Reflections on the Epistles of st. Paul, and on that to the Hebrews, with Scriptural illustrations. By a lay member of the Church of England [J. Stow].

the eyes and estimation of Men was as nothing in regard to merit before The AllBounteous GOD; but still he hoped it might influence by example and beneficially his Fellow-Worshippers of the True GOD, to Whose Service and the promotion of Whose Honour all our faculties should be reverently and seasonably dedicated; his exclamation and confession are, O my Soul, thou hast said unto The LORD, Thou art my LORD! my goodness extendeth not to Thee; but to the Saints, that are in the Earth, and to the Excellent, in whom is all my delight.-Psl. xvi. 2, 3. To be Fellow Heirs of Immortality in the Life to Come is in prospect one of the most delightful contemplations to feed upon in the Life, that is; and Superadding the fulness of hope in the experiencing The SAVIOUR's Ever-Abounding Love, amidst the Glories of His Entire SOVEREIGNTY over all Spiritualized Nature, is the Consummation of Earthly Happiness ardently to be wished, and fervently to be prayed for, and perseveringly sought.-The same supplicatory Offering of the Twofold Blessings from The DIVINE Treasury is here made, as to the Galatians-i. 3. And Oh! that we valued Those Surpassing Possessions as we ought to do! for They are Both within our attainment, if we but return love for Love to The Great SOURCE of Them, The FRIEND of Man, in The Incarnate SON of GOD, and cherished with a Filial feeling Our HEAVENLY FATHER's Nurturing Care of us, and Quenched not the Light of The HOLY SPIRIT within us-See Ephes. i. 1,

VERSES 3 to 8-We give thanks to GOD and The FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in CHRIST JESUS, and of the love, which ye have to all the Saints, for the hope, which is laid up for you in Heaven, whereof ye heard before in the Word of the Truth of The Gospel; Which is Come unto you, as It is in all the World; and Bringeth forth Fruit; as It doth also in you, since the day ye heard of It, and knew the Grace of GOD in Truth; as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear Fellow-Servant, who is for you a faithful Minister of CHRIST; who also declared unto us your love in The SPIRIT,

The grateful feeling of the Apostle for the vital progress of Christianity in the expansive spirit of his own heart-cherished charity, breaks forth through The SON to The FATHER, and in faithfulness embraces The HOLY SPIRIT. And to gratitude Paul adds the outpouring of his Soul to The TRINITY in UNITY, that that progress of Others to the Pale of Salvation may be Sustained by DIVINE Counsel and Guidance, and continued unto the end of this Probationary State; that the Fruit thereof in the Eternal Love of The GODHEAD might be Gathered to the Soul's Eternal Enjoyment in the Life to Come, and to its Peace and Consolation in the Life, that is. The true love for CHRIST, arising out of the conviction, that our Obligation to Him is Boundless for the Inestimable Benefits His Mediation can alone Obtain for us, necessarily and consistently engenders a love for our Fellow-Creatures, and a desire to know, that they are participating in the same Saving Knowledge of the Word of GOD, and in the disciplining their Souls to the Same Heavenward Attainments, which we feel Essential, through the confession of our own faith in The Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, to be arrived at, and laid to our hearts. Earth is indeed the Antepast of Heaven, when the hope of Heaven has its becoming and paramount influence over us, and regulates and controuls all our wishes and objects in the Life, that is, throughout our sojourn here. But let us remember, that it is possible to have the outward knowledge of the Law of GOD, but without the disposition inwardly to lay It to heart; trusting to DIVINE Mercy, rather than to DIVINE Truth. May we strive to root out this fatal error wherever it is found, whether in our own minds, or in the minds of Others, with whom we have to do; and as we have The Truth Set before us in Characters as of Sunbeams, may we act upon as well as acknowledge It, that we may indeed find Peace to our Souls in the hope, that is associated with It,

