danger; a greater work to reconcile us being enemies, than to keep us friends being reconciled. It was natural for the apostle to put them in mind of the power of God manifested in their conversion, as he would strengthen their faith in his power to raise them at the last day, and glorify them to eternity. Dr. Goodwin says, he finds most of the Greek fathers ran this way in interpreting the place. He mentions Theophylact and Chrysostom, and cites these words of Chrysostom: "The apostle's scope is to demonstrate by what already was manifested in them, viz. the power of God in working faith, and to raise up their hearts to believe what was not manifested, viz. the raising of them from death to life. It being (saith he) a far more wonderful work to per suade a soul to believe in Christ, than to raise up a dead man, a far more admirable work of the two." Besides, what the apostle says in the continuation of his discourse, explains his meaning, and puts the matter of his intending to include the power of God manifested in their conversion, out of all doubt, as, in the very next sentence, "and you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins ;" and every word that follows, to the end of the second chapter, confirms the same thing. I shall mention a few of them: Verse 2. «Whercin in time past ye walked....according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh effectually in the children of disobedience." This shews the exceeding greatness of power in their being delivered from such a state, wherein they were held by the great power of so streng an enemy. Verses 5 and 6. "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." These things tend to shew how the power of God in their conversion, and the happy, honorable, and glorious change of their state by it, was according to the power that wrought in Christ when he was quickened, raised up, and made to sit in heavenly places, as chap. i. 19, 20, 21. Now, to back this with a parallel place, as here in this place the apostle speaks of the greatness of God's power in working faith, and parallels it with the power that raised up Christ

from the dead; so we find he says the very same thing in Colossians ii. 12, 13. Ye are buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." In that text in Ephesians the apostle speaks of faith, the power that works in us that believe. So in this text in Colossians, ye are visen through faith. Again, 2dly, in Ephesians, together with what there follows, chap. ii. he compareth believing to a rising from the dead. So here in Colossians, ye are risen with him through faith. Thirdly, as in Ephesians the apostle speaks of the work of God in giving faith, as parallel with his work in raising Christ, so he does here in Colossians : "Ye are risen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him, from the dead." Fourthly, as we in Ephesians are said to believe, according to the efficacious working of God, the word pye is also used here in Colossians. It is called faith of the operation, or effectual working of God, and as there God is said to be the author, the same that raised up Christ, and to work faith in them; so here it is the faith of the operation of God who raised Christ from the dead, so that, every way, one place is parallel with the other.

ενέργεια

Some pretend, that in that expression, through the faith of the operation of God, there is no respect to God's operation as the efficient cause of faith, but only to the operation of God that raised Christ as the object of faith, which believes that power and operation as it was manifested in raising Christ, and which is believed to be sufficient to raise us up also. But that the apostle means the operation of God in giving faith, appears by verse 11, which introduces these words, where the apostle says, "In whom ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ." This phrase, made without hands, in scripture, always denotes God's immediate power, above the course of nature, and above second causes. Thus, when he speaks of heaven, 2. Cor. v. 1, he calls it "an house not made with hands," and in Heb. ix. 11, the human nature of Christ, which was fram

ed by so wonderful and supernatural a power of the Holy Ghost, is said to be a "tabernacle made without hands."

NOTE. The foregoing remarks concerning the texts in Eph. i. 19, 20, and in Coloss. ii. 11, 12, 13, are taken chiefly from Dr. Goodwins's works, vol. 1, p. 298, &c.

§ 14. It is a doctrine mightily in vogue, that God has promised his saving grace to men's sincere endeavors in praying for it, and using proper means to obtain it; and so that it is not God's mere will that determines the matter, whether we shall have saving grace or not; but that the matter is left with us, to be determined by the sincerity of our endeavors.

