Cibrarjp of t:he trheolojical ^tmimvy PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY From the Library of Dr. James McCosh BX 5131 .S36 1828 Scott, Thomas, 1747-1821. The theological works of the Rev. Thomas Scott .. Digitized by tine Internet Arcliive in 2015 1 littps://arcliive.org/details/tlieologicalworksOOscot I 0. JAN IG 1911 THE \>^. ^.>-^ THEOLOGICAL WORKS Re;v. THOMAS SCOTT, Rector of Aston Sandford, Bucks. AUTHOR OF A COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE. IN ONE VOLUME. f. EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY ANDERSON & BRyCE; SOLD BT JOHN JONES, NICOLSON-SQUARE ; AND JONES & Co. KINGSLAND ROAD, LONDON. M.DCCC.XXVIII. CONTENTS. FORCE OF TRUTH. PART I. - Page. /■■Lccount of the state of tiie Author's mind and conscience in the early part of his life, especially shewing what his sentiments and conduct were, at the beginning of that change of which he proposes to give the history, ™,™, 9 PART II. A History of the change which has taken place in the Autlior's sentiments ; with the manner in which, and the means by which it wao at length effected, 14 PART III. Observations on the preceding Narrative, .^~~..~>..^~...„w>... 38 DISCOURSE UPON REPENTANCE. INTRODUCTION, ^ 57 PART I. Concerning the Necessity of Repentance, ....m^.....^..^ GO PART II. The Nature of Repentance, ~~ ™»™, C9 PART III. Encouragements to Repentance, ~w„ PART IV. The proper Season for Repentance, ■ 82 PART V. The Mean!> of Repentance, , C(J CONCLUSION, . . 92 APPENDIX Concerning Hallowing the Sabbath, ™, 95 CONTENTS. Page. TREATISE ON GROWTH IN GRACE INTRODUCTION, , , 105 SECTION I. An enumeration of those particulars in which the true believer's growth in grace consists ; as far as tliey are explicitly contained in the apostle's prayer for the Phi Uppians,.,^^.^^. . ^ ...^ 108 SECTION II. Containing some additional Observations ou the Nature and Effects of Growth in Grace, as deducible from other Scriptures, ~ 126 CONCLUSION, ^„ ^, .. 130 SERMON ON ELECTION. John vi. 37 — 40 — " All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me ; and him that cometli unto me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of hijn that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and be- Lieveth on him, may have tveilaatiug life, <»iid I will laisc him up at the last day." ^ , 1 141 ESSAYS ON THE MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECTS IN RELIGION. ESSAY I. On the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, —,.^^,..„. 1G3 ESSAY II. On the Importance of Revealed Truth ; the duty of Reading the Scriptures, and the manner in which it should he performed, — ..^ — . l?) ESSAY III. On the Scripture Character of God, , — i — — — 177 ESSAY IV. « A Brief Exposition of the Ten Commandments, as comprising the substance of the Moral Law, : 1S3 ESSAY V. On Man's Situation as a Sinner in this present world, ...~..wv,>.w,-,^>— — ™ 193 ESSAY VL CONTENTS. V ESSAY VII. Page. On the Doctrine of our Lord's Deity, shewing it to be Essential to Christi- anity ; with a brief Answer to some Objections, ~ ~. 208 ESSAY VIII. On the Nature and Design of the Mediatorial Office, sustained by the Lord Jesus Christ, . — 215 ESSAY IX. On the Merits and Atonement of Christ, ^ 221 ESSAY X. On our Lord's Exaltation, and his appearance in the " presence of God for us," 229 ESSAY XI. ^ ESSAY XIL On Regeneration, .. ..^^ ...... ™, 242 ESSAY XIIL On the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, with some Thoughts on the Doctrine of the Sacred Trinity, ..^..^ — — „ „ 248 ESSAY XIV. On the Gifts and Influences of the Holy Spirit, ,■, - .n.,.,.., 255 ESSAY XV. On the uses of the Moral Law, in subserviency to the Gospel of Christ, .,„.^ 2C1 ESSAY XVL On the Believer's Warfare and Experience, ™.w~w~~™v^ 2C8 SSSAY XVIL On the Privileges Enjoyed by the True Believer, ,„„„.„, ..^ 274 ESSAY xvin. On the Dispositions and Character peculiar to the True Believer, 281 ESSAY XIX. , On the Dispositions and Character peculiar to the True Believer, (Continued ) 287 ESSAY XX. On the Believer's Attention to Relative Duties, ~-,r,,.,s.^js,^,,..,..,i,.,,:.^...,.. 295 ESSAY XXI. On the Believer's Attention to Relative Duties, (Continued J 302 ESSAY XXIL On the Christian's Improvement of his Talents, ...... 308 vi CONTENTS. ESSAY XXIII. Page. On Prayer^ 315 ESSAY XXIV. On Baptism and the Lord's Supper, ,„ 322 ESSAY XXV. On the State of Separate Spirits, the Resurrection of the Body, Judgment, and Eternity,..,....vww ■- . ■,-,,-„„ , 328 SERMONS ON SELECT SUBJECTS. SERMON I. The Truth and Importance of Scripture Revelation. — Deut. xsxii. 47. " It is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life." ..■„„..,.,.,,. 339 • r SERMON II. Religion Man's Great Concern Deut. vi. 6 — 9. " These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart ; and thou shalt teach them dili- gently to thy children ; and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up : and thou shalt bind them as a sign upon thine hand, and ibey eholl be as frontlets between thine eyes ; and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thine house, and on iDy gaies." „ „.wv -™™_ 347 SERMON III. Isaiah's Vision Explained and Applied. — Isaiah vi. 6 — 8. " Then said I, woe is me ! for I am undone : because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips ! for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts :— Then flew one of the Seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar ; and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, say- ing. Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, SERMON IV. Nature and Extent of the Divine Love. — I John iv, 8. " God is Love." 363 SERMON V. On Repentance. — Acts xxvi, 19, 20. " Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision ; but shewed first unto them of Da- mascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and turn to God, and do works SERMON VL On Regeneration. — 2 Corinthians v. 17- " If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature ; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new." 382 SERMON VIL The Danger of Rejecting the Gospel.— Psalm ii. 12. " Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little : blessed are all they that put their trust in him." .■.,...w.~~w...^..>....~ 391 CONTENTS. SERMON VIII. Page. Christ's Coming to Judgment. — 1 Corinthians iv. 5. " Therefore judge no- thing before the time, untii the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts ; and then shall every man have praise of God." ™w™~~~.~~~—~r 400 SERBION IX. Final Retribution of Believers and Unbelievers. — Romans U. 5 — 9. " Who will render to every man according to his deeds ; to them, who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honour, and immortality, eternal life ; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil." ■■ . , „....,...,„ ~ 403 SERMON X. Godliness the only source of True Happiness.— 1 Timothy vi. 0. " Godliness with contentment is great gain." ........ — ....n ... — — ■■ 418 SERMON XI. Character and Criminality of Lukewarmness in Religion. — " Revelation iii. 15, 16. " I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot ; so then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." 427 SERMON XII. Christianity Recommenrled by an Kipmplary Conduct. Matthew v. 16. " Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glo- rify your Father which is in heaven." ^>.,^>..,^„..,,..»...„i.„....„..».„.^,>.. 435 SERMON XIIL IneflScacy of Hearing without Practising the Word.— James i. 22 — 25. *' But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man be- holding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgettetli what manner of man he was. But vvhnro looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man sliall be blessed in his deed." 444 SERMON XIV. Faith, Hope, and Charity, Explained and Contrasted. — 1 Corinthians xiii. 13. " And now abideth faith, hope, charity; tliese three: but the greatest of SERMON XV. On the Celebration of Christ's Nativity. — Luke ii. 13, 14. " And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards vrien." - „ i -- -i--- 404 SERMON XVL Goodness of Providence an Excitement to Gratitude. — 1 Samuel vii. 12. " Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called tlie name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." 474 SERMON XVII. On the Proper ImproTcment of National Afflictions.— Isaiah ix, 13. *< Fox the Tiii CONTENTS. Page. people turneth not unto him that smiteth them ; neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts." 484 « SERMON XVIIT. Christ the Lamb of God. — John i. 29. " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." «,„„^,.„^.^,.„ 496 SERMON XIX. On the Resurrection. — 1 Cor. xv. 20. " Now is Christ risen from the dead. " 506 SERMON XX. On the Agency of the Holy Spirit. — Isaiah xxxii. 15. " Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high." , 515 SERMON XXL On a Conversation becoming the Gospel. — Philippians i. 27. " Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ." > ,> .v 524 THE WARRANT AND NATURE OF FAITH IN CHRIST. PART L INTROnTJrTTON, 535 Section I.— The Subject Opened, 539 Section II. — Scriptural proofs that the sinner wants no warrant for believing in Christ, except the Word of God, — ^ , — 542 Section III. — Some reasons for insisting on this position, — " that the Word of God is the sinner's only and sufficient warrant for believing in Christ," 547 PART IL Sectiok I. — The terms Defined and Explained, . 552 Section II. — Saving Faith the effect of Regeneration, - 555 Section III. — Saving Faith always accompanied by other things essentially holy, 568 Section IV. — The Holy Nature of Faith more directly shewn, , 575 Sectiok|V. — Saving Faith the Principle of all other holy Dispositions, Aflec- tions, and Behaviour,^ 582 Section VI. — Some Reasons assigned for insisting on the Holy Nature of Saving Faith, 588 PREFACE. Almost twenty years have now elapsed since the ensuing Narrative was first published. During this time the Author has had abundant opportu- nities of examining, over and over again, the principles which he then in- tended to inculcate. If, therefore, he had, on further reflection, materially altered his sentiments, he should have thought himself bound, by the strongest obligations, to retract what he had erroneously advanced. But he is thankful that, on the contrary, he feels it incumbent on him to de- clare most solemnly, as in the presence of God, that every thing which he has since experienced, observed, heard and read, has concurred in esta- blishing his most assured confidence, that the doctrines recommended in this publication, are the grand and distinguishing peculiarities of genuine Christianity. Very many verbal corrections, with a few retrenchments and additions, will be found in this Edition. In improvements of this kind, the Author has bestowed considerable pains : but, he has been scrupulously, and al- most super stitiously, careful to admit no alteration, which can in the least degree change the meaning of any passage. He feels thankful, that the leading desire of his heart, in publishing a work, which seems to relate almost exclusively to himself and his own little conceras, has not been wholly disappointed ; but he would earnestly request the prayers of all, who favour the doctrines here inculcated, for a more abundant and extensive blessing on this, and all his other feeble en- deavours, to contend earnestly " for the faith once delivered to the saints." Chapel-Street, Oct. 16, 1798. THE FORCE OF TRUTH, PART I. An Account of the state of the Author's mind and conscience in the early part of his life, especially shewing what his sentiments and conduct were, at the beginning of that change of which he proposes to give the history. Though I was not educated in what is commonly considered as ignorance » of God and religion, yet, till the sixteenth year of my age, I do not remem- ber that I ever was under any serious conviction of being a sinner, in dan- ffer of wrath, or in need of mercy ; nor did I ever, during this part of my ife, that I recollect, offer one hearty prayer to God in secret. IJeing alie- nated from God through the ignorance that was in me, I lived without him in the world, and as utterly neglected to pay him any voluntaiy service, as if I had been an Atlieist in principle. But about my sixteenth year I began to see that I was a sinner. I was indeed a leper in every part, there being " no health in me but, out of many external indications of inward depravity, conscience discovered and reproached me with one especially ; and I was, for the first time, disquieted with apprehensions of the wrath of an offended God. My attendance at the Lord's table was expected about the same time ; and though I was very ignorant of the meaning and end of that sacred ordinance, yet this circum- iv ance, uniting with the accusations of my conscience, brought an awe upon :..;y spirits, and interrrupted my before undisturbed course of sin. f Being, however, an utter stranger to the depravity and helplessness of fallen nature, I had no doubt that I could amend my life whenever I pleased. Previously therefore to communicating, I set about an unwilling reformation ; and, procuring a form of prayer, I attempted to pay my secret addresses to 'ihe Majesty of" heaven. Having in this manner silenced my conscience, I partook of the ordinance : I held my resolutions also, and continued my de- vt tions, such as they were, for a short time : but they were a weariness and a task to me ; and, temptations soon returning, I relapsed ; so that my prayer-book was thrown aside, and no more thought of, till my conscience was again alarmed by the next warning given for the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Then the same ground was gone over again, and with the Ba'; •■ issue. My " goodness was like the morning-dew that passeth away ;" a . 'ing sin and disrelishing religious duties as much as ever, I returned, as th. sow that is washed, to her wallowing in the mire." ^yith little variation, this was my course of life for nine years : but in thi, tinia I had such experience of my own weakness, and the superior force of empiation, that I secretly concluded reformation in my case to be im- pri ticable. " Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots I was experimentally convinced that I was equally unable, with the feeble A 10 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. barrier of resolutions and endeavours, to stem the torrent of my impetuou* inclinations, when swelled by welcome, suitable, and powerful temptations : and being ignorant that God had reserved this to himself as his own work, and had engaged to do it for the poor sinner who, feeling his own insuffi- ciency, is heartily desirous to have it done by him, I stifled my convictions as well as I could, and put off my repentance to a wore convenient season. But, being of a reflecting tui-n, and much alone, my mind was almost con- stantly employed. Aware of the uncertainty of life, I was disquieted with continual apprehensions, that this more convenient season would never ar- rive ; especially as, through an unconfirmed state of healtli, I had many warnings and near prospects of death and eternity. For a long time I en- tertained no doubt that impenitent sinners would be miserable for ever in liell : and at some seasons such amazing reflections upon this awful subject forced themselves into my mind, that I was overpowered by them, and my fears became intolerable. At such times my extemporary cries for mercy were so wrestling and persevering, that I was scarcely able to give over ; though at others I lived without prayer of any sort ! Yet, in my darkest hours, though my conscience was awakened to discover more and more sin- fulness in my whole behaviour, there remained a hope that I should one day repent and turn unto God. If this hope was from myself, it was a horrid presumption ; but tlie event makes me willing to acknowledge a persuasion that it was from the Lord : for had it not been for this hope, I would pro- bably have given way to temptations, which frequently assaulted me, to put an end to my own life, in proud discontent with my lot in this world, and mad despair about another. A hymn of Dr AVatts' (in his admirable little book for children) entitled " The all-seeing God," at this time fell in my way : I was much afl^ected with it, and having committed it to memory, was frequently repeating it, and thus continually led to reflect on my guilt and danger. Parents may from this inconsiderable circumstance be reminded, that it is of great importance to store their children's memories with useful matter, instead of suflfering them to be furnished with such corrupting trash as is commonly taught them. They know not what use God may make of these early rudiments of instruction in future life. At this period, though I was the slave of sin, yet, my conscience not be- ing pacified, and my principles not greatly corrupted, there seemed some hope concerning me ; but at length Satan took a very efi"ectual method of silencing my convictions, that 1 might sleep securely in my sins ; and justly was I given over to a strong delusion to believe a lie, when I held the truth that I did know in unrighteousness. I met with a Sociiiian comment on the Scriptures, and greedily drank the poison, because it quieted my fears and flattered my abominable pride. The whole system coincided exactly with my inclinations and the state of my mind. In reading this exposition, sin seemed to lose its native ugliness, and to appear a very small and tolerable evil : man's imperfect obedience seemed to shine with an excellency almost divine ; and Gk»d appeared so entirely and necessarily merciful, that he could not make any of his creatures miserable without contradicting his natural pro- pensity. These things influenced my mind so powerfully^ that I was ena- bled to consider myself, notwithstanding a few little blemishes, as upon the whole a very worthy being. At the same time, the mysteries of the gospel being explained away, or brought down to the level of man's comprehension, by such proud and corrupt, though specious, reasonings; by acceding to these sentiments, I was, in my own opinion. In point of understanding and discernment, exalted to a superiority above the generality of mankind ; and I pleased myself in looking down, with contempt, upon such as were weak enough to believe the orthodox doctrines. Thus I generally soothed my conscience : and if at any time I was uneasy at the apprehension that I did not thoroughly deserve eternal happiness, and was not entirely fit for heaven ; the same book afforded me a soft pillow on which to lull myself to sleep : it THE FORCE OF TRUTH. li ni'gued, and, I then thought, proved, that there were no eferna? torments ; and it insinuated that there were no torments except for notorious sinners, and that such as should just fall short of heaven would sink into their original nothing. With this welcome scheme I silenced all my fears, and told my -accusing conscience, that if I fell short of heaven I should be annihilated, and never be sensible of my loss. By experience I am well acquainted with Satan's intention, in employing so many of his servants to invent and propagate those pestilential errors, whe- ther in speculation or practice, that have in all ages corrupted and enervated the pure and powerful doctrine of the gospel ; for they lead to forgetfulness of God and security in sin, and are deadly poison to every soul that imbibes them, unless a miracle of grace prevent. Such, on the one hand, are all the superstitious doctrines of popery : purgatory, penances, absolutions, indul- gencies, merits of good works, and the acceptableness of will-worship and uncommanded observances ; what are these but engines of the devil to keep men quiet in their sins ? Man, resolved to follow the dictates of his de- praved inclination, and not to bound his pursuits and enjoyments by the li- mits of God's holy law, catches at any thing to soften the horrible thought of eternal misery. This is the awakening reflection, God's sword in the con- science, which it is Satan's business, by all his diabolical artifices, to endea- vour to sheath, blunt, or turn aside ; knowing that whUe this alarming ap- prehension is present to the soul, he can never maintain possession of it in peace. By such inventions therefore as these, he takes care to furnish the sinner with that which he seeks, and to enable him to walk according to the course of this wicked world, and the desires of depraved nature, without be- ing disturbed by such dreadful thoughts. The same, on the other hand, is the tendency of all those speculations of reasoning men, which set God's at- tributes at variance with each other ; which represent the Supreme Gover- nor as so weakly merciful, that he regards neither the demands of his jus- tice, the glory of his holiness, the veracity of his word, nor the peaceable or- der and subordination of the universe ; which explain away all the mysteries of the gospel ; and represent sin, that fruitful root of evil, that enemy of God, that favourite of Satan, as a very little thing, scarcely noticed by the Almighty, and which, contrary to the Scriptures and universal experience and observation, would persuade us that man is not a depraved creature. To these latter sentiments I acceded, and maintained them as long as I could ; and I did it most assuredly, because they soothed my conscience, freed me from the intolerable fears of damnation, and enabled me to think favourably of myself. For these reasons alone, I loved and chose this ground : I fixed myself upon it, and there fortified myself by all the arguments and reasonings I could meet with. These things I wished to believe ; and I had my wish : for at length I did most confidently believe them. Being taken captive in this snare of Satan, I should here have perished with a lie in my right hand, had not the Lord whom I dishonoured, snatched me as a brand from the burning ! In this awful state of mind I attempted to obtain admission into Holy Or- ders ! Wrapt up in the proud notion of the dignity of human nature, I had lost sight of the evil of sin, and thought little of my own sinfulness ; I was filled with a self-important opinion of my own worth, and the depth of my understanding : and I had adopted a system of religion accommodated to that foolish pride ; having almost whoUy discarded mysteries from my creed, and regarding with sovereign contempt those who believed them. As far as I understand such controversies, I was nearly a Socinian and Pelagian, and wholly an Arminian: * yet, to my shame be it spoken, I sought to obtain ad- * Possibly some readers may not fully understand the import of these terms : and for their benefit I would observe, that the Socinians consider Christ as a mere man, and his death merely as an example of patience, and a confirmation of his doctrine, and not as a real atonement satisfactory to divine justice for man's sins. They deny the Deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, and do not admit that all Chris- tians experience his renewing, sanctifying, and comforting influences ; and they generally reject the doc- trine of eternal punisboicnts. The I'eiagiam deny original sin, and explain away the scriptural history 12 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. imssion into the ministry, in a church whose doctrines are diametrically op- posed to all the three ; without once concerning myself about those barriers which the wisdom of our forefathers has placed around her, purposely to pre- vent the intrusion of such dangerous heretics as I then was. While I was preparing for this solemn office, I lived as before in known sin, and in utter neglect of prayer ; my whole preparation consisting of no- thing else than an attention to those studies which were more immediately requisite for reputably passing through the previous examination. Thus, with a heart full of pride and wickedness ; my life polluted with many unrepented unforsaken sins ; without one cry for mercy, one prayer for direction or assistance, or a blessing upon what I was about to do; after having concealed my real sentiments under the mdsk of general expressions; after having subscribed articles directly contrary to what I believed ; and after having blasphemously declared, in the presence of God and of the con- gregation, in the most solemn manner, sealing it with the Lord's Supper, that I judged myself to be inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take that office upon me (not knowing or believing that there was a Holy Ghost;) on Sept. the 20th, 1772, I was ordained a Deacon. For ever blessed be the God of all long-suffering and mercy, who had pa- tience with such a rebel and blasphemer ; such an irreverent trifler with his Majesty ; and such a presumptuous intruder into his sacred ministry ! I never think of this daring wickedness without being filled with amazement that I am out of hell ; without admiring that gracious God, who permitted such an atrocious sinner to live, yea, to serve him, and with acceptance, I trust, to call him Father; and as his minister to speak in his name. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits : who forgiveth all thine iniquities, and healeth all thy diseases ; who redeemeth thy life from de- struction, who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies." May I love, and very humbly and devoutly serve that God, who hath mul- tiplied his mercies in abundantly pardoning my complicated provocations. I had considerable difficulties to surmount in obtaining admission into the ministry, arising from my peculiar circumstances ; which likewise rendered my conduct the more inexcusable : and my views, as far as I can ascertain them, were these three : — A desire of a less laborious and more comfortable way of procuring a livelihood, than otherwise I had the prospect of : — the expectation of more leisui-e to employ in reading, of which I was inordinately fond : — and a proud conceit of my abilities, with a vain glorious imagination that I should some time distinguish and advance myself in the literary world. These were my ruling motives in taking this bold step : motives as opposite to those which should influence men to enter this sacred office, as pride is opposite to humility, ambition to contentment in a low estate, and a willingness to be the least of all and the servant of all ; as opposite as love of self, of the world, of filthy lucre, and slothful ease, is to the love of God, of souls, and of the laborious work of the ministry. To me therefore be the shame of this heinous sin, and to God be all the glory of over-ruling it for good, I trust, both to unworthy me, and to his dear people, " the church which he hath purchased with his own blood." My subsequent conduct was suitable to these motives. No sooner was I fixed in a curacy, than with close application I sat down to the study of the learned languages, and such other subjects as I considered most needful, in of the fall of man. They do not allow the total depravity of hiiinan nature, but account for the wicked- ness of the world from bad examples, habits, and education. They suppose men to possess an ability, both natural and moral, of becoming pious and holy, without a new creation or regeneration of tlie heart by the Holy Spirit ; and they contend for the freedom of the will, not only as constituting us voluntary agents, accountable for our conduct, but as it consists in exemption Jrom the bondage of innate carnal propensities ; so that man has in himself sufficient resources for his recovery to holine.ss by his own ex- ertions. The Arminians deny the doctrines of gratuitous personal election to ettrnal life, anUof the 6nal perseverance of all true believers ; and numbers of them hold the doctrine of justification by works in part at least ; and verge in some degree to the Pelagian system, in respect to the Urst moving cause in the conversion of sinners. (Sth Ed.) THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 13 order to lay the foundation of my future advancement. And, O ! that I were now as diligent in serving God, as I was then in serving self and ambition ! I Bpared no pains, I shunned, as much as I well could, all acquaintance and di- versions, and retrenched from my usual hours of sleep, that I might keep more closely to this business. As a minister, I attended just enough to the public do- ties of my station to support a decent character, which I deemed subservient to my main design ; and, from the same principle, I aimed at morality in my outward deportment, and affected seriousness in my conversation. As to the rest, I still lived in the practice of what I knew to be sinful, and in the en- tire neglect of all sacred religion : if ever inclined to pray, conscious guilt stopped my mouth, and 1 seldom went further than " God be merciful unto me !" Perceiving, however, that my Socinian principles were very disreputable, and being conscious from my own experience that they were unfavourable to morality, I concealed them in a great measure, both for my credit's sake, and from a sort of desire I entertained, (subservient to my main design) of successfully inculcating the practice of the moral duties upon those to whom I preached. My studies indeed lay very little in divinity ; but this little all opposed that part of my scheme which respected the punishment of the wicked in the other world : and therefore (being now removed to a distance from those books whence I had imbibed my sentiments, and from the reasonings contained in them, by which I had learned to defend them,) I began graduafly to be shaken in my former confidence, and once more to be under some ap- prehension of eternal misery. Being also statedly employed, with the ap- pearance of solemnity, in the public worship of God, whilst I neglected and provoked him in secret, my conscience clamorously reproached me with base hypocrisy : and I began to conclude that, if eternal torments were reserved for any sinners, I certainly should be one of the number. Thus I was again filled with anxious fears and terrifying alarms : especially as I was continually meditating upon what might be the awful consequence, should I be called hence by sudden death. Even my close application to study could not soothe my conscience nor quiet my fears ; and, under the affected air of cheerful- ness, I was truly miserable. This was the state of mind when the change I am about to relate began to take place. How it commenced ; in what manner, and by what steps it .proceeded ; and how it was completed, will be the subject of the Second Part. I shall conclude this by observing, that though staggered in my fa- vourite sentiment before mentioned, and though my views of the person of Christ were verging towards Arianism ; yet, in my other opinions I was more confirmed than ever. What those opinions were, I have already briefly de- clared : and they will occur again, and be more fully explained, as I proceed to relate the manner in which I was constrained to renounce them, one after another, and to accede to those that were directly contrary to them. Let it suffice to say, that I was full of proud self-sufficiency, very positive, and very obstinate ; and, being situated in the neighbourhood of those whom the world calls Methodists, * I joined in the prevailing sentiment ; held them in sove- reign contempt ; spoke of them with derision ; declaimed against them from the pulpit, as persons full of bigotry, enthusiasm, and spiritual pride ; laid heavy things to their charge ; and endeavoured to prove the doctrines which I supposed them to hold, (for I had never read their books) to be dishon- ourable to God, and destructive to morality. And, though in some com- • ilelhotist, as n stigma of reproach, was first applied to Mr Wesley, Mr \VhUefieId, and their fol- lowers: and to those who, professing an attachment to our established Church, and disclaiming the name of Dissenters, were not conformists in point of parochial order, but had separate seasons, places, and as. semblies for worship. The term has since been extended by many to all persons, whether clergy or laity, who preach or profess the doctrines of the reformation, as expressed in the articles and liturgy of our Church. For this fault they must all submit to beai the reproachful name, especially the mmisters ; nor will the most regular and peaceable compliance with the injunctions of the Huliric exempt thcra from it, if Ihey avow the authorized, but in a great measure exploded, doctrines to which they have sub- scriocd. My ac<|uainlancc hitherto has been solely with Methodists of the latter description, and I have them alone m view when I use the term. A 3 14 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. panics I chose to conceal part of my sentiments, and in all affected to speak as a friend to universal toleration ; yet, scarcely any person can be more proudly and violently prejudiced against both their persons and principles, than I then was. PART SECOND. A History of the change which has taken place in the Author's sentiments ; with the manner in which, and the means by which it was at length effected. In January, 1774, two of my parishioners, a man and his wife, lay at the point of death. I had heard of the circumstance, but, according to my gene- ral custom, not being sent for, I took no notice of it ; till one evening, the woman being now dead, and the man dying, I heard that my neighbour Mr Ne\vton had been several times to visit them. Immediately my conscience reproached me with being shamefully negligent, in sitting at home within a few doors of dying persons, my general hearers, and never going to visit them. Directly it occurred to me, that, whatever contempt I might have for Mr N's doctrines, I must acknowledge his practice to be more consistent with the ministerial character, than my own. He must have more zeal and love for souls than I had, or he would not have walked so far to visit, and supply my lack of care to those, who, as far as I was concerned, might have been left to perish in their sins. This reflection affected me so much, that without delay, and very earnestly, yea, with tears, I besought the Lord to forgive my past neglect : and I re- solved thenceforth to be more attentive to this duty ; which resolution, though at first formed in ignorant dependance on my own strength, I have, by divine grace, been enabled hitherto to keep. I went immediately to visit the survivor : and the affecting sight of one person already dead, and an- other expiring, in the same chamber, served more deeply to impress my serious con\ ictions : so that from that time I have constantly ■visited the sick of my parishes as far as I have had opportunity ; and have endeavoured, to the best of my knowledge, to perform that essential part of a parish-minis- ter's duty. Some time after this, a friend recommended to my perusal the conclusion of Bishop Burnet's " History of his own Time," especially that part which respects the clergy. It had the intended effect : I was considerably in- structed and impressed by it; I was convinced that my entrance into the ministry, had been the result of very wrong motives, was preceded by a very unsuitable preparation, and accompanied with very improper conduct. Some uneasiness was also excited in my mind concerning my neglect of the im- portant duties of that high calling : and, though I was enslaved by sin, and too much engaged in other studies, and in love with this present world, to relinquish my flattering pursuit of reputation and preferment, and change the course of my life, studies, and employments ; yet, by intervals, I expe- rienced desires and purposes, at some future period, of devoting myself wholly to the work of the ministrj', in the manner to which he exhorts the clergj-. All these things increased the clamorous remonstrances of my conscience ; and at this time I lived without any secret religion, because without some reformation in my conduct, as a man and a minister, I did not dare to pray. My convictions would no longer be silenced or appeased ; and they became so intolerably troublesome, that I resolved to make one more effort towards amendment. In good earnest, and not totally without seeking the assistance of the Lord hy prayer, I now attempted to break the chains with which Satan had hitherto held my soul in bondage ; and it pleased the Lord that I should obtain some considerable advantages. Part of my grosser defdements I was THE FORCE OF TRUTH. enabled to relinquish, and to enter upon a form of devotion. F&>"mal enough indeed it was in some respects ; for I neither knew that Mediator through whom, nor that Spirit by whom, prayers are oifered with acceptance unto the Father : yet, though utterly in the dark as to the true and living Way to the throne of grace, I am persuaded there were even then seasons v/hen I was enabled to rise above a mere form, and to offer petitions so far spiritual, as to be accepted and answered. I was now somewhat reformed in my outward conduct : " but the renew- ing in the spirit of my mind," if begun, was scarcely discernible. As my life was externally less wicked and ungodly, my heart grew more proud ; the idol self was the object of my adoration and obeisance ; my worldly ad- vancement was more eagerly sought than ever ; some flattering prospects seemed to open, and I resolved to improve my advantages to the uttermost. At the same time every thing tended to increase my good opinion of my- self; I was treated with kindness and friendship by persons, from whom I had no reason to expect it ; my preaching was well received, my acquaint- ance seemed to be courted, and' my foolish heart verily believed that all this and much more was due to my superior worth : while conscience, which, by its mortifying accusations, had been useful to preserve some sense of un- worthiness in my mind, was now silenced, or seemed to authorize that pride which it had checked before. And having the disadvantage of conversing in general with persons who either favoured my sentiments, or who from good manners, or because they saw it would be in vain, did not contradict me ; I concluded that my scheme of doctrine was the exact standard of truth, and that by my superior abilities I was capable of confuting or convincing all who were otherwise minded. In this view of the matter, I felt an eager de- sire of entering into a religious conti-oversy, especially with a Calvinist : for many resided in the neighbourhood, and I heard various reports concerning their tenets. . It was at this time that my coiTespondcnce with Mr Newton commenced. At a visitation. May 1775, we exchanged a few words on a controverted sub- ject, in the room among the clergy, which I believe drew many eyes upon us. At that time he prudently declined the discourse ; but a day or two after he sent me a short note with a little book for my perusal. This was the very thing I wanted : and I gladly embraced the opportunity which, ac- cording to my wishes, seemed now to offer ; God knoweth, with no incon- siderable expectations that my arguments would prove irresistibly convincing, and that I should have the honour of rescuing a well-meaning person from his enthusiastical delusions. I had indeed by this time conceived a very favourable opinion of him, and a sort of respect for him ; being acquainted with the character he sustained even among some persons, who expressed a disapprobation of his doctrines. They were forward to commend him as a benevolent, disinterested, inoffensive person, and a laborious minister. But, on the other hand, I looked upon his religious sentiments as rank fanaticism ; and entertained a very contemptible opinion of his abilities, natural and acquired. Once I had had the curiosity to hear him preach ; and, not understanding his sermon, I made a very great jest of it, where I could do it without giving offence. I had also read one of his publications ; but, for the same reason, I thought the greater part of it whimsical, paradoxical, and unintelligible. Concealing, therefore, the true motives of my conduct under the offer of friendship, and a professed desire to know the truth, (which, amidst all my self-sufficiency and prejudice, I ti-ust the Lord had even then given me ;) with the greatest affectation of candour, and of a mind open to conviction, I wrote him a long letter; purposing to draw from him such an avowal and explanation of his sentiments, as might introduce a controversial discussion of our religious differences. The event by no means answered my expectation. He returned a very friendly and long answer to my letter ; in which he carefully avoided the 16 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. mention of those doctrines which he knew would offend me. He declared that he believed me to be one who feared God, and was under the teaching ot his Holy Spirit ; that he gladly accepted my offer of friendship, and was no ways inclined to dictate to me ; but that, leaving me to the guidance of the Lord, he would be glad, as occasion served, from time to time, to bear testimony to the truths of the gospel, and to communicate his sentiments to me on any subject, with all the confidence of friendship. In this manner our correspondence began ; and it was continued, in the interchange of nine or ten letters, till December the same year. Through- out I held my purpose, and he his. I made use of every endeavour to draw him into controversy, and filled my letters with definitions, inquiries, argu- ments, objections, and consequences, requiring explicit answers. He, on the other hand, shunned every thing controversial as much as possible, and filled his letters with the most useful and least offensive instructions ; except that now and then he dropped hints concerning the necessity, the true nature, and the efficacy of faith, and the manner in which it was to be sought and obtained; and concerning some other matters, suited, as he judged, to help me forward in my inquiry after truth. But they much offended my preju- dices, afforded me matter of disputation, and at that time were of little use to me. This, however, is certain, that through the whole of the correspondence, I disputed, with all the arguments I could devise, against almost every thing which he advanced, and was very much nettled at many things that he as- serted. I read a great part of his letters, and some books which he sent me, with much indifference and contempt. I construed his declining controversy into an acknowledgement of weakness, and triumphed in many companies as having confuted his arguments. And, finally, when I could not obtain my end, at my instance the correspondence was dropped. His letters and my answers are now by me ; and on a careful perusal of them, compared with all I can recollect concerning this matter, I give this as a faithful account of the correspondence. His letters wiU, I hope, shortly be made public, being such as promise greater advantage to others, than, through my proud contentious spirit, I experienced from them. Mine de- serve only to be forgotten, except as they are useful to me to remind me what I was, and to mortify my pride ; as they illustrate my friend's patience end candour in so long bearing with my ignorance and arrogance ; and notwithstanding my unteachable quarrelsome temper, continuing his bene- volent labours for my good ; and especially as they remind me of the good- ness of God, who, though he abominates and resists the proud, yet knows how to bring down the stout heart, not only by the iron rod of his wrath, but by the golden sceptre of his grace. Thus our correspondence and acquaintance, for the present, were almost , whoUy broken oft' ; for a long time we seldom met, and then only interchanged a few words on general topics of conversation. Yet he all along persevered in telling me, to my no small offence, that I should accede one day to his religious principles ; that he had stood on my ground, and that I should stand on his : and he constantly informed his friends, that, though slowly, I was surely feeling my way to the knowledge of the truth. So clearly could he discern the dawnings of grace in my soul, amidst aU the darkness of depraved nature and my obstinate rebellion to the will of God ! This expectation was principally grounded on my conduct in the follow- ing circumstances : — Immediately after the commencement of our correspon- dence, in May 1775, whilst my thoughts were much engrossed by some hopes of preferment ; on Sunday, during the time of divine service, when the Psalm was named, I opened the Prayer-Book to turn to it ; but (accidentally shall I say, or providentially ?) I opened upon the articles of religion ; and the eighth, respecting the authority and warrant of the Athanasian creed, im- mediately engaged my attention. My disbelief of the doctrine of a Trinity of co-equal persons in the unity of the Godhead, and my pretensions to candour, THE FORCB OF TRUTH. IT had both combined to excite my hatred to this creed ; for which reasons I had been accustomed to speak of it with contempt, and to neglect reading it officially. No sooner, therefore, did I read the words, " That it was to be thoroughly received, and believed ; for tliat it might be pi-oved by most cer- tain warrants of holy Scripture," than my mind was greatly impi-essed and affected. The matter of subscription immediately occurred to my thoughts ; and from that moment I conceived such scruples about it, that, till my view of the whole system of gospel-docti ine was entirely clianged, they remained insuperable. It is wisely said by the son of Sirach, " My Son, if thou come to ser%'e the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation." I had twice before subscribed these articles, with the same religious sentiments which I now entertained. But, conscience being asleep, and the service of the Lord no part of my concern, I considered subscription as a matter of course, a necessjiry form, and very little troubled myself about it. But now, though I was greatly influenced by pride, ambition, and the love of the world, yet my heart was sincerely to- wards the Lord, and I dared not to venture on a known sin, deliberately, for the sake of temporal interest. Subscription to articles which I did not be- Ueve, paid as a price for church-preferment, I began to look upon as an impious He, a heinous guilt, tfiat could never truly be repented of without throwing back the wages of iniquity. The more I pondered it, the more strenuously my con- science protested against it. At length, after a violent conflict between in- terest and conscience, I made known to my patron my scruples and my de- termination not to subscribe : thus my views of preferment were deliberately given up, and with an increasing family I was left, as far as mere human prudence could discern, with little other prospect than that of poverty and distress. My objections to the articles were, as I now see, groundless : much self-sufficiency, undue warmth of temper, and obstinacy, were betrayed in the management of this affair, for which I ought to be humbled : but my adherence to the dictates of my conscience, and holding fast my integrity in such trying circumstances, I never did, and I trust never shall, repent. No sooner was my determination known, than I was severely censured by many of my friends. They all, I am sensible, did it from kindness, and they used arguments of various kinds, none of which were suited to produce con- viction. But, though I was confirmed in my resolution, by the reasonings used to induce me to alter it, they at length were made instrumental in bring- ing me to this important determination : — not so to believe what any man said, as to take it upon his authority ; but to search the word of God with this single intention, to discover whether the articles of the Church of England in general, and this creed in particular, were or were not, agreeable to the Scriptures. I had studied them in some measure before, for the sake of becoming acquainted with the original languages, and in order thence to bring detached texts to support my own system ; iind I had a tolerable acquaintance with the his- torical and preceptive parts of them : but 1 had not searched this precious repositorj' of divine knowledge, with the express design of discovering the truth in controverted matters of doctrine. 1 had very rarely been troubled with suspicions that I was or might be mistaken : and I now i-ather thought of becoming better qualified, upon Scriptural grounds, to defend my determi- nation, than of being led to any change of sentiments. However, I set about the inquiry ; and the first passage, as I remember, which made me suspect that I might be wrong, was James i. 5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." On considering these words %vith some attenti(jTi, I became conscious, that, though I had thought myself wise, yet assuredly 1 had obtained none of my wisdom in this manner; for I had never ofi"ered one prayer to that effect during the whole course of my life- I also perceived that this text contained a suitable direction, and an en- couraging promise, in my present inquiry ; and from this time, in my poor manner, I began to ask God to give me this promised wisdom. 18 THE FORCE '^)F TRUTH. Shortly after, I meditated on, and preached from John vii. 16, 17. " My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me ; if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." I was surprised that I had not before attended to such remarkable words. I dis- covered that they contained a direction and a promise, calculated to serve as a clue in extricating the sincere inquirer after truth, from that labyrinth of controversy in which, at his first setting out, he is likely to be bewildered. And though my mind was too much leavened with the pride of reasoning, to reap that benefit from this precious text which it is capable of affording to the soul that is humbly willing to be taught of God, yet, being conscious that I was disposed to risk every thing in doing what I thought his will, I was encouraged with the assurance, that if I were under a mistake, I should sometime discover it. I was further led to suspect that I might possibly be wrong, because I had not hitherto sought the truth in the proper manner, by attending to Pro- verbs iii. 5, 6. " Ti-ust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding : in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I could not but know that I had not hitherto trusted in the Lord with all my heart, nor acknowledged him in all my ways, nor depended on his di- rections in all my paths ; but that, in my religious speculations, I liad leaned wlwlly on my own tinder standing. But, though these and some other passages made for the present a great impression upon me, and influenced me to make it a part of my daily prayers, that I might be directed to a right understanding of the word of God ; yet my pride and addictedness to controversy had, as some desperate disease, in- fected my whole soul, and was not to be cured all at once. — I was very far indeed from being a little child, sitting humbly and simply at the Lord's feet, to learn from him the very first rudiments of divine knowledge. I had yet no abiding suspicion, that all which I had heretofore accounted wisdom ■was foolishness, and must be unlearned and counted loss, before I could at- tain to the excellency of the true knowledge of Jesus Christ : for though I began to allow it probable that in some few matters I might have been in an error, yet I still was confident that in the main my scheme of doctrine was true. When I was pressed with objections and arguments against any of my sentiments, and when doubts began to arise in my mind j to put off the uneasiness occasioned by them, my constant practice was, to recollect as far as I could, all the reasonings and interpretations of Scripture on the other side of the question ; and when this failed of affording satisfaction, I had recourse to controversial wi'itings. This drew me aside from the pure word of God, rendered me more remiss and formal in prayer, and furnished me with defensive armour against my convictions, with fuel for my passions, and food for my pride and self-sufficiency. At this time Locke's " Reasonableness (yf Christianity," with his " Vindi- cations" of it, became my favourite pieces of divinity. I studied this and many other of Mr Locke's works, with gi"eat attention and a sort of bigotted fondness ; taking him almost implicitly for my master, adopting his conclu- sions, borrowing many of his arguments^ and imbibing a dislike to such per- sons as would not agree with me in my partiality for him. This was of great disservice to me ; as, instead of getting forward in my inquiry after truth, I thence collected more ingenious and specious arguments, with which to de- fend my mistakes. * But one book which I read at this time, because mentioned with approba- tion by Mr Locke, was of singular use to me : this was Bishop Burnet's " Pastoral Ca/re." I found little in it that offended my prejudices, and many » After having spoken so freely of Mr Locke's divinity, which I once so highly esteemed ; it seems but just to acknowledge the vast obligation, which the whole religious world is under to tliat great man for his " Letters concerning Toleration," and his answers to those who wrote against them. The grounds of religious liberty, and the reason why every one should be left to his own choice, to worship God ac- cording to his conscience, were, perhaps, never generally understood since the foundation of the world, till by these publications Mr Locke unanswerably made them manifest. THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 19 tilings which came home to my conscience Tespecting my ministerial obliga- tions. I shall lay before the reader a few short extracts, which were most affecting to my own mind. Having mentioned the question proposed to those who are about to be ordained Deacons, " Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon you this office and ministry, to serve God for the promoting of his glory, and the edifying of his people ?" he adds, (page lil,) " Certainly the answer that is made to this ought to be well considered : for if any one says," " I trust so," " that yet knows nothing of any such motion, and' can give no account of it, he lies to the Holy Ghost, and makes his first approach to the altar with a lie in his mouth, and that not to men, but to God." And again, (page 112,) " Shall not he (God) reckon with those who dare to run without his mission, pretending that they trust they have it, when perhaps they understand not the importance of it ; nay, and perhaps some laugh at it, as an entliusiastical question, who will yet go through with the office ! They come to Christ for the loaves ; they hope to live by the altar and the gospel, how little soever they serve at the one, or preach the other ; therefore they wiU say any thing that is necessary for qualifying them to this, whether true or false." Again, (page 122,) having interwoven a great part of the excellent office of the ordination of priests into his argument, concerning the importance and weight of the work of the ministry ; he adds, " Upon the whole matter, either this is all a piece of gross and impudent pageantry, dressed up in grave and lofty expressions, to strike upon the weaker part of mankind, and to furnish the rest with matter to their profane and impious scorn ; or it must be confessed that priests come under the most formal and express engage- ments to constant and diligent labour, that can be possibly contrived or set forth in words." He concludes this subject, of the ordination-offices, by exhorting all candidates for orders to read them frequently and attentively, during the time of their preparation ; that they may be aware before-hand of the obligations they are about so solemnly to enter into, and to peruse them at least four times in a year, even after their ordination, to keep in their minds a continual remembrance of their important engagements. How necessary this counsel is, every minister, or candidate for the ministry, must determine for himself ; for my part, I had never once read through the office when I was ordained, and was in a great measure a stranger to the obligations I was about to enter into, till the very period ; nor did I ever afterwards at- tend to it till this advice put me upon it. The shameful negligence and ex- treme absurdity of my conduct in this respect are too glaring, not to be per- ceived with self-application, by every one who has been guilty of a similar omission. I would therefore only just mention, that hearty earnest prayer to God, for his guidance, help, and blessing, may be suitably recommended, as a proper attendant on such a perusal of our obligations. Again, (page 147,) he thus speaks of a wicked clergyman : " His whole life has been a course of hypocrisy in the strictest sense of the word, which is the acting of a part, and the counterfeiting another person. His sins have in them all possible aggravations : they are against knowledge, and against vows, and contrary to his character : they carry in them a deliberate con- tempt of all the truths and obligations of religion ; and if he perishes, he doth not perish alone, but carries a shoal down with him, either of those who have perished in ignorance through his neglect, or of those who have been hardened in their sins through his ill example I" — Again, (page 183,) having copiously discoursed on the studies befitting ministers, especially the study of the Scriptures, he adds, " But to give all these their full effect, a priest that is much in his study, ought to employ a great part of his time in secret and fervent prayer, for the direction and blessing of God in his labours, for the constant assistance of his Holy Spirit, and for a lively sense of divine matters ; that so he may feel the impressions of them grow deep and strong upon his thoughts ; this, and this only, will make him go on with his work without wearying, and be always rejoicing in it." 20 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. But the chief benefit which accrued to me from the perusal was this : — I was excited by it to an attentive consideration of those passages of Scrip- ture, that state the obligations and duties of a minister, which hitherto I had not observe^l, or to which 1 had very loosely attended. In particular, (it is yet fresh in my memory,) I was greatly affected with considering the charge of precious souls committed to me, and the awful account one day to be ren- dered of them, in meditating on Ezekial xxxiii. 7 — 9. " So thou, O Son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel : therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man ! thou shalt surely die : If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his ini- quity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it : if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered thy soul." For I was fully convinced with Bishop Burnet, that every minister is as much concerned in this solemn warning, as the prophet himself. Acts xx. 17 — 35, was another portion of Scripture, which, by means of this book, was brought home to my conscience ; especially verses 26, 27, 28, which serve as an illustration of the preceding Scripture : " Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men : for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." In short, I was put upon the attentive and repeated perusal of the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, as containing the sum of a minister's duty in all ages. I searched out, and carefully considered every text I could find in the whole Scripture, which referred to this argument. I was greatly impressed by 1 Cor. ix. 16. " For necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is me if I preach not the gospel." Nor was I less struck with Coloss. iv. 17. " Say to Archippus, take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it." This was brought to my conscience with power, as if the apostle had in person spoken the words to me. But especially I was both instructed and encouraged by meditating upon 1 Peter v. 2 — 4. " Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by con- straint, but willingly ; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind ; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock : and when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." I hope the reader will excuse my prolixity in speaking on this subject, be- cause in itself it is very important : and though I obtained no new views of gospel-truth from Tlw Pastoral Care, yet I received such a deep conviction of the difficulty and importance of tliat work, in which I had tlioughtlessly engaged, and of the imminent danger to which my soul wculd be exposed, should I neglect to devote myself wholly to it ; as laid the foundation of all my subsequent conduct and change of sentiments. I was, indeed, guilty of very criminal procrastination, after I had been thus convinced ; and, being engaged more than I ought in other matters, I for sometime postponed and neglected complying with the dictates of my conscience. But I never lost sight of the instruction I had received, nor ever enjoyed any comfortable re- flection, till, having broken oflt all other engagements, I had given myself up to those studies and duties which pertain to the work of the ministry. And I have cause to bless God, that this book ever came in my way. Still, however, my self-confidence was very little abated, and I had made no progress in acquiring the knowledge of the truth. I next read Tillotson'g sermons and Jortin's works : and, my time being otherwise engaged, I for a while gave into the indolent custom of transcriliing their discourses with some alterations, to preach to my people. This precluded free meditatioa on the word of God, and led me to take up my opinions on trust. My preach- ing was in general that smooth palatahle mixture of law and gospel, whiish THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 21 corrupts both by representing the gospel as a mitigated law, and as accepting sincere instead of perfect obedience. — This system, by flattering pride and pre- judice, and soothing the conscience, pleases the careless sinner and self-righ- teous formalist, but does real good to none ; and is in fact a specious and unsuspected kind of Antinomianism. About this time I foolishly engaged in a course of diversion and visiting, more than I had done since my ordination ; this unfitted me for secret prayer and close meditation, and rendered the Scriptiyes, and other religious studies, insipid and irksome to me, a never-failing consequence of every vain com- pliance witli the world. For a season, therefore, my ardour was damped, my anxiety banished, and my inquiries retarded. I was not, however, per- mitted entirely to drop my religious pursuits : generally I made it a rule to read something in the Scriptures every day, and to perform a task of daily devotion ; but in both I was very formal and lifeless. Yet not long after, I was engaged in earnest meditation on our Lord's dis- course with Nicodemus (John iii.) I felt an anxious desire to understand this interesting portion of Scripture ; especially to know what it was to be " born again," or " born of the Spirit," which in five verses our Saviour has three times declared absolutely necessary to salvation. I was convinced it was ab- surd to suppose that such strong expressions implied no more than baptism with water. Tillotson's controversial sermons on this subject afi'orded me no satisfaction. Some great and total change I supposed to be intended, not only in the behaviour, but also in the heart. But not having clearly ex- perienced that change, 1 could not understand in what it consisted. How- ever, having offered some poor prayers for divine teaching, I undertook to preach upon it : but I talked very darkly, employed a considerable part of my time in declaiming against visionaries and enthusiasts, and reaped very little benefit from it. Yet I was so well satisfied with my performance, that, in the course of my correspondence with Mr N. I sent him these sermons for his perusal ; and he, in return, sent me some of his own upon the same subject. But, though sincerely desirous to understand our Lord's meaning in this important point, I was too proud to be taught by him : I cast my eye therefore carelessly over some of them, and returned the manuscript, with- out closely attending to any thing contained in it. Nothing material occurred after this, till the next spring, 1776 ; when I was induced, by what I had learned from Bishop Burnet, to establish a lec- ture once a-week in one of my parishes, for expounding the Scriptures. This brought many passages, which I had not before observed, under attentive consideration ; and afforded my reflecting mind abundance of employment, in attempting to reconcile them with each other, and with my scheme of doctrine. Little progress however had been made, when. May 1776, I heard a dig- nified clergyman in a visitation sermon, recommend Mr Soame Jennings' " new of the internal Evidence of the Christian Religion." In consequence of this recommendation I perused it, and not without profit. The truth and importance of the gospel revelation appeared, with convincing evidence, to my understanding, and came with eflScacy to my heart by reading this book. I received from it more distinct heart-aft'ecting views of the design of God in this revelation of himself, than I had before ; and I was put upon much serious reflection and earnest prayer to be led to, or established in the truth, concerning the nature and reality of the atonement by the death of Christ : for hitherto I had been, in this respect, a Socinian, or very little better. But to counterbalance this advantage, Dr Clarke's " Scripture-doctrine of the Trinity," and the controversy which ensued upon its publication, became a favourite part of my study. The Avian scheme is so inconsistent with rea- son, that when reflecting men, in order to avoid those mysterious, and, as they imagine, unreasonable conclusions, which, according to the true mean- ing of words, the Scriptures contain, have become Avians, it is wonderful they do not, for the same cause, embrace the Socinian system. This is the natu- 22 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. ral progress of unhumbled reason; from Arianism to Socinianism ; from Socinianism to Deism; and thence to Atheism. Many and awful have been the examples of reasoning and learned men, who, under the name of Philo- sophers, arrogating to themselves the prerogative of superior discernment, have manifested the propriety with which they claimed this pre-eminence, by treading this down-hill road, almost, if not quite, to the very bottom. But when a man has fallen so low as Socinianism, not merely for want of information, or by blindly and implicitly adopting the sentiments of other men, but by leaning to his own understanding, and preferring the conclusions of his own reason to the infallible dictates of the Holy Ghost ; it is not com- mon for liim to return gradually, by the retrograde path, first to Arianism, and then to the received doctrine of the Trinity- Yet this was my case.— Dr Clarke appeared to me so undeniably to establish his argument by ex- press scriptural evidences, and so plausibly to defend his system on both sides, and to back his cause with so many seeming authorities, that I found myself unable any longer to maintain my Sooinian principles, and was con- strained to relinquish them as untenable : at the same time I was not aware of the flaw in his reasoning, and the unavoidable consequence of his middle doctrine ; namely, " that the Son and Holy Spirit, however exalted or dig- nified with names and titles, must either be mere creatures, or that otherwise there must be three Gods." Not perceiving this, and my newly acquired reverence for Scripture, and my old self-confidence and fondness for reason- ing being, by this conciliating scheme, both humoured, I cordially acceded to his sentiments, and for a long time could not endure any other doctrine. Nothing further of any consequence occurred till about December 1776, when carelessly taking up Mr Law's " Serious Call," a book I had hitherto treated with contempt, I had no sooner opened it, than I was struck with the originality of the work, and the spirit and force of argument with which it is written. I mean merely as to his management of the subjects he treats of : for there are many things in it that I am very far from approving ; and it certainly contains as little gospel, as any religious work I am acquainted with. But though a very uncomfortable book to a person who is brought under a serious concern for his soul, and deep convictions of sin, it is very useful to prepare the way, to show the need we have of a Saviour, and to en- force the practice of that holy diligence in the use of means, which the im- portant interests of eternity reasonably demand. This was its use to me. By the perusal of it, I was convinced that I was guilty of great remissness and negligence ; that the duties of secret devotion called for far more of my time and attention than had been hitherto allotted to them ; and that, if 1 hoped to save my own soul, and the souls of those that heard me, I must in this respect greatly alter my conduct, and increase my diligence in seek- ing and serving the Lord. From that time I began to study in what man- ner my devotions might be rendered more fervent and pertinent ; I tran- scribed and committed to memory, scriptural petitions ; I employed some time in reading manuals of devotion ; made attempts to compose prayers myself, and became more frequent and earnest, and, I trust, more spiritual, than heretofore, in my secret addresses to the Majesty of heaven. About this time, after many delays, I complied with the admonitions of my conscience, and disengaged myself from all other employments, with a solemn resolution to leave all my temporal concerns in the hands of the Lord, and entirely to devote myself to the work of the ministry. Being thus be- come master of all my time, I dropped every other study, and turned the whole current of my reflections and inquiries, into another channel ; and for several years I scarcely opened a book which treated of any thing besides religion. The first step I took after this disengagement, was to keep common-place books ; one I had for noting down remarkable passages out of other authors ; and another for collecting into one view, every text I could meet with in Scripture respecting the most important and controverted doctrines of the THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 23 gospel. Though I held this but a short time, (for when my engag-ements multiplied, I dropt it,) yet I found it very useful in bringing me acquainted with many passages of the word of God, to which I had not hitherto much attended ; and it prepared the way for writing my sermons on doctrinal sub- jects, with the scriptural testimonies concerning the point in hand, in one view before me. In January 1777, I met with a very high commendation of Mr Hooker's writings, in which the honourable appeUation of t/wrfic/otw was bestowed upon him. This excited my curiosity to read his works, which accordingly I did with great profit. In his " Discourse on Justification," (Edit. 1682. p. i96), I met with the following remarkable passage, which, as well for its excellency as for the effect it had upon my religious views, I shall, though rather long, transcribe. " If our hands did never offer violence to our brethren, a bloody thought doth prove us murderers before him [|God.^ If we had never opened our mouth to utter any scandalous, offensive, or hurtful word, the cry of our secret cogitations is heard in the ears of God. If we did not commit the sins which, daily and hourly, in deed, word, or thoughts, we do commit, yet in the good things which we do, how many defects are there intermingled ' God, in that which is done, respecteth the mind and intention of the doer. Cut off then all those things wherein we have regarded our own glory; those things which men do to please men, and to satisfy our own liking ; those things which we do by any respect, not sincerely, and purely for the love of God ; and a small score will serve for the number of our righteous deeds. Let the holiest and best thing we do be now considered : — we are never better affected unto God than when we pray : yet when we pray, how are our affections many times distracted ! how little reverence do we show unto the grand Majesty of God unto whom we speak ! how little remorse of our own miseries ! how little taste of the sweet influence of his tender mer- cies do we feel ! Are we not as unwilling many times to begin, and as glad to make an end, as if in saying, " Call upon me," he had set us a very bur- densome task .'' It may seem somewhat extreme which I will speak ; there- fore let every one judge of it, even as his own heart shall tell him, and no otherwise. I will but only make a demand : if God should yield unto us, not as unto Abraham, if fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, yea, or if ten good per- sons could be found in a city, for their sakes the city should not be de- stroyed ; but, and if he should make us an offer thus large : — Search all the generations of men, since the fall of our father Adam ; find one man that hath done one action which hath passed from him pure, without any stain or blemish at all ; and for that one man's action only, neither men nor angels shall feel the torments which are prepared for both : Do you think that this ransom to deliver men and angels could be found to be among the sons of men } The best things which we do, have somewhat in them to be par- doned ; how then can we do any thing meritorious, or worthy to be re- warded? Indeed, God doth liberally promise whatsoever appertaineth to a blessed life, to as many as sincerely keep his law, though they be not ex- actly able to keep it. Wherefore we acknowledge a dutiful necessity of do- ing well, but the meritorious dignity of doing well, we utterly renounce. We see how far we are from the perfect righteousness of the law ; the little fruit which we have in holiness, it is, God knoweth, corrupt and unsound : we put no confidence at all in it ; we challenge nothing in the world for it ; we dare not call God to reckoning, as if we had him in our debt-books. Our continual suit to him is, and must be, to beiir with our infirmities, and par- don our offences." I had no sooner read this passage, than I acquired such an insight intd the strictness and spirituality of the divine law, and the perfection which a just and holy God, according to that law, cannot but I'equire in all the ser- vices of his reasonable creatures; that I clearly perceived my very best duties, on which my main dependence had hitherto been placed, to be merely specious sins ; and my whole life appeared to be one continued series of 24 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. transgression. I now understood the apostle's meaninfi:, when he affirms, that " By the works of tlie law can no flesh be justified before God. All my difficulties in this matter vanished ; all my distinctions and reasoning's about the meaning of the words law wafL justification, with all my borrowed criticisms upon them, failed me at once. I could no longer be thus amused ; for I was convinced, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that all men were so notoriously transgressors of every law of God, that no man could possibly be justified in his sight by his obedience to any of the divine commandments. I was sensible that if God should call me into judgment before him, according to the strictness of his perfect law, for the best duty I ever performed, and for nothing else, I must be condemned as a transgressor ; for when weighed in these exact balances, it would be found wanting. Thus I was effectually convinced, that if ever I were saved, it must be in some way of unmerited mercy and grace, though I did not clearly understand in what way, till long after. Immediately, therefore, I took for my next text Gal. iii. 22. " But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise, by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe." And I preached from it according to Hooker's doctrine ; expressing, as strongly as I could, the defilements of our best actions, and our need of mercy in every thing we do ; in order the more evidently to shew that " salvation is of grace, through faith ; — not of works, lest any man should boast." I had not, however, as yet attained to a knowledge of the fulness of that fountain, whence all these polluted streams flow forth so plentifully into our lives and conversation. — Neither was I then able to receive the following nervous passage concerning justification : (Hooker, page 493) ; " The righteousness wherein we must be found, if we will be justified, is not our own ; therefore we cannot be justified by any inherent quality. Christ hath merited righteousness for as many as are found in him. In him God findeth us, if we be faithful ; for by faith we are incorporated into Christ. Then, although in ourselves we be altogether sinful and unrighteous, yet even the man which is impious in himself, full of iniquity, fuU of sin ; him, being found in Christ through faith, and having his sin remitted through repen- tance, him God beholdeth with a gracious eye, putteth away his sin by not imputing it ; taketh quite away the punishment due thereunto by pardoning it ; and accepteth him in Jesus Christ as perfectly righteous, as If he had fulfilled all that was commanded in the law. Shall I say, more perfectly righteous than if himself had fulfilled the whole law } I must take heed what I say ; but the apostle saith, " God made Him to he sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Such we are in the sight of God the Father, as is the very Son of God himself. Let it be counted folly, or frenzy, or fui-y, whatsoever, it is our comfort, and our wisdom ; we care for no knowledge in the world but this, that man hath sinned, and God hath suffered ; that God hath made himself the Son of man, and that men are made the righteousness of God." Equally determinate and expressive are these words (page 500) : " As for such as hold, with the Church of Rome, that we cannot be saved by Christ alone without works, they do, not only by a circle of consequence, but di- rectly, deny the foundation of faith ; they hold it not, no not so much as by a thread." If the Judicious Hooker's judgment may in this important con- cern be depended upon, (and I suppose it will not easily be proved erro- neous,) I fear the foundation of faith is held by only a small part of that Church which has honoured her champion with this distinction. Pages 508 and 509, he thus defends his doctrine against the objections of the Papists, (for at that time none but the Papists openly objected to it.) " It is a childish cavil wherewith, in the matter of justification, our adver- saries do so greatly please themselves, exclaiming that we tread all Christian virtues under our feet, and require nothing of Christians but faith ; because we teach that faith alone justifieth. Whereas, by this speech, we never meant to exclude either hope, or charity, from being always joined, as in- THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 25 separable mates with faitli in the man that is justified ; or works from being added, as necessary duties, required at the hands of every justified man : but to shew that faith is the only hand which putteth on Christ unto justifica- tion ; and Christ the only garment, which, being so put on, covereth the shame of our defiled natures, hideth the imperfections of our works, pre- serveth us blameless in the sight of God ; before whom, otherwise, the weak- ness of our faith were cause sufficient to make us culpable ; yea, to shut us out from the kingdom of heaven, where nothing that is not absolute can enter." Had I at this time met with such passages in the writings of the Dissenters, or in any of those modern publications which, under the brand of Metlwdis- tical, are condemned without reading, or j)erused with invincible prejudice, I should not have thought them worth regard, but should have rejected them as wild enthusiasm. But I knew that Hooker was deemed perfectly orthodox, and a standard-writer, by the prelates of the church in his own days. I learned from his dispirte with Mr Travers, that he was put upon his defence, for making concessions in this matter to the Cliurcli of Rome, which the zealous Protestants did not think warrantable ; and that he was judged by the more rigid, too lax in his doctrine, by none too rigid. I had never heard it insinuated that he was tinctured with enthusiasm ; and the solidity of his judgment, and the acuteness of his reasoning faculties, need no voucher to the attentive reader. His opinion, therefore, carried great weight with it ; made me suspect the truth of my former sentiments ; and put me upon serious inquiries and deep meditation on this subject, accom- panied with earnest prayers for the teaching and direction of the Lord on this important point. The result was, that after many objections and doubts, and much examination of the word of God, in a few months I began to ac- cede to Mr Hooker's sentiments. And at the present, my opinion, in this respect, as far as I know, coincides with these passages of this eminent au- thor, and is supported and vindicated by the same arguments : he, therefore, who would prove our doctrine of justification by faith alone to be an error, will do well to answer in the first place these quotations from Mr Hooker. Indeed, as far as I can understand him, there is scarcely any doctrine which, with no inconsiderable offence, I now preach, that is not evidently contained in his writings as in my sermons. Witness particularly his " Ser- mon of the certainty and perpetuity of faith in the elect ;" in which the doctrine of the final pei-severance of true believers, is expressly taught and scrip- turally maintained : and he closes it with this noble triumph of full assu- rance, as resulting from that comfortable doctrine in the hearts of confirmed and experienced Christians : " I know in whom I have believed " I am not ignorant whose precious blood has been shed for me ; I have a Shepherd full of kindness, full of care, and full of power : unto him I commit myself. His own finger hath engraven this sentence on the tables of my heart." " Satan hath desired to winnow thee as wheat, but I have prayed tliat thy faith fail not." " Therefore the assurance of my hope I will labour to keep as a jewel unto the end, and by labour, through the gracious mediation of his prayer, I shall keep it." (page 532.) — With such words in my mouth, and such assurance in my heart, I wish to live, and hope to die. The insertion of these quotations from this old author will, I hope, need no apology. Many have not his works, and these extracts are worthy of their perusal ; others, from these specimens, may be prevailed with to read, what perhaps hath hitherto been an unnoticed book in their studies. Es- pecially I recommend to those who admire him as the champion of the ex- ternal order and discipline of the church, and who willingly allow him the honour of being distinguished by the epithet Judicious, that they would at- tentively read, and impartially consider his doctrine. This would p0 an effectual stop to those declamations that, either ignorantly or maliciously, are made against the very doctrines, as novel inventions, which have just now been explained and defended in Mr Hooker's own words. For my p,-:rt, B 26 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. though I acknowledge that he advances many things I should he unwilling to subscribe^ yet I heartily bless God that at this time I read him : the first material alteration that took place in my views of the gospel, being in con- sequence of it. One more quotation I shall make, and so take my leave of him. Addres- sing himself (in his 2nd " Sei'mon on part of St Jude's Epistle,") to the pas- tors who are appointed to feed the chosen in Israel, he says (page 552,) " If there be any feeling of Christ, any drop of heavenly dew, or any spark of God's good Spirit within you, stir it up ; be careful to build and edify, first yourselves, and then your flocks in this most holy faith. I say, first yourselves ; for he who will set the hearts of other men on fire with the love of Clirist, must himself burn with love. It is want of faith in ourselves, my brethren, which makes us retchless (careless) in building others. We for- sake the Lord's inheritance, and feed it not. What is the reason of this ? Our own desires are settled where they should not be. We ourselves are like those women who have a longing to eat coals, and lime, and filth : we are fed, some with honour, some with ease, some with wealth : the gospel waxeth loathsome and unpleasant in our taste : how should we then have a eare to feed others with that, which we cannot fancy ourselves .'' If faith wax cold and slender in the heart of the prophet, it will soon perish from the ears of the people." It is not needful to add any reflections upon this pas- sage, every one will readily make them for himself: we are however re- minded of Solomon's words, (Eccl. L 9, 10.) " There is no new thing under the sun; is there any thing whereof it may be said. See, this is new.'' It hath been already of old time which was before us. (Eccl. iii. 15.) That which hath been, is now ; and that which is to be, hath already been." To my shame be it spoken, though I had twice subscribed the Articles, which allow the book of Homilies to be sound and wholesome doctrine, I had never yet seen them, and understood not what that doctrine was. But being at length engaged in a serious inquiry after truth, and Hooker's works having given me a more favourable opinion of these old authors, I was in- clined to examine them, and I read part of the book with some degree of attention. And though many things seemed hard sayings, that I could not receive ; yet others were made very useful to me, especially concerning jus- tification. In short, I perceived that the very doctrine which I had hitherto despised as Methodistical, was indisputably the standard-doctrine of the es- tablished Chui'ch, when the homilies were composed ; and consequently that it is so still ; for they have lost none of their authority, (however fallen into disrepute,) with those who subscribe the thirty-nine articles. This weakened my prejudice, though it did not prove the doctrine true. About this time a new and unexpected eflfect was produced by my preach- ing. I had hitherto been satisfied to see people regularly frequent the church, listen attentively to what was discoursed, and lead moral decent lives. The way in which I had been led was so smooth, and the progress I had made so gradual ; 1 had lately experienced so little distressing concern for my own soul, and had so little acquaintance with persons conversant in these matters ; that while I declared the strictness, spirituality, and sanc- tion of the law of God in an alarming manner, it never occurred to me that niy hearers might not proceed in the same easy gradual way. But I had scarcely begun this new method of preaching, when application was made to me by persons in great distress about their souls ; for, their consciences being awakened to a sense of their lost condition by nature and practice, they were anxious in inquiring what they must do to be saved. I knew not well what to say to them, my views being greatly clouded, and my senti- ments concerning justification very much perplexed: but being willijig to givj^theni the best counsel I could, I exhorted them in a general way to be- lieve in the Lord Jesus Clirist ; though I was incapable of instructing them either concerning the true nature of faith, or in what manner they were to seek it. However, I better understood my own meaning, when I advised THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 37 them to the study of the Scriptures, accompanied with prayer to God to be enabled rightly to understand tliem, and when I inculcated amendment of life. In this manner the Lord slowly brought them forward : and though, for want of a better instructor, they were a considerable time before they arrived at establishment in the faith ; yet some of them, having their minds less leavened with prejudice and the pride of reasoning, were more apt scholars in the school of Christ than I was, and got the start of me in the knowledge both of doctrine and duty ; and in their turns became, without intending it, in some respects monitors to me, and 1 derived important ad- T^ntage from them. This singular circumstance, of being an instrument in bringing others ear- nestly and successfully to inquire after salvation, while I so little understood the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, very much increased my perplexity. I be- came doubly earnest to know the truth, lest I should mislead those who con- fided their precious souls to me as their spiritual instructor. This added to my diligence in reading and meditating on the word of God ; and inade me more fervent in prayer to be guided to the knowledge of the truth. And under every difficulty, I constantly had recourse unto the Lord, to preserve me from ignorance and error, and to enable me to distinguish between the doctrines of his word, and the inventions and traditions of men. About this time I established a weekly Lecture for expounding the Scrip- tures in my other parish, by which I obtained further acquaintance with the various parts of the word of God. It was my general practice, in penning these Lectures, to search out all the texts referred to in the margin of the Bible, with such as I could recollect upon the subject, and to make use of them in explaining each other. This method enabled me to store my me- mory with the language of Scripture ; and made way for a greater exactness in discussing doctrinal subjects, than I had hitherto been acquainted with. In the course of the winter, 1777, I was engaged in deep meditation upon Luke xi. 9 — 13, concerning the Holy Spirit being given in answer to prayer. And at length, having made a collection of all the Scriptures I could meet with, which related to that important doctrine, diligently cemparing them together, and meditating upon them, and earnestly beseeching the Lord to fulfil the promise to my soul, I wrote two sermons upon the subject : — one from Luke xi. 13. " If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." The other from James i. 16, 17. " Do not err, my beloved brethren, every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and Cometh down from the Father of lights." By this, my views of a Chris- tian's privileges and duties in this respect, were much enlarged, and my re- quests were made known unto the Lord in a more full, exact, and believing manner, than before. Though I still remained very ignorant in many im- portant matters respecting the person, offices, and work of the Holy Spirit, yet I had discovered more of what was promised concerning him, and there- fore knew better what to ask. My obligations to Bishop Beveridge must here be acknowledged. When I first began to peruse his sermons, I conceived a mean opinion of him ; and it was some time before I could prevail with myself to examine any further into his writings : but being now more advanced in my inquiry after truth, those singularities which at first offended me became tolerable, and I began to relish the simplicity, spirituality, love of Christ, and affection for souls, ■which eminently shine forth in many parts of his works. Indeed, I received considerable instruction from him ; but especially his sermon on the real sa- tisfaction made by the death of Christ for the sins of believers, was the blessed means of clearing up my views, and confirming my faith, respecting that fun- damental doctrine of Christianity. On Good Friday, 1777, I preached a ser- mon upon that subject, from Isaiah liii. 6. " All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid [^hath caused to meet^ on him the iniquities of us all." I endeavoured to B2 28 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. prove, (what has ever since been the sole foundation of all my hopes,) that Christ indeed bore the sins of all who should ever truly believe, in all their guilt, condemnation, and deserved punishment, in his own body on the tree. I explicitly avowed my belief, that Christ, as our Surety and Bondsman, stood in our law-place, to answer all our obligations, and to satisfy divine justice and the demands of the law for our offences : and I publicly renounced, as erroneous and grievous perversions of Scripture, all my foi'mer explana- tions and interpretations of these subjects. This was the first doctrine in which I was clearly and fully brought to ac- knowledge the truth ; though I had, with no little earnestness, for two years been inquiring about it : — to so astonishing a degree was my blinded under- standing filled with prejudice against the doctrines of the word of God ! Hitherto they had been foolishness to me ; but now, under the divine teach- ing, I began, though veiy dimly, to discern the wisdom of God in them. I say dimit/ ; for I was still under many and great mistakes, and very ig- norant in many important points. I knew sin to be the transgression of the divine law ; but I did not perceive its odious deformity, as deliberate re- bellion against God's sovereign authority, and an express contradiction to his holy nature ; as charging God foolishly, with the want of either wisdom or goodness, in laying such restraints upon the inclinations of his creatures ; and as tending to overturn all subordination in the universe, and to intro- duce anarchy, confusion, and misery into the whole creation. I had dis- covered that my best actions were defiled ; but I understood not that this was the efiect of a depraved nature, and a polluted heart. The doctrine of Original Sin, as the fruitful root of these multiplied evils, was as yet no part of my creed. Inconsistently, I was an Avian, or a Clarkist, in my senti- ments concerning the person of Christ and the divinity of the Holy Ghost. Some faint conception I had formed of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in the soul : the beginnings of it I little understood : and I continued to entertain an implacable enmity to the doctrine of election, and the truths more intimately connected with it. But my faith was now fixed upon a crur cified Saviour, ^though I dishonoured his person and denied his Deity), and I had a sincere desire of being devoted to the Lord. He therefore in mercy accepted his own work in my heart, and pardoned all that was mine ; and at length extricated me from that labyrinth of perplexities and inconsistencies in which I was entangled. About this time, in the course of my lectures, our Lord's discourse with Nicodemus came again under my consideration. Notwithstanding much meditation and many prayers, I could not satisfy my mind about it. I was convinced some internal change must be implied in the expressions " born again," and " born of the Spirit ;" and, according to what I had expe- rienced, I endeavoured to explain it ; but I was still very confused in my views of that important subject, and had many doubts whether I were right or wrong in what I advanced. Hitherto, excepting Leland " On the Deistical Writers," I had not read any book written by a Dissenter, with the least degree of candour and at- tention ; but at this crisis I met with the first volume of Dr Evans' sermons, entitled, " The Christian Temper." I was induced to read it by the re- commendation of a friend; but, (such was my proud foolisli heart!) I opened it with great prejudice, because I understood that the author was a Dissenter. However, t'uis book came witli a blessing : for by perusing it, I at length perceived that fallen man, both body and soul, is indeed carnal and sold under sin ; that by nature, in every man living, the reasonable and immortal part is destitute of spirituality, immersed in matter, and, by a dis- honourable and miserable prostitution, given up " to make provision for the ilesh, to fulfil the lust thereof ;" and, that man must be renewed in the spi- rit of his mind, new created unto good works, born of the Spirit of God, made partaker of a new and divine nature, before he can possibly be made meet for, or adnoitted into the kingdom of God. In a very little time all THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 29 my difRculties about this matter vanished, and the truth became so exceed- ingly pLain and evident, that, until I had made the experiment, I could scarcely be persuaded, but that eveiy person who heard it rightly explained, must assent to it. This doctrine I have ever since invariably preached, with good effect, I trust, " in opening the eyes of sinners, and turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God." Acts xxvi. 28. ■WTien I had made this little progress in seeking the truth, my acquain- tance with Mr Newton was resumed. From the conclusion of our corres- pondence in December 1775, till Ap7-il 1777, it had been almost wholly dropped. To speak plainly, I did not care for his company ; I did not mean to make any use of him as an instructor ; and I was unwilling the world should think us in any way connected. But under discouraging cii'- cumstances, I had occasion to call upon him ; and his discourse so comforted and edified me, that my heart, being by his means relieved from its burden, became susceptible of affection for him. From that time I was inwardly pleased to have him for my friend, though not as now rejoiced to call him so. I had, however, even at that time, no thoughts of learning doctrinal truth from him, and was ashamed to be detected in his company : but I sometimes stole away to spend an hour with him. About the same period, I once heard him preach ; but still it was foolishness to me, his sermon being prin- cipally upon the believer's experience, in some particulars with which I was unacquainted : so that though I loved and valued him, I considered him as a person misled by enthusiastical notions, and strenuously insisted that we should never think alike, till we met in heaven. All silong in the progress of this inquiry, I grew more and more con- cerned about my character. I saw myself continually verging nearer and nearer to that scheme of doctrine which the world calls Metlwdism ; nor could I help it without doing violence to my convictions. I had indeed set out with the avowed, and I trust sincere, resolution of seeking the truth as impartially as possible ; and of embracing it wherever I might find it, with- out respect to interest, reputation, or any worldly consideration whatever. I had taken patiently, and sustained comfortably, the loss of my opening prospect of preferment, I trust mainly from the supports of grace, and the consciousness of having acted with integrity ; yet I am not sure but my de- ceitful heart might also derive some support from a vain imagination that my character would be no loser. Ambitious thirst after the praise of men was much more my peculiar corruption than covetousness ; and I had been in no ordinary degree proud of my natural understanding. I had been ac- customed to hear the people called Methodists mentioned with contempt, as ignorant and deluded, as fools, and sometimes as madmen ; and that with no small degree of complacency and self-preference, 1 too had despised them as weak enthusiasts. But I now began to be apprehensive that the tables were about to be turned upon me. If I professed and taught these doctrines, I must no longer be considered as a man of sober understanding, I but as one of those persons whose heads, being naturally weak, had been turned by religious studies ; and who, having fallen under the power of en- thusiasm, had become no better than fools or madmen. This was tte sharpest trial I passed through : for I had not yet learned, that " when we are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are we." Nor did I remember, with due consideration of the reasons assignable for so ex- traordinary a circumstance, that the apostles were " fools for Christ's sake ;" were deemed " beside themselves ;" and went " through evil report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true ;" that they were " every where spoken against," as " the men that turned the world upside down were treated as vain babblers," and " accounted the filth of the world, and the I ofiFscOuring of all things." I did not consider that Jesus himself, the " bright- I ness of the Fatlier's glory," the " Word and Wisdom of God," who " went i about doing good," and " spake as never man spake," was not only rejected, B3 30 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. but despised as not worth hearing, as '•' one that had a devil," as in leagfue" with the devil, as " a blasphemer," '•' a Samaritan," " a madman," yea, "a de^ol." I read, indeed, but my understanding was not j-et opened to under- stand such plain Scriptures as these : " Ii ye were of the world, the world would love his own ; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen YOU out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you : The servant is not greater than his Lord ; if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (John xv. 19, 28.) " The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of the household?" (Matth. x. 24, 25.) " Blessed are ye when men shaU revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven ; for so persecuted they the prophets that were be- fore you." Matth. v. 11, 12.) Not being aware of these consequences when my resolution was first formed, I was as one who has begun to build with- out counting the cost ; and was greatly disturbed when I saw the favourite idol of my proud heart, my character, in such imminent danger. It must be supposed that this apprehension would make me cautious what doctrines I admitted into my creed ; and, unwilling to be convinced that those things were true and important, the profession of which was sure to bring infamy on my character ; and that even after the fullest conviction, I should thus be rendered very careful in what manner I preached them. In general, however, though the conflict was sharp, I was enabled to be faith- ful. The words " Necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is me if I preach not the gospel,'' were commonly upon my mind when 1 penned my sermon, and when I entered the pulpit : and though, when a bold declaration of what I believed to be the truth, with an offensive application of it to the con- sciences of my hearers, drew opposition and calumny upon me, I have se- cretly resolved to be more circumspect the next time ; yet, when that time came, my heart and conscience being both engaged, I dared not to conceal one tittle of what appeared to me to be true, and to promise usefulness. But while, with perturbation of mind, and with many disquieting apprehen- sions, I declared the message with which I supposed myself to be intrusted ; to screen myself from the charge of Methodism, and to soften the offence, I was frequently tlirowing out slishting expressions, and bringing the charge of enthusiasm against those who preached such doctrines as I was not yet convinced of. On the other hand, my concern about my character quick- ened me very much in prayer, and increased my diligence in searching the Scriptures, that I might be sure I was not, at this expense, preaching " cun- ningly devised fables," instead of feeding the souls committed to my care with the unadulterated milk of evangelical truth. In this state of mind, which is more easQy understood by experience than description, I met with Mr Venn's Essay on the prophecy of Zccharias, (Luke i. 67 — 79.) 