"am perfuaded by the Lord Jefus, that there "is nothing unclean of itself; but only to him "that esteemeth it to be unclean, it is un"clean:" and fays this in oppofition to thofe who thought they muft only eat herbs, lest they should eat of meats that had been offered to idols, tho' they did not know thofe meats had been fo offered; the Gentiles eating nothing that had not been fome way or other offered to an idol. He, on the contrary, declares himself of the opinion of those who thought they might eat all things ", unless in the cafe of offence: which fhews that it was a matter lawful in every cafe but the excepted one. Nay, he fays, that "the Spirit fpeaketh expreffly of feducers that will arife, com"manding to abftain from meats, which God "has created to be received with thanksgiving. "of them which believe and know the truth.

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For," he adds, "every creature of God is "good, and nothing to be refused, if it be "received with thanksgiving; for it is fancti"fied by the word of God and prayer." He likewife tells Titus (who had been up with him at Jerufalem at the making of this decree), that he fhould oppose "the unruly and vain "talkers, efpecially of the circumcifion," among the Cretans"; "thofe vain talkers of "the circumcifion, who fubvert whole houses,

Rom. xiv. 1, 2, 3, 4, 17. 91 Tim. iv. 3, 4, 5.

Tit. 1. 10, II.

"teaching

1

teaching for doctrines Jewish fables, and "commandments of men, that turn from the "truth;" as thofe did, who "fubverted the "fouls" of the profelyted Gentile Christians at Antioch, by infifting on their being cir cumcised, without any fuch commandment from the apostles. And Titus, in oppofition to their Jewish fables and commandments of. men, is to teach the Cretans (idolatrous Gentiles converted to the faith), "that to the 66 pure all things are pure" all things without diftinction; even things offered to idols, things ftrangled, and blood. And he yet more expreffly tells the Corinthians, not only that they may buy things offered to "idols, in the shambles, and eat them in pri"vate houses ";" but fuppofes it to be lawful to eat meats offered to idols in the idol's

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temple" (the highest inftance of the very pollutions of idols declared in the decree to be forbidden to the profelytes of the gate), unlefs it fhould offend. For he calls this eating in the idol's temple " liberty and knowledge;' and allows the reafoning on which the practice was founded to be good: but only fays, they must not use this liberty to offend. Which fhews plainly, that the eating things offered to idols, and even in an idol's temple, was a thing lawful or indifferent out of that

W

cafe ; it being only by actions, otherwise. lawful or indifferent, that we can give offence.

But, on my hypothefis, all this inconfiftency. and contradiction vanishes; fince it is impoffible to fuppofe that St. Paul would have quoted a decree to the idolatrous Gentiles converted to christianity, in the epistles that he wrote to them, that did not at all concern them. And there can be no fhadow of a contradiction between a prohibition, in the xvth of the Acts, to converted profelytes of the gate, on account of a civil law of Judæa, to which they were fubject before their converfion, and from which their converfion could not release them; and the liberty expreffly afferted to belong to the idolatrous converted Gentiles, in these declarations of his, in his epiftles; who never had been under any fuch civil law before their converfion to chriftianity, and could not poffibly be brought under fuch a law by their conversion to it.

I am aware, that it may be objected against this hypothefis, that fome words occurr in this letter from the church of Jerufalem "to the "brethren in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia," which feem to reftrain it to the idolatrous Gentiles; namely, the words which thefe falfe brethren taught at Antioch (of the neceflity Į Cor. viii. 4-8.

* Ver. 24.

of

of circumcifion, and obeying Mofes's law), being faid "to fubvert their fouls:" which, perhaps, it will be pretended, fhews that this relates to idolatrous Gentiles, from a parallel expreffion which St. Paul ufes to the Galatians (who were idolatrous Gentiles"), " that if ye be circumcifed, Chrift fhall profit you nothing and Chrift is become of none

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"effect unto you.

But how does St. Paul explain this affertion? His explication comes to this: That if a Gen⚫ tile would be circumcised, it was because he thought the Jewish religion ftill in force, or that the laws of Mofes ftill bound all the people of God, and that obedience to them was the only terms of acceptance with him, and of communion with the Chriftian church! which was in effect to renounce the terms of juftification, communion, and falvation by Christ, and to feek to be justified by obedience to the law, by which "no flesh living could "be justified." Now will not the fame reafoning hold as to a profelyte of the gate, if he would be circumcifed, or keep other parts of the law of Mofes befides thofe few to which he was bound by the law of Mofes, as the condition on which he was to enjoy civil privileges in Palestine, whenever he was there; fince to all other points of the law, he was on the fame foot with other Gentiles? If he z Ibid. ii. 16.

y Gal. v. 2, 4

fought

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fought to be circumcifed, and would obey all the laws of Mofes, it was not in order to entitle himself to the civil privileges of a profelyte. He was entitled to them without fuch obedience. He must then be circumcifed, and fubmit to the reft of the laws of Mofes, as the terms of juftification and acceptance with God: whereas he did not do any thing of this, while he only obeyed those laws which Mofes gave to the profelytes of the gate. For he then fhewed plainly, he only did it to entitle himself to the civil privileges. of a profelyte of the gate, whenever he fojourned in Palestine. Just as a Jew might be circumcifed, and obey all the laws of Mofes, without being ever thought to

renounce

christianity, and lofe the benefits of it: a converted Jew declaring no more by that obedience, than a refolution to continue to fubmit to the fame laws of his country to which he fubmitted before he was converted. And therefore, though St. Paul tells the Galatians, that, if they were circumcifed, Chrift fhould profit them nothing, he never fays any fuch thing to the Jewish converts; but bids them " continue Jews;" that is, obey the laws of their country; but ftill as the laws of their country. But, if they fought juftification and righteoufnefs by them before God, or taught others fe to do, they then thewed themfelves

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