But there is vast confusion in all talk of this kind, for want of its being well explained what is meant by sincerity of endeavor, and through men's deceiving themselves by using words without a meaning. I think the scripture knows of but one sort of sincerity in religion, and that is a truly pious or holy sincerity. The Bible suggests no notion of any other sort of sincere obedience, or any other sincerity of endeavors, or any doings whatsoever in religion, than doing from love to God and true love to our duty. As to those that endeavor and take pains, (let them do ever so much) that yet do nothing freely, or from any true love to, or delight in God, or free inclination to virtue, but wholly for byends, and from sin ister and mercenary views, as being driven and forced against their inclination, or induced by regard to things foreign; I say, respecting such as these, I find nothing in scripture that should lead us to call them honest and sincere in their endeavors. I doubt not but that the scripture promises supernatural, truly divine and saving blessings, to such a sincerity of endeavor as arises from true love to our duty. But then, as I apprehend, this is only to promise more saving grace to him that seeks it in the exercise of saving grace, agreeably to that repeated saying of our Saviour, "to him that hath shall be given, and he shall have more abundance." Persons, in seeking grace with this sincerity, ask in faith; they seek these blessings in the exercise of a saving faith, the great

condition of the covenant of grace. And I suppose, promises are made to no sincerity, but what implies this. And whoever supposes that divine promises are made to any other sincerity than this, I imagine he never will be able to make out his scheme, and that for two reasons:

1. On such a supposition, the promises must be supposed to be made to an undetermined condition.

And,

2. Even on the supposition that the promises are made to some other sincerity than a truly pious sincerity, the soyereign grace and will of God must determine the existence of the condition of the promises; and so the whole must still depend on God's determining grace.

I. On the supposition that the promises of saving grace are made to some other sincerity of endeavor than that which implies true and saving piety of heart, they must be made to an undetermined condition, and so be in effect no promises at all.

If there be any thing else worthy to be called sincerity in endeavors after holiness, but a free, pious inclination, or true regard and love to holiness, nothing better can be mentioned than this, viz. endeavors after holiness, from a real willingness of heart to put forth those endeavors for the agent's own sake, yet for such ends as prudence and selflove would propose; such as his own eternal interest, salvation from everlasting misery, &c.

So that by sincerity here, is not meant any holy freedom or virtuous disposition or desire; but it signifies no more than reality of disposition and will to endeavor for some end, only provided the end be subservient to selfpreservation. But the thing that truly in this case denominates the endeavor sincere, is the reality of the will or disposition of heart to endeavor, and not the goodness of the will or disposition. Now if this be the sincerity of endeavor which is meant, when men talk of its being the condition of peremptory and decisive promises of saving grace, then it never has (as I know of) yet been told, and I suppose, never will or can be told, what the condition of the promise is.

VOL. V.

3 F

The thing that needs to be determined, in order to know this condition, is, how great a degree of this sort of sincerity, or real willingness of heart to endeavor, a man must have, to be entitled to the promise. For there can be no question, but that multitudes that live in gross wickedness, and are men of a very debauched, flagitious behavior, have some degree of it; and there are none, even of those that are the most strict and painful in their endeavor, but have it in a very imperfect degree, and, in many things, fail of this sincerity of endeavor. For it must be kept in mind, that the sincerity of heart we are speaking of, attending religious duties, is only a reality of willingness to use endeavors. And every man whatsoever, that uses any endeavor at all for his salvation or ever performs any religious duty, to the end that he may go to heaven and not to hell, has this sincerity. For whatever men do voluntarily for this end, they do from a real willingness and disposition of heart to do it; for if they were not willing to do it, they would not do it. There surely are no voluntary actions performed without men's being willing to perform them. And is there any man that will assert that God has absolutely or peremptorily promised his saving grace... to any mair that ever stirs hand or foot, or thinks one thought. in order to his salvation?

And on the other hand, as to those that go farthest in their endeavors, still they fail, in numberless instances; of exercising this kind of sincerity, consisting in reality of will. For such are guilty of innumerable sins; and every man that commits sin, by so doing, instead of being sincerely willing to do his duty, sincerely wills the contrary. For so far as any actions of his are his sin, so far his will is in what he does. No action is imputed to us any farther than it is voluntary, and involves the real disposition of the heart. The man, in this painful endeavor, fails continually of his duty, or (which is the same thing) of perfect obedience. And so far! as he does so, he fails of sincerity of endeavor. No man is any farther defective in his obedience, than as he is defective in sincerity; for there the defect lies, viz. in his will, and the disposition of his heart. If men were perfect in these.