1 was no stranger to the character he bore in the eyes of the world, and did not begin to read this book with great alacrity or expecta- tion : however, the interesting subjects treated of engaged my attention, and I read it with great seriousness, and some degree of impartiality. I disap- proved indeed of many things ; but the truth and importance of others brought conviction both to my understanding and conscience : especially, I found a word in season, respecting my foolish and wicked shame and attention to character, in inquiring after divine truth, and in the performance of the im- portant duties of a gospel- minister. These solemn words in particular came home to my heart : " If the spirit of the world, pride, carelessness respect- ing the soiil, and neglect of Christ, be not hateful to God and destructive to men, the gospel (with reverence I speak it) is an imposition. Do you abhor that thought as blasphemy ? Abhor as much a fawning upon Christ from year to year in your closet, calling liim there your Lord and God, and then coming out to consult the world how far they will allow you to obey his plain THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 31 commands, without saying you are a Methodist. Cease rather to profess any allegiance to Christ, than treat him, under professions of duty, with such contempt. " I would," said he to the Church of Laodicea, " thou wert cold or hot ;" but " because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will' spue thee out of my mouth." (Page 85.) I should as easily be convinced that there was no Holy Ghost, as that he was not present with my soul when I read this passage, and the whole of what Mr Venn has written upon the subject. It came to my heart with such evidence, conviction, and demonstration, that it lifted me up above the world, and produced that victory which faith alone can give, and that liberty which uniformly attends the presence of the Spirit of the Lord. I became at once ashamed of my base ingratitude and foolish fears, and was filled with such consolation and rejoicing, even in the prospect of sacrificing my character, and running the risk of infamy and contempt, as made me entirely satisfied on that head : and, some few seasons of unbelief excepted, I have never since been much troubled about being called an Enthusiast or a Metliodist. But while I was thus delivered from the dread of unmerited reproaches, I continued as much as ever afraid of real enthusiasm ; nay, I became continu- ally more and more averse to every thing which can justly bear that name : so that the nearer I vei'ged to what I had ignorantly supposed to be enthu- siastical, the more apprehensive I was, lest my earnestness in such interest- ing inquiries, and the warmth of my natural spirits, thus occasionally in- creased, should put me off my guard, and betray me into delusions and mis- takes. From this danger I could however obtain no security, but by keei>- ing close to the study of the word of God ; and by being earnest and par- ticular in praying to be preserved from error, and to be enabled to distinguish between the pure revelations of the Holy Spirit contained in Scripture, and the inventions of men, the imaginations of my own heart, or the delusions of the spirit of lies. The Doctrine of a Trinity of co-equal persons in the Unity of the God- head had been hitherto no part of my creed. I had long been accus- tomed to despise this great mystery of godliness. I had first quarrelled with the articles of the established Church about this doctrine : I had beea very decided and open in my declarations against it ; and my unhumbled reason still retained many objections to it. But about June 1777, I began to be troubled with doubts about my own sentiments, and to suspect the truth of Dr Clarke's hypothesis. I had just read Mr Lindsey's Apology and Sequel. — Before I saw these tracts, I had even ridiculed those who thought of confuting him on the orthodox scheme, and was not without thoughts of maintaining Dr Clarke's system against him. But when I understood that lie claimed Dr Clarke as a Socinian, I was extremely surprised, and, in conse- quence, was led again to a more serious and anxious consideration of the sub- ject. Yet, the more I studied, the more I was dissatisfied. Many things now first occurred to me as strong objections against my own sentiments ; and, be- ing thus perplexed, and unable to form a scheme for myself, I easily perceived that I was not qualified to dispute with another person. My pride and my convictions strugy:led hard for the victory : I was very unwilling to become a Trinitarian in the strict sense of the word, though, in my own sense, I had for some time pretended to be one ; and yet the more I considered it, the more I was dissatisfied with all other systems. My esteem for Mr Newton was also now very much increased ; and though I had hitherto concealed this part of my sentiments from him, yet I knew his to be very diflferent. I was not indeed willing to be taught by him in other matters : yet, in this re- spect, finding his opinion the same which in all former ages of the Church hafh been accounted orthodox, while that which I held had always been branded as heretical ; my fears of a mistake were thus exceedingly increased. In this perplexity I applied to the Lord, and frequently besought him to lead me to a settled conclusion what was the truth in this important subject. After much meditation, together with a careful examination of all the Scriptures 32 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. which 1 then understood to relate to it, accompanied with earnest prayer for divine teaching, I was at length constrained to renounce, as utterly indefensible, all my former sentiments, and to accede to that doctrine which I had so long despised. I saw, and I could no longer help seeing, that the offices and works, attributed in Scripture to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, are such as none but the infinite God could perform : that it is a contradiction to believe the real, and consequently infinite, satisfac- tion to divine justice made by the death of Christ, without believing him to be " very God of very God :" nor could the Holy Ghost give spiritual life, and dwell in the hearts of aU believers at the same time, to adapt his work of convincing, enlightening, teaching, strengthening, sanctifying, and com- forting to the several cases of everv individual, were he not the omniscient, omnipresent, infinite God. Being likewise certain, from reason as well as from Scripture, that there is not, and cannot be more Gods than one ; I was driven from my reasonings, and constrained to submit my undei'standing to divine revelation ; and, allowing that the incomprehensible God alone can fully know the unsearchable mysteries of his own divine nature, and the manner of his own existence, to adopt the doctrine of a " Trinity in Unity," among other reasons of still greater moment, in order to preserve consistency in my own scheme. It was, however, a considerable time before I was disentangled from my embarrassments on this subject. Hitherto my prejudices against Mr Hervey, as a writer upon doctrinal sub- jects, had been very strong. I thought liim a very pious man, and I had read with pleasure some parts of his Meditations ; yet, looking on him as an en- thusiast, I had no curiosity to read any other of his writings. But, about July, nn, I providentially met with his Theron and Aspasio ; and, opening the book, I was much pleased with the first passage on which I cast my eye. This engaged me to read the whole with uncommon attention : nor did I, in twice perusing it, meet with any thing contrary to my own senti- ments, without immediately beseeching the Lord to guide me to the truth ; I trust the Lord heard and answered these prayers ; for, though I could not but dissent from him (as I still do) in some few things ; yet I was both instructed and convinced by his arguments and illustrations in every thing relative to our fallen, guilty, lost, and helplessly miserable state by nature ; and the way and manner in which the believer is accounted, and accepted as righteous, in the presence of a just, holy, and heart-searching, a faithful and unchangeable God : especially his animated description and application of the stag-chase, cleared up this important matter to my mind, more than any thing I had hitherto met with upon the subject. i had now acceded to most of the doctrines which at present I believe and preach ; except the doctrine of personal election, and those tenets which im- mediately depend on it, and are connected with it. These were still fool- ishness to me : and, so late as August, 1777, I told my friend Mr N. that I was sure I never should be of his sentiments on that head. To this he an- swered, that if I never mentioned this subject, he never should, as we were now agreed in all he judged absolutely needful; but, that he had not the least doubt of my very shortly becoming a Cahnnist, as I should presently discover my system of doctrine to be otherwise incomplete, and inconsistent with itself. Indeed, I had by this time so repeatedly discovered myself to be mistaken where I had been very confident, that I began to suspect my- self in every thing, in which I entertained sentiments different from tliose with whom I conversed. This, however, did not influence me to take their opinions upon trust : but it disposed me more particularly and attentively to consider them ; and in every perplexity to have recourse to the Lor(^ to be preserved from error, and guided to the truth. About the same time also, I began to have more frequent applications made to me by persons under deep concern for their souls. My heart was much interested in this new employment ; as I was greatly concerned to see their pressing anxieties, and to hear their doubts, difficulties, and objections THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 33 Rgainat themselves : and, being sincerely desirous to give them good instruc- tion, and to lead them on to establishment and comfort, I felt my deficiency, and seemed to have no ground to go on, nor any counsel to give them, but what, instead of relieving them, led them into greater perplexity. In this case, I earnestly besought the Lord to teach me what word in season to speak unto them. While I was thus circumstanced, I read Witsius' Economy of the Covenants, and observed what use he made of the doctrine of election for this very pur- pose. This convinced me that the doctrine, if true, would afford that ground of encouragement which the people wanted. They had been awakened from ignorant formality, open ungodliness and vice, or entire carelessness about religion, to an earnest and anxious inquiry after salvation ; they appeared truly penitent, and real believers, and heartUy desirous of cleaving unto the Lord ; and they wanted some security that they should not, through the deceitfulness of their hearts, their weakness, the entanglements of the world, and the temptations of Satan, fall back again into their former course of sin. This, if genuine, was the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit : and if wrought in consequence of the determinate purpose and foreknowledge of God respecting them, it would follow, from the entire and undeserved free- ness of this first gift bestowed on them, when neither desiring nor seeking it, but while in a state of enmity and rebellion against God, and neglect of his service, and from his unchangeableness in his purpose, and faithfulness to his promises, that he would assuredly carry on and complete the good work of his grace, and keep them by his power, as in a castle, through faith unto salvation. Having now discovered one use of this doctrine, which before I objected to as useless and pernicious, I was led to consider how the other objections which I had been accustomed to urge against it, might be answered. It is true, I now began to consider it as a mysteri^, not to be comprehended, nor yet too curiously to be searched into by man s natural reason ; but humbly received by faith, just as far as it is plainly revealed in God's unerring word. I was therefore constrained to leave many objections unanswered, or to re- solve them into the incomprehensible nature of God, whose judgments and counsels are, as the great deep, unfathomable ; and into the sovereignty of God, who doeth what he will with his own, and gives no account of any of his matters, let who will presume to find fault ; and into his declarations, that his thoughts and ways are as far above our thoughts and ways, as the heavens are above the earth. Here I left the matter, conscious, at length, that such knowledge was too high for me : and that, if God had said it, it was not my place to cavil against it. I acknowledge this way of proceeding is not very satisfactory to man's proud curiosity, who would be as God, and know all that God knows ; and who even dares to dispute with him ! and there are times when I can hardly acquiesce in such a solution. But surely it is highly becoming the dependent state and limited understanding of the creature, to submit the decision of all such high points implicitly to the award of the infinitely wise Creator. Indeed, the Christian religion expressly re- quires it of us ; for our Lord declares, that " Except we receive the king- dom of God" (not as disputing philosophers, but) " as a little child, we shall in no wise enter therein." The day is coming when we shall be able to an- swer all objections. Here " we walk by faith," " and see in part, through a glass, darkly ;" " hereafter we shall see face to face, and know even as we are known."* • The doctrine ot personal election to eternal life, when properly slated, Kes oppn to no objection, which may not hkewise, with equal plausibility, be urged against the conduct of God in placint; one na- tion in a more favourable condition than another, especially as to religious advantages ;— without the previous good or bad behaviour of either of them, or any ilhccrniblc reasons for the preference. In both cases we may say. Unmerited favour to one person or peo|)le, is no injustice to others ; and the in- finitely wise God hath many reasons for his determinations, which we cannot discern, and which he deigns not to make known to us. If sinners deserve the ponisliment inflicted on them, it cannot be unjust in the great Governor of the world to pre-determine their conderanatioB (o it. The cootrariety to justice and goodness, if there be 34> THE FORCE OF TRUTH. Leaving therefore all difficulties of a metaphysical nature to be cleared up in that world of liglit and knowledge, I began to consider the abuses of this doctrine, which I had always looked upon as a very formidable objection against it. But I soon discovered, that though ungodly men, who make profession of religion, will turn the grace of God into licentiousness ; yet we might so explain and guard these doctrines, that none could thus abuse them, without being conscious of it, and so detecting their own hypocrisy. It stUl indeed appeared probable to me, that the preaching of them might at first occasion some trouble of mind to a few well-disposed persons : but I con- sidered, that by a cautious declaration, and contrasting them with the gene- ral promises of the Gospel to all who believe, this might in a great measure be prevented ; at the worst, a little personal conversation with such persons, would seldom, if ever, fail to satisfy them, and enable them in general to derive encouragement from them : while the unsettling of the minds of such persons as are carelessly living in an unconverted state, is the great end of all our preaching to them ; and therefore we need not fear any bad effect of this doctrine in that respect. The great question therefore was. Are these doctrines in the Bible, or not ? Hitherto I had wilfully passed over or ne- glected, or endeavoured to put some other construction upon all those parts of Scripture which directly speak of them : but now I began to consider^ meditate, and pray over them ; and I soon found that I could not support my former interpretations. They would teach Predestination, Election, and Final Perseverance, in spite of all my twisting and expounding. It also oc- curred to me, that these doctrines, though now in disgrace, were universally belie\'ed and maintained by our venerable reformers ; that they were adniit- ted, at the beginning of the reformation, into the creeds, catechisms, or ar- ticles, of every one of the Protestant churches ; that our articles and homilies expressly maintained them ; and consequently that a vast number of wise and sober-minded men, who in their days were burning and shining lights, had upon mature deliberation, agreed, not only that they were true, but that they ought to be admitted as useful, or even as necessary articles of faith, by every one who deemed himself called to take upon him the office of a Chris- tian minister. any, must certainly be fonnd in the lord's actual dealings with his creatures, and not in his pre-dcter. minations thus to deal with them. It could not be inconsistent with any of the divine attributes, for the Ix>rd from all eternity to decree to act consistently with all of them. The clamours excited against pre- destination, if carefully scrutinized, are generally found to be against the thing decreed, and not ag.iinst the circumstance of its having been decreed from eternity. The sovereignty of God, when duly con- sidered, appears to be nothing more than infinite perfection determining and accomplishing every thing in the very best manner possible; and infallibly performing the counsels of everlasting knowledge and wisdom, justice, truth, and love ; notwithstanding all the plans and designs of innumerable voluntary rational agents which might se3m incompatible with them: nay, performing those counsels even by means of these voluntary agents, in perfect consistency with their free agency and unaccountableness ; but in a manner which we are utterly incapable of comprehending. We should scarcely object to this infinitely wise and holy sovereignty of God, however absolute, did we not, from consciousness of guilt and carnal enmity of heart, suspect that it might proljably be found at variance with our happiness : and, I apprehend, should any man be fully persuaded that God had de- creed his eternal happiness, however groundless that persuasion might be, he would find his aversion to the doctrine of election exceedingly abated by it. 1 have often observed that some persons, who de- claim most vehemently against the Calvinistical doctrine of divine decrees, seem perfectly reconciled to predestination, when persuaded that God hath eternally decreed the salvation qf all men ! On the other hand, no consciously impenitent sinner is cordially reconciled to the general declarations of Scripture, concerning the everlasting misery of all impenitent sinners", whatever he may think about personal election. In fact, the grand difficulty in the whole of the divine conduct, equally emharrasses every system of Christianity, and every scheme of Deism, except men deny that God is the Creator and Governor of the world. For wickedness and misery actually exist and abound ; the fact is undeniable : the Al- mighty God could have prevented this ; and we should have thought that infinite love would have pre- served the creation from all evils of every description. Yet infinite Wisdom saw good to permit them to enter, and amazingly to prevail ! TiU this difficulty be completely solved, let none object to truths plainly revealed in Scripture, on account of similar difficulties. But let us remember, that our narrow capacities, and scanty information, do not qualify us to judge concerning what it becomes the infinite God to determine and to do ; and let us adopt the language of the apostle on this subject. — " Oh ! the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? Or who hath been his counsellor ? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again ? For of him, and thr»ueh him, and to him are all things ; to whom be glory for ever. Amen 1" Rom. xi. 33 — 36. As for tne objections made to these doctrines, as i.iconsistent with free agency, accountableness, com- mands, invitations, calls to repentance, faith and holiness, and diligence in the use of the means, they universally and altogether arise from misrepresentation and misapprehension of the subject— Sec the Author's Sermon on Election and Final Perseverence, ijc. THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 35 In the course of this inquiry, I perceived that my system was incomplete without them. I believed thjvt men, by nature born in sin, the children of wrath, and by wicked works the enemies of God, being in themselves un- godly and without strength, were saved of free mercy and grace, without having done any thing, more or less, to deserve it, through the Redeemer's righteousness and atonement, received by faith, the gift and operation of God ; as born again, born of God, or new created unto good works, and to the divine image, by the power of the Holy Ghost. It now, therefore, oc- curred to me to inquire, from what source these precious blessings, thus freely flowing through the channel of redemption, to poor worthless sinners, could originally spring .'' And thus my mind was carried back from the considera- tion of the effects, to that of the cause ; and from the promises made to fallen man, to the counsels and purposes of God which induced him to give those promises. I was engaged in frequent meditations on the divine omniscience, unchangeableness, and eternity ; and the end which the all-sufficient God had in view in all his works, even the manifestation of the glory of his own perfections ; and perceived that redemption itself, as planned by God, to whom were " known all his works from the beginning of the world," must be the result of his eternal purpose of displaying the glory of his mercy and grace, in harmonious consistency with his most awful justice and holiness ; and thus manifesting the inexhaustible resources of his manifold wisdom, in glorifying at once aU these attributes which, considered as perfect, seem to created understanding irreconcUeable to each other. I considered that, un- til the fall of man and his redemption had manifested the attribute of mercy to sinners, it had, as far as we can learn, been unexercised and undisplayed, and consequently unknown to any but God himself, from all eternity ; nor could he have the glory of it, but must have been considered as so perfect in justice and holiness, as to be incapble of mercy, had he not chosen some objects on whom to exercise it, and devised some method of displaying it in consistency with his other perfections. Thus I perceived redemption to be the effect of a settled design, formed in God's eternal counsels, of manifest- ing himself to his reasonable creatures, complete and fuU orbed in all con- ceivable perfections. But as all have transgressed the divine law, and as none are disposed of themselves to embrace his humbling and holy Salvation, or even to inquire after it ; so I was convinced that the merciful and gra- cious nature of God, the fountain of goodness, alone moved him to choose any of them as objects of his favourable regard ; that his unconstrained will and pleasure are the only assignable causes of his choosing one rather than another ; and that in fact the whole work was his own ; his wisdom having devised the means ; his love and all-sufficiency having, in the person, offices, and work of Christ, made all things ready ; his providence directing absolutely to whom the word of invitation shall be sent ; and his Holy Spirit alone in- clining and enabling the soul to embrace it by faith. Hence I concluded that God, who knoweth the end from the beginning, and is a Sovereign, and, when none have deserved ahy thing, may do as he will with his own, actually chose us," (even every individual believer,) " in Christ, before the foun- dation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love ; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will : to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Eph. i. 4—6.) In short, though my objections were many, my anxiety great, and my re- sistance long, yet by the evidence which, both from the word of God and from my own meditation, crowded upon my mind, I was at length constrained to submit ; and, God knoweth, with fear and trembling, to allow these for- merly despised doctrines a place in ray creed. Accordingly, about Christmas, 1777, I began cautiously to establish the truth of them, and to make use of them for the consolation of poor distressed and fearful believers. This was the only use I then knew of them, though I now see their influence on every part of evangelical truth. 36 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. However, I would observe that, though I assuredly believe these doo triEes as far as here expressed, (for I am not willing to trace them any higher, by reasonings or consequences, into the unrevealed things of God,) and though I exceedingly need them in my view of religion, both for my own consolation, and security against the consequences of a deceitful heart, an ensnaring world, and a subtle temper, as also for the due exercise of my pastoral office : yet I would not be understood to place the acknowledgment of them upon a level with the belief of the doctrines before spoken of. I can readily conceive the character of a humble, pious, spiritual Christian, who is either an utter stranger to the doctrines in question, or who, through mis- apprehension or fear of consequences, cannot receive them. But I own I find a difficulty Ln conceiving of a humble, pious, spiritual Christian, who is a stranger to his own utterly lost condition, to the deceitfulness and depravity of his heart, to the natural alienation of his affections from God, and to the defilements of his best duties ; who trusts, either in whole or in part, allowedly, to any thing for pardon and justification, except the blood and righteousness of a crucified Saviour, God manifested in tlie flesh ; or who expects to be made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light, in any other way than by being born again, created auew, converted and sanctified by the divine power of the Holy Ghost. Some time in November, 1777, I was, by a then unknown friend, furnished with a considerable number of books, written in general by the old divines, both of tlie Church of England and of the Dissenters. And, to my no small surprise, I found that those doctrines which are now deemed novel inven- tions, and are called Methodistical, are in these books every where discoursed of as known and allowed truths ; and that the system which, despising to be taught by men, and unacquainted with such authors, I had for near three years together been fiammering out for myself, with no small labour and anxiety, was to be found ready made to my hand in every book I opened. I do not wonder that the members of the Church of England are generally prejudiced against the writings of Dissenters ; for I have been so myself t» an excessive degree. We imbibe this prejudice with the first rudiments of instruction, and are taught by our whole education to consider it as meri- torious : though no doubt it is a prejudice of which every sincere inquirer after truth ought to be afraid, and every pretended inquirer ashamed ; for how can we determine on which side truth lies, if we will not examine both sides ? Indeed, it is well known to all those who are acquainted with the church-histories of those times, that till the reign of James I. there were no controversies between the established Church and the Puritans, concerning doctrine ; — both parties being in all matters of importance of the same sen- timents : they contended only about discipline and ceremonies, till the intro- duction of Arminianism gave occasion to the Calvinists being denominated Doctrinal Puritans. To this period all our church-writers were Calvinisticol in doctrine ; and even after that time many might be mentioned, who were allowed friends to the Church of England, that opposed those innovations, and agi'eed in doctrine with every thing above stated. Let it suffice, out of many, to recommend the works of Bishop HaU, especially his Contemplations on the Life of Jesus, a book not easily to be prized too highly ; and Dr Rey- nold's works. To these no true friend to the Church of England can rea- sonably object, and in general, I believe and teach nothing but what they plainly taught before me. The outlines of my scheme of doctrine were now completed ; but I had been so taken up with doctrinal inquiries, that I was still, in a great measure, a stranger to my own heart, and had little experience of the power of the truths I had embraced. The pride of reasoning, and the conceit of superior dis- cernment, had all along accompanied me ; and, though somewhat broken, had yet considerable influence. Hitherto, therefore, I had not thought of hearing any person preach ; because I did not think any one, in the circle of my acquaintance, capable of giving me such information as I wanted. But, THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 37 being at length convinced that Mr N. had been right, and that I had been mistaken in the several particxilars in which we had diifered, it occurred to me that, having preached these doctrines so long, he must understand many- things concerning them to which I was a stranger. Now, therefore, though not without much remaining prejudice, and not less in the character of a judge than of a scholar, I condescended to be his hearer, and occasionally to attend his preaching, and that of some other ministers : — and I soon per- ceived the benefit ; for from time to time the secrets of my heart were dis- covered to me, far beyond what I had hitherto noticed ; and I seldom re- turned from hearing a sermon without having conceived a meaner opinion of myself; without having attained to a fui-ther acquaintance with my defi- ciences, weaknesses, corruptions and wants ; or without being supplied with fresh matter for prayer, and directed to greater watchfulness. I likewise learned the use of experience in preaching, and was convinced that the rea- diest way to reach the hearts and consciences of others, was to speak from my own. In shoft, I gradually saw more and more my need of instruction, and was at length brought to consider myself as a very novice in religious matters. Thus I began experimentally to perceive our Lord's meaning, when he says, " Except ye receive the kingdom of God as a little child, ye shall in no wise enter therein." For though my proud heart is continually re- belling, and would fain build up again the former Babel of self-conceit, yet I trust I have from this time, in my settled judgment, aimed and prayed to be enabled to consider myself as a little child, who ought simply to sit at the Master's feet, to hear his words with profound submission, and wait his teach- ing with earnest desire and patient attention. From this time 1 have been enabled to consider those persons, in whom knowledge has been ripened by years, experience and observation, as fathers and instructors, to take plea- sure in their company, to value their counsels, and with pleasure to attend their ministry. Thus, I trust, the old building which I had purposed to repair, was pulled down to the ground, and the foundation of the new building of God laid aright : " Old things passed away, behold all things were become new." " What things were gain to me, those I have counted loss for Christ." My boasted reason I have discovered to be a blind guide, until humbled, en- lightened, and sanctified by the Spirit of God : my former wisdom, foolish- ness : and that when I thought I knew much, I knew nothing as I ought to know. Since this period, every thing I have experienced, heard, or read, and every thing I observe around me, confirms and establishes me in the assured belief of those truths which I have received ; nor do I in general any more doubt whether they be from God, than I doubt whether the sun shines, when I see its light, and am warmed with its refreshing beams. I see the powerful effects of them continually among those to whom I preach ; I experience the power of them daily in my own soul ; and, while by medi- tating on and " glorying in the cross of Christ, I find the world crucified unto me, and I unto the world," — by preaching Jesus Christ and him cru- cified, I see notoriously immoral persons " taught by the saving grace of God to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world," being examples to such as before they were a scandal to. And now, by this change, the consequences of which I so much dreaded, what have I lost, even in respect of this present world ? — Indeed, I have lost some degree of favour, and I escape not pity, censure, scorn, and oppo- sition : but th» Lord is introducing me to a new and far more desirable ac- quaintance ; even to that of those whom the Holy Spirit hath denominated the excellent of the earth ; nay, the Lord the Spirit condescends to be my Com- forter. In general, I enjoy an established peace of conscience, through the blood of sprinkling, and continual application to the heavenly Advocate ; with a sweet content, and " that peace of conscience which passeth all un- derstanding," in " casting all my cares upon him who careth for me :" and 38 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. I am not left utterly without experience of that " joy which is unspeakable^ and full of glory." These the world could not give me, were I in favour with it ; of these it cannot deprive me by its frowns. My desire henceforth, God knoweth, is to live to his glory, and by my whole conduct and conver- sation " to adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour," and " to shew forth his praises, who hath called me out of darkness into his marvellous light to be in some way or other useful to his believing people, and to invite poor sinners who " are walking in a vain show, and disquieting themselves in vain," to " taste and see how gracious the Lord is, and how blessed they are who put their trust in him. — " " Now would I tell to sinners round, " What a dear Saviour 1 have found, «• Would point to his redeeming blood, " And cry. Behold the way to God !" Thus hath the Lord led me, a poor blind sinner, in a way that I knew not ; — " he hath made darkness light before me, crooked things straight," and hard things easy, and hath brought me to a place of which I little thought when I set out ; and having done these things for me, I believe, yea, I am undoubtedly sure, he will never leave me nor forsake me. To him be the glory of his undeserved and long-resisted grace : to me be the shame, not only of all my other sins, but also of my proud and perverse opposition to his purposes of love towards me. But all this was permitted, that my high spirit and proud heart being at length humbled and subdued, " I might re- member, and be confounded, and never open my mouth any more, because of my shame, now that the Lord is pacified to me for all that I have done." And now, as in the presence of the heart-searching Judge, I have given, without one wilful misrepresentation, addition, or material omission, an his- tory of the great things God hath done for my soul ; or if that suit not the reader's view of it, a history of that change which hath recently taken place in my religious sentiments and conduct, to the surprise of some, and perhaps the displeasure of others, among my former friends. The doctrines I have embraced are indeed charged with being destructive of moral practice, and tending to licentiousness : but though I know that my best righteousness' are as filthy rags, yet I trust I may return thanks to God, that by his grace he hath so upheld me since this change took place, that I have not been permitted to disgrace the cause in which I have embarked, by any immoral conduct: " My rejoicing," in this respect, '•' is this, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God I have my conversation in the world." I can confidently avow, that the belief of these doctrines hath a quite contrary efi'ect upon me. I most earnestly desire, aim, endeavour, and pray to be enabled to love God, and keep his conunandments, without partiality and without hypocrisy ;" and so to demean myself as by " well- doing, to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." That I fall so very far short in every thing, is not tlie effect of my new doctrines, but of my old depraved nature and deceitful heart. — " Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me !" PART THIRD. Observations on the Preceding Narrative. My design in writing this account of myself, and my religious inquiries and change of sentiments, was this : I considered myself as a singular instance of a very unlikely person, in an uncommon manner, being led on from one thing to another, to embrace a system of doctrine which he once heartily de- THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 39 spised. As I assuredly believ e that this change hath been effected under the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit, so I hoped that a circumstantial re- lation of it might be an encouragement and comfort to those wlio know and love the Lord, and from them levy a tribute of gratitude and praise to our gracious God : and that it also might be instrumental, by the convincing Spirit, to awaken others to a serious review of their religious sentiments ; to put them upon the same earnest inquiry after the truth as it is in Jesus ; and to influence them to the diligent use of the same blessed means, in which the Lord directed me to be found. I would therefore now offer a few observa- tions on the preceding Narrati ve : and may the Lord guide both the writer, and every reader of these pages, to the saving knowledge of the truth, and into the ways of peace and righteousness. I. It must be evident to every unprejudiced reader of this Narrative, that at the time this change commenced, I was, humanly speaking, a most un- likely person to embrace the system of doctrine above stated. — This will ap- pear from the following considerations : — 1. My religious opinions had been for many years directly contrary to it. Being always of a reflecting turn of mind, I entertained exceedingly high notions of the power of human reason ; and I had, upon reasoning principles, embraced a system of religion, which both soothed my conscience and flat- tered my self-conceit. After some trivial alterations, I seemed to myself, upon mature deliberation, to have come to a settled determination, and had bestowed considerable pains in making myself acquainted with those argu- ments and interpretations of Scripture, by which that system is usually de- fended : and I had ranked together many of those plausible objections and high charges, which are commonly brought by reasoning men against the doctrines and characters of the Calvinists. But I was in a great measure a stranger to what the Calvinists could say for themselves ; because I thought the matter too plain to bear an argument, and therefore did not think their answers worth reading. In short, very few have been recovered from that abyss of error, (for so I must call it,) into which I had been permitted to sink. Full of confidence in my cause, and in the arguments with which I was prepared to support it, I was eager to engage in controversy with the Calvinists, and entertained the most sanguine hopes of victory. In this con- fidence I frequently harangued against them from the pulpit, and spared not to charge upon them consequences both absurd and shocking. Yet, af- ter much, very much, anxious diligent inquiry, I have embraced, as the sa- cred truths of God's unerring word, every doctrine of this despised system ! 2. My natural spirit and temper were very unfavourable to such a change. Few persons have ever been more self-sufficient and positive in their opinions, than I was. Fond to excess of entering into argument, I never failed on these occasions to betray this peculiarity of my character. I seldom acknow- ledged or suspected myself mistaken ; and scarcely ever dropped an argu- ment, till either my reasonings or obstinacy had silenced my opponent. A certain person once said of me, that I was like a stone rolling down a hill, wliich could neither be stopped nor turned : this witness was true ; but those things which are impossible with man, are easy with God. I am evidently both stopped and turned : man, I am persuaded, could not have done it ; but this hath God wrought, and I am not more a wonder to others than to my- self. Indeed, I carried the same obstinate positive temper into my religious inquiries ; for I never gave up one tittle of my sentiments till I could de- fend it no longer ; nor ever submitted to conviction till I could no longer re- sist. The strong man armed with my natural pride and obstinacy, with my vain imaginations and reasonings, and high thoughts, had built himself many strong-holds, and kept his castle in my heart ; and, when One stronger than he came against him, he stood a long siege : till, being by superior force driven from one to another, and all his armour in which he trusted being at length taken from him, he was constrained to recede. So that the Lord hav- 40 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. ing made me willing in the day of his power, I was forced to confess, *' O Loid, thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed." 3. My situation in life rendered such a change improbable. I had an in- creasing family, no private fortune, a narrow precarious income, and no ex- pectations, except from such friends as my conduct might procui'e or con- tinue to me. I had unexpectedly contracted an acquaintance with some of those, whose favour goes a great way towards a man's advancement in life ; nor was I insensible to the advantages to be hoped for, from cultivating by a compliant behaviour their kind and friendly regard to me. At the same time, 1 was no stranger to the opinion which the world entertain of those who preach these disreputable doctrines ; and could not but conclude, that embracing them would probably deprive me of these prospects of prefer- ment. But, as the result of diligent inquiry, I was assuredly convinced that it was my indispensable duty to profess and preach them, and that by so doing alone, I could ensure to myself the favour of a better Friend than any here below : and thus, while fully aware all along how unfavourable, accw- ding to human probability, it would prove to my worldly interests, I at length deliberately embraced them. 4. My regard to character was no trifling security against such a change of sentiment. I was ambitiously and excessively fond of that honour which Cometh from man ; and considered the desire of praise as allowable, nay, laud- able. By this motive was I urged on to a very diligent prosecution of my Studies, even beyond what natural inclination led me to ; and my whole conduct was influenced by, my whole conversation was tinctured with, this vain-glorious aim. On the other hand, with approbation and self-compla- cency, I had been accustomed to bear the most contemptuous and opprobri- ous epithets liberally bestowed on those persons, to whom I have now joined myself: and all along, as I verged nearer and nearer to Methodism, I was painfully sensible that I was drawing upon myself the same mortifying dis- tinctions. I have been a vain-glorious candidate for human applause : but I renounce such pretensions, and willingly submit to be considered by the world, under the mortifying character of a half-witted, crack-brained enthu- siast. These epithets I am sensible are now bestowed upon me behind my back, nay, very often to my face : I bless God, however, this doth not move me ; but I can heartily thank him, that I am counted worthy to suffer shame for his sake. But when I saw the trial approaching, it appeared very for- midable ; and I can truly affirm, that nothing but the fullest conviction, that the cause in which I was embarking was the cause of God, nothing, but not daring to act contrary to the plain dictates of my conscience, could have in- fluenced me to make this sacrifice of my character, and bring upon myself so much scorn and contempt. 5. To reason with our despisers upon their own principles : if I am now fallen into enthusiasm, mistake, and strong delusion ; I certainly was, when I first set out in this inquiry, a very unlikely person so to do. My leading resolve was to search for the truth diligently, and to embrace it wherever I found it, and whatever it might cost. No sooner had I begun the inquiry, than 1 was called upon to give proof of the sincerity of this resolution ; and from a principle of conscience, though a mistaken one, I renounced my pros- pect of an immediate preferment ; and it would be uncandid to question my sincerity after it had been thus evidenced. Since that time I have also de- liberately sacrificed my character, and hazarded the loss of aU my former friends. Giving these proofs of integrity, I set off in dependence on those plain promises which I have mentioned : I have sought this desired know- ledge of the truth, chiefly in reading the Holy Scriptures, and by prayer for the promised teaching of the Holy Ghost, in the manner which hath been related ; and I am now led to conclusions diametrically opposite to what I expected ! Now, lay aU these things together, and attentively consider them, and then let your own consciences determine how far it is probable, that a person, in this manner seeking for the truth, should be given over to THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 4>l a strong delusion to believe a pernicious lie. " If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone ? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent ? or if he shall ask an egg, will lie give him a scorpion ? If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children ; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ?" Can any man suppose, that after such repeated and continued pleading, of the express promises of the Lord to this elfect, in earnest prayer, according to his appointment, I should be delivered up to the teaching of the father of lies ? Can any one make this conclusion with- out an evident insinuation that God hath broken his promises In short, you may make a jest of the Narrative ; you may throw by the book without giving any attention to an argument of this kind ; you may say, what you never can prove, that it is all a contrived story ; or you may argue, that these promises, though contained in the Bible, are not to be depended on by us, which is to give up the Scriptures to be scoffed at by Infidels and Atheists, and to render them useless to the humble anxious inquirer after truth and salvation ; but by no other means, I am assured, can you account for this single circumstance, without allowing, that the substance of those doctrines, •which I have now embraced, is indeed contained in the word of God ; that they comprise the truth as it is in Jesus, and are not corrupted with any such delusion as can hazard the salvation of my soul, or the souls of those who by my ministry receive them. — On this supposition all difficulties vanish. The Lord had given me a sincere desire to know the saving doctrine of the gos- pel ; and though I was exceedingly ignorant, obstinate, and prejudiced, yet this desire having, according to his direction, led me to the word of God, and influenced me to seek his teaching by prayer, he was faithful to his own pro- mises, and it was an example of his own words, " Every one that asketh re- ceiveth, and he that seeketh findeth." My evident sincerity in seeking the truth was sufficient to convince any person, conversant and experienced in the things of God, that, as my friend foretold, thither would all my inquiries lead me ; in that would they all finally centre. And could I be assured, be- loved reader, whoever thou art, that thou wast as sincerely desirous to know the truth as I then was, and as heartily resolved to embrace it wherever thou mightest find it, and whatever it should cost thee ; had I also assurance that, in a believing dependence on these promises, thou wast diligently, and from day to day, in the study of the word of God in prayer, seelcing the accom- plishment of them ; I woiild as confidently foretel, that, as to those things which I now regard as essential to salvation, and, if thou hast the souls of others committed to thee, as to what is needful for thy usefulness in the mi- nistry, thou wouldst be brought in time to these same conclusions, wliatever thy present religious sentiments may be. May the Lord give thee true sin- cerity, and incline thine heart to try the experiment ! I am aware that many will object to what I have argued on this head, as being too confident ; and as what is urged by men of contrary religious sen- timents, each in behalf of his own system : and, as I could not leave any material and plausible objection in force against what I have advanced, I hope the reader will excuse my obviating this beforehand. I would there- fore entreat those who object to the confidence with which this argument is brought forward, impartially avd carefully to consider tlie limitations with which on every hand it is guarded : and then to inquire, whether in any other way, than that which hath been mentioned, they can account for the fact. That is, supposing this Narrative true, (for which the appeal is to the heart- searching God,) and supposing the promises mentioned to be proposed to us, that we may embrace them, depend on them, and plead them in prayer, con- sidering the glory of the divine veracity as concerned in their accomplishment to every believer ; let them try whether they can possibly evade one of these conclusions : — either God had failed of his promise ; — or he hath, in the main, and as far as is expressed, led the author by his Holy Spirit to the knowledge and belief of the truth.— As to the confidence of men of opposite 42f THE FORCE OF TRUTH. sentiments, I observe, that many who speak in high terms concerning sin- cerity and candour, will, without liesitation condemn, as enthusiastical, such reliance on tlie promises, and this way of searching for truth ; and it is plain they do not seek truth in that manner which they condemn in others. Many others perhaps slightly mention these matters, but they will not en- dure to be closely questioned : for, being conscious that they have not sought the truth in this manner, they evade such discourse as personal. Again, the writings of many professed inquirers after truth evidently shov/ that they ex- pect to lind it, not by " trusting in the Lord with all their heart," or seek- ing it from the Scriptures, and by earnest prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit ; but by leaning to their own understanding ;" resting the ar- gument on philosophical reasonings, and the authority of this or that re- nowned name ; and supporting their conclusions by bold and perplexing cri- ticisms and interpretations of Scripture. Hence so many daring appeals from peveiiition to reason and philosophy ! hence such and so many objections, brought against doctrines plainly revealed in God's word, if language hath any determinate meaning ! and so many consequences charged upon these doctrines, with a design to invalidate their divine authority ; as if the ap-- pearance of unreasonableness, imposed by every disingenuous art, were suffi- cient to prove the plainest revelation of God's- Holy Spirit a falsehood I Hence such liberty in interpretation and criticism on the word of God, as the" learned would never endure in interpreting or criticising Virgil oi Horace! These things prove that such persons are strangers to that earnest, hearty, sincere desire to know the truth, which brings the inquirer to an humble will- ingness to be taught of God, and, in submission of understanding, to seek wisdom from his word and Spirit. It is indeed most evident, that many who- profess to be influenced by this sincere desire to Imow the truth, are not trou- bled with suspicions that they are, or can be wrong. They have made up their minds before they begin the inquiry ; and you will not find them will- ing to make the least concession, but, in the management of the controversy, resolved to vindicate and contend for every tittle ; and where arguments fail, to make use of the other arts of controversy, with which skill in the manage- ment of their weapons, and anger against their opponents, can supply them. Where a cause is thus maintained, you may easily know that there is none of that earnest desire of learning tlie truth, that anxious fear of mistaking- it, that self-diffidence, and those doubts concerning the sentiments held at present, which constitute the godly sincerity that leads the inquirer to the word and Spirit of God for direction and teaching. These things taken to- gether, will, on Scriptural grounds, cut off many confident pretenders to sin- cerity from their claims, as entirely, as they exclude Annas and Caiaphas, and the chief priests. Scribes and Pharisees, from being sincere inquirers intff the truth of the Old Testament ; when in support of their authority and re- putation, and influenced by pride and anger, they, under colour of their law, put to death Him " of whom Moses and the prophets did write, even Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God." And as to men of another spirit, who appear sincere; humble, and willing to be taught of God in their inquiry after truth, but do not entirely agree with what has been laid down, I would only wish- them to observe the distinction established between some and others of these doctrines. Such persons do not, I dare say, materially difi^er from that which has been mentioned as necessary to salvation : as, therefore, I allow them to have been in the main taught of God, so I only require the same allowance. Let it be supposed that the same God, who, according to his promise, hath led both, as far as is needful to salvation, in the same way, has in other things left us to differ, for the mutual exercise of candour and forbearance, till that time when we shall know even as we are known; IL I would observe, that this change m my sentiments took place very gradually. When any person suddenly changes his reKgious opinions for others very THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 4S different from them, it is no inconsiderable evidence of a changeable and fickle disposition. It gives cause to suspect that he was not well established in his former sentiments ; and that he had taken them upon trust, and was a stranger to the arguments by which they might be defended, and to the objections which might be urged against them. If worldly interest, reputa- tion, or conveniency seem to favour the change, there is room for a presum- tion, that these had an undue influence upon him : if not, it may be insinu- ated that he was deluded with specious appearances ; that he did not allow himself time to weigh the arguments on each side ; and that he had only changed one set of notions for another, without having duly considered either of them. Such objections may reasonably be made, and the conse- quences of precipitate changes too often justify them. But though I was always, and still am, of an headlong impetuous- spirit in other things, and when once I have purposed, can have no rest from incessant agitation of mind, till I have accomplished my design ; yet in this particular I acted in direct opposition to my natural temper. Indeed at first I did in some in- stances too much betray my impetuosity : but at that time I acted not in the character of an inquirer, but in full confidence that I was pleading the cause of truth, and had no more thought of becoming what the world call a Methodist, than of turning Mahometan. But after that first hurry was over, though commonly in earnest, and sometimes in considerable perturbation of mind, I was outwardly calm and satisfied ; being generally enabled to be- lieve that,~ if I were in any thing at present mistaken, I should sometime be glided to the truth. My determination to set about this inquiry proceeded not so much from anxious fears about my own soul, as from a deep sense im- pressed upon my heart of the importance of my ministry, the worth of the eouls committed to my charge, and the awful account to be given of them ; and as I all along bestowed some pains in instructing my people in what I believed to be the truth, I was preserved from any discomposing fears or undue disquietude of mind. I sat down very coolly to search for the truth ; I proceeded very gradually, and with extreme caution ; I took no one opi- nion upon trust ; I gave up none of my sentiments, until the arguments by which I learned to defend them were satisfactorily answered ; nor did I ad- mit any new articles into my creed, till either every objection was obviated, or I was pressed on the other hand with such as were still more unanswer- able. Much, very much prayer and meditation preceded every change of sentiment ; and I was nearly three years, from the beginning of my inquiry, before I came to a determination what was truth. So long, deliberately, and step by step, I examined the premises, before I finally proceeded to draw my conclusion. I perceive much cause to be ashamed of my unteachable temper : for with such opportunities as were aflbrded me, if I had improved them, I might have attained to the knowledge and belief of the same truths in much less time. But the Lord, I trust, led me in this way, and left me thus far to my own natural pride of heart ; that it might more evidently ap- I pear that I received not my doctrines from man, but that indeed, in the first instance, I learned them from the word and Spirit of God. III. I would observe, that I changed my religious views without any teach- ing from the persons to whose sentiments I have now acceded. For a con- siderable time after the commencement of my inquiries, I would not so much as read what they had to urge in their own behalf. I entered indeed into a correspondence with Mr N. ; my intention, however, was not to learn I from him, but to dispute with him ; and when he waved controversy, I dropt I the correspondence, and utterly neglected his letters. From that time I avoided his company, and all the while I declined hearing him preach. I would not be understood to insinuate, that Mr N. has not been useful to me : he has been, and continues to be, eminently so ; and I continually see great cause to bless God for giving me such a friend, to be so near at hand on all occasions. But this I assuredly believe, that had I never seen him. C2 44 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. at least from the time that his example had put me upon considering my conduct, I should lia\-e an-ived at the same views of evangelicjil truth which I now have. His usefulness to me has all along been in those matters in which we were in some measure agreed, not in those in which w e differed ; for as to these, my proud heart scorned to have him for a teacher. At the same time, though I had the offer of several books written by Dis- senters and Methodists, I declined it ; and did not, for nearly two years, per- use any of them with sufficient attention to recollect any thing of consequence which they contained. I say not this as slighting these books ; for justice requires me to acknowledge, that many, which then I ignorantly despised, contain as solid, judicious, and excellent divinity, as hath been penned since the days of the apostles. But I did not get my system from them ; for that was nearly complete before I was prevailed upon to read them. My studies, besides the Bible, were chiefly confined to authors of allowed reputation in the church of England, several of which I have mentioned. When they differed from each other, (as certainly Tillotsmi and Hooker, Jortin and Beveridge, Bull and Hall do differ very much indeed,) I endeavoured to judge for myself, com- paring all of them with the word of God, and with the articles, homilies, and liturgy of the Church of England; and from such authors thus compared, as far as the writings of uninspired men have been instrumental to this change, I have received the greatest part of my present opinions. But let it be observed, that the further these streams are traced upward towards the fountain of the blessed reformation, the purer they flow, accor- ding to my present judgment : and it may easily and undeniably be proved, that there is nothing material preached by many regular clergv'men of the establishment, under the scandal of Mcthodistical, which was not expressly taught by those excellent persons, who, having laid the foundation of our church, gave their bodies to be burned in confirmation of their doctrine. It is greatly to be wished, that their lives and discourses, living and dying, and their remaining writings, were more generally known among us, and did not remain locked up from the world in large folios in the learned languages, and in books out of print, or exceedingly scarce. In consequence of this, the members of our national church are in general utterly ignorant of its standard-doctrines, and ignorantly brand those as Methodists and Enthusiasts, who preach zealously the very doctrines of the first Reformers. IV. I would observe the great influence which the study of the Scriptures had in producing this change. We are all too apt, without careful examination, to take things for granted, esj)ecially in respect of religion. We often collect our scheme of divinity from other authors, or from our own reasonings and imaginations ; and only seek for a few detached texts which appear to countenance our preconceived ojjinious ; neglecting, or very slightly considering such parts of the word of God as seem incapiiJble of being made use of to our purpose. We are like- wise too prone, in availing ourselves of the labours of critics and expositors, to resign up ourselves implicitly to their guidance, and to imagine that we have proof enough of our doctrines, if we can produce the sanction of some great name that has espoused and maintained them, without carefully exa- mining whether they be right or wrong : but this is to pay that deference to the human interpretation, « hicli is only due to the divine book commented on. We, ministers especially, though at ordination we solemnly promise to turn all our studies, as much as may be, into this channel, are very apt to suffer our time and thoughts to be engrossed with such studies and employ- ments, as are foreign to our profession, and interfere with it, and which leave at most but a secondai-y attention for the study of the word of God. And who can deny, that many do not bestow so much pains in meditating upon the Bible, and in comparing spiritual things with spiritual ; or one part of Scri))ture with another, and every part with what they experience in their own he-iirts, and >vhat tliey hear and see in the world around them, as they \ THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 45 do about matters of far less consequence? So that probably, should they at any time sit down to diligent examination of the whole word of God, they would find it a very diiferent book than they expected. Thus at least it has been with me, and possibly it may be so with many others. The word of God informs us that true wisdom, the saving, practical, and experimental knowledge of divine things, is not to be acquired without ear- nest and diligent seeking : " My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee ; so that thou incline thine ear unto wis- dom, and apply thine heart to understanding ; yea, if thou criest after know- ledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding : if thou seekest her as sil- ver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures ; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." Prov. ii. 1 — 6. If then our wisdom has been acquired without any of that eagerness and pain- ful diligence with which the covetous man desires and seeks for his riches, it is a shrewd conjecture, that it is not of the genuine sort. Once I had in my own esteem a sort of wisdom, which seemed to offer itself to me sponta- neously, and to be found with little seeking. But now I am persuaded it was a mere counterfeit, a fair-seeming pernicious foolishness. That which I now esteem to be true wisdom, if I could but attain to it, is not to be acquired in so easy a manner. AVTien I first began to desire and seek this wisdom, I set out with the assurance that it was to be found in the Holy Scriptures, and no where else ; they alone being able to make us wise unto salvation. I therefore consider myself engaged to make them my study : and as the whole was " given by inspiration from God," and was all declared to be profitable, according to the various ends which the Holy Spirit designed in it, I made the whole my study. Thus I learned to look upon the Bible as my book of instructions, given me along with the ministerial oiBce by my Lord and Master ; that from thence I might deduce all my doctrines, in- structions, and admonitions, warnings, examples, encouragements, rules of duty, and motives to duty : and I also considered it to be the believer's char- ter of privileges, containing exceedingly great and precious promises, and the whole of that which God saw fit to reveal concerning those unspeakable and inconceivable good things which he hath of his infinite mercy prepared for them that love him. In order therefore faithfully to declare my message from the Lord Almighty to the souls of men, I found it indispensably need- ful to be well acquainted with every part, and to take the word of God my- self, as well as propose it to others, as " the lantern of my feet, and the light of my paths :" not only attending to the letter, but also to the true meaning, the mind of the Spirit of God in it. This I found to be a work that required much time, great diligence, mature consideration, and an unbiassed, unpre- judiced mind. With this view of the matter partly obtained, and continually more and more unfolding itself, I studied the word of God ; and having now for nearly four years thus employed a very considerable part of my time, neither re- jecting, nor yet greatly depending on the assistance of interpreters. I sin- cerely desired to know tiie truth, and for that end I read the Scriptures, " not as the word of man, but as the word of God." And though there have been seasons of remissness, when other employments and studies too much interfered with this main business ; and though at first I was very far from an unbiassed mind, being blindly and obstinately prejudiced against those doctrines which I now believe to be the true gospel of Jesus Christ ; yet in that space, I have read the Bible many times over, in every part with the strictest attention of which I have bee© capable. There are very few pas- sages which relate to doctrine, that I have not repeatedly and diligently ex- amined, comparing one with another, with all the care and consideration I could ; and I seldom ever ceased meditating on any portion of Scripture, un- til I had attained to some satisfying conclusion concerning its true meaning, and its agreement with other Scriptures. I may truly say, I have filled reams of paper with religious discussions, with sermons, expositions and let- 46 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. ters ; in all which I ransacked the Bible to bring as much Scriptural evi- dence for my direction as possible. For these last two years I have scarcely opened a book except upon religious subjects, and from morning till night, nearly every day, all this while, my thoughts incessantly have been employed in meditation upon the great truths of the gospel. Every difficulty and ob- jection, (and difficulties and objections, both from my own meditations and in the course of my reading, continually crowded upon my mind,) sent me to the word of God, and increased my care and attention in examining and weighing every text of Scripture, respecting the point in question, before I exchanged my old opinion for a new one. Thus, I may truly say, I have sought in the word of God, (that field in which alone this precious treasure lies hid,) " for wisdom," for Uie saving knowledge of divine things, " as for silver, and searched for her as for hid trea- sure." And though I am sensible that my knowledge is still comparatively superficial, the knowledge of a child, of a novice in the school of Christ ; yet, I trust that, as far as relates to the leading truths of the gospel, according to the promise, I am brought " to understand the fear of the Lord, and have found the knowledge of God." Permit me now, beloved reader, to put thee in remembrance, that until thou hast, with some good measure of this diligence, studied the whole word of God, thou runnest very great hazards in passing judgment upon men and doctrines. Be cautious what thou doest ; let these men quite alone, until thou hast imitated the conduct of the noble Bereans, and thoroughly, and with unbiassed mind, examined and meditated upon the whole word of God, to see whether the things they believe and teach be so or not : lest otherwise it should come to pass, (as probably it will,) that, in opposing and condemn- ing them, thou shouldst be found to fight against God. Oh ! that the Lord would heai* and grant my request, and by his Holy Spirit powerfully incline the hearts of all who read these sheets, according to their leisure, station in life, obligations and opportunities, thus attentively to read their Bibles ; not as the word of man, but as the word of God himself, peaking from heaven unto them, and concerning the everlasting interests of their precious and immortal souls ! Be the adviser what he will, despised and deserving to be despised, the advice is undoubtedly good : — advice he ■h^II have no occasion to repent having thus given, at the solemn hour of death, and the awful day of judgment ; advice which, at those approaching seasons, none will repent having followed, though it should divert them from more amusing, and at this day, more reputable studies ; or engross that time which they have been accustomed to devote to more pleasurable and fashionable employments ; but which, neglected, will be an additional sting in every conscience through all the countless ages of eternity. And, Oh ! that they to whom the chief Shepherd hath committed the care of precious souls, and at whose hands he will assuredly require every one that perishes through their default, would take in good part this expression of the very affectionate desire of my soul, both in behalf of them and of their flocks, in dropping these hints concerning their peculiar obligations, to de- vote much of their time to the attentive unbiassed study of the word of God, that infinitely best, but often least studied, of aU books ! What avails it, that the ministers of the everlasting gospel should be learned classical scho- lars, profound pliilosophers, metaphysicians and mathematicians, expert lo- gicians, or adorned with the knowledge of the politer sciences, if they arei unacquainted, or but superficially acquainted, with the sacred Scriptures } These other branches of literature may amuse and entertain them, may pro- cure them preferment, reputation, respect and favour ; but the knowledge of the Bible alone can enable them, in such a manner, to " take heed to themselves, and to their doctrine," as shall issue in the everlasting salvation of their own souls, and the souls committed to their care. Far be it from me to presume to lay down my opinions as the standard of doctrine, or a rule for the faith and preaching of my brethren in the sacred ministry ! but THE FORCE OV TRUTH. 47 the more obscure I am, the less objection can there reasonably be against my hinting to them, that if any one should find this subject manifest itself to his conscience, and make him sensible, that verily he hath been faulty in at- tending to other employments, and studying other books more than the word of God ; then, possibly, he maybe mistaken in his sentiments concerning the doctrines of the gosepl, and, being mistaken himself, may be misleading others, to the endangering of their immortal souls : for he cannot be certain but that, should he employ some years in this single study, (which its im- portance well deserves,) he may find the Bible a very different book than he expected. V. I would observe the influence which prayer appears to' have had in effecting this change. I am aware that the world, though called Christian, is come to such a pass, that the very mention of this subject in many companies is accounted iU manners, or even received with ridicule ; and that being known to main- tain a constant commmiion with God, by prayer and supplication with thanks- giving, is alone sufficient to denominate any person a Methodist. It is how- ever most certain, that the word of God is full of precepts, instructions, ex- hortations, invitations, promises and examples to this effect. He never read his Bible who knows not this ; nor can any man, under any pretsence what- ever, make a jest of this great duty and privilege of a believer, without pour- ing coutempt upon the Holy Scriptures, and insulting the brightest charac- ters there proposed to us as examples, not excepting the Lord Jesus him- self. Let men, therefore, under the profession of Christianity, be as irreli- gious and profane as they please, I shall not be ashamed to speak upon so unfashionable a topic : for if the word of God be true, he never knew any thing as he ought to know, never believed, never repented, never performed one duty aright in his life, who hath not sought all his wisdom, knowledge, faith, repentance, and sufficiency for obedience, from God, by fervent, in- stant, persevering prayer. Time was, even since I had souls committed to my care, that I Uved in the neglect of this duty, and so " without God in the world but since, through his forbearance and mercy, I ha^e been in earnest about the salvation of my own soul, and the souls of other men ; my conduct in this respect has been very different. " If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children ; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ?" and " if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." As he is the Spirit of truth, it is his office to lead us into all truth, and to teach us all things : for he searches and reveals the deep things of God. It is expressly promised to the true church, that " all her children shall be taught of the Lord," (Isaiah liv. 13.) Referring to this, Christ hath de- clared that " none can come unto him, except he be drawn of the Father," and " taught of God," (John vi. 44, 45.) And St Paul declares, that " The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are fool- ishness to him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually dis- cerned." (1 Cor. ii. 14.) Th.^ natural man \^-4'Uz'X''>i~] is explained in jude> by rwt having the Spirit ; which is evidently the Apostle's meaning in this passage ; for in the preceding verse he declares that he preached the gospel, " not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." On these grounds I concluded that man's natural understanding could not, spiritually or profi- tably, receive the knowledge of revealed mysteries, unless it were enlightened by the Holy Spirit. I learned also, that our eyes may be blinded by Satan, the god and prince of this world ; that our understandings may be closed', and a veil be upon our hearts, when we read the word of Gfld in which case the letter of the Scriptures, without the Spirit, only killeth. Hence the need of the " understanding being opened, to understand the Scrip- tures ;" for want of which the plainest discourses of our Lord to his disciples. 48 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. concerning liis suflFerings, death, and resurrection, were hidden from them, and they understood them not. — The veil also must be taken from the heart : for want of which the Jews,'m reading the Old Testament, cannot understand the plainest declarations of Moses and the prophets, concerning their promised Saviour. The Scriptures also every where declare, that true wisdom is the gift of God, and must be asked of him, by every one who would be wise unto sal- vation ; that " the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him ;" and that those " who receive not the love of the truth, that they may be saved, are given over to a strong delusion to believe a lie ; that they might all be damned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thess. ii. 10—12.) On these grounds, and depending upon the promises and invitations so plentifully interspersed througliout the Scriptures ; when I began to inquire after the truth, I was led also in some measure to cry unto the Lord for his guidance and teaching; and, as my mind grew more engaged, and my diffi- culties, in extricating myself from the labyrinths of controversy, increased, I became more and more earnest, constant, and particular, in making my re- quests known unto God. My constant prayer to the Lord was, to be deli- vered from pride and prejudice, blindness of heart, contempt of the truth, obstinacy, enthusiasm, ignorance, and error ; and that the Lord would give me wisdom and knowledge, guide me to the truth as it is in Jesus, open my understanding, take away the veil from my heai't, and make known unto me the way of salvation which is revealed to sinners in his holy word. Thus, waiting upon the Lord according to his own appointment, depending on him and pleading his promises from day to day, I was led from one thing to an- other, until my view of religious truth was totally changed. This I most firmly believe to have been by the promised teaching of the Spirit of truth, powerfully enlightening my mind, opening the Scriptures, and, by dispelling the clouds of error and prejudice, enabling me to receive the truth in faith and love. I am conscious that I have no intention, in speaking thus pub- licly on such a subject, but to advance the glory of God in the salvation of souls. But, as in his presence, I must declare that I have prayed over many of the most interesting passages of Scripture, chapter by chapter, and often verse by verse, with the most anxious dread of rejecting or mistaking the truth, or embracing a falsehood ; and with the most earnest desire of know- ing what that doctrine was which Jesus and his apostles taught. — In the sight of God, I am sensible I have abundant cause to be humbled and ashamed of my frequent remissness, and the continual defilements of my prayers ; but, as surely as I believe his promises to be faithful, as surely as I believe him to be a God that heareth prayer ; so surely do I believe, that " flesh and blood hath not revealed" to me the doctrines I now preach, but God himself by his Holy Spirit. Reader, whoever thou art, if thy conscience testifies that thou hast hitherto lived in the neglect of this important duty, or the formal, lifeless, unmean- ing performance of it with thy lips, while thy heart hath been disengaged, and thy thoughts allowedly wandering to the ends of the earth : if thou hast not been accustomed by fervent prayer to seek wisdom from God by his teach- ing Spirit : if thou knowest not what it is to exercise faith upon the promises pointed out to thee, nor to plead them in prayer to a promise-keeping God : if all thy knowledge of divine things hath been acquired by leaning to thy own understanding : if in reading the Scriptures thou hast looked more to learned critics, commentators, and expositors, than to the illuminating Spirit of God : then be as sure as the word of God is true, and as we are concerned in it, that " the light which is in thee is darkness," and that thou " know- est nothing yet as thou oughtest to know." — May the Lord eflFectually in- cline thine heart to take a contrary course, and to seek wisdom where alone it can be found, even from the Lord, " the Father of lights, and the Giver of e\'ery good and perfect gift," wlio hath invited and commanded thee to ask, that it may be given thee ! THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 49 VI. I would observe, that there is nothing in this Narrative which can reasonably be condemned as enthusiasm. It is allowed that enthusiasm properly so called, is a frequent attendant on religious zeal : that in some of its operations it is a grievous evil, and in all attended with many inconveniences ; and that it ought very carefully to be guarded against by every religious professor and zealous preacher. It would also be in vain to pretend that the late revivals of religion, which have been indiscriminately stigmatized with the name of Methodism, have been, in opinion and practice, entirely free from this enthusiasm. For what re- vivals of religion ever were free from scandals ? Where the Lord sows his good seed, there the enemy will be sure to scatter his tares. It must be con- fessed, that some of the most eminent instruments in this work, whose names, when prejudice shall vanish, will be handed down with honour, as burning and shining lights, to the latest periods of the church, have, by the great- ness of their zeal, through human frailty, been betrayed into sentiments, expressions, and deportment, in some instances, justly to be censured as en- thusiastical ; of which their enemies have not failed sufficiently to avail themselves. — But whatever indiscretions and mistakes particular persons, who have preached these doctrines, may have fallen into ; this doth not, in the judgment of candid and impartial persons, in the least affect the general cause, or prove the doctrines erroneous. We would not contend for the credit of individuals, or the interests of a party, but for the doctrines of God's ■word, and of the established Church of England. These will continvie true and important, though many of those who have zealously and successfully preached them, may have justly incurred the charge of enthusiasm : and I would confidently insist on it, that a man maybe led to the belief of the doc- trines, in the way of sober rational inquiry, and zealously preach them, with- out being an enthusiast. It would be very well, if some of those who so readily accuse whole bodies of apparently religious persons of enthusiasm, would favour us with their de- terminate definition of an enthusiast. In its original meaning, the word has a very favourable sense, and implies, that, by a divine influence upon the soul, a man is filled with an ardour and warmth of zeal in the cause in which he is engaged. Now, " it is good to lie zealously affected always in a good thing ;" and if our ardour of soul be from the Spirit of God, according to the revealed will of God, and for the glory of God, it is the noblest, most desirable, most heavenly, and most beneficial exertion of the human mind. In every thing but religion, an ardour, described by the term enthusiasm, is allowed and commended : a poetical, a military, a patriotic enthusiasm, even when they carry men beyond the strict bounds of cold reasonings and exact prudence, fail not to meet with admirers. Our zeal may be fervent in every thing without censure, unless we be zealous for the glory of God, and the salvation of immortal souls. But there is an enthusiasm of this sort, which forms the highest elevation, and the noblest effort of the human mind. Such an enthusiasm animated the apostle Paul in all his self-denying labours and sufferings, and filled his writings (under the guidance of the Holy Ghost,) with the most ardent zeal for the honour of his dear Saviour, and affection for the souls of men. Such an enthusiasm he expresses, when he says, (2 Cor. V. 13, 14.) " Whether we be beside ourselves it is to God, or whether we be sober, it is for your cause ; for the love of Christ constraineth us." Of this enthusiasm I wish I were far more guilty. But on the other hand, there is danger of a counterfeit, pernicious enthusiasm ; and about that we are at present inquiring. Now, 1 apprehend, that in order to constitute this cul- pable enthusiasm, some one or more of the following things must appear. Either, the ardour of soul excited proceeds from a heated imagination, or from a delusion of Satan, instead of being produced by a divine injluence ; or, the cause in which this ardour is emploj/ed is the cause of error and wickedness, instead of the cause of God and truth ; or, it exerts itself in unjustifiable measures and prac- tices. For if our ardour be warranted by the word of God, if it do not tend to the dishonour of God, and if it be confined in its exercise to the rules and precejrts of the 50 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. word of God :—-how intense soever it may be, I can see no cause to censure it; unless men can be too zealous for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls. But whatever be the distinguishing criterion of enthusiasm, I suppose it will be diflioilt to fix a charge of it upon any thing for which I plead in this Narrative. I never was taught any thing by impulses, impressions, visions, dreams or revelations, except so far as the work of the Spirit, in enlightening the understanding for the reception of the truths contained in the Holy Scriptures, is sometimes styled revelation. Other revelation I never ex- pected. Not but that the Lord is sovereign, and may do what he wiU with his own ; and, if he pleases, may, and I suppose sometimes does, go out of the ordinary course, for the conversion of a sinner, or the guidance of a per- plexed, or the comfort of a distressed soul ; but I never took one step in de- pendence on any such extraordinary interpositions, nor ever encouraged any person to do so. And surely it will not be called enthusiasm, by any but avowed infidels, to believe God's word to be the standard of truth, and his promises to be faithful ; and in this belief to seek for the knowledge of the doctrines of the gospel, in the manner above related. In this way I have been taught no new truths ; but, as I believe, have been shown the meaning, use, tendency, consistency, harmony, wisdom, and glory of those truths which are contained in the sacred volume ; but which before, through pride and ig- norance, I perverted, neglected, reviled, or counted foolishness. Nor do I make any pretences to infaDibility : God hath not, I trust, left me so un- stable, as to float about in the uncertain stream of opinion, and to be " tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." As to the grand doctrines of the gospel vi hich I have marked out as necessary to salvation, they are nei- ther so uncertain nor so difficult as men would persuade us : their uncer- tainty and difficulty arise whoUy from our pride, prejudice, love of sin, and inattentive ignorance of our own hearts. There is really much difficulty in bringing vain man to cease from leaning to his own understanding, and in prevailing with him to trust in the Lord with aU his heart, and to be willing, in the humble posture of a little child, to be taught of God. Nothing but a deep conviction of guilt, a fear of wrath, and a sense of our lost condition by nature and practice, can bring our minds into this submissive frame : but, this being efi^ected, the difficulty is over, and the way of salvation is so plain, that the " way-faring man, though a fool, shall not err therein." As to the other doctrines which I myself believe, though they seem plain enough to me, I desire not to proselyte others to them, but am willing to leave them as matters in which fallible men may differ without danger. And as to my sufficiency for the faithful discharge of my ministry, to God's glory and the salvation of souls, he wUl not, I trust, deceive my expectations, which are grounded on his promises. For the rest, I mistake daily, and find myself in continual danger of mixing my own imaginations with his divine truth, and of following my own spirit instead of his. Whatever I preach truly, or do wisely, to God be the glory ; for I am not sufficient of myself to think a good thought : whatever I speak falsely, or do foolishly, to me be the shame ; for it is the natural fruit of my own deceitful heart. If this be enthusiasm, it is an enthusiasm warranted, not only by the word of God, as I have endea- voured to prove, but by the whole liturgy of our Church. We all at ordi- nation profess to be " moved by the Holy Ghost," to take the ministerial of- fice upon lis ; and assuredly we cannot be moved by the Holy Ghost, if we neither have the Holy Ghost, nor may expect his help and guidance. We agree to pray that the Lord would " lead into the way of truth, all such as have erred and are deceived ;" that he would " illuminate all bishops, priests, and deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of his holy word that fie would " cleanse our hearts by the inspiration of his Holy Spirit ;" that " he would grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit with much more to this eftect : and I am persuaded, that such a confidence as I have expressed cannot be censured as enthusiasm, without including our Church-establish- ment and continual public worship in the same charge. THE FORCE OF TRUTH. 5i VII. Lastly, I would observe that our opposers and despisers will seldom give us the hearing. With all their pretensions to candour, reasoning, and free inquiry, they accuse and condemn us without so much as knowing, with any tolerable degree of accuracy, what our sentiments are, although furnished with such plentiful means of information, in those numerous publications which are now extant upon these subjects. Having imbibed strong prejudices against us, they frame so contemptible an opinion of our understandings and writings, that they will not bestow so much pains, or afford so much regard, as to peruse our books ; and to call an author a Methodist, is with many people a sufficient reason why they should not read his works. Hence it comes to pass, that, for want of information, our doctrines are grievously misrepresented ; and, in general, the attacks made upon us, though calculated to make our persons odious and despised, do not in the least affect the argument in debate. Our adversaries in gene- ral know little of our opinions, except what they have picked up by hearsay, in which neither the connection, consistency, tendency, nor application of those opinions is preserved, no wonder therefore that we are vilified and re- proached with things to which we are utter strangers, or which we abomi- nate and protest against every Lord's day, and against which we neglect not to fill our writings with reasonings, warnings, and cautions. For my own part, I freely acknowledge, that my strongest objections against this scheme of doctrine arose wholly from misapprehension and mistake. Not having read their books, my notions of the doctrines of the Methodists were received from vulgar report, and from their enemies ; while my crea- tive imagination put its own construction on them, and drew terrible conse- quences from them : so that when I preached against them, I was as one fighting with my own shadow; and in speaking evU of those things that I knew not, I only betrayed my own ignorance and pride. No better founded are the lamentable outcries which at this day are made against our principles, as if they tended to banish reason, argument, sober-mindedness, and mora- lity out of the world, and in their stead to substitute a set of whimsical va- garies, which are without foundation in reason or Scripture, and have no in- fluence, or rather a pernicious influence, on our conduct and conversation. When such a declamation is ended, (for one would not interrupt it) ask the declaimer what a Metlwdist is .'' he can scarcely give you an answer : in- quire about the doctrines of the Methodists, — he does not understand them ; — or their writings, — he has never read them ! Reader, if thou desirest to know what our opinions are, and what founda- tion there is for these heavy charges, read our books ; but read them with attention, and aim at impartiality ; compare them with the word of God, and with the liturgy, articles, and homilies of the Church of England : and, if thou hast leisure and opportunity, with the works of our first reformers. Nor do we desire thee to renounce thy reason, but only to make this reasonable concession ; that where thy reason is ready to determine one way, but God hath expressly determined another way, thou wouldst allow him to under- stand his own mysteries better than thou dost ; and that therefore thou oughtest, by faith exercised upon the veracity of God, to receive, implicitly and without reasoning, those doctrines which God hath expressly revealed, and which thy reason feels to be far above its read), and therefore doubtless out of its province. Whenever, on such inquiry, thou discoverest us to be mis- taken, there dissent from us, yea, blame us, as far as meekness and candour wiU permit : but do not condemn us in the gross ; do not assert our scheme of doctrine to be enthusiastical and groundless, though some of our writers should be found to have advanced questionable opinions. This were the way to drive all truth and certainty out of the world ; for what book can be men- tioned, the Bible excepted, in which there is nothing advanced either en-o- neous or questionable ? And be assured, that to read only one side of the question, and then cla- morously to adopt every childish cavil, every vague report, every scandalous falsehood, and industriously to propagate them, as if these aflbrded a suffi- 52 THE FORCE OF TRUTH. cient confutation of all the arguments^, authorities, and scriptural testimo- nies, with wliich we support our sentiments ; is no evidence of a candid libe- ral mind, or of a sincere desire to know the truth. And let it be observed, that though some professors have been proved enthusiasts, and others de- tected to be kypocrites, this doth not prove that we are all enthusiasts and hypocrites. Such rash judgments are most hurtful to those who pass them. For myself, I here publicly profess, that I will, to the end of my days, ac- knowledge it as the greatest obligation that any person can confer on me, if, in the spirit of meekness, he will point out to me any error or enthusias- tical delusion into v/hich I have fallen, and by sufficient arguments convince me of it, I trust, that my earnest desire to discover " the truth as it is in Jesus," has not abated in its influence, and that I still retain the same dis- interested resolution to embrace it and adhere to it, with which I set out. Still am I solicitously fearful of being betrayed by a warmth of spirit, and by the deceitfulness of my heart, into erroneous opinions. But clamour and reproach, objections and arguments, brought against sentiments I detest, or consequences I cannot see to be fairly deducible from our doctrines ; or such reasonings as set one divine attribute at variance with another, make one part of the Bible contradict another, or exali the human understaiiding upon the tribunal, and arraign and condemn revealed mysteries at her presump- tuous bar ; — will have no weight at all with me, or with any who ever knew the grace of God in truth. And now, beloved reader, let me conclude with leaving it upon thy con- science to search for the truth of the gospel in the study of God's word, ac- companied by prayer, as thou would search for hid treasure. I give thee this counsel, expecting to meet thee at the day of judgment, that our meet- ing may be with joy, and not with grief : may the Lord incline thee to fol- low it with that solemn season full in view ! Time how short ! eternity how long ! life how precarious and vanishing ! death how certain ! the pursuits and employments of this present life how vain, unsatisfying, trifling, and vexatious ! God's favour and eternal life how unspeakably precious ! His wrath, the never-quenched fire, the never-dying worm, how dreadful ! Oh ! trifle not away the span of life, in heaping up riches which shortly must be left for ever, and which profit not in the day of wrath ; in such pleasures and amusements as wiU issue in eternal torments, or in seeking that glory which shall be swallowed up in everlasting infamy. Agree with me but in this, — that it is good to redeem precious time, to labour for the meat that endureth unto everlasting life, and to attend principally to the one thing needful ; take but thy measure of truth as well as duty from the word of God ; be willing to be taught of God ; meditate on his word day and night ; let it be " the light of thy feet, and the lantern of thy paths and in studying it, " lean not to thy own understanding," trust not implicitly to expositors and commentators, but ask wisdom and teaching of God. Be not a Felix, saying to thy serious apprehensions about thy soul, " Go thy way at this time, when I have a convenient season I will call for thee lest death and judgment come before that season : — and be not an Agrippa, almost persuaded to be a Christian ; but seek to be altogether such as the primitive Christians were. I say, agree but with me in these reasonable requests, and we shall at length agree in all things ; — in many, in this world ; — in aU, when we hear the Son of God address us in these rejoicing words, — " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inlierit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." May the Lord vouchsafe unto the writer, and to every reader of this Narra- tive, " that wisdom which is from above ;" that teaching of his Holy Spirit, which guides into the ways cf peace ; that faith which justifies and works by love ; that peace of God which passeth understanding ; and that measure of sanctifying and strengthening grace, which may enable each of us to be " steadfast and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, as knowing iljat. our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord." DISCOURSE UPON REPENTANCE. And they toerit forth, and preached that men should repent. — Mark vi. 12. I PREFACE. The importance of the subject treated of, and the rank which it holds in the word of God, among the doctrines and duties of Christianity ; the back- wardness of mankind to attend to it, in proportion to that importance ; and an apprehension that it is not insisted on, either from the pulpit or the press, so frequently and strenuously in our times, as it was in the days of the apostles ; form, collectively, the reasons which induced me to this publica- tion. Much ignorance, and various hurtful and perplexing mistakes and difficulties, about repentance, may be observed, both amongst professors of serious godliness and others ; I therefore thought, that it might not be un- seasonable or unprofitable, to publish a discourse upon the subject. My first intention was only to send to the press the substance of a sermon which I had repeatedly preached ; but the same reasons influenced me, upon mature consideration, to complete the design, as far as I was capable ; though the size and price are both by that means increased. Some passages may be judged to bear hard upon certain popular senti- ments, and current species of religion. I have indeed very plainly spoken my mind respecting several things, which 1 am convinced are detrimental to the cause of pure religion ; and I hope I have not transgressed the rules of meekness and candour. Even wise and good men, in their zeal for one part of divine truth, may drop unguarded expressions, which hear an interpreta- tion injurious to another part of equal importance ; and thus, undesignedly, by their reputation give sanction to error. This our artful and watchful enemy will be sure to observe, and make his advantage of, in opposing true religion ; by which some may be deceived, others hardened, and religion it- self exposed to contempt and reproach. It behoves then other friends of religion, who are witnesses of such per- versions, to oppose and obviate them ; nor must the reputation of some, or the censure of others, among their fellow-servants, be regarded, whfen the glory of God, the interests of religion, and the salvation of souls are at stake. Were some pious men, now in glory, to return on eartli, and witness the abuse that has been made of certain indiscreet expressions which they em- ployed, they would be the first to approve every endeavour to counteract their fatal tendency. With all plainness and freedom I would plead the cause of truth and holiness ; but would give no needless ofi"ence to any man. May that God, whom I would " serve with my spirit, in the gospel of his Son," powerfully succeed this feeble attempt to promote his glory in the salvation of souls. OIney, ^nd Fchrunry, 178o. A DISCOURSE ON REPENTANCE. INTRODUCTION. The Christian Religion, as St. Paul preached it both to Jews and Gentiles, consists of " repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," and may therefore be properly called the religion of a sinner ; for none but sinners need repentance, or faith in a Mediator, or that forgiveness of sins, which through him is preached to all that believe. This consideration ought carefully to be attended to; Jesus Christ "came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance :" and if men lose sight of this peculiarity of the gospel, they will mistake in a fundamental concern ; and be offended with those ministers, who alone address them in a Scriptural method. Our business, as preachers of the gospel, is not with men, merely as rational agents, but with men as sinners. We must not address them, as if they were newly entered on a state of trial ; were as yet free from all blame ; and were at last to stand or fall according to their future good or bad behaviour, and only needed to be instructed in their duty, and excited to perform it. This is not the state of the case. Even the most moral, re- spectable, and amiable of mankind are sinners, — condemned sinners. In this light the word of God considers us ; and informs us, (not " What good thing we may do to inherit eternal life," but) " What we must do to be saved" from impending ruin ; whither a sinner " may flee from the wrath to come." And thus must the faithful minister address his hearers, calling upon them as sinners, to repent and believe the gospel. " By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men." Rom. v. 12. In consequence of the awful sentence, " Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return," millions through successive generations have yielded to the stroke : all the former inliabitants of the earth are swept into the grave by one general execution : many are at this moment experiencing the agonies of death ; numbers are bewailing their de- parted and departing friends and relatives. — We too feel the consequences of sin, in our own personal pains and sickness, which are the forerunners and earnests of our dissolution : we too must have the sentence executed upon us in all its rigour. The wisest cannot elude it, the strongest cannot resist its stroke, nor can the richest purchase exemption from it. The constant and extensive ravages of death are, in themselves, extremely affecting to the considerate spectator : but become more so when we reflect, that as certainly as when a malefactor is dragged from prison, and executed on a scaffold, he dies for breaking the laws of the land ; so certainly, when a sinner dies, he dies for breaking the law of God. D 58 INTRODUCTION. Had sin and death been hitherto equally unknown to mankind ; and now in our days had sin first made its entrance : immediately upon man's rebel- lion had we heard the sentence audibly and solemnly denounced, " Dust ye are, and to dust ye shall return had fevers, dropsies, palsies, apoplexies, consumptions, and other mortal diseases, on the one hand ; with earthquakes, famines, and wars on the other, suddenly begun to spread desolation through families, villages, cities, and kingdoms among the guilty alone : should we behold at once multitudes dead, and multitudes in the agonies of death, the rest mourning over their beloved friends, and trembling for themselves ; (like Egypt when there was not a house, in which there was not one dead;) the connection betwixt transgressing the divine law, and being punished with death, might be more affecting, but would not be more certain, than it now is ; though it is seldom seriously laid to heart. Or, were men in general free from sin ; but from time to time one and an- other transgressed ; who immediately upon transgressing was punished by death, according to the examples of vindictive justice recorded in the Scrip- tures : the connection would be more attended to, but not more certain than at present ; when, " because sentence against an evil woi-k is not executed speedily, the hearts of the sons of men are wholly set in them to do evil." Eccles. viii. 11. But as all have sinned, and all die, and things have gone on so for many generations, death is considered as a thing of course : we live in the midst of its devastations without horror, or uneasy reflections ; and inquire little why it is so ? or what tlie consequence wiU be ? Like soldiers who grow inured to scenes of blood, and insensible to dangers through being familiar with them. But this, solemn and alarming as it is, forms only a small part of the sen- tence of condemnation, which we lie undei*. Our Lord warns us, not to fear them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do ; but to fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell." In com- parison with this effect of divine wrath, the worst which men can do to us, is not, in the judgment of the Son of God, worthy of our fear. Yet the bare recital of those tortures, which the cruelty of man hath invented and in- flicted, in killing the body, is sufficient to chill our very blood : how dread- ful therefore must they have been to those who endured them ! And what must that misery be, compared with which the other is not worth a fear ? Yet to this awful destruction every sinner is condemned, for breaking the law, and rebelling against the authority of his Creator. Imagine to yourselves a company of condemned criminals in a dungeon. A warrant arrives : — one is taken from them, they see him no more ; know not what becomes of him ; and do not readily believe any reports which reach them, of the tortures which he endured, and the pains he suffered ; another is thus taken from them, and another. The remainder still suppose that their companions are only released from the miseries of a dungeon ; and ex- pect their own turn merely as a similar deliverance. All this time, however, certain messengers from the king earnestly persuade them to submit, ask forgiveness, and accept of mercy. A few are prevailed upon, and dismissed ; but the rest, seeing no difference betwixt those who are taken from them by a warrant, and those who are set at liberty with a pardon, persist in their obstinacy, and treat all persuasion with neglect and contempt. This is the exact representation of the condition men are in. Death re- moves our friends and neighbours, one by one : we see not how they fare in another woi-ld ; nor are we disposed to believe that " they lift up their eyes in hell, being in toiments," (though this is indeed the awful condition of all who die impenitent.) Our turn will shortly come ; but we are seldom duly apprehensive about the consequences. " All things happen alike to all ; as dieth the sinner, so dieth the righteous :" each is released from the evils of life ; faith alone can follow the one to heaven, and the other to hell : but all men have not faith ; therefore most treat with neglect and contempt the INTRODUCTION. 