in the Promised experience of Eternal Bliss.-Amongst Paul's Companions and trusty Disciples Epaphras is here found honourable; who, with zeal like his Teacher's in the faith of The Revelation of JESUS CHRIST, enters upon the Ministerial Office and the Missionary labours with the fidelity and earnestness, that so distinctly mark the true Servants of GOD, and who labour unceasingly for the rescue of Souls from the grasp of Satan and the trammels of sin; seeking to convert them to the Purity and Perfectness of the Children of GOD by the same faith, that reigns within their own hearts, elevating their thoughts from Earth to Heaven, and rendering all feelings and attractions subservient to That Consummation, so devoutly to be wished, a Participation in the Eternal Beams of The SUN of Righteousness. Epaphras, as a faithful Minister, reported, doubtlessly after a deep consideration and investigation of the state of the Colossian Converts' minds on his sojourning among them, and reported with inward rejoicing the advancement they manifested in the true Principles of The Gospel; and with equal rejoicing did Paul receive the assurance of such acceptable growth in Grace. Indeed, to the Spiritual Teacher in CHRIST JESUS, what can be more consoling and exhilarating than the conviction, that the Seeds of Salvation are growing up and attaining fruitfulness, not only within him but around him?In his Letter to the Ephesians St. Paul breathes the same Pastoral feeling, saying, After I heard of your faith in The LORD JESUS and love unto all the Saints, I cease not to give thanks for you; making mention of you in my Prayers, that The GOD of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, The FATHER of Glory, may Give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being Enlightened, that ye may know What is the hope of His Calling, and What the Riches of the Glory of His Inheritance in the Saints, and What is the Exceeding Greatness of His Power to us-ward, who believe! Eph. i. 15 to 19. And the Same Hope, that Sustained Paul in all his trials, he thus holds out to Others, saying in his communication with his trusty Timothy, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is Laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, Which The LORD, The Righteous JUDGE, shall Give me at That Day: and not to me only, but unto all them also, that love His Appearing-2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. To which hope St. Peter clung with equal confidence and fondness after his LORD's Resurrection, as thus recorded by him-Blessed be The GOD and FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRISŤ, Which, according to His Abundant Mercy, hath Begotten us again unto a lively Hope by the Resurrection of JESUS CHRIST from the Dead, to an Inheritance Incorruptible, and undefiled, and That Fadeth not away, Reserved in Heaven for Such as are Kept by the Power of GOD through faith unto Salvation, Ready to be Revealed in the last time--1 Pet. i. 3 to 5.- Our SAVIOUR, in the Manifestation of His Condescending Love to Man, Said to His Disciples, Ye are My Friends, if ye do Whatsoever I Command you: henceforth I Call you not Servants; for the Servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have Called you Friends, for All Things, That I have Heard of My FATHER, I have Made Known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have Chosen you, and Ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of The FATHER in My Name, He may Give it you. These Things I Command you, that ye love One Another John xv. 14 to 17. Faith Cometh by hearing, and from prayerfully searching the Revealed Word of GOD, and the exercise of Grace in fulfilling the Commandments Thereof and living by Its Rules, resting however the hope of DIVINE Acceptance of Such observances and services on the Interceding and Propitiatory Merits of The Incarnate SON of GOD-Rom. x. 17. In his instructions to

COLOSSIANS i. 3 TO 8 CONTINUED AND 9 TO 17.

Titus, Paul urges his influence as a Teacher aud Preacher in exhorting All, who may hear, to adorn the Doctrine of GOD, our SAVIOUR, in all things; adding, for the Grace of GOD, That Bringeth Salvation, hath Appeared to all Men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present World; looking for That Blessed Hope, and the Glorious Appearing of The Great GOD and our SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST; Who Gave Himself for us, that He might Redeem us from all iniquity, and Purify unto Himself a peculiar People, zealous of good works: These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority!-Titus ii. 10 to 15. Such is the Office of a faithful Minister of CHRIST, and such the fruits of And those, whom our Grace, when in truth received and retained in the heart. Heavenly FATHER Seeketh to worship Him, are such as worship Him in spirit and in truth; as Said our SAVIOUR to the Woman at the well in SamariaJohn iv. 23.- -Epaphras is again mentioned by Paul in his Letter to Philemon; Epaphras being then a Prisoner with Paul at Rome, and who joins Paul in Christian salutation to Philemon, and who, though deprived of personal freedom, was, like Paul, rich in the Liberty, Wherewith CHRIST Makes His People Free Love in The SPIRIT is Love indeed. It is Love Guided to its -Phil. 23. In Purest SOURCE, and Fed by Its Clearest FOUNTAIN. It embraces not only Earth but Heaven; and the Former in becoming subserviency to the Latter. Paul's earnest supplication for the prayers of the Roman Converts, that he might be Delivered from the Unbelievers in Judea, but that his services might be accepted by the Saints therein, he appeals to them for The LORD JESUS CHRIST's Sake, and for the Love of The SPIRIT-Rom. xv. 30, 31. And for such measure of love as we cherish towards The HOLY SPIRIT, we are Sure to be Repaid with Love Unutterable and Inestimable a thousand-fold. And thus it is to acquire the Best of Wealth on Earth, as also to lay up Treasures in Heaven, by giving love for Love in all faithful and reverential devotedness to The DIVINE Will.

