over to shameful passions: for even their females changed the natural use2 into what is contrary to nature.

27 In like manner also, the males, leaving the natural use of the female, burned with their lust towards one another, males with males working out that which is shameful, and receiving () in themselves that recompense of their error2 which was fit.

28 And as they did not approve' of holding God with acknowledgment, God delivered them over to an unapproving mind,3 to work those things which are not suitable:

29 Being filled with all injustice, fornication, wickedness,' covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, cunning, bad disposition;3 whisperers,4

For even

30 Revilers,' haters of God, insolent,2 proud,3 punishment inflicted by God on the Greek legislators, philosophers, and priests, for having established polytheism and idolatry as the public religion; but in this verse, and what follows, he represents the people also as deserted of God, and given up to all manner of wickedness, on account of the same crime. And the punishment was just, because it was the extreme propensity of the people to worship visible gods, which led their legislators to fancy that poly. theism and idolatry was the only religion proper for them. So that being accessories to the crime of their rulers, they justly shared with them in their punishment.

2. For even their females changed the natural use.]-The women of Lesbos are said by ancient authors to have been, many of them, guilty of this vice. They were called Tribades. Martial inscribes the 90th epigram of his first book to a woman of that character, named Bassa. See also Lev. xviii. 23.

Ver. 27.-1. Males with males working out that which is shameful.]-Kariera Zouavo, studiosè et impensè operantes. Estius.-The apostle is not speaking simply of the Greeks committing the uncleanness which he mentions, but of their lawgivers authorizing these vices by their public institutions of religion, by their avowed doc. trine, and by their own practice. With respect to fornication, the heathens actually made it a part of the worship of their deities. At Corinth, for example, as Strabo informs us, lib. viii. p. 581. there was a temple of Venus, where more than a thousand courtesans (the gift of pious persons of both sexes) prostituted themselves in honour of the goddess; and that thus the city was crowded, and became wealthy. In the court of the temple of Venus at Cnidos, there were tents placed under the trees for the same lewd purposes. Lucian. Dial. Amores. And 2 Macc. vi. 4. we are told, the temple was filled with riot and revelling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots, and had to do with women in the circuit of the holy places.' With respect to sodomy, it is not so commonly known that it was practised by the heathens as a part of their religious worship; yet in the history which is given of Josiah's endeavours to destroy idolatry, there is direct evidence of it. 2 Kings xxiii. 7. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord.'

That the Greek philosophers of the greatest reputation were guilty not only of fornication, but even of sodomy, is affirmed by ancient authors of good reputation. With the latter crime Tertullian and Nazianzen have charged Socrates himself, in passages of their writings quoted by Estius. The samne charge Áthenæus, a heathen writer, hath brought against him, Deipnosophist. lib. xiii.; not to speak of Lucian, who, in many passages of his writings, hath directly accused him of that vice. I am not ignorant, however, that some learned moderns have endeavoured to clear Socrates from that accusation, by observing, that neither Aristophanes, in his comedy of the Clouds, written on purpose to discredit Socrates, nor his accusers at his trial, have advanced any thing tending to impeach him on that head; and that it is not probable Socrates would have dissuaded his disciples from unnatural love, as we know he did, (Xenoph. Memor. lib. i. c. 2, 3.), if he had been addicted to it himself. But allowing the above mentioned accusations to be calumnies, what shall we say of the conversation which this great philosopher had with Theodota, a noted courtesan in the city, of which Xenophon has given an account? Memor. lib. iii. c. 11. On that occasion, Socrates, in presence of two of his disciples, advised the prostitute to employ persons to bring lovers to her, and taught her the most art. ful methods of exciting their passions, and of bestowing her favours; and all this professedly for the purpose of effectually retaining them in her snares, and of drawing money from them. In relating this conversation, Xenophon certainly did not mean to dishonour his master Socrates. It therefore remains an unambiguous proof, of how little estimation chastity was in the eye both of the master and of his disciples. The above mentioned Athenæus has charged Aristotle and Zeno as guilty of sodomy; so likewise has Diogenes Laer. tius accused Plato; in which accusation he is joined by Theodoret, as quoted by Estius. Theodoret likewise takes notice, that Lycur gus, by a law, permitted the love of boys: and Chrysostom, in his commentary, affirms the same of Solon. However, to pass from these testimonies, Cicero, a little before the publication of the gospel, De Nat. Deor. lib. i. § 28. introduces Cotta, a man of the first rank, plainly owning to other Romans of the same quality with himself that he practised this infamous vice, and quoting the ancient philoso