59 preachers of the gospel, who inform them of their danger, and in God's name call upon them to repent, believe, and be saved. But, beloved, though much grieved and discouraged by this neglect, we must not desist, nor would we despair of success. Let me beseech you then to keep in your mind these solemn and important truths, whilst with all se- riousness, earnestness, and tender compassion, I address you as condemned sinners, in danger of eternal misery. We must take God's part against you, and vindicate his justice in that awful sentence which he hath denounced ; but we can sympathize with you, and weep over yon, and " long after you in the bowels of Jesus Christ." We also were involved in the same gudlt, and under the same condemnation ; we were equally secure and obstinate in sin, and equally negligent of salvation. But being now, through God's mercy, made sensible of our guilt and danger ; and having upon repentance found forgiveness, and enjoying the hopes and first-fruits of eternal happiness, we are desirous our fellow-sinners should share our deliverance, and experience our felicity. To be instrumental to the salvation of your souls, my fellow-sinners, is all to which the true minister of Christ aspires. However your minds may be blinded by " the god of this world," we see your danger, and mourn over your delusion. Your fondness for perishing vanities, and disregard to your eternal interests, excite our compassion ; and would excite our indignation and astonishment, had not we too been equally sottish. Of the worth of your souls, the danger to which they are exposed, the preciousness of salvation, and the happiness of being truly religious, we are deeply convinced. " We have believed, and therefore speak and though in ourselves unworthy and insufficient, yet being entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, " we are now ambassadors for Christ, and as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God." The most high God hath prepared a royal feast ; all things are ready, rich abundance of provisions, and plenty of room ! We are sent to invite the guests, and are directed to " compel them to come in." We would there- fore invite, exhort, expostulate, warn, persuade, and command, with all ten- derness and authority, and not take a denial. Blame not, I beseech you, our earnestness ; be not disgusted or offended with our importunity ; do not " pray us to have you excused do not overwhelm us with discouragement, and send us to give, with tears, an account of our ill success. Our love to your immortal souls, our longing after your everlasting happiness, constrain us to be thus troublesome and importunate. Nay, though you frown, insult, threaten, and persecute, we must persist, so long as there is a shadow of a hope. " We must not be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." And at last " if ye will not hear, we must weep in secret places for your pride ;" after His example, who wept over ungrateful Jerusalem. To the true believer, careless sinnei's appear like intoxicated persons in a house which is on fire ; who must be consumed in the flames, unless they can be induced to come forth, though themselves are utterly insensible of the danger. You may think yourselves secui'e, and make yourselves merry with our fears : but your awful infatuation, and imminent danger, are so manifest to us, that we must persist in our endeavours to convince you, so long as you are on this side of everlasting burnings. Thus Noah was treated by the inhabitants of the old world, and Lot even by his sons-in-law, with neglect and contempt when they warned them of their danger ; but too late they found their warnings true ; and so will you find ours, when death and judgment come, should you now slight them. " Because I called and ye re- fused ; I stretched out my hand, and no man regarded : I also will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh," saith the Lord himself. Prov. i. 21 — 26. But I would rise superior to such discouraging apprehen- sions, and expect better success in tliis feeble attempt to call sinners to re- pentance : humbly hoping that God will hear my prayers, and employ this discourse as his instrument in that blessed work. D2 60 NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE. When John the Baptist began his ministry, lie preached, " Repent ye, for the kingdom of lieaven is at hand." The blessed Jesus also began to preach, " Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." " ^Vnd the apostles «ent forth and preached that men should repent." After the resurrection of Christ, they were commissioned to " preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Accordingly, Peter preached to the Je\rs, " Repent ye, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." Paul in like manner addressed the Gentiles ; " God commandeth all men every where to repent ;" and informed them, " that men should repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." From these, and many other testimonies of the word of God, judge ye, beloved, of the importance and certainty of our subject. No matter of trivial concern which may safely be disregarded, or of doubtful disputation which may plausibly be gainsayed or questioned, now demands our attention. But a subject of equal evidence with the word of God, who cannot lie," and of importance proportioned to the interests of eternal ages. Hear me then, I beseech you, with candour and attention ; lay aside pre- judice and levity, whilst with all seriousness and plainness I discourse con- cerning, 1. The necessity of repentance. 2. The nature of repentance. 3. The encouragement given to repentance. 4. The proper season for re- pentance ; and, 5. The means to be used in repenting. — For the love of thy soul, I beseech thee, sinner ; and as thou wilt answer it at the day of judgement, I charge it upon thy conscience, to lay this matter home to thy heart, as in the sight of God ; at the same time beseeching him to make thee partaker " of that repentance, which is unto salvation, not to be repented of." PART FIRST. Concerning the Necessity of Repentance. BEroRE we enter more full upon the subject, I would premise, that I choose the word JVecessity, as the most comprehensive which occurs to my mind : and I would be understood to intend by " the necessity of repentance 1. The urgency of the case : sinners must either repent or perish : 2. The reasonableness of repentance : having done wrong, we ought to repent, and act most unreasonably if we do not : 3. The obligation sinners are under to repent, both from this reasonableness of the injunction, and the authority of that God who injoins it : and, 4. The additional guilt contracted by im- penitency. As the same arguments frequently prove the necessity of re- pentance, in more than one of these senses, I thought it would bette- prevent needless repetition and obscurity in point of method, to treat of the whole at once, than to divide them into diflFerent heads. Having thus stated the meaning of the term employed, to prevent ambiguity, and that all may know what we say and whereof we affirm, let us proceed to the proof. And here, reader, I have no need to inquire into thy character, whether thou art moral or immoral, a sober man or a drunkard, a good or bad relation or member of society, a formal worshipper or profane. Granting all that any man can desire, supposing the character of the reader to be decent, amiable, and respectable among men, I wiU endeavour to shew him, and to shew all, their need of repentance. I. " Because all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." — Few in comparison are acquainted with the extent, strictness, and spirituality of the law of God, as taking cognizance of every thought, word, action, intention, or disposition of the whole heart and life : requiring absolute perfection in all things, continued Ln even to the last moment of life. Few keep an exact NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE. 61 account of their own thaughts, words, and actions, with reference to this law, as the standard of duty and sin : consequently few are sensible, in any to- lerable degree, how numerous, or rather how innumerable, their transgres- sions are. But most, or all, know, that in some instances they have offended God, by doing those actions which he hath forbidden, and leaving undone those which he hath commanded. Surely, reader, thy conscience will excuse me from further evincing this particular. Only listen to this faithful monitor : even now it arraigns, accuses, and condemns thee : and wert thou guilty only of one transgression, (instead of those millions which are noted in God's book of remembrance,) and shouldest thou die without repenting of that one sin : as sure as conscience now condemns thee, so sure will God condemn thee in that solemn day, " when he shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ." " For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." One felony or murder fully proved insures condemnation, equally with ten tliousand. " Therefore, by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God because all have sinned : " And by the law is the know- ledge of sin." It takes cognizance of, and condemns, every sin and every sinner ; and consequently can justify none, who have once transgressed. But remember, that the number and heinousness of our transgressions, though they add nothing to the certainty, yet wiU add proportionably to the greatness , of the merited condemnation : and should add to the depth of our repentance. Could that man be found who had once, and but once, and in the smallest instance, failed of obedience, he would need repentance, it would be his duty, nor could he be saved in impenitence. How needful then repentance for him, whose sins exceed in number the hairs of his head, and equal the mo- ments of his life ! For him whose crimes are full of aggravation, and loudly call for vengeance ! II. The law which we have broken is holy, just, and good." — There are laws in this land, which condemn the murderer and housebreaker to death. These are reasonable laws, of which none can disapprove, but those who are, or would be guilty of those crimes. We experience them to be the security of our persons, property, and repose. He who breaks these laws, is not only condemned by them, but in the judgment of every wise and honest man ; and ought in reason to condemn himself like a penitent thief, allowing the jus- tice of the punishment which he suffers. Luke xxiii. 41. But Nebuchadnezzar made a law, commanding aU his officers and servants to worship a golden image, on penalty of being cast into a furnace of fire ; Darius made a law, forbidding any of his subjects to worship God for thirty days, on pain of being cast into the den of lions ; and many such laws have the tyranny, caprice, and pride of impei'ious princes and rulers produced. They are however, evidently absurd and impious, and every man wUl abhor them, in proportion to his wisdom and goodness. The three pious Jews who broke Nebuchadnezzar's edict, and Daniel who transgressed that of Darius, were indeed condemned by the laws ; but they have been admired for their courage, and constancy in disobedience, by all good men ever since. Nay, the very consciences of their enemies testified for them, that they had done no- thing amiss. Nor would it have been right for them to have condemned themselves ; but rather they might glory in serving God, and keeping a good conscience, in the face of danger and death. Were the law of God in any degree like those oppressive edicts, we should have cause to be extremely grieved at the hardship put upon us, and alarmed at the sentence denounced against us ; but we could not, with any propriety, condemn ourselves, or repent of our transgressions. ^Ve ought not indeed to reply against God : but the absurdity of this pre- sumption arises, not so much from the consideration of his irresistible power and uncontrollable sovereignty, as from that of his absolute perfection of jus- tice and holiness. This we are bound humbly to allow and s\ippose, even when we cannot perceive it ; and to silence all our rising objections by say- NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE. ing, " shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?" Yet God condescended himself to argue the matter with those who thought his ways unequal ; he even proposes his conduct in his government of the world to our considera- tion, that we may see and adore his justice ; and to our imitation, that we may be holy as he is holy : and the day of judgment will clear up all our dif- ficulties, when the righteousness of God will be fully demonstrated, to the universal satisfaction of his holy creatures, and the confusion and silence of all his enemies. It is indeed blasphemy, to suppose the law of God unrea- sonable, and his government oppressive : but it is a blasphemy congenial to our depraved nature, of which in our hearts we are all guilty, and of which we are with difficulty cured ; for " the carnal mind is enmity against God, — is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." As therefore no sinner can be truly penitent, till he is convinced that the law of God is hoi}', just, and good ; we should first establish this point, in endeavouring to bring sinners to repentance. This is the apostolical me- thod : St. Paul, arguing in the epistle to the Romans against justification by the law, aware of the false conclusions which men of corrupt minds would be ready to draw from his resonings, again and again purposely leaves his main subject, to assert and prove the goodness of the law notwithstanding. With one accord, also, do all the writers of the sacred volume speak honourably of the moral law, expressing their approbation of it, and delight in it : nor is there one exception to this rule. This may shew us the great importance of this part of the subject - and how dangerous some, inconsiderate expressions are, into which several good men have been betrayed in their zeal for that fundamental doctrine, — justification by faith alone. We may be sure that the law is holy, just, and good ; because given by a holy, just, and good God, whose work is perfect: and because, after Adam's fall, when it became morally impracticable for any of his posterity to be justi- fied by it : he is still pleased to continue them under it, judge them ac- cording to it, and condemn them to utter destruction for breaking it.* " Is there unrighteousness with God He would not do these things, if they were not perfectly just. If they appear unjust to us, it is owing to our ig- norance, self-love, low thoughts of God, and favourable thoughts of sin. Nay, so far was God from repealing this law, or abating its strictness, after man's transgression, that he republished it from Mount Sinai with awful majesty : he requires every one who would escape condemnation at the day of judgment, to condemn himself now for his trangressions of it, and to seek forgiveness from his sovereign mercy ; Nor would he even thus pardon one sinner, except as his own Son honoured the law, in our stead, by his perfect obedience and death upon the cross. Moreover he gives it into the hand of all believers as a rule of life, a standard of sin and holiness : yea, writes it in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. Thus doth the most high God proclaim to the whole world his determination " to miignify the law, and make it honourable." And had we no other evidence of its excellency, this, being abundantly suflScient, ought fuUy to satisfy us ; yea, to humble us in the dust for acting so un- reasonably as to break it. May we not, however, ourselves discern the reasonableness of it, notwith- standing our partiality in our own cause, and our love of sin .'' God is evidently * All who die in unbelief perish for breaking this law : all who are saved, were thus condemned for breaking it; else why did Christ bear their sins for them? Some indeed talk of another and milder law : but where it is found, when promulgated, what it requires, who does keep it, or who is condemned for breaking it, hath never been, nor never can be, determined. Others express themselves very am- biguously about our obligations to keep the law, prior to the consideration of redemption. But " where there is no law there can be no transgression :" where there is no transgression, there can be no con. demnation : and where no condemnation, no occasion for redemption. Thus we repeal the law and sub- vert the gospel. Surely we ought with precision to determine this matter ; and to shew that man, as God's creature, is bound to obey his law ; that sin is the transgression of the law ; that the wages of sin is death ; that Christ died (not for Adam's sin only, or mainly, but) for nur transgressions of the law : that they who perish, arc condemned (not only or principally because Adam sinned, but) for their own sins i that upon believing in Christ, wc are dcliveretl from the condemnation of sinners, but are never released from the obedience we owe as creatures : aid that the obligation to obey is enforced on us by most powerful additional motives taken from redemption. NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE. 63 the perfection of glory ami beauty, * the Pattern and Fountain of loveliness ; from whom all that is lovely in all creatures is an emanation, of whom it is a faint resemblance, which hath comparatively " no glory by reason of the glory that exceUeth." In himself he is therefore worthy of all admiration, love, and worship. From him we derive our existence, and all that render- eth our existence comfortable : our obligations therefore to him, as our Creator and Benefactor, are immense ; he deserves then our entire and un- reserved gratitude. Infinite love and gratitude, tliough he is worthy of them, his law requires not, because we are not capable of them, nor doth it enjoin the love and service of an angel ; because he hath not endowed us with angelic capacities. The law runs thus : '•' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and mind, and soul, and strength :" its requirements are proportioned, not to his worthiness but to our capacities. Of this love the man of the slenderest abilities is equally capable with the subhmest genius ; the infant as the aged. In proportion to the superiority or in- feriority of capacity, more or less is required : if it be honestly our all, the law demands no more. But the law makes no allowance for our disinclination and indisposition to love and serve God with our all ; because this is that very malignity of heart which renders us abominable in his sight. Every degree of this temper is a degree of enmity unto God : the very disposition arises from pride, love of the world, and love of sin ; and in proportion as it prevails, is contempt of God in comparison with the world, sin, and self. It is therefore in itself in- finitely unreasonable, totally inexcusable, and the very temper of the devil ; who is completely detestable, because completely of this abominable disposi- tion. + When we therefore show that the law is holy, just, and good, be- cause exactly level to our capacities, we mean our natural powers, not our moral di»positio7is : the want of the former proportionably excuses, the want of the latter proportionably aggravates, every failure of any given degree of service. Man, not having the powers of an angel, is excusable in not per- forming the services of an angel : but being of an unholy disposition, he is therefore the more inexcusable in any particular act of unholiness ; seeing it appears that it was no inadvertency, hut the rooted disposition of his heart. To love and serve God with our all, is the substance of the requirements of the law in the first table. And what can be more reasonable ? Can there be any diificulty in loving one who is perfectly lovely, being thankful for such a Friend, or serving such a master, except what arises from the in- excusable badness of our hearts ; For this we are condemned, for this we ought to condemn ourselves, " abhoy ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes." * Psalm 1. 2. Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, GOD hath shined. t This disposition is properly original sin, the effect of Adam's transgression. Therefore he, as the root, and we in him, as the branches, lost God's favour and image, and became liable to and fit for de- struction. That this disposition is propagated by natural generation cannot reasonably be denied : that it is properly the punishment of Adam's sin, seems capable of Scriptural proof. If we cannot clearly perceive the justice of this, we must silence our objections thus : " Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?" True penitents read their own character, and see their own picture, in Adam's conduct, and are humbled for original sin, as the fountain of all their actual transgressions. But as it is always either disputed, neglected, or abused, until the heart be otherwise humbled, I did not think it proper particularly to insist upon it in this discourse. Whilst some appear to lay an undue stress on Adam's transgression, and speak as if it were the only sin for which we were condemned, or Christ died : others totally deny and revile the doctrine of the fall ; contending that man now is just such a creature, or nearly, with respect to his moral character and dispositions, is God originally created him. But the apostle Paul more than intimates that the image of God consists in righteousness and true holiness. Now we know that God created man in his own IMAGE : he also made him upright, and pronounced him very good. The question therefore is, what man now is. If experience and observation prove him to be naturally and universally prone to evil, and averse from good j and if the Scripture pronounce him evil, and abominable, and every imagination of the thoughts of bis heart to be only evil continually ; he must be fallen from what he was originally. Ingratitude, enmity to God, pride, ambition, envy, malice, lust, falsehood, and covetousness, can form no p.irt of the image of a holy God ; or of that up- rightness in which man was first made. But he must be very hardy, who should deny them to form a part of man's present character. Nor can we suppose the God of truth would first pronounce man very good, and afterwards, without any intervening change, so often declare him .iltogether abominable. How much more does it become our narrow capacities, and proneness to mistake, to rest satisfied with the Scriptural account; *' By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin," " by one man's dis. obedience many were made sinners ;" and to adore tlie depths which we cannot fathom : than in the pride of philosophy and metaphysics, with such scanty information, to decide upon what we cannot com- prehend, and, with darijig temerity, to utter such words, as mote than seem to be injurious to the divine character 1 64 NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE. To love all men with equal estimation and benevolence is the substance of the second table : and we need only suppose this law given to our neighbours alone, as the rule of their conduct towards us, in order to perceive its ex- cellency. "What lovely, what happy creatures should we be, and what a delightful world would this prove, were all perfectly obedient ! None is, or can be miserable, but the transgressor, or they whom transgressors injure. How excellent then this law, which provides for the happiness of the world so completely, that by transgression alone could men become in any degree miserable ! Ought we not then to repent of our disobedience, our continual disobedience, and especially of our entire depravity of disposition, which renders us morally incapable of obedience. Let every precept be impartially examined, and these things will appear with still more convincing evidence. For instance ; " Remember the Sab- bath-day, to keep it holy." Is it not highly reasonable that we should de- vote this portion of our time to Him, to whom the whole belongs ? W ould not our best interests in connection with the glory of God, be promoted by obeying this commandment ? " These things he commands us for our good." How unreasonable then our disobedience ! What need have we to repent of forgetting and neglecting to hallow the Sabbath ! Again, " AVhatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." As we all judge it reasonable that others should thus behave to us : let conscience determine, whether we have not done wrong in and ought not to repent of, transgressing this rule, in our conduct to others. We might easily examine other precepts, and shew them to be equally reasonable. Yea, every one of them is so ; and therefore every deviation from perfect obedience is entirely unreasonable. There is nothing in the whole law of God grievous in itself, or difficult, except to our proud and carnal hearts. — David and Paul, men after God's own heart, greatly loved and delighted in God's law ; Christ, being perfectly holy, entirely delighted in it and perfectly obeyed it : angels and saints in glory enjoy full liberty in obeying it, and find it perfect felicity : yea, God himself, though absolute Sovereign, is pleased to observe in his own conduct, the same rules which he prescribes for ours (as far as consists with his majesty and authority ;) his law is the transcript of his own holiness ; and when he requires our obedience, he only says, " Be ye holy, for I am holy." In proportion as we bear his image, we take pleasure in his precepts, and find obedience easy and natural: in proportion as we resemble Satan, we hate the law, and find obedience irk- some, arduous, impossible. How excellent then this law ! how vile are we who have broken it ! What need have we to repent of our unreasonable conduct. III. All have need to repent, because all have by sin absolutely destroyed themselves. — A trifling penalty incurred by transgression might reasonably have been disregarded. When human laws only inflict small fines, short imprisonment, or burning in the hand, offenders may treat such penalties with indifference : but when excruciating tortures and ignominious death, are the threatened punishment ; when the sentence is impartially and rigorousl}- in- flicted : when the crime is fuUy proved, and the prisoner closely confined ; the most stubborn spirit bends, the stoutest heart is intimidated, and indif- ference is madness. — Art thou then, sinner, careless and unconcerned, in a case infinitely more tremendous .'' Canst thou find a heart for gay amuse- ments, or cooUy apply to worldly pursuits, whilst " the wrath of God abideth upon thee," the law thunders out a dreadful curse against thee, death closely pursues thee, everlasting misery awaits thee That God whom thou hast of- fended, is at once the Witness, the Judge, and the Avenger of thy crimes : thou canst not hide thy transgressions from his all-seeing eye : thou canst not flee from his omnipresence, resist his almighty power, bribe his inflexible justice, or endure his awful vengeance. The sentence, if thou die impenitent, is already published in the Judge's own words : " Depart from me, ye cur- sed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Arc not NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE. 65 these words of the loving Saviour most dreadful ? " Can thy hands be strong, or can thy heart endure," when they shall sound in thy affrighted ear ? Is this " the wrath to come," surely, inevitably to come, upon an ungodly world ? Are these his words, who saith, " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away ?" Art thou one of the very persons concerned ? Art thouatransgressor of the law ? Doth the word of God run thus : " Cur- sed is every one, who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them ?" And dost thou still remain unconcerned ? Indeed, were there no way of escape, it would not be worth while to torment thyself before the time. " But there is forgiveness with God," there is a space allowed for repentance, a way of salvation, a proclamation of mercy : and dost thou still trifle, and not apply thyself immediately to seek deliverance from " the wrath to come?" Surely these considerations, if laid to heart in a manner suitable to their certainty and importance, would damp the vain mirth of an ujigodly world, and turn their songs and laughter into bitter lamentations. Let me, my fel- low sinners, recommend the apostle's advice to you : " Be afflicted, and mourn and weep ; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy into heaviness," James iv. 9. Thus shall your godly sorrow for sin, " work repentance unto salvation not to be repented of." IV. The necessity of repentance appears from the justice of this sentence, severe as it may seem. — Sinners are ready to say, " I only gratify my natural inclinations, and enjoy a little irregular pleasure for a few years ; and can it consist with the justice and goodness of God to punish me with everlasting misery ? Is there any proportion between the crime and the punishment ? But consider, poor deluded man, the infinite majesty, purity, and goodness of that God, against whom thy sins are committed : consider that " his is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever :" consider thy relations to him, as his creature, his property, his subject ; and the reasonableness of his claim to thy love and obedience, resulting both from his own excellency and authority, and the benefits which he hath conferred on thee : consider the reasonableness of his law, the pleasantness of his service, the happiness of his subjects, and the noble rewards of obedience : tlien estimate, if thou art able, what injustice, ingratitude, rebellion, contempt, enmity, and obsti- nacy, there is in sin, and what punishment is adequate to its deservings. If a man injure his equal, it is evil ; if he injure his superior it is worse. If a child curse, smite, or murder his parent, his conduct is baser than it would have been had he thus treated a stranger or an equal. The u'iser, better and more indulgent the parent, the more atrocious is the crime of the unnatural, ungrateful child. Should a son murder an excellent parent, in the midst of a recent profusion of kindness, without any provocation or mo- tive,except in ordertothe more unrestrained gratification of some vile passion; what punishment should we deem too severe for the parricide ? Add, further, the relation of sovereign to that of parent ; a rightful, wise, just, clement sovereign, the common father of his people. For a persecuted David to stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed, though a cruel treacherous Saul, would have been highly criminal : how much more to murder a prince of consummate excellency, without the least provocation ! for his favourite, on whom his bounty had been lavished, to be the assassin ! But for his son, his indulged son, to break through aU obligations, human and divine, and murder his father and prince at once, that he might more unrestrainedly in- dulge his lusts, would stamp the action with stupendous baseness ! VVheii Absalom designed to act this monstrous part against the man of God's own heart, even the ill-judged lenity of the too indulgent parent was not per- mitted to rescue the traitor from deserved punishment. — According to the plainest dictates of human reason, the malignity of the action must rise in proportion to the authority and excellency of the party offended, and the offender's relation and obligations to him. In human affairs, this method of computing the comparative criminality of offences, and proportioning punish.* 66 NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE inentSj is generally adopted amongst civilized nations. If we are allowed to compute in the same method the evil of sin, (and why should we not?) what heart can conceive, or tongue express, or numbers reach, the evil of every offence committed against the majesty of God ? By arguments and medi- tations of this kind, we may arrive at some feeble conception of the odious- ness of transgressing the divine law : but he alone, who sees all things exactly as they are, is the competent Judge : and my design is not to demonstrate a matter before doubtful, but to illustrate the reasonableness of that which is certainly true. WTiether we see and allow it, or not, sin is infinitely evil, and deserving of eternal punishment. Thus He hath determined, " whose judgment we know to be according unto truth." All his loyal subjects on earth join in praising him, " as righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." All the inhabitants of heaven thus praise him, even while " the smoke of the torments of the wicked ascendeth up for ever and ever." None but rebels think the sentence too severe. If we would not have our lot with them in another world, let us not rank ourselves among them in this : but let us say, with holy Job, " I have uttered things which I understood not : things too wonderful for me, which 1 know not." " I will lay my h.and upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer ; yea, twice, but I will proceed no farther." Yea, truly, " every mouth shall be stopped, and all the world shall appear guilty before God ;" nay, they " shall be speech- less" when ordered to be cast into outward darkness, " where is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth." — What cause then have all to repent, who have justly merited so dreadful a punishment ! V. All have cause of, and need for, repentance : because God will most certainly inflict this punishment upon all the impenitent with Unabating se- verity. " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Let no man de- ceive you with vain words : the impenitent sinner shall certainly spend eter- nity " in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone." An awakening truth which Satan and his instruments have in all ages been opposing ; but in none more zealously, ingeniously, and, alas ! successfully, than in this : for that great deceiver knows that nothing so eftectually increases the num- ber of the damned, as the disbelief of eternal damnation. " Ye shall not surely die," was the first temptation of this murderer of souls : and still his kingdom is supported by the same insinuation. But if there be any meaning in words, if the idea of eternal misery can be conveyed in human language, and if the Bible be the word of God, then the wicked " shall go into ever- I.ASTING PUNISHMENT." Though God is rich in mercy, though there is plenteous redemption in the blood of Christ ; yet, neither the mercy of God, nor the blood of Christ, avail for any but the penitent : to others, all the threatenings of the law alone belong : nor have they any part or lot in the gospel ; except the deeper condemnation of " neglecting such great salva- tion," and abusing the mercy of God, and the redemption of Christ, into an encouragement to continue in sin. Such sinners " are a people who have no understanding, therefore he that made them will have no mercy on them." " Oh, consider this, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." Psalm 1. 22. VI. The necessity of repentance is further evinced by considering the reasonableness of this awful determination. There is a controversy betwixt God and sinners, and blame must rest somewhere. Either God is indeed chargeable with blame, for enacting so strict a law, and annexing so dread- ful a penalty on transgressors ; or the sinner is as much to blame as this penalty implies, for breaking the law. To harbour one moment the supposi- tion, that any part of the blame belongs to God, is blasphemous ; doubtless the whole fault belongs to the sinner. Yet every impenitent sinner, in ex- cusing himself, condemns God. " Wilt thou," saith he to Job, " disannul judgment ? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous .''" Job, xl. 8. Why did the sinner break the law, if he did not think it too strict ? Doth he pretend it was by surprise or sudden temptation, thi'ough inadver- NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE. «t tcncy, and not deliberate rebellion ? * Then why doth he not repent ? His impenitence for the past, and his present continuance in transgression, strongly imply a most injurious censure of the law, as inconsistent with his •* happiness : and his vindication of himself and his conduct, implies a censure on the justice of God in condemning sinners, equally injurious. Now, should God pardon a sinner who thus excuses himself, and tacitly condemns him, he would seem to allow the excuse, and plead guilty to the charge ; so that the honour of God ahd the salvation of an impenitent sin- ner, are irreconcileable contradictions : but God, conscious of his own most perfect justice, and jealous of his own glory, would sooner leave all the world to perish for ever, than thus consent to his own dishonour. Every hope, which any man entertains of pardon in impenitency, involves the absurd sup- position, when carefully investigated, that God will dishonour himself, to humour and favour a proud obstinate rebel. Every such hope is pregnant with the presumption spoken of by Moses. " Lest there be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood ; and it cometh to pass, when he hear- eth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk after the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst. The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord, and his jealousy shall smoke against that man ; and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out bis name from under heaven." Deut. xxix. 18 — 20. Let us, beloved, attend carefully to such plain warnings of the word of God, that we may be armed against the temptations of Satan, and the rising presumption of our own liearts. VIL The necessity of repentance is further manifested by reflecting, that no impenitent sinner can cordiallj' approve of the salvation, revealed in the word of God. Indeed, did the gospel require men confidently to believe that their sins are already pardoned, and that all the blessings of salvation are al- ready theirs, though they are destitute of every gracious disposition, as some have incautiously advanced ; no scheme could better suit the pride and car- nality of an impenitent heart. This however, is not the true gospel of Christ, but another gospel, which must be opposed, even though " preached by an angel from heaven." All are bound to believe that God will forgive the vilest of sinners, who repent and believe in Christ : otherwise they make God a liar : for he hath attested it. When by scriptural evidence, (even by holy dispositions produced, and holy actions performed,) I am sure that my faith is living, and my repentance genuine, I may be humbly sure, that my sins are forgiven, and that / am a child of God, and an heir of glory ; but not before. That I shaU be welcome, if I come aright, I may be sure before I come : that I have come aright, and am accepted, I can only be assured by the effects I am conscious of, and the fruits of righteousness produced. The way in which forgiveness and salvation are actually conferred upon sinners, may be thus illustrated. A state-criminal, under sentence of death, is thus addressed by his prince : " You deserve to suffer the rigour of your sentence : no excuse can be made for your rebellion, nor one alleviating circumstance found in your case : yet, by my own clemency, I am disposed to shew mercy, so that I may but do it honourably ; and so, as effectually to express my disapprobation of your crime for an example to others. I will, therefore, seat myself upon my royal throne, surrounded by my nobles, and multitudes of my subjects, as witnesses of your submission and my clemency. Do you then approach and prostrate yourself in my presence, publicly and humbly confess your guilt, acknowledge you justly merit to be immediately led to execution, then throw yourself upon my royal mercy, and crave your • This is often the case of the true believer, who delights in the law of God, and hates evil, yet is sur. prised into tlic commission of that which he abhors, and breaks the law that he loves ; but recovering froin the surprise, he directly and deeply repents. But this excuse is merely a pretence in others, by which they cover a rooted enmity to the law, an habitual love of ein ; and their impenitence discovers their hypocrisy. 68 NECESSITY OF REPENTANCE. life at my hands. In this humbling method, and in no otlier, will I foi^e your crimes, and become your friend." — I speak not here of that redemption price which Immanuel paid, that " God might be just and the justifier of liim who believeth ;" but merely of the glory of God's justice in our con- demnation, and of his mercy in our salvation ; which he requires to be un- reservedly and cordially acknowledged by every one who comes to him for pardon. But an impenitent sinner always rejects, and generally is affronted with, this preliminary of peace and reconciliation. He stands upon his vindication, and holds fast his pleas and excuses. If he allow that he hath his faults, he insists that he hath his virtues, and expects that they should be accepted by way of compensation. He hopes also to do something more by way of atoning for his faults ; and thinks it would be hard, and indeed palpably unjust, to send him, with all his imagined good qualities, sincere obedience, and good intentions, to keep company with thieves, murderers, and prostitutes in the bottomless pit. Such indeed is the self-love and self-partiality of mankind, that you will find few, if any, even of the vilest characters, who have not something of this kind to plead in arrest of judgment : every man's own faults seem to himself more venial, than those of other men, and bis supposed good qualities and actions more estimable ; and thus the sinner " flatters himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful." But, especiall_v, this is the grand objection of the rich, the moral, and the pharisaical. These would bid high and do much, yea, almost any thing but this, which is so in- tolerably mortifying to their self-preference. On this ground principally numbers reject the gospel, part from Christ, and come short of salvation : as " there is no difference ; for all have sinned," aU are condemned, none can make satisfaction : all then that are saved must condemn themselves, and submit to be saved by grace alone, through faith in the Son of God. But whilst such persons proudly hesitate and object, the publicans and harlots, being brought to true repentance, approve of this humbling method, and enter into the kingdom of heaven before them. VIII. Without repentance there can be no preparation of heart for that " holiness, without which no man can see the Lord." All true Christians are zealous of good works, being taught by " the grace of God which bringeth salvation, to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, right- eously, and godly, in this present world." The Christian indeed is very far from perfection in good works, and therefore he cannot be justified by them ; neither does he at all depend on them : but, by his sincere obedience, his unreserved observation of Christ's commands, he proves that he is a true believer, and no hypocrite ; he glorifies God, adorns the gospel, and promotes the real good of mankind. But by deep repentance alone is the heart prepared for such a holy con- duct. Without this, there can be no " ceasing to do evil, or learning to do well ;" no " hating the evil, and loving the good no " abhoring the evil, or cleaving to that which is good." Without repentance we cannot really love God, desire his glory, reverence his majesty, or delight in his law and service. Mere moral and relative good behaviour in the world, without any due regard to God ; or mere external performances in religion, may subsist without repentance : but that holiness which respects the authority of God, as Law-giver and Judge, which springs from love of him and his command- ments, and is intentionally directed to his glory, can only be produced from a heart renewed unto repentance. Especially that deep sense of personal unworthiness, which is peculiar to the true penitent, prepares the heart to exercise genuine gratitude, content- ment, patience, meekness, forgiveness of injuries, and love of enemies. These dispositions and duties form a verj' conspicuous part of the Christian cha- racter, as delineated in the sacred Scriptures : but no impenitent man can really exercise these graces, or perform these duties, whatever ap|>carances he may occasionally assume. Yet if this be not our character and conduct. NATURE OF REPENTiVNCE. 69 our hope is merely presumption, our profession, hypocrisy : " for if ye for- give not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses." So that without repentance no man can serve God here, or be saved in the world to come. Lastly, Without repentance there can be no meetness for heaven. With- out a correspondent disposition, without an appetite prepared for the object, there can be no gratification. A holy heart relishes and delights in holiness, and is thus prepared for the enjoyment of a holy heaven. But he who de- spises and disrelishes holiness in this world, could find no happiness in that place, where all the joys are holy, and where consequently all the employ- ments would be irksome to him. No impenitent sinner has this " meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light because he cannot relish and de- light in holiness : for as soon as he becomes of this disposition, he must in proportion abhor unholiness, and abhor himself for his sinfulness ; that is to say, he must repent of his sins. The whole company of the redeemed are likewise represented as joining in cordial and unreserved praises unto God and the Lamb ; giving all the glory of their salvation to the rich mercy of the Father, and the precious blood of the Saviour. These praises imply an acknowledgment of the jus- tice of the sentence executed upon the ungodly : nay, they imply that they themselves might justly, and should certainly, have perished with their fel- low-rebels, had not Jesus interposed with his atoning blood. But could any impenitent sinner join this worship with sincere delight ? Many openly ar- raign the conduct of the Judge in condemning sinners to eternal misery : and every impenitent heart is disposed to quarrel with this part of the divine conduct. Nor would the case be different, were it possible for a person of this description to enter into heaven : he would secretly condemn his Maker for severity, in eternally punishing others for the very crimes which he him- self had committed, and never repented of; he must dissent from those praises in his heart, which arise from a principle of which he allows not ; namely, that distinguishing grace and atoning blood have made all the difference be- tween him and those in hell : he could not in sincerity allow that God would have been glorious, though he had left him to perish. But there is neither hypocrisy, nor discordant voice, nor unholiness, in those happy mansions ; therefore no impenitent sinner shall ever enter into them. Because our self-love renders us so unwilling to believe this important truth ; because Satan with such artifice endeavours to draw off our attention from it ; because we are so reluctant of ourselves duly to consider it ; and because the entangling pursuits and interests, the pleasures, maxims, and examples of the world, have such a tendency to lull us into a fatal security in this respect ; I have the more importunately laboured these multiplied de- monstrations of the necessity of repentance. Surely, sinner, I have gained my point, fixed thy attention, and fully convinced tliee, that thou hast cause to repent, oughtest to repent, and must either repent or perish. Surely thy heart is by this time in some measure suitably affected with the important subject ; and thou art even now, with pressing anxiety, inquiring, " What then is repentance ?" Beseeching the Lord to assist and bless the attempt, I shall endeavour with all possible seriousness and plainness, to satisfy this inquiry. PART SECOND, 1'he Nature of Repentance. I SHALL not spend my time in critically inquiring into the etymology, or the meaning of the words which are translated repentance in our version of the 70 NATURE OF REPENT^VNCE. Bible. Suffice it to observe that /nrxfciXto/iai, one word frequently used, sig- nifies to be afterwards careful or uneasy : and ^travoiat, that more commonly used, signifies a change of mind, of judgment and disposition ; which ideas severally and conjunctly express the nature of repentance, as it may more fully be learned from the general tenour of the Scriptures. I would then define true repentance to be " A genuine sorrow for sin, attended with a real inclination to undo, if it were possible, all that we have sinfully done ; and consequently an endeavour, as far as we have it in our power, to coun- teract the consequences of our former evil conduct ; with a determination of mind, through divine grace, to walk for the future in newness of life, evi- denced to be sincere by " fruits meet for repentance that is, by all holy dispositions, words, and actions. Enlarging on this definition, I shall have an opportunity of expressing my sentiments on the nature of real repen- tance, and distinguishing it from various counterfeits. I. Repentance comprehends " a genuine sorrow for sin." This implies that there is a spurious sorrow on account of sin, which a man may have to excess without real repentance. This kind of sorrow arises from self-love, alarmed with the fear of punishment, without regard to the just desert of it. A man is indeed grieved ; yet not that he hath sinned, but that God exceed- ingly hates sin, is determined to punish it, and is able to execute this de- termination in spite of all opposition. He is extremely sorry that the law is so very strict, and greatly terrified when he reflects on the danger to which he stands exposed : but he is not grieved at heart for the odious ungrateful part he hath acted. In human affairs, many, under condemnation of death, appear thus penitent, whose insincerity is detected by a pardon, and they rush upon the commission of new crimes. Many penitents of this description we meet with on sick-beds, or in circumstances of imminent danger : they are under excessive terrors, shed abundance of tears, and make many fair promises ; but when the alarm is over, their repentance is repented of, and their concern lost in company and worldly pursuits. They likewise abound among the hearers of the gospel. Like Felix, when the word of God is brought home to their consciences, they tremble, and perhaps weep : but they are soon quieted ; and returji to the pursuit of their worldly interests and pleasures with unabated alacrity : many of these embrace false and loose schemes of religion, are buoyed up with presumptuous hopes, and practically say, " let us sin on, that grace may abound." Having got over their alarm, their repentance is finished ; they live without remorse for the past, or tenderness of conscience for the present, nor have they any trouble in general about their sins ; except perchance, some outrage to common decency shame them before their fellow-sinners. These transient alarms and convictions are most effectually made use of by Satan, to keep men from true repentance. A general persuasion prevails, that we ought to repent, though few understand the real nature of repen- tance. However, this general persuasion frequently excites, from time to time, considerable uneasiness of conscience to him who considers himself im- penitent. But when men falsely imagine that they have repented, or do repent, this uneasiness ceases, and they continue impenitent with a quiet mind. Let me here entreat the reader to pause, and put a few questions on the subject to himself. " Has it not been thus with me ? Is it not so to this hour? Do I not keep my conscience from reproaching me, or silence its friendly admonitions, by some general apprehension, that I am at times a penitent ?" — I beseech thee leave not this consideration, till thou hast care- fully examined it, as in the sight of God, and with the day of judgment before thine eyes. Most certain it is that multitudes live all their lives in a con- tinued course of sinning and i-epenting i« this way ; and at length die im- penitent. But a man may be reoHy sorry for particular sins, without being a true penitent. Conscience sometimes so reproaches men for certain enormous NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 71 violations of all laws, human and divine, as to render them a terror to them- selves : yea, they are exceedingly sorry that they ever committed those par- ticular crimes, and would gladly undo them were it possible : and yet this hath nothing in it of the nature of true repentance. Thus Judas repented of betraying Christ, confessing his guilt, making restitution, and even seek- ing to prevent the consequences of his base treachery ; indeed he was so stung with remorse, that he coul4 not live under the anguish, but became his own executioner. Yet he was not a true penitent ; for the Lord assures us, '•■ It had been good for that man had he never been born." And we do not find tliat he ever expressed the least remorse for his hypo- crisy, his covetousness, or his other wickedness of heart and life, which he liad continued in all his days. The case is often the same with murderers, who are unspeakably troubled for one act of violence to a fellow-creature ; but not in the least concerned for all the contempt, ingratitude, and enmity, of which they have been guilty towards God. And the same is often observ- able in respect of many other notorious offenders. This sorrow is not excited by a conviction (resulting from knowledge and reflection,) of deep crimina- lity, in having sinned heinously by disobeying a good God, and breaking a good law ; but it arises from the horror of having done violence to natural light and their own consciences, to that degree, that none of their former excuses and pretences can pacify them : God having preserved thus much of himself and of his law in our reason and conscience, as a check upon natural depravity, and to bridle the headstrong corruptions of those, who neither fear him nor regard men ; yet cannot act out all their evil purposes, without becoming their own tormentors. But the sorrow of a true penitent is far sin, as committed against God, being rebellion against his rightful authority, and transgression of his holy law. " Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight." Psalm li. 4. He mourns after a godly sort, with a godly sorrow, or a sorrow which directly regards God. 2 Cor. vii. 9, 10. His sorrow springs from the consideration of the majesty, purity, and excellency of that glo- rious Being whom he hath offended, the reasonableness of the law which he hath transgressed, the obligations to obedience which he hath violated, the injustice and ingratitude of which he hath been guUty, and the complicated odiousness of his conduct. As every sin partakes of the same nature, and implies the same disregard to God, he mourns for all, and every one ; whether man were injured by it or not ; whether it were secret or open ; a sin of omission, or of commission ; and whether it were or were not, contrary to the notions, maxims, customs, and allowance of the world. Yea, every sin- ful temper, imagination, and inclination ; every idle, unprofitable word ; every evil action of his whole life, as upon examination it recurs to his re- membrance, excites afresh his godly sorrow. In proportion as he recollects the numberless instances of God's unwearied patience and kindness to him, in former years, he becomes more sensible of his own ingratitude, forgetful- ness, and disobedience : and the further he is enlightened to see the glory of God, the more hateful aU sin appears, and the more he mourns over his own offfences. As therefore the glory of the divine character shines forth more illus- triously from the person and suffering of Jesus, than from all the other works of God : the true penitent's sorrow will be more or less intense, in proportion to the degree of his spiritual apprehensions, and realizing views, of that great event. When with fixed attention he can meditate on the di- vine Surety for sinners, agonizing in the garden and expiring on the cross ; when he can realize to his mind, in the exercise of faith, who he was that suffered ; and what he endured from the cruelty and insult of men, the power and malice of Satan, and the avenging justice of the Father ; and wherefore he suffered, even that he might bear our sins, and expiate our guilt : then, in an especial manner, his mind is deeply impressed with ad- miring views of the awful holiness and justice, and the unfathomable love 72 NATURE OF REPENTANCE. and compassion of God : then sin appears to his mind peculiarly odious^ as committed against a God of such a lovely and loving' character : then he be- comes abominable in his own eyes, and mourns for his sins with peculiar hu- miliation. They now become a sore burden, too heavy for him to bear ; he goes mourning for them all the day long, yet mourns that he can mourn no more, is ashamed that he is no more affected, and abhOrs himself for the re- maining hardness of his heart. He now no longer vindicates his conduct, or extenuates his crimes : his mouth is stopped, his guilt is manifest, and he condemns himself. His judge- ment of his own character is now totally changed ; he used to admire and approve, now he abhors and loathes himself: he was disposed to exalt him- sefr, now he becomes more and more disposed to self-abasement. Then turn- ing his thoughts inward, he traces back the streams of sin which have pol- luted his life, to that fountain of iniquity in his heart, from whence they sprang. " Behold," says he, " I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." Psalm li. 5. — Abased in himself, and impressed with an awful sense of the holy majesty of God, he would despond, yea, at length absolutely despair, were he not supported by discoveries of the rich mercy of God, and the precious salvation of the gospel. Yet, thus encouraged, he indeed ventures to speak unto the Lord, but it is in the publican's self-abased frame of spirit, and humble words, " God be merciful to me a sinner." This deep humiliation of soul renders a man backward to conclude his re- pentance genuine, his faith sincere, and his sins forgiven. These blessings appear in his eyes so large, his own character so vile, and his humiliation so small, in comparison with what he is conscious it ought to be, that he can hardly raise his hopes so high ; and he is so aware of the wickedness of his heart, and discovers so much of Satan's artifice, that he fears being imposed on by a false peace, where eternity is at stake. But when this hope springs up in his heart, and he discovers, by comparing it with the Scripture, with fervent prayer, that " it is the hope that maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him ;" this is so far from drying up his tears, and terminating his repentance, that it vastly enlarges and purifies his godly sorrow ; which is now attended with a sweetness far exceeding eartlily joy. The fuller assurance he possesses, that Jesus " was wounded for his transgressions, and was bruised for his ini- quities," the more he abhors his sins and loathes himself. Here he sees with personal application, what wrath sin merited ; what punishment he was wor- thy of ; when a God of such immense compassion would not pardon one sin, without such a satisfaction : yea, would rather not spare his own Son, but be pleased to bruise Him in whom his soul delighted, than either leave sin un- punished, or sinful men to perish ! His own concern in this transaction directs his attention peculiarly to it. " The Father loved him and gave his beloved Son to die for Aim .-'Christ loved him, and gave himself for him, and interceded for him and thus ft^ was spared and borne with all the years of his rebellion, whilst many others were cut off in their sins. At length " God, who is rich in mercy, for his g^eat love, wherewith he loved him, even when dead in sins, quickened him" by his Spirit ; thus born of God, he was pardoned, justified, and adopted into God's family, and numbered amongst the heirs of eternal glory ; to which he is sealed by the graces and consolations of the Holy Spirit ; as these are the earnest of the promised inheritance. Such discoveries and prospects elevate the soul to a degree of adoring love and gratitude, before unknown ; and this increases the penitent's self-abasement and godly sorrow. His heart is even broken, and as it were melted, when he considers the number and odiougness of the crimes committed against this glorious and gracious God, who was all the while full of love to him. His character is stamped, " a mourner that shall be comforted ;" yet his is a sweet sorrow : whilst with tears of contri- tion and gratitude, he praises a pardoning God and a bleeding Saviour, he realizes the paradox, " Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing ;" except that in some NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 73 dark seasons his heart is insensible, both to the motions of godly sorrov/, and of holy joy. These alternate variations in the frames of his spirit, the true Christian experiences through the remainder of his life. His more melting seasons of godly sorrow are blended with, and prepare the way for. Lis sweetest consolations ; which again increase and purify his mourning for sin ; as he then most clearly perceives, what a gracious and glorious God he hath offended, and how vile he hath been. Thus ingenuous sorrow and holy joy, reciprocally assist one another ; they intermingle with, and are propor- tioned to each other, in his daily experience ; till at length death closes the varied scene. Then " God wipes away all tears from his eyes ;" " the days of his mourning are ended ■" he shall eternally be comforted, and plenteously reap tlie harvest which here he sowed in tears. I do not mean to determine any thing concerning the degree in which true penitents obtain these spiri- tual discoveries, or experience these flowing aflfections, and melting frames. It is enough if we can describe the distinguishing nature of true repentance. True grace is of the same nature and tendency, whether we have much or little of it. If, then, the genuine sorrow for sin required in Scripture has been de- scribed, it is no objection to say, that many true Christians have very little of these views and affections ; because that is only to say, in other words, that they have but little true repentance ; or (which amounts to the same thing) have but little true grace. And the less they have of these things, the less evident is their conversion ; the more need have " they to examine themselves whether they be in the faitli and to " give diligence to make their calling and election sure." Certainly we must not adulterate the word of God, that we may accommodate it to the experience of lukewarm professors, in a day when " iniquity abounds, and the love of many waxes cold." This would be the way to reduce things from bad to worse, till true religion va- nished from among us. We must still keep to the standard of God's word, the experience of Scriptui'al saints, and the specimen of primitive Christians ; endeavouring to stir up men's minds to imitate these illustrious examples. And, on careful examination, I trust, the above description of godly sorrow will be found Scriptural : all real Christians have experienced something of it, and habitually do experience it : and the more distinct their views, the more enlarged their affections, and the deeper their contrition : the more evidently they are true penitents, and entitled to all the consolations belong- ing to that character. Nor is the order in which these things are experienced, at all material, provided the godly sorrow be of the proper nature and tendency : yet I would just observe, that at all times it is begun before asmred hope of salvation ; otherwise pardon and the assurance of it would be vouchsafed to impenitent sinners ; but it is much enlarged by this assurance, wherever it is scripturally possessed ; as the believer now " looks upon him whom he hath pierced, and mourns." It begins previously to the sense of pardoning love, and is per- fected by it ; because the believer's love to the Lord is thus increased, and this increases sorrow for having offended him. Let this be well digested, and then let us proceed to observe that, II. Repentance is " attended with a real inclination to undo, if it were possible, all that we have sinfuUy done ; and consequently with an endeavour, as far as we have it in our power, to counteract the consequences of our for- mer evil conduct." This frame of spirit will manifest itself, 1. By ingenuous confession of our sins to the glory of that God, whom by sin we have dishonoured. Thus Joshua exhorts Achan ; " My son, give glory to the Lord, and make confession unto him." The commission of sin im- peaches the wisdom, justice, and goodness of God ; and seems to say, that he hath forbidden us something conducive to our real happiness. Obstinacy in sin defies his power, dares his vengeance, and despises his truth and holi- ness ; to vindicate ourselves, and cover our sins, arraigns the righteousness of his threatenings and judgments, or affronts his omniscience. Thus the E 74. NATURE OF REPENTANCE. sinner robs God of his glory. What he hath done cannot be undone : nor is it in his power to make satisfaction for the injustice, of wliich he hatli been guiltVj except he bear tlie eternal punisliinent. Convinced of this, the true penitent flees for i-efuge to the atoning blood of Jesus. But, though he can- not make satisfaction for his sins, or do any tiling towards meriting pardon or reward : (for this he knows must be whoUy of free mercy,) yet what he can do, he will. He will, both in secret and openly, on all proper occasions, make full and unreserved confession of his crimes, and condemn himself ; and thus glorify God's justice and mercy ; glorify his law, as " the ministra- tion of condemnation," and his gospel as " the ministration of righteous- ness :" for " both are glorious, though the latter exceeded in glorj'." 2 Cor. iii. 7 — 11. All who have even a superficial acquaintance with the Bible, know that this is every where spoken of, as an essential part of true repent- ance, and often put for tlie whole of it : I shall not therefore further dwell on it, but shall confine myself to two observations. First, That secret sins require only secret confession unto that God who knoweth and seeth in se- cret : but public scandals require public acknowledgments : that we may openly honour God by our confession, as we have dishonoured him openly by our conduct. Thus when David had, by adultery and murder, given cause to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme ; by writing and publishing tlie fifty-first psalm, he publicly took shame to himself, even before his own ser- vants, subjects, and children : and thus gave glory unto God, and stopped the blasphemy of tlie ungodly. Secondly, Tliat the true penitent, though ge- neral in his public confession, should be, and w ill be, very particular in his secret confession ; reviewing, enumerating and bemoaning all his sins, of every sort, with all their various aggravations. 2. This disposition of mind will influence the penitent to make ample re- stitution to those whom he hath defrauded or injured. Under the ceremo- nial law, the trespass-offering was to be accompanied by restitution to the injured party. Lev. vi. 1 — 7. The plain meaning of which institution Christ hath given us in his Sermon on the Mount: " If thou bring thy gift unto the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee ; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; Jirst be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and oflfer thy gift." Thus it was that Zaccheus evidenced the sincerity of his repentance: and thus every sincere convert, with self-indignation, will haste to be rid of that accursed thing, dishonest gain : * with scrupulousness and diligence he will search for every remainder of it ; he will restore it with interest to the injured, if he can : if not, he will give it to their relatives, and to the poor ; and should he be unable to do this (which he will put himself to much inconvenience and self-denial ratlier than not effect,) it will be long the occasion of additional trouble of mind to him. — Let me ask thee, beloved reader, thinking thyself a penitent, whither thou hast impartially examined thyself on this score ? whither thou hast im- itated Zaccheus in this matter ? Or art thou sure thou hast no cause, having never injured any man by fraud, violence, or extortion ? I warn thee before- hand, that God will bring to light these hidden things of darkness, and fully investigate this matter, at the day of judgment. And no unrighteous persons, (2 Cor. vi. 9.) who, having injured their neighbours, love the gains of iniquity so well, as to refuse restitution, shall inherit the kingdom of God. This evidence of sincei-ity is so distinguishing, that I cannot but conclude, judging by the Bible, that all appearances of repentance, all pretences to experience, without this, are hypocritical and delusory. What shall we say then to many persons, who, having formerly under colour of law, been, perhaps unwillingly, injurious to their creditors, still keep them out of their just rights ; perhaps see them struggling with those diflSculties, into which their extravagance hath plunged them ; whilst they themselves now live at ease, perhaps in affluence ; and are well able, (if they could prevail with themselves to re- • VSTio shaketh his hands from holding of bribes. Isaiah xxxiii. 15. NATURE OF REPENTANCE. 75 trench superfluous expences,) to make restitution, in whole, or in part ; but will not, because not compelled by the law of the land. These persons evi- dently confound human laws with doing the will of God ; and prefer wealth, indulgence, and the pride of life, to the golden rule of " doing unto others as they would they should do unto them." Whatever profession of religion any one, who acts thus, may make, his religion is vain, and a discourse upon repentance would be exceedingly defective, which did not bear testimony against this common and flagrant conduct. Another evil, I am told, very frequent among persons professing evange- lical religion, as well as others, is dealing in smuggled or contraband goods. This trade is in itself, — An evident violation of God's express command, Rom. xiii. 6, 7. — A robbery upon the community, which must be taxed to make up the deficiency : And aiding and abetting all the enormities that smugglers commit. But necessity is pretended. I suppose it is necessary in order to be rich. " But they that will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into divers foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition : For the love of money is the root of all evil." 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10. But our evil conduct may injure others, not only in their property, but in their reputation, in their connections, in their peace of mind, and in many other ways : and the true penitent, though he cannot undo what is past, yefc will endeavour to counteract the mischief, at the expence of stooping to the most humiliating submission, of making the frankest acknowledgements, or by any method in his power, however contrary to the pride and self-love of the human heart. 3. This disposition of mind will induce a man to retract those false prin- ciples, which he has advanced, that may have a tendency to propagate or countenance infidelity or profaneness : and to counteract the consequence of his evil conduct, where it hath prejudiced men's minds against religion, or led them into sin, and emboldened them in it : or any ways tended to the dishonour of God, and the ruin of souls. Gladly would he undo this part of his conduct : it ever grieves him upon reflection : he is pained that the seed is sown, and springs up and grows, notwithstanding all his endeavours to the contrary. But as far as his retraction, his arguments, his persuasions, his example and influence can reach, he will endeavour to prevent the fur- ther progress of the mischief. In tliese and various other particulars, true repentance influences a man sincerely to desire and endeavour to counteract the tendency of his former evil conduct ; but appearances of humiliation for sin may be and often are without this distinguishing effect. Thus Ahab humbled himself and was clothed in sackcloth, but neither restored Naboth's vineyard, nor ceased to commit iniquity. III. True repentance is attended with a determination of mind, through divine grace, to walk for the future in newness of life, evidenced to be sincere by fruits meet for repentance : that is, by all holy dispositions, words, and actions. This is at last the grand distinction betwixt true repentance, and all false appearances. Though men be abundant in sheding tears, and make the most humiliating confessions, or most ample I'estitution ; though they openly re- tract their false principles, and are zealous in promoting true religion ; though they relate the most plausible story of experiences, and profess to be favour- ed with the most glorious manifestations ; though they have strong confi- dence, high affections, orthodox sentiments, exact judgment, and extensive knowledge : yet, except they " do works meet for repentance," all the rest is nothing, they are still in their sins. For the tree is known by the fruit ; and " every tree that bringeth not foi'th good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." Yea, though Cain's terror, Judas's confession and restitution, Pliaraoh's fair promises, Ahab's humiliation, Herod's reverencing the pro- phet, hearing him gladly, and doing many things ; the stony-ground hearer's joy ; together with the tongue of men and angels, the gifts of miracles and prophecies, and the knowledge of all mysteries, were combined in one man,. 76 ENCOURAGEMENTS TO REPENTANCE. they would not prove him a true penitent, so long as the love of one lust re- mained unmortified in his heart, or the practice of it was allowed in his Hfe. Unless the drunkard become habitually sober, and the churl learn to be liberal ; unless the contentious man learn meekness, and the proud humility ; unless every man break off, and set himself to oppose and mortify his con- situtional and customary iniquity ; there is no real repentance. The man's mind is not changed respecting sin : he does not sincerely grieve that ever he committed it, nor really desire it undone, nor heartily abhor it, nor is will- ing to be finally divorced from it ; not from his darling indulgence, his De- lilah, his Herodias ; however he be affected, alarmed, and restrained. I allow, that the true penitent will find work enough all his life with his own peculiar evil j)ropensities ; and after all his watchfulness, prayer, and determination of mind against every sin, he wiU too often manifest, to his great sorrow, that his evil nature is not destroyed, that sin yet dwells within him : but he will also give abundant evidence that no sin hath dominion over him ; that his own iniquity is peculiarly abhorred, dreaded and opposed ; and that, in short, " he is a new creature, old things are past away, behold all things are become new." This will not be so evident to others, in the case of a man, who was before moral and decent in his character ; but it will be equally manifest to his own conscience ; whilst he observes that he now acts from other principles, to other ends, and by another rule, than hereto- fore : and now he has not only regard to those things with which men are acquainted, but with equal care and attention abstains from secret sins, from evil tempers, intentions and imaginations, which are manifest only unto God. It appears then, that this necessary repentance is a very arduous business. Thus our Lord represents it : " Strive to enter in at the strait gate ; for many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Do you object the profit and pleasantness of your sins, and the pain of parting with them .'' He an- swers, " If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out : if thy right hand or foot offend thee, cut it off. For it is profitable for thee" thus maimed and mu- tilated, " to enter into life, rather than having two eyes, two hands, two feet, to be cast into hell, where their worm never dieth, and the fire is not quenched." When the difficulty is objected, the necessity is urged ; the awful alternative — repentance, or eternal damnation ! But should any urge the impossibility, he proposes the effectual assistance of Him, to whom all things are possible- An easy slothful religion may serve a man to live with ; but only a diligent, self-denying religion will comfortably prepare a man to meet death. " Except a man deny himself, take up his cross daily, andfon- Bake all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple," saith the loving Saviour of the world, the Judge of the living and of the dead ; and because we are so backward to believe it, and so much depends upon believing it, he confirms it with a double asseveration ; — " Verily, verily, I say unto you." But though the work is great, and requires labour and self-denial, there is no cause for despondency : the encouragements are proportionable : the success certain to every one who is in good earnest about it : and the work itself unspeakably more pleasant than all the forbidden delights of sin. PART THIRD. Encourageuients to Repentance. I HAVE already intimated, that he who, convinced of the necessity of repent- ance, in good earnest uses those means which God hath appointed in order to it, may depend upon the effectual assistance of the Holy Spirit in this ENCOURAGEMENTS TO REPENTANCE. 77 important undertaking, which will render it both practicable and pleasant : and the same topic will afterwards be resumed, when those means are treat- ed of. I shall not therefore farther speak upon that subject in this place, but lead your attention to those encouragements which arise from the as- surance that repentance is inseparably connected with salvation. I. In the first place, " God commandeth all men every where to repent." Were there any of the human race who did not need repentance, or any to whom repentance would be unavailing, we may be sure God would not have given such a commandment. He sends no message of this kind to fallen an- gels, or to the souls of wicked men who have died in their sins ; because he hath determined to show them no mercy. Having done wrong in sinning, doubtless they continue to do wrong in not repenting ; and their impenitent rebellion and enmity to God will eternally illustrate his justice in their con- demnation ; as all wUl see, that he doth not without cause treat them as enemies. A man who hath murdered his lawful prince, though the law must have its course, ought to repent, and shows a still more desperate spirit of rebellion if he die vindicating his conduct. Yet the avenger of blood, de- signing no mercy, requires no submission. A command to submit and repent, if sent to a company of condemned criminals, would directly excite a beam of hope in every relenting breast. — God sends his ministers and his word, commanding thee O sinner, to repent ; were no more said, thou mightest safely draw this conclusion : — " Cei-tainly he hath thoughts of peace, and intends to shew mercy to all who obey the summons." II. God is always in Scripture represented as peculiarly ready to receive and entertain repenting sinners : " I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus : Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised, as a buUock un- accustomed to the yoke : turn thou me and I shall be turned ; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented ; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yea even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son ? Is he a pleasant child ? for since I spake against him, I do ear- nestly remember him still : therefore my bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord." Jer. xxxi. 18 — 20. Here is the true penitent, mourning for sin, covered with shame, and crying for mercy: and the encouraging answer of that God, " who waited to be gra- cious." The same is most emphatically inculcated by the experience of David in the thirty-second Psalm. In this, mark carefully how soon the sweet sense of forgiving love fbUowed his ingenious confession of guilt. But omitting many other Scriptures, for the sake of brevity, let me detain you a little in meditating on the prodigal son ; a parable spoken on purpose to encourage the publicans and sinners, who listened to the words of Jesus. Let us attentively consider the character of the prodigal, his disdainful and ungrateful behaviour to a wise and indulgent father, his debauched and dis- solute life, and the misery to which he was reduced. Here, as in a glass, we may see ourselves ; our pride and ingratitude, our contempt of God and wil- ful departure from him, our folly, and our misery whilst we live in sin. Then let us view him at length come to him.self, conscious of his guilt, sinking under his misery, covered with shame, adopting the resolution of returning to his offended father, with penitent confessions, and humble supplications. Discouraged as well as humbled, by the recollection of his own vileness, his only hope arises from meditating on the kindness of him whom he had so basely offended ; and he can just enough raise his mind above despondency to expect, that, perhaps, after many repulses, and reiterated submissions anil entreaties, answered by deserved upbraidings, his father might be at length prevailed on to admit him, in some mean capacity, to share that plenty which his servants enjoyed. Here we have the frame of spirit, the hopes, and the fears of the true penitent, most affectingly delineated. But, behold the ten- der father is looking out with eager expectation, for the return of his lost prodigal ! he sees him afar off, and, through parental tenderness and com- E 3 78 ENCOURAGEMENTS TO REPENTANCE. passion, is regardless of his age and gravity, and runs to meet }tim. Finding tliat he abhorred and condemned himself, without one reproach or tlie least delay, he welcomes him as a son : he clothes, he feasts, and rejoices over him, and commands all his servants to rejoice with him : " Because," says he, " this my son was dead, and is alive ! was lost, and is found !" Thus shall every true penitent be welcomed by a gracious God. Not only shall he meet with a kinder reception than his fe.ars foreboded ; but his most sanguine expectations shall be far exceeded ; his sins, however numerous, shall not be mentioned against him ; his wants shall be all supplied : pardon, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost shall be conferred on him ; the robe of righteousness and salvation shall clothe him; angels in heaven shall rejoice more over him, than over ninety and nine Pharisees, who in their own judge- ment need no repentance ; yea, God himself shall acknowle atonen»ent ENCOURAGEMENTS TO REPENTANCE. 79 made. But God's justice is perfect, and can admit of no relaxation : liis law must be magnified and made honourable, and cannot be dispensed with. Not the repentance, but the eternal punishment of the oifender, is the atonement indispensibly insisted upon, or one equally honourable to the precept and sanction of the divine law. This the true penitent perceives or allows ; he subscribes the sentence of his own condemnation, and humbly trusts in that vicarious atonement, which the Son of God once made, and which is of in- finite value and efficacy ; and through which " God is just, and the justifier of the believer." That repentance which is depended on for justification, is a proud unbelieving repentance, and not the humble repentance here treated of. But in fact, repentance, where it is genuine, is the gift of God. Thus St Paul speaks on this subject to his beloved Timothy. " In meekness in- structing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance, to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26. In like manner the apostle Peter, before the Jewish rulers, declared, concerning Jesus, whom they had crucified : "Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Is- rael, and forgiveness of sins." And when the same apostle gave his brethren and the church at Jerusalem an account of the conversion of Cornelius and his household, they " glorified God, saying. Then hath God to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." Acts v. 31. xi. 28. This accords to the prediction or promise which Jehovah gave by the prophet Zechariah, — " I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication ; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son." Zech. xii. 10. This was fulfilled in part, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the crucifiera of Christ, on the day of Pen- tecost, and when, being pricked to the heart, and inquiring of the apostles " what they must do ;" three thousand obeyed the call to " Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins." In entire harmony with these decisive testimonies of holy writ, are those petitions in our excellent liturgy, which, alas ! are often so familiar to the ear, as scarcely to excite the attention of the understanding, and not at all to affect the heart, of many professed worshippers in the established church : " Let us beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit." " That it may please thee to give us true repentance." " Create and make in us new and con- trite hearts ;" with expressions implying the same important truth, which continually occur in many parts of our truly scriptural liturgy. In fact, though we have so much cause for repentance, and are i?t duty bound to repent ; yet our proud carnal hearts are naturally destitute of the least disposition or inclination to this duty. The shame therefore of our ob- stinate impenitency belongs to us ; but the whole glory of our repentance, when the grace of God disposes and enables us to repent, is due to him, who worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure." So far then are we from meriting any thing by repenting, that we Jire laid under fresh obligations to him " who hath granted us repentance unto life." " Do not err, my beloved brethren, every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." Yet, on the other hand, let us not regard those who represent our natural want of inclination as an excuse for impenitency ; not considering that the dominion of pride, and the love of sin, in the heart, which renders us incapable of our duty, forms itself the very essence of that impenitent heart, which God abhors and will con- demn, and which cannot be its own excuse. Nor is the most penitent per- son in the world perfect in his repentance. No man hates sin in a degree equal to its hatefulness : no man condemns, abases, and abhors himself, as much as he ought to do ; or as much as he would, did he more perfectly be- hold the glory of God, the excellency of the law, the evil of sin, and the mul- 80 ENCOURAGEMENTS TO REPENTANCE. titude of his own transgressions ; or had he more fixed views of the nature and glory of the suiferings of Jesus Christ. He that is habitually most peni- tent, finds his repentance capable of increase wlien liis views are enlarged, and his heart is peculiarly affected with these discoveries : but even in these seasons, his enlarged godly sorrow is little in comparison to what it ought to be, and would be, did he, instead of " seeing through a glass darkly, see face to face." How far then doth the general frame of his spirit, when his mind is comparatively dark and unaffected, come short of the perfection of repent- ance ! Over this every sincere Christian mourns, and for this seeks forgive- ness. For similar reasons the fruits of repentance do nothing towards atoning for our sins, meriting a reward, or justifying us before God. Take a fa- miliar illustration : You owe your tradesman a sum of money ; and you now continue to deal with him for ready money only : yet the old debt is not by this diminished. But should you daily purchase to the value of a crown : and only pay daily one shilling, your debt would rapidly increase. — Perfect obedience is no more than what is due to our Creator : so that after we have by sin for years run in arrear with him, did we obey, for aU the remainder of a long life, as perfectly as an arch-angel, our love and obedience would be no more than his due for the present, and could do nothing towards dis- charging the old account : even with the apostle Paul's obedience the debt would rapidly increase. Sure I am, whilst I now write, that I this moment am more deeply deserving of condemnation than ever ; because, though I hope sincerely penitent, I daily add recent transgressions to my former sins, and shall certainly perish, if Jesus do not plead for me, " Deliver him from going down into the pit — behold the ransom." This salvation, through the ransom and intercession of the Son of God, every true penitent cordially approves, and thankfully embraces, and shall certainly participate. My brethren, an impenitent believer and a penitent unbeliever are ideal characters, which have no existence unless in some men's imaginations : except where the repentance is counterfeit, and the faith dead. Genuine repentance and faith are twin graces produced together, thriving together, and forwarding each other's growth. It is true, some exercises of faith precede, and produce repentance in the regenerate soul : but repent- ance precedes, and makes way for that exercise of faith, which interests the soul in the merits of Christ for salvation. The belief of the existence and perfections of God, his law and government of our relations, obligations, and accountableness to him ; of the future state, the day of judgment, heaven and hell, always precedes repentance, and is influential in leading man to it ; a belief of several truths respecting Jesus Christ and his salvation, generally, though perhaps not always, precedes. But he must be already in some de- gree penitent, who can cordially approve and embrace that salvation ; for whilst a man remains impenitent, his proud heart will have insuperable ob- jections to it ; insuperable I say, in any other way, than by that change of judgment and disposition, which is denominated repentance. The salvation revealed in the gospel, exalts God upon the throne, and re- quires the sinner to submit to his authority and righteousness, and give him the whole glory of his salvation. This appears most equitable to the true penitent, and to him alone. " Let God be glorified, says he, by all in heaven and earth, whatever becomes of me ; but should he mercifully save so vile and worthless a rebel, I shall be an eternal monument of the richness of his mercy, and the power of his grace." The gospel is intended to put honour upon the law : " It is holy, just, and good," says the penitent soul : " I con- sent unto it that it is good," and I have " deserved its awful curse for my vile transgressions : I rejoice to see this holy lay magnified, in the obedience unto death of God incarnate : I long to have it written in my heart by the finger of the Spirit : and my prayer is, " O that my ways were directed to keep thy righteous precepts !" The gospel shews sin to be exceedingly sinful, and discovers its infinite odiousness and just demerit ; the true penitent, an4 ENCOURAGEMENTS TO REPENTANCE. 81 he alone, irreconcQeably hates all sin, even that which was his tnost darling indulgence. The gospel abases the sinner, silences his excuses, rejects his pleas, strips him of his distinctions ; and, without regard to his learning, wisdom, wealth, honour, morality, or amiable character among men, treats him as a sinner condemned to die, deserving and fitted for destruction. To this the true penitent, and he alone, cordially submits. I loathe and ab- hor myself." " To me belongs shame and confusion of face," is the genuine expression of his humbled heart The gospel honours Christ as the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the All in all : thus he appears to the true penitent, and to none else. In his person, undertaking, righteousness, atonement, resurrection, mediatorial exaltation, offices (as King, Priest, and Prophet,) intercession, instructions, example, and Spirit of grace, he appears to the humbled sinner altogether suitable, sufficient, and precious. On every other side despair lowers : the glory of God, and the honour of the law, demand his destruction : but here hope brightens ; here he sees God glorious, and sinners saved ; here he sees every thing exactly suited to his wants and his desires ; here he may have his sins pardoned, his corruptions subdued, his ignorance removed, grace communicated, strength renewed, and every thing bestowed freely, without money and without price, which can raise him from the brink of hell, and the borders of despair, to the lively hope of an inheritance in- corruptible, undefiled, and unfading. Christ appears to him " the Pearl of great price," " the Chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely." " He counts all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of him." To him he flees, though with trembling heart, lest he should meet with a tepulse ; with trembling hand he lays hold on this only hope ; to him he cleaves in the midst of discouragements and delays, and answers every rising despondency with " Lord, to whom shall I go, thou hast the words of eternal Irfe." Nothing but impenitent pride and love of sin, render men blind to the glory, deaf to the voice, or negligent to the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ : nor can any thing but a penitent sense of the evil of sin, and the misery of a sinner, reconcile the proud heart of man to this salvation. Though repentance therefore does not in any degtee merit pardon ; yet it is that disposition of mind which both prepares the soul to receive it, and renders the possessor a meet object on whom a holy God may honourably bestow it : and no further obstacle remaining, divine justice being satisfied in the sufiFerings of the Redeemer, the point yielded by the sinner's repent- ance, that he did deserve to perish, and is saved by free grace ; and his heart being now rendered willing to be saved in the appointed way ; he shall, with- out all doubt or delay, have salvation, and the consolation which springs from it. Were more encouragement needful, i might lead your attention to the many examples with which the word of God furnishes us, of sinners, who had committed the most atrocious crimes, and borne the most infamous char* acters, for complicated long-continued guilt, who on fepentance were par- doned and saved. It will be enough to recite a few Of their names ; such were Manasseh ; the woman who was a sinner, — a scandalous and notorious sinner : the thief on the cross ; Saul the persecutor ; and the very men who crucified the Prince of Life ! These instances are doubtless recorded pur- posely for the encouragement of those, who are ready to conclude that their sins are too many and too great to be forgiven ; and they form a very im- portant proof and exemplification of our doctrine ; that tio degree of guilt can exclude the true penitent ffom forgiveness, through the blood of Christ. For although our Lord speaks of some who sin against the Holy Ghost, and shall never be forgiven ; and the apostle John mentions a sin unto death, which they who have committed should not be prayed for : yet St Paul ex- tricates us out of this difficulty, by informing us, " that it is impossible to renew them to repentance which forms indeed an awful warning to those Who harden their hearts against conviction and live in impenitency, bu* 82 SEASON FOR REPENTANCE. affords no exception to our doctrincj and needs give no discouragement to the penitent soul. And now, sinners, you see the necessity of repentance, the real nature of it, and the abundant encouragement you have to repent. I would hope that from regard to your eternal welfare, you will set about it in good earnest ; not only in preference to your vain amusements and dissipations, but even to your most important business and interests which are of no consequence in comparison with this " one thing needful." Arise then, and be doing, and the Lord will both assist and prosper your endeavours. FART FOURTH. The proper Season for Repentance. SfCH persons as are but superficially acquainted with the credulity of many and the artifice of Satan ; as have t;»ken but little notice of the workings of their own hearts, and made but little observation of what passes around them, may be apt to conclude this part of our subject needless : yet, I trust, it will be found to be of great importance,, and essentially necessary to discourse concerning the proper season of repentance. The words of the Psalmist, quoted by the Apostle, comprise what I shall urge on this head : " To-day,'if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart." The present time alone is ours : yesterday is irrecoverably gone ; to-morrow we may be in eternity ! Were then all of you in the prime of youth, I would endeavour to enforce on aU the necessity of early repentance. To such then I first address myself. Consider, young sinner, that custom is second nature : thy innate depravity forges the chains wliich hold thee in bondage, but custom rivets them upon thee. This is not mere speculation, — it is the language of inspiration. " Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots .'' then may he, who is accustomed to do evil, learn to do well." Repentance may he considered either as the work of divine grace in us, or as oxir own work by the assistance of divine grace. " Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; for it is God that worketh in you to wUl and to do of his good pleasure." Doubtless it is always alike easy to al- mighty God, to change the heart and renew the sinner ; yet the sinner, when thus influenced to will, and to do, may find vastly more difficulty in some cases and circumstances than he would in others. T\Tien worldly interest% cares, and projects, together with customary indulgences, have added strength to your lusts, you will find repentance vastly more arduous than at present. You will then fixid it vastly more difficult to " cease to do evil, and to learn to do weU," to separate from the ungodly, and to habituate your appetites and passions to controul. If you now delay, and should hereafter repent, you will bitterly know what it is to " pluck out a right eye, and to cut oflf a right hand." ^Fhen to the opposition to lusts grown ungovernable by gratification, and remorse for sins which exceed calculation, bitter reflec- tion * on the irreparable mischief which you have been doing all your life : you add what it will cost you to renounce the friendship, to withstand the persuasions and enticements, to resist the ai^;uments, to face the scorn and bear the reproach of those comrades in iniquity, with whom you are hitherto happily unconnected : whilst perhaps your own children, trained up in wickedness, or the wife or husband of your bosom, whom you have ignorantly espoused, may be among the number of those, who are an offence unto you. Are you therefore in youth, in early youth, yea, in childhood ! You are not * Consider in this place, what has been urged, of the neceisitY of restitution. Part Second. He wbo repents early, escapes that difficulty. SEASON FOR REPENTANCE. 83 too young to be sinners, both by nature and practice ; evil dispositions and evil actions render repentance both needful and reasonable ; and without it you must perish in your sins. Even now, therefore, I call upon you in the name of God, to repent and turn to God, and to do works meet for repent- ance. Listen not to your corruptions, to your companions, to the cruel mur- derer of souls, who would persuade you that it is soon enough yet. Millions are now in outer-darkness, who on earth intended some time to repent, but imagined they had time enough before them. Perhaps there are scarcely any who did not once think as you are now thinking, and flatter themselves as you do. Will you also trifle with the Almighty, till his patience be wearied out, and he cut you ofl', as he hath those who thus provoked him before you ; and send you to be their companions whose example you would imitate ? * Do you imagine you shall find less difficulty, or have more resolution to break through difiiculties, hereafter ? Alas ! your difficulties will daily both be multiplied and gather force ; and you will find less and less inclination, or resolution to encounter them. Fear, shame, and conscience mil make gradually more feeble resistance ; restraints of education wiU wear oflF, and you will grow bolder in iniquity. Finding respite from punishment, you will grow more secure and hardened in sin, till perhaps God will give you over to incurable obstinacy. Do you imagine that sinful pleasures can afford you more satisfaction, than is to be found in serious godliness : Poor deluded souls ! I compassionate your case, whilst I abhor the blasphemous supposition. Once I thought the same ; I bless God for undeceiving me, and beg of him to grant you the same mercy. " There is no peace, saith my God, for the wicked." " Vanity and vexation" are stamped upon all created enjoyments ; they consist of eager expectations ; continual anxiety, disappointments, and mortifications ; a few turbulent short-lived gratifications, insipid amusements, and fatiguing pur- suits of pleasure. The mind of the poor deluded man who thus seeks hap- piness where it is not, is uneasy in waiting for the season of enjoyment ; sur- feited and dissatisfied even with the moment he longed for ; pained at the retrospect j alarmed when he looks forward to death and judgment ; and he can find no respite from anxiety, but by banishing reflection, and foregoing the noblest privilege of the rational nature. Your smiles, ye Votaries of pleasure ! are hypomtical ; your mirth affectation ; your heart is heaviness in the midst of your loudest peals of laughter ; remorse of conscience and foreboding fears often disturb even your most jovial hours, and extort the unwilling sigh ; but they render solitude and reflection bitterness : whilst the least remembrance of death, or symptom of its approach, excite a horror I have felt but cannot describe. This is earthly, ungodly pleasure, even when health, affluence, and all conceivable advantages concur to add relish to it : but when sickness seizes the poor wretch who knows no other joy ; when poverty and adversity de- press, and death approaches, his case is so miserable, and his anguish so in- tolerable, that no words can sufficiently express it. But true religion is the source of the sweetest serenity, the most refined delight, the most exquisite enjoyment. From conscious integrity, peace with God, submission to his will, and reliance on his providential and gracious care, spring calm cont^t with the present, and serene expectation of the future : and these form a " peace of God, which passeth all understanding." Victory over the fear of death, and a well-grounded and lively hope of eternal happi- ness, support the soul in adversity, and increase the enjoyment of prosperity. Contemplation on the glories of the divine character, and the wonders God hath wrought, issuing in admiring love, adoring gratitude, and fervent praises, inspires the soul, at some seasons, " with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." A Ufe of communion with God, an uniform walk in his pleasant ways, an increasing assurance and experience of his love, fill the Christian's peaceful • Jer. xiii— Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem ! will thou not be made clean ? When shall it once be > 84 SEASON FOR REPENTANCE. soul with an abiding satisfaction ; which nothing greatly interrupts, but the stirrings of corruption, the force of temptation, and the imperfection of his obedience. By these, at times, guilt burdens his mind, and sorrow oppresses his heart: yet even godly sorrow itself rather increases than lessens his enjoyment : and if he for a season be unhappy, it is not because he is reli- gious, but because he is no more so. Nor is there any rational satisfaction which he doth not enjoy, with more real relish, because with more modera- tion, than others do : for real religion abridges us of no enjoyment, but that which is irrational, debasing, or inordinate. In short, a flash of lightning, which for a moment interrupts, and then increases the midnight gloom, bears more comparison to the cheerful genial light of the sun, than the most exquisite gratifications of sin, to those joys which the real diligent Christian experiences from day to day. " Come, taste, and see how gracious the Lord is, and how blessed they are who trust in him." But doth Satan persuade you, that you shall have time enough hereafter ? Alas ! can you be the dupes of so bare-faced an artifice .'' You know that you have no lease of your lives, nor are sure of beholding to-morrow's light. Many as young, as healthy, as vigorous as j'ou, are followed to the tomb. Pare you risk eternal happiness or misery on such a peradventure ! Reflect, also, that your lives are in the hands of that God, whom your sins have greatly provoked, and your presumptuous impenitency stLU more. May he not, even at this moment, be saying, " thou fool, this night shall thy soul be re- quired of thee ?" Hast thou not, deluded sinner, done enough already to provoke him to it ? And shouldst thou slight the present warning, and rush into forbidden pleasure ; seriously consider whether thou mayest not reason- ably fear, lest in the midst of some daring provocation, he should " cut thee off with a stroke," and " then a great ransom cannot deliver thee." Pare you flatter yourselves with the presumption of repenting, if not be- fore, yet on a death-bed J Alas ! how many are cut oflF by sudden death ! how many bereft of reason by the violence of disease I how many are seized vith madness, incurable madness I how many, I say, perish without one cry for mercy, and eternally curse their foUy, in being the dupes of such a de- lusion ! " Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird." You evidently see the design of Satan in liis temptation : he aims only to lull you into security, till he can plunge you into despair ; and then he wiU insult over you. But even should you have a space given you before death, can you reasonably hope that God will then give you his grace, which you have so long refused ? Are you sure you shall improve those hours ? Can you at last in your own strength, when you are languishing under a violent dis- order, overcome all tliose difiiculties which you have considered as next to insurmountable, even with the assistance of divine grace, all the days of your health Will you need any additional anguish, when your bones are full of strong pain, and nature is even sinking under the load Can you then b.e sure that your repentance is real and genuine, when you have no opportunity of bringing it to a trial by the fruits which it produces ? One instance indeed is recorded of a dying penitent, to shew that repentance, even in those circumstances, is neither impossible nor unavailing ; and but one, to teach us that such cases are very rare. To-day, then, make sure of this important concern. " Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eye-ljds ; deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the snare of the fowler." " Remember therefore your Creator in the days of your youth." Re- member your obligations and relations to him, and your offences against him : remeniber, repent, and seek forgiveness without delay, through that Saviour who hath promised, that " they who seek him early shall find him." But indeed this best season is already elapsed with many ; and it is too late to exhort them to early repentance. Perhaps some are dolefully la- menting, " My youth hath been spent in vanity and ungodliness ; yea, the prime of life is irrecoverably past, and I am growing hoary in the ways of SEASON FOR REPENTANCE. 