fore a person committed any crime, that would have been punished with death by the Jewish law, the Jews excommu- nicated the offender, and expected that God would visit him in some signal manner ; or at least inflict an adequate punishment upon him at the last day. In reference to this, it should seem the Apostle used the word " Maran-atha," which in the Syriac language means, " The Lord cometh." The import therefore of the denunciation in the text is. That, as they, who did not love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, deserved to be blotted out of the list of true Christians, and to be punished with everlasting destruction, so there was no doubt but that, although vian could not take cognizance of that offence, God would ; and execute signal vengeance on all those who should live and die under the guilt of it.]
Severe as this sentence is, it is such as we may undertake to, II. Vindicate —
It may not be improper first to vindicate the Apostle himself —
[To consign to everlasting destruction those who are free from any gross sin, and who perhaps abound in " the form of religion, while they are only destitute of its power," may seem harsh ; but we shall in vain attempt to put any milder inter- pretation on the words of the text. Shall we then censure the Apostle as uncharitable and severe ? If we do, we must involve all the other inspired writers and Christ himself in the same censure. Moses, by God's command, denounced similar vengeance on persons of various descriptions, and required the people to confirm his word by an express declaration of their own consent and approbation'^, Jeremiah and Malachi re- peatedly spake to the same effect*^. Nor was this peculiar to those who lived under the legal dispensation : St. Paul repeatedly denounced a curse even against any angel from heaven that should presume to publish any other Gospel than that which he had preached*^. Yea, the meek and compas- sionate Jesus declared, that God would be a father to none who did not love him^; and that he himself would in the last day summon before him all that had refused his yoke, and order them to be slain without mercy s. Such examples as these may well screen the Apostle from any imputation of needless severity.]
Next we will vindicate the sentence he denounced —
f' Deut. xxvii. 15 — 26, twelve times.
^ .Ter. xi. 3. and xvii. 5. and xlviii. 10. Mai. i. 14.
e Gal. i. 8, 9. f John viii. 42. s Luke xix. 27.