These things I should not have brought into the reader's view, had it not been to prove the truth of the apostle's charge, namely, that the abominable crimes mentioned by him, were not prohibited either by the religion or by the laws of the heathens; but, on the contrary, were authorized by both, and avowedly practised by men of the first characters in the heathen world. When, therefore, the statesmen, the philosophers, and the priests, notwithstanding they enjoyed the light of nature, improved by science, thus avowedly addicted themselves to the most abominable uncleanness; nay, when the gods whom they worshipped were supposed by them to be guilty of the same enormities; when their temples were brothels, their pictures invitations to sin, their sacred groves places of prostitution, and their sacrifices a horrid mixture of superstition and cruelty; there was certainly the greatest need of the gos pel revelation to make mankind sensible of their brutality, and to bring them to a more holy practice.

That some professing Christianity are guilty of the crimes of which we have been speaking, is true. But it is equally true, that their religion does not, like the religion of the heathens, encourage them in their crimes, but deters them, by denouncing, in the most direct terms, the heaviest wrath of God against all who are guilty of them. Besides, the gospel, by its divine light, hath led the nations to correct their civil laws; so that in every Christian country these enor mities are prohibited, and when discovered, are punished with the greatest severity. The gospel, therefore, hath made us far more knowing, and, I may add, more virtuous, than the most enlightened and most polished of the heathen nations were formerly.

2. Receiving in themselves the recompense of their error.]That is, of their idolatry, named error, because it was the greatest and most pernicious of all errors. It is named error, also, 2 Pet. ii. 8.

Ver. 28.-1. And as (oux doxiμov) they did not approve.]-So the word Soxu may be translated; for it signifies to try metals, in order to distinguish the good from the bad; consequently, to approve what is found good after trial; and simply to try. Sea Rom. v. 4. note.

2. Of holding God with acknowledgment. That is, did not ap prove of holding God as the object of the people's acknowledgment or worship, but approved of the worship of false gods, and of images, as more proper for the vulgar; and on that account substituted idolatry in place of the pure spiritual worship of the one true God, and established it by law;-therefore God gave them up to an undiscerning mind,' &c. According to Beza, 'to have God in acknowledgment, is 'to acknowledge God; as habere in honore, is the same with honorare.

3. To an unapproving mind.]-The original words, adoxiμov vor, denote a mind not capable of discerning and approving what is good, either in principle or practice;-an injudicious mind, a mind void of all knowledge and relish of virtue. Men of this stamp are called **T, without feeling,' Eph. iv. 19.

4. To work those things. The original word (o) here, as in many other passages, denotes the habit of doing a thing. Ver. 29.-1. Being filled with wickedness.lovea, is a dispo. sition to injure others by craft. Hence the devil is called ongos, the wicked one, by way of eminence.

2. Maliciousness.-Kzxz, is a disposition to injure others, from ill-will to them.

3. Bad disposition.]-Kaxa, according to Aristotle, is a disposition to take every thing in the worst sense. With this vice Plutarch charged Herodotus in his book legs The Heodorou xaxon Seas, "concerning the evil disposition of Herodotus."-Estius thinks this word denotes asperity of manners, rudeness.

4. Whisperers.]-Yuugira, are those who secretly speak evil of persons when they are present.

Ver. 30.-1. Revilers.]-KTλ, as distinguished from whis perers, are persons who speak evil of others to their face, giving them opprobrious language, and sad names.

2. Insolent. Yet, from ßes, violent anger. This word denotes persons who commit injuries with violence, or who oppress others by force.

boasters, inventors of evil PLEASURES, disobedient to parents;

31 Imprudent, covenant-breakers, 2 without natural affection,3 implacable, unmerciful;

32 Who (ewryverres, 16.) though they know the law of God, that they who practise such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but even are well pleased with those who practise THEM.3

3. Proud. Ten, are persons elated on account of their fortune, or station, or office.

4. Boasters.]-Aλagov, are persons who assume to themselves the reputation of qualities which they do not possess.

Ver. 31.-1. Imprudent.]-Acvvers, are persons who, not forming just judgments of things, act improperly.

