2. They are united in one body in him —
[He has broken down the middle wall of partition that divided the Jewish and Gentile world, and, having reconciled both unto God in one body by the cross, he has slain the
a Gal. iii. 14. " Gal. iii. 16. c Col. i. 20—22.
enmity thereby*1. All mankind are now brought into one family, and are taught to regard each other as brethren : and in proportion as the religion of Jesus gains the ascendant over our hearts, we are united in love to every member of his mystical body.]
3. They are blessed with all spiritual blessings —
[There is not any thing that can conduce to our present or future happiness which Jesus will not bestow on his believing people. Adoption into his family, peace in our consciences, holiness in our hearts, and an eternity of glory in the Father's presence, are the certain portion of all his faithful followers. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile ; all are admitted to the same privileges, and all shall participate the same enjoyments.]
Infer,
1. The antiquity of the Gospel —
[The sum and substance of the Gospel is, that Christ is the only source of all spiritual and eternal blessings. Wherever this truth is strongly urged, men are ready to cry out against it as a new doctrine. But we can trace it, not only to the Reformers of our church, but to the Apostles, yea to Abra- ham also : for St. Paul declares, that when God spake the words to Abraham, he "preached the Gospel to Mm" even that very Gospel whereby he and all the nations of the earth must be saved.e Let this truth then no longer be reviled as novel, but be received as the one ground of all our hopes.]
2. The importance of faith —
[Abraham's faith in this Gospel was imputed to him for righteousness f ; and by believing the same divine record we also must be justified g. No doctrine whatever is more explicitly declared in Scripture than this. Let us then ac- knowledge the necessity of faith, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ as that promised seed, through whom alone the blessings of Abraham can flow down upon us.]
3. The connexion between faith and works —
[Faith was that principle which produced in Abraham such exemplary obedience h : and the same root will bear similar fruits wheresoever it exists '. Indeed the pardon of past sins would be utterly insufficient to make us happy, if it were not accompanied with the renovation of our natures. To this effect St. Peter expounded, as it were, the very words of the text, declaring to the Jews, that conversion from sin
d Eph. ii. 14— 1G. e Gal. iii. 8. f Gal. hi. 6.
e Gal. iii. 7, 9. h Heb. xi. 17. { Acts xv. 9.
38.] Abraham's burying-place in canaan. 193
was one of the first blessings which the Lord Jesus was sent to bestow k. Let us then not consider faith and works as opposed to each other, but as possessing distinct offices, the one to justify our souls, the other to honour God, and to manifest the sincerity of our faith.]
k Acts iii. 25, 26.