comparison between the gain and the loss of God's oracles in the midst of a country, when, with the undoubted fact of the few who had been made holy on the one hand, and the many on whom they fastened a sorer condemnation upon the other, we are still told that the gain did preponderate-that the Jews who had the Scriptures had an advantage over the Gentiles who had them not-that any people are better of having among them the instrument which makes a man a child of light, even though in its operation it should stamp a deeper guilt upon ten men, and make them more the children of hell than before—that all the means therefore, which in their direct and rightful tendency have the effect to save and to enlighten human souls, should be set most strenuously agoing, even though these means should be resisted; and it is impossible but this offence must come, and a deadlier woe will be inflicted on all through whom such an offence cometh. Should the fishers of men rescue a few from the abyss of nature's guilt and nature's wretchedness, it would appear that in the work of doing so, they may be the instruments of sinking many deeper into that abyss than if it had never been disturbed or entered upon with such an operation. We have not the means of instituting a comparison between the quantity of good that is rendered by a small number being entirely extricated from the gulph of perdition, and the quantity of evil that ensues from a large number being more profoundly immersed in it than before. This is a secret which still lies in the womb of eternity; yet we cannot but think that a partial disclosure has been made, and the veil is in part lifted away from it, by the deliverance of our apostle. At all events it clears away the practical difficulties which are attendant on a missionary or christianizing question, when we are here given to understand, that the Jews, with all the aggravations consequent on sin, when it is sin in the face of knowledge, were on the whole better in that they had the oracles of God.

dition of those who reject it, it is doubt.
less the instrument of working out for each
of them an increment of misery. But it
does not change into wretchedness, that
which before was enjoyment.
It only
makes the wretchedness more intense;
and the whole amount of the evil that has
been rendered, is only to be computed by
the difference in degree between the suf-
fering that is laid upon sin with, and sin
without the knowledge of the Saviour
We do not know how great the difference
of misery is, to those many whose guil.
has been aggravated by the neglect of an
offered gospel; and we do not know how
to compare it arithmetically, with the
change from positive misery to positive
enjoyment, which is experienced by those
few who have embraced the gospel. In
the midst of all this uncertainty, there is
room and place in our minds for the posi-
tive information of Scripture; and if we
gather from it that it was better for the
Jews, in spite of all the deeper responsi-
bility and deeper consequent guilt which
their possession of the Old Testament laid
upon the perverse and disobedient of the
nation, yet that a nett accession of gain
was thus rendered to the whole-then may
we infer that any enterprise by which the
Bible is more extensively circulated, or
more extensively taught, is of positive
benefit to every neighbourhood which is
the scene of such an operation.

But secondly.-Though in the Jewish history that has already elapsed, they were the few to whom the oracles of God were a blessing, and the many to whom they were an additional condemnation—yet, on the whole, did the good so predominate in its amount over the evil, that it on the whole was for the better and not for the worse that they possessed these oracles. But the argument gathers in strength, as we look onward to futurity-as, aided by the light of prophecy, we take a glimpse, however faint and distant, of millennial days-as we dwell upon the fact of the universal prevalence that the gospel of Jesus Christ is at length to reach to all the countries of the world-when we consider that all our present proportions shal at length be reversed; and that if Christians now be the few to the many, ChrisFirst, then, as to the speculative part of tians then will be the many to the few. it. The Bible, when brought into a new Even in this day of small things, the dicountry, may be instrumental in saving rect blessing which follows in the train the some who submit to its doctrine; and, of a circulated Bible and a proclaimed in so doing, it saves them from an abso- gospel, overbalances the incidental evil; lute condition of misery in which they and when we think of the latter-day glory were previously involved. It makes good which it ushers in-when we think of that to each of them, the difference that there secure and lasting establishment which in is, between a state of great positive wretch-all likelihood it will at length arrive atedness and a state of great positive enjoyment. If along with this advantage to the few who receive it, it aggravates the con

Let us now follow up these introductory views, with a few brief remarks both on the speculative and on the practical part of this question.