VERSES 9 to 17.-For this Cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire, that ye might be Filled with the Knowledge of His Will in all Wisdom and Spiritual understanding, that ye might walk worthy of The LORD unto all pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of GOD; Strengthened with all might, according to His Glorious Power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto The FATHER, Which hath Made us meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light; Who hath Delivered us from the Power of Darkness, and hath Translated us into The KINGDOM of His Dear SON; in Whom we have Redemption through His Blood, even the Forgiveness of sins; Who is the Image of The Invisible GOD, The FIRST-BORN of every Creature: for by Him were All Things Created, that are in Heaven, and That are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether They be Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers; All Things were Created by Him and for Him; and He is Before all Things, and by Him all Things Consist.

Every accession to the faith of CHRIST by Others is a source of joy and gratitude to the heart, that is impregnated with the vital Spirit of Godliness and wishful of every possible Enlargement of The KINGDOM of CHRIST, by the Extension of the Influence of His Gospel; and to such joyfulness and thankfulness and the impulse of praise is added the fervency and perseverance of prayer for a continuance Therein, and a consistent conformity in all respects Thereto; and that the understanding may be daily improved towards the attainment of the true insight into the Principles and Spirit of The Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, and a more ardent thirst for That Wisdom, Which is from ABOVE, Regulating alike the affections, the passions and the judgment. The Effect of which is thus impressively set forth by the Apostle, when the heart is really full, as it ought to be, of a love, a sanctified love for CHRIST and an impression of His Unspeakable

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Goodness towards Human-Kind; for it influences us to act circumspectly in all respects, and to regulate our Lives and conversation with a prevailing desire to follow His Steps and to conform to His Dictates, as knowing, that we then and then only walk worthy of our High Vocation as His Servants and Friends, and through Him are Rendered Acceptable to the Adoption of our FATHER, Which is in Heaven. Every day may on reflection and attention to The Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, and the Inspired Writings of the Old and New Testament, advance our progress in the Ways of Godliness, and so lay open and endear to us more and more the knowledge of the Great Mystery of DIVINE Love in the Threefold Operations of DIVINE Wisdom and Power and Goodness in Creation, Redemption and Sanctification. In this progress we may have confidence unfailing in the Proffered Aid of The HOLY SPIRIT, if we ask It prayerfully, and use It faithfully; and thus the Strength of OMNIPOTENCE will be with us, and the Council of Wisdom and Truth, in all their Perfectness, will Enlighten our Path. Trials and Temptations may beset us, but the Efficacy of Grace, if uniformly yielded to, will Bring us through all, and establish our character amongst the Saints and Martyrs of The Faith, as distinguished by the patience and long-suffering, which are amongst Its Fruits, that will give relish eternally in the Paradise of GOD under the Nurturing Countenance of The SUN of Righteousness. With such a hope, and Such A Stay, how should our hearts glow with gratitude, and our tongues flow with praise, at the Wondrous Mercy of GOD, in thus Providing for us the Purest and most Enduring Blessings and Protection and Guidance in the Life, that is, and Reserving for us the Assured Joys of a Spiritual Union with CHRIST in His Glory, as The HEAD of the Communion of Saints in the Endless Life to Come! The contrast to which we must have been reduced, but for the Intercession of The SON of GOD, in the hopelessness and despair amidst the darkness and famine of the Soul, if left without the Light of Revealed Truth, and the Grace of DIVINE Aid, should be the subject of our deep consideration and frequent meditation, that we may raise an altar of gratitude in our hearts at having escaped the one, and being the Privileged Sharers of the Other. All This and more than we can ask or think, GOD is Prepared to Give to the Faithful in CHRIST JESUS, in Concession to the Sacrifice He Underwent to Procure not only our Pardon, but our Regeneration and Re-union with The SPIRIT of Holiness, and to Make us Meet for the Hallowed Blissfulness of His Eternal KINGDOM.- -The Character here drawn by the Apostle of our SAVIOUR, though in the limited feebleness of Human Language, when striving to Set forth The HEAVENLY NATURE, Incomprehensible and Fully Undescribable as It must be to finite capacity and Mortal conception, is yet elevating to the heart and the hope, that The MEDIATOR of The New Covenant of Reconciliation is not a mere Man of Piety and Wisdom, whose labours for Others' good have been great and successful, but the Image or Representation, by Personification in our Nature, of GOD: Who as A SPIRIT is to Material Natures Invisible, and Who Manifested the Attributes of DEITY; Who, though Born in the Flesh beyond the Midday of this World's duration, was ONE with The FATHER and The HOLY SPIRIT before that World was; and in The DIVINE Plan of Material Creation, and when Engendered only in The DIVINE Mind, Foreseeing the fall of Man, Resolved on Becoming Man Himself to Recover him from the effects of that fall; and virtually therefore may be Regarded as The First-Born of every Creature, as well as the Foremost in Excellence and Glory, and as it were The Regenerating PARENT of All, who, through their reverential love and availing faith in Him, will be Rendered like Him in His Incarnate KINGDOM. May we therefore yield sincerely and gladly to the beseeching spirit of the Apostle, and, setting before us the Mystery of Redemption and the

