of other countries, especially of Macedonia and Achaia, gladly contributed for their relief. The pleasure with which they exerted themselves in this labour of love, is twice noticed by the Apostle : " It pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia; it pleased them verily;" that is, they took great delight in this act of kindness. But, whilst the Apostle thus records their benevolence, he acknowledges, that it was no more than the occasion justly demanded : for many of the Jewish Christians had shewn a very ardent zeal in extending to the Gentiles the knowledge of salvation through a crucified Redeemer ; and there- fore it was but right, that the Gentiles, who had been made partakers of their spiritual things, should impart liberally to their benefactors such a portion of their carnal things as the pressure of the times required : " It pleased them verily; and their debtors they are" Now this idea, that the Gentile Christians are debtors to the Jews, is that which we propose more largely to consider : and in the prosecution of it, we shall state,
I. Our obligations to the Jews ;
II. The returns we should make them.
I. Our obligations to the Jews —
To the whole nation of the Jews, from the earliest period of their existence, we are greatly indebted. Let us first notice our obligations to the patriarchs. And here we will begin with Abraham, the father of the faithful. With him was made the covenant of grace, that covenant which is at this very moment the one ground of all our hopes. We, especially we Christians, know nothing of uncovenanted mercies. It is in Christ only that we can obtain salvation ; in Christ, as our Surety, who has undertaken to dis- charge our debt, and to make reconciliation for us through the blood of his cross. The covenant of which we speak, was made with Abraham and his seed, particularly with that promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christb: and it is only as children of Abraham that we have any part in itc. Here then at once the
b Gal. iii. 16. c Rom. iv. 11, 16. Gal. iii. 7—9, 29.