85 wickedness : what must I do ? Is there nothing for me, but a certain fear- ful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation ? Indeed, my fellow-sin- ner, thy case is very deplorable : the day is almost spent : the night, where- in no man can work, is swiftly approaching : thy work is not beg^un ; yea, all thou hast been doing, during the whole course of thy life, must be as it were undone. Thou must travel back again, with weeping and supplication, all the way which thou hast trodden for so many years. Death, judgment, and eternity, press upon thy unprepared soul : the grave is yawning for thy en- feebled body : and should death seize upon thee ere repentance hath taken place, it had been good for thee hadst thou never been born. Still, how- ever, thy case is not desperate : though provoked by thy impenitency, the Lord yet renews his compassionate invitations. If then thy heart begin to relent ; if remorse embitter thy soul ; if thou art at length willing to ac- knowledge thy ofFence, and seek his face ; come, and cast thyself at his feet, and venture upon his mercy and truth, who sayeth, " Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." If indeed thou art renewed to repentance, though " at the ninth or eleventh hour, thou shalt be equalled with those who have borne the heat and burden of the day." Herein lies the danger and the dif- ficulty : but with God all things are possible ; he " can change the Ethio- pian's skin and the leopard's spots ; and by his power, even thou who hast been long accustomed to do evil, mayest learn to do well." Admire then his long-suifering, who hath borne with thy impenitent disregard of his prpcepts and promises, his authority and invitations, for forty, fifty, sixty or seventy years, and has neither cut thee off by death, nor deprived thee of thy much abused reason, nor left thee to utter insensibility ! This is distinguishing patience ! Methinks, aged sinner, I see thy relentings, hear thy groans, and witness thy tears, confusion, and despondency ; whilst the crimes of a long life pass in review before thee, the sword of divine justice is brandished against thee, conscience reproaches, and Satan insinuates that it is now too late. Yea, thou art even inclined once more to listen to his insinuations ; and to con- clude that there is no hope, and that after such a life, thy late repentance and worthless services will never meet with acceptance. But reject this dis- honourable thought, resist the lying tempter ; when he persuaded thee, here- tofore, that it was too early in life to" repent, he led thee to the brink of an awful precipice : if he prevail in persuading thee it is now too late, he pushes thee headlong into everlasting ruin. In both he acts in character, " a liar and a murderer from the beginning." " God's ways are above our ways, and his thoughts above our thoughts," and " his mercies are higher than the heavens," else the case of the aged sinner would be desperate. But though he will not accept the late repent- ance, and the feeble obedience of one hour, because they merit such a fa- vour ; yet for his own name's sake, and through the atonement and inter- cession of Jesus, he will pardon, justify, and save all those who truly repent and believe the gospel. This discovery of the unspeakable riches of divine love, whilst it gives encouragement to the drooping heart, ought to increase the sinner's remorse for having so neglected and provoked a God of such ex- cellency and mercy, and to quicken his diligence in availing himself of the divine patience, by fleeing for refuge to the hope still set before him. " To- day, if ye will hear his voice," before to-morrow, embrace his proffered mercy, and harden not your hearts. And whatever stage of human life you are now arrived at, I can only inculcate the same exhortation : " behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation and suggest the same petition : " So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm xc. 12. " Whatsoever thy hand fiiideth to do, do it" speedily, and "with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor know- ledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccles. ix. 10. I have shown you, that this, of all others, is the most necessary and important work you can find to do : make then no delay, lest " he swear in his wrath, that you shall never enter into his rest." 8& MEANS OF REPENTANCE. PART FIFTH. The Means of Repentance. In entering on this part of our subject, a formidable objection may be started, and even grounded on what hath already been discoursed, against treating upon the means of repentance at all. It hath been observed, that repent- ance is the gift of God to us, the purchase of Christ for us, and the work of the Holy Spirit in us : " How then," it will be objected, " can we do any thing towards it ? If it please God to bestow it upon us, we shall repent, without difficulty or labour : if not, our labour will be altogether to no pur- pose." It is indeed a certain truth, that repentance is the gift of God, as it has been proved from plain Scriptural testimonies : but it is equally true, and capable of the same proof, that we must diligently labour for it. Nor is there any inconsistency betwixt these distinct views of the subject : they only appear inconsistent to our dark and narrow apprehensions. Upon a si- milar occasion, the Truth, the Word, and the Wisdom of God saith, " La- bour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give you." John vi. 27. Christ wiU give it most freely, but you must labour for it most diligently. Thus the harvest is the gift of God, who giveth seed to the sower ; who giveth rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, and causeth the earth to yeild her increase ; yet must the husbandman labour. In both temporal and spi- ritual concerns, God gives not to the slothful, but to the diligent ; and his bounty does not supersede, but encourage our activity. He works in us, that we may work out our own salvation ; he hath ap- pointed means, and commanded us to use them. Obedience is our duty. We ought to use the means, and trust in the Lord to render them effectual ; but not to depend on them, or rest in them. They who seriously desire to repent and turn to God, will manifest their sincerity by thus using every proper means with diligence and perseverance : nor shall their labour be in vain ; " for every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." But negligence will detect hypocrites, and justify God in their condemnation. Something then must be done in order to our being made partakers of repentance : not under the no- tion of merit, as if we made the purchase : for it is the gift of God : not under the notion of efficacious operation ; for it is the work of divine grace : but in order to evidence our integrity in purposing repentance ; and that we may be found waiting upon God in the way of his appointment. And though the means will not affect the end without efficacious grace ; yet they are quite as much calculated to produce the effect, as medicines are to remove sickness, or agriculture to procure the crop, — both of which are rendered effectual only by the divine blessing. 1. Then, " Consider your ways" as David did : " I thought on my ways, and turned my feet into thy testimonies." Psalm cxix. 59. Are you now desirous truly to repent .'' Retire frequently into your chamber, shun the hurry and dissipation of a crowd, and court solitude, that you may recollect yourselves, and seriously commune with your own heart. There minutely review your whole past life : with exactness survey your thoughts, words, and actions, ever since the dawn of reason, or from the beginning of recollec* tion. Ask yourselves seriously such questions as these : What have you been scheming, intending, pursuing, all your days ? What hath been the standard of your judgment, and rule of your conduct : the opinion of men, or the word of God : the fashions of the world, or the example of Christ ? What have your affections been fixed on Have you given God, or the world. MEANS OF REPENTANCE. your heart : I mean your warmest desires, and most devoted attachment ? Have you intentionally been pleasing God, or yourselves ? Have you been seeking his glory in every thing ; or your own ease, interest, gratification, and honour ? In what have your time and money been most cheerfully ex- pended ? In works of piety and charity ; or in gratifying your sensuality, pride, and ambition : Have you been laying up, or aiming to lay up, trea- sures in heaven, or on earth ? Have you improved health, prosperity, abili- ties, and influence, in promoting the glory of God, the interests of piety, and the good of men ? Or have you done no good, but mischief, with them ? Hath God been the delightful subject of your meditations and conversation : or have you willingly and habitually forgotten him, and regarded religious thoughts and converse as insipid and irksome ? Hath the sweet work of prayer and praise, the worship of God, and hearing and reading his word, been your pleasure, or your task ? Have you been out of your element when thus employed, and found more charms, and experienced more satisfaction in licentious company or dissipated mirth ? Have you habitually reverenced the sacred name of God, hallowed his Sabbaths, and frequented his sanctuary with reverence and devotion ? Or have you taken his name in vain,* de- spised his ordinances, polluted his Sabbaths, or mocked him with an hj'po- critical worship ? What have your imaginations been ? pure and heavenly, or lewd, ambi- tious, envious, covetous, revengeful, and abominable ? \Vliat has your dis- course been ? edifying, serious, and candid ; or profane, polluted, trifling, slanderous, and dissembling ? What have your tempers been ? meek, peace- able, and kind ; or turbulent, contentious and overbearing ? Have you be- haved, as the word of God directs, in relative life, as parents, children, hus- bands, wives, masters, and servants? Has equity, disinterestedness, and kindness; or selfishness, covetousness and fraud, directed your worldly business ? Have you in sobriety, chastity, and temperance, governed your appetites and passions ? But I have already exceeded due bounds in this specimen of queries, which you ought with all impartiality to propose to yourselves ; allowing conscience, after mature recollection, to return a faithful answer. In short, set the law of God and the example of Christ before your eyes ; make diligent search into your secret practices, intentions, and inclinations ; steadily view your likeness, and estimate your character in this manner, until you know what manner of persons you are. Shrink not back from that view of self-deformity which will thus be presented to you ; but look, and look again, till you " ab- hor yourselves, and repent in dust and ashes." The man whose circumstances are embarrassed, may possibly retrieve all, if he have resolution in time to look well into his a£Pairs, and be made sensible how bad they are : but to shrink from this investigation, and to banish re- flection on a disagreeable subject, completes many a man's ruin. Thus mul- titudes are afraid, or averse, fully to examine their own character, conduct, and state ; they flee from reflection, because uneasy and mortifying ; and huddle up all in an unexamined obscurity, till they rush blindfold into re- mediless ruin. But by carefully examining how matters stand betwixt God • By taking the name of God in vain, I do not mean, nor does the Bible mean, merely blasphemy, perjury, and profane swearing ; but every jest or expression which implies want of reverence to the name of God, his word and sacred things. Almost in all companies, the conversation, even though trifling and polluting, is incessanUy interlarded with the words God, Lord, Christ, and such like : which are formed into hackneyed phrases, and used as mere expletives to adorn a period, or as notes of admi. ration, approbation, or indignation. Nothing can more fully discover the degree in which sinftil man despises the glorious God, than this general and almost universal practice. Without pleasure, profit, or apparent temptation, in violation of an express command, and in defiance of an awful threatening ; that tremendous name which impresses angels with holy awe, and at which devils tremble, is made man's mere by-word. But when the affronted Jehovah shall at last address the sinner, " Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord?" and he finds that God will " not hold him guiltless ;" his profane trifling will be at an end ; and he will be constrained to tremble at the name which he would not reverence.— The inefficacy of much apparent reUgion, and the worthlessncss of much evangelical profession, are demonstrated by their failing to repress this awful profancness. All true Christians, who worship God in spirit and in truth, are, by that profound veneration which they bear to the Lord, cured effectually of this practice; and they ought to unite in bearing testimony against it, boldly, in all com. 88 MEANS OF REPENTANCE. and our soulsj the danger is discovered, the remedy is at hand, and our de- struction happily prevented. Shift not then this business ; slur it not over, but go through with it, though disagreeable and mortifying ; and you will find yourselves amply recompensed, not only by its subserviency to repent- ance, but to future solid and abiding peace of conscience. II. Examine your heart and life daily. Nor only say, " What have I done but " What am I now doing ?" " The heart is deceitful abtove all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it ?" And the Lord pro- nounces him a fool who trusteth in his own heart. Men retain their good opinion and confidence concerning themselves, because they remain strangers to their own hearts, for want of daily examination : for the only way to dis-i cover a concealed villain, is carefully to watch him. Watch then your own hearts : examine well your own lives ; keep before your eyes the requirements of the divine law, as far as known : search the Scriptures daily for further information : review your daily conduct, judging of it by that infallible standard ; descend to particulars : to omissions and commissions, words and actions, intentions and imaginations, deficiencies and defilements in duty, and backwardness to it. This will prove of vast importance to self-knowledge, and consequently to self-abasement. Though difficult at first, it will soon become natural and pleasant to the true Christian ; it will continually keep the heart humble and watchful, and the conscience tender ; and dependence on the mercy of God, through the blood of Christ, for pardon, ia continual exercise. This conduct, like well arranged accounts, wUl prevent a thousand anxieties and terrors, in times of danger and sickness, and at the hour of death. Grudge not, then, this labour, if you are ambitious to be called dis- ciples of Jesus, and do not " judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life." III. Meditate frequently upon such subjects, as tend to excite and increase in the heart, the sense of the heinousness of sin ; labouring with your reluctant minds to bring and keep them close to this exercise. Impenitency is greatly the effect of extenuating notions of the malignity of sin ; repentance must then flow from a sense of its hatefulness. It is needless to enumerate the various subjects which, duly meditated upon, may have this effect ; and it would lead us into repetitions. Such are the majesty and excellency, autho- rity and law, threatenings and judgments of God : his righteous severity against sinning angels, against Adam and his whole posterity, against the in- habitants of the old world, against Sodom and Gomorrah, against the na- tions of Canaan, against the people of Israel, in a variety of instances, espe- cially in the final destruction of Jerusalem, and the continued dispersion of the Jewish nation. — All these, and others too numerous for me to mention, are but forerunners and emblems of that everlasting destruction, with which in a future state all they shall be punished, " who know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." " Now, we know that the judg- ment of God is according unto truth :" these awful instances of his tremen- dous justice show us his judgment of the evil of sin, and what it really de- serves : even his judgment, who is love, and " delighteth not in the death of a sinner but punishes solely to express his holy hatred of that abomina- ble thing which we lodge in our bosom, and in behalf of which we plead. These things were written on purpose to lead us to judge concerning sin, as God judgeth ; and this wUl surely lead us to unfeigned repentance. IV. Meditate frequently and intensely on the death of Christ. Consider who h6 was, and what he suffered, and wherefore he suffered. Purposely retire to contemplate this surprising scene ; and jdeld not to weariness or indisposition, till you arrive at some heart-affecting views of a crucified Sa- viour. Superficial speculations may amuse the fancy, and furnish our con- versation ; but without deeply examining and well digesting this subject, and being thus established in judgment concerning it, we can never, in ha- bitual experience, reconcile godly sorrow, with abiding peace and joy in the Lord, or humble repentance, with a lively hope of everlasting life. Here that Christian, who turns his eyes from other objects that he may stedfastly MEANS OF REPENTANCE. 89 look unto Jesus, * will perceive, that the awful vengeance of God against sin, before considered, proceeds not from want of love to the persons of sinners, but from abhorrence of moral evil — the effect of a perfect view of its infinite malignity : that this judgment and conduct are essential to the most perfect character, and requisite to his glory as moral Governor of the universe. When, therefore, in boundless love, he determined the salvation Of sinners, he would " not spare his own Son but would sooner deliver him, " in whom his soul delighted," to the most intense agonies and ignominious death, than leave sin unpunished, or permit his intelligent creatures to remain ig- norant of his infinite hatred of it. For the instruction of the whole universe to eternal ages, in these and other important truths, respecting the divine character, law, and government, did the Son of God " suffer once for sins, the just for the unjust." Here likewise the sinner may learn to estimate the worth of his immortal soul ; the vanity of this world ; the dangerous situation in which he is placed ; the difiiculty there is in a sinner's salvation, which cost him, who created and upholds all things by his powerful word, sueh humiliation and sufferings ; the unpeakable love of God, and his willingness to save sinners ; seeing " he hath not withheld his only Son from us." These are lessons eminently con- ducive to repentance ; and which can in no other way be learned to such advantage, as by " looking unto Jesus," and meditating on his sufferings. He, then, who sincerely would repent, must daily retire in contemplation to Gethsemane and Golgotha. V. Lastly, The whole must be rendered effectual by fervent and impor- tunate prayer, without which all other means would be in vain. Whether we read, or meditate, or examine our lives and hearts, or whatever we do, prayer must accompany all ; for it is God who takes away the heart of stone, and gives the heart of flesh, and renews us unto repentance ; and him we must earnestly supplicate to bestow on us this good and perfect gift. But alas ! it is extremely difficult to prevail upon men to get alone, and on their bended knees, day by day, to beseech the Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, to work this change in them, and bestow this gift on them. To read, to hear sermons, and other things of a public nature, men may be more easily in- duced. A mere form or task of devotion, may also be reconciled with a self- sufficient and worldly spirit and conduct : but real prayer stands in direct opposition to them all. It is the very language of indigence and dependence, and earnest longings after God and holiness. In order to pray aright, a man must know, in some measure, how vast and various his wants are ; he must understand his true interest and happiness; he must supremely value the favour and image of God. No man can truly pray for spiritual blessings, who doth not carefully review his life, explore his heart, and in a measure know his own character ; who is not in some degree acquainted with the majesty, holiness, and heart-searching knowledge of Grod, his own absolute dependence upon him, his relations and obligations to him, and his offences committed against him ; and who is not, in a general way at least, instructed in the way of access for sinners to an offended God, through the atoning blood of his Son, and humbly willing to approach in this appointed way. Such a man draws near with reverential fear and deep self-abasement, confessing his unworthiness, and imploring forgiveness ; encouraged only by believing apprehensions of the rich mercy of God to sinners through the mediation of Jesus. Conscious also of ignorance, weakness and depravity, in humble sin- cerity and earnest longings, he pleads the promises of the word of God, and implores the teaching, strengthening, sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. Faith, repentance, and universal holiness, he longs for, feels his want of, ex- pects, and seeks daily from God in prayer. In all this, his words express, but not fully, the very meaning of his heart. Daily he thus opens and pours out his soul unto God, turning the precepts and promises which he reads or * Heb. xii. x^»'aivTu. F 90 MEANS OF REPENTANCE. hears from the word of God, into fervent petitions. All his sorrows, anxie- ties, and perplexities he spreads before the Lord, seeking, in every exigence, support, direction, and consolation from him : subjoining continual thanks- givings for mercies received, and intercessions for all around him ; and sub- missively referring himself, in every case, to the will and wisdom of his heavenly Father. " Thus is he careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, makes his requests known xmto God ;" " and casts his care npon him, who careth for him." Such prayer as this cannot be taught by man, but must be the effect of " the pouring out of the Spirit of grace and supplication who, communicating divine light to the understanding, and holy dispositions to the heart, excites fervent and spiritual desires in the soul, and teacheth us to pray with " groanings that cannot be uttered." It is therefore called in the word of God, " praying, in and by the Spirit as opposed to a " form of godliness," or good words spoken with the mouth, without suitable affections and desires in the heart.* He whose words express more than he intends, or heartily desires, prays form- ally and hypocritically : he who means all his words express, and more than he can find words to express, evidently prays spiritually, and, tiough he may not be sensible of it, is assisted in prayer by the Holy Spirit.t But if nothing, however specious or ostentatious, be prayer, which has not in it something of this nature, (as I trust, upon mature examination of the Scriptures, will be found the case :) then evidently the proud, ungodly, and carnal-minded, cannot pray aright. Nor can it be deemed strange, if, when a sinner is Jirst seriously impressed with concern for his soul, he hath great reluctance to this spiritual exercise, and knows not how to go about it. For even real Christians, wlio are arrived at some measure of stability, and have made considerable proficiency in a life of communion with God, meet with considerable difficulty in this grand concern ; have need habitually to be humbled for neglects and imperfections; and want continually fresh supplies of divine assistance to excite, teach, and enable them thus to " pray always and not faint." Satan also will oppose to the uttermost all his artifices to prevent a sin- ner's approaching to the throne of grace ; well knowing, that in the critical season, when any person is under serious impressions, if he can be prevailed on to neglect prayer, they will soon wear oft", and leave the conscience more insensible than before. The business, pleasures, diversions, and society of the \rorld ; and that scorn with which ungodly men treat a life of prayer, combine their influence in aid of natural corruption and Satan's temptation, to keep the poor convinced sinner from the throne of grace. And as if these hindrances were not sufficient, even some, professing serious godliness, (whose intention may be better than their judgment,) extremely increase the difficulty, by strenuously contending, that unconverted persons ought not to pray, or be exhorted to it. '\. * Saul, previous to conversion, was a strict Pharisee, who mnAe long praycr$ ; yet wlicn the Lord spoke of his conversion to Ananias, he said, with emphasis, " Behold, he prayeth. " Before, he might read or repeat long forms, or pray fluently in extemporaneous language : but now he feels his indigence, dependence, and unworthiness, and really prays with suitable desires and dispositions. + 1 am far from thinking that no prayer is accepted, which comes not up to this description ; but this is the nature of a sinner's praying for spiritual blessings : to this, in a degree proportioned to the mea- sure of his grace, a believer attains : and every accepted prayer has something in it of the same nature. t If a man ought not to pray before conversion, he ought to know, that is, be sure, of his conversion before he prays : for if he be not sure of his conversion he cannot be sure whether he may, and ought to pray, or not. Thus assurancf springs up in a sinner's heart all at once ; and now having received he may ask ; having found he may begin to seek : the door being opened he may begin to knock. — Surely, at first glance, every one must see this to be absurd and unscriptural, yea, anti-scriptural. Truly all ought to pray, but none will in sincerity, until the Holy Spirit in some degree inchnes the heart. Then a man feels an inclination to do that, which before was his duty, though he did it not : frequently he knows not from whence this change proceeds ; but is encourageti, by such Scriptures as that before alluded to, (Malth. vii. 7, 8. or Isaiah Iv. 6, 7.) " Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way." Thus he begins to ask aiid seek : and in consequence to re- ceive and find : in this way giving diligence he makes his calling and election sure ; and this statement reconciles all the different views which the Scripture gives us of this matter. Tlie Lord seeking us when lost, and being found of us when we sought him not, inclmes us, (though we are not aware whence this inclination comes) to seek him in prayer ; and thus we receive all spiritual and eternal blessings in the way of asking and receiving. MEANS OF REPENTANCE. 9i Sucb indeed are the pride and ungodliness of man, that, left to himself, and under Satan's influence, he never will pray in sincerity. Confounding the depraved disinclination with a real want of ability, many thence argue the want of obligation. But this argument, if it prove any thing, proves too much ; and would consequently repeal the law and abrogate the gospel, and furnish the devil himself witli an apology, by making inward depravity a justification of outward rebellion ; the desperate wickedness of the life. For certain it is, that man is as much disinclined to keep the whole law, or to repent and believe the gospel, as he is to pray ; and will never do either the one or the other, if left to himself, destitute of the influence of divine grace. But doth this indeed justify all our transgressions of the law, and contempt of the gospel .'' Again, prayer is an important part of that worship and obedience which the law requires : and it is also the grand means of receiving from Jesus new covenant-blessings. He, then, who prays not, at once breaks the law, and contemns the gospel : " and he that keeps the whole law, and thus* offends in one point, is guilty of aU."t If then a sinner ought not to pray, he is justifiable in breaking the whole law, and equally justifiable in neglecting the salvation of the gospel ! In fact, however, our depraved inclinations are in no respect the measure of our duty, but the direct opposite. " The carnal mind is enmity to God; is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." The law to which the carnal mind cannot be subject, is the measure of our duty. This men cannot obey, because of the depravity of their nature, which enhances, instead of extenuating, their guilt. Alen ought to love God and one another ; having sinned, they ought to repent : they ought to believe and pray, to deny themselves and mortify their lusts : but they do not. What is the reason.'' They cannot. But in what sense is this true.'' In fact, because they dislike the service of God, hate his law, reject his authority, despise his gospel, and prefer the gratification of their lusts ; and because these hateful dispositions are so predominant in them, that without the inter- position of Omnipotence they are insuperable. Can these hateful dispositions then, be seriously urged as an excuse : Will any dare to urge them at the day of judgment .'' No ; " every mouth will then be stopped, and aU the world shall be found guilty before God." I should not in this place have touched upon this controversial subject, had I not observed how greedily this poison is drunk down, and how fatally it operates, in stupifying the conscience, flatter- ing the pride, and apologizing for the slotli of mankind. Instead of thus abetting, we should endeavour to counteract these artifices of Satan, and to combat the reluctancy of a sinner's heart, by shewing the absolute necessity of prayer unto salvation ; enforcing the invitations to the throne of grace ; expatiating on the promises made to all who call upon the Lord ; explaining the nature of prayer ; directing him in the new and living Way to the throne of grace ; answering objections, obviating discourage- ments, representing prayer as our privilege, and unspeakable consolation ; and exhorting sinners to draw near, and share our happiness ; for we may be assured, that they who ffi*e thus excited to pray, wUl in due time render unto God the praise of " making them to differ." But I return from this digression. My fellow-sinners, you must pray or perish. — Your backwardness to pray should humble you, and stir you up to overcome it ; especially by crying unto the Lord to incline your heart, by his grace, to love and delight in prayer. Your ignorance should urge you to begin as the disciples did : — " Lord, teach us to pray." You must not yield to corruption, temptation, or discouragement, but persevere in prayer ' with all sincerity and earnestness. If you pray aright, you will be very far from trusting in, or boasting of your prayers ; for you will perceive much imperfection and defilement in them. But though humbled on that account, • Num. XV. 30, 31. " The soul that docth ought presumptuously, the same rcproacheth the Loid— he halh despised the word of the Lord." + .lames ii. 10, 11. F 2 92 CONCLUSION. you need not despond ; your prayers, though broken, faltering, and feeble, (if you mean what you express, and desire what you ask,) shall meet with acceptance througli the intercession of Jesus, and be not only answered, but in due season far exceeded. Especially in this way you must seek repent- ance, as the gift of God through Jesus Christ ; using the other means with diligence, earnestness, and perseverance ; and then you will assuredly be made partaker of " that repentance which is unto salvation, not to be re» pented of." I CONCLUSION. Having thus gone through the subject, according to th# method first laid down, nothing remains but to close with a few practical observations. I. I would observe, from what has been discoursed, that every species of religion, in which repentance forms no prominent part from first to last, is justly to be suspected, yea, certainly to be condemned as unscriptural and destructive. There is a great deal of this religion in the world, which often comes recommended by extraordinary zeal for some peculiar doctrines of Christianity, and is distinguished by unwarranted confidence and high ailec- tions. Men hearing the gospel, are superficially alarmed on account of their sins, and eagerly look out for comfort. Through inexperience they lie open to Satan's artifice, and are easily imposed on with false comfort, deduced from false principles, exactly suited to their carnal unhumbled hearts. Thus they presume that their sins are pardoned, and their state good ; and with this presumption self-love is delighted, and high affections produced: these, ex- pressed in earnest fluent language, create them injudicious admirers : this flatters and aft'ects them the more, and confirms them in their confidence ; so that they think, after such experiences, they must ne^ er more, on any ac- count, doubt of their own salvation. Yet all this is only a land-flood, and soon subsides. They gradually experience a decay of affection, and grow lifeless, indolent, and worldly; with their affection their confidence declines, but they struggle hard to exclude doulitings : they call themselves back- sliders ; allow themselves to have forsaken their first love ; and groan out Job's complaint, though not at all in Job's meaning : " Oh that it were with me as in months past !" And would a wish suffice, something might be done : but they have no heart for greater exertion. To close all, they abuse the doctrine of final perseverance ; take it for granted that they are saints ; ex- pect to be restored as it were by miracle, whilst they turn a deaf ear to the voice of Christ, commanding them to " be zealous, and repent till at length, perhaps, a suitable occasion and temptation presenting, they throw aside their profession of godliness. Tiiis is exactly tlie religion of the stony-ground hearers, who had faith, confidence, and joy, such as they were, but no repentance or humility,* and therefore no root in themselves : for it is only by renewing our hearts unto repentance, that the ground is prepared for the reception of the seed, and the production of true faith and holiness, as hath already been demonstrated. " Let no man deceive you by vain words." Except you are partakers of re- pentance, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance, all your religion is vain, your hopes presumptuous, and your destruction inevitable ; whatever other attainments, gifts, or experiences, you may have to boast of, or to buoy » It is very observable how often the words, " Every one that cxalletli himself shall be abased, and he that humbktb himself ehali be exalted," are repealed by our Saviour; andhow inanysimilar expres- sions are used by his apostles. This infallibly teaenes us, that all appearances of religion are fallaeious, so long as the heart remams unhumbled CONCLUSION. 93 op your confidence. Satan can transform himself into an angel of lights and as effectually ruin souls by false religion, as by open ungodliness ; and far more tinsuspectedly. II. I observe from what hath been discoursed, that great care is requisite in distinguishing betwixt true repentance, and that which is superiicial and merely natural.* This is of vast importance, as numbers of those who die impenitent, have at times judged themselves, and been thought by others to be penitent. Let it then be remembered that true repentance, though ge- nerally accompanied with terror, tears, confessions, and outward reformation, good words, fair promises, and earnest resolutions, doth not consist in, or uniformly attend upon all or any of them. But true repentance is a change of judgment, inclination, and affection, in respect to sin, immediately : ac- companied, preceded, or followed by a change of judgment, inclination, and affection, respecting God and his law, Christ and his gospel, ourselves and our conduct, this world and the next. From this change springs sorrow for sin, self-abasement and condemnation ; sole dependence on God's mercy ; supreme valuation of Jesus and his salvation ; love to God and holiness ; ten- derness of conscience ; zeal for good works ; all holy tempers ; holy conver- sation, and holy conduct ; accompanied with continual humiliation for re- maining imperfections and defilements. Where these effects have been evi- dently produced, though with little or no terror, no effusions of tears, or seasons of peculiar melting, but gradually and silently, the repentance is yet sincere and genuine, by this rule, — it leads to Christ and holiness. But all other appearances, whether of terror issuing in self-dependence and neglect of Christ ; or of supposed evangelical humiliation inducing professed depen- dence on Christ and free grace, whilst sin is not abhorred and avoided, nor holiness loved and practised, are superficial and hypocritical. Herod might have passed for a true penitent, if John would hflve allowed him his Hero- dias: yet John shall lose his head rather than Herod (notwithstanding pro- mising appearances,) will part with his beloved lust ; and human nature is just the same in other men as it was in Herod. Let no repentance therefore satisfy any man which doth not endear Christ and univei-sal holiness ; and divorce the heart from every sin, especially that which heretofore was the customary and beloved sin. III. I would, from what hath been discoursed, take occasion to consider in few words, the nature and necessity of regeneration. No other religion but that which hath been described, requires that entire change which this term, and a variety of similar expressions in the sacred Scriptures, imply. A Pha- risee's reformation, morality, and outward worship, require no entire inward renovation ; and having no experience of it, nor seeing any occasion for it, with Nicodemus, he exclaims, " How can these things be The evangelical or antinomian self-deceiver also may have his opinions, affections, and con- fidence, without becoming a new creature ; and will, therefore, wliilst he uses the terms, mistake their import, and signify by them some of those entliusi- astical impulses and revelations, which he experiences and boasts of. But self-admiring, self-justifying man, will never exercise that self-loath- ing and self-condemning repentance which hath been described, except he be born again. Insensible to the attractions of heavenly objects through inor- dinate love of worldly things, he never will renounce and abhor all sin, mor- tify every lust, die to all carnal objects, and delight in God and universal ho- liness, except he be changed into a new creature, by the efficacious influences • Some will, perhaps, be disposed to inquire, why I liave not adopted the common distinction between ir^al and evangelical repentance. As these expressions do not occur in Scripture, every ono is at Hberty to U9e them or not ; and the distinction did not appear to me sufficiently exactor com|>rehcnsive, for my purpose. True rcjientance has more respect to the law, as transgressed by sin, and justly condemning the sinner, than any false repentance can have. "Whilst, on the other hand, men are more frequently se- duced into a dependence on a superficial repentance, by unwarrantable presumptions of mercy, and false apprehensions of evangelical truth, than by slavish regard to the law. Natural and siih ilim/ i c\imtance seems to me a preferable distinction. ISy nalurat repentance^ I would understand e^■(■ry sort of repent- ance of which a mere natural man is capable ; by spiritual repentance, that which sprnigs Irom tr\ic grace in the heart. F3 94 CONCLUSION. of the Holy Spirit ; except " old things pass away, and all things become new." This is the new birth so fi equently spoken of in the sacred Scriptures. A new principle of divine life implanted in the heart, purifying the various powers of the soul. Hence proceed an enlightened understanding, a sound judgment in divine things, holy alFections, a pure imagination, a sanctified memory, and a well-informed, tender, but not superstitious, conscience. Hence proceed new fears, new hopes, new joys, new sorrows, new aversions and desires, new dispositions, and a new life. Yet as these are in this life only imperfect in their degree, this imperfection of grace and remainder of corruption, extort from the true Christian bitter complaints : " Oh wretched man that I am, who sh.iU deliver me from the body of this death They put vigour into his prayers : " Create in me a clean heart, O God, and re- new a right spirit within me :" they still find him employment for repentance and watchfulness, and endear free forgiveness through the blood of Christ. Sinners should therefore be addressed in terms like these : All your aver- sion to this thorough repentance, and all your delays about it, only demon- strate your need of being born again. Should God implant in your heart such a new principle of holiness, as would make you relish and take pleasure in divine things, you would find it natural and easy to abhor sin, to mourn over it, and forsake it ; to repent and do works meet for repentance. Have you then a real desire after this invaluable gift ? If you have not, but prefer the quiet satisfaction of your carnal inclinations ; you are justly left without that which you so despise. If you have, " Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knock- eth it shall be opened." IV. I now take my leave of impenitent sinners with a serious expostula- tion. I mean such as are living, secretly or openly, in covetousness, injus- tice, lewdness, drunkenness, profaneness, or any known sin ; who remember not to hallow the Sabbath, to read the Scriptures, to worship God, to relieve the poor, or to do any other known duty : or who proudly trust in themselves that they are righteous, and despise others, and neglect Christ and his sal- vation. Oh, make no more excuses or delays : " Flee from the wrath to come." " Evil pursueth sinners :" if it overtake you in impenitency, eternal misery is your dreadful portion. Yet, yet a long-suifering God has patience with you : the gospel invites, and Jesus stands with open arms to receive you ; complains that you " will not come to him, that you may have life :" affirms with an oath, that " he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner," and, as with tears of compassion, adds, " Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die ?" Do you then love death .'' Will you slight such warnings, such expostulations, such invitations, such compassion ? Well, if this prevail not, I must with reluctance leave you, as Paul did the Jews : " Your blood be upon your own head, I am free." V. I now turn to thee, poor weeping penitent, who art almost inconsolable, and sinking in despondency. Thou scarcely canst hope that God will par- don so great a sinner; the expectation seems to border on presumption: yet still thy humiliation appears to thyself slight, and thy repentance super- ficial, and thy heart insensible : yea, though it is almost melted within thee, it feels like a very stone ; and still thou pleadest, " Oh ! take away the heart of stone, and give the heart of flesh." Behold, I bring thee glad tidings of great joy ; and I shall share thy joy, if I may but be the instrument of admi- nistering peace and comfort to thee : " Come unto me," saith Jesus, "all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Behold, he call- eth thee ; be of good courage. All who will, may come ; he hath given thee the willing mind, and will " in nowise cast thee out." He will bind up thy broken heart, and " give thee the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." Only wait his time ; let him probe thy wounds to the bottom ; catch not impatiently at comfort ; beg for still deeper APPENDIX. 95 humiliation : use every means of increasing thy abhorrence of sin and watch- fulness against it ; and it shall not be very long before " he will shed abroad his love in thy heart," and cause tliee " to aboulid in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.'' In the mean time reflect that whilst thou art mourning on earth, heaven resounds witli joyful acclamations and praises on thy account : wait then and pray, and thou shalt ere long rejoice and praise too, and that for ever. VI. But some perhaps will say, I have not this work to do now, I repent- ed many years ago. What, art thou still a sinner and hast thou no need to repent f The true Christian can indeed thankfully say, My repentance is effectually begun : but only the saint in glory can truly say. My repentance is finished. The more a true believer knows of God and Christ, and the law and gospel ; and the larger his experience is of his own depravity, and of the Lord's goodness, the more he hates sin ; the more he recollects of his former sins, the quicker sense he hath of present sinfulness, and the deeper and purer is his repentance. He rejoices in the Lord with penitent joy, and mourns for sin with sweet and joyful mourning. His humility increases his thankfulness and admiration of the love of Christ, and enhances his consola- tion : for " it is a pleasant thing to be thankful." But if the thought that thy sins were pardoned, finished thy repentance, and dried up thy tears, thy repentance needs repenting of, and thou art awfully deceived. Finally, My fellow Christians, let us frequently renew our recollection of former sins, our self-examination, our meditations on those subjects, which first excited our abhorrence of iniquity ; especially our meditations on a bleeding Saviour. Let us daily renew our acceptance of Christ, in all his offices, seeking forgiveness of our daily transgressions through his blood ; and exercising ourselves to have a conscience void of offence towards God and man. Thus, as true penitents, endeavouring to glorify God, adorn tlie gospel, and serve our generation, we may hope to live in comfort, die in peace, and have " an entrance ministered to us abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. APPENDIX. Concerning Hallowing the Sabbath, Throughout this Discourse, it hath been supposed, that there is in force a divine mandate of hallowing the Sabbath, which all are bound to obey, and contract guilt by neglecting. But the change in the dispensation, since the fourth commandment was given ; the alteration of the day, from the seventh to the first of the week : and the manner in which that alteration was in- troduced, have afforded some persons an occasion of arguing against the ob- ligation : the judgments of others seem unsettled, and perplexed about it : and those who profane the Sabbath, are by these things furnished with some plausible excuse, and preserved from remorse of conscience on that account. For these reasons, I judged it might be useful to subjoin a few brief hints upon the subject. I. It should be noticed, that the Sabbath was appointed long before the ceremonial law, even from the creation of the world ; and therefore cannot, in its own nature, be ceremonial. Gen. ii. 1 — 3. That the words of Moses should thus be understood, may be confirmed by the prohibition of gathering manna on the seventh day, Exod. xvi. 22 — 30. previous to giving any part of the law. The very language of the fourth commandment, " Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy," as well as the reason assigned in the close, evinces the same. And this is corroborated and illustrated by the general custom in many nations, through revolving ages, of computing time by weeks, 9G APPENDIX. or periodical returns of the seventh day. Of this fact, no reason can be as- signed so satisfactory, as supposing it to be the effect of an origin;il institu- tion, handed down by tradition, amongst all the descendants of Adam and Noah ; which continued even after the appointment that gave rise to it was forgotten. * II. The observation of the Sabbath, being made a part of the Mosaic dis- pensation, is interwoven with the whole system. It is enforced in the moral law of ten commandments, as delivered from Mount Sinai ; introduced in the midst of the positive institutions ; and enforced by temporal punishments to be executed by civil authority. This shews its importance ; and evinces, that it partakes of the excellency of the moral law ; forms an eminent part, and is fundamental to the maintenance of, all instituted worship : is typical of, and preparatory for, the heavenly Sabbath : and on every account is pro- per to be enforced by the authority of the magistrate, who may not draw his sword to propagate systems of doctrine or formulas of worship, but who may and ought to use his authority to repress immorality and profaneness, and to promote the public worship of God in the land. The substance of this com- mandment is of a moral nature. To separate some known, stated, and perio- dical portion of our time to religious purposes, when, all other engagements being postponed, men should assemble to worship God, and learn his will ; is evidently an appointment resulting from the reason and nature of things. The glorious perfections of God ; the rational nature of man ; our relations and obligations to our Creator, Benefactor, Governor, and Judge ; the ho- nour which he requires, and which we owe him ; our relations to eachother> as social creatures, who can instruct, assist, affect, and animate one anothei' by joining together in one common exercise ; and our situation, in such a world as this, — all render such an ordinance indispensible. Repeal this com- mandment, prohibit this practice ; you render public religion a matter of in- difference, or you destroy it. Such a repeal or prohibition implies an ab- surdity ; which cannot be said of the repeal or prohibition of any ceremonial precept. The honour and worship of God, the interests of religion and mo- rality, and the best happiness of mankind, would be inadequately provided for, without such an observance. III. We cannot, indeed, from the reason and nature of things, demon- strate, that exactly one day in seven, and neither more or less, is required' for this moral duty. But the plain matter of fact, that God hath under every dispensation allotted that proportion invariably, amounts to the fullest de- monstration, that infinite Wisdom judged it the best possible. And experi- ence proves, that the conscientious observance of this proportion does not interfere with the advantageous management of either agriculture, manufac- tures, or commerce ; is exceedingly favourable to the cause of liberty and humanity ; tends greatly to civilize mankind as social creatures ; and fully suffices for maintaining and advancing religion in the world, as far as it is generally and strictly observed. IV. But whether the day to be observed be the first, or the last, or any other of the seven, is evidently in itself indifferent. Only some one day must be pitched upon, either by him that gives, or him that receives, the law. Nothing can be more reasonable, than that the Lawgiver should determine this matter, and all his subjects acquiesce. Nothing more desirable than to be, by his determination, delivered from uncertainty and disputation about it. But if he who first instituted one day, afterwards changed it for another, his authority demands our submission. He, who from the creation appointed the seventh day, in remembrance of its completion, appears to have changed that day for the first, when an event had taken place of still greater conse- quence to fallen sinners. We now every week commemorate the triumphant resurrection of our divine Redeemer. To avoid needlessly shocking Jewish • The pains taken, by express edicts and by a new division of time, in a neighbouring nation, to form an exception to this rute, by men who are avowed enemies to Christianity, may help to shew the force of this argument. APPENDIX. 9T prejudices, tliis, (as some other changes,) in the wisdom of God, was effected silently and gradually, by example, not by express precept. As Christians, all seem to have observed the first day of the week ; the Jewish converts were connived at in observing the seventh also, together with circumcision, and their other ceremonies. Our risen Lord repeatedly met, and spake peace to his disciples, who on the first day of the week were assembled, if not the first time, yet, probably, afterwards by some intimation from him. It appears to have been on the first day of the week, when the disciples being of one ac- cord in one place, the Holy Ghost came visibly and audibly among them. " On the first day of the week," they met to break bread, as well as to hear the word preached. On the first day of the week, they were directed to lay by for the poor, as God had prospered them in the preceding week. St John dignifies this day with the title of " the Lord's Day," which name alone shews in what manner and to what purposes it should be observed.* The first is the only day of the seven mentioned afterwards in the Scripture by way of favourable distinction ; Sabbaths being spoken of as abrogated cere- monies. And as both ecclesiastical and civil history, with concurring evi- dence, represent it as the distinguishing practice of Christians, in all a^es and nations ever since, to observe this day as sacred to religion. V. Having determined its obligation, let us briefly consider how it should be hallowed. The Lord of the Sabbath hath himself repeatedly allowed of works of necessity and mercy ; and in thus relaxing the rigour of the cere- monial part of the commandment, hath enforced the moral part, and impli- citly prohibited all other works. But works of necessity must be so in rea- lity, not in pretence. Settling accounts, writing letters of business or on common subjects, paying labourers, making provision for the indulgence of pride and luxury, with many more things of this kind, which create so much " necessary" work for the Lord's Day, are as bad as keeping open shop, and working at a trade, nay, worse, though less scandalous. No works Which are done out of covetousness, pride, or luxury, can consist with hallowing a day to the Lord. Commiting known sin is serving Satan, and to employ the Lord's Day in Satan's service, proves a man his faithful, willing, and in- defatigable servant. Diversions and trifling visits, (and indeed all visits the direct object and tendency of which is not to glorify God, and edify one another,) are inconsistent with hallowing the Sabbath. But men have no leisure on other days ! that is to say, they have so much to do in the world, and for their bodies, that six days are too little ; and so little to do about their souls, and for God, that one day is too much ; and therefore they must borrow time from the latter to eke out the former. Idleness is as bad, or worse : for it implies, that we have nothing to do with spiritual things or with and for God ; or nothing worth doing. But indeed we have enough important, profitable, and pleasant work to do on that day. " If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure, on my holy day ; and call the Sabbath a Delight, the Holy of the Lord, honourable ; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words ; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Extraordinary diligence and earnestness in searching the Scriptures ; ex- amining our hearts and lives, our state and conduct ; meditation and secret devotion ; if we have families, instructing and praying for and with them ; and repeatedly attending on public ordinances, wiU, even with early rising, require much of this holy day. Edifying conversation, joined with social worship, and acts of charity to the bodies and souls of men, demand all the remainder that can be spared from unavoidable avocations. He who values his immortal soul, or has any love to God, desire of his favour, delight in his service, or zeal for his glory, will not complain of being required thus to hallow one day in seven, as if it were a galling yoke ; but will complain of • T.I Kv{iititD " The Lord'a Day." Rev. i. 10. Gr, Cum. Ku(ia«9> oinrwir. " The Lord's Sup. per." 1 Cor. xi. SO. The one in remembrance of the tiord's death,— the other his rejurrection. 98 APPENDIX. himself, if depraved n.iture seem weary : and lie will deem it the best and most pleasant day in the week. The general profanation of the Lord's day proves the dislike men have for religion, and the contempt which they have for the authority and command- ment of the Lord. Of those who pay decent respect to the day, multitudes, we allow, are formal hypocrites ; and Christians, indeed, ser-ze God every day : but shall we, on such pretences, undervalue this divine appointment ? God forbid ! — That degree of reverence, small as it is, which is now paid to the Christian Sabbath, is so far a public protestation against Atheism, infi- delity, and profaneness, and a profession of Christ's religion, which puts public honour upon God and his worship. All business being by appoint- ment suspended, servants, labourers, mechanics, and tradesmen, that is, the bulk of mankind, ha^ e leisure and opportunity to assemble and hear the word of God ; and faith comes by hearing. Multitudes crowd the places where the word of God is preached, and many are converted. True Christians, being sanctified but in part, lose much of the vigour of their affections, by their unavoidable intercourse with the world ; which decays are repaired, together with an increase of knowledge and grace, by statedly and seriously hallowing the Sabbath. Could we but witness the universal hallowing of the Sabbath, we might reasonably hope for a proportionable increase of real re- ligion.— Were it totally neglected, profaneness, ignorance, and infidelity, we may confidently foretel, would, barbarity, tyranny, and slavery, probably might, deluge the world. Let impartial judges then determine, from this imperfect sketch, who are the best friends of mankind ; they who would tolerate and vindicate its profanation, or they who would enforce its strict observance. With great satisfaction I would add, in closing this subject, the words of a celebrated writer, who has, with great effect, employed his talents in the cause of practical Christianity ; * " Let us appeal" (says he) " to that Day which is especially devoted to the offices of Religion ; do they" (the bulk of nominal Christians) joyfully avail themselves of this blessed opportunity of withdrawing from the business and cares of life, when without being disquieted by any doubt, whether they are not neglecting the duties of their proper callings, they may be allowed to detach their minds from earthly things, that by a fuller knowledge of heavenly objects, and a more habitual acquaintance with them their hope may grow more " full of immortality Is the day cheerfully devoted to those holy exercises for which it was appointed ? Do they indeed " come into the courts of God with gladness ?" and how are they employed when not engaged in the public services of the day .'' Are they busied in studying the word of God, in meditating on his perfections, in tracing his providential dispensa- tions, in admiring his works, in revolving his mercies, (above all, the tran- scendent mercies of redeeming love,) in singing his praises " and speaking good of his name ?" Do their secret retirements witness the earnestness of their prayers and the warmth of their thanksgivings, their diligence and im- partiality in the necessary work of self-examination, their mindfulness of the benevolent duty of intercession ? Is the kind purpose of the institution of a Sabbath answered by them, in its being made to their servants and depen- dents a season of rest and comfort } Does the instruction of their families, or of the more poor and ignorant of their neighbours, possess its due share of their time .'' If blessed with talents or affluence, are they sedulously em- ploying a part of this interval of leisure, in relieving the indigent, and visit- ing the sick, and comforting the sorrowful ; in forming plans for the good of their fellow-creatures, in considering how they may promote the tem- poral and spiritual benefits of their friends and acquaintance; or, if theirs be a larger sphere, devising measures whereby, through the divine blessing, they may become the honoured instruments of the more extended diffusion of religious truth ? In the hours of domestic or social intercourse, does their « See a Practical View of Christianity, by WUliatti WiUierfoTce, Esq. M. P. APPENDIX. 99 conversation manifest the subject of wliich their hearts are full ? Do their language and demeanour shew them to be more than commonly gentle, and kind, and friendly, free from rough and irritating passions. " Surely an entire day should not seem long amidst these various employ- ments. It might well be deemed a privilege thus to spend it, in the more immediate presence of our heavenly Father, in the exercises of humble ad- miration and grateful homage ; of the benevolent, and domestic, and social feelings, and of all the best affections of our nature, prompted by their true motives, conversant about their proper objects, and directed to their noblest end ; all sorrow mitigated, all cares suspended, all fears repressed, every angry emotion softened, every envious or revengeful or malignant passion expelled ; and the bosom thus quieted, purified, enlarged, ennobled, par- taking almost of a measure of the heavenly happiness, and become for a while the seat of love, and joy, and confidence, and harmony. " The nature and uses, and proper employments of a Christian Sabbath, have been pointed out more particularly, not only because the day will be found, when thus employed, eminently conducive, through the divine bless- ing, to the maintenance of the religious principle in activity and vigour ; but also because we must all have had occasion often to remark, that many per- sons, of the graver and more decent sort, seem not seldom to be nearly des- titute of religious resources. The Sunday is with them, to say the best of it, a heavy day : and that larger part of it, which is not claimed by the pub- lic offices of the church, dully drawls on in comfortless vacuity ; or without improvement is trifled away in vain and unprofitable discourse. Not to speak of those who, by their more daring profanation of this sacred season, openly violate the laws and insult the religion of their country, how little do many seem to enter into the spirit of the institution, who are not wholly inattentive to its exterior decorums ! How glad are they to qualify the rigour of their religious labours ! How hardly do they plead against being compelled to de- vote the whole of the day to religion, claiming to themselves no small merit for giving up to it a part, and purchasing therefore, as they hope, a right to spend the remainder more agreeably ! flow dextrously do they avail them- selves of any plausible plea for introducing some week-day employment into the Sunday, whilst they have not the same propensity to introduce any of the Sunday's peculiar employment into the rest of the week ! How often do they find excuses for taking journeys, writing letters, balancing accounts, or in short doing something, which by a little management might probably have been anticipated, or which, without any material inconvenience, might be postponed ! Even business itself is recreation, compared with religion, and from the drudgery of this day of Sacred Rest, they fly for refuge to their or- dinary occupations. • " Others again who would consider business as a profanation, and who still hold out against the encroachments of the card-table, get over much of the day, and gladly seek for an innocent resource in the social circle, or in family visits, where it is not even pretended that the conversation turns on such topics as might render it in any way conducive to religious instruction or improvement. Their families meanwhile are neglected, their servants robbed of Christian privileges, and their example quoted by others who cannot see that they are themselves less religiously employed, while playing an innocent game at cards, or relaxing in the concert-room. " But all thes&-several artifices, whatever they may he, to unhalUm the Sun- day and to change its character, (it might be almost said ' to relax its hor- rors,') prove but too plainly, however we may be glad to take refuge in re- ligion, when driven to it by the loss of every other comfort, and to retain, as it were, a reversionary interest in an asylum which may receive us when we are forced from the transitory enjoyments of our present state, that in itself it wears to us a gloomy and forbidding aspect, and not a face of consolation and joy ; that the worship of God is with us a constrained, and not a willing service, which we are glad therefore to abridge, though we dare not omit it." TREATISE OM GROWTH IN GRA€£. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE FIRST EDITION. The substance of the ensuing treatise was published in the form of an oc- casional sermon, in 1787, and though it did not attract any general atten- tion, it was so favourably received by a few respectable persons, that the au- thor has been repeatedly desired to reprint it. Upon reflection, however, he concluded that a treatise on the same important subject would have a greater probability of usefulness ; and he accordingly has bestowed considerable pains in making the necessary alterations. The sentiments and arguments of the sermon have been scrupulously pre- served, as far as they seemed material to the subject ; the whole has been re- vised with the greatest care and attention ; very large additions have been made, the thoughts have been arranged in a new manner, and the author lias gone as far in making the treatise complete, according to his views and ability, as was consistent with the compass prescribed to him : for he deemed it better to retrench and abridge, than, by advancing the price, to throw any hindrance in the way of its circulation. September \, 1795. -(i.,J}i; r.i-iori'j- riu. J K.i i, : J^i U:. i!j;iioiIi Ijhi: ,VHTI iii ,fionm« biioi*is^i -11 aili lr,i!nrii.I>.Tj«i ^!tti:Ja9t[a'ji i/-3t u 7 >!.n-3-i noqll .li o> vJI.oJnoii-yi n-rj-l ' Tjtii'jT^ J! oviiil I'll'"-" i-yn>hi't Jni:hi»iait '^jf* 'J^iiii^-it '■• im'^ .vjl(»iJi;Tj3lu V'tR-:fe'J'J'>ir 'I,'" li'.', ' . .';nj lUiwlmimr-i in-ai aviut ru)fin-33 SiH'io aJn'jiimynu Jiu«4 kIii- no'id ov.:.U<- ; I.ih; ;/nn (oiiiua Slit I'lm ii'jiii' ■ ' Una H'lmli eiil <»J f-' i' TREATISE OS GROWTH IN GRACE. INTRODUCTION. The apostle Paul vpas evidently a man of strong passions, and peculiar sen- sibility ; and being by Divine grace exceedingly filled vvith love to the Lord Jesus, and to the souls of men, his mind was affected with the most lively emotions of joy or sorrow, hope or fear, according to the tidings he received from the several churches of Christ. At one time he complains, that " he has no rest in his flesh," " is filled with heaviness," and " can. no longer forbear ;" and that he " writes out of much affliction and anguish of heart, with many tears :" at another, he declares, that " he is filled with comfort, and is exceedingly joyful in all his tribulation, being comforted by the faith of his beloved children ; for now," says he, " we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." He seems indeed to intimate, that these were " things which con- cerned his infirmities :" and doubtless this sanguine disposition requires much correction and regulation by Divine grace ; but, when it is thus tempered, and counterbalanced by proportionable humility, wisdom, patience, and dis- interestedness, it may be considered as the main-spring of a minister's ac- tivity. And as these united qualifications certainly conduced very much to the apostle's extraordinary usefulness, so they render his epistles peculiarly interesting to us, in all our inquiries concerning the best methods of pro- moting the enlargement and prosperity of the church, and the edification of all the true disciples of the Lord Jesus. Among other peculiarities of his manner, it especially suits our present purpose to notice the animated glow of joy and affection, with which he ad- dresses his Christian brethren. — Thus, when writing to the Philippians, he abruptly breaks forth, " I thank my God upon every remembrance of you ; always in every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy." From the same fulness of heart he afterwards adds, " Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even weeping, that they are enemies to the cross of Christ ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame ; who mind earthly things." Phil. iii. 18, 19. There are, alas ! too many professors of the gospel in most places, whose conduct would constrain a believer of far less gracious sensibility than holy Paul, to weep at every recollection of them ; but there are others also, on whose account we ought to " bless God without ceasing, whilst we remember their work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. i. 3. Every faithful and affectionate pastor, therefore, will find cause for alternate sorrow and joy, whilst he reflects on the people, among whom he hath been called to labour. 106 INTRODUCTION. But, while tlie apostle saw great cause for thankfulness on account of what the Lord had done for the Philippians, yet he was equally disposed to pray for them continually ; not only, lest they should decline in zeal ajid diligence ; but that tliey might make stiU greater progress in every thing pertaining to genuine Christianity. " For God," says he, " is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more, in knowledge and in aU judgment ; that ye may approve things that are excellent ; that ye may be sincere and without olfence, till the day of Christ ; being filled with all the fruits of righ- teousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the praise and glory of God." Phil. i. 8 — 11. And in the subsequent parts of the epistle, he very copiously and pathetically exhorts them to follow after all those very things, for which he had most fervently prayed in their behalf. These remarks on the writings of St. Paul may suggest some reflections, which are suited to introduce the subject of this treatise. A great part of that confusion, which pervades the discourses of many persons on religious topics, arises from inattention to the different characters of those, concern- ing whom the sacred writers speak, or to whom they address their instruc- tions. In all endeavours to do good to the souls of men, it is especially ne- cessary, that we " rightly divide the word of truth ;" and apply it to the hearts and consciences of the persons addressed, according to their various characters and situations : for the portion which suits one man may be as improper for another, as the same medicine is for persons labouring under diseases of a contrary nature. If therefore the wise attention of the sacred writers to this important concern be overlooked by their readers ; there will be the greatest reason to fear, lest they should wrest even the words of in- spiration to their own destruction. Every man, who will take the pains to examine, must be convinced, that the apostles addressed themselves to ignorant idolaters, careless sinners, bigotted Jews, proud Pharisees, profane scoffers, or hypocritical abusers of the gospel, in a manner adapted to their several cases ; that they employed very different language, and used far other topics, when they were instruct- ing serious inquirers, encouraging broken-hearted penitents, or " restoring, in the spirit of meekness," such as " had been overtaken in a fault :" and that they brought forward instructions and exhortations of a different nature, when they wrote to establish believers, or to those who had newly embraced the gospel, and were full of zeal, but in danger of being misled by false teachers, or drawn aside by manifold temptations. It is, therefore, evident, that the exhortations of the apostles, and their prayers for the progress of their people in all holy affections and conduct, are entirely consistent with the doctrines of grace, for which they in other parts most zealously contend : seeing they have an exclusive reference to persons, who, " having been justified by faith, had peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ;" " in whom they had redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of their sins, according to the riches of his grace :" For the Lord had " saved them, and called them with an holy calling, not ac- cording to their own works, but according to his own purpose and grace, given them in Christ Jesus before the world began and the security of the new covenant engaged to them, that they should " be kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation." In imitation, therefore, of this example, and with a most zealous attachment to the same doctrines, the ministers of Christ should now also exhort those, whom, with heart-felt satisfaction, they regard as true believers, to follow after every branch of that holiness, which the apostles most pathetically recommended to their beloved children ; and as- suredly we sin against the Lord if we cease to pray for them in the same style and manner. The ensuing treatise being especially intended for the benefit of those, who make a creditable and explicit profession of the peculiar doctrines of the gospel, nothing will be spoken of those doctrines, in a way of controversy INTRODUCTION. 107 or explanation ; and very little addressed to such as do not believe thtem. The particular subject of inquiry will be, in what that growth in grace, and progress in the divine life consists, to which the apostles so strenuously and re- peatedly exhort their Christian brethren ? and on what account they were so earnest about these things, with those of whose conversion and salvation they had the fullest confidence ? But as it is purposed to consider both the exhortations and prayers of the sacred writers, especially those of the apos- tolical epistles ; it will be requisite to make a few more introductory re- marks. I. The frequent and fervent prayers, with which the instructions of the inspired writers are interspersed, decidedly prove, that " all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works," are from God ; as our liturgy well ex- presses it : or, in the still more emphatic language of inspiration, that " every good gift, and every perfect gift, is fi-om above ; and cometh down from the Father of lights." — Indeed every prayer for wisdom, holiness, or ability to perform good works, evidently implies, that communications from the foun- tain of perfection are necessary, in order to render us wise or holy; that we are warranted to expect such communications, notwithstanding our unwor- thiness ; and that we ought to desire, apply for, and depend on them, in all our undertakings. They, therefore, who form higher notions of the native powers, resources, and excellencies of fallen man, must be very inconsistent in presenting prayers to this effect ; and their religion must be very different from that of those primitive believers, who expected every good gift from the Father of lights, through Jesus Christ, and by the supply of his Spirit. From the fulness of the divine Saviour, they all received ; that fulness still remains unexhausted and undiminished ; and would we emulate their superior at- tainments, imitate their bright examples, or aspire to a large measure of their usefulness : the way is plainly marked out to us in the words of our Lord to his apostles, " He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit ; for without me ye can do nothing." John xv. 5. But the apostles did not deem prayers in behalf of their brethren, incom- patible with exhortations to them, as their constant practice incontrovertibly proves. Many professors of the gospel continually express their astonish- ment, that their opponents cannot find the doctrines of grace in the sacred Scriptures : and it is indeed a just subject of surprise, for they are written there as with a sun-beam. But is it not equally so, that any man, who seems to reverence and to examine the word of God, should overlook all the ex- hortations and admonitions with which it abounds, as if they had never been written, or as if we had no concern in them .'' Yet this is actually the case : numbers are sure to object against every attempt to bring them forward, and to apply them with energy to the hearts and consciences of those, who are attached to the doctrines of grace, though without doubt they are, as much as these, a part of the " counsel of God and as strongly marked in Scrip- ture.— Many allowances, indeed, must be made for a variety of prejudices, where the heart appears to be upright : yet it should be remembered, that the pretended mother consented to have the child divided ; whilst the real parent in unfeigned affection, rather chose to risk the loss of her son, than accede to such a proposal. 1 Kings, iii. 26. When professors are thus dis- posed to curtail the Scriptures, it may be reasonably suspected that they do not cordially love them ; but he, who from his heart says to the Lord, " Thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant loveth it," will not consent to any such mutilation. He loves every part of the sacred volume, because it is all very pure : and even when he meets with passages, which excite his fears lest he should come short of the promised blessings ; he does not reject or turn from them on that account ; but meditates on them, till he becomes more watchful, diligent, and fervent in prayer, and thus finds that the whole of the word of God, " does good to him that walketh uprightly." II. The exhortations of the apostles were principally addressed to such as they believed to be real Christians, children of God and heirs of heaven : and G2 108 GROWTH IN GRACE. their prayers in behalf of these persona especially related to their spiritual growth and proficiency. Hence we may certainly conclude, that there is something in Christianity, both desirable and attainable, besides the present comfort and the eternal salvation of the individuals, who have already em- braced it. Indeed the salvation of one soul is an object of such magnitude, as no temporal interest is worthy to stand in competition with ; but the glory of God, in the credit and the success of the gospel, and the everlasting state of immense multitudes, as connected with it, are beyond comparison more important. That selfishness, however, which is natural to fallen creatures, does not yield to any system of doctrine ; unless it be accompanied by the renewing influences of the Holy Spirit ; but if a person can satisfy himself with the hope of his own salvation, without any habitual regard to the ho- nour of the gospel, or the eternal interests of other men, he is entirely selfish, and as evidently destitute of the mind and spirit of Christ, as the man, who, enjoying his own abundance, cares not how many are pinched with want, though even sufiering through his injustice and oppression. It is the constant aim, and fervent desire of all the faithful and well-in- structed ministers of Christ, to excite the minds of their beloved people to a generous regard for the credit of the gospel, and a compassionate longing af- ter the conversion of sinners : and the design of this treatise is to concur with their endeavours for this purpose ; and to stir up the pure minds of believers, " by way of remembrance •" in hopes that thus, they may be in- duced and directed to " let their light shine more abundantly before men ; that they may see their good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven :" Mat. v. 15. or, in other words, " to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." — To him be glory, now and for e\'er. Amen, SECTION I. An enumeration of those particulars, in which the true believer's growth in grace con- sists ; as far as they are explicitly contained in the apostle's prayer for the Philip- pians. Growth implies the existence of all those things, in which an increase is ex- perienced, perceived, or expected ; so that the persons, for whom the subse- quent discussion is especially intended, are supposed to possess in some mea- sure aU those graces or holy dispositions, in which a further growth is repre- sented to be highly desirable, and actually attainable. In considering the subject, it would not perhaps be found expedient to confine our attention en- tirely to any single exhortation or prayer contained in the sacred writings ; or to adhere to the method, which a strict regard to a system might impose. It is however proposed in this section, to confine our attention to the prayer which holy Paul ofiered in behalf of the Philippians : except as other Scrip- tures will be adduced in proof or illustration of the several particulars, which will thus pass under our consideration. In the subsequent part of the trea- tise some other subjects will be noticed, which seem requisite to complete the design, but are not conveniently reducible to any of the clauses of this com- prehensive text. Phil. i. 9 — 11. I would only further premise, that the prayers offered by the sacred writers, when under the immediate influence of the divine Spirit, are peculiarly suited to show us the real nature of that proficiency in genuine Christianity, which their benevolent and zealous minds so ardently longed to behold in their beloved people, as above all things con- ducive to their true prosperity, and the glory of their God and Saviour. And in some respects they may perhaps be more adapted to produce convic- tion in every mind, than exhortations or precepts can be : because they con- GROWTH IN GRACE. 109 vey the same instruction more inoffensively : with less appearance of assum- ing authority, and with more conciliating demonstrations of affection and good-will. I. " This," says the apostle, " I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more." He does not restrict the meaning of the term used by him ; and it is therefore proper to give the largest scope to the subject, of which it is capable. The holy Scriptures speak of love in the most exalted terms : " Love is of God : and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God : he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love." " He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him" " Love is the fulfilling of the law." " The end of the commandment," or the revelation made by the Lord to sinful men, " is love, out of a pure heart, and of a good con- science, and of faith unfeigned." (iresfayyeXia;, l Tim.i. 5.) " Nothing avail- eth in Christ Jesus, but faith, which worketh by love." " And nowabideth faith, hope, love, these three ; bu1;,the greatest of these is love." Faith alone justifies the sinner, by forming his relation to Christ ; and by faith alone can a man receive all needful grace from his fulness : hope of eternal glory, grounded on God's promises, and sealed by the sanctilication of the Holy Spirit, is the anchor of the soul, and the helmet of salvation : but love is the substance of that holiness and felicity to which we are recovered, through the efficacy of faith and hope. The scaffolding is indispensably necessary : but when the edifice is completed, it is taken down as an encumbrance. Thus faith will be lost in sight, and hope swallowed up in enjoyment, when love shall be brought to perfection ; but love will remain for ever, the temper, employment and happiness of heaven itself. Love is indeed th^t distinguish- ing essential of true religion, " Which hypocrites could ne'er attain, " Which false professors never knew ;" for " every one that loveth is born of God." This cannot mean that sinful men are in every sense, incapable of love : but only, that they cannot exercise that affection in a holy manner according to the reasonable law of God. For love is the ruling passion of the soul, and gives the direction to all the rest : but in our present disordered state, it is become incapable of fixing on its proper objects, and is, therefore, prostituted to such as are worthless or abominable. An unholy heart cannot love holiness ; " the carnal mind is enmity against God," and cannot be subject to his holy law, or view with delight any object that bears his image. Some kind of gratitude may be felt or manifested by an unregenerate sinner, when his inclinations are gratified, when impending danger is averted, or when he presumptuously deems liim- self an heir of salvation ; and he may have an instinctive benevolence towards «?nen, without any suitable regard to God. Yet these do not constitute that love, of which the apostles spoke in such exalted terms : though gratitude and benevolence, when they spring from proper principles, and connect with other holy affections, may be ranked among the most important of its exercises. — But the holy character of God, with all that immediately relates to him, or bears the stamp of his moral perfections, is the object of our proud aversion and contempt; discoveries of the Divine glory and excellency excite proportionable enmity ; nor can any benefits overcome our dislike to the holiness of our Benefactor, so long as we continue unregenerate : " So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." In regeneration, however, a capacity of spiritual perception is communi- cated to the soul, in a manner which we can neither explain nor comprehend ; and we are by it enabled to discern the holy excellency and beauty of heaven- ly things. This produces a revolution in our judgment and affections : " old things pass away, behold, all things become new ." our love is now divorced, as it were, from its former base attachments ; and we gradually learn to es- teem, admire, choose, desire, relish, and delight in that spiritual excellency, which was before the object of our aversion and contempt. The heart now 110 GROWTH IN GRACE. becomes in some degree holy, proportionably loves holy persons, and holy things : we are spiritually-minded, and habitually seek our pleasure in spiri- tual pursuits and employments. — This capacity of spiritual perception is not a new faculty added to the soul, but the ability of exercising every faculty which God hath given us, in a suitable manner, about the grand concerns of religion ; for which our apostacy from our Creator, and idolatrous attach- ment to the creatures, had wholly disqualified us. It is therefore, repre- sented in Scripture by images taken from our bodily senses : the regenerate soul sees heavenly beauty, hears divine harmony, smells fragrancy as of " oint- ment poured forth," and tastes sweetness as of " honey and the honey-comb." Yet these perceptions in the new convert are feeble and indistinct ; and of- ten almost overborne and swallowed up in the tumult of natural passions, and the conflict with carnal propensities ; they, however, uniformly influence him as " a new born babe to desire the sincere milk of the word, that Ae may grow thereby, seeing that he has tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Pet. ii. 2, 3. And they constitute that leaven, which will gradually diffuse its influ- ence, till the whole be leavened, and all the faculties, affections, and opera- tions of the soul be made to partake of the same holy nature and tendency. "When we are thus made capable of perceiving, in some degree, the beauty and glory of the Divine perfections, and of forming some proper estimate of our obligations and relations to our Creator and Benefactor ; we are brought to consent to his holy law, that it is good, and that its commands, though very strict and spiritual, are reasonable, equitable, and beneficial : and the view of the evil of sin, which is thus obtained, though it be imperfect, pro- duces a submission to the justice of God in the condemnation of transgres- sors. Other discoveries of our guilt and danger, and of the wrath to which we are exposed, may alarm us ; but nothing short of this can produce ge- nuine humiliation and self-abasement ; which wiU be matured and increased by fuller views of the glory of God in the person and salvation of Christ. For did we only contemplate the perfections of God, as displayed in the works of creation and providence, or illustrated by the justice of his law and government, our consciousness of guilt and pollution would so discourage us, and even lead us to the borders of despair, that we should be induced to struggle with all our might against conviction, and to oppose the humUiat-; ing effect of every discovery of God to our souls, which we were unable to exclude. But when we are led to perceive, along with our views of the odiousness and desert of our sins, the glory of God in the harmonious dis- play of all his attributes, through the person and redemption of his Son : this allays our terrors, inspires our hope, and fixes our attention ; while it exceedingly increases humiliation, and self-abasement. — The dignity of the Divine Redeemer, the nature of his undertaking, the immensity of his compassionate and condescending love, the perfection and value of his righteousness, the depth, intenseness, and variety of his sufferings ; the honour thus given to the law and justice of God ; the sufficiency of his atone- ment ; his subsequent resurrection, triumphant ascension, and glorious ex- altation ; his power, faithfulness, and love ; his gracious invitations, and precious promises ; with the manifold blessings which he freely bestows on the vilest of sinners, who come to God by him ; — these are all distinct sub- jects for our meditation, peculiarly suited to interest, instruct, and affect our minds, and to give us entirely new thoughts of God and of ourselves, of sin and holiness, of our immortal souls, our eternal concerns, our past lives, our present conduct and situation, and of all those things which concur to produce deep humility, lively hope, admiring love and gratitude, and every holy affection. Here without dismay we may contemplate the dirine charac- ter with fixed attention ; whilst we view it through a medium that softens its splendours, and endears its beauty and glory to our hearts. Here we view infinite justice, holiness, mercy, faithfulness, and wisdom, in perfect har- mony, whilst each attribute reflects glory on all the rest. At the same time, our interest in these grand concems render them far more affecting to our GROWTH IN GRACE 111 minds : and we are enabled, in revering and adoring the holy majesty of God, and admiring his transcendent excellency, to give up our hearts to the pleasing desire and hope of having him, sinful as we are, to be our Father, Friend, and everlasting Portion. When we have been encouraged to make this choice and indulge this hope, we begin to fear above all things, lest we should come short of it : we learn to take pleasure in such devout exer- cises, as strengthen our confidence, or give us some anticipation of our de- sired felicity : we feel lively emotions of gratitude for the condescending and merciful dealings of so glorious a Lord with such vile sinners ; we long for otliers also to know and love him, to enjoy his favour, and to render him praise : we become zealous for his honour, grieved when we oflFend him, ashamed and humbled at the recollection of past transgressions, watchful against temptation and every occasion of sin, and troubled at hearing others express contempt or enmity against so gracious and merciful a God and Sa- viour.— All these varied exercises of holy love have respect to the incom- prehensible mysteries of the Divine nature, displayed in the grand scheme of our salvation ; as originating from the most free love of the Father, pur- chased for us by the atonement of the incarnate Son, and applied to our hearts by the regenerating and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit; — but it will especially centre, as it were, in the person of Emmanuel, God ma- nifested in the flesh ; as the glorious excellency and loveliness of the Deity is there more immediately revealed to us ; and as he that loves, honours, believes, and obej's the Son, loves, honours, believes, and obeys the Father that sent him ; for " he that hath the Son, hath the Father also and Christ is the appointed medium by which we approach, know, and glorify the in- visible God. The same capacity of perceiving and loving spiritual excellency, which is essential to every exercise of holy love towards our God and Saviour, dis- poses us also to delight in his law after the inward man to " count all his commandments in all things to be right ; and to hate every false way ;" to " choose the precepts of the Lord ;" and to " long to have our ways di- rected to keep them." Whilst these therefore are our desires and prayers, we must be proportionably grieved and disquieted with the opposition made to all our endeavours, by " the sin that dwelleth in us :" and the want of more entire conformity to that holy, just and good law, which we now most cordially approve, will be a constant source of sorrow and cause of humilia- tion ; and at some times will prove the burden or even the terror of our hearts ; and thus the believer's tears, groans, and complaints, because " he cannot do the things which he would," being connected with evident con- scientiousness and diligence in performing the will of God, may be considered as a proof that he has the holy law of God written in his heart by regenerat- ing grace. The same holy judgment and taste of the renewed soul enables the believer to relish every part of the sacred Scriptures ; and, in proportion to the de- gree of his spirituality, he loves to read and meditate upon the word of God: he not only uses it as " the lantern of his paths," or the ground of his hope ; but he makes it his "delight and his counsellor ;" he esteems it "more than his necessary food and feels an appetite for its salutary instruction like that of the new-born babe for the milk of the breast. — The same principle causes him to love the house of God, and to " count one day in his courts better than a thousand." He is no longer glad of an excuse for staying from the public ordinances of God, exact in determining how often he is bound in duty to attend on tliem, or disposed to yield to every petty obstacle that renders such attendance inconvenient or difficult ; for " he is glad when it is said to liim, let us go unto the house of the Lord :" he longetli, when de- tained from it, for the renewal of that satisfaction he has there experienced in communion with God and his saints ; and he finds it no easy matter to be resigned to the will of God, when under a necessity to absent himself. — Thus the Lord's day, wlych was formerly a weariness, unless profaned by worldly 112 GROWTH IN GRACE. business, pleasure, or company, becomes his delight : and, though too often he has reason to lament that his Sabbaths are passed without tlie expected satisfaction and advantage, j-et he still meets their return with pleasure, and deems them the happiest days of his life. As he grows in holy love he is enabled to adopt the Psalmist's words, in respect of the worship he renders to the Lord, and to say, " My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, whilst I praise thee with joyful lips :" and every thing that relates to the service of God is endeared to his heart, and held in reverence and honour. In like manner, he perceives the " beauty of the Lord" in the character and conduct of his people, whom before he neglected, despised, or disliked : and thus he learns to love and respect them as the excellent of the earth. He chooses them for his most valued companions : he sympathizes with their joys and sorrows ; he seeks their welfare, and according to his ability en- deavours to promote it ; he bears with their failings and prejudices, casting the mantle of love over their infirmities : he prays for their prosperity and happiness : and if he can but see, or think he sees, the image of his beloved Lord upon them, he counts them his brethren, though they belong not to his subdivision of the church, subscribe not exactly his creed, and fill up a very different station in the family of God. The admiring contemplation of the glory of the Lord, in the person and salvation of Christ, is always productive of a gradual transformation of the soul into his holy image : 2 Cor. iii. 17, 18. and the Saviour's condescending and compassionate love, to the very persons whose crimes he most deeply ab- horred, appears peculiarly beautiful and endearing to the redeemed sinner. Thus benevolent love to mankind in general is produced and increased ; sel- fish and contracted prejudices are removed ; and proud contempt of the mean, the vile, and the ignorant, bitter resentments borne to the injurious, and envy of rivals and competitors, are changed into pity and good-will. While conformity to Christ, love to his most beautiful and glorious character, gra- titude for redeeming love, and willing obedience to his commandments, com- bine their energy in disposing his true disciples to love strangers and perse- cutors, the most abandoned transgressors, and the most provoking enemies ; and to copy his example of long-suffering, meekness, forgiveness, compassion, fervent prayers and tears for them, and persevering endeavours to overcome evil with good. When love, the ruling principle of activity in the mind of man, is thus fixed on its proper objects, and regulated, proportioned, and exercised ac- cording to the Divine law of God ; it is evident that all spiritual worship, humble submission, and devoted obedience to God, with all righteousness, goodness, and truth, in our conduct towards men must result from it, and grow in proportion as it is increased. We may, therefore, easily perceive the propriety of the apostle's prayer for the Philippians, " that their love might abound yet more and more." — This accords with many other prayers and exhortations in his epistles. " The Lord grant — that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, — may know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge." Eph. iii. 16. — 19. " The Lord made you to abound in love, one towards another, and towards all men, even as we do towards you ; — to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness." " Ye are taught of God to love one another ; and indeed ye do it : but we beseech you to increase more and more." 1 Thess. iii. 12, 13. iv. 9, 10. " Your Faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of every one of you aU towards each other aboundeth." 2 Thess. i. 3. Indeed the love of believers towards each other is principally meant in these texts : but then we know that this love is the result, the evidence, and the measure of our love to God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. — We are required to consider every true Christian as the brother and representative of our un- seen Redeemer ; and all the love we bear to. them, and the good we do them, for his sake, will be acknowledged and graciously recompensed at the last day, as the indubitable proof of the reality and strength of our love to him. GROWTH IN GRACE. 113 But let us more partlcuLirly consider the words before us. — " That your lovemay abound: mayabound more, mayabound yet more; may abound more and more !" Press forward, is the Christian's motto, and the minister's watch- word. " We beseech you, brethren, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God ; so ye would abound more and more." 1 Thess. iv. 1. The lively believer is never in this world satisfied with his de- gree of sanctification ; but still hungers and thirsts for more entire confor- mity to the image and law of God : and the zealous minister never thinks his beloved people arrived at the summit of improvement ; but, wliile he says, I bless God ye abound in love he also adds, " I pray God you may abound yet more and more :" — and, " Seeing ye have purified your souls, in obeying the truth, through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren, — see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently." 1 Pet. i. 22. Comparing these Scriptures with our Lord's declaration, " Every branch in me, that beareth fruit, my Father purgeth, that it may bring forth more fruit," John xv. 1 — 5. we may properly advert to a notion very prevalent in some places, among professors of the gospel. It is considered by them as a thing of course for true Christians to " leave their first love ;" young converts are supposed to abound most in love ; and it is expected that they will de- cline in that respect, as the advance to maturity in judgment and experi- ence. The expression used in conveying these ideas, is found but once in Scripture. " Nevertheless," says Christ to the Ephesian church, " I have somewhat against thee ; because thou hast left thy first love ; remember there- fore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first works ; else I will come unto thee quickly, and I will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Rev. ii. 4, 5. The severe rebuke, the earnest exhortation, and the solemn warning of this passage, as connected with the commendation bestowed on the Ephesians, in other respects, do not sjem cal- culated to encourage men in reducing the before mentioned opinion to prac- tice. And it should also be observed, that the stony-ground hearers lost their lively aifections, and their religion along with them, " because they had no root in themselves." Surely nothing can be more absurd, than to suppose that a Christian, when growing in grace, can decline in that very thing, in which grace principally consists ! and love is evidently the greatest of all Christian graces. 1 Cor. xiii. 13. Such a sentiment is most pernicious in its tendency and effects : it gives encouragement to hypocrites, who disgrace the profession of the gos- pel ; assists many in deceiving themselves ; and induces unstable and inju- dicious believers indolently to yield to lukewarmness as a matter of course, and even an evidence of spiritual proflciency ; when they ought to be watch- ing and praying against it, and greatly alarmed and humbled on the least consciousness of its growing upon them, from a conviction of its being one of the most detestable and aggravated proofs of human depravity. — By this stratagem, Satan hath succeeded, during a lukewarm age, in establisliing a false text and standard of maturity in experience and the life of faith ; and hath managed in consequence to render it true in fact : that is, professors of the gospel do generally thus decline. Thus the sentiment becomes specious, hy an appeal to observation and experience for the truth of it ; and he, v. 'io ventures to say, " My brethren, these things ought not so to be," is thought to condemn the generation of God's children. But what saith Christ to the Laodiceans " Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." Rev. iii. IS. — This strange opinion stands, not only unsupported by Scripture, but in direct opposition to it: the question is not how things are.'' but how they ought to be .'' The comparative coldness and negligence, for which he is very deeply humbled : but upon the whole the vigour of his love is continu- ally increasing, and he manifests this to be the case in his whole conduct. To pray " that our love may abound yet more and more or, " that we may grow in grace," and make progress in experimental religion, amounts ! 114, GROWTH IN GRACE. nearly to tlie same thing ; at least there is an inseparable connection between the two petitions, and they reciprocally imply each other. — We shall, how- ever, in some measure discover by what means the preceding most detestable sentiment has insinuated itself among pious, humble Christians, whilst we proceed to consider the next clause of the apostle's prayer. II. Not satisiied with desiring that their " love might abound yet more and more," — he subjoined these words, " in knowledge and in all judgment;" and they suggest to us a second particular, in which growth of grace very greatly consists. There may be very high affections about religion, without the communication of holy principles : surprise at extraordinary and unex- pected events ; sanguine hopes of advantages, which appear very great and glorious ; sudden transitions from adversity to prosperity, from sorrow to joy, or from pain to pleasure ; and every circumstance which excites self-com- placency or strong coniidence, will involve or occasion a great flow of vehe- ment affections, in the concerns of religion as well as in those of this life. Thus the Israelites on the banks of the Red Sea, beholding their formidable enemies dead on the shore, and amazed at their own most extraordinary de- liverance, " believed the word of the Lord and sang his praise :" but this apparently good frame in a vast majority of them continued no longer than till their inclinations were thwarted; and " they soon forgat the works of God, and would not abide in his counsel." These affections are not of a per- manent nature : and, if a man possess nothing better, " he has no root in himself, and in time of temptation will fall away." The new convert indeed experiences and manifests a similar flow of affec- tions. The Lord, in making a Christian, does not destroy the original con- stitution of the human soul ; and the natural passions are xiseful in the in- fancy of the Divine life to produce a proper degree of earnestness and dili- gence. But with them there exists a spark of heavenly love, which gathers strength whilst they are weakened, and glows more vigorously under their almost expiring ashes. — As this principle acquires energy and ascendency, it suflEices to produce activity, and thus to subordinate and regulate all inferior affections : then every kind of earnestness, which did not spring from know- ledge, and was not exercised in judgment and discretion, becomes unnecessary, and may abate without any detriment. All holy affections spring from Divine illumination, and increase with the advancement of spiritual knowledge and genuine experience. In proportion as the Christian is enabled to discern more clearly and distinctly the nature and excellency of heavenly things ; and as he experiences more fuUy the pleasure they are capable of affording ; the more will he love and delight in them. The reasons which induce him to love the Lord, and his truths, pre- cepts, and people, are perceived with increasing evidence; his thirst after happiness in the favour of God, his supreme valuation of redemption and sal- vation in Christ, his gratitude to Him, and zeal for his glory, with attach- ment to his cause, and devotedness to his service, appear more and more rea- sonable, in proportion as his mind is truly enlightened by his influences of the Holy Spirit. — He also better understands, why " he who loves God should love his brother also ;" and why he ought to copy the forbearance, compas- sion, and mercy, of which his redeeming Lord hath given him an example. — As his views enlarge, he learns to pay less regard to the strong emotions of the animal spirits, which produce very pleasing but transient sensations, than to that steady and powerful affection, which influences a man to habi- tual self-denying obedience ; and which connects with disinterested endea- vours to " do good to all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith :" and he accustoms himself to judge of the sincerity and degree of his love, not by certain fluctuations in his feelings, but by its energy, in pre- vailing on him to renounce, venture and endure every thing, in promoting the glory of God and the good of his redeemed people. " For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments : and his commandments are not grievous."^ — Thus the Christian may actually abound more and more in love. GROWTH IN GRACE. 