when we compute the generations of hat millennium which is awaiting a peopled and a cultivated world-when we try to

fancy the magnificent results, which a la- | the gospel message were many, yeɩ still, bouring and progressive Christianity will on the principles of the apostolic reckonthen land in-who would shrink from the ing, there may even during the first years work of hastening it forward, because of of a much resisted Christianity, be an a spectre conjured up from the abyss of overplus of advantage. And why should human ignorance? Even did the evil we be restrained now from the work by a now predominate over the good, still is a calculation, which did not restrain the missionary enterprise like a magnanimous missionaries of two thousand years ago— daring for a great moral and spiritual when they made their first entrance on a achievement, which will at length reward world of nearly unbroken and unallevithe perseverance of its devoted labourers. ated heathenism? Shall we, with our It is like a triumph for the whole species, pigmy reach of anticipation, cast off the purchased at the expense, not of those authority of precept issued by Him who who shared in the toils of the undertaking, seeth the end from the beginning; and but of those who met with their unconcern who can both bless the day of small or contempt, the benevolence which la- things with a superiority of the good over boured to convert them. There are col- the evil, and make it the dawn of such a lateral evils attendant on the progress of glory as will far exceed the brightest visChristianity. At one time it brings a ions in which a philanthropist can insword instead of peace, and at another it│dulge? The direction at all events is imstirs up a variance in families, and at all | perative, and of standing obligation. It times does it deepen the guilt of those who is Go and preach the gospel to every crearesist the overtures which it makes to ture, and Go and preach unto all nations; them. But these are only the perils of a and you want one of the features of Him voyage that is richly laden with the moral who standeth perfect and complete in the wealth of many future generations. These whole will of God-you are lacking in are but the hazards of a battle which ter- that complete image of what a Christian minates in the proudest and most produc- ought to be-if, without desire and withtive of all victories—and, if the liberty of out effort in behalf of that great process a great empire be an adequate return for by which the whole world is at length to the loss of the lives of its defenders, then be called out from the darkness and the is the glorious liberty of the children of repose of its present alienation, you neither God, which will at length be extended assist it with your substance nor rememover the face of a still enslaved and alien- ber it in your prayers. ated world, more than an adequate return for the spiritual loss that is sustained by those, who, instead of fighting for the cause, have resisted and reviled it.

We now conclude with a few practical remarks.

First. It is with argument such as this, that we would meet the anti-missionary spirit, which, though a good deal softened and silenced of late years, still breaks forth occasionally into active opposition; or, when it forbears to be aggressive, still binds up the great body of professing Christians, in a sort of lethargic indifference to one of the worthiest of causes. The time is not far distant from us, when a christianizing enterprise was traduced as a kind of invasion on the safety and innocence of Paganism-when it was the burden of an eloquent and well-told regret, that the simplicity of Hindoo manners should so be violated-when something like the charm of the golden age was associated with these regions of primeval idolatry-and it was affirmed, that, though idolatry is blind, yet it were better not to awaken its worshippers, than to drag them forth by instruction to the hazards and the exposures of a more fearful responsibility. We trust you perceive from our text, that, even though the converts were few and the guilty scorners of

But secondly. If man is to be kept in ignorance because every addition of light brings along with it an addition of responsibility-then ought the species to be arrested at home as well as abroad in its progress towards a more exalted state of humanity; and such evils as may attend the transition to moral and religious knowledge, should deter us from every attempt to rescue our own countrymen from any given amount of darkness by which they may now be encompassed.*

But lastly. However safe it is to commit the oracles of God into the hands of others, yet, considering ourselves in the light of those to whom these oracles are committed, it is a matter of urgent concern, whether, to us personally, the gain or the loss will predominate. It is even of present advantage to the nation at large, that the word of God circulates: such freedom and with such frequesey among its numerous families. But this only-because the good rendered to some prevails over the evil of that additional guilt which is incurred by many. And still it resolves itself, with every separate individual, into the question of his secured

* We forbear to expatiate over again upon this parti ular argument, as we have already brought it forward i 374, Vol. VI. of the Series. the 15th Sermon of our Commercial Discourses-at

heaven, or his more aggravated hell-world that is soon to pass a way; and, liv.

LECTURE IX.

ROMANS iii, 1–9.