2. Covenant breakers.-Aruvarous. The Greeks expressed the making of covenants by the word Curtii.

3. Without natural affection.)-In this the apostle seems to have had the Stoics in his eye, who recommended their apathy, or freedom from all affection and passion, as the highest pitch of virtue; and who reckoned the affection between parents and children, husbands and wives, and the like, among the vices. But their tenets are here condemned with the greatest reason; for the very best men need the impulses of affection and passion, to move them to what is good; and God hath implanted these in our nature, for that very purpose.-Beza thinks the apostle in this condemned the unnatural custom of the Greeks, who exposed their children; and the rather, that in some states they were allowed by the laws to do so.

4. Implacable.The original word dous, which comes from exov, u libation, is used to signify irreconcilable, because when the heathens made their solemn covenants, by which they bound themselves to lay aside their enmities, they ratified them by a sacrifice on which they poured a libation, after drinking a part of it themselves.

Ver. 32-1. Who though they know (To Sixx) the law of God. The original word, xxix, properly signifies righteousness, or a righteous appointment. But because God's law is founded in righteousness, and is the rule thereof to us, the word is often used in scripture to denote an ordinance, statute, or particular law, Numb. xxvii. 11. xxxi. 21. and in the plural it signifies the precepts of God, Luke i. 6. Rom. ii. 26. Heb. ix. 1; even those which were purely ceremonial, Heb. ix. 10. Here a signifies 'the law of God written on men's hearts,' called by philosophers the law of nature, and by civilians, the law of nations. For the Greeks could know no other law of God, being destitute of revelation.

2. That they who practise such things are worthy of death.]God hath written on the hearts of men, not only his law, but the sanction of his law. For the fear of punishment is inseparable from the consciousness of guilt. Farther, that the heathens knew that the persons guilty of the crimes mentioned by the apostle merited death, is evident from the laws which they enacted for punishing such persons with death.

3. Have pleasure in those who practise them.]-In this stricture, the apostle glances at the Greek legislators, priests, and philosophers, who, by their institutions, example and presence, encou raged the people in the practise of many of the debaucheries here mentioned, especially in the celebration of the festivals of their gods.

HAVING shewn that the Gentiles could not entertain the least hope of salvation, according to the tenor of the law of nature, it was next to be considered, Whether the law of Moses gave the Jews any better hope. This inquiry the apostle managed with great address. Well knowing, that on reading his description of the manners of the Greeks, the Jews would pronounce them worthy of damnation, he suddenly turned his discourse to the Jews, telling them, that they who passed such a judgment on the Gentiles, were inexcusable in hoping to be saved through the law of Moses; because, by condemning the Gentiles, they virtually condemned themselves, who, being guilty of the very same crimes, were thereby under the curse of Moses' law, ver. 1.-And, to enforce his argument, the apostle observed, that God's sentence of condemnation, passed in the course of the law, upon them who commit such things, is known by all to be according to truth, ver. 2.—But although every Jew was condemned by the curse of the law of Moses, they all expected salvation, on account of their being Abraham's children, Matt. iii. 8, 9. and of their enjoying the benefit of revelation, Rom. ii. 13. Wherefore, to shew them the vanity of that hope, the apostle proposed the following question: Dost thou, who condemnest the Gentiles for their crimes, and yet committest the same thyself, think that thou shalt escape the righteous sentence of God, declared in the curse of the law of Moses, merely because thou art a son of Abraham, and a member of God's visible church? ver. 3.-By entertaining such a notion, thou judgest amiss of thy privileges, which are bestowed on thee, not to make sinning more safe to thee than to others, but to lead thee to repentance, ver. 4.-These privileges, therefore, instead of making thy salvation sure, if abused by thy obdurate and impenitent heart, will make thy punishment greater in the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,' ver. 5.

Having mentioned the general judgment, the apostle, for the instruction of the Jews, and of all who, like them,