115 as connected with knowledge, when ignorant and selfish passions have sub- sided : the tumult of his feelings may be greatly abated, when the energy of pure and heavenly love is proportionably increased : and, as impetuous af- fections and vehement zeal, accompanied with pride and anger, become less and less apparent, he may manifest far more of that love, which " suffers long and is kind, which envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; which beareth all things, believeth all things, liopeth all things, and endureth all things." In short, that love, which is shown " in deed and in tioith," may abound exceedingly, when heavenly wisdom and deep humility have made the Christian ashamed of those ostentatious appearances of love, which con- sist principally " in word and in tongue," in high professions, noisy disput- ings, and cheap protestations. 1 Cor. xiii. James ii. 15, 16. iii. 13 — 18. 1 John iii. 16—20. This will appear more evidently, by considering the other expression em- ployed by the apostle on this occasion, — " in all judgment." The word is taken from the bodily senses, and may in some degree coincide with the spi- ritual perception before described ; but it implies also promptitude and ex- actness of discernment, as acquired by enlarged knowledge and experience, and it is peculiarly applicable to those persons, " who, by reason of use, (or habit,') have their senses exercised to discern good and evil." We may, there- fore, take the word in the common meaning, for the mental perception, when it distinguishes objects, " as the ear tries sounds," and as the mouth tries meats ; and this habit of judging accurately and promptly concerning those matters with which we are conversant, is peculiarly useful in every part of our conduct. That zeal, which springs from vehement affection, without proportionable knowledge and judgment, generally wastes its vigour about things frivolous, worthless, or injurious : it is tarnished with arrogance, bitterness, and cen- soriousness : it renders men inattentive to the duties of their station and re- lations in life, and regardless of propriety and decorum : it influences them to attempt things impracticable or romantic, by rash and unwarrantable means, and it hurries them into such tempers and actions, as needlessly in- crease the prejudices of mankind against the gospel and its professors. But when the heart is upright, and a man is favoured with sound instruction and prudent counsel, even his mistakes wiU abate his confidence and precipita- tion, and reiterated disappointments will render him more cautious and con- siderate. In proportion as he grows in grace, he will learn humility, and simplicity of dependence on the Lord, and discover the duties of his station ; he will also become capable of distinguishing between those things, which may be attempted with a reasonable prospect of success, and such as however desirable, cannot prudently be undertaken : and he will watch and wait for the openings of providence; sensible that it is highly important to confine himself to scriptural and warrantable means, in all his endeavours to bring others over to his sentiments. The rashness, ostentation, and forwardness of his disposition being thus abated, the exercise of his love will be less ob- servable to mankind in general, even when the vigour of it is exceedingly in- creased, and the effects more beneficial and permanent than before. " The wisdom, that is from above, is first pure ; then peaceable ; gentle, aUd easy to be entreated ; full of mercy and good fruits ; without partiality, and with- out hypocrisy : and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." James iii. 13 — 18. The man therefore who is directed by this wisdom, will not be so eager to engage in violent disputes about doctrines as formerly : but he will be far more careful to understand, and attend to, the several duties of his station, submissively to honour his superiors and seniors, and obey those that are placed over him, in all things lawful ; to win them by the silent preaching of a blameless life ; by a meek and quiet spirit ; by sincerity and integrity in word and deed ; and by a persevering endeavour 116 GROWTH IN GRACE. to render all connected with him eas}' and happy. His love will vent itsetf more in fervent prayers for others ; which is a secret but most effectual way of usefulness : he will improve his influence in his circle to some good pur- poses, and be daily increasing it by consistency and conscientiousness : he will peaceably occupy with his talent, as he hath opportunity ; and when more favourable occasions are presented, he will gladly embrace them. . It is not sufficient that we are sure the service in which we are about to engage is a good work ; we should also be satisfied that it is the service to which the Lord hath called us ; and this frequently cannot be determined without much knowledge and sound judgment. In a great house there are many servants ; and it is not enough that they are aU employed about their master's work : for, unless every one knows and performs the duty of his proper place, confusion and disturbance will be inevitable ; many things will be left undone, and almost every thing done amiss. — " The Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his ser« vants, and to every man his work:" and, when every one peaceably, intelli- gently and diligently minds his proper business, the aflFairs of the church, as ^vell as those of the family, are managed respectably and advantageously. True wisdom, therefore, consists very much in a man's understanding the duties of his station, and performing them in a quiet and exemplary manner : and love abounds to the best purpose, when it is exercised in knowledge and in aU judgment." The apostle, therefore, ceased not to pray for the Colossians, " that thej' might be fiUed with the hwwledge of the will of God, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that they might walk worthy of the Lord, unto aU pleasing ; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Col. i. 9. 10. He exhorted the Ephesians to " walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise : — and understanding what the V'ill of the Lord is," Eph. v. 15 — 17. And he thus counselled the Corinthians, " Be not children in understanding ; howbeit in malice be ye children, but iu understanding be ye men." 1 Cor. xiv. 20. Moreover, a defect in judgment, while love is very fervent, often produces a disproportionate zeal and earnestness : so that attention to one part of a man's duty swallows up, as it were, aU due regard to others. Thus love to public ordinances, or Christian conversation, frequently misleads professors to neglect their families and necessary worldly business, or to be inattentive to relative duties ; and this brings reproach on the word of God. Social reli- gion also often interferes with the exercises of the closet, and prevents growth in grace ; which cannot be expected without much secret self-examination, recollection, meditation, and prayer. And in this way one holy disposition entrenches on another ; boldness excludes meekness and prudence, or meek- ness and prudence degenerate into timidity ; and various excesses of this kind render men's profession of the gospel rather a mis-shapen monster, than a beautiful well-proportionate figure, as Christianity is represented in the Scripture. But the increase of knowledge and judgment, while holy love also acquires permanent energy, leads a man to assign every duty its proper place and order ; and to cultivate every holy disposition in due proportion and harmony with other graces. Thus redundancies being retrenched, de- liciences supplied, irregularities corrected, natural propensities restrained, and apparently opposite graces brought to coalesce, a man's religion possesses symmetry and beauty, and he " adorns the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." 2 Peter i. 5 — 7. The fervent aifections of a young convert resemble a fire of thorns, which furiously blazes and crackles, but communicates little heat, and is speedily extinct ; while the intelligent and judicious love of a mature Christian may bs compared to the steady fire made of substantial fuel, which burns silently, and durably produces far greater effects. — Or, to use another illustration — {Suppose an unconverted person should be delivered, in a most surprising manner, from imminent danger by shipwreck ; he would doubtless experience a variety of conflicting passions, and manifest very strong afi'ections ; while GROWTH IN GRACE. in his joy and amazement would be connected with a kind of natural gratitude to God for his preservation : but this would produce no abiding change in his dispositions and conduct. Whereas, should this man, after some years, be truly converted, he would probably never be able to recover the lively sensations, and high aflFections, which he felt when first escaped from the jaws of death : yet, understanding more distinctly the nature and value of the mercy vouchsafed him, his own extreme unworthiness, the imminent danger to which his immortal soul was exposed, and the astonishing love of God in rescuing him from it, that he might at length become his salvation ; his affections, though less tumultuous, would be more rational, and his gra- titude would produce a proportionable effect on his future behaviour. In fine, lively affections without knowledge and judgment, betray men into enthusiasm, delusion, absurdity, and inexcusable practices ; which injure themselves, mislead others, and disgrace the gospel : — while knowledge and judgment, when separated from holy love, puiff up the professor, and like a stagnating pool become useless or noxious. But the happy union of them in the same character constitutes the highest excellency that can be found on earth ; of which the apostle himself seems to have been the most illustrious instance, that hath been found among mere men, from the beginning of the world to the present time. In these things he followed Christ, and prayed for his brethren that they might follow him. Yet he deemed not himself to have already attained ; but felt the necessity of " pressing forward, forget- ting those things which were behind, and reaching forth to those things that were before." And, as vve, most assuredly, are far beneath him in these in- valuable attainments, if we would in a compendious manner know the na- ture of growth hi grace, we should study his character, and copy his example ; according to his exhortation to the beloved Philippians. Phil. iii. 12 — 21. It may be proper in this place to observe, that certain persons, either de- signedly or incautiously countenancing Antinomian tenets, object to the sen- timent, that the law of God is the believer's rule of conduct, under the pre- tence, " that love renders such a rule unnecessary." But it should be con- sidered that love undirected by any rule, cannot be exercised " in knowledge and in all judgment." Love is the first principle, or main-spring of a be- liever's conduct : but it cannot be also the regulator : for nothing requires so much regulation, as the exercise of this affection, in respect of the various objects of it, the proportion due to each, and the manner in which it is to be expressed. — The sails, receiving the impulsive energy of the wind, put the vessel in motion ; but they would only hurry it upon some rock or quicksand to its destruction, or at best drive it far from its intended course, were they not managed according to the rules of navigation, in connection with the pi- lot's attention to the helm, and the observation made respecting the progress and situation of the vessel. He, therefore, who rejects the holy command- ment, as the rule of his conduct, under the vain pretence that fervent love supersedes all occasion for such a rule, acts as absurdly, as mariners would do, should they crowd all the sail they could, and disdain to attend to the helm, the compass, or to nautical observations ; because not necessary to has- ten the progress of the vessel. — Love is indeed the fulfilling of the law : but it should be remembered, that we are required to love God with all our un- derstanding, as well as with fill our heart : " and this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments." III. The apostle next prays for his brethren, that " they might approve things that are excellent :" or as it might more literally be rendered, " that they might prove things that differ," and so learn to distinguish between things genuine, and their most specious counterfeits. This indeed is but a further advancement of the same principles and affections, in their progress towards perfection : yet it may be considered as another particular of great impor- tance to our growth in grace ; and may be viewed according to the two dis- tinct translations which have been given to the text, only reversing the or- der of them. 118 GROWTH IN GRACE. We may first make some remarks on the exercise and improvement of the distinguishing faculty as an essential part of our spiritual advancement to maturity. The inhei-ent excellency of some things above others exists pre- vious to our discernment of it ; and we have seen that the capacity of per- ceiving this excellency, which is the source of spiritual love for it, is the pe- culiar effect of regeneration ; but we may here add, that, like the capacities we receive from nature, it may be improved or retarded in its operations ; want of information or exercise may keep it obtuse and feeble ; suitable in- structions and habits may render it more acute, exact, and vigorous. — Now the Lord is pleased to work by means, in the kingdom of grace, as well as in that of nature ; and the children of God require and profit by, education, in the same manner as our children. Nay, spiritual capacities differ in degree like natural abilities, with which they have probably some connection. As, therefore, a man of inferior talents, cultivated by a good education, will in many respects possess advantages over a man of greater natural powers, which have been left uncultivated ; so experience proves, that something analogous to this takes place among believers. JEvery regenerate man has some mea- sure of spiritual discernment, but the disproportion, in which some possess it above others, is immensely great. Next to an upright heart, and a spirit of active love, nothing seems to be of more importance to a consistent, useful, and comfortable life, than this ac- curacy of the distinguishing faculty ; without which, even the fervour of spi- ritual love will often be wasted upon counterfeits, or exercised in uncertainty.' " Satan transforms himself into an angel of light ; and his ministers are transformed into ministers of righteousness." Even pious men differ widely in their sentiments, about many parts of religion : they are often very con- fident in their opinions and eager in defending them : thus controversies are multiplied, and agitated with unchristian vehemence and pertinacity : and we cannot but meet with various specious objections to our views of truth, and manifold difficulties in all we read and hear. Hence we may perceive the importance of cultivating a readiness and accuracy of trying and distin- guishing sentiments, pretensions, and practices, according to the maxims and decisions of God's word : — but this cannot be done, without a patient inves- tigation of the sacred oracles, and a persevering endeavour in habituating ourselves " to compare spiritual things with spiritual," and consider things according to their nature and tendency, or the relations and proportions which they bear to one another. A constant and simple dependence on the promised teaching of the Holy Spirit is also requisite, in order that we may " henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro with every wind of -doc- trine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." And that we may be able to digest without difficulty the strong meat, which belongeth to them that are full of age, and who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Eph. iv. li. Heb. V. 14. We ought most willingly to receive infoi-mation from every one, and to be always learners ; but our Lord has forbidden us to " call any man master upon earth." — We should thankfully use the help of others to point out ob- jects to us ; but we must at last see them with our own eyes, or not at all. Every constituent of humility and teachableness is comprised in that man's temper, who examines with candid attention such sentiments, as have any respectable claim to his notice ; who weighs the arguments by which they are supported, comparing them with the standard of Scripture; who earnestly prays for the teaching of the Holy Spirit to assist him in forming his judg- ment concerning them ; and who observes the rules of modesty and meek- ness in opposing such sentiments as he deems erroneous. — To go further than this would render us the disciples of men ; and however specious in appear- ance, it is generally the offspring of indolence and want of seriousness ; it betrays a comparative disregard to the importance of divine truth ; and it forms a convenient excuse for shunning the trouble of reflection and patient investigation. GROWTH IN GRACE. 119 A comprehensive acquaintance with Christianity in its full extent, in the dependence, subordination, harmony, and proportion, which every doctrine bears to all the other parts of the system ; with an accurate knowledge of the temper and conduct becoming believers in all the relations of life, and the situations in which they are or may be placed, is an attainment of great importance and difficulty : nor can any tolerable proficiency be made in it, without great diligence, and persevering application of mind for a long time, especially as most men can only spare a short portion of every day or week from other duties, for such investigations. Yet, witliout some considerable measure of this acquaintance with the subject, how shall a man be able to distinguish between truth, and error artfully disguised ? Between good, and evil speciously proposed ? Between genuine and counterfeit experience ? Be- tween solid and plausible arguments and objections } Without a degree of accuracy in spiritual perception, how can the believer separate the precious from the vile, when Satan, by means of false teachers, or by partially mis- leading pious men, mingles the poison of false doctrine with the wholesome food of divine truth How shall he draw the water of life pure and whole- some, when immense pains are taken to corrupt the weUs of salvation ? How escape the snares of the enemy, who seldom tempts pious persons to gross crimes, but seduces them by the appearance of good? How avoid the exr tremes, into which he never fails attempting to drive the friends of truth ; or avoid being frighted from those things which are excellent by hard names ? Without this, how can we be enabled to withstand and oppose the prevailing heresies of the times ; or maintain our ground against the demands of human authority, or the clamours of a deluded multitude } Tn short, how can we reasonably hope to steer our course, through the shoals, rocks, and whirl- pools, that abound in this perilous ocean, without suffering great loss, though we should be marvellously preserved from shipwreck ? Or how shall we shun one danger without risking another, perhaps more formidable } It is indeed evident to every observing person, that the want of this accu- racy and promptitude in distinguishing things that diifer, exposes many per- sons to be seduced into various errors both in doctrine and practice, and ren- ders tlieir conduct unstable and their characters inconsistent. Such things may not form any impeachment of a man's sincerity : but they i-ender him very uncomfortable to himself and to his fi"iends ; they M'eaken his influence and pervert his usefulness ; they lead him to sanction error by his example, and, as it were, to give bad bills a currency by indorsing or accepting them ; and often bring a reproach on the gospel itself. On the other hand, the man, who by patient investigation, in dependence on the teaching of tlie Holy Spirit, has formed an habit and acquired a facility in " proving all things, and holding fast that which is good," will proceed with steadiness and con- sistency through the various circumstances which occur in this clianging world ; he will be prepared to maintain the credit of his profession, and the tranquillity of his mind, in trying times : he will know how to attend with firmness to his own duties, even amidst persecutions, without incurring tlie disgrace or distress of " suifering as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other men's matters." He will learn either to suspend his opinion, or decidedly to express his disapprobation, when novel sentiments, or confident pretensions attract the public notice : for these commonly prove like glaring meteors ; they succeed one another at certain intervals, and then fall into contempt and oblivion ; though for the time they too generally meet with encourage- ment from many professors of religion, to the disgrace of the cause, and the great loss of those who turn aside after them. The clause under consideration, however, may be considered according to the common translation of it ; " that ye may approve tilings that are ex- cellent." This has indeed been in a great measure anticipated, in the ob- servations made on the increase of holy love : yet it may not be improper to subjoin some thoughts in this place, on cordial approbation o( things excellent and abhorrence of things that are evil : without which the most exact out- 120 GROWTH IN GRACE. ward regularity of conduct is a mere form of godliness, or a pagan virtue.— " Hate the evU, and love the good," was the Lord's exhortation to Israel : " abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good," is the apostolical message to Christians. Amos v. 15. Rom. xii. 9. This the spiritual law requires, and the nature of true repentance implies : without this state of the heart, sin will, in one form or other, maintain its dominion, and shortly reassume its ascendancy, notwithstanding terrors of conviction, ecstacies of devotion, or raptures of joy ; nor can any man without it be " meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light." However unregenerate persons may amuse themselves with harangues on the beauty of virtue, it is manifest that they do not thus " approve things that are excellent," according to the scriptural standard of excellency : for if they did, they would not show a decided aversion to the character of those, whom God hath in every age honoured as the excellent of the earth ; while they not only tolerate, but delight in, and lavish their encomiums on, such persons and actions " as God abhorreth." Y et it is self-evident, that the more a man delights in the good, and hates the evil, the nearer he must ap- proach to the right frame of mind ; the greater must be his measure of con- formity to God ; the better must he be prepared for serving him, and the more completely furnished for every good work. — The abhorrence of evil and the love of holiness must proportionably be attended with self-abasement, and humiliation for sin ; with simplicity of dependence on the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus ; with admiring views of his love and of the precious- ness of his salvation : with modesty, meekness, gratitude, patience, and con- tentment ; with watchfulness against tlie evil we hate, diligence in pursuing and practising the good we love, and delight even in a self-denying course of obedience : nor could we ever be proud of any attainments or performances, if we entirely abhorred the mixture of evil, which an acute spiritual discern- ment will perceive in aU we do. It must, therefore, be a most important part of the Christian's growth in grace, to become more and more able readily to prove things that differ, to distinguish accurately between genuine excel- lency and all counterfeits ; to separate exactly the good from the mixtures of evil blended with it : and cordially to love the good and to abhor the evil, which is found in characters, actions, or dispositions, whether ourselves or others are concerned. IV. The next clause in this prayer, " that ye may be sincere," suggests to us another particular, in which the believer's growth in grace consists. There may be sincerity without genuine piety ; but piety cannot subsist without sincerity. Prejudice, pride, carnal affections, or other corrupt prin- ciples, may so retain a man in ignorance, or pervert his judgment, that he may " verily think he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Christ ;" and thus very sincerely fight against God. He cannot indeed be justly charged with insincerity : but that does not excuse his other crimes. He is not a humble, serious, and teachable inquirer after the truth, who seeks it diligently and impartially, as disposed to embrace and adhere to it where- ever he finds it, or whatever it may cost him. On the contrary, he shuts his eyes against the light, and strives against his own convictions, when his pre- judices, interests, or inclinations are concerned: and "for this cause, God sends" such men, " a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie : that they might aU be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. ii. 11, 12. But to be sincere, in the scriptural sense, implies the profession of that religion, which God hath revealed to us ; and must, therefore, differ very widely from sincerity in opposing his truths, precepts, and servants. It consists in sincerely reverencing and believing the doctrines of the gospel, embracing the salvation of Christ, and yielding our- selves to God, as willing to be taught and ruled by him ; in sincerely seeking to know the truth, in boldly professing it, and endeavouring to live accord- ing to it ; and in sincerely repenting of every sin, renouncing the world, de- nying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following our Lord^ in the cheer- GROWTH IN GRACE. 121 ful obedience of faith and love. When he, who searcheth the heart, declares the professor to be " a Christian indeed, in whom there is no guile when his " love is without dissimulation, and he is actually as much disposed to every good work, as lie desires to be thought ; when he can say, without he- sitation or ostentation, " Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee when he is as careful to approve his secret conduct to God, as to maintain his credit before men, and dreads hypocrisy more than human censure ; when mental discipline, and the government of his thoughts, form a part of his daily employment, and " Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit," a part of his secret and daily prayer ; when he is not conscious of any reserves in his obedience, in favour of some darling passion, or against some self-denying duty : then a man is indeed a sound character, and shall never be put to shame. Let it not, however, be supposed, that a state of perfection is intended : the very man, of whom these things may justly be spoken, feels sin dwelling in him, warring against him, and mixing with all he does : he often goes mourning to the throne of grace, and with sighs and groans laments before God those defects and defilements, which no human eye witnesseth, and which numbers would scarcely consider as at all reprehensible. But he allows himself in no sin ; he desires without exception to have all evil dispositions mortified ; and no more habitually per- mits envy, malice, pride, avarice, or lust, to lodge as a welcome guest in his heart, than he commits gross crimes in his daily conduct. With such a consciousness of integrity in his Christian profession, the apostle was supported under the various calumnies, and suspicions, to which he was subjected. " Our rejoicing," says he, " is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godJy sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world. 2 Cor. i. 12. This godly sincerity as much differs from worldly sincerity, as godly sorrow does from worldly sorrow : 2 Cor. vii. 10, it is in some degree essential to the cha- racter of a Christian ; but it gathers strength, and acquires a more complete ascendancy, as he grows in grace ; and with increasing knowledge, sensibi- lity, and discernment, he perceives many things in his conduct and conversa- tion not exactly consistent with it, which he carefully endeavours to rectify : for indeed the same words and actions which once formed no impeachment of his sincerity in professing the gospel, would prove him a hypocrite, should he persist in them, when " more fully instructed in the ways of the Lord." The apostle before this had deemed the Philippians sincere believers : he was " confident that the Lord, who had begun a good work in them, would perform it until the day of Christ ; — even as it was meet, that he should think this of them all :" — but he prayed that this holy sincerity might be permanently manifested, and more exactly regulate all their professions and conduct towards God and man : that in all their words and actions they might be preserved pure from every tincture of dissimulation and hypocrisy. And what believer will refuse to adopt this prayer for himself, and for all, whose growth in grace he especially desires } And who does not see, even among professors, whom it would be very wrong wholly to condemn, many grievous mixtures of insincerity, real or apparent, the effect of ignorance, warm passions, strong attachments or prejudices, inattention, a timid inca- pacity of giving a direct refusal, or the habit of exciting expectations by kind language and ambiguous expressions, without any real intention of an- swering them ? But the original word signifies unmixed, or purified from every thing that is debasing, like honey when thoroughly separated from the wax. It has, therefore, been thought, that the apostle referred to the simplicity of the consistent Christian, as contrasted with the conduct of such as attempt to serve God and mammon ; and endeavour to unite the interests, pursuits, and pleasures of the world with those of religion, in defiance of our Lord's most solemn declaration, that it is impossible. When a man appears devout in the place of worship, on the Lord's day, or in pious company ; but acts H 122 GROWTH IN GRACE. like a mere worldly man in other circles, and on other occasions; when hla religion falls almost wholly under human observation, and neither enters his closet, nor influences his conduct in his family, his dealings, or the use he makes of his time and talents ; when he loves to dispute about the truth, but manifests no improvement of disposition from his attachment to it ; when he makes one, almost as regularly at the places of diversion or dissipation, as at those of public worship ; or when he is religious with reserves, and only by fits and starts ; he exhibits a melancholy and affecting sight to every truly pious mind. But to this too common character we may contrast the profes- sor of the gospel, who maintains a consistent conduct in all places and com- panies, under the habitual impression of this thought, " Thou God, seest me who " is in the fear of the Lord all the day long who conducts his most ordinary concerns on the highest principles ; who aims to fulfil the du- ties of every relation " heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men who seeks to have every employment, possession, and comfort, " sanctified by the word of God and prayer who serves his Master in heaven, when engaged in his shop, in manual labour as a servant, and even in taking needful recrea- tion ; and endeavours to observe the apostle's direction, " Whether ye eat, or whether ye drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Re- ligion constitutes such a man's business, interest, and pleasure ; and by as- signing to every thing its proper place, proportioning his attention to every object according to its value and importance, and arranging his secular con- cerns in due subordination and subserviency to the one thing needful, he renders every part of his conduct an act of cheerful obedience to the God of his salvation. It is probable, that no mere man completely answers this de- scription; but it certainly comprises the substance of various scriptural ex-i hortations, and accords to the commands and example of our blessed Lord. — Growth in grace must, therefore, especially consist in a continual approxima- tion to this state of mind and tenor of conduct ; and the disparity between our actual attainments and this proficiency in religion, should increase our earnestness in pressing forward to the mai-k, for the prize of our high call- ing of God in Christ Jesus. V. The apostle next adds, " that ye may be without offence till the day of Christ ;" and we may from this clause deduce another particulai", con- nected with the believer's growth iii- grace. The day of Christ, when he shall come to judgment, should be continually kept in view by all his dis- ciples; and the Scripture constantly calls our attention to it. Without any inquiry into the times and seasons, which the Lord hath been pleased to con- ceal, we may certainly know that " the Judge is at the door ;" death will speedily transmit each of us to the tribunal of God, and if we be preserved without offence till death, we shall be also till the day of Christ. The word translated offence denotes any thing laid in a man's path, over which he may stumble and fall. Numbers " stumble at the word, being dis- obedient," and openly reject the gospel ; some make a temporary profession, but " by and by they are offended, and in time of temptation fall away ; and others prove an offence to their neighbours, by a conduct inconsistent with their avowed principles. — Should we suppose that St Paul meant to intimate to the Philippians, that they would do well to distrust themselves, though he had expressed a strong confidence respecting them, it might suggest an use- ful instruction ; for the Christian who most grows in grace will be least dis- posed to rely on the favourable opinion of his brethren ; knowing that they cannot discern the secrets of his heart ; conscious of many inward evils that none suspect ; and aware that brotherly love induces candour in judging others, and severity only towards ourselves. But the new convert, or de- clining professor, is apt to take vast encouragement from the good opinion of reputable professors, or eminent ministers : and it may seriously be appre- hended that many rest their confidence entirely on such testimonies, and fi--, nally deceive themselves; because they deem it needless to regard the warn-r ings of Scripture, or the remonstrances of their own consciences, and refuse GROWTH IN GRACE. 123 to " examine themselves whether they are in the faith," after having been approved by the disciples and ministers of Christ. A man may stumble, however, who is not finally cast down. Judas alone fatally apostatized ; but all the apostles were offended, when their Lord was delivered into the hands of sinful men. Many professors have stumbled, and fallen into grievous crimes, causing others to stumble also : and yet they have been renewed unto repentance, and finally saved. Whatever wise and holy reasons the Lord may have, in his unsearchable counsels, for permitting such things ; his law, of " loving our neighbour as ourselves," is our rule of duty : and the believer, who understands and feels the genuine tendency of his prin- ciples, would, however assured of his own salvation, be ready to leave the world with groans and tears, on reflecting that his misconduct had embol- dened the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme ; hardened some in impenitency ; deceived others in an empty profession ; exposed the gospel to profane ridi- cule and reproach, and overwhelmed the friends of truth with grief and dis- couragement. Our path through life is interspersed with stumbling-blocks, which Satan hath placed there, by means of infidels, hypocrites, apostates, deceivers, and inconsistent professors. — It behoves us, therefore, " to watch and be sober yet, unless the Lord keep us, we shall watch in vain : so that while we walk circumspectly and cautiously, we should pray without ceasing, " Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe ;" and, while we carefully avoid every occasion of stumbling, we ought touse every precaution not to throw any stumbling-blocks in the way of our brethren. For this must be the consequence, if we imbibe, countenance, or propagate erroneous opinions ; if we be drawn into any glar- ing indiscretion or inconsistency ; if we yield to temptation in an unguarded hour ; and even, if we do not carefully " avoid every appearance of evil." Nothing surely can be more desirable to an heir of salvation, than to pass the time of his sojourning in humble fear and circumspection ; that he may bring no reproach on the gospel while he lives, and leave a testimony to the excellency of his character, in the consciences of his survivors. Thus a man finally ratifies every thing he hath said and done to recommend the cause of Christ, during the whole course of his profession : " by well-doing, he puts to silence the ignorance of foolish men :" " being dead he yet speaketh," and the recollection of his holy conversation perpetuates, and stamps a value on his principles; when he can no longer endeavour to disseminate them. — In proportion to the degree of our genuine love to the Lord and his cause, the desire of thus living and dying must gain strength ; and the consistent Chris- tian, in his deliberate judgment, would prefer death with credit, to the most prosperous life, connected with becoming a disgrace to the gospel. This habitual disposition will render him more vigilant and circumspect, and es- pecially more fervent in prayer, that he may be preserved " without offence until the day of Christ." On the contrary, when professors deem it a mark of proficiency, that they are freed from all concern about these things ; when they really grow more lax in their conduct, and regardless what impressions it may make on others ; it is evident that they are declining in grace, if not wholly destitute of divine life, whatever opinion they may form of themselves. The primitive churches were troubled with persons of this description, who deemed it a proof of their knowledge, and a part of their liberty, to disre- gard expediency or propriety in using their privileges ; and to please them- selves, whiitever might be the conseqiience. Thus they became an offence to their weak brethren, not walking charitably towards them. The apostle, therefore, exhorted them to " follow those things which make for peace, and by which one may edify another :" he declared, that " if meat made his brother offend, he would eat no flesh while the world stood, lest he should make his brother to off"end:" and he added, " Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ." But who can doubt, that Paul was more advanced in grace, than the Christians to whom he wrote .'' He was far more conformed to the mind that was in Christ, delivered from carnal self-love, inspired with 124. GROWTH IN GRACE. zeal for the glory of God, filled with love to his brethren, and desirous of the salvation of sinners, than they were. Hence we may indisputably conclude, that growth in grace consists greatly in an increasing circumspection respect- ing our conduct, that we may avoid every cause of offence laid in our way, and not prove an occasion of stumbling to others. And as our Lord h;is de- clared that " it is better for a man, that a mill-stone sliould be hanged about his neck, and tliat he should be drowned in the depths of the sea, than that he should offend one of the little ones who believe in him," — how greatly ought we to dread such misconduct, " as may prejudice numbers against the truth, and prove an occasion of their eternal ruin.''" It is to be feared that few of us are wholly guiltless in this respect; and probably we shall find, on accu- rate self-examination, more cause for deep humiliation than we suspect. But it would exceed the bounds assigned to this treatise, should the sub- ject of offences be considered in a manner suitable to its importance : espe- cially as another occasion will offer of resuming it. Yet, before we proceed further, it may be proper to call the reader's attention to that source of scan- dals, which our Lord hath especially selected, namely, discords and contentions among his disciples. Watt, xviii. Bitter controversies among professors of the gospel ; mutual accusations, if not invectives, and slanders ; appeals to the world in print of one party against another ; and many other effects of pride, selfishness, and resentment, too common at this day, are not only de- viations from the rules our Lord hath prescribed in this case, but diametri- cally opposite to them ; and constitute offences of the most pernicious and lamentable kind. But growth in grace proportionably destroys the root of this bitterness, and renders men cautious not to disgrace the common cause, by an eagerness to vindicate their own characters, secure their own interests, or expose the crimes of their opponents. It renders them averse to contro- versy when it can be avoided ; and when constrained to contend for the truth, it dictates candour, meekness, modesty, and benevolence, mortifies the de- sire of victory and applause, and inspires zeal for the honour of God and the salvation of souls. It is, therefore, -evident, that this is one important part of growth in grace, though it be seldom duly valued and inculcated. VI. The apostle concludes with these words, " That ye may be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God :" and this evidently comprises another particular of great importance in this inquiry. The care, expense, and labour of planting, grafting, pruning, and tending the tree, have respect to the fruit expected from it ; without which no man would be satisfied with its stately growth, redundant foliage, or beautiful blossoms. The whole plan of redemption, the humiliation and sufferings of the divine Saviour, the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, the preached gospel, and the instituted ordinances, are entirely designed to ren- der men fruitful in good works ; and if this end be not answered in those who profess the gospel, the whole as to them has hitherto been ineffectual. " What could I have done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it ? where- fore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes." Even the work of the Holy Spirit, in regenerating, illuminating, convincing, and comforting the soul, is entirely subservient to the Lord's de- sign of rendering it holy and fruitful : nor is any knowledge, experience, faith, joy, or confidence, genuine, which is not connected with fruitfulness, or pro- ductive of it. " Everv tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire," A\''hatever part of a believer's conduct tends to make known the glorious perfections and works of God, and to promote the credit of the gospel, the conversion of sinners, and the peace or purity of the church ; whatever may diminish the sum total of ignorance, error, vice and misery in the world, or increase that of true knowledge, wisdom, holiness, and felicity ; in short whatever does real good to mankind, in their temporal or spiritual concerns ; is good fruit : aU else should be counted but as leaves and blossoms. An uj)- right, faithful, blameless, benevolent, peaceable, forgiving, pure, and holy GROWTH IN GRACE. 125 conversation ; a cheerful, thankful, resigned, and patient spirit ; a reveren- tial, and stated attendance on the ordinances of puhlic and family worship ; a conscientious regard to the will of God, in our dealings with men, and in our behaviour towards all who are in any way related to us, even when they neglect their reciprocal duties ; and an habitual moderation, in all the pur- suits, interests and pleasures of life, have a manifest tendency thus to adorn our profession and benefit mankind. To these we may add a faithful im- provement of the talents committed to our stewardship ; whatever measure of authority, influence, abilities, learning, or riches, may be assigned to us by our common Master ; for with such talents we may do proportionable good ; provided we be influenced by evangelical principles, avail ourselves of ad- vantages and opportunities, and ask wisdom of God to direct us in our en- deavours. All those liberal acts of piety and charity, which Christians per- form with that portion of their time, attention, or property, which others waste or abuse, are fruits of righteousness, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And when we connect with these things, an holy boldness in pro- fessing the truth, and constancy, cheerfulness, and meekness in sufi'ering for it ; we have the general outlines of Christian fruitfulness. The good ground " brought forth fruit, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred fold." All believers are in some measure fruitful, when their principles have had time to produce the proper efi^ect : but the apostle prayed for his beloved people, " that they might be filled with the fruits of righ- teousness." He earnestly desired, that they might produce all the fruits of the Spirit, Gal. v. 22, 23. in a degree fully adequate to their abilities and op- portunities ; that none of their talents might be buried or misemployed, nor any thing neglected, or left unattempted, by which they might glorify God and do good to men. We cannot think ourselves perfect in this life, without being justly chargeable with pride ; nor can we neglect to pray for perfec- tion and follow after it, without criminal negligence and toleration of sin in our hearts and lives. Professors of the gospel too often resemble those trees, which must be very carefully examined, before it can be determined, whether they bear any fruit or no. But the apostle could not be satisfied with such ambiguous charac- ters ; he wished to see his people, like such fruit-trees as attract the notice and admiration of every traveller, while at one glance he sees all the branches loaded with the valuable produce. — It must then be manifest that the in- crease of fruitfulness is one essential branch of the believer's gi-owth in grace ; nay, indeed, that aU the other particulars are principally important because of their subserviency to this grand object. This might be more copiously proved and illustrated, but it seems too obvious to require it. Our Lord de- clares, he had " chosen and ordained his apostles, that they should bring forth fruit, and that their fruit should remain and whoever duly considers the instruction conveyed by the parable of the vine and the branches, will be ready to conclude, that no man is a living branch of that true Vine, who does not bring forth more and more fruit, during his continuance in this ■world ; and will at least determine, that when the reverse takes place, the professor's state and character become proportionably ambiguous. We have now followed the apostle through the several petitions of tliis important prayer; intending to reserve the concluding words to be consi- dered in the application of the subject. We shall therefore here close this division of the treatise with the words of the apostle to the same Philip- pians : " Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatso- ever things are lovely, vk'hatsoever things are of good report, — if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think of these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do, and the God of peace shall be with you." Phil. iv. 8, 9. 126 GROWTH IN GRACE. SECTION II. Containing some additional Obseivations on the nature and effects of Growth in Grace, as deducible from other Scriptures. While we attempt to inculcate those practical subjects, which have been enlarged on in the preceding part of this treatise, it may perhaps be feared lest we should draw men from the simplicity of dependence on free grace, by faith in the righteousness and atonement of the Divine Saviour. On this account, therefore, as well as for other reasons, it may be expedient to sub- join a few more particulars, in which growth in grace consists, and by which it may be ascertained both in respect of its reality and degree. I. Genuine growth in grace is always accompanied with proportionable humiliation, and the habitual exercise of repentance. This hath indeed been implied and intimated in every part of our progress : but it is a matter of that importance, and creates such difficulty to many persons, that a more ex- plicit consideration of it seems necessary. True grace consists in illumi- nation, sensibility, submission, and spirituality ; and, as these increase by progressive sanctification, deeper hiimiliation must be produced. Clearer and more distinct views of the divine Majesty and greatness must proportiona- bly abate our self-importance, and render us little, and, as it were, nothing in our own eyes. Fuller discoveries of the holiness, justice, mercy, and truth of God, and of the glory and beauty of his harmonious perfections as displayed in the person of Christ, must show us more and more the intrinsic evil of sin, and the heinousness of our own transgressions ; and the same defects or de- filements must give us proportionably greater uneasiness, than they did when we had less sensibility and spirituality. Thus self-abhorrence, on account of present sinfulness, must increase with our growth in holiness. The habit also of compai'ing every part of our temper and conduct with the perfect law of God and the example of Christ, instead of judging ourselves by other rules, tends to bring us more acquainted with the hidden evils of our hearts, and the unsuspected sins of our lives ; as well as to show the imperfection of our duties. That intimate communion with God, which accompanies growth in grace, must make us more sensible of our sinfulness; and even the company of the most pious Christians tends to abate our self-confidence, to cover us with shame, and to excite us to renewed exercises of deep repentance, from the consciousness that we fall far beneath them in many parts of our charac- ter and behaviour. Every discovery of the glory of redemption by the cross of Christ, and of the immensity of our general and particular obligations to his love, tend to make us dissatisfied with our present measure of devoted obe- dience, and to humble us under the consciousness of multiplied instances of ingratitude to our Benefactor. So that, while there is any alloy of sin in the heart of a regenerate person, his self-abhorrence and humiliation before God for it must bear proportion to the degree of his actual proficiency in holiness. No proof that a sinner has become pure in heart is so unequivocal, as his groans and tears on account of his remaining pollution, while it appears less and less in his external conduct ; yet this often occasions dejection, when not attended with a clear understanding of that sanctifying work, by which the Holy Spirit seals believers to the day of redemption ; and would always produce this ef- fect, were it not for the discoveries made to the soul, of the entire freeness and inexhaustible riches of divine grace to all that flee for refuge to the hope set before them. — Thus, when holy Paul abounded in grace, and was fruitful in good works, probably above any man on earth ; he was more humbled be- fore God than others, not only for his former rebellions as " the chief of sin- ners but also in respect of his present disposition and services, " less than the least of all saints." — Nor is it necessary to refer to the well known ex- GROWTH IN GRACE. 127 amples of Job, Isaiah, Daniel, or the centurion whom our Lord commended : their actual attainments and unaffected humility are well known to all who dilig'ently consider the subject. This increase of humility never fails to produce a proportionable disposi- tion to condescension, courteousness, and modesty ; a willingness to take the lowest place, " in honour preferring others to ourselves and a satisfaction of mind in obscure stations, or with ordinary services, if they be allotted to us. The believer gradually acquires such a view of himself and his miscon- duct during a succession of years, that he " remembers and is confounded, and never opens his mouth any more for his shame, when the Lord is paci- fied to him for all that he hath done." Ezek. xvi. 63. This cures him of his propensity to boast, revile, censure, and complain ; and produces lowliness, meekness, candour, resignation, contentment and gratitude, in the habitual frame of his temper, and tenor of his conduct. — If then any person's supposed growth in other respects, be accompanied with evident pride, ambition, os- tentation, contention, arrogance, boasting, and bitterness ; we must conclude his apparent graces to be counterfeits, and not the real fruits of the Spirit : for " this wisdom is not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish." In- deed, unless such proficiency be accompanied with an evident increase in ten- derness, modesty, and gentleness ; with a readiness to submit to conviction, and to be very sorry for every fault ; and with a disposition to be more and more resigned under contempt and neglect ; a man's growth in grace cannot be clearly ascertained. " Be ye clothed with humility," is an exhortation to the most arduous attempt and the most exalted attainment, to which man is capable of aspiring. Pride is the most offensive to God of all sins : a proud holiness is therefore self-contradictory ; for no grace can subsist except by connection with humility ; and the idea, that exhortations to Chi-istian tem- pers and evangelical fruitfulness tend to render men proud, arises from an entire misapprehension concerning the very nature of that "holiness, with- out which no man shall see the Lord." It is indeed true, that the exercise of grace, or diligence in duty, may prove an occasion of pride to a believer : and so may the knowledge of evan- gelical truth, or even the exercise of self-abasement and contrition in any re- markable degree. But then true grace continuaDy counteracts these emo- tions ; and the root of pride is gradually weakened, even by means of these rank but unallowed buddings : as " Hezekiah was humbled for the pride of his heart." The vigorous exercise, therefore, of holy affections must even- tually produce deep humiliation ; whereas gifts, high and false affections, lifeless notions, ostentatious services, and an unholy zeal for evangelical truth, not only allow the branches of pride to shoot forth luxuriantly, but water and nourish the root of that hateful propensity. II. The increase of faith, in all its varied exercises, is an essential part of growth in grace, and inseparably connected with all the rest. This has hi- therto been taken for granted : but it may be useful to give the subject a more particular consideration. If we define faith to be " belief of the truth," or " a disposition to credit implicitly the testimony of God in his word ;" we may easily perceive that all true religion begins and increases with it. Un- less we thus believe the testimony of God, we can neither fear his wrath, " as revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men," regard his warnings, nor understand the nature and value of his salvation : — we can neither accept of his invitations, rely on his promises, give up pre- sent objects for better things in reversion, nor render the willing obedience of grateful love. It is impossible therefore to be saved without faith ; be- cause we shall certainly neglect the great salvation revealed in Scripture, if w e do not believe the record of God concerning it. — It is also manifest, that the more fully we are acquainted with revealed truths, and the more firmly we believe them, without vain reasonings or sceptical hesitations ; and the more entirely we realize to our minds the awful and affecting scenes thus presented to our view ; the greater degree of every holy affection, the more 128 GROWTH IN GRACE. decided victory over the love of the world and the dread of the cross ; the deeper compassion for perishing sinners, and the firmer attachment to the cause anil people of God, will be produced. Faith at first works by fear and hope, and afterwards by love : the increase of faith therefore must increase the energy of these active principles, and of every affection dependent on them. On the other hand, growth in grace strengthens faith, and habituates the soul to a realizing contemplation of invisible objects, to a deep sense of their importance and of our intimate concern in them, and to a decided preference of eternal things above all the interests of this transient scene. — Thus the believer faints not while " he looks not to the things which are seen, but to the things which are not seen." He learns, with Abraham, to part with ob- jects which nature most endears to him, when the will of God requires them ; believing him able to make up every loss ; and, with Moses, he is enabled to count " the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the world, and the afflictions of God's people, preferable to the momentary pleasures of sin, enduring as one who sees him that is invisible." If we consider faith as including the idea of dependence, or committing ourselves to the I^ord's hands, in credence and confidence ; the increase of it is inseparable from growth in grace. The convinced sinner discovers, per- Jiaps gradually, that he has no resources in himself, and possesses no ability of escaping the wrath to come : but, hearing of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, and of the encouragements and promises of the new covenant, he ap- plies for the grace of his free salvation, and submits to give God all the glory. As his views enlarge, he more expressly intrusts his soul and all his eternal interests into the hands of Christ, according to the nature of his redemption, and the offices he sustains ; and expects the supply of all his wants from his unsearchable riches. Thus he learns " to live by the faith of the Son of God," and as consciously deserving of wrath alone, to expect every l)lessing as the purchase of his blood and the gift of his grace. He has not as yet, however, obtained a very deep acquaintance with the intrinsic evil of sin, the aggravations of his own iniquities, the deceitfulness and desperate wicked- ness of the human heart, or his own helpless and exposed condition : so that, attending diligently on every means of grace, he hopes speedily to rise supe- rior to every temptation, and to feel himself advancing in holiness every day ; and in this he commonly experiences a mortifying disappointment, even when actually growing in grace. For he continually discovers evil in his heart and duties, which he did not at aU suspect, and has painful experience of his own weakness and folly. Many a sharp conflict and conscious relapse into evil tend to convince him that " he can do nothing of himself ;" and he escapes well if he be not so baffled by temptation, as to act inconsistently in some de- gree before men, whilst the Lord '•' humbles him, and proves him, and shews him what is in his heart, to do him good at the latter end." Deut. viii. 2. In this way, however, after a course of years, when he has really grown in grace, and is justly regarded as an established, honourable, and fruitful Chris- tian ; he is so far from feeling less need of supplies from the Saviour's ful- ness, that he depends on him more simply and explicitly for every thing, than he did at his first acceptance of his salvation. He more entirely " counts all but loss, that he may win Christ and be found in him, and in his righteous- ness ;" and continually seeks forgiveness of his daily sins, and the acceptance of his daily services, by faith in his blood. He now considers the inclination, ability, and opportunity, of doing good works, as so many gifts from the God of grace, increasing more and more his obligations to him ; and is deeply conscious, that he hath not duly improved his talents : so that he has great cause to be humbled on account of his unfaithfulness, but none to be proud of those things which never were his own : he is also entirely sensible, that he cannot perform any good work in future, or withstand the temptations which obstruct his progress, without supplies of wisdom and strength day by day, out of that same fulness, from which he has so long been accustomed to QKOWTH IN GRACE. , 139 recwye. Thus his growth in grace is connected with proportionable sim- plicity in the exercise of faith : while our Lord plainly declares, that the ha- bitual simplicity and energy of faith in him, secures the growth of grace in all other particulars, when he saya, " He that abideth in me, the same bringeth forth much fruit." The consistent believer learns always to consider every object, that sur- rounds him, in its relation to the providence, the moral government, or the salvation of God ; and this induces a constant dependence on him, even in ^he common affairs of life- He " acknowledges God in all his ways :" he re- lies on him to incline the hearts of those with whom he is concerned to act properly towards kim ; Neh. i. 11. to succeed his undertakings, to protect him in danger, to supply bis wants, and to comfort and deliver him in trouble. He depends on the perfections ajid providence of God to fulfil his promises in these respects, as far as conducive to his good ; being assured that not a sparrow falls to the ground without his Father's notice and design. He con- siders the power of God as engaged to restrain the malice and rage of Satan, to moderate his trials, and to preserve him from circumstances of overwhelm- ing temptation ; as well as his grace to strengthen holy affections and give energy for resistance. Thus he passes through one difficulty after another ; conscious of his weakness, but relying on the Lord for strength and protec- tion ; he casts his care on him, and " in every thing by prayer and suppli- cation, with thanksgiving, makes his requests known to God :" while his experience of the Lord's faithfulness and attention to his prayers tend to in- crease his faith, and encourage the confidence of his dependence, without anxious alarms or distrustful solicitudes. And this prepares him for at length passing through the valley of the shadow of death " without fearing any evil hoping that the Lord will then be with him, as his guide, guard, and com- forter, and at last receive him to his eternal glory. The increase of faith in this respect must be a most important part of growth in grace, as it produces a csdm, submissive spirit in the most perilous and distressing seasons ; when the hearts of unbelievers, and even of the weak in faith, " are shaken like the trees by the wind :" it induces an ha- bitual intercourse, in the spirit of adoption, between the redeemed sinner and his reconciled God and Father ; as he now walks with God in humble con- fidence, and reverential fear : it secures a man from seeking relief in trouble by indirect means, and renders him watchful against every thing that would interrupt his communion with God, by which his present comfort and hopes of future felicity are principally maintained. And, on the other hand, as he grows in grace he wUl attain to greater simplicity of dependence on God, which will render him less dependent on men and on second causes ; he will be less affected by the fluctuating appearances of external affairs, " his heart being fixed, trusting in the Lord ;" and will more uniformly consider all creatures as his instruments of judgment or of mercy, of correction or of comfort ; and remember that " all things work together for good to them that love God." Thus it appears, that growth in grace, as to the various paxticailars comprised in the Apostle's prayer for the Philippians, will cer- tainly be accompanied with deeper humility, stronger faith, and more entire reliance on God in aU things pertaining to this lifie, and to that which is to come. It cannot tkerefpre, be doubtful, in what a believer's growth in grace con- sists. When a man abounds more and more in all the varied exercises of holy love ; when this love is directed and regulated by increasing knowledge, wisdom, and judgment : when he acquires by exercise, under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, the habit of prudently examining and accurately distin- guishing between things that differ, abhorring the evil, and cleaving to the good more entirely and heartily from day to day: when he grows more known and approved for sincerity and integi-ity in all his professions and en- gftgements, and more singly devoted to God, as he advances in years ; when 130 GROWTH IN GRACE. he becomes more and more circumspect in his words and works, that he may neither inadvertently fall himself, or cause others to stumble ; and more fer- vent in prayer to be preserved from bringing any reproach on the gospel, to the end of his course : when he grows more abundantly fruitful in the works of righteousness ; while at the same time he lies lower before God, in deep humility, and is more willing than ever to be abased among men ; when he acts more and more habitually with the invisible God and the eternal world before his mind ; and relies more entirely on the mercy and grace of tljfe Lord Jesus Christ, who thus becomes more precious to his soul : and when his dependence on the providence of God is more uniform, and accompanied with greater composure, submission and constancy in the path of duty ; when this is the case, nothing material to the Christian character seems wanting ; the various holy dispositions and affections, resulting from regeneration, are advancing to maturity in just proportion and coincidence ; and the believer is evidently ripening for the work, worship, and joy of heaven. We might easily branch out the subject more diffusely : but it is presumed, the atten- tive reader will perceive, that notliing can be selected as another distinct part of growth in gi-ace, which is not fairly reducible to some of the parti- culars that have been recapitulated. CONCLUSION. The apostle having prayed that the Philippians " might be filled with the fruits of righteousness," subjoined, according to the uniform language of the "New Testament, " which are through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God." Our fruitfulness is utterly insufficient to justify our persons, or recommend us to the Divine favour ; and we are not allowed to court the applause of men, in the performance of our good works : but when they are considered as " the fruits of the Spirit," produced by his sacred influence on the hearts of fallen creatures ; as the happy effects of the incarnation and re- demption of Christ ; as presented through his intercession, being as it were sprinkled with his blood ; and as conducive in all respects to the manifesta- tion of the glory of God in the salvation of sinners; we shall reaflily perceive that they must be well pleasing in his sight. We are thus consecrated " an holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through J esus Christ ;" and " hereby he is glorified, when we bring forth much fruit." — This consideration leads us to inquire more particularly into the reasons which induced the apostle to pray thus for his people ; and on what account that growth in grace, which hath been described, is so greatly to be desired. It is observable that we have met with no petition for prosperity, delive- rance from persecutors, or even spiritual consolation. Indeed it is not pro- per to pray unreservedly for any temporal comforts in behalf of ourselves or others ; for they are of so ambiguous a nature, that we cannot tell whether they would prove blessings or not : though John wishes his beloved Gains may " be in health, and prosper, even as his soul prospered !" A singular example ! and a petition that must be reversed to suit the case of many pro- fessed Christians ! No doubt Paul did pray that his people might be deli- vered from " the tribulations and persecutions which they endured :" and that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love :" but when he expressly set himself to point out the things which he principally re- quested in their behalf, in order to direct them in seeking the best blessings for themselves, he was silent on these topics : knowing that he needed not to remind them to ask for temporal deliverances or inward consolations, (if they indeed prayed at all ;) and that these latter would certainly follow, if they obtained the blessings which he especially desired for them. We may therefore observe. GROWTH IN GRACE. 131 1. That growth in grace is necessary in order to the believer's abiding con- solation, and assurance of hope. It may probably have occurred to the rea- der, that assurance of an interest in Christ, and of everlasting life through Him, has not been expressly mentioned as essential to growth in grace or strength of faith : but as we are e.xhorted " to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure;" and " that we may possess the full assurance of hope unto the end :" we may therefore consider genuine confidence as the eff'fct of increasing faith and sanctification, 2 Pet. i. 10. Heb. vi. 10 — 12. ^Fithout a measure of holiness there can be no wai-ranted comfort or assU' ranee of hope. Strong cordials, indeed, given to a man in a high fever, may produce a ti'ansient exhilaration while they increase the disease : but proper medicines tend to restore health, which will be accompanied with more pleas- ing sensations, and of a more permanent nature. — Now sin is the distemper of the soul ; and while pride, malice, lust, covetousness, or any other vile passion, prevails in the heart ; no salutary comfort can be derived from the promises or privileges of the gospel, except as they allure a man from his pre- sent seducing and destructive pursuits, by showing him that far greater bles- sings are attainable. But when a humble, meek, pure and heavenly disposi- tion is produced ; when knowledge, love, submission, and spirituality diffuse their benign influence, subjugating every corrupt passion, and moderating every attachment to earthly objects, — the believer consequently feels peace and comfort : while the joys which on some occasions fill and transport the soul in an extraordinary manner, are chiefly reserved for times of sharp con- flict, heavy trials, or hard services. All our genuine consolations spring from the influences of the Holy Spirit, opening to us the treasures of redeeming love, applying to our consciences the blood of sprinkling, exciting holy affections in our hearts, and giving us earnests of heavenly felicity. They are therefore inseparably connected with the exercise of repentance, faith, love, hope, and gratitude : while every kind or degree of sin, even in our tempers or desires, grieves and quenches the Spirit of God, and inteiTupts our comforts ; till renewed humiliation, and ap- plication for mercy through the blood of Christ, restore our peace. It must- therefore be evident, that growth in grace is inseparably connected with es- tablished peace, hope, and joy in God ; a " peace of God which passeth un- derstanding ;" a " joy unspeakable and glorious." We ought to value these consolations above all the riches and pleasures of the world, and desire the abundant enjoyment of them from day to day : but we should not expect or allow ourselves to wish for it, except through the medium of increasing sanc- tification and fruitfulness. Upon the most mature deliberation, the prudent Christian will not hesitate to pray that the loss of wonted consolations may chastise his folly, if he grow lukewarm, careless, or worldly : and that, if the only wise God see that withholding present comfort will promote his growth in grace, he may be sanctified and not comforted, leather than comforted and not sanctified. Present joys are of short continuance, but increasing holi- ness is the recoveiy of health, and the preparation for future and eternal feli- city. Our Lord hath commanded us to " seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness ;" and then " all other things will be added to us but numbers by inverting this order come short of salvation, and soon lose their idolized worldly objects. In like manner, many professors of the gos- pel are so eager to obtain assurance, that they seek it in the first place ; in- stead of first seeking to grow in grace and to bring forth the fruits of righ- teousness, leaving it to the Lord to give them comforts, and to cause them to " abound in hope by the power of the Holy Ghost," to his appointed time and way ; and thus many are bolstered up in vain confidence, or amused with delusive joys : and others continue feeble, sickly, and dejected, during the greatest part of their lives. Various methods have indeed been devised to afford them relief and consolation ; but they have merely a transient effect : for the child that does not grow, is not healtliy, and being unhealthy, will be iincomfortable, whatever may be done to cheer its spirits by cordials, to feast it with delicacies, or to amuse it by toys and finery. 132 GROWTH IN GRACE. 2. Growth in graee is most desirable, in order that the Lord Jesos msy be glorified in us, and by us. — Wten Christ appeared on earth, all these who saw the persons that he had restored to the Tise of their senses and limbs, recovered to health, or raised from the dead, would hare reason to exdaim with astonishment, " See what Jesus of Xazareth hath done ! how wonder- ful is his power ! how great his lore ! how manr, how stupendons, how bene- ficent his miracles !" — ^VlLile the monuments of Ms divine compasaon and authority over all nature would be ready to say to all around them, " He whom the rulers and scribes despise and seek to destroy, resttrred my limbs, my uBderstanding, or my life." — Thus would he be honoured by them, and in them. ^rhen they, who profess the doctrines of the gttspel, and avouch Christ to be their God and Saviour, make it evident in a manner equally incontestible, that their tempers are sanctified, their lusts mortified, their sdfish hearts en- larged, and their character sound, pure, and holy : all who knew them be- fore, will be constrained to notice the change, to wonder at the effects, and to inquire into the cause, — " Wbat hath transformed the brier into a myrtle, the lion into a lamb, or the swine into a sheep r" — while the persons who have experienced this change, by professing their faith in Christ, give him ail the glory ; and thus the nature and tendency of the gospel, and the ex- cellency of its fruits, are manifested ; the Lord, as it were, challenges men to come and examine the work he hali wrought, and to say, whether it l>e not worthy of admiration and honour ? Tins is the best method of cx^nfuting infidelity, and constraining iniquity to stop her mouth ; and the fruits of righteousness which believere produce, prove, " through Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God," as they tend to make known his glorious perfec- tions, and promote the cause of his holy religion among mankind. But " woe be to the world because of offences and " woe be to him by whom the offence cometh !" The crimes of professed Oiristians render our holy religion odious and contemptible to mifiions in the quarters of the globe ; and give infidels their most plausible ar^ amenta against it. The crimes of hypocrites, who contend for the peculiar doctrines of the gospel, prejudice the minds of multitudes in every part of this land : and, alas ! the misconduct of true believers, who do not feel sufficiently the necessitr of growing in grace, produce in a measure the same lamentable effects. We ought therefore to pray more for ourselves and each other, that the Lord, who hath set us apart for himsdf, would make us to be " unto him for A name, and a praise " that our conversation may be such as becometh the gospel of Christ " that we may walk worthy of God, who hath called us to his kingdom and glory and that we may put those to shame and silenoe, who would speak against us as evil-doers.' The apostle instructs Titus to exhort servants to be " obedient to AsSt own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity ; that they may adorn &e doctrine €f God our Saviour in off fhingg." And the same argument is equaHy cogent in respect of every holy dispoation and instance of good behaviour, in those who profess the gospeL Nothing indeed can add to the beauty and gkrrr of divine truth, as it is in its own nature ; but this can only be discerned bj the spiritual mind ; to the world in general it appears foolish and absurd, and the misconduct of professors cx)nfirms despisers in their proud contempt of it. But there is an excellencv in a truly Christian temper and conversa- tion, which th^ are not hardv enough to deny, and of whicfc they frequently liave the fullest demonstration, in the advantage or comfort they derive from it. One noisy, imprudent, and inconsistent zealot for evangdical doctrines, who neither knows nor practises the duties of his station, but is habitually guUty of manifest crimes er glarins; improprieties, wiH expose the truth to the contempt of a whole family, village, or neighbourhood. A single Chris- tian, matured in grace, sccor(fing to the sketch here given, notwitistaiiding GRdWtH IN GRACE. 133 incidental failures arid manifold infirmities, of which he is humbly conscious, will obtain a testimony in the consciences of all his connections, and win upon their hearts; he will soften the prejudices, silence the reproaches, and live down the contempt of the circle in which he moves ; and evangelical truth will acquire such a respectability in a neighbourhood, where consistent Christians are numerous, as none can properly conceive, who have not ac- tually witnessed it. — Every observer, however, knows, that superficial dis- puters about doctrines, misbehaving themselves in families and neighbour- hoods, furnish numbers with a plausible objection to the gospel ; and that the prudent, kind, and circumspect believer often checks the progress of oppo- sition, and disposes his relatives and acquaintance to judge more favourably of the truth. 3. This must be allowed to have a powerful tendency to make known the salvation of Christ. All that love the gospel desire to spread it : but many attempt it in a very improper manner, thinking that they ought to dispute for the truth with every body to whom they have access, and that at all events they must become preachers of the word. No doubt it is very com- mendable to contend earnestly for the truth ; and what zealous Christian does not pi'ay, that the Lord would increase an hundredfold the faithful ministers of the gospel, how many soever they be ? — But perhaps the cause of truth would be no loser, if we had much less disputing, and even rather less preach- ing of some kinds, provided we had more of those, who preach to all around them in the silent energy of an holy life ; after the manner in which Peter exhorts wives to preach to their unbelieving husbands. 1 Peter iii. 1 — 7. Every word that persons of this character drop, whether of serious reproof and exhortation, or in ordinary discourse, and every persuasion to read a book, or hear a sermon, would have great weight, and in some instances suc- cess : whilst, " Pliysician heal thyself," is a sufficient answer to the most zealous unholy professor. — Nay, it may reasonably be supposed, that a faith- ful minister of very slender talents, who lives consistently with the holy doc- trine he delivers, and is attended by a few persons, whose conduct do credit to the gospel, will be more solidly and durably useful, than the most popular speaker, who is either lax in his own conduct, or surrounded by admirers who are a reproach to his doctrine. It pleases God on some occasions, to revive religion by numerous apparent conversions, and in a very rapid manner : yet this will soon die away, and continue at most only for a single generation, if holiness do not shine in the lives of professors. But more commonly the cause of God diffuses its in- fluence like the leaven, and like the grain of mustard-seed, almost insensibly from small beginnings to a great increase. When the work is genuine, and the profession accords to the specimens given in the New Testament, the holy flame kindles from heart to heart, in families and neighbourhoods ; and one after another is won over, even without the word, by the conversation of friends and relatives, while they behold and benefit by their consistent conduct. This We should desire and pray for in our several circles ; and would we know the right method of succeeding in it, we must " let our light shine before men, that they may see our good Works, and glorify our heaven- ly Father." 4. It is also most desirable, that the knowledge of the gospel should be continued to our posterity. Holy men of God have always paid a great re- gard to the religious interests of succeeding generations ; and with this view redoubled their diligent and zealous endeavours, when they were about to leave the world. — Thus Moses, Joshua, David, Paul and Peter, had the same mind in them, which was also in Christ Jesus. The true believer longs es- pecially, that his children and children's children, with those of his relatives and friends, may from generation to generation be the supports and orna- ments of the gospel. In condesending regard to such desires, the Lord hath mentioned these blessings in the covenant he makes with us, assuring us that }t is intended " for our good, and for that of our children after us ;" yet 134 GROWTH IN GRACE. none, but such Christians as have been described, can reasonably expect to be thus favoured. Their example and instructions, their testimony for God and his truth, living' and dying ; and the reputation they often acquire after death, however slighted before, plead powerfully in behalf of religion, in the consciences of those whom they leave behind. As they have honoured God, he will thus honour them by answering their prayers and prospering their endeavours : and if they leave any of their children or beloved relatives in an unconverted state, they may even at their departure possess a peaceful hope, that the Lord will yet think upon them for good, and at length gather them into his fold, perhaps by means of their dying exhortations. In gene- ral, however, it is certain that Christianity of this kind is not easily or speedily eradicated : the fruit produced by such believers, as has here been imperfectly described, will remain in its effects, from generation to genera- tion ; and indeed, in one respect or another, to the end of the world, and to all eternity. " All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him," saith the Lord concerning Abraham ; " for I know him that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment : that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Gen. xviii. 18, 19. 5. Growth in grace is peculiarly desirable, in order that we may possess an assured hope and strong consolation at the approach of death. This last enemy is indeed the king of terrors, in his original nature and consequences : and though he is disarmed of his sting, when he approaches as a friend to release the believer from his uneasy situation in this evil world, and convey him to his Father's house, yet our nature is apt to recoil ; and when faith and hope waver, we cannot but look forward to the solemn season witli trembling anxiety. Indeed, were we sure of having one day of spiritual light and com- fort, and no more, during our continuance on earth, it would be very desir- able to reserve that cordial for the last season of conflict. But a loose and slothful conduct, even if gross sins are avoided, prepares distress for the clo- sing scene ; and the Christian who habitually yields to indolence, or, in other words, does not grow in gi-ace, makes, as it were, an assignation with terror to meet him on his death-bed. "Mobile, on the other hand, evangelical prin- ciples, a " conversation becoming our profession," and diligence in our pro- per work and in the great business of religion, constitute an habitual and ac- tual pi'eparation for that solemn scene. Our loins are thus girded, our lamps burning, and we are like men waiting for the coming of their Lord. We may not indeed before-hand be able wholly to discard our apprehensions ; nor ought we to perplex ourselves on that account : but we are indisputably safe ; and at whatever time or manner we may be summoned hence, that day will not overtake us as a thief, with terrible surprise or fatal consequences, but we shall be graciously addressed in these most condescending words, " Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." It would be wholly superfluous to speak particularly concerning the day of judgment in this inquiry ; but we may very properly close it with the apostle's words to the Pliilippians, " Be blameless and harmless, as the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation ; among whom shine ye as lights in the world ; holding forth the w ord of life : that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that 1 have not run in vain, neither laboui*ed in vain." Phil. ii. 15, 16. If the things we have considered, be indeed the principles of the gospel reduced to practice, and accord to their genuine tendency, what an excellent religion is Christianity ! how base must they be, who oppose, insult, and re- proach it, for the faults of many of its professors ! and how inexcusable are those persons who give them such an occasion ! — It is indeed a most palpable falsehood to pretend that the doctrines of grace diminish our obligations to obedience, or supersede the necessity of good works : but the holy lives of those who embrace them is the best, and in fact, the only effectual confuta- GROWTH IN GRACE. 135 tion of this slander. — If then the advantages and consequences of growth in grace be so important, and the nature of it so evident, little need be said concerning the way in which we ought to seek so great and desirable a bles- sing. The motives and encouragements of the gospel are abundantly suffi- cient to animate those who duly attend to them : vtc have free access to the throne of grace ; exceedingly great and precious promises to plead with our merciful God and Father ; and an inexhaustible fulness from which to draw all things " pertaining to life and godliness." We are directed and com- manded to ask and receive, that our joy may be full :" God hath appointed various means, which he hath engaged to render effectual to all those who diligently attend on them in humble faith ; and every person may soon learu for himself, if he duly watch, and keep his own heart, what employments or companions prove helps or hindrances to his soul, in this grand concern. Could we therefore succeed in convincing men that it is possible, even in this world, to arrive at degrees of spirituality, fruitfulness, and stability, far beyond what is commonly attained : that it is their bounden duty to "press forward — forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching forward to the things which are before :" that they have great cause for deep humilia- tion, on account of their unfruitfulness in times past, and yet ought not to be discouraged from expecting moi-e effectual help in their future endea- vours : if, I say, men could be thus induced, heartily to set themselves to seek and pray for more abundant growth in grace, as the most important and de- sirable of all blessings : there can be no doubt, but they would make greater progress than they generally do. Yet it should also be observed, that Chris- tians would not therefore become better satisfied with themselves, or their attainments ; perhaps, through self-acquaintance, tenderness of conscience, and deep humility, they might not be sensible of making any advances in grace ; but assuredly they will more and more hunger and thirst after righ- teousness, tUl they come to the fountain above, when they shall drink, and thirst no more for ever. But to such persons the words of the apostle are peculiarly suitable and encouraging. " Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord : foras- much as ye know, that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Cor. xv. 58. " Now, the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the ever- lasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ : to whom be glory, for ever and ever. Amen." « •THE DOCTRINES OF ELECTION AND FINAL PERSEVERANCE, STATED FROM SCRIPTURE, AND SHEWN CONSISTENT WITH EXHORTATORY AND PRACTICAL PREACHING AND CONDUCIVE TO HOLINESS OF LIFE. A SERMON, PREACHED AT THE LOCK CHAPEL, NOVEMEER 26, 178C. I PREFACE. The Sermon, originally published under this title, was written on a very particular occasion, and in too great haste for the difficulty and importance of the subject. The author's mind likewise was agitated at the time, by the circumstances in which he was placed : yet, amidst these disadvantages, it was deemed necessary to print it verbatim as preached, except as some notes were added. When therefore the occasion which required the publication was passed, and the second Edition, which had been called for in a few days, was disposed of, he dropped all thoughts of reprinting it : deeming it too personal, and too much adapted to special circumstances, to answer the permanent purposes of a calm, deliberate, matured, and impartial treatise on the deep and mysterious subject. He finds, however, that the Sermon is frequently inquired for : and this has made him apprehensive I^st the circumstance of its "being out of print should be considered as a dereliction of his principles. He has, therefore, at length, determined to publish another edition : but in doing this, while he adheres strictly to the arrangement and sentiments of the original Sermon, he deems himself at liberty to omit some things personal or occasional, to revise the style, and to make several additions and alterations, in order to render it something more adequate to the ends proposed by the publication. The reader will perceive, that the principal difference betwixt the state- ment here given of the doctrines in question, and that of many modern Cal- vinlsts, relates to Redemption by the death of Christ, as being of infinite suffi- ciency, and therefore in some respects, the common benefit of mankind. This view of the subject makes not the least diflFerence, in respect of the entire freeness of salvation by the sovereign purpose and grace of God, made known in the efifectual calling of his chosen remnant : while it gives tlie preacher an immense advantage in fulfilling the ministry of reconciliation, and yields the awakened sinner the greatest encouragement in applying to Christ for salva- tion. On this ground we may say to any human being, " Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved." But, on the other plan, no sinner can know, previously to conversion, whether he has any more right to rely on the merits and mediation of Christ, than fallen angels have. The Author earnestly desires the candid inquirer after trutli, and all who dare to think for themselves, to examine the passages quoted from Scripture in this Sermon, and to observe accurately whether they do not fuUy estabL'sh his statement. Then let them weigh all the other testimonies of holy writ with the same design ; and finally let them consider what immense pains and ingenuity it requires, to explain a vai'iety of texts in consistency with the otlier scheme ; with what coofideucc and plausibility opponents urge them 12 PREFACE. against our doctrine ; and yet how naturally they coincide with the view here given. To the author they give no trouble ; they express his sentiments, and in similar circumstances he should use the same language. The statement here given, is by no means new or peculiar. He has proved that the com- pilers of our liturgy held the same sentiments. Many of his brethren at present coincide with him. The most eminent Calviniat divines in North America, who have lived during the present century, view the subject in the same light ; and abundance of testimonies of this kind, from every quarter, might easily be adduced : but let the word of God decide. The author is not anxious about the class of professed Christians among whom his brethren may rank him. No one of them is either right or wrong in every thing ; and that which in one situation is disgraceful, in another is deemed honourable. But it appears to him of great consequence to sliow, that these despised doctrines are scriptural, rational, holy, consolatory, and consistent with every other part of Christianity : and that the objections commonly urged against them, originate in misapprehension of their nature and tendency : and may generally be traced back to distorted views given of them, or scandalous perversions made of them. In some few places, however, the terms Calvinist. and Calvinism, Arminian and Arminianism are retained ; not as invidious distinctions, but for conve- nience, and to prevent circumlocution. It is a great mistake to suppose, that self-righteous pride is peculiar to Arminians, or Antinomian laxity to Calvi- nists. Pride and dislike to the holy law of God are alike congenial to our fallen nature : so that every man is radically of himself both self-righteous and Antinomian. No creed, as such, will cure either of these distempers ; but regeneration renders us convaleseent. Yet even true Christians frequently hold and contend for doctrines, which very inadequately influence their own hearts and lives ; nay, they often maintain errors, without being proportion- ably injured by them. Hence many Calvinists are prone to pride and self- preference, and many Arminians evidently humble. But the Christian tem- per, wherever found, even though a man express himself, as we think inaccu- rately, is vastly more valuable than the most exact notions without " the mind which was in Christ Jesus." — On the other hand, the Arminian is not at all secured from Antinomianism, nor the Calvinist exposed to it, by their several tenets ; seeing both of them are Antinomian just as far as they are unsanctijied, and no further : " because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Per- haps speculating Antinomians abound most among persons professing to be Calvinists: but Antinomians whose sentiments influence their practice, swarm among such as are really Arminians. Does the reader doubt this Let him ask any of those multitudes, who openly trample on God's commandments, what they think of predestination and election, and he will speedily be con- vinced, that they are Arminians : yet they take occasion from their notions concerning the mercy of God, to encourage themselves in impenitent wicked- ness. It would, therefore, be unspeakably better for all parties to examine such subjects with impartiality, meekness, and brotherly love; than reci- procally to censure, despise, and condemn one another. 2, 1798. SERMON, &c. John vi. 37 — 40. All that the Father giveth ine shall come unto me ; and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of liim that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one wliich sceth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and 1 will raise him up at the last day. The holy Scriptures, being the word of God, are doubtless perfectly con- sistent. Moses and Samuel, David and Isaiah, Paul and James, being merely the penmen of the Holy Spirit, must perfectly harmonize in the truths which they inculcate. Precepts, threatenings, warnings, judgments, counsels, ex- hortations, invitations, promises, privileges, histories, examples, types, and parables, in divers methods, subserve the same great ends of instruction. They all display and illustrate the same character of God, and of man ; and impress the same ideas of sin and of holiness, of time and of eternity, of hap- piness and of misery. They all concur in displaying the glory of the divine perfections in the dispensations of Providence in this world, and the final distribution of rewards and punishments in the world to come. And though these constituent parts of holy writ do not in all respects answer the same purposes, each has its distinct important use in the accomplisliment of one vast and uniform design. But though the Scriptures are in themselves completely harmonious, yet men do not readily perceive this harmony. Many imagine they see in them numerous inconsistencies and contradictions : others, judging it impracticable to reconcile the sacred writers, give a partial preference to one above another, and set them in opposition to each other, according to their several opinions. The various sects and parties professing Christianity, appeal to Scripture in proof of their discordant tenets ; and multitudes, content with those passages which seem to speak the language of the favourite system, pass over all the rest as if nothing to the purpose, or nothing to them ; a mere caput mortuum * in divinity. These things are notorious ; but whence do they arise ? We allow tliat the vastness of the design revealed in Scripture, which has relation to things • The worthless insipid mass (hat remains when the spirits arc all drawn oD" by distillation ; or tlio mere dross left in refining metals. 142 ON ELECTION AND unseen and eternal, and to the perfections of the incomprehensible God, must very far exceed the capacity of our narrow minds, and cannot enter the understanding at once, nor be apprehended at one glance ; and, when viewed in parts, the unity is broken and the harmony obscured : insomuch that we may justly question, whether any creature can perfectly comprehend the con- sistency of the glorious plan, which " angels desire to look into." — But other reasons concur in producing this discordancy of sentiment. The Bible is a revelation from God to sinners ; and it seems an apparent intention of the Holy Spirit, so to arrange and constitute this revelation, as to make trial of men's hearts : and to distinguish betwixt the humble teachable inquirer after the way of salvation, and those who read the Scriptures with captious self- sufficiency in order to start objections ; with attachment to a party for weapons of angry controversy ; or with a worldly and sensual mind to find excuse for their sins. " The way-faring men, though fools, shall not err therein." " But the Lord taketh the wise in their own craftiness." " They received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved ; and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie ; that they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrigh- teousness." * " Unto you," saith our Lord to his inquiring disciples, " it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God : but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables ; that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted, and tlieir sins should be forgiven them." t My brethren, let us pray for an humble teachable spirit, which will avail us far more in understanding the Scriptures to the good of our own souls, than all the acuteness and learning in the world. In proportion as we possess this temper, and really love truth and holiness, we shall escape these dangers, and more and more perceive the consistency of the word of God. But as this disposition is imperfect, and counteracted by remaining preju- dice and corruption, in the best of men ; so none of us perceive all that con- sistency which really subsists in divine revelation. A satisfactory discovery, however, of the harmony of Scripture, is doubtless a good test of the degree in which we really understand divine things ; and, ever since the Bible be- came my peculiar study, this discovery has been my invariable object. No arguments could procux-e my assent even to the doctrine of J ustijication by faith in Christ alone; until I was satisfied of its perfect agreement with the honour of the divine law, and the indispensable necessity of personal holi- ness, and fruitfulness in good works, which I was sure were every where in- sisted on in the sacred volume. In like manner, my objections to the doc- trines of personal election and final perseverance were insuperable, till I was fully satisfied of their consistency, with exhortations, warnings, invitations, and persuasions, on the ministei*'s part ; and with diligence, watchfulness, and strenuous exertions, on that of the people ; which are far more spoken of in Scripture than even these doctrines themselves. At that time I was al- most entirely ignorant of the sentiments of modern Calvinists : and I am not sensible that any material alteration has since taken place in my views of these doctrines, by all I have seen, or heard, or read. AVhat those views are, 1 feel myself called upon more fully to declare from the pulpit and the press ; that is, I consider it my duty at present to lay before you and the public, the substance of the doctrine I have preached, and probably shall preach, as long as the providence of God continues me among you. I say probably ; for I trust I am open to conviction and desirous of instruction ; and possibly some person may point out erroneous and un- scriptural tenets in this statement of my sentiments. And whether he do it publicly or privately, as a friend or as an enemy, provided he convinces my judgment that I have been mistaken, he shall certainly have my thanks and acknowledgments for so doing. • 2 Thcss. ii. 10—12. + Isaiah vi, 9, 10. Malt. xiii. 13—15. Mark iv. It, 12, Luke viii. 9, lU. John vii. 30, 11. Acts iLXviii. 25—27. r. FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 143 I have in this view chosen a very copious text : but I neither intend to enter particularly into the minuticB of explanation, nor to confine myself closely to it ; but, according to a very simple plan and method, to advert to a variety of other Scriptures as we proceed with the subject. I shall there- fore take occasion from the text to observe : — I. That Christ came down from heaven to execute the Father's commis- sion. II. That this commission hath a special reference to those whom the Fa- ther hath given him. III. That all these, and none else, will come to Christ. IV. That he will most certainly receive all that do come to him. V. That his commission extends to the infallible and everlasting salvation of the body and soul of every one, who is thus given to him and comes to him ; or who sees him, believes in him, and depends on him for salvation. VI. That all these observations are perfectly consistent with many things which some professed Calvinists object to as Arminianism : and this will na- turally lead me to close with a brief application. — And may God the Spirit open all our understandings and hearts to understand this truth ; and bless this design to the edification and establishment of many souls ; and the pro- moting of true godliness within us, among us, and around us. I. " Christ came down from heaven to execute the Father's commission." " I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." — It might have been supposed that this expression, I came down from heaven," would create considerable difficulty to such as look up- on Christ as a mere man, who never was in heaven before his ascension : but criticism, in the hands of an ingenious man, is a magic wand, and nothing can stand before it ! It is, however, greatly to be wished, that these modes of interpretation had been conceded, as a kind of monoply, to the Socinians, and had never disgraced the writings of those who call Jesus their " Lord and God," and who profess to trust in him alone for salvation. Oh ! when will men show due reverence to the oracles of God, and suppose that the Holy Spirit dictates proper language, which needs not be tortured from its plain meaning, in the cause of truth, whatever the interest of a party may require ? But let this hint suffice : we are, I trust, otherwise minded as to the divi- nity of Christ. We profess at least to believe, that " being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God : nevertheless he made liimself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man." Originally he was no servant, and therefore no creature : for all holy creatures must be the servants of God : but he con- descended to assume that character along with human nature. In this cha- racter he acted on earth, and doth and will act in heaven till the day of judgment, by commission, and according to instructions. He came not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him ; in which he not only is our Saviour, but " hath left us an example that we should follow his steps." We must not, however, suppose that there is any opposition betwixt the will of the Father, and that of the Son. He appeared on earth as Man ; and by such language he intimated that he acted not by human partiality, but ac- cording to the counsel of God. It is likewise an accommodation to our in- firmities, and serves to obviate our misapprehensions. But what is the general purport of this commission ? Let us hear the word of God : " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." — " His blood is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world." John i. 29, iii. IC — 20. 1 Tim. i. 1.0, ii. 5, 6. Had the penmea of the Scriptures been as scrupulously careful to prevent even 144 ON ELECTION AND the appearance of deviating ft-om exact systematical consistency, as many moderns are, they would never have thus expressed themselves.— For my part I dare not use any of the above-mentioned arts of criticism, to narrow the obvious sense of these and similar texts : and as I hope this day, pre- viously to receiving and administering the Lord's Supper, to use the "follow- ing terms in solemn prayer, Christ " by his own oblation of himself once offered, made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfac- tion for the sins of the whole world * I would no more contradict this so- lemn profession from the pulpit, than I would preach against the seventeenth article respecting predestination.-^The compilers of our Liturgy evidently thought both true, and consistent with each other ; and I am happy to coin- cide in sentiment with these venerable characters, t It will appear that none but the elect can eventually be benefited by the death of Christ ; yet there is a sense, of vast importance, in which it may be propei'ly said, and the Holy Spirit hath expressly said, that " Ms blood is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world." The principal, though not the only object of Christ's appearing in human nature, and living so many years a holy sufferer, and dying in unknown agonies on the cross, was to " bring in everlasting righteousness, and to make pro- pitiation for iniquity ;" as preparatory to his mediatory office in heaven, and his intercession for sinners. The perfection of his arduous obedience, and the intenseness of his complicated sufferings, were doubtless of indispensa- ble necessity, and of vast efficacy, in this plan of redemption : yet it was the imion of the Deity with the Man Christ Jesus, in one mysterious person, which stamped its full value on this sacrifice for sin. But can any man, who believes the real Deity of Christ, hesitate to pronounce it an infinite ransom ? Infinite honour was given to the divine law by his obedience, and infinite sa- tisfaction made to divine justice by his atoning sacrifice. % And through this • 1. " I learn, to believe in God the Father, who hath made me and all the world." S. " In God the Son, who hath redeemed me and all mankind." 