be utterly forsaken, as an object of our most unfeigned abhor- rence.]
The second is, " Faith towards God " —
[This also is required, as indispensably necessary to sal- vation. Not only must we " believe that God is, and is a rewarder of all who diligently seek him ;" but we must believe that he is reconciled to man through the Son of his love ; and that " of those who come to him in his Son's name, he will never cast out one." This is God's promise in the Gospel : and we must believe " Him faithful who has promised."]
The two which are next specified, namely, " Bap- tisms, and the Laying on of hands," are not additional 'principles ; but rites of the Jewish law, by which the two foregoing principles were prefigured —
[Commentators have tried to explain these two as addi- tional principles; and have represented the "baptisms" as signifying the baptisms of John and of Christ ; and " the laying on of hands," as referring to the imposition of the Apostles' hands on men, for the purpose of communicating to them the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or of ordaining them to the blessed office of the ministry. But they are no principles ; nor should we attempt to explain them as such. They are explanatory of the preceding words. By " baptisms," we understand the "divers washings" which were observed under the law'^; which shadowed forth a cleansing from sin and dead works by repentance, or, as the Apostle expresses it, " the washing of regeneration :" and by " laying on of hands," we understand the offerers of sacrifices laying their hands upon the head of their victim, in order to transfer to it their guilt, and express their hope of acceptance through if^. It was in this way that they exercised their " faith towards God." Now, then, put these two into a parenthesis, as being only illustrative and explanatory of the former two, and all the difficulties, in which commentators have involved the passage, will vanish.]
The third principle is, *'the Resurrection of the dead"—
[This, also, is an essential part of " the doctrine of Christ." It was indeed, though not very fully, revealed under the law: but under the Gospel it is declared with the utmost possible clearness and certainty ; so that it may well be said, that " life and immortality are brought to light by the Gospels" The resurrection of our blessed Lord is indeed the one foundation
c Heb. ix. 10. d Lev. iv. 4, 15, 24, 33. and xvi. 21.
e 2 Tim. i. 10.