; so it is written, and in such connexion. But if we read from the beginning of the chapter, we find this declaration connected with the Apostle's direction to Timothy, that "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for Kings, and for all that are in authority," &c.: which sufficiently marks that the expression "all men" imports men of all the various ranks and conditions in human society. But when I say sufficiently, do I mean that it will suffice to convince the Arminian objector? By no means. Scriptures ever have been, and ever will be, a gin and a snare to those who stumble at the word: and God is righteous in leaving any of them to strong delusion, that they should believe the lie which they love: while he yet magnifies his mercy in giving repentance, to the acknowledgment of the truth, to such of them as he has ordained unto eternal life."

The

As I may probably have no opportunity more fair for introducing some remarks on a very important subject, I shall make no apology for the following additional observations:

I have distinctly asserted that Christ has not died for any—in the room or behalf of any-save those, whom he shall absolutely “bring unto glory." With those who deny this, or who shrink from asserting it undisguisedly, I can keep no terms, as if they and I were of one faith. So far, many would say of me-'this man is a high Calvinist and so far I am. I look at low, or half-Calvinism, as combining great dishonesty with great folly.

Yet I must say, as plainly, that there is in this country a very numerous class of professors, and commonly designated as high Calvinists, from whom I yet differ essentially; and whom indeed I consider as no less opposed to the unadulterated truth, than the Arminians; though they often employ a much more plausible and imposing language. I allude to those who hold, that justifying faith consists in a sinner's firm persuasion that Christ died for him specially ; or in other words, that he is one of the elect.

Now this is not the faith of the Gospel; concerning which it is written, that "whosoever believeth shall be saved;" for a man may be filled with the most presumptuous confidence that he is a favourite of heaven, and yet be nothing nearer that favour of which he thinks himself the object. This is not the faith of the Gospel: for that faith has a divine revelation for its object and its basis, the word of the God of truth for its warrant and support; and assuredly that word no where testifies of any individual living, that he is one of Christ's sheep; though it does abundantly testify that it was for his sheep Christ laid down his life. And, accordingly, those who adopt the sentiment which I am now opposing commonly manufacture each for himself some private revelation, which they talk of as their ex