3. " In God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God." (Church Catechism.) Here Election is supposed to be connected immediately with sanctification, not with redemption ; and this appears to me most evidently the scriptural way of stating thesubject"; though it difiers in some mea- sure from many Calvinist creeds and systems. " Christ was crucified to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for the actual sins of men." (2d Article.) " Tlie offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual." (31st Article.) Hence it appears, that this was the deliberate judgment of our venerable reformers : and that it is the standard doctrine of our established church. + It is very well worthy of observation, that the Liturgy of the Church of England, though compiled by known Calvinists, is most pointedly opposite to every degree and species of Antinomianism. The con- clusion of the general Thanksgiving, a great part of the Litany, and innumerable otlier passages, might be adduced in illustration of this remark. But the Collect for the day, when this Sermon was preached, is so directly apposite to the subject, that I shall insert a part of it. — " Stir up, O Lord, we beseech thee, the uviVs of thy faithful people, that they, ptenteonsly bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenieously rewarded." — It hath been much wondered how Socinians, Arians, or Arminians, can sub. scribe our articles, or use our Liturgy : and it must be at least equally surprisuig, if any Antinomians can do either the one or the other. X Even Calvin himself writes thus : " He," (the apostle) ' maketh it the common grace of all men, because it is proposed to all, not because it is actually extended to all. For although Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world ; and is offered indiscriminately to all men by the goodness of God ; yet all do not apprehend him." (Rom. v. IS.) And again, " Christ suffered sufficiently for the whole world : but efficaciously only for tlie elect." (1 John ii. 2.) — Indeed, if human authority availelh any thing, it would be easy to adduce abundant evidence from the most respectable Cahinist divines. To this it is objected, that it does not consist with the justice of God that any should perish for whom Christ died. It is allowed that Christ in dying for sinners intended to save none but those who eventually shall be saved. In respect of this intention, he says, " his blood was shed for many for the remission of sins :" .and ** he gave his life a ransom for many." Yet in paying this ransom, there was not barely a sufficient atonement made for tliem, but as it were a redundancy of merit sufficient even for the sins of all men : and in respect of this su^ciency, he is said to " give himself a ransom for andtobe "a propitiation for the sins of the uiholewoM." Peter, therefore, scruples not to speak of those " who deny the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction ;" and Paul of " destroying those for whom Christ died." It might be expected that systematical expositors would find out other in- terpretations of all these testimonies ; but the question is, whether their interi)rctations arc natural and obvious, and such as they would deem admissabte in different circumstances. The idea of Christ paying exactly so much for one, and so much for another, and so much for each ; and then adding the smns together, and forming a large limited sum, just sufficient to ransom the elect, appears unscriptural, and gives a degrading view of the glorious subject. An a/l-s^fficien^ atonement was made at once, and an immeasurable fulness of mercy and grace is treasured up in Christ to be communi- cated, according to the eternal purpose and counsel of God. Every believer receives from this fulness ; others remain under condemaatiOD, not thiough defect of m«rit in Christ, but through their own itn- pcnitency and unbelief. FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 145 infinite sufficiency, that hindrance, which arose from the perfect holiness and righteousness of God, and the inconceivable demerit of sin, is once for all en- tirely removed ; so that it would be no impeachment of the purity of the di- vine character, no deduction from the honour of the law, and no abatement of the horror and hatred which we ought to conceive against sin ; should God through Christ pardon all the sinners who now live, or who ever shall live, on earth. In love that surpasseth knowledge, the Redeemer, having executed this part of his commission, arose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, there in glory at the Father's right hand to complete the grand design ; and hath aU power and authority in heaven and earth, and all the fulness of the spirit, at his disposal for that purpose : and this design consists in pardoning, sanc- tifying, defending, and bringing to perfect holiness and felicity, all without exception, who come to God through him. But this leads us to show : — II. That Christ's commission has a special reference to those whom the Father hath given to him. Though no obstacle from divine justice to the salvation of any sinner, or of every sinner, now remains ; yet a hindrance equally insuperable, except by omnipotent grace, is found in the depravity of our fallen nature. The sun is created, and placed in the open firmament, for the common benefit of mankind ; there is in that luminary no defect of light, nor would there be any, were innumerable additional millions to share the benefit. Yet some men do not see ; not from any defect in the sun, but from one in themselves. God, who is no debtor to his creatures, gives the blessing of sight to whom he will : but if he withhold or withdraw it, the man is benighted at noon- day. Christ was lifted up upon the cross (like the brazen serpent on the pole,) and is held forth in the preached gospel, for " aU the ends of the earth to look unto, and be saved." This may properly be called the common benefit of mankind : there is no defect of merit, of mercy, or of grace in him ; nor would there be any, if millions, as numerous as the sand, should receive out of his fulness. But the want of a right disposition of heart, which fallen man has not, which God alone can give, but which he may justly withhold from a rebellious subject, efi^ectuaUy prevents the salvation of all who do not receive it. The case is parallel : except that bodily blindness is not generally in any sense a man's fault, or a defect in his moral character ; whereas the want of humility, spirituality, and love of God, is sin, original sin, the fruitful parent of all other sins, in fallen men and fallen angels. Let the blessings of the Gospel be fairly proposed, with solemn warnings and pressing invitations, to two men of exactly the same character and dis- position : if they were left to themselves, in entirely similar circumstances, the effect must be precisely the same. But, behold .' while one proudly scorns and resents the gracious offer ; the other trembles, weeps, prays, repents, believes ! " Who maketh this man to differ from the other ? or what hath he that he hath not received ?" The scriptural answer to this question, when properly understood, decides the whole controversy. Human depravity pro- duces different effects in vast variety, and gathers strength by habit ; but, in its root and nature, it is the same and equal in all men. This can be effec- tually overcome by nothing except a new creation, a " work wrought by the exceeding greatness of that mighty power, which raised Christ from the dead." I do not now argue with such as oppose the doctrine of original sin. It would not have consisted with divine justice to have saved sinners without an atonement ; as it ap- pears from the apostle's reasoning ; (Rom. iii. 25, 26;) otherwise perhaps we should have been rash in asserting it. But where is it written, that God cannot consistently with justice condemn any unbeliever : or that he is injustice bound to give faith to any man, because of the ransom Christ paid? Doubtless he will fulfil his whole counsel, and save all whom he intended to save. But previously to faith in Christ, no sinner hath any claim upon his oflfended Sovereign : afterwards the divine faithfulness and mercy are his sole and sufficient security ; and it seems to be a deduction of human reasoning, not any doctrine of divine Revelation, to assert, that even a believer can in Strict Justice claim eternal salvation on the ac- count of Christ's atonement. 146 DN ELECTION AND In the case before stated, the man who proudly scorned and resented the offer of free salvation from merited perdition, had this work been wrouglit in his heart by the energy of the Holy Ghost, he would certainly have embraced it : and had the other, who believed, been left to himself, he would as cer- tainly have rejected it. This distinguishing grace is previously neitlier de- served nor desired by either of them : it might justly have been withheld from both ; but it is graciously communicated to one, and not to the other, by a sovereign God, " according to the counsel of his own will." He and he alone, " hath made one to differ from another." Now, was this distinction intentionallij made by tlie sovereign Disposer of all things, or was it not If intentwrially, was that intention first conceived at the moment of execution, or pre- viously ? \i previously, why not from eternity ? Indeed, if any of the works of God, when actually accomplished, be righteous, holy, wise, good, and faith- ful; the eternal purpose of performing them must have been equally righ- teous, holy, wise, good, and faithful : unless it can be wrong to determine to do right ; because that determination was formed long before it was executed ! If it consists with divine justice and goodness to leave one sinner to perish, and to save another equally guilty by an act of sovereign grace and power ; it must have been equally consistent with justice and goodness to decree the de- struction of the one, and the salvation of the other. In short, the two doc- trines, that of " man's entire depravity," and that of a new creation unto holi- ness by the sole energy of the Holy Spirit, without any help, and notwith- standing every hindrance from nature, can never consistently be separated from that of personal election : nor upon this ground can a satisfactory rea- son be given, why any are saved and sanctified, but this, — that " God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we sfiould be holy, and without blame before him in love ! having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will ; to the praise of the glory of his grace ; wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved ; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins." Eph. i. l — 7. " Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." In his unsearchable judgments, (Oh, how deep are they !) doubtless for wise and righteous purposes, though not clearly discernible by us purblind mor- tals, he was pleased to permit the first entrance of sin, the fall of Adam, and the depravation of the human race. It suits not my present limits to des- cant on this subject : I may scarcely pause to drop a tear for the awful ca- tastrophe. But that man is fallen and depraved, that " the whole world lieth in wickedness," all we see, hear, read, or experience, demonstrates, and all confirms tlie testimony of God, in Scripture, to this humbling doctrine. Utterly destitute of love to the holy character of God, desire of his favour, delight in his service, gratitude for his benefits, or regard to his glory, man is universally disposed to inordinate idolatrous self-love, and love of worldly objects. His own honour and glory he seeks, his own imagined excellencies he admires, his crimes he vindicates or excuses ; he affects to be at his own disposal, wishes to be independently his own master, and would have all others admire and honour him, as much as he does himself. At the same time he also idolizes worldly objects : " The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life," he chooses as his portion. These are his good things for which he most ardently thirsts, on which he chiefly depends, and in which he places his highest felicity. Hence eventually proceed all unrigh- teousness, licentiousness, and ungodliness, according to the different consti- tutional propensities, educations, and habits of different men. " The law of God is weak through the flesh," and cannot restrain their impetuous desires. In the pursuit of their self-exalting or carnal projects, the will and worship of God are neglected, the rules of justice, truth, and benevolence violated, and every excess committed. But " the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrigliteousness of men and eternal punish- ment is annei^d to the transgression of this holy law, by him " to whom FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 14t vengeance belongs :" and when this is made known to the proud rebel, his neglect and contempt break forth in enmity against the holy character, per- fect law, and righteous judgment of God ; " because the carnal mind is en- mity against God : for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be ; so then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God." This state of the human race God foresaw ; and he, who alone is compe- tent to estimate the tendency of such a temper of heart, and the malignity of such a conduct, evidently considered all men both as meriting eternal mi- sery, and as " vessels of wrath fitted for destruction." Redemption by the blood of Christ was a most distinguished part of his original plan. He was " the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." ^Vhatever other method God in his infinite wisdom could have devised, for his own glory in the salvation of sinners, this was doubtless the best ; for it was actually chosen. But this plan could have no foundation except in the humiliating truth ; that all men were so exceedingly guilty and deserving of everlasting misery, that it would have been derogatory to the justice and ho- liness of God, to have been reconciled to any of them, or to have rescued any of them from destruction, except through the interposition of sucli a sa- crifice, as that of " his well beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased." If man does not deserve damnation, deliverance from it is " not of grace but of debt." * And though eternal life must in strict propriety of language be an unmerited gift of God to any of his creatures ; yet, as far as we know, it might have been honourably given to us ; had not man been so guilty and God so holy, that without the atonement made by the death of the divine Saviour, it would not have consisted with his holiness to save so vile a rebel. If this be not so, " then Christ is dead in vain." But if the proud, carnal, ungodly heart of sinful man is enmity to a holy God, and disdains the authority, dislikes the precept, and abhors the sentence of that holy law which condemns him to eternal punishment for his crimes ; if the Gospel shows the malignity of sin, and the desert of every sinner, in the most conspicuous light ; if it maintains the authority, magnifies the precept, and vindicates the justice of the sentence of the law ; and if it gives no quarter to any sin, saves no man in his sins but from all sin, and to all that very holi- ness which the law demands, " writing the law in the heart ;" could it be rea- sonably supposed, that man would not also hate and quarrel with the affront- ing, though most mereiful, message of free salvation ? It might have been previously expected, and matter of fact indisputably proves, that the unadul- terated Gospel, notwithstanding its surprising largeness and freenessof grace and love, is more oflFensive to the proud rebel, than the very law itself, and excites more enmity and blasphemy. Nor need we hesitate to assert, that every individual, left to himself, would as infallibly have either neglected and opposed, or perverted and abused, the Gospel, as he has broken and quar- relled with the law. From this source especially have arisen all the perse- cutions of Christianity, which in many ages and places have raged ; all the indifference and contempt which have prevailed ; and all the innumerable corruptions of Christianity which have been devised, to render it more pala.^ table or tolerable, to the pride or to the lusts of men. Foreseeing this as the inevitable consequence of leaving the Gospel to take its own course in the world ; knowing that he would reject it, or per- vert it to their deeper condemnation ; the Lord did not consider himself bound injustice to afford such obstinate enemies any further grace, but judged that he might righteously have left them all to the consequences of their per- verseness. He is no man's debtor, he doeth no man injustice, he punisheth no man who hath not deserved it, nor any one above his deservings ; and, * If we could not by other arguments prove the justice of God in the damnotion of sinners, the me. thod of Redemption would alone demonstrate it. And it is more our interest, and more becoming us, to submit to his righteousness, and apply for his mercy, than, in the midst of our ignorance and blind- ness, to spend our time In vain reasonings upon a suliject, for which wc arc incompetent ; and in making objections to those appointments, wliicti arc unalterably determined, wlicthcr wc submit to tlicm or no. 148 ON ELECTION AND however men may now dare to find faultj all his dealings will be shown most glorious in wisdom, holiness, truth, and love ! and " every mouth will be stopped" in " the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of Grod, who will render unto every man according to his deeds." But where none has any claim, may not the great Ruler of the universe bestow his unmerited favours on whom he wUl ? Is he alone restricted from " doing what he will with his own ?" Seeing that none either deserve or de- sire mercy in hU appointed way ; but all harden themselves in impenitent and obstinate rebellion ; in high sovereignty he declares, " I wUl have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that wiUeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." — " Therefore he hath mercy on whom he wUl have mercy, and whom he wiU he hardeneth." Not but that all who are saved, do run and seek ; and " every one that seeketh findeth :" but God's mercy takes the lead ; his preventing grace hath produced this willingness ; and therefore the sinner wills, rnns, seeks, and finds : whilst others, left to themselves, and to their own lusts, and to Satan's temptations, meet with those things in the righteous proWdence of God, which harden them more and more to their destruction. * Doubtless the Lord acts with the most perfect wisdom, in making this dif- ference among sinners : but he deigns not to inform us of his reasons ; and who are we, worms, rebels, and enemies, that we should expect it from him ! ■\VTien, therefore, he appointed his beloved Son, (" his Elect whom he had chosen") for salvation to the ends of the earth ; that his grace might not be frustrated by man's perverseness, as otherwise it must have been ; while he saw good to leave others under the condemnation of the law, and through the tendency of their evil nature to reject the Gospel, " from the beginning he chose" a people unto salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth ; whereunto he calls them by the Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thes. ii. 11 — 14. These are the persons spoken of in the text, as " given unto Christ" by some mysterious transaction, (according to our low apprehensions,) betwixt the Father and the Son, when he undertook the work of redemption.t With an especial intention of»sav- ing this " remnant according to the election of grace," Christ shed his pre- cious blood. " I lay down," says he, " my life for the sheep." His death was a sufficient atonement for all: this forms an encouragement for any ; and leaves every one without excuse who neglects such great salvation, through pride and love of sin. But he foresaw who would eventually partake of this infinite ransom, and for them he specially paid it. These are his even before their conversion : " Other sheep," says he, " I have, which are not " of this fold :" meaning the unconverted Gentiles. 'VTlien as lost sheep they are wandering in the ways of destruction, he providentially sends his ministers to those places, where each of them resides, that by them he may seek and save them, and bring them home to his fold : — and notwithstanding opposition from others, and their own discouragement and purposes of removal, he con- tinues them in their stations till his purposes are accomplished. " Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee ; for I have much peopit in this city," Acts xviii. » " The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to /ait/i ar.dcaJJingupoa God. \Miereforewe have no strength to do good works pleasant and acceptable unto God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that tve may hai/ servant who had no lieart to his wor^; that is, betwixt natural and moral inabi- lity ; and no man could govern even his domestics in a proper manner, witliout continually adverting to it. " But," say some, " human nature now must be laid low, and grace exalted." Now we ask. Which lays human nature lowest ? To rank man among the brutes, who have no pouter, or among fallen spirits who have no disposition, to love and serve God? Or which most exalts grace? To save a wretch who could not help those crimes for which he is condemned to hell : or to save a rebel, who was willingly an enemy to his Maker, and persisted in that enmity, till almighty power, by a new creation, overcame his otetiiiacy, and made him willing to be iccoucileu ? FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 151 to :) the former are not, and cannot be, the rule of our conduct : but the lat- ter are ; and these exclude none, but such as viill not come to the gospel- feast. Matt. xxii. 3. Luke xiv. 18. — Esau sold his birth-right for one morsel of meat. Now in fact the Lord did not intend that birth-right for Esau, but for Jacob : but this not being the motive of Esau's conduct, formed no excuse for it. He is condemned in Scripture as profane, a despiser of his birth- right, and an example of one wlio repented not till it was too late ; and he is proposed as a warning to us, not to despise or pervert the mercy of God, lest our doom should be irrevei'sibly determined. Heb. xii. 17. Pi-oud con- tempt of free salvation, idolatrous love of earthly objects, and profane disre- gard for spiritual blessings, are the real motives of men's rejecting the gos- pel ; and therefore no unknown pui'pose of God is allowed as an excuse. It is true, the elect were of the same disposition, and, had they been left to themselves, would have made the same choice : thus " boasting is excluded," and God appeai-s glorious in justice in condemning sinners, but more glorious in gi-ace in saving believers. " No man can come to me," saith our Lord, in the discourse from which our text is taken, " except the Father whicli hath sent me draw him." — " They shall be all taught of God; every man, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh to me." We are here informed, how tliis otherwise insurmountable hindrance is removed. Men are drawn by rational inducements, not forced by external violence ; and this drawing is effected by the communication, not of new faculties, but of new disposi- tions and discoveries, which give a new direction to the judgment, desires, and affections. They are " taught of God," and " learn of the Father," who both opens the eyes of their understanding, takes the veil from their lieart, and causes his light to shine upon them, and witliin them. Frequently ufter long patience with them, and preserving them during their ungodly course of life ; in some cases, when they are grown more determined in wickedness than ever, and it might be supposed they were nigh unto de- struction ; by his Holy Spirit he shows them his glorious majesty and holi- ness, their relations and obligations to him, and the authority, extent, and reasonableness of his law. Thus he " convinces tliem of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment ;" and lays open the eternal world to their view in all its tremendous importance ; tiU, alarmed at their danger, they tremble at his work, and take warning " to flee from the wrath to come." Their terror is accompanied by humiliation and penitent remorse, when the Holy Spirit teaches them the odious nature and dreadful tendency of sin, and the vile- ness of their own conduct and character : and then every kind iind degTce of reformation and amendment, prove utterly insufficient to appease their disquieted consciences. While others, after awakenings, take shelter in this refuge of lies, they are taught to exclaim, " We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags." Thus by despair of atoning for the past, or justifying themselves before a holy God, by such unholy services, they are made cordially willing to accept of gratuitous salvation. They discover, likewise, that personal holiness is absolutely necessary ; and are taught that " the Lord can have no pleasure in iniquity ;" and that none can be meet for a holy heaven, and the enjoyment of a holy God, with- out conformity to his holiness. Thus they are preserved from that fatal re- fuge of lies, into which the love of sin betrays vast numbers, of perverting the doctrines of grace into a reason for being satisfied in the neglect of holi- ness. At the same time they are taught of God their own utter inability to Obtain this holiness, except from him ; and they learn to prize " sanctifica- tion by the Spirit," as highly as redemption by the blood of Christ. When such important concerns engross their minds, worldly objects seem diminished, and they learn to despise them, and to count tlicm as nothing in comparison of the salvation of their souls. Thus they become willing to deny themselves, to forsake all, and to follow Christ, bearing tlieir cross : whilst others perish in the vain attempt to serve God and mammon, and to reconcile the interests of time and eternity 152 ON ELECTION AND In this manner the hindrances, arising from the pride and carnal passions of the heart, being efficaciously removed, men readily learn under God their Teacher, the grand lesson, without which all others would be useless, and to which all else are subordinate. We must mention one thing before another; but it is not necessary to determine in what order these instructions are com- municated, or whether more speedily, or more gradually. But, in his own time and manner, the divine Spirit will teach every elect person the nature, truth, and glory of the gospel of Christ ; and show him, that in the divine Saviour, in his righteousness, sacrifice, intercession, and grace, all he wants, or can desire, is contained : " He shall glorify me ; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." John xvi. 14, 15. Now the sinner feels an ardent longing for an interest in Christ and all his blessings, and fears nothing so much as being rejected. Now he makes, trembling perhaps, his earnest application. " Behold he prayeth !" As a condemned criminal, a perishing sinner, he comes, he applies, he waits : he persists in waiting and praying, and, giving up every other hope, he says, " Lord, to whom shall I go .'' thou hast the words of eternal life." Now he respects every instruction, observes every direction, uses every means, watches against every sin, attends to every duty ; yet trusts in nothing but the free mercy of God through the redemption of his Son, whom he desires " to be made unto him Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption." Now he is very apt to suspect that his mode of application is not right ; and becomes jealous of himself lest he should be deceived. And, though he longs for relief from the burden of his guilt, yet he fears losing even his distress improperly, and still seeks for more earnestness and deeper humiliation. He will take no denial, yield to no discouragement, and be satisfied with nothing short of all that Christ died to purchase, and is exalted to bestow ; pardon, righteousness, holiness, liberty, victory, and eternal life. Thus all, whom the Father hath given unto Christ, being taught and dra^vn of God, come unto him, receive him, and walk in him. — But is this our experience, or is it not ? It is for substance, though with circumstantial variations, I trust, the experience of all true Christians : and yet I fear many, who are zealous for orthodox doc- trines, continue strangers to this method of coming to Christ from day to day, for his complete salvation.* I proceed, however, IV. To observe that Christ will most certainly receive all who come unto him. This is here most emphatically declared, " Him that cometh unto me, I wUl in no wise cast out ;" and the double negation in the original is still more expressive. Had the vilest sinner, who ever trembled under the des- ponding apprehensions of having sinned beyond all reach of mercy, been al- lowed to draw up a clause for his own encouragement in coming to the Sa- ^ iour, he could scarcely have worded it more favourably. Imagine the basest character, which ever disgraced humanity, and scourged the world; one grown hoary in multiplied robberies, murders, adulteries, rapes and unnatural lusts ; and breathing out perjuries and blasphemies, as if ambitious of pre- eminence in profaneness : if even this man truly come to Christ, " he wiU in no wise cast him out." Suppose the most consummate \-illany to the very verge of life, carried on under the broad vizor of designed hypocrisy ; or some wretch, emboldened in sin by the very gospel itself, who had given such scandal, that thousands in hell should curse him as the occasion of their per- dition ; or some vile apostate, some Judas, who had betrayed and sold his Lord. If even such persons really come to Christ in the manner that hath been described, he wiU, he can " in no wise cast any of them out." He can- • " As the godly consideration of predestination and our election in Clirist is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in thcimelves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing up their minds to high and heavenly things; as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal salva. tion, to be enjoy«l through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God : so for curious and carnal persons, lacking tlie Spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the sen- tence of God's predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the devil doth thrust them either into desperation, or into wretchedness of unclean living, no less perilous than desperation."— {17lli Article.) FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 153 mt ; not from a natural, but a moral inability — he cannot deny himself: he cannot alter the word that is gone out of his lips. I determine not whether they ever do actually come, or whether it is much to be expected that they should : for " there is a sin unto death," and " it is impossible to renew some unto repentance." But did they come, even at the last hour, they should " in no wise be cast out ;" for there is nothing in the constitution of the gospel to exclude them from mercy. Should there then be one present who is ready to despair, and trembles to approach the mercy-seat, because he expects and dreads a repulse ; let him malie the trial, and plead the promise and wait the Lord's time in his way ; and he shall find, that neither aggra- vated guilt, nor strong corruptions, nor inveterate evil habits, can exclude him from this full and free salvation. No man has the least occasion in such circumstances to inquire previously , whether he be elected, which he cannot possibly know in this stage of his ex- perience. He needs only to ask himself, am I sincerely willing to be saved from sin, and all its consequences, in the humbling, self-denying, metliod of the gospel ? Do I believe that Jesus, and he alone, is able thus to save me ? Do I apply to him and trust in him for these things : and am I so willing as to obsei've his directions, and use the means which he hath appointed for that end.'' Every approach to a temper and conduct, so opposite to corrupt nature, must be from some kind or degree of influence of the Holy Spirit ; and wliatever looks like it should be in a measure encouraged. But as many promising appearances are blighted, and the Scripture speaks of such as " had been partakers of the Holy Ghost, and had tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, who yet fell away :' we are constrained to add, that not every operation of this kind is that good work, whicli distin- guishes the chosen people of God. — Nay, probably few perisli, wliere the word of Grod is fully preached, without many awakenings, many fears, many desires, yea, and many feeble endeavours, which are all subdued and extinguished through the love of sin. " Strive to enter in at the strait gate ; for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Yet as far as there is any tendency to good in these things, they are to be ascribed to a good cause : and not only " hating the light, ' and acting in defiance of their own consciences, but also " resisting the Holy Ghost," will at the day of judgment be found among the aggravations of sin, in many that perish. Nor are they who are saved free from the same guilt : but in them grace proves victorious ; and, though resisted, by invincible efficacy it gains the ascendancy. This distinguishing work of God will in time show itself, and make it evident that the man was drawn and taught of God in coming to Christ. Hence, when all are invited, none will come but they who are will- ing : none are willing, but such as are made willing by God : he makes none willing but the elect : he would have all encouraged, who are willing : he will have all sinners left without excuse : no one can know his election, but by his vocation j nor his vocation, until he hath actually come to Christ : and there is no way to answer these ends, but by free and urgent invitations, connected with warnings, instructions, and expostulations. If this style of address be not adopted, you " quench the smoking flax, and break the bruised reed :" for the trembling penitent will be apt to say, " If any poor sinner may not come, how can I know that I may r For I know not that I am elected : but if every one is invited, then 1 may come, and now I am heartily willing, and this gives me encouragement." Many are zealous for the system, who do not understand the arguments by which it is maintained : but he that does, will allow that this question is the very knot of the whole controversy ; wJto makes a man willing to be saved in the method of the gospel ?* If any natural preferable disposition, or any improvement of nature, contribute to produce this willingness, then the doc- ♦ I say, In the method of the gospel : for every man is willing to be saved from misery and to be made ^PPYt it it may but be in some way of bU own, cither favourable to his pride, or to his love of sin, K ON ELECTION AND trines generally called Amiinianism must be true, and boasting must be in- troduced. But if God alone produce this viUingness witlutxd any help, and not- u-ithstanding every hindrance, from man's evil nature, then the grand principles of Calvinism are established, and boasting is excluded. Do not mistake my mean- ing. Notions in the head do not always suitably influence the heart and con- duct. Many of those who are called, and who call themselves Arminians, are far enough from boasting, nay, are remarkably pious and humble : and too many Calvinists are haughty, dogmatical, censorious, and contentious. But a humble believer in Jesus is a brother, and entitled to our cordial love, though he cannot subscribe our whole creed. This, however, being the real question, it contains nothing that militates against invitations : we invite aU that will to come to Christ for his salvation : and as it is not necessary to make any limitation in respect of the unwilling, who sufficiently distinguish themselves ; so we give the invitation in all re- spects general and unencumbered. — " As many as ye shall find bid to the marriage." My feUow-sinners, if you are willing, you wUl apply to our mer- ciful Saviour, and you shall find mercy and grace ; but if any of you are not willing, raise no slander against him ; charge him not with unv/illingness, but be sure the fault is entirely your own.—I proceed then, V. To observe that Christ's commission reacheth to the infallible and ever- lasting salvation of the body and soul of every individual who is given to him, who sees him, and believes on him. " This is the Father's will which hatli sent me, that of all, which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the wiU of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have everlasting lijfe, and I will raise him up at the last day." Indeed this unavoidably follows from all that hath been already discoursed ; and like- wise from that unchangeable wisdom, faithfulness, and love of God ; and from his promise, covenant, and counsel, " confirmed with an oath : that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie ; we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us ; which hope we have .is an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast." Heb. vi. 17 — 19. — " 'WTiom he did foreknow, he also did predes- tinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. — Moreover, whom he pre- destinated them he also called : and whom he called, them he also justified : and whom he justified, them he also glorified. ^Vhat shall we say then to these things .'' If God be for us, who can be against us } He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for lis all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things .'' Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect .'' It is God XhaX, justijieth." — " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ } — For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, wbich is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Bom. viii. 29 — 39. To object, that though nothing else can, our own sin may separate us from Christ, is a mere evasion ; for nothing has any tendency to separate betwixt Christ and the believer, except sin, or as any thing powerfully tempts him to sin. In like manner Peter confirms the doctrine of his " beloved brother Paul," at the very opening of his first epistle, which begins in this manner : " To the strangers — elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of tlie blood of Jesus — Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ; to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiied, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept hy the power of God through faith unto salvation." 1 Pet. i. 7. Comp. Luke xxii. 22. And again, " Unto you that believe he is precious ; but unto them that be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 155 the head of the corner ; and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." 1 Pet. ii. 7 — 10. — " For God had not appointed them to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thes. V. 9. Thus likewise says another apostle, " Of his own mill, begat he us with the word of truth ; that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." James i. 18. And our Lord himself says, " My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me ; and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them me, is greater th;in all, and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are One." John X. 27 — 30. The only way in which Satan, or any other enemy, can endea- vour to pluck the sheep out of Christ's hand, is by tempting them to wilful and final apostacy : but in this attempt every enemy must be unsuccessful, according to the obvious meaning of such express and absolute promises : and if this conclusion may not be deduced from them, both these, and all the other numerous Scriptures which are calculated to give a strong consolation to them wlio dee for refuge to Christ, not providing against this only dan- ger, mean just nothing at all. What though many professors of the gospel apostatise ! Who can warrant their preceding sincerity ? " They went out from us, because they were not of us," says one apostle. " There must be heresies" (false teachers and false doctrines) " that they that are approved may be made manifest," says another. But surely this is not applicable to all who decline in their pro- fession ! Let us then suppose the persons in question not to be apostates but backsliders. Can we positively say, this or that man dies impenitent? Such decisions belong to God, not us. Without all doubt if a professed Christian run into notorious sin, or renounce his religion, and live and die impenitent, " he will perish everlastingly :" for he alone, " who continu6th unto the end shall be saved." The doctrine of final perseverance is not at all concerned in tliis case ; for the man's apostacy is the detection of his hypocrisy : and the only question is, whether God hath not in his word engaged to preserve all real believers from tlius finally departing from him. Except a man be trulv converted, he can only persevere in open ungodli- ness, or in hypocrisy, fcxcept he have scriptural evidence of his conversion he cannot warrantably conchule any thing concerning his perseverance : and if a professor of the gospel, while living in habitual sin, or in a negligent and slothful manner, encourages himself by this doctrine, he is guilty of awful presumption. But the true Christian, habitually and sincerely abiding in Christ, and walking in all his ordinances and commandments ; amidst his sharp conflicts with corruption and temptation, and his fears of future con- sequences, may find a most reviving cordial to refresh his drooping spirits, and renew his strength ; from the assurance that Christ will make him at length more than conqueror, and " preserve him from every evil work unto his heavenly kingdom." The stony-ground hearers, however flourishing, having " no root in them- selves," must one day wither away. The ground overgrown with thorns, the emblem of worldly professors, will " bear no fruit to perfection." But " they who receive the seed in good ground, in an honest and good heart," made such by divine grace, will " bring forth fruit with patience." " Who- soever drinketh of the water that I sh;ili give him," says our Lord to the woman of Samaria, meaning especially the Spirit of life and holiness, " shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." It will spring up in all holy afi'ec- tions, and flow forth in all holy thoughts, words, and actions, until it be per- fected in eternal glory. John iv. 14. vii. 37 — 39. The real Christian is generally very far from thinking he has attained per- K 2 156 ON ELECTION AND fection. As a poor sinner he still feels abundant cause for the daily exercise of repentance and faith ; and he daily needs the free mercy of the Father, the precious blood of the Son, and fresh supplies of the grace of the Spirit. He has occasion for constant watchfulness and prayer : and he often wants reproof and chastisement. Seasons of slackness, and instances of transgres- sion, he has to mourn over : and if he steps farther out of the way, his se- curity lies in the following promises and assurances : " As many as the Lord loves he rebukes and chastens." " They shall be my people,'and I will be their God ; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them and of their children after them : and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, and I wiU put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." Jer. xxsdi. 38 — iO. For in this manner the Lord brings back his offending children with weeping and supplication. The final per- severance of all who hold certain doctrines, relate plausible ex|)eriences, or make a credible profession, cannot be made to consist with matter of fact. But the final perseverance of the true penitent believer in Christ, who is delivered from the dominion of sin; who through faith in Christ hath in some degree overcome the world, and aspires after a more complete victory ; who has learned to hate all sin, and delight in the law of God, and is hungering and thirsting after righteousness, is doubtless a truth of God's word. Yea, without a peradventure, the meanest, feeblest, true believer on earth shall infallibly " be kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation." " For this is the wiU of him that sent me, that of all whom he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." And this leads me, VI. To observe, — That all this is perfectly consistent with many things which some object to as Arminianism. It is surprising to hear some persons, who profess themselves Calvinists, in doubt whether their principles be con- sistent with the government of the world by rewards and punishments, pro- posed as motives to the hopes and fears of mankind. Surely if the Bible do in any part teach those doctrines which are denominat^ed Cal\Tiiism, they must implicitly pervade the whole of it ; and we can have no occasion to have recourse to an opposite system, in order to explain any part of the sacred \ olume ! For what reason can any one suppose that puni^unent is less de- served on these principles than on the other ? The fore-knowledge, or secret purpose of God is not the effective cause or inducing motive of any man's rebellion, impenitence, and rejection of the gospel ; and therefore cannot form an excuse for him, or render his condemnation less just. This decree neither deprives a man of any thing good which he either possessed or merit- ed, nor puts any evil disposition into his heart. The Lord merely determines to leave the sinner to himself; without any efficacious, invincible, or un- merited interposition, to prevent him fi-om destroying himself by his volun- tary wickedness and obstinacy. On the other hand, a man must deviate very far indeed from the whole scheme of Christianity, who supposes that tlie reward of a believing sinner is merited. Many Arminians allow as ex- pressly, (though not perhaps quite so consistently.) as the Calvinists, that t)ie reward is not of debt but of grace. — Fear of future punishment, yea, hope of future reward, (though blind and presumptuous.) answer, even respecting those who eventually perish, important purposes in God's providence, exactly the same upon one scheme as upon the other. They are not effectual for the salvation of the ungodly ; but they keep mankind in some measure of order, and prevent much wickedness : for what a world would it be were all the wicked entirely liberated from all the fear of future punishment, or wholly desperate ! At the same time the Lord, in calling his elect, and in preserv- ing them in his ways, draws them on, and effects his purposes of love, in a cont-iderable degree, by means of their hopes of future happiness, and their fears of future misery. What then is there in these doctrines inconsistent with charging guilt up- FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 157 on men's consciences : warning them to flee from the wrath to come ; laying open the law as the ministration of condemnation ; calliAg upon sinners to repent and believe the gospel ; and exhorting them to " labour for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life •" to " strive to enter in at the strait gate to search the Scriptures, to pray, " to press into the kingdom of heaven; to forsake their sins, and to separate from sinners?" These are the appointed means, which in all ages have been owned of God for the con- viction of sinners : and though, without supernatural grace, they prove in- sufficient to overcome man's strong corruption : yet they are suitable means ; as suitable as ploughing and sowing to procure the crop, though here also God alone can give the increase : so suitable, that in the mouth of the pri- soner Paul they made even a proud Felix tremble, and almost persuaded Agrippa to be a Christian ! What is there inconsistent with inviting sinners to come to Christ ; with warning them not " to neglect so great salvation," nor *'to refuse him that speaketh ;" or with declaring that it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, than for those who reject the gospel ? What inconsistent witli exhorting men to " examine themselves whether they be in the faith and to " look diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God ;" " to give dili- gence to make their calling and election sure :" and to be careful that no man deceive them, and that they do not deceive themselves ? What is there inconsistent with distinguishing between the true Christian and the false professor : with exhorting Christians to adorn their profession ; to glorify God, to " let their light shine before men to be " faithful to the unrigh- teous mammon ;" to " redeem their time to " walk circumspectly ;" to beware of growing negligent : to press forward, and to be ready to every good work ? What inconsistent with declaring that " hereby we know the children of God, and the childi'en of the devil ; every one that doeth not righteous- ness is not of God :" " Every one that committeth sin is of the devil ?" Finally, what is there inconsistent with discoursing to Christians very par- ticularly concerning the Christian temper and walk ; concerning relative du- ties, and all other duties ; and admonishing, persuading, reproving, beseeching, exhorting them, in every method, and by every motive, " to walk worthy of God, who hath called them to his kingdom and glory ?" There must be a vast disadvantage in arguing against these things, which are so fully handled in the Scriptures, and are so naturally expressed in scriptural terms ; and if we be proved inconsistent, we have this consolation, that every writer of the sacred Scriptures will share the same censure. — But, in one word, are means any part of God's plan ? * If they are not, the argument not only concludes against practical preaching, hut against all preaching ; and we may as sensibly give over ploughing our fields, eating our food, and taking medicine, t But if means, as well as ends, be provided for in the divine counsels ; then these doctrines form as firm a foundation for all exhortations, instructions, warn- ings, invitations, and expostulations of the preacher ; and for all diligence, and watchfulness, and activity of the hearer, as the opposite tenets : and as long as I believe them true, I shall have no doubt but they give us an advan- tage in enforcing all these topics ; for I shall not easily be convinced that error subserves Italy practice, and truth subverts it. Indeed, besides the native tendency of these means, there appears a more close connection of the means with the blessing, from the consideration that the same Lord, who appointed the means, hath promised the blessing, and inclines the heart to use them. • That is, did God predestinate the end with, or without reference to the means, by which he intended to accomplish the end ? + The apostle Paul was assured, in a vision, that the life of every individual who sailed with him should be preserved : yet afterwards he declared as positively, " That except the seamen continued in the ship, they could not be saved." {Acts xxvii..2'l — Jl.) Was the event then doubtful ? Was there any altufii. tion in tfie purpose of God ? Was the apostle inconsistent ? Or did the passengers act rationally, when, without hesitation, or any accusation of the apostle as inconsistent, they went and cut the cords, and let the boat fall into the sea, thus defeating the intention of the sailors ? This was (as a friend observed to nic) common sense, which isa very dilferent thing from the vain rea- soniiiKS of men in matters of reli{;ion. The truth is, God dcterniincd to save the lives of I'afll and those that sailed with him ; but he determined to save them in this i>recisc manner, and in no other ; and the means were as iiilalUbly decreed as tlie event. 159 ON ELECTION AND And now in applyiog the subject I would observe, 1. That while numbers argue with the greatest vehemence against the points in question, and g^oundlessly charge them with implying the most dishonourable thoughts of God, and tending to the most pernicious conse- quences ; others are ready to say, in extravagant zeal, to any one of greater moderation, " If you really believe these doctrines, why do you preach them so sparingly, cautiously, and practically ?" — I would desire such a man care- fully to study even Paul's Epistles, and to answer the objection himself. Perhaps he may thus find, that there is not a less proportion on such sub- jects in our sermons and publications, than in his writings : and that he as carefully guards them from perversion, and connects them as much with holy practice, as we can do. AVe generally meet with a few verses in an Epistle, upon the doctrines in question ; a much larger proportion upon the person, love, and sufferings of Christ, and on faith in him ; and whole chapters upon a holy life and conversation : and if we do not in the same manner, propor- tion, guard, and connect these doctrines, hypocrites will pervert them, infi- dels wiU despise them, and the wealc will be stumbled by them. Indeed they are not at all proper subjects for addresses to sinners, to prejudiced hearers, or to newly-awakened persons ; and are seldom, if ever, found in Scripture explicitly thus addressed : but a great part of our more public mi- nistry is exercised among such persons. Let it not then be thought carnal policy to adapt our discourses to the occasions and wants of the hearers, while nothing inconsistent with truth is spoken, nothing profitable kept back. Our Lord himself says, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now :" and Paul writes to some, who had as good an opinion of themselves, as numbers now have, and with almost as little reason, " I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. — I have fed you with milk, and not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it ; nei- ther )'et are ye now able :" and he gives a reason for this conduct, which proves that many in our congregations are not able : namely, the prevalence of strife and contention among them. Cor. ii. 2 Peter iii. 16. The truth is, many persons would scarcely hear any thing except these doctrines ! but though I firmly believe them, and should be glad for all real Christians to have the comfort of them ; yet, when they are dhjointed from their practical influence, they form in my judgment a very small part of Christianity. If God be pleased to bless the word in bringing men to repen- tance, faith, and holiness, to a Christian hope, temper, and conduct ; we shall in general find it no hard matter to convince them that this is the fruit of electing love, and the sure earnest of eternal glory. And if a few do not see their privilege here, they will eternally rejoice in it hereafter. 2. God's secret purposes are consistent with his revealed declarations. Let then no sinner vainly endeavour to excuse his sins, or quiet his conscience, by a perversion of these doctrines. Though " the salvation of the righteous is wholly of the Lord the damnation of the wicked is wholly of them- selves : and if the lustre of these truths dazzles the eyes of some poor dis- tressed souls, some weak believers or inquirers ; let them turn their atten- tion to another part of divine truth. StiU, still this is true, " Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."* 3. How careful should we be to ascertain the reality of our conversion, be- fore we take the comfort of jierseverancc ! An error in this matter proves fatal to thousands, who, mistaking some transient emotions and affections for a saving change, buoy up their hopes to the end by perverting these truths, and perish with a lie in their right hand. And let it be especially observed, that the scriptural way of " making our calling and election sure," is, by giving all diligence, not only in the means of grace, but in following after holiness, and abounding in every good work. 2 Peter i. 3 — 11. * " We must receive God's promisps in such wise as they be i;eiierally set fl»rlh in holy Scripture ; and in our doings the will of God is to be loUowed, which we Iiave expressly declared unto us io the word of God." (17th Art) FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 159 4. The genuine tendency of these doctrines, (as completely excluding boasting, leading us to ascribe all the glory of contriving, preparing, reveal- ing, and applying salvation, wholly to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; and thus producing deeper humiliation, and inspiring more lively gratitude, than any other system,) forms their chief excellency. Did we entirely and constantly live under their influence, we could never despise others, admire and prefer ourselves, or be angry with such as differed from us. We should " in meekness instruct those who oppose tliemselves ;" we should argue, per- suade, and exhort them ; because these are the means which God hath ap- pointed, and we may hope for his blessing on them. But, " as the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God," we certainly should never slander or revile others, or contend with acrimony ; or hold up an opponent to derision and contempt, whilst, with an air of conscious superiority, as if " we had made ourselves to diflFer," we plume ourselves and our party, on pre-eminent discernment, if not integrity. These are none of the means which God hath appointed ; we cannot expect a blessing on them, nor can they do any credit to the cause. Take heed, therefore, beloved, that your zeal for the doctrine do not lead )'ou into a spirit and conduct, diametrically opposite to that humility, com- j)assion, meekness, and gentleness, which it is calculated to inspire. — If Cal- vinists dispute with acrimony, pass hard censures, spread slanderous reports about others, judge another man's servants, and be quarrelsome and im- j)lacable ; the doctrines wliich they profess arc not to blame, nor yet their belief of them ; but their want of more inward holiness, if indeed they be not wholly unsanctified. Yet the cause suffers, and the truth is disgraced, through their misconduct : and one moderate man, who loves and is kind to Christians, without respect of party, and who differs from his brethren peace- ably and charitably, where constrained to differ ; and adorns his profession by a lioly life and conversation, will do more even in bringing others, cor- dially and intelligently, to embrace his sentiments, than twenty angry dis- putants who humour the pride and the malignant passions of their own party, but disgust and prejudice the minds of all who differ from them — " Put on, therefore, -ine original. These are indeed far from being equal to their tendency ; because, through human depra\-ity, the gospel is not generaUy belie\'ed and obeyed ; yet they are very considerable ; and we may assert, that even at present, there are many thousands, who have been reclaimed from a profane and im- moral life, to sobriety, equity, tnith, and piety, and a good behaviour in re- lative life, by attending to the sacred Scriptures. Ha\-ingbeen " made free from sin, and become the servants of God, they have their fruit unto holi- ness ;" and after patiently continuing in well-doing, and cheerfully bearing various afflictions, they joyfully meet death, being supported by the hope of eternal life " as the gift of Gk>d through Jesus Christ :" whilst they, who best know them, are most convinced, that they have been rendered wiser, holier, and happier, by believing the Bible ; and that there is a reality in re- ligion, though various interests and passions keep them from duly embrac- ing it. There are indeed enthusiasts also ; but they become so, by forsakii^ the old rule of faith and duty, for some new fancy : and there are hypocrites ; but they attest the reality and excellency of religion, by deeming it worth their while to counterfeit it. A'^III. Brevity is so connected with fulness in the scriptures, that they are & treasure of divine knowledge, which can never be exhausted. The things that are absolutely necessary to salvation, are few, simple, and obvious to the meanest capacity, provided it be attended by an humble, teachable dis- position : but the most learned, acute, and diligent student, cannot in the longest life obtain an entire knowledge of this one volume. The deeper he worlcs the mine, the ridier and more abundant he finds the ore ; new light continually beams from this source of heavenly knowledge, to direct his con- duct, and illustrate the works of God, and the ways of men ; and he wiU at last leave the world confessing, that the more he studied the Scriptures, the greater sense he had of his own ignorance and of their inestimable value. Lastly. " He that believeth hath the witness in himself." The disco- veries which he hath made by the light of the Scripture ; the experience he hath had that the Lord fulfils its promises to those who trust in them ; the abiding effects produced by attending to it, on his judgment, dispositions, and affections ; and the earnests of heaven enjoyed by him in communion with God, according to the way revealed in it, put the matter beyond all doubt : and though many believers are not qualified to dispute against infi- dels, they are enabled, through this inward testimony, to obey and suffer for the gospel ; and they can no more be convinced by reasonings and objections, that men invented the Bible, than they can be persuaded that men created the sun, whose light they behold, and by whose beams they are cheered. And now, if an objector could fully invalidate one half, or two thirds of these arguments (to which many more might easily be added), the r«nain- der would be abundantly sufficient ; nay, perhaps, any one of them so far decides the question, that were there no more proof of the Bible's being the word of God, a man could not reject it, without acting contrary to those dictates of common sense, which direct his conduct in his secular affairs. IMPORTANCE OF REVEALED TRUTH. 171 But, ia reality, I have a confidence that not one of them can be fairly ans- wered ; at least it has never yet been done : and the combined force of the whole is so great, that the objections by which men cavil against the truth, only resemble the foaming waves dashing against the deep rooted rock, which hath for ages defied their unavailing fury. But though these can effect nothing more, they may beat off the poor shipwrecked mariner, who was about to ascend it, in hopes of deliverance from impending destruction. The consequences of our present conduct, according to the Scriptures, are so vast, that if there were only a bare possibility of their truth, it would be madness to run the risk of rejecting them, for the sake of gaining the whole world. What then is it, when we have such unanswerable demonstrations, that they are the word of God, and cannot reasonably doubt of it for a mo- ment, to disobey the commands, and neglect the salvation revealed in it, for the veriest trifle that can be proposed to us ? Especially as it may be shown, that (besides the eternal consequences) the firm belief of, and conscientious obedience to the Scriptures, will render a man happier in this present life, even amidst trials and self-denying services, than any other man can be made, by all the pomp, pleasure, wealth, power, and honour, which the world can bestow OQ him ! ESSAY II. On the ImpOTtancc of Revealed Truth; the duty of Reading the Scriptures, and the manner in which it bhould be pcrlbrnied. As the Bible may be unanswerably proved to be the word of God, we should reason from it as from self-evident principles, or demonstrated axioms ; for " his testimony is sure, and giveth wisdom to the simi)le." Many parts of Scripture accord so well with the conclusions of our rational powers, when duly exercised, that either they might have been known with- out revelation, or else men have mistaken the capacity of perceiving truths for that of discovering it. Hence various controversies have arisen about " natural religion," which many suppose to be rather taken for granted, than made known by revelation. But the term is ambiguous : for the word na- tural includes the propensities of our hearts, as well as the powers of our under- standings ; and the same truths which accord to the latter, are often totally opposite to the former : the Gentiles might have known many things con- cerning God and his will, if they had " liked to retain Him in their know- ledge." So that, " the religion of reason" would exjjress the idea much more intelligibly, if any such distinction be deemed necessary. This, however, is obvious, that many truths and precepts which are found in the Bible, have been maintained by persons who were ignorant of, or re- jected that divine revelation, or who chose not to own their obligations to it : and many others, professing to receive the Scriptures as tlie word of God, assent to some truths contained in them, not so much because they are re- vealed, as because they think that they may be proved by other arguments : whereas they reject, neglect, or explain away those doctrines which are not thus evident to their own reason, or level with their capacities. So that at last it comes to tliis, that they discard all that is deemed peculiar to reve- lation ; and refuse to believe the testimony of God, if reason will not vouch for the truth of what he says. It may indeed be questioned, whether those opinions wliich men so con- fidently magnify as the oracles of reason, were not originally, without ex- ception, borrowed from revelation, as far as there is any truth in them : and it is evident, tliat they cannot possess sufficient certainty, clearness, and au- thority to render them efficacious princiides of action, except as they are en- 172 ON THE IMPORTANCE forced by revelation, and its awful sanctions. And the wildest enthusiast never dreamed of a grosser absurdity, than they maintain who suppose that the only wise God liath given a revelation to man, confirmed by miracles and prophecies, and established in tlie world by the labours and sufferings of his servants, and the crucifixion of his weU-beloved Son ; and that this revela- tion at last is found to contain notliing, but what we might have known as well without it ! Nay, that it is expressed in such language, as hath given occasion to those who have most implicitly believed and reverentially obeyed it, to maintain sentiments and adopt practices erroneous and evil in themselves, and of fatal consequence to mankind ! We might therefore, a priori, have expected, that a revelation from God should illustrate, confirm, and enforce such things as seem more level to our natural powers ; and that it should make known to us many important mat- tei's, which we could not have otherwise discovered, and which would be found exceedingly different from our previous notions and imaginations : seeing that our contracted views and limited capacities are infinitely distant from the omniscience of God. So that it is most reasonable to conclude, that the doctrinal truths which more immediately relate to the Divine nature, perfections, providence, and government ; the invisible and eternal world ; and the mysteries of redemption, &c., constitute by far the most important part of revelation ; as discovering to us such things " as no eye hath seen, nor ear heard, neither have they ever entered into the heart of man to con- ceive and yet they are essentially connected with our present hope, wor- ship, and duty, and with our future happiness or misery. He therefore cannot, according to the common use of language, be called a believer, who only holds those doctrines which he deems the dictates of reason, as well as of revelation ; whilst he rejects the testimony of God, whenever he deems it unreasonable : and we may hence learn what judgment to form of those who aflBrm, without hesitation, that the moral precepts and sanctions, with the more evident truths of the Bible, are the only important part of it ; that it is of little consequence what men believe, especially con- cerning those things which are in any degree mysterious ; and that none but narrow bigots and weak and ignorant people lay any stress upon spe- culative opinions. " He that believeth not, maketh God a liar," especially he that believeth not the testimony which God hath given of his Son, and of eternal life bestowed on sinners through him, (John iii. J 2 — 21 ; 31 — 3G ; 1 John V. 9 — 12). This is the uniform doctrine of Scripture; and to contra- dict it is equivalent to a total rejection of divine revelation. Can it be sup- posed, that the prophets and apostles were commissioned ; and that the Son of God was manifested in the flesh, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, merely to inform mankind, that the Lord approved honesty, temperance, truth, and kindness, and disapproved the contrary vices .'' Or that the un- numbei'ed testimonies which the Scriptures contain, to the mysteries of the Divine Nature, the Person of the Redeemer, and the work of redemption, &c., may, without any criminality, be disbelieved, derided, or re^'iled ; provided men are moral in their conduct towards one another .'' Or that God is equally pleased with those that thus affront his veracity, as with them who implicitly submit to his teaching, and credit his testimony .'' If this be the case, in what does the difference between the infidel and the believer con- sist ? All, except avowed atheists, will allow the propriety of many pre- cepts, and the truth of some doctrines, coinciding with those contained in Scripture : but the infidel admits them as the dictates of reason, not as the testimony of God ; and the pretended believer rejects all, without hesita- tion, that appears not to accord with the same standard. So that both of them believe their own reasonings, " lean to their own understandings," and " make God a liar," when his testimony contradicts their self-confident decisions ? It appears, therefore, that the prevailing notion of the little im- portance of dcotrinal truth is subversive of revelation ; and in fact is only a more plausible and more dangerous species of infidelity. OF REVEALED TRUTH. 173 If we believe the Scriptures to have been written by inspiration from God, and have any suitable apprehensions of his omniscience, veracity, and other perfections ; we must be convinced that it is the height of arrogance for us, short-sighted eri'ing creatures of yesterday, to speak of any doctrine con- tained in them, as false or doubtful, because it is not coincident with our reasonings or conceptions. Surely a small portion of modesty and humility might suffice to induce our confession, that we are more likely to be mistaken than the only wise God ! And yet we must, in rejecting his authenticated testimony, either advance our knowledge above his omniscience, or impeach his veracity, or deny the Scriptures altogether or in part, to be his word ; reserving to ourselves the infallible determination, what part is of divine au- thority, and what is not ! And if we deem any part of the Scriptures, though true, to be of little or no importance, or of bad tendency ; what do we but affront the infinite wisdom or goodness of God, as if he did not know what truths were proper to be revealed to man ; or as if he purposely discovered those matters which it would have been better for mankind never to have known .'' And seeing it is evident that the Lord hath in the Scriptures re- quired the belief of certain doctrines, as absolutely necessary to salvation ; to insinuate that these doctrines are either false, doubtful, or of no value, must involve in it the grossest and most affronting blasphemy imaginable. We do not indeed maintain, that all the truths of revelation are of equal importance ; because they are not stated in Scripture to be so : but none can be wholly unimportant : and we are not always competent to decide up- on their comparative value. Some things are more obvious than others ; and such as are more hard to be understood are not so well adapted to those persons, " who are unstable and unlearned" in the school of Christ : yet we are not authorised to reject, or even to doubt any of them. We may indeed demur as to the true interpretation of them : whilst in humble, reverent teachableness, we wait for clearer light upon the subject ; and we must re- main for some time in partial ignorance or error ; because we cannot at once become acquainted with all the truths, which are revealed to faith, even when we have got a disposition implicitly to believe them. There are some things which relate to the very life and essence of true religion ; others are rather necessary to our stability, comfort, and holy conduct : these we must by no means reject or treat with indifference ; but it is possible, that, to the last, we may be mistaken in, or ignorant of some of them ; and yet be found among the heirs of salvation. The importance of revealed truth may be shown in another way ; for it is the seed of principle in the soul, whence all inward and real holiness pro- ceeds. " Sanctify them by thy truth ; thy word is truth." (John xvii. 17 — 19). " Beholding as in a glass," (namely in the doctrine of Christ,) " the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image," (2 Cor. iii. 18 ; iv. 3 — G). " Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh," &c. This doctrine was, in the judgment of the apostle, " the great mystery of godliness ;" and indeed all holy dispositions and affections towards God, all the genuine spiritual worship, all the willing obedience of filial love, and all the cheerful acquiescence in the Divine will, and affiance on the Divine truth and mercy, which have been found in the world since the fall of man, have arisen from a proper perception of this great truth, and the doctrines connected with it. Spirituality (or a deliglit in and supreme valuation of the holy excellency of spiritual things, and a disposition to seek pleasure and satisfaction in religion), is intimately con- nected with a believing dependence on tlie promised influences of the Holy Spirit ; and that view of the worth of the soul, the evil of sin, the justice and mercy of God, the vanity of the world, and the believer's obligations to a Saviour, who loved him, " and redeemed him to God with his blood," which the doctrine of the cross communicates, is fundamental to deep repentance, genuine humility, gratitude, patience, meekness, forgiveness of 'injuries, love of enemies, and other parts of the Christian temper and chai'acter. With- ON THE IMPORTANCE out this, a proud tnoraUty, and a pharisaical task amd form of godliness, will comprise the sum total of man's religion ; except as he is brought under those impressions and leadings, which will in time influence him to embrace " the truth as it is in Jesus." This will appear more fully, and be proved more at large in the subsequent Essays. The importance of revealed truth, therefore, may be evidently perceived, both from the authority of Him who speaks to us in the Scripture ; the various methods he has taken to confirm the words of his servants ; and the tendency and efficacy of sound doctrine, to produce spiritual affections and holy obedience. Indeed the doctrines of Scripture may be received by a dead faith into the understanding as true, whilst the heart does not embrace them as good ; and then " they will be held in xinrighteousness." But a real and living belief of the great doctrines contained in the Bible is the proper root of true holi- ness. A whited sepulchre" is the emblem of all that can be attained to, where they are proudly rejected, or treated with indifference ; and every man's spirituality, piety, humility, and enlarged, disinterested, unostenta- tious philanthropy, will bear proportion to the degree In which he knows and cordially embraces the great truths of the holy Scriptures. It must, therefore, be evident, that every person to whom the Scriptures are sent, ought to study them, and get acquainted with their contents. For if God, in compassion to our ignorance and love to our souls, as well as in regard to the honour of his own name and government, hath given us a book penned under the inspiration of his Holy Spiiit ; and if the truths revealed in it be of the greatest importance ; it must be most reasonable that we should bestow pains to acquire the knowledge of them. Whether we con- sider the Scriptures as a revelation which the Lord hath made to us of him- self, that we may know, worship, and glorify him ; or of his law and govern- ment, that we may submit to and obey him, or learn from them our true con- dition as sinners ; or of his mercy and salvation, that we may find acceptance with him ; or of the privileges of his children, in this life and that which is to come : in every view of the subject, the duty of searching them must be manifest. Nor can we neglect it, without avowing, that we despise the knowledge of God and heavenly things ; that we do not desire to serve our Creator ; that we neither value his favour nor fear his frown ; or that v/e can discover the way of peace and happiness without his instruction. No- thing, therefore, can be more expressive of our ingratitude, rebellion, and alienation from God, than the general neglect of the Bible, which prevails among those that profess to believe it to be his word. Doth he then speak from heaven to us sinners about the way of eternal salvation ? and shall we refuse to hear his gracious words ? Does he give us a book to teach us to be happy in this world and for ever ? and shall we not study it ? Does he make known to us mortals, those glories which angels adore with unceasing rapture ? and shall we turn away with contemptuous aversion? Hath he provided for us sinners such a redemption, as sinless angels desire to look into ?" and shall we think the subject unworthy of our notice ? Who can pretend to justify this conduct ? Yet how much more pains do lawyers, pliysicans, and other students, who desire to excel in their professions, bestow in poring over voluminous authors, than men, called C'liristians, do in searching the Scriptures ? Yea, liow many give a decided preference to amusing and ingenious trifles, or political discussions (not to say publications suited to corrupt their principles and morals), above the sacred word of God. They would be ashamed not to have read some admired or popular author, though the work perhaps be wholly useless (if not worse) ; yet they remain, year after year, unacquainted with the holy Scriptures ! " Surely in vain is the word of the Lord given to them ; the pen of the scribes is in vain" (Jer. viii. 8, 9). It cannot be necessary, in such a compendiou? essay, to sliow particularly how the study of the Scriptures is inculcated in every part of the sacred vo- lume. Lot the more attentive reader turn to what Moses spake to Israel OF REVEALED TRUTH. 175 (Dcut. vi. G— 9 ; xi. 18, 19), what the Psalmist teaches (Psalm I, xix, cxlx), and Solomon (Prov. ii. 1 — 6), and what is contained in the following pas- sages of the New Testament (John v. 39, 40 ; Acts xvii. 1 1 ; 2 Tim. ii. 15 — 17). Indeed the apostles and evangelists always reasoned from and appealed to the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and suppose the Jews to be acquainted with them ; and the penmen of the New assure us " those things were writ- ten, that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing we might have life through his name," (John xx. 31). The case then is plain, that our obligation to search the Scriptures is in- dispensable ; and that it is a duty of the greatest importance. Every person, therefore, who allows them to be the infallible word of God, must be con- victed in his own conscience of acting in an unreasonable and criminiil man- ner, if he do not diligently study them : and the general neglect of men in this great concern, manifestly proves them not to be fully satisfied, that the Bible was given by inspiration from God, and that it reveals the only way of peace and salvation. We do not urge men to believe without evidence ; but we call upon them humbly and seriously to examine the proofs afforded them, that the Scriptures are the word of God ; and then to bestow pains to learn the religion contained in them, and to compare the doctrine we propose with that unerring standard, from which we profess to have learned it. Nor can we doubt, but they will be left speechless at the day of judgement, who will not comply with such requisitions, whatever excuses or pretences they may make at present. This being determined, it may be useful to give a few di- rections to those wlio are convinced of their duty in this particular ; and de- sire to attend to it with profit to themselves, or those placed under their care. I. Examine the whole of the sacred Scriptures. I do not mean, that the same degree of attention and time should be employed about every part of the Bible : some things are but more remotely useful to us ; some are easily understood and applied ; others require more close and frequent investiga- tion ; whilst the obscurity of some passages (especially to unlearned readers) renders them less adapted to their edification. Yet every part of the sacred oracles has its use, and throws light upon the rest : and as preachers very properly make their appeal to the Scriptures, in support of their doctrines; so the hearers cannot so well judge how far their arguments are conclusive, unless they have a competent acquaintance with the whole of them. Nor is the Bible so large a book, but that even tliey, who have not much leisure, maj', in process of time, get a general knowledge of it in every part ; if they bestow a measure of diligence, proportioned to the value of the acquisition : and as " all Scripture is given by inspiration from God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness ; that « the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works so every woi-d demands a measure of our attention. It is, therefore, a very great hindrance to edification, when serious persons rest satisfied with text books, and abstracts from Scripture, or with a few favourite passages, that are continually resorted to, whilst the rest of God's word is little regarded ; and above all, those parts are neglected which teach men the particulars of the Christian temper, and of those duties in which they are most deficient. It hath been found very useful by many to divide tlie Bible into two or three parts, and to read a portion from each of them in order, in the morn- ing, at noon, and in the evening, as people have leisure and opportunity ; allowing a larger measure of time to the New Testament, or devotional parts of the Old ; and reading these wholly, or principally, on the Lord's day, or other seasons set apart for religion. This, in a course of years, will bring a man familiarly acquainted with the whole Scriptures. And though singing the praises of God very properly forms a part of family worship, where both can be attended to ; yet reading the Scriptures in course (with a few excep- tions, at the discretion of him who officiates) seems a most valuable method of preparing the minds of cliildren and servants for profiting by public in- 176 ON THE IMPORTANCE, &c. struction, as well as for giving them a comprehensive view of our holy reli- gion. It is also very advantageous to ministers, and others who have much leisure, to vary their method of reading : at some times going through a larger por- tion, with a more general regard to the scope of the sacred writer : at otliers, minutely examining every word and sentence in a smaller portion ; its con- nection with the context, and coincidence with other Scriptures : and to mark well the harmony and mutual subserviency of every part of divine truth ; the proportion of one part to another ; the distinct parts of which tlie whole consists, and the way in which the several subjects are stat«d, handled, arranged, and expressed. II. Search the Scriptures daily. Divine truth is the food of the soul, which wants its nourishment as often as the body does. That day must hiive been misspent, in which no part of the Scriptures has been read, or medi- tated on ; we should therefore redeem time from indol'^nce, recreation, use- less visits, trifling conversation, &c., for this employment : and then no /atc- ful business would prevent any one from finding a little leisure, morning and evening at least, for reading some portion of the scripture ; which would furnish the mind with subjects for meditation, when not necessarily en- grossed about other matters, to the exclusion of vain thoughts and polluting imaginations. The more habitual this practice becomes, the greater plea- sure will it afiford : and even the old Christian will not think that his know- ledge renders it superfluous, or seek an excuse for omitting it ; but will ap- ply to it as a healthful person craves and relishes his food. I would espe- cially enforce it upon the consciences of the young, not to let any day begin or end, without reading carefully a portion of Scripture : this will become in a short time a most useful habit ; and if they are abridged of a little sleep by this means, their bodies will not be injured, and their minds will be improved by it. It may also be observed, that hearing sermons, reading religious books, or joining in pious discourse, will often mislead, and seldom profit those, who do not compare the whole with the sacred Scriptures, by " daily searching them, to know whether things are so or no." III. Read the Bible with the express purpose of appropriating the infor- mation communicated by it, from God to man. When we have humbly and attentively considered and ascertained the meaning of any proposition, we should implicitly believe it, how contrary soever it may be to our former opi- nion, or that of others in reputation for wisdom. We ought to reverence the authority, omniscience, veracity, and faithfulness of the Lord, who speaks to us in his word ; not doubting the truth or importance of any of his in- structions, but studying the meaning of them in docility and patience. Thus imbibing wisdom and knowledge from their source, through the appointed medium, we shall grow more learned in divine things than any teachers or aged students, who lean to their own understandings, (Psahn cxix. 98 — ] 00) ; even as the bosom friend of the prince, who learns his secrets from his own lips, will know more of his designs than any conjectural politicians can do, though their sagacity and abilities be far superior to his. IV. Use helps, in searching the Scriptures, but do not depend on them. The labours of those pious men, who have spent their lives in studying and elucidating the sacred oracles, may be very profitable to those who either have less leisure or ability, or who are newly engaged in such researches : and it savours of self-suflBciency to undervalue either commentators or other writers on divine things. Yet all men are fallible, and we should call no man teacher upon earth : it must, therefore, be proper to compare aU their elucidations or inferences with the Scriptures themselves. Above all, it be- lioves us " to ask wisdom of God ;" and to beg of him to give us the Holy Spirit, to remove from our minds every prejudice and carnal affection, and whatever may close them against any part of revealed truth, or indispose them to receive the illumination of heaven (as the vitiated eye cannot make proper use of the light of the sun). He alone, who inspired the Scriptures, SCRIPTURE CHARACTER OF GOD. can help us to understand them : and if we search them in dependence on, and prayer for, his teaching, he will lead us into all truth, as far as our safety, peace, and duty require it. It may be proper here to caution the reader against fanciful interpretations, which surprise and amuse, but mislead men from the practical meaning of Scripture : and against those, who pretend to modernize divine truth ; not choosing to " speak according to the oracles of God but as they suppose the apostles would have done, if they had pos- sessed the advantage of modern improvements : a supposition just as wise, as to attempt improving the light of the sun by astronomy ! In short, every text has its proper meaning, as it stands related to the context ; and its pro- per application to us : these we should seriously investigate, with fervent prayer for divine teaching ; without presuming to add to, alter, or deduct from, the revealed will of God (Deut. xxix, 29). Lastly, We shall search the Scriptures, as the navigator consults his chart, and makes his observations ; that he may discover where he is, and what course he must steer : or as any one looks into a glass, that he may both know what manner of man he is, and learn to adjust what is unbecoming : or as an heir reads his father's will, and the inventoryof his effects and estates ; that he may know what the inheritance is, and the nature of the tenure by which he must possess it. We should accompany our reading with impartial self-examination ; both in respect of our knowledge, judgement, dispositions, affections, motives, words, and actions, in every particular, at present and in times past ; that we may learn the state and wants of our souls ; and with self-application, as the persons spoken to, in every instruction, precept, sanction, counsel, warning, invitation, promise, &c. ; according to our state, character, conduct, and circumstances : pausing to inquire, whether we have understood what we have read, and what we learned from it ; that, beseech- ing the Lord to pardon what is past, and to help us for the future, we may, without delay or reserve, begin to practise what we know, waiting for fur- ther light in such matters as still continue doubtful or obscure to us. It would be easy to multiply directions ; but the Scriptures thus studied are " able to make us wise unto salvation, by faith in Jesus Christ." ESSAY III. On the Scripture Character of God. Every attentive and intelligent student of the Bible will perceive, that re- velation was vouchsafed to man, in order to deliver or preserve him from idolatry, by instructing him in the character and perfections of the one living and true God, and the way in which he vvould be worshipped ; as well as to teach other duties, and to influence him to perform them. The jealous care of Jehovah to distinguish betwixt himself and every idol, to secure the glory to himself, without allowing any of it to be given to another, and the ter- rible denunciations pronounced against, and severe judgments executed upon, idolators, must attract the notice of -all who are conversant with the sacred oracles, and convince every impartial person, that idolatry is the greatest of all sins, atheism alone excepted. Yet in this, as in other things, the " wisdom of man (which is foolishness with God)," has Jed numbers to adopt a contrary opinion : so that, whilst an elegant and admired poet hath employed his fascinating ingenuity to per- suade mankind, that God is worshipped with equal acceptance " by saint, by savage, and by sage," or whether he be called " Jehovah, Jove, or Lord *," » Pope's Universal Prayer. 178 ON THE SCRIPTURfi (which in this connection may signify Baal) ; it is also become a fashionable principle of modern rational divinity, that all such distinctions are immate- rial, and all religions very much alike, if men be sincere in their way. So that numbers seem to think what they call bigotry (though wholly free from intolerance or persecution) to be worse than any mental errors ; even in re- spect of the object of religious worship : and that candour and liberalitj' of sentiment are more important virtues than t]ie supreme love and spiritual adoration of Johovah, as distinguished from aU false gods ! But who does not perceive, that this principle, if carried to its obvious consequences, amounts to a rejection of the Bible, or at least puts it on the same footing with Hesiod's Theogonia, or the Koran ? Who can avoid see- ing, that it imputes bigotry and a contradicted mind to the prophets and apostles, and to every approved character of holy writ, without excepting that of our Lord himself? Nay, will it not follow from it, that Jehovah wrought many stupendous miracles to no manner of purpose ? For we must not only inquire, why Jloses was so careful to distinguish the God of Israel from the idols of Egypt and of the nations ? or what induced David to ex- pect assistance in meeting Goliath, who despised the armies of Jehovah, " that all the earth might know that there was a God in Israel?" (1 Sam. xvii. 45 — 47,) or on what account Elijah was so earnest to determine whether the Lord or Baal were the true God ? ( 1 Kings xviii.) but we must also demand, why he answered their expectations and prayers by miraculous interpositions, if the point to be decided were of little or no importance ? When the God of Hezekiah delivered him from the power of the AssjTians, by the slaughter of one hundred and eighty-five thousand men, whilst Sen- nacherib was slain by his own sons in the house and worship of Nisroch his god; the distinction between Jehovah and every idol was strongly marked. These are a few, out of very numerous instances and evidences, which might be brouglit from the Old Testament, to confirm the point in question. When our Lord told the woman of Samaria, that " her nation knew not what they worshipped, for salvation was of the Jews" (John iv. 22 — 24); when Paul proposed to declare unto the polite and philosophical Athenians, that " un- known God, whom they ignorantly worshipped," and to distinguish the Crea- tor and Judge of the world from all their idols (Acts xvii. 23 — 31) ; and when he informed the Corinthians that tlieir idol sacrifices were ofi^ered unto devils, and not to God (1 Cor. x. 20) ; they plainly show ed, that such can- dour, as is now contended for, was no part of their plan, but absolutely in- compatible w ith it. Indeed, the apostle has informed ns, that idolatry originated from men's aversion to God ; " they liked not to retain him in their knowledge" (Rom. i. 18 — 23. 28). His holy character and spiritual service suited not with their carnal minds ; and therefore deities were invented of another sort, and a worship coincident with their corrupt inclinations. AVhen we consider how- Christian festivals are generally celebrated, we shall cease to wonder, that Israel preferred the golden calf to Jehovah, and joyfully " sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play," instead of attending the sacred ordinances of the living God : and a competent knowledge of humam nature will enable us easily to account for the predilection, which that people ever manifested for the gods of the nations, and their jovial and licentious rites. For the religion of the Gentiles, instead of producing any salutary effect on their conduct, led them to practise the grossest enormities, not only without re- morse, but in order to appease or find acceptance with their deities ; and thus it tended to corrupt both their principles and morals. No doubt, the great enemy of God and man, both from ambition of engrossing the worship of idolators, and from the malignity of his nature, aided their invention, in forming the characters and imagining the exploits of their deities, partly in resemblance to his own abominable propensities, and partly according to the worst vices of mankind : that so the most destructive crimes might be sanc- tioned, and the vilest affections, as it were, consecrated, by conformity to CHARACTER OF GOD. 179 the objects of their worship. No wonder that they were ferocious in war, and debauched in their general conduct, when their religious observances comprised the most savage cruelties, the most shameless licentiousness, and tlie greatest excesses of intemperance ; and when at last they could not equal in these respects, the gods whom they had invented for themselves ! Indeed, if religion be supposed to produce any effect on the conduct of mankind, every person of common sense must allow, that the character and actions ascribed to the object of worship, must be of the greatest possible im- portance : for as these are, so will the sincere worshipper be. To please, to resemble, to imitate the object of adoration, must be the supreme aim and ambition of every devotee ; whether of Jupiter, Mars, Bacchus, Venus, Mo- loch, or Mammon ; as well as of every spiritual worshipper of Jehovah : and we may, therefore, know what to expect from every man, if we .are acquainted with his sentiments concerning the God that he adores : provided we can as- certain the degree in which he is sincere and earnest in his religion. It would be absurd to expect much honesty from him, who devotedly worshipped Mer- cury as the god of thieving ; much mercy from a devotee of Moloch ; love of peace from the worshipper of Mars ; or chastity from the priestess of Ve- nus : and, whatever philosophical speculators may imagine, both the Scrip- tures and profane history (ancient and modern) show, that the bulk of man- kind, in heathen nations, were far more sincere in, and influenced by their absurd idolatries, than professed Christians are by the Bible ; because they are more congenial to corrupt nature. Nay, it is a fact, that immense mul- titudes of human sacrifices are, at this day, annually offered according to the rules of a dark superstition ; and various other flagrant inmioralities sanc- tioned by religion amongst these idolaters, who have been erroneously con- sidered as the most inoffensive of the liuman race. But tliese proportional effects on the moral character of mankind are not peculiar to gross idolatry : if men fancy that they worship the true God alone, and yet form a wrong notion of his character and perfections, they only substitute a more refined idolatry in the place of Paganism, and worship the creature of their own ima- gination, though not the work of tlieir own hands : and in what doth such an irf«a/ being, though called Jehovah, differ from that called Jupiter, or Baal.'' The character ascribed to him may indeed come nearer the truth than the other, .and the delusion may be more refined : but if it essentially differ from the Scripture character of God, the effect must be the same, in a measure, as to those who earnestly desire to imitate, resemble, and please the object of their adoration. Indeed, when sinful men presume to delineate the character of God for themselves, however learned or sagacious they may be, their reasonings will inevitably be warped by the general depravity of fallen nature, and by their own peculiar prejudices and vices. Partial to themselves, and indulgent to their master passion (wliich perhaps they mistake for an excellency), they will naturally ascribe to the Deity what they value in themselves, and sup- pose him lenient to such things as they indulge and excuse : they will be sure to arrange their plan in such a manner, as to conclude themselves the ob- jects of his complacency, and entitled to his favour; or at least not deserv- ing his abhorrence, and exposed to his avenging justice: they will consider tlieir own judgment of what is fit and riglit, as the measure and rule of his government : their religious worship will accord to such mistaken conclu- sions ; and the effect of their faith upon tlieir conduct will be inconsider- able, or prejudicial. Thus men " think that God is altogether such a one as tliemselves," (Psalm 1. 21), and a self-flattering, carnalized religion is sub- stituted for the humbling, holy, and spiritual gospel of Christ. The different ideas wliich men form of God, (whilst the Scripture charac- ter of him is overlooked), result from tlie various dispositions and propensi- ties which they derive from constitution, education, and habit : the volup- tuary will imagine (witli a certain dissolute monarch *), that God will not * Charles I[. 