"reconciling the world unto himself, not

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imputing their trespasses unto them, " and hath committed unto us the word "of reconciliation;" thereby to explain the plan, on which the New Covenant in Christ Jesus was to become effectual to

its intended purpose. Now then, God's

reconciliation to the world in Christ, having been effected; "now then," continues the Apostle, "we are ambassadors for "Christ, as though God did beseech you "by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, "be ye reconciled unto God." Here mention is clearly made of a twofold reconciliation, as necessary to the perfect accomplishment of that gracious object, which God had in view in sending his beloved Son into the world. The first of these two reconciliations necessarily originated with God; it being, as it has been already observed, the spontaneous result of the divine philanthropy *. It was God's good pleasure that fallen man should not be left in the same hopeless condition with the fallen angels. Through the mediation,

* σε ἡ φιλανθροπία το Σωτηρος ημών Θεο.” Τιτ. ii. 4.

therefore,

therefore, of that beloved Son, who, on that account, took upon him the nature of man, not of angels, and in whom the Father declared himself to be well pleased; God on his part became reconciled to fallen man; by so far removing the stumbling block, which sin had thrown, and still throws, in his way, as to render it possible, under the Covenant of grace, for sinners to be saved.

But the second reconciliation, here spoken of by St. Paul, namely, that of inan to God, must succeed to the first, to render the love of God to man ultimately effectual. Otherwise that gracious and stupendous plan of divine wisdom, for the recovery of his fallen creature, would still be defeated. Of the first reconciliation St. John speaks, where he says, "if 66 any man sin, we have an Advocate with "the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; " and he is the propitiation for our sins, " and not for ours only, but for the sins "of the whole world." Of the second the Apostle must be understood to speak, where he says, that "if we walk in the "light, as he is in the light, we have fel"lowship

L2

"lowship one with another, and the blood "of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from "all sin." On the first occasion the Apostle refers to that general benefit, which, under the Covenant of grace, has been provided for fallen man, by placing him in a capacity for pardon, through the satisfaction of God's incarnate Son. On the second, it points out the state in which the individual must be found, to entitle him to be a partaker of the benefit in question; "he must walk in the light;" in other words, he must, on his part, under grace, fulfill those conditions, on which this benefit of the Evangelical Covenant has been suspended. And though repentance, faith and obedience, the conditions in question, do not in themselves furnish a title to eternal happiness, for that is still the free gift of God in Christ, they are, nevertheless, those good works, with out which, no one under the Gospel Dispensation, must expect to obtain it. For they are the wedding-garment in the parable, which though it does not give the right to a seat at the marriage feast, is still that, without which no one will be considered to be a duly qualified guest.

DIS

As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God.

THE design of the preceding Discourse was to connect the sense of the Apostle, on the important subject before him, in such a way as might best prevent the danger of an erroneous judgment being formed, relative to the plan upon which, under the Evangelical Covenant, the salvation of fallen man has been placed.

The Apostle having first adverted to the essential preliminary in the great work of redemption, that " God was in "Christ reconciling the world unto him

"self,"

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"self," proceeds to direct the attention of his Corinthian disciples to that subsequent, though most important, circumstance, still necessary to the completion of the divine work of grace, thus expressed by him in the words of the text; "we pray you in Christ's stead, be yc reconус ciled unto God." Hence it appears, that the reconciliation' on God's part, however perfect in itself, must be attended with some other corrresponding circumstance, to render it effectual to the eventual benefit of the party, conditionally privileged to claim under it. Had not the gate of Heaven, through the mercy of God, been opened to fallen man, not a single individual could have entered into

Had not God been reconciled to the world, there could have been salvation for no man. At the same time those who will be saved by virtue of what Christ has done for them, must, for the accomplishment of the divine purpose, be on their parts reconciled uuto God; otherwise the prayer in the text has no appropriate meaning. As though God did beseech

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you by us, we pray you in Christ's

stead,