expect salvation because they are favoured with revelation, discoursed at large concerning future retributions. And first of all he shewed them, from the natural character of God, that rewards and punishments will be dispensed at the judgment to every man, not according to the outward privileges and advantages which he enjoyed in this life, nor according to the flattering opinion which he entertains of himself, but according to his works,' ver. 6.-More particularly, to them who, by perseverance in well doing, earnestly seek glory, honour, and immortality, God will render eternal life, ver. 7.-But them who obey unrighteousness, he will punish with indignation and wrath, ver. 8.-Lest, however, the Jews might have imagined, from the apostle's mentioning eternal life, ver. 7. that he spake of the members of the visible church of God only, and that no others are to have eternal life, he repeated his account of the judgment in such terms as to make his readers sensible that he is speaking of men of all nations and religions: Affliction and anguish shall come upon every soul of man who worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek,' ver. 9.— But glory, honour, and peace shall be to every one who worketh_good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek,' ver. 10.-For as Jew and Greek is a division which comprehends all mankind, there can be no doubt of the apostle's intention to declare, on the one hand, that every impenitent sinner, and among the rest the impenitent members of God's visible church, shall assuredly be punished; and, on the other, that all who have wrought good, whether they be Jews, or heathens, or Christians, shall have glory, honour, and peace, that is, eternal life, rendered to them, Because with God there is no respect of persons,' ver. 11.

His account of the judgment, the apostle introduced in this place with great propriety, not only for the reason already mentioned, but lest the heathen philosophers and Jewish scribes, from his teaching that no man can be saved either by the law of nature or by the law of Moses, might have suspected it to be his opinion, that all are to

be condemned who have not the gospel revelation; and that such good works as Jews and heathens perform, who are out of the Christian church, will be of no use to them at the last. For by declaring that glory and peace shall come not only upon such Jews, but upon such Greeks, as have wrought good, he hath taught that salvation is not confined to them who have enjoyed revelation; that in all nations there are men who fear God, and work righteousness; and that, at the judgment, such shall have the benefit of the method of salvation, established at the fall and revealed in the gospel, extended to them, though it was not discovered to them during their lifetime on earth.

Moreover, because the Jews really held the uncharitable opinion, falsely imputed to the apostle, consigning to damnation all who had not the Mosaic revelation, the apostle assured them, that the revealed law of God is not the rule by which the heathens are to be judged: 'As many as have sinned without law, shall perish without law; without being judged by any revealed law. So that in punishing them, God will consider those hinderances of their virtues, and those alleviations of their sins, which resulted from the imperfection of the dispensation under which they were placed, and will make proper allowances: Whereas all who have sinned under a revealed law, shall be judged by that law; the aggravations of their sins, resulting from the advantages they enjoyed, will be taken into the account, and punished, ver. 12. And with respect to men's being saved, because they have enjoyed an external revelation, the apostle expressly declared, that not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified,' ver. 13. He therefore concluded, that when the Gentiles, who have not a revealed law, do, by the guidance of natural reason, the works enjoined by that law, these men furnish a law to themselves, by which they must direct themselves, ver. 14. and show that there is a law of God written in their hearts, to which their reason and conscience bear witness, ver. 15.; which, if they obey sincerely, they shall obtain eternal life in the day when God will judge the hidden things of men, namely, their inward dispositions, by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel which Paul everywhere preached, ver. 16.

Here let it be observed, first, That, by making the doing of law,' ver. 13. as far as our imperfections will admit, necessary to justification, the apostle hath guarded his readers against misinterpreting the doctrine he was about to deliver, chap. iii. 28. That by faith man is justified, without works of law.' For if he had not expressly declared, that the doing of law to a certain degree is necessary, even when men are justified freely through Christ, it might have been objected, that he made void their obligation to do good works altogether.-Farther, by declaring, at the conclusion of his account of the judgment, that in punishing the wicked, and rewarding the righteous, both among the Jews and Greeks, God will proceed according to his Gospel,' the apostle hath taught us two things of great importance. The first is, that in judging men God will not proceed according to the tenor, either of the law of nature or of the law of Moses, by inquiring after an obedience absolutely perfect; because, according to that method of judgment, no one could be acquitted. But he will judge their hidden things,' their inward frame of mind, according to the gospel;' that is, he will examine, whether in the present life men have been guided by a sincere desire to know and to do his will, in whatever manner it was manifested to them. And in whomsoever such a faith is found, he will count it for righteousness, and reward it, whether the person who possessed it were a Gentile, a Jew, or a Christian.The second thing taught in this declaration is, that wicked men, of all nations, shall be punished according to the demerit of their sins, while the righteous shall be reward

ed, not on account of the merit of their good works, but through the mere favour of God, who, for the sake of Christ, will accept their spirit of faith, as if it were a perfect righteousness. For these being the doctrines which Paul everywhere preached, they are his gospel, according to which men are to be judged.