180 ON THE SCRIPTURE damn a man for taking " a little pleasure in an irregular manner :" nor can the ambitious warrior, or covetous oppressor be convinced, that the supreme Being will demand a strict account of all the blood shed, or the injustice com- mitted in their respective pursuits : a speculating philosopher may imagine a deity too dignified to notice the conduct, or too clement to punish the crimes of puny mortals ; at least he will deem him very favourable to the self-wise, and such as are superior to vulgar prejudices, whatever he may do in respect of debauchees and sanguinary tyrants. Thus men's ideas of God are framed according to their own prevailing propensities ; and then those ideas of him reciprocally tend to form their characters, and influence their conduct, both in respect of religious duties, and in the common concerns of life. These observations suffice to show us the reason why " the world by wis- dom knew not God," and to prove, that it is impossible in the very nature of things for a fallen creature to know him, except by revelation, and by faith appropriating the instruction which is thus vouchsafed : for self-love and carnal affections will so bias the mind as to defeat the design of the most patient investigation, and to deduce erroneous conclusions from the most ac- curate, and apparently most impartial reasonings upon this subject ; except as they are conducted with a constant regard to the revelation which God hath made of himself. Thus the Jews knew not the God they zealously worshipped : they totally mistook his character, and therefore they despised and rejected " theefful- gency of his glory," and the express image of his invisible perfection ; and they hated and persecuted, most conscientiously, his spiritual worshippers, (John viii. 54, 55 ; xv. 21 — 24 ; xvi. 3). If we would, therefore, know God in a saving and sanctifying manner, (John xvii. 3 ; 2 Cor. iii. 18 ; iv. 3 — 6), we must not " lean to our own understandings," nor " trust in our own learts ;" we must not resort to the schools, or sit at the feet of renowned philosophers, ancient or modern : but we must apply to the word of God himself, that we may thence learn, in humble teachableness and implicit faith, what we ought to think of his perfections, and the glory and har- mony of them ; remembering, that " his testimony is sure, and giveth wis- dom to the simple ;" and likewise, " that no man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him," (Matt. xi. 25—30.) If then we carefully " search the Scriptures," we shall find that this sub- ject constitutes a principal part of their contents; and that the Lord makes himself known to us in two ways. 1. By express declarations; and 2. By his works and dispensations, as iUustrating and exemplifying his declara- tions. A few hints on each of these will constitute the remaining part of this Essay ; it being chiefly intended to assist the serious student of the Scriptures, in profitably considering this important subject, as he proceeds with his daily researches. I. We consider the Lord's express declarations concerning himself. There is a majesty in the passages of holy writ, that relate to the natural perfec- tions of God, which vastly exceeds whatever is admired as sublime in Pagan writers. Jehovah speaks of himself, " as the high and lofty One who inha- biteth eternity ;" " heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool ;" " the heaven of heavens cannot contain him ;" all " nations before Him are as nothing, they are counted to him as less than nothing and vanity ;" " from everlasting to everlasting he is God ;" " the Almighty, the All-sufficient God ;" " His wisdom is infinite ;" " there is no searching of his understand- ing ;" " He knoweth all things, he searcheth the hearts of all the cliildren of men;" yea, knoweth their thoughts afar off ;" there is no fleeing from his presence ;" " the light and darkness to him are both alike ;" " He dwelleth in light inaccessible, no man hath seen or can see him ;" " He doeth what he will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth ;" " His is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever ;" "He CHARACTER OF GOD. 181 is most blessed for evermore " for " with him is no change or shadow of turning." These, and numberless other declarations, expressly and empha- tically ascribe eternity, self-existence, omnipresence, omnipotence, om- niscience, immutability, incomprehensible greatness and majesty, and essen- tial felicity and glory in full perfection to the Lord our God. But in this respect their declarations do not so materially differ from the deductions of man's reason on this subject, or at least from what it approves and allows ; and it is principally to be observed, that such an infinite Agent can, with most perfect ease, superintend the affairs, whether vast or minute, of the universe : whereas, some philosophers have supposed that such an attention would be either a degradation or an incumbrance to him ; thus vir- tually ascribing to him imperfection, and attempting to deprive him of his throne, as if he were not qualified to fill it ! But as infinite power, know- ledge, and greatness, if they could subsist without infinite truth, justice, and goodness, would be terrible indeed beyond conception, yet not at all adorable or amiable; so these natural perfections do not so much constitute any part of the Divine character, as define and describe Him to whom it belongs. Accordingly we continually read in the sacred Scriptures, that Jehovah is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." " He is (not only) a God of knowledge but " by him actions are weighed " a God of truth without iniquity ; just and right is he." " Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right V " for he is of purer eyes than to behold evil." So that he is declared to be both infinitely holy in his nature, and unalterably righteous in his government of the world : for God is jealous, and the Lord re- vengeth ; the Lord revengeth and is furious ; he will take vengeance on his adversaries," &c. (Nah. i. 2 — 6). We are indeed told by speculating men, that such expressions are only an accommodation to human infirmity, and that there are no such passions in the Divine nature. Now, if this merely were intended to direct our interpretation of them, and to remind us, that all that perturbation which anger and revenge excite in our minds, and all those effects which flow from them, were to be excluded from our apprehen- sions of the Deity, it would be very proper. But surely the only wise God knows best how to speak of himself; and we may safely " speak according to his oracles." Abhorrence of evil, and indignation against evil doers, are not sinful passions, but requisite to a holy character ; and to execute ven- geance on criminals is the indispensable duty of a ruler. We pretend not to explain how these things subsist in, and are executed by the Divine mind ; but we know who hath said, " vengeance is mine, and I will recompense ;" ^ and we hesitate not to repeat his words, without attempting to explain away their awful import. When we have added to this delineation, the enlarged goodness and libe- rality of the Lord, who delighteth in communicating being and blessedness, and " openeth his hand to lill all things living with plenteousness ;" we per- ceive a character completely amiable, adorable, and glorious, and peculiarly animating to all obedient creatures ; and must allow the reasonableness of the command, " thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart," &c. Yet is it most tremendous to sinners, who must be discouraged, and verge to de- spair, in Y>roportion as they become acquainted with it ; except as they at- tend to the discovery of his plenteous, rich, and everlasting mercy. Mercy respects misery, and transgression as the cause of it ; it pities and relieves misery, and pardons sin ; and without this attribute, even the providential goodness of God would tend to aggravate our guilt, and increase our con- demnation. Mercy, therefore, is in Scripture spoken of, as the peculiar glory of God, and the grand subject of the believer's confidence, joy, and grateful praise. Yet when the Lord proclaims his name as " merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering, ready to forgive," &c. he commonly gives some intimation, " that he will by no means clear the guilty," or the impenitent and unbelieving, (Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7 ; Nah. i. 2 — 7 ; Rom. iii. 19 — 31 ; 2 Pet. ii. 4 — 9) : and all his declarations of compassion and love to 182 SCRIPTURE CHARACTER OF GOD. sinners, connect with his holy abhorrence of, and righteous indignation against their sins ; and contain some intimations of that change, which his grace effects in those who share his pardoning love. Yet even this would be insufficient to render the exercise of mercy, (especially in that extent spoken of in Scripture) consistent with the perfection of his holiness and justice ; for should mercy be shown to such as merit vengeance (without any provision made on that behalf), justice would appear imperfect, its rights violated, and its glory eclipsed ; the law would be in a measure degraded, and the Divine purity would not shine forth in its full splendour. Some in- timations, therefore, were given from the beginning, that mercy would be exercised in harmony with justice; and that Jelio\-ah would, through the promised Seed, be " a just God and a Saviour;" yet, under tlie old dispen- sation, his servants seem rather to have believed that it would be so, than to have had clear perceptions of the mysterious way in wliich it would be effected ; but the New Testament hath removed the veil from the subject itself, provided the veil do not still remain upon our hearts. This, how- ever, seems to be the only way in which the Divine character could be dis- played to us, in all its glory : at least, all created understanding must for ever have proved incapable of conceiving, in what way the largest exercise of pardon and love to the vilest sinners could consist with, and illustrate the infinite justice and holiness of God, and establish his law in honour and authority. Infinite wisdom alone could devise a plan adequate to these pur- poses ; it must spring from boundless love ; and we may be sure, that the plan revealed to us was the most approved of all that were possible, by infi- nite wisdom and love. Every intimation, therefore, of a Messiah, a ^Mediator, a mercy-seat, a high priest, or an atoning sacrifice, should lead our minds to the great doc- trine of redemption through Emmanuel's blood, as the central point in which every part of the revelation God hath made of himself to man must meet. But without farther anticipating this part of the subject, we may ob- serve, that the Scriptures everywhere describe our God as perfect in wis- dom, holiness, justice, truth, goodness, and mercy in all its manifold exer- cises ; they represent these attributes as the glory of his nature, and as con- stituting him the proper object of our supreme love, adoration, and service ; as all harmonizing in his consummate character, and each of them subserv- ing the exercise and glory of all the rest. II. In more exactly investigating the Scriptures, we find these attiibutes exemplified in the %vorks and dispensations recorded of our God. The dis- play of his omnipotence, and other natural perfections, in the works of crea- tion ; or the miracles he wrought in delivei'ing his servants, or punishing his eiiemies, is too obvious to need a particular discussion in this place : nor is it requisite to enlarge on his providential goodness. But that combina- tion of justice, holiness, truth, and mercy, which hath been stated as com- prising the character of God, is manifested in his dealings with his rational creatures. Infinite in holiness and justice, " he spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell." He denounced on fallen Adam and his race, tlie awful sentence, " dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt re- turn ;" and unnumbered millions have been swept into the grave, by most dire and torturing diseases. The destruction of the old world by the de- luge ; that of Sodom, &:c. by fire ; the plagues of Egypt ; the vengeance executed on the Canaanites ; and all the judgments inflicted on the rebellious Israelites in the wilderness, in the promised land, and through every age, are such exhibitions of these awful attributes, tliat our minds naturally turn from the narrative with aversion ; nor can any man fully understand them, till lie hath acquired a deep sense of the evil of sin, and the justice of God. Nay, the corrections inflicted on Lot, David, and other ofi"ending believers, whose sins were eventually pardoned, display the same attributes, and au- thorize the same conclusions ; so that the Psalmist might well say, " My flesh trembleth for fear because of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments." On OF THE TEN COMAIANDMENTS. 183 the other hand, his patience, compassion, mercy, and grace, are exhibited in all his dealings with fallen man ; " he endui-ed with much long-suffering even the vessels of wrath :" he ever appeared ready to forgive the penitent, to pity the wretched, to relieve the distressed, to lift up the self-abased, and comfort the broken-hearted. " His mercy was upon those that feared him from generation to generation :" his dealings with Israel as a nation, and with individuals, proved this : nor did any sinner ever humbly seek his face in vain. The faithfulness of God is so illustrated in accomplishing his promise concerning the seed of the woman, &c. four thousand years after it was given, that other instances need not be adduced : his judgments coincided with his threatenings, except as repentance intervened ; and a reserve of mercy was in that case implied in them all. The manifold wisdom of God is also most conspicuous in arranging these displays of justice and mercy, so as to secure the glory of all his attributes, and to leave no man any ground to presume, or to despair. And the whole of the discoveries given us of the future judgment, and the eternal state of happiness or misery, most perfectly coin- cides with the declarations relative to his harmonious perfections. But of this, and redemption by the incarnation of Emmanuel, and his atoning blood, we must forbear to speak further in thin place. We may, however, observe, concerning this last (which is doubtless the greatest of all the discoveries that God hath given of himself), that it leads us to contemplate those mys- teries of the Deity, which are so peculiar to revelation, that they who lean to their own understandings" would represent them as contradictory and impossible. Yet it will be shown, that they are certainly revealed in Scrip- ture ; and thence it will follow, that they are appropriated to the true Ob- ject of all adoration, and distinguish him from every idol : so that they can- not be said to worship the God of the Bible, who reject the ])eculiar myste- ries which it reveals, and adore not the One Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, into which Christians are baptised. And as all the Di- vine perfections are only seen in perfect harmony " in the face of Jesus ('hrist;" so they " whose eyes are blinded, that they should not see the light of this glory," (2 Cor. iv. 3 — 6), certainly worsliip the invention of their own minds, and not the God who hath revealed himself to man, in the person of Jesus Chi'ist. Indeed this is manifest from the imperfection of the object of their worship, whom they imagine so clement, that he can- not hate and punish sin as it deserves ; by the blasphemies which they often utter against God's justice and holiness, and the judgments which he hath executed and threatened. Let us then regard this as a matter of the greatest possible importance, and seek the knowledge of God from his word, and the teaching of his Spirit, as the fundamental concern in all our religious in- quiries, that so we may be engaged, above all things, to fear, love, confide in, worship, and serve him ; and to seek all our happiness in enjoying his fa- vour, and glorifying his name. ESSAY IV. A Brief Exposition of the Ten Commandments, as comprising the substance of the Moral Law. From the Scriptin-e character of God, we proceed to the consideration of his moral government, as made known to us by revelation ; and a clear knowledge of his holy law is peculiarly requisite in forming our judgment on this subject. This was delivered to Israel by Jehovah himself, from Mount Sinai, with most tremendous displays of his majesty, power, and justice ; and though other Scriptures must be adduced as a divinely inspired comment, yet 184 A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF the decalogue may properly be taken for our text, in examining the demands of the mwal law. It is evident, that there is a distinction between mwal precepts unA positive institutions. Some tilings are in themselves so indiffe- rent, that the same authority which commanded might have forbidden them ; as the use of bread and wine in one ordinance, and tliat of water in another: but it is absurd to suppose, that God could have required his creatures to de- spise him, or to hate one another ; or have forbidden them to speak truth and to do justice. Some traces of the moral law are discoverable by our natural reason, and the whole accords to it ; it has its foundation in the nature of God and man, in the relations men bear to him and to each other, and in the obligations that result from them : so that it is immutable in its nature, and demands obedience from all mankind, as far as they have an opportunity of becoming acquainted with it. Different circumstances may indeed occasion a coinci- dent variation ; as the entrance of sin hath i-endered patience and forgive- ness of injuries exercises of our love to God and our neighbours ; but though these will cease in heaven, yet the grand principles whence they are deduced will continue the same to eternity. The law is also spiritual ; it takes cognizance of our inmost and most se- cret thoughts, desires, purposes, and dispositions, and demands the exact re- gulation of the judgment, will, and affections. Love is its principal requi- sition, without which the best external obedience is condemned as hypocrisy. This is peculiar to the law of God, who alone can search the heart ; but, in common with other laws, it requires entire, uninterrupted, and perpetual obedience, for no law can tolerate the transgression of itself. From the en- trance to the close of life, the Lord enjoins upon us exact conformity to every precept ; every omission or commission, excess, defect, or deviation from this perfect rule is sin, and every sin deserves wrath, and ueeds for- giveness, (Rom. iii. 19 — 23). As the ten commandments are divinely commented upon in all the pre- ceptive parts of Scripture, so the substance of them is summed up in the two great commands of " loving God with all our hearts," and of " loving our neighbours as ourselves :" and we are authorised, by our Lord's example, to uiterpret every one of them in the strictest, most spiritual, and most exten- sive sense of which it is capable. Indeed, repentance, faith in Christ, and all other evangelical graces and duties, are exercises of supreme love to God, and required of a sinner, as placed under a dispensation of mercy, though originally the law had nothing to do with redemption, but lay at the foundation of another covenant. We may, therefore, drop the controversy concerning the rule of duty, whether it be the ten commandments, or the whole word of God ; for the one, properly understood, wiU be found as " broad" as the other, seeing we cannot love God with all our hearts, unless we love every discovery he is pleased to make of his glory, believe every tes- timony, and embrace every promise which he gives, and seek his favour in the use of all the means he is pleased to appoint. Yet this relates only to the law, as the r ule of duty, and as given in subserviency to the gospel ; for ori- ginally it contains nothing about mercy, repentance, or acceptance of im- perfect obedience ; but only says, " do this and live," and " cursed be every transgressor." Thus the law was given to Israel, not only to show them their real con- dition, according to the covenant of works, but also with reference to tlieir national covenant, and as the rule of duty to redeemed sinners ; and there- fore mercy is mentioned in the second commandment ; not, indeed, as com- municated by the law, but as shown by the Lord to his obedient people. The remainder of this Essay will consist of a compendious exposition of the ten commandments, as introductory to a further consideration of the Divine government. The great Lawgiver prefaced his injunctions, by proclaiming his essential glory and immutable excellency, " I am Jehovah." Being the source of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. existence, and consequently of all power, wisdom, justice, truth and good- ness, he is the standard of excpllence and beauty, from whom all created aniiableness is an emanation, of whose glory it is a feeble reflection. To liim alone tlie throne belongs ; he only is qualified to be the universal lawgiver and judge ; and he has the sole and unalienable title to that love and service which his law demands. To this he added, " thy God," to express Israel's relation and obligations to him. We all are his I'ational creatui*es, and every benefit he bestows binds us more forcibly to love and obedience. We, like Israel, are his professed worshippers ; and if we be what we profess. He is our portion and everlasting felicity ; and this still enhances our obligations to devote ourselves to his service. The redemption of Israel from the house of bondage was typical of our redemption by Jesus Christ from sin and mi- sery : and though all are bound to obey the law of God, yet none render any spiritual obedience to it, except his redeemed people. After this solemn in- troduction, Jehovah first added, " Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The commandments are addressed, in the singular number, to each person, because every one is concerned in them on his own account, and each pro- hibition implies a positive duty. This first requires a disposition and con- duct suited to the relation in which we stand to " the Lord our God." He alone is the adequate object of our love, and able to satisfy our capacity of happiness ; all we have and are belong to him, and he has an unalienable right to prescribe the use that we should make of all his gifts. He has so clear a title to our love, gratitude, reverence, adoration, submission, credence, confidence, and obedience, that we cannot withhold them, witliout tlie most manifest injustice. Considering " who He is, and what He hath done for us," except we love him to the full extent of all our natural powers, we do not render him his due ; and if we thus loved him, all contrary affections would be excluded, all inferior affections subordinated. Admiring his excellency, desiring and delighting in him and his favour, being grateful for his kind- ness, and zealous for his glory, with all the energy of our whole souls, it is evident that we should love other objects only for his sake, and according to his will ; no creature could then rival Him in our affections, or prevail with us to neglect his service : and whilst we rendered Him the tribute of ador- ing love and praise, and so glorified Him, we should possess unalloyed felicity in the enjoyment of liis favour. This is the reasonable state in wliich things ouglit to be ; and all that deviate from it is sin, and the effect of man's apos- tacy. In the preceding Essay, some thoughts have been offered on man's pro- pensity to idohitry. To the disgrace of the human understanding, the gros- ser species of it have been very general in the world ; and a more refined and plausible kind of idolatry hath often supplanted it, in those few places where something more rational hath prevailed. W e need not, however, en- large on this violation of tlie first commandment ; or show particularly how the Pagans, and Israel, and some parts of the professing church of Clirist, by worsliipping creatures, have ascribed to them the glory of those attributes which Jehovah incommunicably possesses. This must be allowed to be the grand transgression of this law ; and all pretences to witchcraft, fortune-tell- ing, &c., partake in a measure of the same guilt ; as information or assis- tance are professedly sought from creatures, where God should be wholly depended on, or submitted to. But this spiritual precept reaches much fur- ther. To love, desire, delight in, or expect good, from any forbidden in- dulgence, even in the smallest degree, must be a violation of it : and to suf- fer the most excellent or amiable of creatures to rival God in our affections, must be a proportionable contempt of him. Atheism and irreligion violate this law ; for by them men set up themselves as gods, aspire to independence, reject subordination, and refuse to render homage or worship to any superior being; as if they had created themselves, and were sufficient for their own happiness ! The proud man idolizes himself, and offers incense to his own deity ; and therefore God resisteth him as his rival. The ambitious pay ho- M 186 A IIIIIEF EXPOSITION OF mage to the opinions of men, and seek happiness in their applause, or in such honourable distinctions as they can bestow; the revengeful usurp the throne- of God, and invade his prerogative, to " whom vengeance belongeth." The ^ (I (icovetous dehlcB his weultli ; the sensualist his vile appetites, and the raptu- "^•ous lover his mistress ; he lives on her smiles, his heaven is placed in her favour, and her frown would make him the most wretched of all creatures. Nay, the dwiting husband, or fond parent, may deify the object of their af- fections ; for though they ought to love them tenderly, yet it should be in subordination to the will and glory of God. But no comment can equal the extent of this command : whatsoever con- sists not with the most perfect love, gratitude, reverence, submission, and devotedness of the whole heart to God, is a transgression of it : and it re- quires us to love the Lord, and all his creatures, according to their real wor- thiness ; not more nor less, except as finite beings cannot love infinite ex- cellency in an adequate manner. Obedience to it enthrones the Lord in our judgment and affections ; and the whole of our love being thus given to Him, we should love all others for his sake, and according to the measure that he hath enjoined ; whilst the violation of it destroys this regular subordination, and gives the creatures the throne in our hearts. Well, therefore, may it stand foremost in the decalogue, as our obedience in all other things depends on it : other transgressions injure the subject, and affront the sovereign; but the violation of this law is high treason against the Majesty of heaven ; and it is equally destructive to the happiness of all who transgress it. The expression, " before me," implied, that idolatry could not be kept so secret, but it would be known to the Lord ; it would at all times affront him to his face ; but especially when committed by Israel, who had his glory continually displayed before their eyes. II. The second commandment requii-es us to render him a worship and service, suited to his perfections, and honourable to his name. His incom- prehensible nature caimot be represented by any similitude. The most ex- quisite painting or sculpture can only give an external resemblance of a man : even animal life, with its several functions, cannot be thus exhibited, much less can a likeness be made of the soul and its operations : how dishonour- able then must be every attempt to represent the infinite God, by silver, or gold, graven by art and man's device ! The general disposition of mankind, to form such similitudes of the Deity, proves that low apprehensions of him are congenial to our nature; and the practice hath exceedingly increased the confusion and grossness of men's conceptions concerning him. Only the more stupid of the heathens worshipped the picture or image itself ; others used it as a visible representation of the invisible Numen or Deity : and all that ingenious papists have urged in behalf of their images, is equally appli- cable to Israel's worship of the golden calves, or that of the Ephcsians paid to the image of Diana, which fell down from Jupiter: and as a material im.nge of the Deity is also an affront to the person of Christ, the only ade- quate " image of the invisible God ;" so the worship of saints and angels, as mediators and present deities, by images, in every respect robs him of his mediatorial glory. The commandment does not prohibit the making of all images and pictures for other purposes (as some have ignorantly supposed) : for God commanded several to be made even in the construction of the taber- nacle : but the making of them, in order to men's bowing down before and worshipping them ; so tliat both the image maker, and the image worshipper, are, in this case, involved in the guilt. The prohibition includes every kind of creature, because all are utterly unfit to represent the infinite Creator : and there are some devices common among us, as emblematic of the Trinity, &c., which seem not to accord with the strictness of this injunction. But the spirttual import of the commandment reaches much farther : superstition and human inventions in religious worship, as if they could procure us accep- tance with God, are evident violations of its spirit and intent. The use of things indiffei'ent in religion, without any command from God, leads men's THE TENT COMMANDMENTS. 187 minds to gross conceptions of him, as if he delighted in outward splendour, or external forms ; and it commonly connects with a false dependence, sub- stitutes somewhat in tha place of God's appointments, and issues in usurped authority over men's consciences. But many circumstances of worship must be regulated by human discretion : and every man should judge for himself, which tend to these evils, and which do not, and be f^^indid in judging such as difier from him. Hypocrisy and formality, arising from unworthy appre- hensions of God, together with those delineations of his character that have been described, are certainly here prohibited : and, in short, this command- ment requires us to conceive of God, in all respects, as far as we are able, according to the revelation he hath made of himself to us ; to realize his glorious presence to our minds, by faith, mt by fancy ; to worship him as a Spirit, in spirit and truth, not with corporeal representations of him before our eyes, or low conceptions of him in our minds ; but sincerely, inwardly, with the most fervent affections, and profound reverence of his infinite ma- jesty ; in all his appointed ordinances, and in them alone ; and with fre- quency, as performing a service reasonable in itself, and most pleasant to our own souls, as well as honourable to his great name. The reason given for the prohibition of image worship, shows us, that the Lord is so tenacious of his honour in this matter, (especially in respect of his professed people), that the least approach to it will excite his hottest displeasure ; even as the jealous husband is exasperated, and roused to seek vengeance, by whatever leads him to suspect his wife of adultery. If Israel, or any Israelites, re- volted to idolatry, they would be deemed haters of God ; as the wife would be supposed to hate her liusband, when she preferred every worthless stranger to him : and the national covenant, with its peculiar blessings, being for- feited, the sins of the parents would involve their offspring in their punish- ment, to the third or fourth generation. The mention made of mercy, even to a thousand generations, &c. (that is, through successive ages to the end of time), relates to the law as given in subserviency to the gospel, which was administered to them by their legal expiations and purifications ; and it shows how the Lord delights in pardoning the penitent and blessing the obedient. Thus the natural affection of men for their children should have engaged them to obedience ; and by every tie they were kept close to the in- stituted worship of God, and at a distance from all idolatry. III. The worshippers of the Lord must ha\'e frequent occasion to mention his name, and sometimes it will be requisite for them to call him to witness the truth of their words, or to bind themselves by vows or engagements as in his sight. The third commandment, therefore, prohibits us " to take the name of the Lord our God in vain ;" that is, to use it needlessly, irreve- rently, profanely, or in fraud, dissimulation, and hypocrisy. It forbids all rash and unlawful vows ; and such as relate to things uncertain or impracti- cable. Perjury of every kiiul is the capital transgression of it; for by this men appeal to the omniscient heart-searching God for the truth of what they testify or assert, or their sincerity in what they engage to do ; when they do not know the truth of the one, and are consciously insincere in the other. This is one of the most attrocious and provoking crimes imaginable, though common among us to an inconceivable degree ; being connected with other instances of disregard to this law, by the unnecessary multiplication of oaths in our judicial transactions, even on the most frivolous occasions; and by the extreme irreverence with which they are administered ; for this should always be done, if possible, with all the solemnity of a religious ordinance or act of worship. All appeals to God in common conversation, with such ex]iressions as " the Lord knows," &c. ; when the matter attested is either not true, or not important : all profane cursing and swearing ; all use of the words " God, Lord, Christ," &c., without necessity, seriousness, and reve- rence ; whether in improper religious discourse, or as expletives in talking about other niattors : every expression that takes the form of an adjuration or imprecation, though the name of God be not used ; yea, all that is more M 2 188 A BRIEF EXPOSITION OP thnn yea, yea, nay, nay, in common discoure : all jesting with God's word or sacred things ; aU irreverence to whatever relates to him ; and the use of his tremendous name in religious worship, after a heedless or hypocritical manner ; all these, I say, are violations of the spirit of this lav,-. Moreover, it implies a command to remember, habitually the infinite majesty, purity, and excellency of God ; to behave towards him, in word and deed, with that awe and reverence of his perfections, which become such mean and worth- less creatures, in his infinitely glorious presence. To this law it is added, that " God will not hold the transgressor guiltless." Men may not discover, or neglect to punish this crime ; the sinner's conscience may scarce trouble him about it : but let him know, that God will most certainly detect and punish that atrocious affront which is thus put upon him ; and often with- out the plea of temptation, except men can find pleasure in disobeying and defying their Creator ! IV. The form of the fourth commandment implies, that it had been pre- viously known to Israel, though they were prone to forget it. The separa- tion of a portion of our time, to the immediate service of God, is doubtless of moral obligation ; for his glory and our good, personal and social, temporal and eternal, are intimately connected with it : but the exact proportion, as well as the particular day, may be considered as of positive institution ; yet the proportion of one day in seven seems to have been fixed by Infinite Wis- dom as most proper, in every age of the world ; though the change of the dispensation, at the coming of Christ, and afti-r his resurrection, has occa- sioned an alteration of the day, and an addition to the topics to be peculiarly commemorated and meditated on during the sacred rest. The sabbath among the Israelites was also ceremonial, and therefore it forms a part of that law ; and being-introduced into the judicial law, the violation of it was punishable by the magistrate ; which seems also to be proper in all communities where Christianity is professed. Six days are allowed us for the diligent perfor- mance of our worldly business ; but the seventh is consecrated to the imme- diate service of the Lord. Yet our souls must be attended to, and our God worshipped every day, that our business may be regulated in subserviency to his will. But on these days " we should do all our work," with the ex- ception of works of charity, piety, and necessity alone ; for " the sabbath was made for man." All works, therefore, of avarice, distrust, luxury, vanity, and self-indulgence, are entirely prohibited : our affairs should be previously so arranged, that as little as possible of a secular nature may interrupt the sacred duties of the Lord's day. Trading, paying wages, settling accounts, writing letters, or reading books on ordinary subjects, trifling visits, jour- nies, excursions, dissipation, or converse, which only amuses, cannot consist with " keepir.g a day holy to the Lord :" and sloth is a carnal, not a spiritual rest. The sabbath sliould be a cessation from worldly labour, and rest in the service of God ; serious self-examination, perusal of the Scripture, closet, family, and public worship, instruction of children and servants, meditation, and pious conversation, should occupy our time, from morning till evening ; except as these duties are suspended by attention to such things as really conduce to our own good, or that of others. AU this is obligatory on those •who can do it : but servants and others may be under a rml necesgity of doing things wliich are not nece-fsary in themselves, though liberty of this kind should be preferred to gain ; and good management might often much lessen this evil. M'ere our love to God and spiritual things as intense as it ought to be, we should deem a day thus spent our great delight ; for heaven will be an eternal rest, not essentially differing from it : all our aversion to such strictness arises from " the carnal mind, which is enmity against God :" and the advantages that would accrue from thus hallowing the sabbath, to the morals, health, liberty, and happiness of mankind, are so many and obvious, that they who doubt its obligation often allow its expediency. But men should not only forbear to set their children, servants, or slaves, about any needless work ; but they must with authority require them too to keep holy I THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 189 the Lord's day, which is greatly intended for their benefit : the cattle must also be allowed to rest from the hard labour of husbandry, journies, &c. ; tliougli doubtless we may employ them too, in works of necessity, piety, and charity: and thus they may properly be used for the gentle service of con- veying those to places of public worship, who could not otherwise a'tend, or perform the duties to which they are called. Yet ostentation and self-in- dulgence multiply A'iolations of the Lord's day in this respect. Even stran- gers, residing among us, should be persuaded to hallow, and restrained from profaning the sabbath. It was indeed originaUy instituted in honour of God our Creator ; reasons are elsewhere adduced, which peculiarly respected the Jews, or referred to the cause of humanity: but redemption by Christ, as completed by his resurrection, and the descent of the Holy Ghost, to glo- rify him, are especially commemorated by Christians, whilst they hallow the first of the week, as the Lord's day. This very compendious exposition of the first table of the lav/ suffices to prove its requirements to be very ex- tensive, spiritual, reasonable, and beneficial ; yet it must be owned to be en- tirely contrary to the disposition of our hearts, and diverse from the tenor of our lives; therefore we all need mercy, redemption, and a new creation to holiness, in order that we may please God and be made fit for heaven. We proceed to the second table. V. This commandment of honouring parents must be considered as the abstract of all our relative duties : all other relations spring from that of pa- rents and children, or partake in a measure of its nature ; and this shadows out our relation to our great Creator. Parents are to be honoured, which implies that it is their duty to behave honourably, by performing the several parts of their parental charge, as entrusted with the care of their offspring, both in body and soul ; and by a becoming deportment in all other respects. Yet the children are not absolved from their duty by the parent's sin, for which they must answer to God : and such a limitation, in this and other re- lative precepts, would absurdly constitute all the inferior relations to be judges and lords over their superiors. Children derive their being from their parents ; and they are generally taken care of by them during their helpless infancy and inexperienced youth, with much cai"e, labour, and expense. It is therefore reasonable that they should so long obey them unreservedly in all things lawful ; and afterward.^ in all things that are not manifestly inju- rious to them, though they should be disagreeable. They ought to love tlieir persons; respect their characters, counsels, and instructions; consult their interest, ease, credit, and comfort ; conceal their infirmities, bear with their tempers and humours, alleviate their sorrows, and rejoice their hearts as far as possible : and when they are grown old and incapable of maintaining themselves, they ought even to labour for their support, if they be able, as their parents did for them when infants. In this both parents are equally included, and should be honoured and obeyed, and not in opposition to one another ; which should teach them to set their children an example of im- partiality, and to be harmonious in their conduct towards them. By parity of reason, they who have acted a parent's part, are entitled to a correspon- dent respect and deference : and all the superior and inferior relations have their several reciprocal duties, which may be referred to this command ; but which will be distinctly considered in a separate Essay, on some future oc- casion. The annexed promise of long life, &c., to obedient children, might have a peculiar reference to the covenant of Israel ; yet careful observers of mankind have noted its remarkable fulfilment in other nations ; subordina- tion in the family and community tends to personal and public felicity ; and the dislike which the human heart bears to submission^ renders it proper to enforce it by motives of every kind. VI. This commandment requires us to " love our neighbour as ourselves," in respect of his person and life. Magistrates, as " God's ministers in ex- ecuting vengeance," are, in some cases, commanded to put men to death ; and in others it may be allowable, because conducive to the public good : M3 190 A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF witnesses or executioners may concur in such capital punishments ; we may doubtless take away another's life in defence of our own ; jwrhaps in some cases in defence of our property. Some wars are necessary, and the blood shed in them is not imputed as murder to those that shed it ; yet the g-uUt of it must rest somewhere : and few wars are so entered upon and conducted, as to leave any of the contending parties free from blood-guiltiness. A man may by misfortune kill another : yet God condemns as wilful murder many of those incidents which are called by our law man-slaughter. Furious pas- sion, excited by sudden provocation, or drunkenness, is nowhere in Scrip- ture excepted from the general rule, " He who sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." The duellist is a revengeful murderer of the most atrocious kind : all fighting for wagers or renown violate this com- mand, and the blood thus shed is murder. Whatever, by force or stratagem, deprives another of his life is prohibited : all the slaughter committed by oppressions, persecutions, attempts to reduce to, or confine in, slavery, our uuoifending fellow-creatures, on any pretence whatsoever, is wdful, cruel murder. What then shall we think of the accursed slave trade, which will surely bring vengeance on this land if much longer tolerated ! Even laws, needlessly sanguinary, (as I fear many are in this land,) involve the persons concerned in this enormous guilt : and they who should punish the murderer, and yet suffer him to escape, will be numbered among the abettors of his crime at God's tribunal. It moreover prohibits us to assault, maim, or wound others, or to assist those that do ; to tempt men to crimes that de- stroy their constitutions, or to endanger their lives, either from the sword of justice, or the resentment of the injured party : nay, to entice men, by the prospect of a large reward, to such enterprises and labours as are known generally to shorten life. Many parents and wives are murdered by the gross misconduct of their children or husbands ; numbers will be found guilty of this crime by covetously or maliciously wishing the death of others. The spiritual import of the commandment prohibits all en\y, revenge, hatred, or causeless anger ; all that insulting language which provokes to wrath and murder ; and all the pride, ambition, or covetousness, which prompt to it. Nay, he wiU be condemned as the hater and murderer of his brother, who, seeing his life endangered by the want of food, raiment, medi- cine, &c., and having ability to relieve him, selfishly neglects to do it, (1 John iii. 15 — 17). But the murder of the soul is still more heinous. This is committed by seducing men to sin ; by a bad example ; disseminating poi- sonous principles: terrifying others from religion by persecution, or reviling or ridiculing such as attend to it ; by withholding due instructions, warn- ings, and counsels, especially such as parents owe to their children, or minis- ters to their people : and it is tremendous to think what numbers wiU be thus condemned as the murderers of the souls of men. Nor is suicide to be overlooked, even in this compendium. We were not the authors, and are not the lords, of our own lives : nor may we leave our assigned post, or rush witliout a summons into the presence of our Judge, any more than we may execute vengeance on our neighbour, or send him to God's tribunal. Self- murder is a complication of ingratitude, contempt of the Lord's gift of life, defiance, impatience, pride, and rebellion : it is the most malignant of all murders, and can scarce ever be repented of ; nor is it generally the effect of insanity, (as verdicts, in which perjury is committed from false tender- ness, would lead us to suppose), except as all are insane, who are hurried on by fierce passions and Satan's temptations. That original murderer knows this present life to be the only season in which salvation can be obtained : and therefore he tempts men to such excesses as destroy the constitution, or as render life miserable ; and he urges them on to suicide, that he may destroy body and soul at once, by their hands, not being permitted to do it by his own power. Extravagance, discontent, and despondency should therefore be avoided ; and gratitude, patience, and hope cultivated, that he may be disappointed. In a word, this command requires enlarged benevo- THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 191 lence, kindness, long-suffering, and forgiveness ; and a disposition to seek the welfare in all respects of every human being. VII. This commandment regulates our love to our neighbours, in respect of their purity and domestic comfort ; and requires the proper government of those inclinations which God hath implanted, in order to the increase of the human species. The marriage of one man with one woman was God's original institution (and so it is not merely a civil contract, as some pretend) ; these " became one flesh," inseparably united for helps meet to each other, to promote and share one another's satisfactions, and with united attention to educate their common offspring. The entrance of sin and death made way for the dissolution of this union : a variety of evils began to embitter the relation, and abuses were soon introduced : but though some things were formerly connived at, which accorded not with the original institution ; yet Christ refers his disciples to that, as the standard of honourable marriage, as far as the change of circumstances can admit of it. The force acquired by men's passions, in consequence of sin, renders the " prevention of fornica- tions" one express end of marriage : mutual forbearance and reciprocal com- pliances are now needful and incumbent ; the sorrows of the female sex, as well as the afflictions of life, require peculiar sympathy to alleviate the an- guish of the suffering party ; whilst the separating stroke of death leaves the survivor free to take another companion. We must not tiien define adul- tery, as here proliibited, according to the judicial law of Moses, but by the decisions of Christ ; with which polygamy and divorces (except for unfaith- fulness) are utterly incompatible. It is evident, that marriage (being re- cognized in some appointed way, to distinguish it from illicit connections) gives each party such a property in the other's person and affections, that every violstion of conjugal fidelity, on either side, is adultery, according to the New Testament ; and far more deserves death (if we estimate crimes by the mischief they do) than many that are so punished. All other com- merce between the sexes is prohibited by the spirit of this law ; from the temporary connections, that are formed and dissolved at pleasure, to the lowest scenes of prostitution. The difference between the tempters and the tempted, and other circumstances, vary the degree of guilt contracted; the seducer's character is diabolical : but fornication is in almost every black catalogue in tlie Scripture ; and, however men may be deceived by vain words, its dire effects on tlie human species prove the goodness as well as justice of God in tliis arrangement. Under the word lasciviousness various transgressions ai"e denoted, which cannot be mentioned without offence ; nay, every thing which does not comport with tlie design of marriage, though sanctioned by that name, violates the spiritual meaning of the prohibition. All polluted discoui-se, imaginations, or desires, are condemned by it ; " he that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Writing, publishing, vending, circulating, reading, obscene books ; exposing to view indecent pictures or statues ; or whatever may excite men's passions, must partake of the same guilt : whilst wit, ele- gance, and ingeimity only increase the mischief, wherever the specious poison is administered : and all the arts of dress, motion, or demeanour, which tend to tempt heedless youth ; with all those blandishments, insinuations, amorous looks, &c., whicli subserve seduction, fall under the same censure. In short, the commandment requires the utmost purity, both of the body and soul, in secret as well as before men ; with an holy indifference to animal indulgences, and strict government of all the appetites, senses, and passions : and it en- joins the desire and endeavour of preserving the same disposition and be- haviour in all others also, as far as we have it in our power. VIII. This commandment is the law of love in respect of property. The productions of tlie earth are obtained, and prepared for use, by labour ; this gives property, and that justly descends to the owner's posterity or heirs. From this and similar causes, combining their effects for ages, the difference in men's circumstances originates. That portion which we can honestly 1P2 OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. obtain, is " the bread which God hath given us," with which we should be satisfied. But men's passions crave more, and sloth refuses to labour : hence force and fraud are employed to get possession of the property of others, without their free consent. We need not enumerate those violations of which human laws take congnizance : but men may in various ways break the Divine law, and yet escape present punishment. Fraudulent bargains, which impose on the ignorant, credulous, or necessitous ; abuse of confidence, extortion, exorbitant gain, deceitful combinations to enhance the price of goods, or lower the wages of the poor, wiU be condemned at God's tribunal, as violations of it. The overgrown ravager of nations and provinces, will be condemned as a principal thief and robber, without other distinction. Plun- dering the public, whether by oppressive rulers, and exorbitant exactions ; or by smuggling, evading taxes, &:c. ; contracting debts to support vanity and luxury, in pursuit of some scheme of aggrandizement, or for any thing not absolutely necessary, v»ithout a f;iir prospect of paying them ; taking ad- vantage of humane laws, to evade payment, when the insolvent are again able to do it ; all extravagance, beyond the sober allow ance of man's income ; and slothfulness,or unnecessary subsistence upon charity, are violations of this law, in different ways. Indeed it cannot consist with it to withhold from real ob- jects of compassion proper relief ; or to squeeze the poor so low in their wages, that they can scarce subsist, that men may live in affluence, and en- rich their families. In short, it excludes covetousness, luxury, and the pride of life ; and it requires industry, frugality, sobriety, submission to God's providence, and a disposition " to do to all others," in respect of worldly property, " as we would they should do unto us." IX. This commandment is the law of love, as it respects our neighbour's reputation : though, in the connection of human affairs, the violation of it may affect his property and life ; and beai'ing false witness, in a court of justice among us, may be perjury, robbery, and murder, as well as calumny. In such important concerns, we should testify nothing, of which we have not the fullest assurance ; and every human passion should be watched over, that our evidence may not be warped by them. We should be exact to a word in reporting what we know, and in speaking the truth, and no more than the truth, and equal caution is required in juries, and in the judge who decides the cause. The malicious invention and circulation of slanderous reports, to the injury of a man's character, has a large proportion of the same atro- cious guilt ; to do this in sport is an imitation of the madman, who throws about arrows, firebrands, and death, for his diversion ; to spread such as others have framed, when we suspect them to be false or aggravated ; or even if we suppose or know them to be true, when there is no real occasion for it (such as the detection of a mischievous hypocrite or designing villain) is prohibited by this law: for the practice of retailing injurious reports re- sults from pride, self-preference, malevolence, or conceited affectation of wit and humour. All severe censures, bitter sarcasms, ridicule, harsh judge- ments, ascribing good actions to bad motives, inuendos, misrepresentation, collecting and vending family anecdotes, &c., consist not with it Much transgression of it is found in religious controversy (as well as in other books, as a lie or slander is far worse when printed than when only spoken) ; for bigots of all parties agree in mis-stating the actions, misquoting the books,i and misreporting the words of their opponents. All lies class under the violation of this law ; which are always an abuse of speech, and of our neigh- bour's confidence, and a derogation from the value of truth ; and almost al- ways injurious to mankind. Envy of others' praise runs counter to the spirit of the law ; which requires sincerity, truth, fidelity, candour, and caution ; with a disposition to honour what is honourable in all men, and to be as tender of their reputation as we could reasonably expect them to be of our's, and our feelings will instruct us how far this rule would carry us. X. Lastly, we are commanded, not to covet any thing that is our neigh- bour's. This restriction is placed as the fence of all the rest ; and the MAN'S SITUATION AS A SINNER. 193 apostle's reference to it, (Bom. vii. 7, 8) shows, that it comprises the utmost spirituality of the law ; and it is a perpetual confutation of all those sys- tems by which the outward gross crime is considered as the only violation of the command. We must not so much as desire any thing whatsoever which God forbids, or which his providence withholds : and so far from level- ing propert}', or seizing violently on our neighbour's possessions, we must not so much as hanker after them. The most secret wish for another man's wife violates this precept : but to desire an union with an unmarried woman only becomes sinful when it is excessive, and when the will of God is not submitted to, if he render it impracticable. We may desire that part of a man's property which he is inclined to dispose of, if we only think of equi- table terms : but what he chooses to keep we may not covet. The poor man may desire moderate relief from the rich : but he must not hanker after his affluence, or repine, even if he do not relieve him. Men exposed to equal hazards, may agree to a proportionable contribution to him that suffers loss ; for it accords with the law of love to help the distressed ; and this excul- pates insurance when fairly conducted ; hut all gaming, public or private*, is coveting our neighbour's good to increase our wealth by his loss, and is therefore a direct violation of the command. In fine, discontent, distrust, love of wealth, pleasure, and grandeur, desire of change, the habit of wish- ing, and every inordinate affection, are the evils here prohibited ; and we know them to be the sources of all other crimes, and of man's misery ; and the command requires moderation in respect of all worldly things, submis- sion to God, acquiescence in his will, love to his commands, and a reliance on him for the daily supply of all our wants, as he sees good. We cannot close this explication of the law, (in which we find nothing redundant, de- fective, or injurious, but all things holy, just, and good) more properly, than by the words of our church service, " Lord have mercy upon us," (forgiving all our past transgressions), " and write all these thy laws incur hearts, we beseech thee." ESSAY V. On Man's Situation as a Sinner in this present world. The apostle defines " sin to be the transgression of the law," (1 John iii. 4) ; and whatever in any respect or degree deviates from this perfect rule is sin, and exposes a man to condemnation. " By the law," therefore, " is the knowledge of sin," (Rom. iii. 20) : the better we understand the holy, just, and good commandments of God, the more enlarged will be our acquaintance with the vast variety of sins that are continually committed, as well as with the evil and desert of every transgression ; and a comprehensive knowledge of our whole duty is essential to a just estimate of our own character, or our situation in respect to the eternal world. But we should not only attend to the requirements and prohibitions of the divine law ; its sanctions also demand our most serious consideration. Indeed, the law, strictly speaking (as distinguished from the gospel), is merely a rule and a sanction : a rule formed by infinite wisdom, holiness, and goodness, and enforced by supreme authority ; a sanction to be awarded by immutable justice and almighty power, according to the declarations of eter- « Not exceptiriR lotteries, or even , 6), Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm," &c. And the Psalmist (Psalm cxlvi. 3) saj's, " Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help :" yet nothing can be plainer, than that we are required to put our trust in Christ ; and if he were only the son of man, and had only an arm of flesh, I cannot see how we could trust in him, without in heart departing from the Lord. The form of baptism, into the name of the Fatlier, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, implies a professed dependence for salvation on the Son, and on the Holy Ghost, and a devoted, faithful attachment to them, as well as to the Father. The expression, " believe in the Son of God," im- plies not only an assent to his truths, but a reliance on him for all the bless- ings which he is exalted to bestow. The apostle describes Christians as those " who trusted in Christ," (Eph. i. 12). Faith, or its inseparable eflFect, is com- monly described by " coming to Christ," " receiving him," " abiding in him," &c. : and such expressions must imply application to, and habitual depen- dence on him, even now he is invisible to us, and not present in his human nature. We are commanded to " walk in him," which must include a con- stant reliance on his power, truth, and love, as well as a regard to his au- thority, (Col. ii. 6, 7). " He suffered being tempted, that he might be able to succour us when tempted," (Heb. ii. 17, 18). Does not this teach us to apply to and rely on him in our temptations He promised his disciples a mouth and wisdom, (Luke xxi. 15) : ought they not, therefore, to rely on him to fulfil that promise.'' Can he be our life, unless we depend on him for the life of our souls .<* (Col. iii. 1 — 4). Does he forgive sins ? (ver. 13) and ought not the sinner to rely on him for pardon ? Does he send the Holy Spirit to teach, comfort, and sanctify his people .'' and ought we not to de- pend on him for that blessing.'' Hath he all power in heaven and earth ? and shall we do wrong to trust that power in all circumstances.'' Has he en- gaged to be with his assembled disciples.'' and should they not expect and depend on his gracious presence ? (John xiv. 20 — 21). In short, the believer can do nothing of himself, and " can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth him." " He has communion with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ :" and how can this be, unless he liabitually relies on, and applies to him for every thing ? If men do not trust in Christ, they can ex- perience no communications from him, nor maintain any intercourse with him ; and it is no wonder that they deride those as enthusiasts, who expe- rience what they despise. But surely it would be idolatry to rely on a mere creature^ in the manner that hath been stated ; if then such a dependence oa 213 ON THE DOCTRINE OF Christ be essential to faith, the doctrine of his Deitj' must be essential also ; for no man can reasonably rely on a mere creature to forgive his sins, to sanctify his soul, to raise his body from the grave, and to give him eternal life. To form such expectations from him, we must believe that he is " God over all, blessed for evermore ;" " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever" (Heb. xiii, 8 ; Rev. i, 4; xi, 17). In like manner, the love, which Christ de- mands of us, cannot belong to any mere creature ; we are required to love him more than our nearest relatives, or even than our own lives ; nay, to hate all these, when they come in competition with our love to him, otherwise we are not worthy of him, and cannot be his disciples (Alatt. x, 37 ; Luke xiv, 26). Now, what is this but to love him supremely, and as we should love the Father? Nor are we once cautioned not to let our love of Christ interfere with " that love of God with all our hearts" which the law requires : it is not intimated, that there is any incongruity, disparity, or even distinction, be- tween our love of the Father, and of the Son : nay, the more we love Christ, the greater our love of the Father is supposed to be, and the more shall we be loved of him (John viii. 42 ; xiv. 21 — 24 ; xv. 23.) Tlie decisions of the great day of account are represented as to be awarded by this rule ; they, who have loved Christ, and shown their love to him by kindness to his dis- ciples for his sake, will be considered as true believers and righteous persons : they, who shall be proved not to have loved him, by their neglect of his poor disciples, will be considered as unbelievers, and impenitent sinners, and con- demned to have their portion with the wicked (Matt. xxv. 31 — 46.) But can we suppose, that no mention would on this occasion be made of the love of God, if the love of Christ had been entirely distinct from it, or if it were not certain, that the more we love the Son, the more we love the Father that sent him .'' Thus the apostle's benediction includes all " that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity ;" he denounces an awful curse on every man who does not love him (Eph. vi. 24 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 22 :) and he represents the love of Christ as the constraining principle of all his own devoted labours and ser- vices (2 Cor. V. 14, 15.) Another apostle speaks of the love of an unseen Saviour, as the universal experience of all Christians (1 Pet i. 8 :) and when that apostle denied his Lord, he was thrice interrogated, whether he loved him, before he was re-instated in his pastoral office (John xxi. 15 — 17.) But no such special and pre-eminent love towards an^ one of the mere servants of God is required of us ; nay, the apostle was afraid lest he or his brethren should be put in Christ's place, when he inquired, " was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Cor. i. 13.) Yet our Lord never intimated that there was any danger, lest his disciples should love him, in a degree, that would be derogatory to the rights of God the Father, who is a jealous God, and cannot endure a rival in our affections, but demands our whole heart. How then can Christ dwell in our hearts, as Lord of our affections, if he and the Father be not One ? As therefore we ought to love Christ, even as we love the Father ; it must be necessai-y that we believe him to be the adequate object of that love ; both for what he is in himself, and what he hath done for us ; and thus the docti-ine of his Deity, if true, must be essential ; and unless we believe it, how can we keep clear of the apostle's anathema ? Moreover, we are constantly reminded, that we are not our own but the Lord's ; we are his property, because he made us : and, when by sin we had alienated ourselves, we became his again, " bought with a price, to glorify him, in body and spirit, which are his" (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20 ; x. 31.) Yet the apostles always speak of believers as belonging to Christ ; they are his ser- vants, his purchased flock, his espoused bride (though the Lord of Hosts is called the husband of the church, Isa. liv. 5,) the members of his body, &c. St. Paul says, in one place, that " he was dead to the law, that he might live unto God ; in another, " that he lived no longer to himself, but to him who died for him and rose again ;" and that " Christ died and rose again, that he might be the Lord, both of the living and of the dead" (Rom. xiv. 8, 9 ; OUR LORD S DEITY. S13 2 Cor. V. 14 ; Gal. ii. 19). And he observes, that the Lord Jesus " redeemed us from all iniquity, and purifies us ^lnto himself, to be a peculiar people," &c. (Tit. ii. 14). Could such language as this be properly used concerning services to be rendered to a mere man ? Surely this would be an idolatrous alienation of ourselves from the service of our Maker to devote ourselves to that of a fellow-creature. But if Christ be truly God, one with the Father, then our dedication of ourselves to his service is the same as our devoted obedience to the Father that sent him ; and is no other than the prescribed manner in which, as redeemed sinners, we are required to render it. In short, it must be evident to all who reverence the language of Scripture, that we honour, obey, and worship the Father, when we honour, obey, and worship the Son ,• and that all the glory rendered to the Son redounds to the glory of the Father, " who is glorified in the Son," (John xiii. 31, 32; xvii. 1 — 10 ; Phil. i. 20; ii. 11). Who can believe that it should be the of- fice of the Holy Spirit to " glorify Christ," if it be of little or no conse- quence what men think of his person, or if proper views of it are not essen- tial to Christianity ? or that the apostle, in this case, would have spoken of his " name being glorified" in and by his saints, both now and at the day of judgment (2 Thess. i. 10 — 12). If Jesus were only a mere creature, Je- hovah would give his glory to another, if he inspired his servants to use such language : so that the confidence, love, gratitude, devotedness of heart, and the honour which the Scriptures require us to render to Christ, must be im- practicable, unless we have a proper judgment of his dignity and excellency ; and we must either rob liim of the glory due to his name, or give Jehovah's glory to another, if we mistake in this fundamental matter. IV. The nature of heavenly felicity evinces this. The language of the apostle is emphatical, " To depart hence, and to be with Christ, which is far better for this implies, that the presence of Christ, the discoveries of his glory, and the enjoyment of his love, constitute the happiness for which he longed, (Phil. i. 23 ; John xvii. 21 ); and wherein does this differ from the beatific vision ? But in the last chapters of Revelation, which describe the heavenly state, this is still more plainly declared. He whose name is " Alpha and Omega," says, I will give him tliat is athirst of the water of life freely : he that overcometh shall inherit all things : and I will be his God, and he shall be my Son," (xxi. 6, 7). If any person should explain this passage of the Father, it would only prove, that " the Father and the Son are one ;" for the Son is doubtless called Alpha and Omega, &c. Again, the apostle " saw no temple" in the Nevv Jerusalem, " for the Lord God Al- mighty and the Lamb are the temple of it : and the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb was the light thereof," (xxi. 22, 23). He next saw a " pure river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb," — " neither was there any more curse, but the throne of God, and of the Lamb, shall be in it, and his servants shall serve Mm ; and they shall see face, and his name shall be in their foreheads," (xxii. 1 — 5). Can any thing be plainer, than that the writer of this book believed the Son was one with, and equal to the Father: the fountain of light, life, purity, and felicity ; in whose presence is fulness of joy, and pleasures at his right hand for evermore .'' (vii. 16, 17). It is also manifest, that the worship of heaven is represented as a constant ascription of praise and honour to Christ together with the Father : yet we cannot sing on earth the very words of the heavenly choir, with apparent fer- vour, and unreserved approbation, without danger of being deemed enthu- siasts ; as is manifest from the care taken by many persons to expunge every expression of this kind from their books of psalms and hymns for public wor- .ship, as well as from their other services. Will there then be discordant companies of worshippers in heaven > Or, if all must be harmonious, are we never to learn the song of the redeemed till we come to heaven Or how can we learn this song, if we never come to a settled determination in our minds, whether the Lamb that was slain be worthy of all worship and ho- 214 THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST. nour, or not ? or if it be indifferent whether we adore and expect felicity from him as God, or only respect his memory as a good man ? V. Lastly, the language of authority, which we are certified that our fu- ture Judge will use at the last day, should not pass unnoticed in this argu- ment. As the happiness of heaven is represented under the idea of entering into his joy, and beholding his glory, &c. (Luke xii. 37 ; Matt. xxv. 21) : so the misery of the wicked is spoken of, as a banishment from his presence, and the endurance of his wrath. He will not say, " Depart from God," but " Depart from me," (Matt. xxv. 41 ; 2 Thess. i. 9, 10). And in a figurative description of the great consternation of his enemies, in which is an evident reference to the day of judgment, they are introduced as calling on the rocks and mountains " to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb ; for the day of his great wrath is come, and who is able to r.bide it ?" (Rev. vi. 16, 17). If then we believe that " he shall coaie to be our Judge," it must be of the greatest importance that we know who he is, by whom our eternal state is to be decided. For surely it will be very dreadful for those to meet him ar- rayed in glorious majesty, who, during their whole lives, refused him the ho- nour he demanded, treated his declarations of his personal dignity as false or unmeaning, and continually uttered hard speeches against him ! (Jude 14, 15; Rev. i. 7). If then the season of his coming be " the day of God," (2 Pet. iii. 12), it behoves every one of us to " prepare to meet our God," that we " may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless." But to aU these scriptural demonstrations of the truth and importance of this essential doctrine, some objections are opposed, which are considered as - insurmountable — a few of them shall here be very briefly noticed. It is ob- jected, that the Deity of Christ is inconsistent with the unity of God ; or else, that it is irrational, unintelligible, and contradictory. But doubtless something more than confident assertion is requisite to prove the doctrine of the Trinity to be inconsistent with the Divine Unity. The apostle speaks of the body, soul, and spirit, as constituting the same indi\-idual man (though some perhaps may object to his Lmguag-e ;) but if a man may be three in one respect, and one in another ; do we know so much of God, as to assert it is impossible that somewhat similar, but far superior, and more entire, both in the distinction, and in the unity, should take place in his incomprehensible nature .'' And ought not men to speak more reverently and cautiously on a subject, about which we know nothing more, than what God himself hath taught us ? Especially as so much is spoken in scripture, which appears to have this meaning, that the most of Christians in every age have thus under- stood it. We do not say, that the Deity is Three and One in the same sense ; nor do we pretend to explain or comprehend how God subsists in three Per- sons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ; but we would humbly be- lieve his testimony concerning himself, and adore his incomprehensible ma- jesty. One would scarce have expected that the doctrine should have been ob- jected to, because it is so mysterious ; when the apostle expressly calls it the great mysterj* of godliness. But indeed till we can comprehend ourselves, it is absurd to object to mysteries in those things which relate to the infinite God ! The power of mind over matter is mysterious in the highest degree ; yet our wUl moves our tongues and limbs continually ; and we know not how : so that our own existence, as well as that of God, must be denied, if we admit it not. Mysteries are found in the production of every plant and animal, yea, in the growth of e\ ery blade of grass, which philosophy can never explain. The style of God, in all his works, is mystery ; and shall we sup- pose that his own nature is not, above all, mysterious ? Experiment is al- lowed to be the proper standard of our discoveries of the powers of nature : should not, then, the testimony of God concerning himself, terminate our inquiries concerning his incomprehensible Essence ? For can we " by search- ing find out God ? Can we find out the Almighty to perfection?" If men object Christ's inferiority as Man and Mediator to the Father ; or his growth THE MEDIATORIAL OFFICE OF CHRIST. 215 in wisdom and stature, j&o. ; we answer, that such testimonies, when com- pared with those which ascribe omniscience, &c., to him, demonstrate that he had another nature, in union with his humanity, of which such things are spoken. And " his delivering up of the kingdom of God, even the Father" (1 Cor. XV. 24 — 28,) only establishes the distinction between the absolute and everlasting kingdom of God, as Creator ; and the mediatorial kingdom of Christ, as the Divine Saviour of sinners. As the absolute kingdom existed before sin entered ; so will it exist for ever, after the mediatorial kingdom hath answered its grand design, and is come to an end : but the Son will be One with the Father to eternity, as he was in the beginning, before time was, or creation had taken place. If any person should be convinced, by these plain arguments, of the truth and importance of this doctrine, I would conclude with warning him not to rest in tlie notion of it ; but to apply it practically, by relying on Emmanuel for all things belonging to salvation, and by rendering him that love and honour which are due to his Name. The truth held in unrighteousness can only increase a man's condemnation : but they, who deem it the life of their souls, should endeavour to adorn and promote the knowledge of it, by aU suitable means : remembering, that " the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all men, in meekness instructing them that oppose themselves; if perad venture God will give them repentance to the acknow- ledging of the truth ; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (1 Tim. ii. 34—26.) ESSAY vin. On tlie Nature and Design of the Mediatorial Office, sustained by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Mediation of Christ between a holy God and sinful men has an imme- diate connection with every part of that religion which bears his name : and all, who call themselves Christians, should use great diligence in seek- ing an accurate and adequate knowledge of this interesting subject, as far as they can deduce it from the sacred scriptures. It is, therefore, intended in this essay, to make some observations on Mediation in general ; — to ex- plain the nature and ends of our Lord's Mediation in particular ; — to show in what respects he, and none else, was qualified to sustain such an office ;— and to prove from Scripture, that he is a Mediator, in the sense that will b© explained. The interposition of a Mediator in the affairs of men implies, that some difference or ground of difference subsists between the two parties ; it sup- poses that, at least, one of them has cause of complaint or resentment against the other; and that consequences injurious to one, or both of them, or to those connected with them, may be apprehended if the controversy be not amicably terminated. To prevent these effects, some person, either of his own accord, or at the request and by the appointment of one or both the contending parties, interposes! and endeavours by his authority, influence, or good offices, to effect a pacification on such terms as are supposed to be equitable, or at least not materially injurious to either party : for if a Me- diator should take great care of the rights and interests of one party, and evidently neglect those of the other, he would be justly condemned for act- ing contrary to the design and nature of his office. He should therefore act as the friend of both ; accommodating their differences according to the justice of their claims, and in a manner as satisfactory to each of them, as can consist with equity and impartiality. 216 ON THE MEDIATORIAL In some cases a superior in station or power may assume the office of Me- diator, and by authority induce the contending parties to accept of the terms proposed to each of them. In others, the end may be accomplished by ar- gument, remonstrance, or persuasion : and this is nothing more than con- vincing both parties, that they ought to make, or accept of, such concessions for the sake of peace and their mutual good, as are equitable and reasonable ; and then inducing them to act according to the dictates of their under- standing and conscience. But sometimes (especially when one party is much inferior to the other, and hath been highly criminal or injurious), the office of a Mediator will chiefly consist, in prevailing with the offended superior to accept of such concessions and satisfaction as the other can make, and not to proceed against him with rigour, though he deserve it : and if this can be effected, it only remains for him to prevail with the inferior, or crimi- nal party, to make the required concessions, &c. It may, however, so happen, on some occasions, that the Mediator, out of great love and pity to the offender, may offer to make compensation at his own expense, for the injuries he hath done ; in order that the other party may without loss or dishonour lay aside his purposes of inflicting deserved punishment upon him. Various qualifications would be requisite for persons who should sustain tlie office of a Mediator between two parties at variance, in any of the cases which have been stated : but our attention should principally be fixed upon the last, as it doubtless most accords to the interesting subject which it is intended to illustrate. Should anyone interpose between a sovereign prince and his rebellious subjects, in order to prevail with him to show them mercy, it is obvious that he should himself be free from all suspicion of the least fa- vouring their rebellion ; otherwise his interposition would render him the more suspected. He ought, moreover, to be a person of that rank and cha- racter, or to have done those important services, which entitle him to the confidence of his sovereign, and tend to render it honourable for him, at his instance, to pardon those that deserve punishment. Ever}' one must per- ceive the absurdity of a criminal undertaking to mediate in behalf of his as- sociates in guilt ; nor could an obscure person, of indifferent character, and in no respect entitled to, or possessed of, the affection or confidence of the prince, attempt such an interposition, without manifest impropriety. If a company of men, in any such circumstances, were desirous of thus conciliat- ing the favour of their offended lord, they would naturally turn their thoughts to one of his chief nobles, to some person that had performed sig- nal services with great renown ; or to his principal favourite, (Acts xii. 20) ; or even to his beloved Son, if they had any prospect or hope of obtaining his good offices. And if such a Mediator could be engaged in their behalf, with so firm and cordial an attachment to their cause as to say with Paul, when he mediated with Philemon forOnesimus, " if they have wronged thee, or owe thee aught, put that on mine account ; — I wiU repay it," (Phil. 19, 20) ; and if he really were competent to make good such an engagement ; then his interposition would have its utmost advantage for success. But no Mediator can be fully authorized for his office, unless, by one means or other, both parties allow of his interference ; at least his mediation cannot have its due effect, till they both accede to his terms or plan of accommo- dating their differences. For if one party authorize him to propose certain terms to the other, as the utmost that he will yield ; the whole must yet be frustrated, and the dissension perpetuated, if these terms be pertinaciously rejected; except when the Mediator acts also as an umpire, and compels the parties to accept of his prescribed conditions. There is also an evident pro- priety in a Mediator's standing in such a relation to each of the parties, as to lay a foundation for his being considered as an equal friend to both of them, in all respects in which their rank or the justice of the cause will admit of it ; so that there can be no reason to suspect, that a person, thus situated, will sacrifice the interests or rights of one party, from a partial regard to the other. OFFICE OF CHRIST. §17 These observations concerning the office of a Mediator, as well known among men, may enable us to understand more clearly the doctrine of scrip- ture respecting the Mediatorial Office of Emmanuel : and we may very pro- perly argue from them, in something of the same manner that Paul did from the office of high-priest among the Jews, when he wrote to them concerning the high-priesthood of Christ. This, indeed, was a divinely-appointed type and shadow of the subject that the apostle illustrated and confirmed by it ; whereas our arguments, from the office of a Mediator among men, derive their force from analogy, or the particulars in which the cases coincide : yet as the Lord Iiiniself has represented the office of Christ under the idea of a Mediator, it is manifest that he intended to assist, and not to mislead or con- fuse our apprehensions, by this allusion ; and this authorizes us to make what use we can, with caution and sobriety, of the case alluded to, in order to ex- plain more clearly the subject which is illustrated by it. We must, therefore, in the next place, reflect on the need there was for " a Mediator between God and man." Had the human species never for- feited the favour, or incurred the displeasure of their bountiful Creator, a Mediator could never have been wanted, for he was of himself sufficiently disposed to favour and bless the work of his own hands. Had not man been brought into a state of alienation from God, and had he not been exposed to his just indignation, no reconciliation, and consequently no peace-maker could have been required. The angels in heaven approach their God and Father without the intervention of a Mediator ; and so doubtless did man, before sin had made a breach between God and him. When the first Adam had broken the commandment, and forfeited the covenant of his Creator ; and so sin and death had entered into the world, to pass upon the whole race that was about to descend from him ; then was " the second Adam, the Lord from heaven," promised, to be the Mediator of a new covenant, under the title of " the seed of the woman, who should bruise the serpent's head." Thus the entrance of sin gave rise to the whole plan of a Mediator ; and the malignity or desert of sin alone required such an exalted Mediator, and such a meri- torious mediation, as the scripture reveals and proposes to us. For if a righ- teous and holy God had not viewed sin as so evil in its nature and eifects, that it would be utterly inconsistent with his glory to show mercy to trans- gressors, unless some constitution of this kind were previously formed ; that love, which provided the Mediator, would have sufficed (so to speak) to in- duce him to pardon them without one. We must not, therefore, imagine, that the Mediation of Christ is needful, in order to prevail with God to pity, love, and save sinners : on the contrary, we should consider it as the grand eflFect of his compassion and good will, and as intended to render the exercise of his plenteous mercy consistent with the honour of his justice, and condu- cive to the harmonious display of all his perfections. Men had forfeited their Creator's favour, and deserved his anger, by trans- gression ; they had also lost his holy image, and become vile and miserable, even " vessels of wrath fitted for destruction :" but it pleased their offended Sovereign, " to the praise of his glory," and the discovery of his infinite and everlasting mercy and bounty (for God is Love), to purpose the reconcilia- tion, recovery, and eternal felicity of an innumerable multitude of the fallen race. It did not, however, become him, as the infinitely righteous and holy governor of the universe, to show such favour to the guilty and unholy, without adopting some decisive method of showing his judgment concerning their crimes and deserts : otherwise it might have been supposed, that he did not wholly abhor sin ; that he meant to desist from the demands of his violated law ,- that it needed not to have been made so strict ; that it was not requisite for his rational creatures on all occasions to obey it, or that transgressors should be punished according to its sanction ; antl tliat it was owing to some other cause, than his perfect justice and holy abhorrence of evil, that he so severely executed vengeance on some of his rebellious sub- je^cts. To obviate such conclusions, it became the God of glory to devise O 218 ON THE MEDIATORIAL some plan, according to which, the largest exercise of his pardoning mercy and saving grace might consist with the most affecting display of his aveng- ing justice and hatred of iniquity. For this purpose, as is manifest from the Scriptures, his infinite wisdom and love had formed, and then revealed the plan of a Mediator, through whom a new covenant was arranged and pro- posed to sinners ; according to which, all things pertaining to eternal life are freely bestowed for his sake, on all who apply for them in the appointed way. " Thus the riches of God's mercy have abounded towards us, in all wisdom and prudence," (Eph. i. 7, 8). Through the intervention of a Me- diator sinners are saved, and yet the Lord does not so much as seem to favour sin ; nay, he in the most decisive manner shows his judgment of what punishment it deserves, his holy abhon-ence of it, and his determina- tion in all possible cases, " to magnify his law and make it honourable." If, in discoursing on such subjects, we are constrained to accommodate our language and reasonings to the conceptions and usages of men, we do no more than imitate the sacred writers, and can aptly express our meaning in the words which they have used before us : whereas they who object to such explanations, are obliged to represent the style of Scripture as highly (if not absurdly) figuratii-e, and frequently to caution their disciples against a too literal explanation of it : nay, it costs them much labour, as well as great in- genuity, to furnish such interpretations as accord with their rational systems, and which common readers could never have thought of: and what is this but an insinuation that the sacred writers have used a language extremely suited to mislead and confuse the unlearned and simple part of mankind ? But indeed the apostle has shown at large, (Rom. iii), that the mediation of Clirist was intended especially for this end, that God might be just and the justifier of the believer," " a just God and a Saviour." If we examine the subject more minutely, we shall find, that the media- tion of Christ is of that kind, which required such a person to sustain and perform it as the Scriptures testify him to be. If any one should interpose between an offended sovereign and his rebellious subjects, in order that, for his sake, exemption from punishment, and the g^ant of valuable privileges should be conferred on them ; he must stand high in the estimation of the prince, and be a person of known worth and dignity among all who are ac- quainted with the transaction, otherwise there would be no ground to expect that his requests would be attended to, or any care taken, if they were to manifest the demerit of the pardoned offenders, or the clemency and bounty of their reconciled sovereign. But what man, or mere creature, could thus interpose between the infinite God and the apostate children of men ? Who could have thought of requesting, that for his sake, and at his instance, all the crimes of those who came in his name, should be pardoned, all their wants supplied, and all spiritual and eternal blessings conferred upon them ? Would not such an intrusion have been considered as an act of rebellion, or at least a preference given to the happiness of rebels above the glory of God ? Who, among the angels of heaven, or any of the creatures that God has made, could pretend to personal dignity, excellency, merit, or services, sufficient to authorize such a requisition ? Or how could it have been imagined, that if the Lord did not see good to spare and bless sinners for his own name's sake, he would be induced to do it for the sake of a derived, dependent be- ing, who lived, moved, and existed in and by him alone ? Had it been con- sistent with, or conducive to the display of his glory, to have saved sinners without an atonement, lie would not have wanted any external inducement to do it : if it were not, could any one possibly prevail with him to dishonour himself? Or could any mere created being have undertaken to render the exercise of mercy and grace to sinners consistent with his perfect justice, and the honour of his law ? Alas ! their best services must aU be due for themselves, and on account of benefits already conferred : even their own felicity, strictly speaking, must be gratuitous, not merited : nor hath one of them power to endure the punishment of a single transgression, without fi- OFFICE OF CHRIST. S19 nally sinking under it, for the wages of sin is death. So that it cannot be con- ceived, that the office of a Mediator between God and man, which Christ per- forms, could possibly have been sustained by any mere creature ; or that any of them had sufficient love to have induced him to undertake it for the benefit of the unlioly and rebellious. But when the eternal Son of the Father, — when he who created and upholds all worlds,^r whom aU things were made, and whom aU angels worship, voluntarily engaged himself to mediate a peace between the offended Sovereign of the universe and his sinful creatures : " to the principalities and powers in heavenly places was known — the mani- fold wisdom of God :" and all the holy intelligences that ever have been, or shall be made acquainted with this grand design, must perceive, that his personal dignity and excellence, his ineffable union with, and relation to the Father, as well as his boundless power, love, and holiness, rendered him in all respects the proper person to accomplish it, and bring it to a happy and glorious event ; and that he only was competent for such an undertaking. If a Mediator was to be constituted for such ends as have been stated, it must be proper that the Lord should choose and appoint him to this impor- tant office. " No one taketh this honour to himself, but he that is called of God." A self-appointed Mediator must have been deemed an intruder : the criminals could not I'easonably expect to have the nomination of him ; they iiad no just ground of complaint : the whole design must be formed foi their relief and advantage ; the riglits and glory of God must be first considered and secured in the execution of it ; and he alone could know whom it be- came him to entrust with so vast a concern, as involved in it not only the interests of his universal kingdom, but the eternal honour of his own great name. We know to whom he hath committed tliis office ; and we are sure from the event, that he saw none else in heaven or earth whom he could so properly have appointed to it ; for he does nothing in vain, and would not have sent his only begotten Son on a design which one of his servants could have executed with the same success and advantage. But we may under- stand enough in this matter to perceive that it would have been highly im- proper for the infinite God to have appointed a mere creature to such an of- fice, and to have entrusted his own glory, the salvation of innumerable souls, and the interests of his everlasting kingdom into such hands : in such a cause, " he puts no trust in his servants, and charges even his angels with folly," (Job iv. 18). Yet, at the same time, this Mediator is, in all respects, suited to our case, and worthy of our confidence. If it had been revealed, that God would deal with us through a Mediator, and we had been required to look out for one on whom we could most entirely and unreservedly de- pend, even when eternal happiness or misery was at stake, what could we have done W e could never have entrusted such an important cause in the hands of any mere man : the more we had considered the matter in all its difficulties and consequences, the gi'eater hesitation should we have felt to confide it to the hands of a mere creature, as all are changeable ; and we should have been apprehensive, lest some want of power, love, truth, wis- dom, or constancy should induce a failure, when our eternal aU was at stake. But we could never have thought of such a Mediator as our offended God hath himself provided, appointed, and revealed, " who is the same yester- day, to-day, and for ever," and who is " the true and the holy One," Em- manuel, " God over all, blessed for evermore." Here, then, we can have no ground for fear : unbelief alone can hesitate. He whose power sustains the universe, is able to save our souls in all possible cases. He who is worthy to be entrusted with tlie rights of God, and the eternal glory of his name, must also be worthy to be entrusted with our immortal interests (for our rights in this respect are all forfeited) : and he who, perfect in justice and purity himself, could so pity and condescend to guilty, polluted creatures, as to un- dertake such an office wholly for their benefit, cannot want love to accom- plish whatever is wanting for the eternal salvation of all who accept of his mediation. 02 220 MEt)IATORIAL OFFICE OF CHRIST. But the appointed method in which this gi*eat Mediator performs his most gracious design, hath laid a still more firm foundation for our unshaken con- fidence. It was proper that the terms of our reconciliation should he pro- posed by the Lord himself; and as these related to the Mediator, they re- quired him to assume our nature into personal union with his Deity, that, as " God manifest in the flesh," he might stand related to us also, in the most intimate manner, as our brother, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh ; that so he might properly represent us, undertake our cause as interested in it by the ties of one common nature, and encourage our most unlimited con- fidence in his compassion and love. Thus hath he humbled, emptied, and impoverished himself ; as they, in behalf of whom he mediated, " were par- takers of flesh and blood, he also took part of the same :" " he is not ashamed to call them brethren :" and now, as his union with the Father, in the di- vine nature, renders him a proper person to vindicate his rights, and dis- play his glory ; so, in virtue of his union with us in the human nature, we may most cheerfully rely on him to take care of our immortal souls. This also shows the propriety of his interposing in our behalf ; for some connec- tion or relation is supposed to subsist between the Mediator and those for whom he acts ; else, why does he solicit favour for them, rather than for others in similar circumstances .i* And even if the plea be supported by some payment or satisfaction made, it seems proper that there should be a ground on which to determine for whom this should be done, and to whom the benefit of it should belong. When, therefore, the Son of God undertook the office of Mediator between God and man, he took not on him the nature of angels, as he meant not to mediate on their behalf ; but he assumed the human nature : and this i-enders it very obvious and natural for us to con- clude, that all he did and suffered on earth, and all he now performs in heaven, in the character of Mediator, was exclusively intended for the bene- fit of men, whose nature he bears, for whom he mediates, and to whose account the whole will be imputed, that is, to such of them as accede to, and avail themselves of his mediation. For this also must be taken into the account, as if men who have this divine constitution stated to them, with suitable evi- dence, do not approve of tlie Mediator, but reject his mediation, they of course exclude themselves from the benefit of it. We shall, in the two fol- lowing Essays, consider more particularly the righteousness and atonement of our great Mediator, and his continual intercession in heaven for us. It is indeed almost it^ipossible to discourse in general concerning his mediation, without in some degree adverting to these subjects, but it would be improper any farther to anticipate them in this place. It does not seem necessary to attempt a laboured proof, that our Lord's mediation is of that nature, and instituted for the purposes which have been stated. The general language of Scripture conveys this idea of it, to those who understand and believe it in its obvious and literal import. In particu- lar, the scope of St Paul's reasoning in the epistle to the Hebrews, esta- blishes the doctrine under consideration. Was Moses a typical mediator, at the giving of the law, that through his intervention the national covenant might be ratified between God and the people .'' This only shadowed forth a better covenant, founded on better promises, which Christ hath mediated between the Lord and his spiritual Israel : and " this person was counted worthy of more honour than Moses, being a Son over his own house, which he had builded ; whereas Moses was no more than a servant," or even a part of the house itself (Heb. iii. 1 — 6). Were the high priests, of the order of Aaron, typical mediators between God and the people, in virtue of their pei-- petual sacrifices, and burning of incense ? The insufficiency and unprofi- tableness of such mediators, and all their sacrifices and services, must be shown, to make it manifest that another priest must arise, after another order, whose dignity, excellency, and invaluable ministrations might really eff'ect those ends which the other merely prefigured and represented as in a picture, or rather as an indistinct and feeble shadow. So that through MERITS AND ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. 221 Him, access was given to believers, to the mercy-seat of God, in the holy places not made with hands ; whereas, before, the very shadow of this bless- ing was concealed by the veil ; and none might approach to it on pain of deatl), but the high priest alone ; nor he more than one day in a year, with the blood of the sacrifices, and the burning of incense. What do all these arguments (which fill up more than half this epistle) signify, but that Jesus IS such a Mediator as hath been described ? The apostle says, " that there is one Mediator between God and man ; even the man Christ J esus" (1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.) No doubt he is truly man, and performs his mediation in human nature ; for he assumed our flesh for this very purpose ; but the apostle, by declaring him to be the one Mediator, excludes all other media- tors. Moses, and the priests of Aaron's line were, in a certain sense, me- diators between God and man ; and every believer, when he prays for others, in some degree interposes his requests between God and them, to seek mercy in their behalf. Yet Christ is the only Mediator ; because he alone is capable of, and appointed to perform such a mediation as hath been described, in virtue of his personal dignity and the ransom he hath made. " Through him we have access to the Father." He " is our Peace-maker " our Ad- vocate with the Father." He says, " 1 am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father but by me," (John xiv. 6.) So that no man ever did, or ever will, find acceptance with God, who rejects Christ's mediation. We must come to God in his name, asking all blessings for his sake, and presenting all our services by his hands, and through his interces- sion, even " giving thanks to God and the Father through him." In this view of the subject, we may consider Clirist as the Mediator be- tween God and man, in such a sense, that no sinner on earth can be found to whom we may not propose all the benefits of his mediation, provided he truly " come to God by faith in Christ whereas fallen angels, and those men who have died in their sins, are wholly excluded from this benefit by the very constitution of the covenant which he mediated. On the other hand, all other mediators, and all attempts to approach God without a Me- diator, are an affront both to the Father and the Son ; even as the sacrifices which Israelites offered contrary to the law were an abomination to the Lord. As, therefore, we must shortly meet our offended Sovereign at his awful tri- bunal, let us now avail ourselves of this inestimable appointment; and con- stantly approach his throne of grace, through our faithful and merciful " High-priest and Mediator ; that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need." ESSAY IX. On the Merits and Atonement of Cljrist. The opinion, that the Deity might be appeased by expiatory sacrifices, has been very widely diffused among the human race ; and the attempt has ge- nerally been made by shedding the blood, and burning a part of the body of some useful animal. This notion and practice seem very remote from the dictates of our natural reason : and it is extremely improbable, that they should have been the result of man's invention. We may, therefore, most rationally conclude, that it is wholly the doctrine of revelation, and the aj)- pointment of God, handed down by tradition from the progenitors of our race, to the several branches of their posterity ; and it is certain tliat we meet with it in the Bible, immediately after the entrance of sin. When Cain's oblation of the first fruits of the earth was rejected, and Abel's sacri- fice of the firstlings of the flock was accepted ; we may naturally conclude, that the latter was presented according to the Divine appointment, and that 222 ON THE MERITS AND the former was not. But if we inquire into the reason of this appointment, the practice of the patriarchs, &c., and the multiplied precepts in the Mosaic law, as to this particular ; we shall not easily arrive at any satisfactory solu- tion, except we admit the doctrine of Christ's atonement, and suppose them to refer to him, as the substance of all these shadows. I shaU, therefore, in this essay, endeavour to explain, illustrate, and prove this doctrine, and to show its importance in the Christian religion. The rules and general usages respecting expiatory sacrifices, under the Old Testament, may assist us in understanding the nature of our Lord's atonement, of which they were types and prefigurations (Heb. x. 1.) The offender, whose crimes might be thus expiated, was required, according to the nature of the case, to bring " his offering of the flock, or of the herd, to the door of the tabernacle." The very nature of the animals appointed for sacrifice was significant ; not the ferocious, the noxious, the subtle, or the unclean ; but such as were gentle, docUe, and valuable ; and none of these were to be offered, but such as were " without blemish," or perfect in their kind. The offender was directed to bring an offering, in which he had a property, to be presented unto God, and thus substituted in his stead, for this particular purpose. He was then " to lay his hands upon the head" of the sacrifice, which denoted the typical translation of guilt from him, by the imputation to the substituted animal. This is generally thought to have been attended by a confession of his sins, and prayers for pardon, through the acceptance of his oblation : and doubtless it implied as much, and would be attended at least with secret devotions to that effect by every pious Is- raelite (Lev. i. 4; iii. 2; iv. 4; xvi. 21.) The priests were next employed " to shed the blood of the sacrifice :" which, being the life of every animal, was reserved to make atonement, and was therefore not allowed to be eaten, under the Old Testament dispensation (Gen. ix. 4; Lev. xvii. 11.) After- wards, the body, or a part of it, as the fat, &c., were burned upon the altar with the fire which came immediatel_v from heaven, both at the opening of the tabernacle worship, and afterwards at the consecration of Solomon's temple (Lev. ix. 24 ; 2 Chron. vii. 1 — 3.) Now, who can help perceiving that this fire represented the avenging justice of God (who is a consuming fire ;) and tliat, when it consumed the harmless, unblemished sacrifice, whilst the guilty offerer escaped, it aptly prefigured the way of a sinner's salvation, through the expiatory sufferings of the spotless Lamb of God ? The animal's violent death, by the shedding of its Wood, denoted the offender's desert of temporal death ; and the subsequent burning of its fat, or flesh, showed him to be exposed to future vengeance : but then, they represented the guUt and punishment, in both respects, as translated from him to the sacrifice, which bore them in his stead ; and the whole ceremony, which concluded with the sprinkling of the blood, and in many cases its application to all those things that pertained to the worship of God, evidently typified the believer's deli- verance from guilt and punishment, from the sting and dread of death, and finally from death itself, from sin, and all its consequences ; the acceptance of his person and services, and his participation of eternal life and felicity, through " him who loved him, and washed him from his sins in his own blood," &c. These appointments were varied, in divers particulars, as they respected the several kinds of sacrifices : but most of them coincided in the grand out- lines here mentioned. The paschal lamb, the flesh of which was roasted and eaten, &c. ; and the bodies of the sin offerings for the congregation, &c., which were burned without the camp, form the principal exceptions ; but these variations serve to illustrate the several parts of that great subject which was exliibited by them. Even the thank-offerings and peace-offerings, though evidently typical of the believer's spiritual worship and communion with God, and with the saints, were all attended with the shedding and sprinkling of the blood, and the burning of the fat of the sacrifice on which they feasted. Nay, the very purifications with water (the emblem of sane- ATOxVEMENT OF CHRIST. 