See whole law, and yet offend in one point (or inftance-Ev Evi) is guilty of all-i. e. "He is "as truly a finner, and as truly subject to punishment, though not fo feverely, as if " he had actually been guilty of all poffible tranfgreffion against GoD's laws." Parkhurst's Gr. & Eng. Lex. fub voc. εvoxos. For He that faid, Do not commit adultery; faid alfo, Do not kill. Now, if thou commit no adul tery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a tranfgref for of the law, ver. 11.-i. e. by offending against the authority of the LAWGIVER. Whether in one or more inftances this be done, the whole law, confidered as one entire rule of obedience, is violated, and the offender of courfe liable to punishment. Comp. Gal. iii. 10. See a very fenfible paraphrafe on James ii. 8-12. in Guyfe's Paraphase on the New Teftament. St. James addreffes this epiftle to the believing Jews, but holds forth no other rule of obedience to them, than the ROYAL LAW delivered from GOD to Mofes, and recorded in the Old Testament. For the perfect law of liberty, fee chap. i. 25. and chap. ii. 12. See Guyfe's Paraphrafe on the New Teftament, note on James i. 25. and on Rom. iii. 27. Demonftration cannot be clearer, if these paffages be duly confidered, that CHRIST could not mean, by a new commandment, oné that had never before exifted, but to establish the old commandment among His difciples, not only on the footing of its general obligation as they were men, but alfo on that special confider ation of their relation to Him, and to one another as His difciples, fo as, if need were, to lay down their lives for each other. The inforcing this by a new example-on new obligations, on new motives-seems to be the meaning of CHRIST'S calling the law of brotherly love a new commandment. So his difciple John, (1 John iii. 14.) We know that we have paffed from death unto life, because we love the brethren; and ver. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of GOD, because he laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Something like this intense affection we read of in the Old Teftament. From what other motive could Moses speak, when he said, on the behalf of his offending brethren (Exod. xxxii. 32.) Oh this people have finned a great fin, and have made them gods of gold! (ver. 31.) yet now, if Thou wilt, forgive their fin, and if not, BLOT ME, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou haft written. See alfo 2 Sam. xxiv. 17, where David pleads with God for the people, when he faw the angel that Smote them, and faid—I have finned, I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's houfe. How were both thefe great men eminent types of the good Shepherd, who laid down His life for the sheep! John x. 11. Here we may also observe the amiable and affectionate conduct of Abigail, Which may be inferred from the words-" as I have loved you.", when, when, on the behalf of her churlish husband Nabal, fhe ventured forth to meet the angry David, and his men, 1 Sam. xxv. 18, 22, 23, taking his fault upon herself. Upon ME, faid fhe, my lord, let this iniquity be, and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, Speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid: then follows, to ver. 32. one of the moft noble, though fimple inftances of the perfection and perfuafiveness of eloquence that we meet with, even in the facred writings: one would almost think that Virgil had this tranfaction and that of David's in his view, when he wrote the fpeech of Nifus to the Rutulians, on the behalf of Euryalus, as much as that he had the prophecy of Ifaiah before him, when he wrote his Pollio. Me, Me, adfum qui feci, in Me convertite ferrum ; "Me, Me, he cry'd, turn all your fwords alone DRYDEN. So in the friendship between David and Jonathan-1 Sam. xviii. 1.—where it is faid the foul of Jonathan was knit with the foul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own foul: and ver. 3.-then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own foul. And we actually find Jonathan interpofing with Saul on the behalf of David, even at the rifque of his own life. i Sam. xx. 32, 33. Sọ David's affection to Abfalom-Would to GOD I had died for thee, my fon! 2 Sam. xviii. 33. And, to the shame of us Chriftians be it fpoken, this heroic and difinterefted friendship is even to be found among the Heathen (in notion at leaft) witness the fine and beautiful story of Nyfus and Euryalus. Virg. Æn. ix. 1. 427, &c. Even Epicurus could fay," that a wife man " will fometimes die for his friend." See Leland, vol. ii. p. 96. We must readily allow, that the REDEEMER's love to his people furpaffeth all human conception, as to the full and adequate knowledge and comprehenfion of it, and leaves, at an immeasurable distance, all the inftances of the most disinterested love and friendship, that ever did, or can exist among mortals. This is finely touched by the pen of infpiration, Rom. v. 7. For fcarcely for a righteous man will one die yet peradventure (Taxa, perhaps) for a good man Jome would even dare to die. But GOD commendeth his love to us, in that while we were yet finners (and therefore-enemies, ver. 10.) CHRIST died for us. Well then may the fame APOSTLE (Eph. iii. 19.) call it—Yπɛpρβαλλουσαν της γνωσεως αγαπην τε Χριςου-the love of CHRIST which paffeth knowledge. Thefe confiderations may fuffice to fhew, that OUR VOL. I. LORD'S Y LORD's-nalws yyazysa vμas—AS I have loved you-is not to be taken in any other sense, than as directory for the motives of their affection towards each other, or to defcribe the manner of that love which they were to bear each other as his difciples, and for his fake. This was a new commandment, not as to the matter of it (for love is the fulfilling of THE LAW) but as to the manner and measure of it, grounded on the new principle of their relationship to him, and to each other in him. A like fentiment occurs Luke vi. 36. Be ye therefore merciful, as (nabws) your Father is merciful; where God's mercy to man, is made the rule of our dealings with each other. What is there, in all this, contrary to, or inconfiftent with, Mofes and the prophets? "But we meet with the very expreffion"the law of CHRIST, Gal. vi. 2.-Bear ye one "another's burdens, and fo fulfil the law of "CHRIST."-By bearing one another's burdens (a metaphor taken from eafing another by carrying a burden for him, or affifting him in carrying it) I should apprehend that we are to understand, what the Apostle expreffesRom. xii. 15.-by weeping with them that weep; i. e. fo to be affected with their forrows, as even to make them our own, and, to be as affiduous in their removal, or alleviation, as we fhould be were they our own *. But is this a new law of CHRIST, in oppofition to, *This fympathetic tenderness is finely touched by the Apoftle, 1 Cor. xii. 25, 26. inconfiftent |