"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man,) God forbid for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? and not rather, (as we be slanderusly re ported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come-whose damnation is just? What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin."

You will recollect that by the argument after having demonstrated the universality of the foregoing chapter, our apostle, of Gentile guilt in the sight of God, at

tempts the same demonstration in reference to the Jews. He proves, that, with the possession of all that which distinguished them outwardly from other naons, they might fully participate in that condemnation to which sin has rendered us all liable; and even affirms as much as may lead us to understand, that the privileges which belonged to them, when neglected and abused, were in fact so many circumstances of aggravation. It was very natural, that, at this point of his argument, he should conceive an objection that might arise against it; and, speak- | ing in the person of an adversary, he proposes this objection in the form of a question from him. This question he answers in his own name. And the remonstrance of his imaginary opponent, together with his own reply to it, occupy the first and second verses of the chapter upon which we have entered. Look upon these two verses as the first step and commencement of a dialogue, that is prosecuted onwards to the 9th verse; and you have, in what we have now read, a kind of dramatic interchange of argument, going on between Paul and a hostile reasoner, whom he himself, by an act of imagination, has brought before him. This is a style of argumentation that is quite familiar in controversy. The preacher will sometimes deal with an objection, just in the very terms he would have done, if it were cast in living conversation against him, by one standing before his pulpit; and the writer, when he anticipates a resistance of the same kind to his reasoning will just step forward to encounter it, as he would have done, if an entrance were actually made against him on the lists of authorship. This is the way in which the apostle appears to be engaged in the the verses before us; and if you conceive them made up of objections put by an antagonist, and replies to those questions by himself, it will help to clear your understanding of the passage now under our consideration.

You have already heard at length all the elucidation which we mean to offer, on the first question and part of the first answer of this dialogue. After the Jew had been so much assimilated in guilt to the Gentile, as he had been by the apostle in the last chapter, the objection suggests itself, Where then is the advantage of having been a Jew? Where is the mighty blessedness which was spoken of by God to the patriarchs, as that which was to signalize their race above all the other descendants of all other families? The reply given to this in the second verse is, that the chief advantage lay in their having committed to them the oracles of God. You will recollect the inference

that we drew from this answer of the apostle's-even, that though the Scriptures laid a heavier responsibility upon those who had them, than upon those who had them not; and though, in virtue of this, the many among the ancient Hebrews were rendered more criminal than they else would have been, and were therefore sunk on that account more deeply into an abyss of condemnation; and though they were only the few who by faith in these Scriptures attained to the heights of celestial blessedness and glory--yet there must have been a clear preponderance of the good that was rendered over the evil that was incurred, seeing it to be affirmed by the inspired author of this argument that there was a clear advantage upon the whole. We will not repeat the applications which we have already made of this apostolic statement, to the object of vindicating a missionary enterprise, by sending the light and education of Christianity abroad-or of vindicating the efforts of diffusing more extensively than heretofore the same education at home. But be assured, that it were just as wrong to abstain from doing this which is in itself good, lest evil should come-as it were to do that which is in itself evil, that good may come. Nor, however powerfully they may have operated in retarding the best of causes, is there any thing in the objections to which we there adverted, that ought to keep back our direct and immediate entrance upon the bidden field of "Go and teach all nations"—" Go and preach the gospel to every creature under heaven.”

The apostle we conceive to be still speaking in his own person, throughout the third and fourth verses. It is to be remarked that remarked that some' in the original signifies a part of the whole, but not necessarily a small part of it. It may be a very great part and majority of the whole-as in that passage of the book of Hebrews, where it is said 'some when they heard provoked-how beit not all that came out of Egypt with Moses.' The truth is, that, as far as we historically know of it, all did provoke God upon that occasion, save Joshua and Caleb, and those younger of the people who were still incapable of bearing arms. And in Timothy we read that 'some shall depart from the faith'-though the apostle is there speaking of that overwhelming apostacy of the middle ages, which left so faint and feeble a remainder of light to Christendom for many centuries. And, in like manner, were they the greater number of the Jews, who were only so in the letter, and in the outward circumcision; and were not so in spirit, or in the cir cumcision of the heart. They were greatly