Mercies of The ALMIGHTY, through the Adorable JESUS, present our Bodies a living Sacrifice, holy, Acceptable unto GOD, which is our reasonable Service; and not be conformed to this World; but be transformed by the Renewing of our minds, and thereby prove What is That Good and Acceptable, and Perfect Will of GOD-Rom. xii. 1, 2; thus manifesting the Fruit of The SPIRIT, in the Influence of Its Imparted Grace, Which is in all Goodness and Righteousness and Truth; proving What is Acceptable unto The LORD, through a right understanding of His Will-Eph. v. 9, 10, 17.-The Wisdom, That The HOLY SPIRIT Imparts, David thus acknowledged in faithfulness to The DIVINE SOURCE, from Whence It Flows-I have more understanding than all my Teachers; for Thy Testimonies, O LORD, are my meditation; I understand more than the Ancients, because I keep Thy Precepts. THOU through Thy Commandments hast Made me wiser than mine Enemies. O how love I Thy Law! It is my meditation all the day. How Sweet are Thy Words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through Thy Precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way-Psl. cxix. 97 to 104. And St. John says, We know, that The SON of GOD is Come, and hath Given us an understanding, that we may know Him, That is True; and we are in Him, That is True, even in His SON JESUS CHRIST: THIS is The True GOD, and Eternal Life-1 John v. 20. May therefore our conversation and conduct be as become The Gospel of our LORD and SAVIOUR, that we may be Acknowledged by Him and Called by Him to inherit Eternal Life, through His Intercession with The FATHER for us; having stood fast in one Spirit, with one mind, striving for the faith of That Gospel and Its Propagation in Others' Souls as well as Its Progress in our own Phil. i. 27; that as we have received the knowledge how we ought to walk and to Please GOD, we may abound more and more in the works of Faith, as Its Fruits, in fulfilling the Commandments of our LORD and His Prophets and Apostles-1 Thess. iv. 1. For as our SAVIOUR Himself Taught-Herein is My FATHER Glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My Disciples, and your fruit shall remain in the Record of His Servants, and in the Assurance of His Love-John xv. 8, 16. Thus shall we grow in Grace, and in the fruitful knowledge of our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST-2 Pet. iii. 18. Whom so to know is Eternal Life in present hope and eventual Enjoyment: For our Strength shall be in The LORD, from Whom Cometh Righteousness, and from Whose SPIRIT Proceedeth Holiness-Isa. xlv. 24. And thus amidst every trial of faith, that may assail us, whether in the shape of temptation, of persecution or otherwise, will Patience, in the Christian Influence and Gospel Demonstration of it, have its Perfect Work-Jam. i. 4; and we, with St. Paul, having the inward Peace of GOD, through the Justification by faith in CHRIST, may indeed rejoice in hope of the Glory of GOD; glorying even in tribulation for CHRIST's Sake; as knowing, that tribulation worketh patience, and is the obvious occasion for the exercise thereof, as our SAVIOUR Himself Shewed in the Patient Endurance and Forbearance He Exhibited from the cradle to the grave in His Incarnate Adoption - Rom. v. 1 to 4. And if we be Followers of Him, by the observance of His Commandments, and in following His Safely and Heavenward-Guiding Steps, we may take to ourselves the Comforting Assurance left on Record as the Revelation to the Beloved Apostle John; that Blessed are they, that do His Commandments, that they may have right to The Tree of Life, and may enter in through the Gates into the City of the Heavenly Jerusalem-Rev. xxii. 14. May we, by the ready reception of The Light of DIVINE Revelation into our hearts and our steadfastly regulating the progress of our Lives Thereby, effectually commend ourselves to GOD and to The Word of His Grace, Which is Able to Build us up, and to Give us an Inheritance among all them, which are

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Reflections on the Epistles of st. Paul, and on that to the Hebrews, with ...