In the next place, to shew the unbelieving Jews the vanity of placing their hope of salvation on God's having chosen them for his people, and on his having given them the law, the apostle inquired what efficacy the law of Moses, with their other privileges as the people of God, had had in leading the men of rank and learning among the Jews to a right practice. Now, that he might not seem to undervalue their privileges as Jews, he enumerated them particularly: Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law,' &c. ver. 17-20.-Then asked the doctors and scribes, how it came to pass that, notwithstanding they had the express image of knowledge and truth in the law, and had set themselves up as guides of the blind Gentiles, they had not so instructed themselves, as to refrain from breaking the law in the many flagrant instances which he mentioned, ver. 20-23.At the same time, that he might not charge the Jews with those gross immoralities without foundation, he quoted passages from their own scriptures, which declare, that the name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles through the wickedness of the Jewish rulers and scribes, ver. 24.-Wherefore, seeing not the hearers of the law, but the doers of it, shall be justified, the men of rank and learning among the Jews, being so wicked, had not the least ground to expect salvation through the law, but were under a necessity of seeking justification through faith: and the Gentiles were under no obligation to be guided, in the interpretation of the revelations of God, (see ver. 19.) by persons whose practice was so contrary to the precepts of revelation.

In the third place, because the Jews expected salvation on account of their being the children of Abraham and members of God's covenant, and gloried in their circumcision as the sign of that covenant, and of their descent from Abraham, the apostle told them, that their circumcision, though a proof of their descent from Abraham, and of their relation to God as his people, would not profit them if they were breakers of the law; but, in that case, they would be in no better a condition than the uncircumcised Gentiles, ver. 25.-Whereas, if the Gentiles are found to have performed the good actions enjoined by the law of God given to the Jews, their uncircumcision will be no obstacle to their salvation, ver. 26. -Consequently, they will put the Jews to shame, by obtaining that justification which shall be denied to the Jews, ver. 27.-For he is not a Jew, or son of Abraham, and heir of the promises, who is so by descent and profession only, ver. 28; but he is a son of Abraham, and an heir of the promises, in their highest meaning, whatever his pedigree or profession of religion may be, who is Abraham's son in the temper of his mind and true cir cumcision is that of the heart, which is made by cutting off evil affections, according to the spirit, and not according to the letter of the law of circumcision. And where that circumcision was found, though such a person might not receive praise from the Jews, as one of the people of God, he shall assuredly receive it from God at the judg ment, who will own him as one of his people, by conferring upon him the blessings promised to Abraham, and to his seed, ver. 29.

Reader, behold and admire the benignity and impartiality of the divine government, as set forth in the gospel. At the judgment, God will render to every man according to his works, without showing more favour to those who have enjoyed revelation, than to those who, in the exercise of his sovereignty, have been denied that favour. In other words, the enjoyment of revelation will

not be imputed to any man for merit, nor the want of it be considered as a fault; but, in judging men, God most righteous will consider the advantages and disadvantages which result from the nature of the dispensation under which they lived, and will pass sentence upon them accordingly. And therefore, if, at the judgment, some who have not enjoyed revelation are found to have feared God, and wrought righteousness, notwithstanding the disadvantages they laboured under, he will not deny them those rewards, which persons in more happy circumstances have reason to expect from his mercy in Christ. To this liberal doctrine it hath been objected,

1. That no works being good, but such as proceed from faith, none of the heathens will be found at the judgment to have wrought good, as they had no opportunity to believe the revelations of God: consequently, the apostle's doctrine, that glory, honour, and peace, shall be to every one who worketh good, is not to be understood of the heathens, but must be limited to such Jews and Greeks as have enjoyed the benefit of an external revelation.

But the answer is, Faith does not consist in the belief of particular doctrines, (See Rom. iii. 28. note 1.), far less in the belief of doctrines which men never had an opportunity of knowing; but in such an earnest desire to know and do the will of God, as leads them conscientiously to use such means as they have, for gaining the knowledge of his will, and for doing it when found. Of this kind was Abraham's faith. (See Rom. iv. 3. note 1.) And inasmuch as the influences of the Spirit of God are not confined to them who enjoy revelation, but are promised in the gracious covenant made with mankind at the fall to all who are sincere, a heathen by these influences may attain the faith just now described, and thereby may please God. For faith is more a work of the heart, than of the understanding. So our apostle teaches, Rom. x. 10. With the heart, we believe unto righteousness.' So that although the persons to whom revelation is denied, may not have the same objects of belief with those who enjoy revelation, they may have the same spirit of faith,' as it is termed, 2 Cor. iv. 13. Of this Abraham, Rahab, the centurion, whose son Christ healed, the Ethiopian eunuch, and Cornelius, are examples; for in uncircumcision they exercised such faith as was acceptable to God. And therefore Peter did not scruple to say, Acts x. 33. Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but, in every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteouness is accepted with him.' And 1 Pet. i. 17. The Father, without respect of persons, judgeth according to every man's work.'