The way in which he sets aside the objection in the 5th verse is, that, if admitted, God would be deprived of His power of judging the world—and the objection in the 7th and 8th verses set aside by the simple affirmation, that if there be any who would do evil that good may come their condemnation is just.

the more considerable part who did not | which he here supposes to be pled by an believe; and yet, in the face of this heavy unbelieving Jew, was also charged, but deduction from the good actually rendered slanderously charged upon Christians. to the Jews, could the apostle still stand up in the vindication of those promises which God held forth to their ancestors; of a blessing upon those who should come after them-letting us know, that, though they were the many who aggravated their own condemnation, and the few who by inheriting the privileges inherited a blessing, yet the truth of God here called the faith of God, was not unfulfilled-that whatever comes in the shape of promise or of prophecy from Him, will have its verification-that whatever be the deceitfulness of man, God will still retain the attribute given to Him by the apostle elsewhere, even that He cannot lie. So that, should it be questioned whether the family of Israel, in consequence of God's dealing with them, had an advantage over all the other families, it will be found in the holy and faithful men of the old dispensation, few as they were; and it will be found on the great day of mani-objection may be pushed, it will be found festation, when all the reverses of Jewish history from the first calling forth of Abraham to their last glorious restoration shall have been accomplished-that He will be justified in every utterance He made respecting them, and that He will overcome when He is judged of it.

'God forbid' is in the original simply 'let it not be.'

Before urging these lessons any further let us offer à paraphrase of these verses 'What is the advantage then possessed by the Jew, it will be said, or what benefit is it to him that he is of the circumcision? We answer that the benefit is great many ways-and chiefly that to that people have been committed the revealed scriptures of God. And even though the greater part did not believe, yet still their unbelief puts no disparagement on the veracity of God. Though all men were liars, this would detract nothing from the glory of God's truth; and, however this

in the language of the Psalmist that God will be justified in all his sayings and will overcome when He is judged. But to this it may further be said, if God do not suffer in His glory by our guilt-nay if, out of the materials of human sinfulness, He can rear a ministration by which He and all His attributes may be exalted-why should He deal in anger against those, In the fifth verse the apostle again brings whom He can thus turn into the instruforward his objector, and puts into his ments of His honour? The unrighteousmouth an argument. It is our unright-ness of man sets off the righteousness of eousness, says he, which hath made room | God; and He gets glory to Himself by our for God's righteousness in its place, which | doings; and is it therefore a righteous sets off as it were, and renders it so worthy of acceptation; and if this be the case, might it not be said that it is not righteous in God to inflict wrath for that which hath redounded so much to the credit and the manifestation of His own attributes. This objection is brought forward in another form in the 7th verse. If God's truth have been rendered more illustrious by my lie, or by my sin, and so He has been the more glorified in consequence-why does He find fault with me, and punish me for sins which advance eventually His honour? | Should we not rather sin that God's righteousness may be exalted, and do the instrumental evil that the ultimate good may come out of it? The apostle gives two distinct answers to these questions, after giving us a passing intimation in the 5th verse, that he is not speaking in his own person as an apostle when he brings forward these objections, but only speaking as a man whom he supposes to set himself against the whole of his argument; and tells us also in the 7th verse that the maxim of doing evil that good may come,

thing in Him to inflict vengeance on account of them? Such is the sophistry of vice, but it cannot be admitted-else the judgment of God over the world is at an end. And it is further said by those who, in the language of a former chapter, have turned God's truth into a lie that that hath made God's truth to abound the more unto His own glory-that He has so dealt with them as to bring a larger accession of glory to Himself; and where then is the evil of that which finally serves to illustrate and make brighter than before His character? Should I be condemned a sinner, for having done that which glorifies God?-might not I do the instrumental evil, for the sake of the eventual good? Such is the morality that has been charged upon us-but falsely so charged-for it is a morality which ought to be reprobated.'

In this passage the apostle touches, though but slightly and transiently, on a style of scepticism to which he afterwards adverts at a greater length in the 9th chapter of this epistle; and we, in like manner, shall defer the great bulk of our observa