1 Tim. iii. 16, &c. and manifefted by his marvellous works and doctrine, by his fufferings and death, refurrection and afcenfion, by the fending down of the Holy Ghoft according to his promife, and by the preaching of the Gospel, in the fulness of time that God had appointed, wherein all the prophecies that foretold his coming, and all the types and ceremonies that prefigured him, had their accomplishment.

The times of the Gospel are often called the laft times by the Prophets; for that the Jewish priesthood and ceremonies being abolished, that which fuceeded was appointed by God to remain the fame to the end of the world. Befides this, the time of our Saviour's incarnation may be called the last times, because although it were not near the end of time by many ages, yet in all probability it was much nearer the end of time than the beginning of it. Some refemble the time of his fufferings in the end of the world, to the pafchal lamb in the evening.

It was doubtless the fit time; but notwithstanding the schoolmen offer at reasons to prove the fitness of it, as their humour is to prove all things, none dare I think conclude, but if God had fo appointed, it might have been either fooner, or later; and our fafeft is to reft in that, that it was the fit time, because fo it pleased Him, and to feek no other reason, why having promifed the Meffiah fo quickly after man's fall, he deferred his coming about four thousand years, and a great part of that time fhut up the knowledge of himself, and the true religion, within the narrow compafs of that one nation of which Chrift was to be born: Of these and fuch like things we can give no other reafon but that which he teacheth us in a like cafe, Even fo Father because it seemeth good unto thee, Mat. xi. 26.

3. The application of this manifeftation, For you.] The Apostle represents these things to thofe he writes to, particularly for their ufe; therefore he applies it to them, but without prejudice of the believers that

went

went before, or of thofe that were to follow in after ages. He that is here faid to be fore-appointed before the foundation of the world, is therefore called, a Lamb flain from the foundation of the world, Rev. xiii. 8. And as the virtue of his death looks backward to all preceding ages, whose faith and facrifices looked forward to it, fo the fame death is of force and perpetual value to the end of the world: After he had offered one facrifice for fins, fays the Apoftle to the Hebrews, chap. x. 12. 14. he fat down for ever on the right hand of God; for by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified. The cross on which he was extended points in the length of it to heaven and earth, reconciling them together; and in the breadth of it to former and following ages, as being equally falvation to both.

In this appropriating and peculiar intereft in Jefus Chrift lies our happiness, without which it avails not that he was ordained from eternity, and in time manifefted. It is not the general contemplation, but the peculiar poffeffion of Chrift, that gives both folid comfort, and ftrong perfuafion to obedience and holinefs, which is here the Apoftle's particular scope.

Ver. 21. Who by him do believe in God that raised bim up from the dead, and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God.

Now,

OW, because it is faith that gives the foul this particular title to Jefus Chrift, the Apostle adds, (to declare who he meant by You), Who by him do believe in God, &c.

Where we have, 1. The complete object of faith. 2. The ground or warrant of it.-The object, God in Christ. The ground or warrant, In that be raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory.

1. The complete object of faith. A man may have, living out of Chrift, yea, he muft, he cannot chufe but have, a conviction within him that there is a God, and

further

further he may have, even out of Chrift, fome kind o belief of those things that are fpoken concerning God f but to repose on God, as his God, and his falvation" which is indeed to believe in him, this cannot be, but where Chrift is the medium through which we look upon God; for fo long as we look upon God through our own guiltinefs, we can fee nothing but his wrath, and apprehend him as an armed enemy; and therefore are fo far from refting on him, as our happiness, that the more we veiw it, it puts us upon the more speed to fly from him, and to cry out, Who can dwell with everlafting burnings, and abide with a confuming fire? Ifa. xxxiii. 14. But our Saviour, taking fin out of the way, puts himself betwixt our fins and God, and fo makes a wonderful change of our apprehenfion of him. When you look through a red glass, the whole heavens feem bloody, but through pure uncoloured glass, you receive the clear light, that is fo refreshing and comfortable to behold. When fin unpardoned is betwixt, and we look on God through that, we can perceive nothing but anger and wrath in his countenance: But make Chrift once the medium, our pure Redeemer, and through him, as through clear transparent glass, the beams of God's favourable countenance fhine in upon the foul; the Father cannot look upon his well-beloved Son, but graciously and pleasingly. God looks on us out of Chrift, fees us rebels, and fit to be condemned, we look on God as being juft and powerful to punish us; but when Chrift is betwixt, God looks on us in him, as juftified, and we look on God in him, as pacified, and fee the fmiles of his favourable countenance : Take Chrift out, all is terrible; interpofe him, all is full of peace: Therefore fet him always betwixt, and by him we shall believe in God.

