DISCOURSE V. 817 verted world, which lies in wickedness, and in this sense says the apostle; Eph. ii. 3. We all, that is, Jews and christians, as well as Gentiles, had our conversation in timespast, and were dead in sins, andchildren of wrath, even as others, that is, just ob- jects of the wrath of God and condemnation, as well as the rest of the unconvertedworld. Objection I. But the apostles, when writing to Gentile christians, would ingratiate themselves with them, and, there- fore, when they are going to speak hard things, of the former conversation of these christian Gentiles, they join themselves with them, and use the words we and us, in a wayof pleasing oratory and address, in order to take off the severity of reflection, and to obtain a better hearing. Answer. But, for the sake of such pleasing oratory and ad. dress, we must not explain the apostles into direct falsehood : The words, we and us in the plural, certainly include 1' and me in the singular ; for, though there are several places, where the word we means only the single person who speaks, as 1 Thess. ii. S. We would have come toyou, even I Paul ; and John xxi. 24. We know; and 1 John iii. 12. We testify; yet, I believe, there will hardly be found any place, where the per- son speaking is quite excluded. Perhaps that text 1 Thess. iv. 17. may be. objected, We which are alive and remain, at the coming of Christ, &c. Could St. Paul suppose he should re. main alive on earthtill that time ? I answer, yes, very probably ; for this epistle was written the first of all St. Paul's epistles, and be might not then have it revealed to him, that Christ should delay his coming so long. Audit is evident that by some expres- sions in this very epistle, the Thessalonians were led into a sup- position of Christ's very speedy appearance. See 2 Thess. ii. 2 *. The apostles therefore when they use the word we, took their share in these self-accusing expressions, concerning their sinful state by nature: and if there be not a literal sense wherein these expressions were true concerning the apostles, there must be a kindred, similar or spiritual sense, wherein it is true of them, according to their own design and meaning, lest we make them speak false things in a compliment. They, together with the Gentile idolaters, were therefore in reality children of wrath, by nature, or in a state of depraved nature and guilt, though the Gentiles had more outward andvisible marks of it than the Jews. s< Perhaps, it may be granted, that the pronouns '" we" and " us," may signify sometimes the men of our nation, as "we" Jews, or people of our pro- f-ssion, as we christiains, though it speaks of something done before they were horn; because they are looked upon as one with all that nation or all that pro. fission ; bat this is so easily distinguished by the sense, that there is no danger of leading the hearer into a mistake, and cloth not at all invalidate the present argument, concerning the universal corruption of Jews. and Gentiles.
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