The Epistle.

sin in their bosom, which at last breaks forth to the shame of the Gospel and to the mockery original: "insultation" of Gath and Ashkelon These were Philistine cities, the traditional enemies of ancient Israel. To give them cause for "insultation" means to behave in a way that allows the enemies of the faith to triumph or mock God.: Woe be to us if we shall thus cause the name of our God to be evil spoken of. There are too many of those whom I am reluctant and sorry to style "heathen-Christians"—Christians in name, but heathens in their conduct original: "conversation," which in this period referred to one's general way of life or social behavior. These, as they do not come within the scope of my dedication (for, alas, how should they love the Lord Jesus when they do not know Him?), I can only heartily mourn their condition. Like Gideon's fleece In the biblical Book of Judges, Gideon asks God for a sign: first, a wool fleece is wet with dew while the surrounding ground is dry; then the fleece remains dry while the ground is wet. Here, the author uses it to describe people who remain spiritually "dry" and unmoved despite being surrounded by the "showers" of God's grace., they continue altogether dry under so many sweet showers of Grace; wishing for their souls, even this late, a sense of the