2. The warrant and ground of believing in God by Chrift is this, that God raised him from the dead, and gave him glory, which evidence the full fatisfaction of his death; and in all that work, both in his humiliation and exaltation, standing in our room, we may repute

it

it his as ours: If all is paid that could be exacted of him, and therefore he fet free from death, then are we acquitted, and have nothing to pay: If he was raised from the dead, and exalted to glory, then fo fhall we; he hath taken poffeffion of that glory for us, and we may judge ourselves poffeffed of it already, because he our Head poffeffeth it. And this the laft words of the verfe confirm to us, implying this to be the very purpofe and end for which God, having given him to death, raised him up and gave him glory; it is for this end exprefsly, that our faith and hope might be in God: The laft end is, that we may have life and glory through him; the nearer end, that in the mean while, till we attain them, we may have firm belief and hope of them, and reft on God as the giver of them, and fo in part enjoy them before hand, and be upheld in our joy and conflicts by the comfort of them. And, as St Stephen in his vifion, Acts vii. 55. faith doth, in a spiritual way, look through all the vifible heavens, and fee Christ at the Father's right-hand, and is comforted by that in the greatest troubles, though it were amidst a fhower of ftones, as St Stephen was. The comfort is no less than this, that being by faith made one with Christ, his present glory wherein he fits at the Father's right-hand, is affurance to us, that where he is we shall be alfo, John xiv. 3..

Ver. 22. Seeing ye have purified your fouls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren; fee that ye love one another with a pure beart fervently.

and

ESUS CHRIST is made unto us of God, wisdom, an righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30. It is a known truth, and yet very needful to be often reprefented to us, that redemption and holiness are undivided companions; yea, that we are redeemed on purpose for this end, that we fhould be holy. The preffing of this, we fee, is here the Apoftle's fcope; and

having

having by that reafon enforced it in the general, he now takes that as concluded and confeffed, and fo makes use of it particularly to exhort to the excercife of that main Chriftian grace of brotherly love.

The obedience and holiness, mentioned in the foregoing verses, comprehend the whole duties and frame of a Chrftian life towards God and men; and having urged that in the general, he specifies this grace of mutual Chriftian love, as the great evidence of their fincerity, and the truth of their love to God: For men are fubject to much hypocrify this way, and deceive themselves; if they find themselves diligent in religious exercises, they scarce once afk their hearts, how they ftand affected this way, namely, in love to their brethren. They can come conftantly to the church, and pray; it may be, at home too; and yet cannot find in their hearts to forgive an injury.

As forgiving injuries argues the truth of piety, fo it is that which makes all converfe both fweet and profitable, and befides, it graces and commends men and their holy profeffion to fuch as are without, and ftrangers to it, yea, even to their enemies.

Therefore it is, that our Saviour doth fo much recommend this to his difciples, and they to others, as we fee in all their epiftles. He gives it them as the very badge and livery by which they fhould be known for his followers, By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye love one another, John xiii. 35. And St Paul is frequent in exhorting to and extolling this grace, Rom. xii. 10. and xiii. 8. 1 Cor. i. 13. Gal. v. 13. Eph. iv. 2. and in many other places. Col. iii. 14. he calls it the bond of perfectness, that grace which unites and binds all together. So doth our Apostle here, and often in this and the other epiftle; and that beloved disciple St John, who leaned on our Saviour's breast, drank deep of that spring of love that was there, and therefore it ftreams forth fo abundantly in his writings; they contain nothing fo much as this divine doctrine of love.

We