That the pious heathens should have their faith counted to them for righteousness at the judgment, notwithstanding it may have been deficient in many particulars, and even erroneous, is not unreasonable; provided, in these instances of error, they have used their best endeavours to know the truth, and have not been led by these errors into habitual sin. For, as Mr. Claude observes, in his treatise of self-examination, chap. vii. "When one takes a view of false religions, they seem to make no less impression on the heart of those who are sincere in them, than the true religion does on the hearts of the faithful. In the one and in the other, we see the same good intention, the same zeal, the same readiness to do every thing they believe will tend to the glory of God: they love God, according to the idea they form of him; they worship him in their own way; and through fear of him, they endeavour to live irreproachably among men." Between them, indeed, there is this difference-the conceptions of the one are true, but the notions of the other are in many particulars false; and the service which the one pays to God is a rational service, whereas the worship of the other is mixed with much superstition. However,

as the pre-eminence of the one above the other, in point of knowledge and worship, is owing not to the greater rectitude of their disposition, but to the greater favour of God, who hath bestowed on them a more perfect discovery of his will, why should it be thought strange, that God, who is equally related to all his creatures, should, in judging them, consider the circumstances of each, and make the proper allowances, (as the apostle expressly affirms in this chap. ver. 12.), and bestow on them, for the sake of Christ, such a degree of happiness as their good disposition makes them capable of enjoying? In short, if the heathens are not to be saved by having their spirit of faith counted to them for righteouness, through Christ, notwithstanding they have lived in false religions, what shall we say concerning the salvation of the various sects of Christians, many of whom, in the articles of their faith, differ from one another, and from truth, almost as widely as they do from some who live and die in paganism?

2. It hath been objected to the salvation of the hea thens, that they have not that explicit knowledge of Christ, nor faith in him as the Saviour of the world, which is required in the gospel. But to this I replyThe gospel does not make it necessary to salvation, that men have an explicit knowledge of Christ, and a direct faith in him, if they never have had an opportunity of knowing and believing on him. On the contrary, by informing us, that all mankind live at present, and shall hereafter be raised from the dead, through the obedience of Christ, although the greatest part of them know nothing of him, nor of his obedience, the sacred oracles lead us to conclude, that at the general judgment many shall be saved through Christ who till then never heard of him. Besides, is it not as agreeable to justice and goodness to save the pious heathens through Christ, notwithstanding they never heard of him, as it was to condemn all mankind to death, for the sin of Adam, although the greatest part of them never heard of his disobedience? Withal, since at the judgment the ground of the salvation of mankind shall be declared in the hearing of the assembled universe, the discovery of Christ as Saviour will be made to the saved heathens, in time sufficient to lay a foundation for their gratitude and love to him, through all eternity. In fine, if the efficacy of Christ's obedience does not extend to the saving of the pious heathens, what interpretation can we put on Rom. v. 12-21. where the professed purpose of the apostle's reasoning is to shew, that the effects of Christ's obedience are greater than the consequences of Adam's disobedience ?

3. To the salvation of the heathens it hath been objected, that if justifying faith consists not so much in the number and extent of the doctrines believed, as in the disposition of the heart to believe, so that many who have lived and died in false religions may be saved, what purpose does it serve to give any of mankind the true form of faith and worship by revelation? This objection the apostle himself hath stated in the beginning of chap. iii., and hath answered it very solidly, by shewing, that in the true religion men have many more and better opportunities of cultivating good dispositions, and of being prepared for heaven by the discoveries which revelation makes of spiritual things, than can be had in any false religion; the errors of which, though they may not absolutely extinguish goodness of heart, are certainly great impediments to virtue, if not rather temptations to sin. In short, the true form of religion, instead of being of no use, is the greatest blessing men can enjoy; because, by affording better means of improvement, it enables them to acquire a greater measure of virtue, and a more distinguished reward.

This illustration will not be thought tedious by those who consider the importance of rightly understanding