of Scripture, efpecially to that of Isaiah, in which we are told that God blinded the eyes of unbelievers, and hardened their hearts, left they should fee with their eves, and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and healed. Whereas furely nothing more was meant, than that they fhould harden their own hearts.-In various parts of Scripture alfo, men are faid to be placed in different circumftances of life, to promote the glory of God. As at the death of Lazarus, our Saviour fays, This fickness is not unto death, but that the Son of Man might be glorified; and again, in the cafe of the blind man, Neither hath this man finned, faid our Saviour, nor his parents; but that the works of God fhould be made manifeft in him. God always, therefore, uses man as his inftrument; but in no cafe controls his fpiritual

concerns.

ILLUSTRATIONS

USED BY

ST. PAUL IN HIS WRITINGS.

Such Illuftrations examined, as are used by St. Paul in his Epiftles.

ST. Paul's language is rich: it abounds both with metaphors and illuftrations. A metaphor is merely an allufion, in a fingle word or expreffion, transferring the fenfe from its literal meaning, without pursuing the affumed sense further. As when St. Paul fays, By one man fin entered into the world. Such allufions rather beautify and enrich a language, than explain a fentiment. But when the allufion is carried into length, we call it an illuftration. In metaphor, St. Paul's language abounds fo copioufly, that it would be a work of labour to follow him. Of his principal illuftrations I fhall take notice.

ROMANS, vi. 16.

THE Apostle here perfonifies Sin, and Righteousness; and illuftrates their treatment of mankind under the idea of fervitude. Obedience is the teft of fervitude; and all mankind, obeying either the one or the other of these two masters are neceffarily in a ftate of fervitude. But the great difference between these two modes of fervitude, is fhewn in the wages which each holds out the wages of fin is death; while the wages of righteousness is eternal life.

ROM. vii. 2.

THE next illuftration we meet with, is intended to fhew the Jew the propriety of his embracing Christianity, from the cafe of marriage. The woman, faith he, is bound to her husband, while he liveth; but when he is dead, fhe is at liberty to marry again. This, he tells the Jews, is exactly their cafe: they were married to the law; but the law being now dead,

they are at perfect liberty to engage themselves to the gospel.

ROM.

ROM. vii. 8.

In this paffage the Apoftle again perfonifies Sin. He confiders it as a being without any power in itself. Its connection with the commandment, is what alone gives it ftrength. It may be connected with the law of nature-with the law of Mofes, or, with the law of the gofpel; and its power to do mifchief, is according to the ftrength it receives from these several rules of duty. This connection the Apoftle confiders as its offenfive armour : I was alive, fays he, till Sin, armed with the commandment, flew me.

ROM. ix.-21.

THE illuftration here, taken from the potter and his clay, is borrowed from Jeremiah *. The prophet ufes it to illuftrate God's intended dealings with the Jews. As the potter throws afide fucheffels as were injured in working, fo will God throw afide the Jewish nation, if it do evil in his fight.

This illuftration St. Paul carries a little farther. As the potter makes veffels of various kinds, deftined fome to noble, and others to ignoble ufes; fo God raifes and depreffes nations, ac

cording to his own good pleafure.-This il luftration hath often been ill used, and lifted into the cause of predeftination, with which it hath no kind of connection. It is very plain, both from the prophet's ufe of it and the Apostle's, that it' refers only to the fate of nations in this world-not, in any degree, to the cafe of individuals in the next.

ROM. xi. 17:

We have here a very beautiful illustration, taken from ingrafting trees; with which art we find the Apostle was well acquainted. The point to be explained was the union of the Gentiles. with the Jews, under Christianity. The Jews were the olive tree; the grafts were both Gentiles and Jews; and the Act of ingrafting, was the initiation of both into the christian religion. The Jews are informed, that olive branches may with greater ease be ingrafted into their own original stock, which is more natural and congenial to them.

The Gentiles again are reminded, that if the natural branches were not spared, because of their unfruitfulness, much lefs fhould they be fpared, who were aliens to the Jewish ftock, if they fhould prove unfruitful.

1 COR.