223 tification ;) the re-admission of a leper Into the congregation ; the consecra- tion of a priest ; the performance of a Nazarite's vow, &c. were, in different ways, connected with the same observations. " Almost all things were purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there was no ren^iission" (Heb. ix. 22.) So that this ran through the whole ritual law, and was interwoven with every part of the worship performed by the ancient church of God. We need not be surprised, that they who overlook the typical import of the ritual law, or doubt of the atonement of Clirist, should either consider these institutions as " an overgrown mass of trivial ceremonies or attempt to account for them from the policy of Moses ; or trace them from the cus- toms of the surrounding nations. But indeed the Israelites were expressly forbidden to imitate the Gentiles, and several institutions in the law were intended to keep them at a distance from their superstitions : and if any agreement be found in other respects, it is far more reasonable to suppose, that the Gentiles borrowed their usages from the Israelites, than that the Israelites were encouraged or required to copy the worship of idolaters ; and the epistle to the Hebrews sufficiently proves to all who read it as the word of God, that these ceremonies were shadows or types of the redemption by Je- sus Christ, in its several parts. Indeed some persons of great eminence in their line, would persuade us that the penmen of the New Testament accom- modated their language on this subject to the usages of the Jews ; and ra- ther wrote agreeable to vulgar notions and prejudices, than according to the true nature of their subject. This must mean (if it mean any thing more, than at any rate to evade an argument which cannot be answered,) tliat the apostles were mistaken, or that they wilfully misled mankind : and we may safely infer from this method of reasoning on such a subject, that the divine inspiration of the New Testament in general, of the epistles in particular, and especially of that to the Hebrews, must be given up by all who persist in denying the real atonement of Christ, whenever this argument is used against them with energy, by some able and zealous controversialist ; or at least, they must be forced to betake themselves to evasion, and other inge- nious ways of losing sight of the precise point which is contested with them. As every one of the grand divisions of holy Scripture carries along with it the evidence of its own divine original, so it may not be unseasonable to observe, that this is particularly the case with the books of Moses, which some have lately affected to speak of, as a respectable ancient composition, &c. ; yet with very plain intimations that they .ire not to be regarded as of divine inspiration. But are not the prophecies contained in these books, fulfilling even to this day, in the state of the Jewish nation, and of the pos- terity of Ham ? Did not our Lord quote them as the unerring word of God, and not merely as the words of Moses ? (Matt. iv. 4, 7, 10 ; xxii. 31, 32 ; Luke xxiv. 27, 44). And can any man believe in Christ, who speaks of those books as a human composition which he quoted, and by quoting, au- thenticated as the oracles of God ? But it is most to our present purpose to observe, that the astonishing coincidence between the types of the law, and the language used concerning Christ, by his apostles, &c., establishes the authority of the books of Moses along with that of the New Testament, so that they cannot be separated ; as well as teaches us tlie real meaning of them. If attempts to lessen our regard to this part of Scripture be not the covert attacks of infidelity, most certainly they are calculated to subserve its cause. " Known unto God are all his works from before the foundation of the world." What man of common sense, therefore, if not warped by prejudice, can suppose that the Lord, having appointed a number of ceremonies, with- out any reference to a future dispensation, and not suited to give mankind any just views of it, but the contrary, should afterwards so arrange that dis- pensation, or at least leave his servants so to speak of it, as to lead men to form notions more conformed to those antiquated rites, than to its real na- ture ? Who can believe, that this new revelation should be made in such Ian- 224 ON THE MERITS AND guage as must give believers erroneous views of it, unless they are extremely careful how they understand it ; make large allowances for the prejudices of education, &c., in those who first propagated it ; and employ much ingenious labour to discover the truth, by divesting it of the numerous metaphors un- der which it lies concealed or obscured ? Surely, if we allow the Scriptures to be the word of the unerring, unchangeable, and all-wise God, we can scarce speak of such a method of interpretation, without failing of that re- verence which we owe to his Divine Majesty. Does an architect, when about to erect a magnificent edifice, purposely arrange his plan to suit some inconvenient scaffolding which happens to be upon the spot, having been raised on another occasion ? Or, if he build according to a scaffolding pre- viously made by his directions, is he ever supposed to form the plan of his structure for the sake of tlie scaffolding ? Or does any one doubt, that the scaffolding was raised to suit the plan that he had drawn for his intended building ? And is it not almost infinitely more rational to suppose, that the Mosaic law was arranged, with a reference to the future revelation of the gospel ; than to suppose, that the gospel was obscured, and even mis-stated, that it might be made apparently to accord to the abrogated ceremonies of the law ? But, though " without shedding of blood, there was no remission" of sins, under the old dispensation ; yet " it was not possible that the blood of buUs and of goats should take away sin," (Heb. x. 4.) If the question should be proposed to a Socinian, why " this was not possible ?" he might perhaps find it not very easy to give a direct and satisfactory answer. But if we allow (according to the idea of " no remission without shedding of blood,") that the necessity of an atonement, in order to forgiveness, origi- nates from the infinite holiness and justice of God, and the intrinsic evU and desert of sin, and the consequent impossibility that he could pass by sin, without showing his abhorrence of it, and determination to punish it accord- ing to its demerit ; we shaU readily perceive, that nothing could render it consistent with the Divine glory to pardon and save sinners, which did not exhibit his justice and holiness in as clear a light, in shewing them mercy, as these attributes would have appeared in, had he executed the threatened vengeance. And if this were the case, however it might suit the designs of Infinite Wisdom, to appoint the sacrifices of lambs, bulls, goats, &c., as types and shadows, means of grace, or conditions of temporal remission ; yet they could not possibly take away the guilt of sin ; because they were not adequate exhibitions of the infinite justice and holiness of God. For what proportion could the death of an animal bear to the remission of that guilt, which merited the eternal punishment of an immortal soul.-* Or how could rational creatures behold, in such an observance, God's holy hatred of sin, and love of sinners .'' The same reasoning is conclusive, in respect of the vicarious sufferings of any mere man, or mere creature. Suppose it were right that one creature should bear the punishment merited by another ; and any one could be found free from guilt, and willing to be substituted in the place of his guilty fellow-creature : j'et he could only answer, one for one, body for body, life for life, soul for soul ; his temporal sufferings could only answer to the temporal release of the condemned criminal ; but could not be an adequate ransom for this immortal soul from future punishment ; much less could it expiate the guilt of the unnumbered crimes of many mil- lions. Should it be said, that this might be, if God had so appointed ; I answer, that God appointed the sacrifice of buUs and goats ; yet it was im- possible that they should take away sin ; and for the reason before assigned, it was impossible that God should appoint them, as more than a type of the real atonement. But no mere man can be found, who has not himself de- served the wrath of God ; no one's body and soul are his own ; no mere creature could be willing to bear the vengeance of heaven for another, if he might ; and none might if he would : it may be our duty to lay down our lives for our brethren ; but it cannot be allowable for us to choose to be ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. 225 eternally unholy and miserable. The eternal Son of the Father, therefore, seeinfj that no other sacrifice could suffice, said, " Lo, I come, to do thy will, O God," Sec. (Heb. x. 4- — 10.) I do not say, that the Lord could not have devised some other way of redemption ; but we can conceive no other, by which perfect justice and purity could harmonize with boundless mercy ; and as Infinite ^Fisdom gave this the preference, we are sure that it was in itself most eligible. The dignity of the Divine Redeemer, as One with the Father in the unity of the Godhead ; his eternal relation to the Father, as the adequate object of his infinite love ; his appointment to, and voluntary susception of his office ; his incarnation and consequent relation to us in the human nature ; the perfect purity of his manhood ; the complete obedience of his whole life, amidst all kinds of difficulties and temptations ; the tortures and ignominy of his death ; the entire resignation and meek- ness with which he suffered ; the principle from which his obedience and submission sprang ; and the end to which the whole was directed ; when they are duly considered and estimated, will combine to shew that he more hon- oured the law of God and its awful sanction by his righteousness and atone- ment, than if all men had either perfectly obeyed, or finally perished. When the Father was pleased thus to wound and bruise his well-beloved Son for the transgressions of his people, his judgment of the evil and desert of sin ap- peared most illustrious : when his love to sinners was shown to be incon- ceivably great, he would rather lay the load of their guilt and punishment on him in whom his soul delighted, than pardon them without testifying his abhorrence of their crimes. No encouragement could thus be given to others to venture on sin : no other sacrifice of this value and efficacy could be found : all must see, that punishment was not the arbitrary act of an in- exorable Judge, but the unavoidable result of perfect holiness and justice, even in a Being of infinite mercy. Thus every mouth will at length be stopped, or filled with adoration ; every heart impressed with awe and asto- nishment ; every hope taken away from the impenitent and presumptuous ; and the glory of God more fully manifested in all his harmonious perfections, than by all his other works, judgments, and dispensations. The story of Zaleucos, prince of the Locrians, is well known : to show his abhorrence of adultery, and his determination to execute the law he had enacted, con- demning the adulterer to the loss of both his eyes, and at the same time to evince his love to his Son, who had committed that crime ; he Killingly sub- mitted to lose one of his own eyes, and ordered one of his son's to be put out also. Now what adulterer could hope to escape, when power was vested in a man, whom neither self-love, nor natural affection in its greatest force could induce to dispense with the law, or relax the rigour of its sentence ? 'J'hus the language both of the Father and of the Son in this way of saving sinners manifestly is, " Let the law be magnified and made honouralde," in the sight of the whole universe. I would not embarrass these brief Essays by any thing superfluous or du- bious : yet it seems to fall in with the design of them to observe, that the reward of righteousness is not annexed to a mere exemption from sin (for Adam on the day of his creation was free from sin) ; but to actual obedience during the appointed term of probation. So that the perfect righteousness of Clirist was as necessary as the atonement of his death, to his mediatorial work on earth ; not only as freedom from personal guilt was requisite in or- der to his bearing and expiating the sins of his people ; but also as the meri- torious purchase of their forfeited inheritance ; that the second Adam's be- nefit might answer to the loss sustained through the first Adam. His was however a suffering obedience, and so expiatory ; his death was the highest perfection of obedience, and so meritorious. We need not therefore very exactly distinguish between tliem ; yet it is proper to maintain, that the be- liever is pardoned because his sin was imputed to Christ, and expiated by his sacrifice ; and that lie is justified and made an heir of heaven, because Christ " brought in an evci'lasting righteousness,^' " which is unto and upon 226 ON THE MERITS AND nil them that believe, without any difference." Our Lord did not indeed bear all the misery to which the sinner is exposed : not beintr personally guilty, he could not endure the torments of an accusing conscience ; know- ing that he should triumph, and reign in glory, he could not feel the hor- rors of despair ,• and his infinite dignity rendering him able at once to make an all-sufficient atonement, it was not requisite that his sufferings sliouldbe eternal, as ours must otherwise have been. But he endured the scorn, rage, and cruelty of men, and all which they could inflict ; the utmost malice of the powers of darkness ; and the wrath and righteous vengeance of the Fa- ther ; he bore shame, pain, and death in all its bitterness ; and what he suf- fered in his soul during his agonies in the garden, and when he exclaimed on the cross, " My God ! my Ood ! why hast thou forsaken me ?" we can- not conceive ; only we know that " it pleased the Lord to bruise him " the sword of vengeance awoke against him," and the " Father spared him not." We may therefore conclude, that he endured as much of that verj' misery ■which the wicked will endure from the wrath of God, and the malice of the infernal powers as could consist with perfect innocence^ supreme lover and hope of speedy and final deliverance. Many objections have been made to this doctrine of a real atonement, and a vicarious sacrifice for sin, as if it were irrational or unjust, or gave an un- amiable view of the Divine character ; or as if it were unfavourable to the cause of morality and virtue : and great pains have been taken to explain away the language of holy Scripture on this subject, as if it implied not any of those things which the unlearned reader is apt to infer from it. It can- not be expected, that I should give a particular answer to each of these ob- jections which result rather from the state of men's hearts, than from any solid grounds of reasoning ; but it may suffice to observe in general, that " God hath made foolish things the wisdom of this world ;" that " the na- tural man recelveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolish- ness to him and especially, that '•' the preaching of the cross is foolish- ness," in the abstract, " to them that perish :" adverting to such testimo- nies of the Holy Spirit, we shall know what to think concerning those ex- clamations of irratimial and absurd, which many of those who are w ise in this world, and in their own eyes, employ in opposing the doctrine of the atone- ment. Nor can there be any injustice in this statement of it ; for if one who was both able and willing to do it, was pleased to ransom his brethren from deserved eternal luin, by enduring temporal sufferings and death as their Surety, what injustice could there be in accepting such a vicarious satisfac- tion for sin .f* And how can that doctrine give an unamiable view of the Deity, which shows him to -be infinite in righteousness, holiness, love, mercy, faithfulness, and wisdom ; and displays all these, and every other conceiv- able moral excellency, in full perfection and entire harmony It can only appear so to sinners, because justice and hoUness are not amiable in the eyes of the unjust and unholy. Or how can that doctrine be prejudicial to the cause of morality, which furnishes the most powerful motives and encou- ragements to holiness, and shows sin in all its horrid deformity, and with all its tremendous effects ; and which has uniformly done more to " teach men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world," than all other expedients besides have even ap- peared to do .'' Let us then proceed to state a few select arguments, which demonstrate, that the doctrine, as it hath been explained and illustrated, is contained in the holy Scriptures. I. The language used in them is decisive. It is not only said, that Jesus " redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us," (Gal. jii. 13) ; " that he suffered once for sins, the just for" (or instead of) " the unjust," (1 Pet. iii. 18) ; but that " he bare our sins, in his own body on the tree ;" and " was made sin for us," (2 Cor. v. 20 ; 1 Pet. ii. 21). Tlie pro- phet, speaking above seven hundred years before, " of the sufferings of ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. 227 Christ, and the glory that should follow," (Isaiah lii>) ; having observed, that '•' he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows," " was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities," shows the reason of this, by adding, that " the Lord laid, or caused to meet, upon him the iniquity of us all :" so that " it was exacted and he became answerable," according to the genuine meaning of the next words, (ver. 7). Thus he would " justify many, for he wonld hear theiv iniquities," and not merely the punishment due to them. W e may in many cases say, that the innocent suffers for tlie guilty, when one is exposed to loss or pain by means of another's fault, or for his benefit ; but can it be said with propriety, that the Lord lays upon the innocent sufiFerer the iniquity of the oifender, or that the latter bears the sins of the former, when no translation or imputation of guilt is intended, and no real atonement made If so, what words can convey the idea of im- putation and atonement What determinate meaning can tliere be in lan- guage.'' Or what doctrine can be deduced with certainty from the sacred oracles ? The expressions ransoni. redemption, 'purchased, bought with a price, propitiation, and several others, support this doctrine. II. The testimony of John Baptist, " Behold the Lamb of God whicli taketh away the sin of the world," (John i. 29), contains a very conclusive argument on this subject. Whatever other reasons may be thought of for a lamb being the selected emblem of the Lord Jesus, he could not as a lamb " take away sin," except " by the sacrifice of himself :" his teaching, rule, and example, have some effect, in different ways, in reforming mankind ; and the influences of the Spirit sanctify the believer's heart : in these respects he may be said in some sense to take away sin ; but as a lamb, he could only take away the guilt of it by giving himself to be slain, that he might " re- deem us to God with his blood," being the antitype of the paschal lambs and daily sacrifices, even " the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." III. When the apostle argues (1 Cor. xv. 17), that " if Christ were not risen, the Corinthians were yet in their sins," what could he mean, but that, as nothing could prove the reality and efficacy of Christ's atonement, except his resurrection ; so nothing could take away their guilt but that atonement For their reformation and conversion to the worship and service of the true •God was a fact which could not be denied, whatever men thought of the doc- trines in question. IV. The same apostle says, that " Christ will appear the second time witlmd sin," &c. (Heb. ix. 28). " But did lie not appear the first time with- out sin ? What then is the meaning of this opposition, that at liis first com- ing he bare our sins, but at his second he sliall appear without sin ? The words can have no other imaginable sense, but tliat at his first coming he sustained the person of a sinner, and suffered instead of us ; but at his second coming lie shall appear, not as a sacrifice, but as a Judge." (Tillotson). V. The apostolical method of exhorting men to lioliness evinces the same point. They uniformly draw their arguments, motives, and encouragements from the cross of Christ ; " His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree ; that we being dead to sin, miglit live unto God :" " ye are bouglit with a price, therefore glorify God with your bodies and spirits, which are his," (see also 2 Cor. v. 14., 15 ; Eph. v. 1, 2, 25, 26 ; Tit. ii. 11 — 14 ; 1 Pet. i. 13 — 20). This is the distinguishing peculiarity of their exhortations, in which they differ from all others who have attempted to excite men to vir- tue or morality. VJ. The appointment of the Lord's Supper, in remembrance of the body of Christ broken, and his blood poured out, and as « representation of tlio manner in wliicli we become interested in the blessin^'i* of liis salvation, even " by eating his flesli, and drinking his blood," (John vi. 48 — 58), is a conclu- sive argument on this subject ; but it must be referred to a future Essjiy, when it will be fully discussed. At present I shall only call the reader's se- rious attention to the words of our Lord, when he instituted tliis ordinance ; 228 MERITS AND ATONEMEXT OF CHRIST. This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many, for the re- mission of sins." Lastly, The songs of the redeemed in heaven, even of those who had come out of great tribulation, and shed their blood for Christ's sake, may well close these few brief but unanswerable arguments of this doctrine. With- out one discordant voice, they ascribe their salvation to " the Lamb that ■was slain, who hath redeemed them to God with his blood " who hath washed them from their sins in his own blood," &:c. But in what sense could the Lamb that was slain wash them from sin with his blood, unless he were truly and literally an atoning sacrifice for them ? And this shows us, of what vast importance this doctrine is in the system of Christianity ; and that it is indeed essential to it t for he who denies or overlooks it, cannot have the same judgment of the Divine character and law, or of sin, that others have ; he cannot approach God in the same way, or with the same plea ; he cannot exercise a repentance or faith of the same kind ; he cannot feel him- self under the same obligations, act from the same motives, pray, thank, and bless God for the same things, or have the same reasons for meekness, patience, gratitude, humility, &c. &c. ; and finallv, he cannot be fit for the same heaven, but would dislike the company, dissent from the worship, and disrelish the pleasures and employments of those, who ascribe all their salva- tion to God, and to the Lamb that was slain. And is not this sufficient to prove, that he cannot possess the faith, hope, love, and joy, which are pecu- liar to the religion of the crucified Emmanuel ? But it is also to be feared, that numbers assent to this most important doc- trine, who neither understand its nature and tendency, nor are suitably in- fluenced by it. The cross of Christ, when contemplated by an enlightened mind, most emphatically teaches the perfect glory and beauty of the Divine chai-acter ; the obligations, reasonableness, and excellency of the moral law ; the value of immortal souls, the vanity of earthly distinctions, the misery of the most prosperous transgressors, the malignity of sin, the lost estate of mankind, the presumption of every self-righteous hope ; the inestimable value of that foundation which God hath laid ; the encouragements given to sin- ners to return to, and trust in him, and their obligations to serve and obey him, as their reconciled Father and Friend. He therefore who truly be- lieves this doctrine, and Mho glories in the cross of Christ alone, will habi- tually give the concerns of etarnity a decided preference to every worldly ob- ject ; he will have an earnest desire to promote the salvation of souls, espe- cially the souls of those who are most dear to him ; he wiU be crucified to the world and the world to him ; he wiU repent of, hate, and forsake all his sins, and seek the crucifixion of every sinful passion ; he will admit of no other hope of salvation, than that which rests on the mercy of the Father, through the atonement of the Son; he will deem it his privilege, honour, and pleasure to live to him, who died for him and rose again : the example and love of Christ wLU reconcile him to reproach, self-denial, and sufi'ering for righteousness' sake, and dispose him to forgiveness, love of enemies, pa- tience, &c., and whatever can adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. Whilst we would therefore " contend earnestly for the faith once deli- vered to the saints," we would also caution men not to " imprison the truth in unrighteousness." Not only are they enemies to the " cross of Christ," ■who vilify the doctrine of his atonement ; but they also, who hold it in a carnal heart, and disgi-ace it by a worldly, sensual life, (Phil. iii. 18 — 21) : and it is to be feared, that many who are zealous against the fatal Socinian heres)', are tainted with the abominable infection of Antinomianism ; and that some others, who contend for the doctrine of the atonement, rest their hope upon their own works, and not on Christ. But as he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him " up for us all," will give the true believer all things with him ; so he will not spare any of those who neglect, oppose, or abuse so great salvatioa. ON OUR LORD'S EXALTATION. 229 ESSAY X. On our Lord's Exaltation, and his Appearance " in the presence of God for us." When our Saviour upon the cross was about to cbmmend his spirit into the Father's hands, he said, " It is finished." Whatever the types had prefi- gured, or the prophets foretold, of his obedience, conflicts, and sufferings ; whatever the glory of God, the honour of his law, or the rights and satisfac- tion of his justice required ; and whatever was necessary in order to his fi- nal victory, triumph, and exaltation at the right hand of the Father in our behalf, was then fully accomplished ; that is, as far as it could be, previous to his death, whicli immediately followed. He then became conqueror over the world, sin, and Satan, (triumphing over them even on the cross) : and having consecrated the grave by his burial, to be a sacred repository for the bodies of his disciples, he arose on the third day, a mighty victor over the king of terrors himself, and at that crisis commenced the glory which was to follow his sufferings. The evidences of his resurrection have been already considered, (Essay I. p. 165 — 167) ; the ends which were answered by that great event, may here be briefly mentioned. He thus confirmed, beyond all reasonable doubt, every part of the doctrine he had taught ; proving especially, that he was the Son of God in that peculiar and appropriate sense, in which he had claimed that high relation to the Father, and for which he had been condemned as a blas- phemer ; he fully evinced, that his atonement had been accepted, and had effectually answered those great and gracious purposes for which it had been made : he was thus capable of possessing in our nature the mediatorial throne, which had been covenanted to him as the reward of his obedience and sufferings ; and to appear as our Advocate and Intercessor in the pre- sence of the Father ; being our Brother, and glorifying in that condescend- ing relation to us ; and, finally, he was the first fruits of the general resur- rection, the earnest and pledge of that grand and interesting event. We need not here enlarge on the circumstances of our Lord's resurrection, or enter further upon the instructions that may be deduced from it : but as his mediation is naturally divided into two distinct parts, it regularly falls within our plan to consider at present, that part which he now performs in his heavenly gloi'y ; as we before did that which he fulfilled during his humi- liation on earth. From the depth of his voluntary abasement, " he ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things." He then " led cap- tivity captive, and received gifts for men, j'ea, for the rebellious also ; that the Lord God might dwell among them," (Psalm Ixviii. 18 ; Eph. iv. 7 — lCv> " For the heavens must receive him, until the restitution of all things. ' " He is now gone to prepare a place for us ; and he will come again, and re- ceive us to himself, that where he is, there we," (who are his true disciples) " may be also," (John xiv. 2, 3 ; Acts iii. 21.) We will, therefore, in this Essay, point out the purposes for which Jesus, our forerunner, " hath for us entered into heaven," and the means by which he prepares the way for our admission to the same place of holy felicity. The royal prophet (Psalm ex. 4.) introduces Jehovah declaring with an irreversible oath, that the Messiah was constituted a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec, (Gen. xiv. 18 ; Heb. vii ;) and the apostle thence argues, that tlie Aaronic priesthood was never intended to be perpetual. Now Melchizedec's priesthood especially differed from that of Aaron, in that it united the regal power with the sacerdotal office ; which showed, that the Messiah was to " be a priest upon a throne," (Zech. vi. 9 — 15.) But be- fore we enter more particularly on the discussion of this important subject, 1 would observe, that it affords us a most conclusive proof of our Lord's 280 ON OUR LORD'S EX,\LTATION AND Deity. No mention is made by Moses of Melchizedec's " father, mother, ' pedigree, beginning of life, or end of days ;" but he is introduced to our notice with mysterious abruptness-, " being," says the apostle, " made like unto the Son of God," (Heb. vii. 3.) But in what sense could this render him " like to the Son of God," or a proper type of him, except as it was a shadow of bis external pre-existence ? As man, he had beginning of life, like " his brethren ;" and if he, who tabernacled in our nature, had been a pre-existent creature of the highest order, he must nevertheless have had " beginning of life ;" and the emphatic silence of Moses respecting the birth of Melchizedec could not have represented him, in any sense, as " Hke to the Son of God." The High Priesthood of Christ, in the sanctuary above, first requires our consideration. On the great day of atonement (Lev. xvi.) the high priest (not arrayed in his robes of glory and beauty, but clad in linen garments Lke his brethren,) having offered the sin-o&'erings for himself and for the people, entered tlie holy of holies, with the sprinkling of blood, and the burn- ing of incense by fire taken from the altar of burnt-offering ; and thus as Israel's typical intercessor, he appeared before the mercy-seat, as in the presence of God for them. Thus from the lioly nation a holy tribe was se- lected, from that tribe a holy family, and from that family a holy person (that is, typically, and by consecration :) yet even this individual, selected with such care and so many precautions from the whole human race, was not allowed, on pain of death, to enter within the veil, or to approach Jehovah, even on a mercy-seat, except on one day in a year ; nor on that day without the previous oifering of sacrifices, the blood of which he must sprinkle before the ark, whilst the smoke of the incense perfumed the holy place. The whole of this appointment was calculated to sliow in the most significant manner, to how great a distance from their offended Creator sin had re- moved fallen men ; and how difficult it was to render their return and re- admission to his favour consistent with the honour of his justice and holi- ness. Thus our great High Priest, laying aside the robes of light and majesty, appeared in the mean attire of our nature ; and was made in all things like unto his brethren, except as be m as free from the least defilenient of sin : and having on earth offered his one all-sufficient sacrifice, he ascended into heaven, to appear before the mercy-seat, in the true sanctuary, in the imme- diate presence of God, " for us bearing our nature, and pleading in our behalf the merits of his perfect obedience, and inestimable atonement ; that we might be delivei'ed from going down into the pit, through the ransom he hath paid for us, (Job. xxxiii. 24). The apostle writing to the Hebrews, dis- cusses this subject very fully, and shows in how many and important parti- culars the antitype exceeded and consequently differed from the type. With lively and joyful gratitude he expiates on the compassion, faithfulness, and power of our great High Priest ; on his divine dignity, and his condescen- sion in assumizig our nature, and owning us as liis brethren ; on his sym- pathy with us in our sorrows and temptations ; on the prevalency of his in- tercession, and the unchangeable nature of that office, which he ever liveth to perform. He shows us, that, by the ofi'ering of his flesh, the way into the holiest is laid open, and that we may now draw near with boldness, through the rent veil, to the mercy-seat of our reconciled God : that, by the blood of the new covenant, the heavenly things themselves are purified, (that is, they are not polluted by the admission of sinners to them in tliis appointed way) ; and that " such an high priest became us," or suited our case, " who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." In like manner, in another epistle, he principally grounds his defiance of all enemies on this doc- trine, that Christ " died, yea, rather, is risen again, and is even at tlie riglit hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us," (Rom. viii. 33 — 39) ; and elsewhere he declares, that " by him both Jews and Gentiles have access by one Spirit unto the Father," (Eph. ii. 18). Even as John instructs us, that APPEARANCE BEFORE GOD FOR US. 231 if any man sin we have an advocate w^th the Father, Jesus Christ the righ- teous," &c. (1 John ii. 1,2.) Many other testimonies to the same effect might be adduced, but these may suffice to our present purpose : except as we advert to our Lord's own words, when he declares, that " he is the door, and that whosoever enters in by him shall be saved that " he is the «'«?/, the truth, and the life, and that no man cometh to the Father but by him," (John X. 9 ; xiv. 6) : and to his prayer in behalf of his disciples, just before his crucifixion, which may be considered as the specimen and substance of his intercession, (John xvii). From these Scriptures we learn, that sinners are not admitted in their own name, even to a mercy-seat to supplicate par- don, but in the name, and through the intercession of Christ ; that their pleas must not be drawn from their own character, situation or services ; nor even from the general goodness and compassion of God ; but wholly from the person, work, and merits of Emmanuel ; and that his pleas in their behalf are wholly deduced from what he hath done and suffered, in their na- ture and for their benefit. It is not necessary for us to imagine any outward transaction, which ac- cords to a high-priest burning incense, or to an advocate pleading a cause, ^c. Heavenly things are represented to our minds under such emblems, to give us true ideas of their nature, not to convey to us adequate apprehensions of the manner of them. That Christ is represented as appearing in heaven as a lamb that had been slain, to instruct us in the refility and efficacy of his atonement: and his officiating as a priest, or pleading as an advocate, con- veys similar instruction. Thence we may learn, that his interposition in our behalf, through the merits of his obedience unto death, renders our sinful persons and services accepted with the Father, and secures to us deliverance from every enemy and evil, the supply of every want, and the eternal enjoy- ment of all felicity. Farther than this we need not detennine : he and the Fatlier are one in essence, counsel, and will ; and his mediation cannot but be effectual, in behalf of all who come to God through him. For it hath been repeatedly observed, (though opposers of these doctrines either wilfufly or carelessly remain ignorant of it), that the atonement and intercession of Christ were not intended to induce God to show mercy, hut to render the exer- cise of his love to sinners consistent with the honour of his law, and the glory of his name : for this single proposition, well understood, suffices to prove whole volumes that have been published on the subject, to be an emj)ty contest witli an imaginary opponent, and a triumph for an ideal victory. ^Vhilst our Lord therefore directed his disciples to ask in his name, and promised that he would pray the Father for them, he also subjoins in another place, " I say not, that I will pray the Father for you," &c. (John xiv. 13 — 17 ; xvi. 26, 27) : for his general plea in behalf of all " who come to God through him," suffices ; nor is it necessary for the well-beloved Son of the Father to be particular, or to use importunity with him, to induce him to grant all covenanted blessings to his beloved children. Tlie intercession of Christ is totally distinct from the supplications which we make for one another. When we pray, according to our duty, for our brethren and fellow-sinners; our i-equests are only admissible and accept- able through his mediation. We do not come in our own name, or ground our intercession on our own services, or make any claim to the mercy we ask, or approach with an absolute certainty of succeeding. If our prayers for others be properly presented, they will be accepted ; and if they be not granted, in the sense we meant them, they will return into our own bosom. But the intercession of Christ for his disciples is made in his own name, on the ground of his own merits and dignity, according to the covenant rati- fied with and by him, and with the absolute certainty of success. This shows the sin and idolatry of worshipping, or coming to God through other media- tors : for either these were sinners that were brought to heaven through the merits and intercession of Christ, tliough they are thus addressed as his com- petitors : or they are created angels, not at all related to us, and utterly 233 ON OUR LORD'S EXALTATION AND destitute of every plea which they may urge in our behalf ; having never been appointed to, and never having thought of intruding into that office. So that to worship saints and angels, even as intercesssors, is an ascription to servants and creatures of that honour, which belongs to the only begotten Son alone ; and they who thus dishonour the Son, do not honour the Father that sent him. But though the intercession of Christ is presented in behalf of all " who come to God through him," or " who pray in his name :" and all men are invited to return in this way to the Lord from whom they have departed, and are assured that Christ wiU not refuse to maintain the cause of any man, whatever he hath been or is, who seeks the benefit of his advocacy : yet there is a sense in which it is not general, but particular. If he intercede for those who are now living without faith and prayer, or in the practice of sin ; it will shortly appear by their repentance and conversion ; for he never pleaded in behalf of those who continued to the last unbelieving and ungodly, (John xvii. 9 — 20). The intercession of Christ is therefore intended to give us "this confi- dence, that if we ask any thing according to the will of God, he heareth us," (1 John V. 14, 15) : but it can form no just ground of encouragement to those who do not pray at all ; who come not before God in the name of Je- sus, but with other pleas ; who ask such things as God hath not promised, or whose prayers are mere lip-labour and hypocrisy. We are then instructed to come to the Father, through the mediation of the Son, for the forgiveness of our sins, the acceptance of our persons and services, and all things immediately connected with eternal salvation, and for all temporal benefits, as far as Infinite Wisdom sees them conducive to our real good. But especially we are encouraged in his name to pray for the Holy Spirit to illuminate, renew, purify, comfort, and strengthen our souls; to furnish us with that measure of spiritual gifts which our situations re- quire ; and support us under the trials to which we may be exposed. W e also expect, that through this heavenly advocate, our pi-ayers for our friends or enemies, our brethren, or the church at large, will be accepted and an- swered in the most desirable manner, notwithstanding our unworthiness, and the imperfection of our duties ; that our praises and thanksgivings will as- cend as a sacrifice well pleasing to God ; and that our feeble endeavours to serve and honour him, though in strict justice they merit condemnation, will receive a large and gracious reward. But our exalted Redeemer not only appears in the presence of God for us as a merciful High Priest, but also as a glorious King, for he is a priest after the order of Melchizedec, a king of peace, and of righteousness. As a king, he confers blessings and affords protection; he enacts laws, demands obedience, obtains victories, and exercises authority, and he will at length administer justice to the rational creation. " All power," says he, " is given unto me, in heaven and in earth," (Matt, xxviii. 18.) The angels that excel in strength are " his mighty angels." " He is gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God, angels, authorities, and powers being made subject to him," (1 Pet. iii. 22.) " God hath set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name tliat is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come ; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all," (Eph. i. 20 — 23; Phil. xi. 9 — 11.) " He hath also committed all judgment unto him, that all men might honour him, even as they honour the Father," (John v. 21—27; Rom. xiv. 10—12; 2Thess. i. 7—10.) The expressions given and committed, Sec, evidently relate to him as Man and Me- diator, and in no respect deduct from the energy of this language of the Holy Spirit: but who must He be originally, who can receive in his delegated charac- ter such authority, and exercise such powers ? What creature could sustain the weight of that dominion wliich rests on the shoulders of him, who was a " child born, and a son given unto us.^" (Isaiah ix. 6, 7.) No doubt he, of APPEARANCE BEFORE GOD FOR US. 23S ■whom such things are spoken, is the mighty God, the Lord from heaven, God manifest in the flesh ! That one who is truly man, should exercise ab- solute authority over all angels, who serve him as ministering spirits to his redeemed people ; that he should have the keys of death and the unseen world, (Rev. i. 18 ;) and that the universal kingdom of nature and provi- dence should be administered by him, is a most surprising mystery ; but that .all this should subserve tlie good of such worthless creatures as we are, is most stupendous and inconceivable love ! And they must have very high thoughts of human nature, or very low apprehensions of the infinite God, who can suppose a mere man to be capable of such pre-eminent dignity and authority. Yet he who is our Brother and Friend, thus rules all worids with absolute sway, is King of kings, and Lord of lords ; the rise, fall, and revolutions of empires are ordered by him ; he hath all hearts in his hand, and turneth them as he pleaseth. The Father " hath set his king upon his holy hill of Zion," in defiance and contempt of the opposition of all those that say, " let us break his bonds asunder, and cast away his cords from us :" and " with his iron rod he will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise, therefore, O ye kings ; be instructed, ye judges of the earth ; kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish," (Psalm ii.) The duration, prosperity, and termination of every man's life are appointed by him ; and the doom of every soul. Storms and tempests, pestilences and earthquakes, are his ser- vants ; all nature obeys his word of judgment or of mercy. Tj'rants and persecutors accomplish his secret purposes, " howbeit they mean not so :" nor can deceivers, by their unwearied efforts, exceed the limits assigned them. Even apostate spirits know bis power, and reluctantly obey his mandate : when he was " in the form of a servant," a legion of them could not so much as possess a herd of swine, without his permission ; nor can any of them defeat his counsels, escape his detection, or avert his omnipotent ven- geance. " His riches are unsearchable : in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge ;" " all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in him bodily ;" yea the fubiess of the Spirit of wisdom, truth, power, and holiness ; and " from his fulness do all his people receive," (Isaiah xi. 2 — 5 ; John i. 16; iii. 34; Col. ii. 3 — 9.) So that he governs all events in that manner, which may best promote the safety and happiness of his church, and of true believers. " All things," therefore, " work together for good to them ;'' " none can pluck any of them out of his hands," (John x. 27 — 30,) " noj w eapon formed against them shall prosper : nothing shall separate them from the love of God :" Jehovah is their "shepherd, they shall not want :" tri- bulations, temptations, persecutions, conflicts, yea, deatli itself, are instru- ments in the hands of Christ, to prepare them for " an exceeding and eter- nal weight of glory." And " in all things they will be made more than con- querors," until they be enriched with everlasting felicity. But this power is equally fonnidable to obstinate unbelievers : all who will not have t'lirist to reign over them, will be destroyed as his enemies ; no refuge can be found from his intolerable indignation, no resistance made to his omnipotent word. This kingdom shall endure through all ages, to the end ; then his power will raise the dead ; he will judge " the world in righteousness," and decide the eternal state of all mankind : and thus the design of his delegated autlio- rity being completely answered, he will, as JVIediator, deliver up " the king- dom to God, even the Father ;" the absolute dominion of the Creator will be re-established ; and " God will be all in all." It scarce need be observed, that the authority, protection and munificence of our glorious King, demand of us implicit and uni-eserved obedience. The faith that welcomes his salvation, worketh by love and ensures a cheerful attention to his commands : all the precepts of Scripture either are tlie man- dates of Christ our I^ng, to all that share the blessings of his peaceful rule ; or they constitute that law which is the ministration of death and condem- nation. Though his commands coincide with the moral law, yet they ar;e 23* ON OUR LORD'S EXALTATION. modified differently, as addressed to sinners who seek salvation by him- The commands to repent, to believe, to pray, to observe his ordinances, to love the brethren, &c., are indeed contained in the comprehensive require- ment of supreme love to God, and equal love to our neighbour : yet they are only g'iven to sinners through Christ and the gospel ; and they alone are his tnie subjects who submit to his authority, and from evangelical principles, iipriffhtlv endeavour to obey his commandments, (Mat. vii. 21 — 28 ; John xiv. '21— 23 ; xv. 14.) But we must also consider the ascended Redeemer as the great Prophet of his church. He indeed personulh/ performed the prophetical office on earth, during his humiliation : but as all the ancient prophets were his servants and representatives ; so the apostles, evangelists, and penmen of the New Testa- ment were his delegates ; and so are all those who preach according to the holy Scriptures. Christ is the great teacher of mankind ; tlie whole revela- tion of Ood is imparted to him : he is the Word and Wisdom of the Father, and the Light of the world ; all who follow him have the light of life, all others abide in darkness ! Divine truth is reposited in him as in a store- house for our benefit ; thence it is communicated to us through the Scrip- tures : the Holy Spirit was sent forth from him to inspire prophets, apostles, and e\'angelists : and he still furnishes pastors and teachers for their work (for these are tiie gifts of the ascended Redeemer to rebellious man; (Eph. iv. S — IG.) Moreo^'^er, the same Spirit prepares men's minds to receive the truth in faith and love, and to understand its nature, glory, and tendency ; thus he gives efficacy to the word and applies his salvation to our souls, (John xvi. 14, 15.) So that the Lord Jesus, as ascended on high, is the sole Prophet of the church, and teaches his people by his word, by faithful minis- ters, and by his Holy Spirit. They, therefore, who seek from him the knowledge of God and of his truth and will, with a humble, teachable, be- lieving, and obedient disposition, in the use of his appointed means, will be made vrise to salvation ; preserved (in proportion to the simplicit)' of their dependence) from errors and delusions ; guided in the midst of the paths of judgment ; and instructed how to act as circumstances may require, with discretion and propriety : but the self-wise of every description, and all who refuse to receive instruction from Christ, will be entangled in error, and given over to strong delusion, whatever their talents, opportunities, at- tainments, reputation, or assiduity may be, (Mat. xiii. 11 — lo.) And even believers will be left to fall into distressing mistakes, if at any time they lean to tlieir own understanding, neglect to seek wisdom from this great coun- sellor, or prefer the (ipinion of some favourite teacher to the word of him who is the Truth itself. But these distinct offices of our glorified Lord cannot be separated, either in respect of his performance of them, or of our dependence on him. The self- righteous and the self-wise may seem willing to own him as their king ; whilst the one rejects him as a prophet, and both of them refuse to come to God through him as their high-priest : on the other hand, the Antinomian may seem to rely on him as a priest, whilst he determines that " he will not have him to reign over him." These and similar dependences are mere delusions : for Christ rules as a priest on his throne ; he intercedes with regal authority ; and he teaches his disciples to rely on his atonement and advo- cacy, to shelter their souls under his omnipotent protection, and to submit to his sovereign authority. He reveals as a prophet, what he purchased and obtains as a high priest and confers as a munificent prince. The obedience which he requires of his subjects, he by his grace disposes and enables them. to perform, and renders it accepted through his intercession. So that they who tnily receive him in one of these combined offices, receive him in them all. Thus our Lord prepares their souls for the inheritance which he hath pur- chased for them: nor could the utmost efficacy of one of these distinct parts of lus mediatorial undertaking, accomplish that gracious purpose. His sacri- ON JUSTIFICATION. 235 fice and intercession, indeed, render it consistent with tlie glory of God to admit us sinners into his presence, to receive us to his favour, to make us his children, and to give us an inheritance in his own holy habitation ; but hoiv should we profit by tliis provision, did he not send forth his word and his ministers to proclaim tlie glad tidings, to give the invitations, and to set before us his precious promises and new covenant engagements ? How can we receive the advantage even of this revelation without we understand and believe it ? or how shall we credit such a humbling spiritual message, except the eyes of our minds be opened by the Holy Spirit ? (1 Cor. ii. I t.) And, at last, how could we unholy creatures be made meet for this holy inheritance, without the influences of his new-creating Spirit ? How could we overcome the powers of darkness and all our enemies, if he did not fight for us How could we meet the king of terrors, if he did not engage to support and de- liver us ; and finally to raise our bodies incoiTuptible, immortal, and glo- rious, to unite with our souls in the everlasting enjoyment of the love of our reconciled God and Father. Is this then our creed, our experience and de- pendence.'' Do we thus rely on Christ our Prophet, Priest, and King ? and do we, in the patient obedience of faith and love, " wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 20, 21.) For this, and this only, is genuine Christianity. ESSAY xr. On Justificatiotr. Ai.i, things having been made ready for the salvation of sinners, in the per- son and mediation of the great Redeemer ; it was also necessary that the method or medium of appropriating this inestimable benefit, should be clearly and expressly revealed ; and this leads us to the consideration of the Scripture doctrine of justification. I shall therefore in the present Essay, briefly explain the meaning of the words justify and justijlcation, as they are used by^the sacred writers ; — show that we must be justified before God by faith alone ; — consider the peculiar nature of faith, and the manner in which it justifies ; — assign a few reasons why justification and salvation are ascribed to this, rather than any other holy dispositions or actions of the soul ; — and answer some of the more plausible objections to the doctrine. The terms justifi/ and fu.sti/icution are taken from the common concerns of life, and applied, with some necessary variation of meaning, to the state of sinners who have found acceptance with God ; and they imply, that the sin- ner is now dealt with as if he were a righteous person, and therefore he is wholly exempted from those suiferings which are strictly speaking/)m«/, and is entitled to the reward of perfect obedience ; though in himself he hath merited no such a reward, but on the contrary hath deserved the punishment denounced in the law against transgressors. These are commonly said to be yo/-fln,??c terms, referring to the pi-actice of human judicatories; and they seem to have been originally taken from such transactions; yet this deriva- tion gives us a very inadequate idea of their import. For when a man is charged witli a crime before an earthly tribunal, he must either be con- demned or acquitted: if he be condemned, he may he pardoned, but he can- not he jmtifie'i ; if he be acquitted, he may he justijied, but he cannot stand in need of a pardon. Moreover, a criminal may be acquitted for want of le- gal evidence, or from other causes, when tliere can be no reasonable doubt of his guilt : yet no accusation for the same crime can be brouglit against him, though he is very far from being fully justified from it, or admitted to the full enjoyment of those j)riviieges tliat belong to an unsuspected member of civil society : nor would Lc be a proper person to be confided in, or ad- 236 ON JUSTIFICATION. vanced to a pLice of honour and responsibility. Whereas^ if an accused per* son be fully justified from the charge brought against him, he suffers no de- gradation in his character, or disadvantage in his circumstances ; his integ- rity is often placed in a more conspicuous light than before ; he is considered as an injured man ; and is frequently recommended by these circumstances to the favour and confidence of the prince, or of the people. Justification, therefore, in tlie original meaning of the ■n ord, is not only distinct from par- don, hut is absolutely incompatible with it . it implies far more than the ac- quittal of an accused personi* it is a declaration that no charge ought to have been made against the man ; that he is justly entitled to all the privileges of a good citizen ; and that he is, and ought to be, admissible to ever}' post of lionour arnl emolument, even as if he had never been accused. The mean- ing of the word, in other concerns of life, is the same : if a man's character has been aspersed, he is said to be completely justified, when the charge is entirely refuted and proved malicious or groundless, to the satisfaction of all that inquire into it. Bat, on the other hand, our justification before God always connects with pardon, and implies that we are guilty, and we are justified as ungodly ; " righteousness being imputed to us without works," (Kom. iv. 1 — 8). If we had never sinned, we might have been justified before God by our own obe- dience, according to the common use of the word justification : no charge could have been brought or proved against us, nor should we have needed any forgiveness. But by breaking the holy law of God, we have forfeited our title to the reward of righteousness, according to the law ; and have in- curred the penalty of eternal misery. The justification, therefore, of a sinner, must imply something distinct from a total and final remission of the de- served punishment, namely, a renewed title to the reward of righteousness, as complete and eft'ective as he would have had if he had never sinned, but had perfectly performed, during the term of his probation, all the demands of the Divine law. The remission of sins alone would place him in such a state, that no charge would lie against him : but then he would have no title to the reward of righteousness till he had obtained it by performing, for the appointed time, the whole obedience required of him ; for he would merely be put again into a state of probation, and his justification or condemnation ■would not be decided till that were terminated : but the justification of the pardoned sinner gives him a present title to the reward of righteousness, in- dependent of his future conduct, as well as without respect to his past ac- tions. This is manifestly the Scripture idea of justification : it is uniformly represented as immediate and complete, wlien the sinner believes in the Lord Jesus Christ ; and not as a contingent advantage, to be waited for till death or judgment : and the arguments that some learned men have ad- duced to prove that justification means nothing else than forgiveness of sins, only show, that the two distinct blessings are never separately conferred. David, for instance, says, " blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute iniquity," (Psalm xxxii. 2) ; and Paul observes, that " David de- scribeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness ■without works," (Rom. iv. 6) : now this does not prove, that " not imput- ing sin," and " imputing righteousness," are synonymous terms ; but merely that where God does not impute sin, he does impute righteousness, and con- fers the title to eternal life, on all those whom he rescues from eternal death, (Acts xiii. 38, 39). Indeed, exemption from a terrible punishment, and a right to an actual ami vast reward, are such distinct things, that one cannot but wonder they should be so generally confounded as they are in theo- logical discussions. It may therefore suffice to observe, that justification signifies in Scripture, that God hath given a sinner a right and title to eter- nal life, accounting him righteous by an act of sovereign grace, so that thence- forth there is no condemnation for him ; but being thus justified, " he is made an heir, according to tlie hope of eternal life," (Tit. iii. 1 — 7). Every attentive reader of the Scriptures, (especially of tlie writings which ON JUSTIFICATION. 237 tne apostles penned by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as the last and fullest revelation of the truth of God to mankind) must observe that they constantly declare, that a man is " justified by faith only, and not by thei works of the law." Many have endeavoured to explain all such testimonies to mean the Mosaic law, as distinguished from the Christian dispensation, and to confine them principally to the abrogated ceremonies. But " is tlie knowledge of sin," by the ceremonial, or by the moral " law ?" Was the ceremonial law " the ministration of death, written and engraven on stones ?" Did the apostle know this law to be-" spiritaal, holy, just, and good ?" Did " he delight in it, after the inner man ?" Did the Mosaic rites, or the tenth commandment, convince him, " that concupiscence was a sin," and to slay his hope of justification by the law ? (Rom. vii.) " Did Christ redeem us from the curse of the ceremonial law alone, by being made a curse for us.''" (Gal. iii. 13). Such questions might easily be multiplied, and each of them formed into a regular argument, demonstrating the false- hood and absurdity of this opinion ; but the compass of this Essay does not admit of it, nor is it necessary in so plain a case. No law in the universe can both justify and condemn the same person: if then no man hath always loved God with all his heart, and his neighbour as himself, no man can be justified according to the works of the moral law, because all are exposed to condemnation for breaking it : if no human action be more excellent than the law requires our whole conduct to be, then none of our works of righ- teousness can do any thing to reverse the condemnation that our sins have incurred : and if the best of our good works come short of perfection, and our best days are chequered with many sins ; then we must continue to ac- cumulate guilt and condemnation, so long as we remain under, and are judged according to the law. So that by no works of any law whatsoevei' can any transgressor of that law be justified in the sight of God. On the contrary, it is constantly declared, that a man must be justified hy faith, and through faith alone, (Rom. iii. 28 — 31); that " to him who worketh not, but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for rigli- teousness," (Rom iv. 5); and that " God is just, and Jhe justifier of him that believeth in Jesus," (Rom. iii. 26). This way of justification is con- stantly and carefully distinguished from that by works ; nay, opposed to, as incompatible with it : " it must be by faith, that it might be by grace : be- cause the law worketh wrath : and if by grace, then it is no more of works," &c. (Horn. iv. 14 — 10; xi. 6.) And even James, who, in another sense, shows that " a man must be justified by works, and not by faith only," il- lustrates his doctrine by the example of Abraham, " who was justified by ■works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar :" and then adds, " seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect ; and the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it wa,s imputed to him for riyhteousness," (Jam. ii. 20 — ^26) : now this wag spoken many years before Abraham was called to sacrifice Isaac, yea before Isaac was born, (Gen. xv. 6). It is therefore evident, that James only meant that the believer proves his profession to be sincere and his faith liv- ing, by the fruits of holy obedience; and is thus justified before men on earth, and will be justified before the world at the last day, from that charge of hypocrisy which will be substantiated against all those, who " say they have faith, and have not works." Otherwise, we should find as much dif- ficulty in reconciling James to himself, as some have done in reconciling Paul to him : for he adduces the same example, and quotes the same Scrip- ture in illustration of this point, that Paul did ; and supposed that he had confirmed the true doctrine of justification by faith, by distinguishing living from dead faith, and by showing, that no faith could justify a man before God, which did not prove itself genuine, and justify the possessor before his iieiyh- bours, by influencing him to the practice of good works, according to the op- portunity afforded him. But the general doctrine, that " a man must be justified in the sight of P 3 238 ON JUSTIFICATION. God by faith alone," is too jilain to need much proof. They who regard the* Epistles of St Paul, must know that he not only asserts, but confirms this doctrine by various arg-uments, illustrations, and examples; that lie declares it impossible for a man to be justified in any other way ; that all the Old Testament saints were justified by their faith ; that " they who seek righ- teousness, as it were, by the works of the law," stumble and fall, (Rom. ix. 30 — 33; x. 3 — H ;) and have no benefit from Christ and the gospel, (Gal. V. 2 — 6 ;) but remain under the curse ; and that " if any man, or angel, should preach any other doctrine, he would be accursed." Indeed those Scriptures which do not immediately relate to justification, continually speak of faith as the grand distinguishing difference, between those that are saved and them that perish. The texts in which propositions to this effect are contained, are more numerous than can easily be conceived by persons who have not particularly examined the subject : as may easily be seen by look- ing over the articles of faith, believing, &c., in a good concordance. By faith we pass from death unto life ; by faith we are saved, we walk, we stand, we work, we fight and conquer : we come unto God, we receive the Spirit, and we are sanctified by faith ; and every thing pertaining to our peace, stability, fruitfulness, comfort, and eternal felicity, are evidently suspended on, and in- separably connected with our faith in a peculiar manner, and wholly different from the relation which they bear to any other holy disposition or act of obedience, that we possess or perform. So that it is really sui-prising that any, except avowed infidels or sceptics, should deny the doctrine of justifi- cation by faith only, whatever method they adopt of explaining the meaning of the words faith and justification. I shall, therefore, next proceed to consider the distinguishing nature and effects of faith, and the manner in which it justifies. Some opposers of this fundamental doctrine attempt to explain it away, by representing faith as a compendious term, denoting the whole of that profession and obedience which Christ requires of his disciples : so that they suppose we are justified by embracing and obeying tlie gospel, as a mitigated law of works ; and tliat Christ purchased for us the acceptance of sincere, instead of perfect obe- dience. Their definition of faith comprises in it repentance, love, obe- dience, &c : and it seems that on this plan it would, at least, be equally pro- per to say, that we are justified by our love and its fruits, as by our faith, if any distinction were admitted : but how different this is to the language of the sacred oracles need not be said ; and surely in this case we should be justified by " works of righteousness that we had done," though not by the works of the law. Neither hath it ever been shown in what part of the New Testament this mitigated law may be found : and surely nothing like it is contained in our Lord's sermon on the mount, or in the preceptive part of the apostolical epistles : nor are we told precisely what it requires, or what exact measure of obedience will justify a man according to it. On this plan, it is not easy to understand how Christ " magnified the law, and made it honourable :" " how the law is established by faith :" for which of our sins the death of Christ atoned (seeing the law is repealed, and a milder law given, by obedience to which we are justified :) or how boasting can thus be excluded. In fact, this sentiment totally makes void the holy, just, and good law of God ; and alters the standird of our duty, from the exact require- ments of the holy precept, to a vague, indeterminate idea called sincere obe- dience ; which may be modelled and varied, according to the reasonings and inclinations of mankind : and thus it virtually sets aside both the law and the gospel. But as faith in resjiect of justification is not only opposed to the works of the law, but distinguished from repentance, hope, charity, &c. as required of, and exercised by believers ; and as none of these, nor any kind or degree of obedience is ever said to justify a man in the sight of God ; so we are warranted to decide without hesitation, that the apostles never meant by faith such a compound of aU the distinct parts of Christianity; and that such a supposition would imply, that they used the most unsuitable ON JUSTIFICATION. 239 and obscure expressions that could possibly be devised. We allow indeed, that true faith inseparably connects with, or produces all the other essential parts of Christianity : and in like manner, in a complete human body, there are ears, hands, feet, &c., as well as eyes ; yet the eyes alone can perform the function of seeing : and thus the tree produces the fruit, yet is distinct from it ; and the stem or branches of the tree may answer purposes for which the fruit, though valuable, is totally unfit. It is, therefore, a very different thing to say, that living faith is connected with repentance, works by lo\ e and produces obedience ; than to contend that it includes them, and tliat we are justified by repentance, love, and obedience as parts of our faith. Others again suppose, that faith is nothing more than an assent to the truth of Christianity : and that a Jew or Christian, on embracing and pro- fessing the gospel, was freed from the guilt of his former sins ; that being thus brought into a justified state, he would continue in it or fall from it, ac- cording to his subsequent behaviour : and that his justification at the last day must be bj' his own works, if he escape final condemnation. But here again we inquire, how this system can consist with the very meaning of the word jus- tify, or account rir/hteous, when the sinner is merely put upon a new proba- tion, to work out a righteousness for himself? How it consists with be- lievers " not coming into condemnation," and " having eternal life abiding in them How it excludes boasting And where it is found in the sacred oracles.'* In fact, the dead faith exploded by James, is thus brought for- ward for the sinner's first justification ; whilst the dead works of a mere formalist are generally meant by the obedience which is at last to justify such a believer : so that the sentiment verges on the one hand to an antino- mian abuse of the gospel, and on the other to a pharisaical opposition to it. But what then is faith To answer this question, I would observe, th.at faith, or believing, in common language, implies credit given to a report, testi- mony, or promise, or confidence placed in any person ; and almost all the af- fairs of life are conducted on this principle, that men in ordinary circum- stances are entitled to a measure of credit and confidence. But " if the testi- mony of man be great, the testimony of God is greater yea, " it is sure, and giveth wisdom to the simple." Divine faith is, therefore, a disposition rea/lilij to believe the testimony and to rely on tlie promises of God. The apostle Paul briefly calls it " the belief of the truth." (2 Thess. ii. 12, 13 ;) of every revealed truth, and especially of " the word of the truth of the gospel ;" and he defines " faith to be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," (Heb. xi. 1.) In general it gives implicit credit to the Divine veracity, in respect of all the invisible things that God hath attested ; some of which are past, as the creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the cru- cifixion and resurrection of Christ, &c. ; others exist at present, as the all- pervading Providence and all-seeing eye of God, the intercession of Chris-t in heaven, &c. ; and others are future, as the coming of ("hrist to raise the dead and judge the world, and the state of eternal retributions : but faith credits all of them, and so receives the testimony of God, both respecting the evil and the good, that it realizes them to the mind, as if they were in- deed perceivable by the bodily senses. But in its more particular exercise, it especially regards, embnices, realizes, and looks for the future blessings which God hath promised ; and thus gives the soul, as it were, a present pos- session of things hoped for. The examples recorded in the last mentioned chapter, evince that this faith always receives the Divine testimony, not only as true, but as interesting in the highest degree ; and thus as a living prin- ciple it influences a man to fiee from, or provide against the threatened evil, and to pursue with earnestness and decision the promised good. But the record which God hath given us of his Son and of eternal life in him, is the centre of revelation ; faith therefore always pays a peculiar regard to it, and thus especially " sets to its seal that God is true," (Jolin iii. 1 — 21 , 33 — 36 ; 1 John v. 10 — 13:) whilst unbelief makes him a liar. Other divine testi- monies having shown a man that he is a lost sinner deserving of, and ex- 240 ON JUSTIFICATION. posed to the wTath of God, these discover to him his only refuge. The Holy Spirit through the " belief of the truth," has " convinced him of sin ■and now " he glorifies Christ," and shews to his enlightened mind the na- ture, suitableness, and value of his salvation, as revealed in the word of the .gospel. The Father, as it were, says to him, " This is my beloved Son, — hear him ;" and his heart answers, " Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief." He credits the testimony of God concerning the Person and Mediation of JSmmanuel ; he feels his need of the teaching of such a Prophet ; the de- Jiverance and protection of such a King, and the blessings of his kingdom ; and above all, of tlie sacrifice, merits, and intercession of this great High- Priest. Faith in the Divine testimony and promises influences him to en- trust his soul and all his eternal interests into the hands of Christ, relying on his power, truth, and love : he comes to the Father through him and in his name ; he shelters his soul from the wrath of God and the curse of the law, un- der the protection of his atoning blood ; and confides in his power and grace to deliver him from all his outward and inward foes ; he sits at the Redeemer's feet, hears and observes his directions, lives by faith in him for every thing ; and this faith working by love, and learning daily lessons from his word, and from the cross, gives him the victory over the fear of man and the love of the world, increases his hatred of and humiliation for sin, and furnishes him with motives, encouragements, and aids for all holy obedience. But whatever faith may effect as the active principle of a man's conduct, it justifies him before God only as it unites him to Christ, and interests him in his righteousness and atonement, and in the promises of God in him. The other operations and effects of this precious faith serve to distinguish it from a worthless, dead faith ; but do not at all concur in our justification by it : for we are justified as one with Christ, on which account it is meet that we should share his purchased blessings ; whilst he that hath not faith stands in jio such relation to him, and is not entitled to such distinguished advan- tages. But then all who have this faith do repent, do love the Lord and his people, and uprightly obey bis commands ; by which they are distinguished from 7«ere professors. We must not then suppose that we are justified by the merit of our faith, any more than by our good works : for though true faith is pleasing to God, because honourable to his name, yet it cannot atone for our sins, or purchase heaven ; nay the imperfection of our faith would condemn us, if we were to be judged according to the merit of it. But " we are justified by faith alone," because by it we receive and become interested in " that righteous- ness of God which is upon all, and unto all that believe," (Rom. iii. 21 — ^28) : and this righteousness being the perfect obedience unto death of God incar- nate, and so of infinite value, and having been devised, appointed, wrought out, and revealed for this very purpose, is fuUy sufficient to justify all who are interested in it, how numerous soever they are, or how vile soever they have been. ^V'e are therefore said " to be justified freely by the grace of God," to " be justified by the blood of Christ," (for by shedding his blood he finished his obedience as our surety) ; to have " righteousness imputed to us without works," and to be " made the righteousness of God in Christ," (Rom. iv, v; 2 Cor. v. 21). Even as Paul counted all but loss, that he might ■win Christ, and be found in him — having the " righteousness of God by faith," (Phil. iii. 3 — 9). We are also justified as ungodly persons : for though true faith is the effect of regeneration, and the beginning of godliness, yet the man in himself, according to tlie law, is liable to condemnation as ungodly, and is only justified, as viewed in Christ, according to the gospel. Hence it appears, that the grace (that is, the gratuitous favour, sovereign love, or everlasting mercy of God) is the source of our justification ; the righteous- ness and atonement of Emmanuel are the meritorious cause of it ; and faith is the only recipient of the blessing : therefore justification may be ascribed either to the source, the meritorious cause, or to the recipient of it ; even as a drowning person may be said to be saved, either by the man on the bank ON JUSTIFICATION. 241 of Ihe liver, or by the rope cast out to him, or by liishand apprehen4intr the rope ; according' to the different ways in which we speak on the subject. The manner in whicli faith justifies may be illustrated by considering in what sense a bank-note pays a demand made on any one : the intrinsic value of the paper is not one farthing, but it refers the creditor to a company who are engaged, and competent to answer the demand, and therefore it is accounted to the debtor as so much paid in specie. Thus faith refers God the Father to Christ, who is able and willing to answer for every believer, and therefore " it is imputed to us for righteousness :" so that if a man should die, imme- diately after the first exercise of true faith, (as t!ie tliief on the cross did), and before he had time to perform one further act of obedience, he would certainly enter heaven as a justified person ; though all who are spared, will as certainly show their faitli by their works. Nor can there be any doubt, but that the justifying faith of Abraham, &:c., had a similar respect to the promises and testimony of God concerning a Redeemer that was to come, and justified him in exactly the same manner. The Scriptures inform us, that " the only wise God our Saviour," hath appointed this method of justification, that the benefit might be of grace ; for faith, of that nature which hath been described, expressly renounces all claim in the way of merit ; it allows, " that by the works of the law no flesh can be justified in the sight of God it comes to him, not to buy, e.arn, or demand a recompense, but to crave mercy, the gift of righ- teousness, and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ , and in that way, by which the desert of sin and the justice of God were most clearly displayed to the universe. So that in this way " of justifying the ungodly" by faitli alone, the whole glory is secured to the Lord ; and his justice, holi- ness, truth, and wisdom, as well as his abounding grace, are explicitly ac- knowledged and honoured : and as faith itself is the gift of God, whilst the weakest faith justifies as certainly as the strongest, (though it does not bring such evidence of it to the conscience) ; so boasting is excluded, every ground of self-preference is thus removed, and a foundation is as it were laid in the believer's heart, for the constant exercise of humility, dependence, patience, and meekness, and that love which constrains the redeemed sinner " to live no longer to himself, but to him that died for him and rose again." But it may be objected, that the Scriptures speak of repentance, conver- sion, love, obedience, doing the will of God, and forgiveness of enemies, &c. as requisite in order to our acceptance and admission to the enjo)TOent of our heavenly inheritance ; and how can this consist with the doctrine of jus- tification by faith alone No doubt these things are necessary ; nay, there is no salvation without them, according to the time alforded, nor does any man come short of salvation in whom they are found. They arc things whkh accompany salvation : they either prepare the heart for receiving Christ by faith, or they are effects of, and evidences that he is thus received : yet Christ himself is our whole salvation, and faith rJone receives him, and appropriates the blessing — not by helicviiiy without evidence that Christ is ours, but by apply- ing to him, according to the word of God, that he ynuy be ours. Should it be i'ur- tiier objected, that the decision of the day of judgment is always stated to be made " according to men's works ;" it may suffice to answer in this place, that no faith justifies except that which works by love ; that love uniformly produces obedience ; and that tlie works thus wrought will certainly be ad- duced as evidences in court, to distinguish between the true believer and all other persons. Finally, the objection that this doctrine tends to licentious- ness, seems to have been already sufficiently answered by the explanation given of the nature and effects of saving faith : and I shall merely add a ni{ist earnest exliortation to all who hold this doctrine, to walk so circumspectly, " that whereas many speak evil of them, as evil-doers, they may be confuted and ashamed, who falsely accuse their good conversation in Christ, (1 IVt. ii. 12 ; iii. Thus, having explained the docti-ine of justification by faith aloiifi. 242 ON REGENERATION. " through the righteousness of God, even of our Saviour Jesus Christ," (2 Pet. i. 1); and pi-oved it to be that of the holy Scriptures; I would conclude by reminding- the reader of its vast importance. " How shall man be just with God ?" — All our eternal interests depend on the answer, which, in our creed and experience, we return to this question: for if God hath, for the glory of his own name, law, and government, appointed such a method of justifying sinners, as that revealed in the gospel ; and they, in the pride of their hearts, refuse to seek the blessing in this way, but will come for it according to their own devices, he may justly, and will certainly, leave them under merited condemnation, (Rom. x. 1 — 4). May God incline every reader to give this subject a serious consideration with the day of judgment, and eternity before his eyes ! Nor let it be forgotten, that all the reformers from popery, (who were eminent men, however some may aiFect to despise them) deemed this doctrine the grand distinction between a stand- ing and a falling church. Yet we should also observe, that " the truth itself may be held in unrigh- teousness :" and they who receive this doctrine into a proud and carnal heart, by a dead faith, not only awfully deceive themselves, and quiet their con- sciences in an impenitent, unjustified state ; but they bring a reproach upon the truth, and fatally prejudice the minds of men against it ; of which they will have a dreadful account to give at the last day. For did all, who hold this doctrine of God our Saviour, adorn it by such a conduct as it is suited to pro- duce ; pharisees, sceptics, and infidels, would be deprived of their best wea- pons, and must fight against the gospel at a vast disadvantage. May the Lord give us all that " faith which worketh by love," that " by works our faith may be made perfect," as the grafted tree is when loaded with fruit on every branch, (Gal. v. 6 : James ii. 17 — 26). ESSAY XII. On Regeneration. When the apostle showed the Ephesians, that ''• they were saved by grace, through faith," he added, that this " faith was not of themselves, but was the gift of God," (Eph. ii. 8 — 10) : whence we learn, that the faith which is the sole recipient of all the blessings of salvation, is itself the effect of a Divine influence upon the soul, that all boasting may be most effectually ex- cluded. This gracious operation is represented in Scripture under several metaphors, of which regeneration (that is being born again, born of God, or born of the Spirit) is the most frequent and remarkable : and the present Essay will be appropriated to the discussion of this interesting subject. Nicodemus, a pharisee, a scribe, and a member of the Jewish sanhedrim, came to Jesus by night : for (notwithstanding his conviction that he was a teacher sent from God) he was afraid or asliamed of being known to consult him, concerning the doctrine that he came to inculcate. The state of his mind accorded to the darkness which prevailed at the season of this inter- view : and ho seems to have expected some instructions coincident with the traditions of pharisees, and their ideas of religion, and of the Messiah's king- dom, which they considered as consisting in external forms and advantages. JBut our Lord, with a two-fold most solemn asseveration, peculiar to himself on the most important occasions, abruptly assured him, tb»it " except a man ■were born again, he «ould not see the kingdom of God ;" or discern its real nature and excellency : and \7hen Nicodemus expressed his astonishment at this assertion, in such language «s-i aptly illustrates the apostle's meaning, when he says, " that the things of the Spirit of God are foolishness to the natural man" (1 Cor. ii. 11.;) our Lord answered with the same solemnity. ON REGENERATION. 243 that " except a man were born of water and of the Spirit, he could not enter into the kingdom of God." Water )iad been used in divers ways, as an ex- ternal emblem of internal purification ; and the use of it was intended to be continued, in the ordinance of baptism, under the new dispensation ; it was, therefore, proper to mention it as tlie outward sign of that cliange, which could only be effected by the power of the Holy Spirit. He next showed the indispensible necessity of this new birth ; " that which is born of the flesh," or derived by natural generation from fallen Adam, " is flesh," or carnal in its propensities and inclinations ; " and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit," or spiritual, holy, and heavenly, like its Divine Author (Rom. viii. 1 — IG.) He then told Nicodemus not to wonder at his declaration, that even Jews, pharisees and scribes, " must be born again •" and illustrated the sub- ject by the wind, the precise cause of which, in aU its variations, cannot easily be ascertained ; nor its motions and energy altered or abated ; but which is vei-y manifest in its powerful effects. And when Nicodemus still inquired " how these things could be ?" he in return expressed his surprise, that a teacher of Israel should be at a loss about such a subject ; and concluded by representing tliis part of his instructions as " earthly things," when compared with the deep mysteries of his person and redemption, which he next declared to him as " heavenly things." For this change takes place on earth con- tinually, even as often as sinners are turned from their evil ways, and become truly pious and holy persons : it is a change that may aptly be illustrated by the most common concerns of life : it lies as level to our capacities (if our minds were unprejudiced,) as almost any of the works of God, with which we are surrounded ; and the necessity of it may be proved by as cogent and con- clusive arguments, as any thing of a worldly nature can be. The question then is, AV^hat did our Lord mean by " being born again," cr " born of the Spirit i*" To which I shall first endeavour to give a plain and pai'ticular answer, subjoining a compendious review of the. arguments, by which the ne- cessity of regeneration hath been often proved ; and concluding with some observations and inferences of a practical nature and tendency. It scarce need be said, that the ordinance of baptism, however administered, is not " regeneration by the Spirit." They who resolve aU that is said in scripture on this head, into the observance of this external rite, must sup- pose, that none can enter Christ's church on earth, or his kingdom in heaven, or even understand the real nature of them, unless they have been baptized with water ; whatever be their character, or the cause of the omission : nay, moreover, they must suppose, that all baptized persons are truly illuminated, real Christians and heirs of heaven ; for all that are born of God, are his children and heirs. No doubt baptism is (as circumcision was) the outward sign of regeneration : but they who are satisfied with the outward sign, with- out the inward and spiritual grace, should return to the school or to the nursery, to learn over again a part of their catechism ; as it is plain they have forgotten it : for it expressly states the inward and spiritual grace and bap- tism to be " a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness." Indeed the Fathers (as they are called) soon began to speak on this subject in un- scriptural language : and our pious reformers, from an undue regard to them, and the circumstances of the times, have retained some expressions in the liturgy, which are not only inconsistent with their other doctrine ; but which also tend to confuse men's minds, and mislead their judgment on this im- portant subject : but it is obvious, from the words above cited, and many other passages, that they never supposed the mere outward administration of baptism to be regeneration, in the strict sense of the word : nor can any man, vvitliout the most palpable absurdity, overlook the difference between the baptism that is outward in the flesh, and that of the heart by tlie Spirit, whose " praise is not of men but of God," (Rom. ii. 29 ; 1 Peter iii. IS).) Nor does regeneration merely signify a reformation of tlie outward con- duct, or a ceasing from vice to practise virtue. Some persons have been so preserved from immoralities, that they do not want such an outward refor- 244 ON REGENERATION. matioh as is meant by those who favour this interpretation : 3^t they tod must be born again, or they can neither see nor enter into the kingdom of God. But indeed, if the strong language, and multij)!ied figures of the scrip- ture on this subject, mean nothing more than this ; we must be constrained to alloM', that the plainest matter in the world is so covered and obscured by mysterious language, as to render it extremely perplexing and even unin- telligible to ordinary readers : for how should tliey suppose, according to the dictates of unlettered common sense, that such solemnity of introduction, emphasis of expression, and accumulation of metaphors, only meant, that " a wicked man could not be an heir of heaven, unless he amended his life For scarce any body, except a downright infidel, or profligate, ever supposed that he could. Nor is regeneration a mere conversion from one creed or sect to another : or even from atheism, Judaism, infidelity, or idolatry, to Chris- tianity. A man might pass through changes of this kind, till he had tried all the modes of religion that have been known on earth ; and yet at last be excluded, as unregenerate and unclean, from the kingdom of heaven. Neither does it mean any kind of impressions, or new revelations ; any succession of terrors and consolations ; or any whisper, as it were, from God to the heart concerning his secret love, choice, or purpose to save a man. Many such ex- periences have been declared by those who continued slaves to their sins ; and Satan, transformed into an angel of light, hath done immense mischief in this way. Some of these things indeed (such as terror, and consolation succeeding to it) commonly accompany a saving change : others, which are evidently enthusiastic, may nevertheless be found in the case of some, who are really born of God ; yet they are neither regeneration itself, nor any eiFect or evidence of it ; but rather a disgraceful and injurious appendage to it, arising from human infirmity, and the devices of Satan. We allow the expressions, " born of God," or " born again," to be figu- rative, but then the metaplior is significant and proper. A new-born infant is a new creature, brought into the world by Almighty power, endued with life, and certain propensities and capacities. It is a human being, and has all things pertaining to our nature, in a weak and incipient state : but by proper care and sustenance it may grow up to maturity, and the perfection of manhood. In like manner, the Divine power produces in the mind of a sinner such a change as renders him a new creature, with new propensities and capacities : but these are only in a feeble and incipient state, and ex- posed in much opposition and danger on every side. Provision is made for " this new-born babe, in the sincere milk of the word," and in the salvation of Christ ; by means of which, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, the re- generate man grows up gradually to matui-ity. No new faculties are com- municated in this change, but a new and heavenly direction is given to those which the Creator had bestowed, but which sin had perverted. The capacity of understanding, believing, loving, rejoicing, &:c., previously be- longed to the man's nature : but the capacity of understanding the real glory and excellency of heavenly things, of believing the humbling truths of reve- lation in an elBcacious manner ; of loving the holy beauty of the Divine cha- racter and image ; and of rejoicing in God's favour and service, belong to him as born of the Spirit. Regeneration may therefore be defined as " a change wrought by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the understanding, will, and aifections of a sinner, which is the commencement of a new Jcind of life, and which gives another direction to his judgment, desires, pursuits, and conduct." The mind seems to be first prepared by a divine energy, (like the removal of a film or other obstruction from the eyes of a blind man), to per- ceive the real nature, and compai-ative value of the objects around him ; con- cerning which, through the ignoi-ance and depravity of his fallen nature, the corrupt maxims of the world, and the artifices of Satan, he had formed a very erroneous judgment. Thus the eyes of his understanding are opened, and the light of divine truth, which is diffused around him, shines into his heart, and gradually rectifies liis errors and misapprehensions, (Acts xvi. 14; ON REGENERATION. 245 sfxvi. 18 ; Eph. i. 18). The will and affections also are influenced in the same manner: and the man is now disposed to fear, hate, and shun what before he delij^hted in, or regarded as harmless ; and to love, choose, de- sire, and rejoice in those things that before he despised or hated. He seems to be introduced, as it were, into a new world, in which he views him- self and all things around him, through a new medium. He wonders tliat he had not before seen them in the same light : and is frequently so amazed at the insensibility or delusions of mankind, that he is not easily convinced but that proper instructions would b-ring them all over to his sentiments. He has now a whole system, as it were, of affections, of which he formerly had no conception : his fears and hopes, attachments and aversions, joys and. sorrows, successes and disappointments, principally relate to those objects which before gave him scarcely any concern, but which now appear to him of such vast importance, that the objects which once engrossed his mind, pro- portionably dwindle into insignificancy, when he does not see them to be cri- minal, polluting, and insnaring. Hence it comes to pass, that except as a sense of duty retains him in his station, or inforces his application to business or study, he is very apt to grow inattentive to such matters, deeming them comparatively mere trifles. It is not to be expected, that v, e should describe the manner in which the Holy Spirit effects this internal cliange : for we cannot understand how God creates, and forms the body in the womb, or how he breathes into it the breath of life. It is of more impoi'tance for us to be able with precision to ascertain those effeccs, by which it is distinguished from every species of counterfeits. Among these we may mention, an habitual and prevailing re- gard to the authority, fa\'our, displeasure, and glory of God, in the general tenor of a man's conduct, even in his most secret retirement : an abiding sense of liis all-seeing eye,his constant presence, and his all-directing and sustaining providence : and an unwavering persuasion of his right to our worship, love, and service, and of our obligations and accountableness to him. Connected with this, regeneration always produces a deep and efficacious apprehension of the reality, neai-ness, and importance of eternal things, and our infinite concern in them ; so that, compared with them, all temporal things appear as nothing. This will be accompanied with a new disposition to reverence, examine, believe, and submit to the decisions of the holy Scriptures: yea, a desire after, and delight in them, as the proper nourishment of the soul, (1 Pet. ii. 2). If the subject of this change were previously destitute of re- ligious knowledge, he will find that an increasing acquaintance with the ho- liness of God, and his obligations to him ; with the reasonableness, spiritua- lity, and sanction of the Divine law ; and with his own past and present con- duct, dispositions, motives, and affections, as compared with this perfect stan- dard ; will lead him to an increasing conviction of his sinfulness, his exposed- ness to deserved wrath, his inability to justify or save himself, and his need of repentance, forgiveness, and the influences of divine grace : and if he be- fore had a doctrinal knowledge of these things, the truth that had lain dor- mant, will now become a living princijde of action in his soul. Thus, self- dependence, and eveiy towering imagination will be cast down ; all his sup- posed righteousness will be found to have sprung from corrupt motives, and to have been both defective and defiled ; and whatever his previous charac- ter may have been, " God be merciful to me a sinner," will be the genuine language of his heart. So that deep humiliation and self-abasement, a bro- ken and a contrite spirit, godly son-ow, repentance, conversion to God, ike, are the never-failing effects of regeneration. Then the Divine Saviour, and liis mei-its, atonement, and mediation, witli all the parts of his great salva- tion begin to appear glorious in his eyes, and to become precious to his heart ; he now sees the wisdom, and feels the power of the doctrine of tlie cross, which before he deemed foolishness, and learns to glory in it : he now counts all but los.s for tlie excellency of the knowledge of Christ, and gladly receives and believes in him, in his several oHices of prophet, priest, and king, (John 246 ON REGENERATION. i. 12, 13 ; 1 John v. 1). Thus he learns to love him ; to admire the exceK leucy of his character, to value his favour, and to desire communion with him above all things ; to be thankful for his unspeakable love, and ines- timal)le benefits ; to be zealous for his honour, and devoted to his cause ; to love the brethren for his sake, and neighbours and enemies after his exam- ple, (1 John iii. 14 ; iv. 7 — 21) ; and to exercise self-denial, to endure loss, hardship, and suffering in his ser\-ice. In short, " whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world, hates sin, and doeth righteousness," (1 John ii. 29 ; iii. 9, 10 ; v. 4) ; for the regenerate man " beholds the glory of God," (especially in the face of Christ), " and is changed into the same image," &:c. (2 Cor. iii. 17, IS ; iv. 4—6) : so that repentance, faith, love of God and man, submission, patience, meekness, spirituality, temperance, justice, truth, purity, and all the fruits of the Spirit, are the genuine effects of that change without which " no man can see, or enter into the kingdom of God ;" though the whole is imperfect in the degree, and counteracted by the remaining power of in-dwelling sin, and manifold temptations. That this is the real meaning of this Scriptural expression may be further evinced, by briefly considering seveial other metaphors, which express the same change. It is called a ytew creation ; and " if any man be in Christ he is a new creature ; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new," (2 Cor. v. 17) ; and the apostle speaks of it with allusion to the crea- tion of the world, when " God commanded light to emerge out of darkness," order out of confusion, and beauty out of deformity, (2 Cor. iv. 6 ; Eph. ii. 10 ; iv. 24) : nor does " any thing avail in Christ but anew creature," (Gal. vi. 15). It is also called a resurrection. There are, so to speak, three kinds of life ; animal, rational, and spiritual. Animal life implies the capacity of performing animal functions, and relishing animal pleasures, which man pos- sesses in common with the brutes ; rational life rises a degi'ee above this, and includes the capacity of rational investigation, and of relishing an intellec- tual pleasure, of which mere animals have no conception ; this man pos- sesses in common with the unembodied spirits ; but spiritual life is a still nobler distinction, and the perfection of created being, as it consists in the capacity of performing, and delighting in, spiritual actions ; in which angels find their chief felicity, but of which the most rational man in the world, who is not born again, is as entirely incapable as the brutes are of philoso- phy. Animal life may subsist without either intellectual or spiritual capa- cities, these may subsist apart from animal propensities ; and an inteUiyent agent may be destitute of spiritual capacity, as fallen angels are ; but spiri- tual life pre-supposes rational powers. Adam, created in the image of God, possessed them all, but when he sinned, he lost his spiritual life, for the spirit of life departed, and he became dead in sin : thenceforth he possessed the propensities of animal nature, and the capacities of an intelligent agent, but he became incapable of delighting in the ^'y>!V!Yua^ excellency of divine things ; and this is the condition of every man until " the Spirit of life in Christ Je- sus makes him free from the law of sin and death," (Rom. vui. 2) ; which constitutes that figurative resurrection of which we speak, (Rom. vi. 4; Eph. ii. 1, o, 6 ; Col. iii. 1). Again, the Lord promises " a new heart and anew spirit ;" " a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone ;" and " to write his law in the heart," (Ezek. xxxvi. 26 ; Jer. xxxi. 31 — 33) ; which implies a change wrought in the judgment, dispositions, and affections, as a prepara- tion for obeying, " not by constraint but wiUingly." This is also described as putting off, '•' or crucifying the old man, or the flesh, with its affections and lusts," and " putting on the new man ;" that we may be " renewed in the spirit of our mind, and transformed in the renewing of our mind," It is called " the circumcision of the heart to love the Lord," (Deut. xxx. 6) : and it is represented by the grafting of a tree, through which the nature of it is changed and meliorated, and made to bear good fruit. These and such like metaphors and similitudes abundantly illustrate and confirm the expla- nation given of regeneration : but can never be made to coincide with the ON REGENEILVTION 247 sentiments of those who explain it of an outward form or amendment ; or of such as mistake some transient impressions or emotions for this abiding change. The necessity of regeneration might be rested on the solemn and repeated declarations of the Saviour and Judge of men ; for the multitudes who hope for heaven, whilst they pay no regard to this part of Scripture, strangely presume, either that Christ was mistaken, or that he will depart from his word in their favour. But other conclusive proofs may be adduced, " that unless a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God :" which re- sult from the nature of God and of man, of true religion, and of happiness. No creature can be satisfied, unless its capacities of enjoyment coincide with its sources of pleasure, or unless it subsist in its proper element. The ani- nads are perfectly satisfied with their several modes of living, whilst unmo- lested, and sufficiently provided for ; but they are uneasy when out of their place, though in a situation which pleases other animals. Different men also have diverse tastes, none is comfortable unless his inclination be gratified ; and every one is apt to wonder what pleasure others can take in that which is irksome to him. But who is there, that J!«<«ra% takes delight in the spiritual worship and service of God ? Are not these things man's v/eariness and aversion ? And do not men in general deem those persons melancholy, who renounce other pleasures for them ? Tliat " which is born of the flesh is flesh," or carnal ; " and the carnal mind is enmity against God ; whose holy perfections, spiritual law and worship, sovereign authority and humbling truth, are disliked by all unregenerate men, in proportion as they are acquainted with them. This is manifest, not only from the vices of mankind, but from their idolatry, infidelity, superstition, and impiety ; for •they have in every age, almost with one consent, preferred any absurdity to the truths, precepts and ordinances of revelation ; and any base idol to the Holy One of Israel ! Indeed every man, who carefully watches his own heart, whilst he thinks seriously of the omnipresence, omnipotence, omni- science, justice, holiness, truth, and sovereignty of God ; of his laws, threat- enings, and judgments ; and of his own past and present sins, will find " a witness in himself," of the enmity of the carnal mind against God. So that except a man be born again, he cannot take any pleasure in (iod, nor can God take any pleasure in him ; he cannot be subject to his law, he cannot come to, or walk with him, (Amos iii. 3) : he cannot render him unfeigned praises and thanksgivings, but must eitlier neglect religion, or be a mere formalist ; he cannot deem the service of God perfect freedom, or his privi- lege, honour, and happiness : he cannot exercise unfeigned repentance for iiil his sins, but must, in part at least, exalt himself, palliate his crimes, ob- ject to the severity of God, and murmur at his appointments : he cannot cordially receive the gospel, or live by faith in Christ, for " %visdom, righ- teousness, sanctification, and redemption ;" or perceive the preciousness of his person, mediation, and kingdom, the glory of his cross, his unsearchable riches, and incomprehensible love. He cannot unfeignedly give him the whole glory of his salvation ; or practise, from proper motives, meekness, pa- tience, gratitude, forgiveness of injuries, and love of enemies, or count all but loss for Christ ; renounce all for him ; bear reproach and persecution for his sike ; devote himself to his service, even unto death ; and then at last receive eternal life as the free gift of God in him. Nor can he enter into the s]iiritual meaning of divine ordinances, (especially of baptism and the Lord's Supper) ; or seek the spiritual blessings of the new covenant, with decided preference ; or love the true worshippers of God, as tlie excellent and honourable of the e;irth. Nay, an unregenerate man would not savour the company, the work, the worship, or the joy of heaven ; but would be disgusted even with tlie songs and employments of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect ; as persons of different descriptions may know, by " a witness in tliemselves," if they will but carefully consider the subject. But the nature of God, of holiness, of happiness, and of heaven, is un- 218 ON THE PERSONALITY AND changeable : and therefore, either we must be changed, or we cannot he either holy or happy. All the scriptures referred to, imply, that regeneration is wrought by " the exceeding greatness of the mighty power of God but it should be observed, that he operates on the minds of rational creatures according to their nature. The renewal of a faUen angel to the Divine image, would be as real a display of omnipotence, as his first creation ; and in some respects A greater : but the Lord might effect this change in a different manner. Having made use of truth (as the medium of his almighty energy), to over- come the dark and obstinate enmity of his fallen nature ; and to produce a willingness to be restored: he might afterwards require his concurrence in the use of means, through which that recovery should be effected. Now we are informed, that the Lord regenerates sinners by his word (James i, 18; I Pet. i, 23) ; ministers, therefore, and parents, and many others, in diffe- rent ways, are bound to set before those, committed to their care, the word of truth ; and to treat them as reasonable creatures, addi-essing their under- standing and consciences, their hopes, fears, and all the passions and powers of their souls ; beseeching God " to give them repentance to the acknow- ledging of the truth." And they who are convinced that such a change must take place in them, or else that they must be miserable, should be induced by the consideration that they cannot change their own hearts, (that being the work of the Holy Spirit), to seek this needful blessing, by reading the Scriptures, retirement, meditation, self-examination, hallowing the Lord's day, hearing faithful preaching and other instruction, breaking off known sin, practising known duties, avoiding vain company and dissipation, and ear- nestly praying to God to " create in them a clean heart, and to renew a right spirit within them." For comdctions of our inability have a similar «ffect upon us in other cases : and lead us to seek help from them that are able to help us. To those who continue to treat this subject with contempt and derision, we can only say, that as such persons will neither believe our testimony, nor that of Christ ; they will at last have no cause to complain, if they are left destitute of that which they have so despised. Some may believe that such things are, who are yet at a loss to know what they are : to them I would say, " beg of God daily and earnestly to teach you what it is to be born again and in time your own experience will terminate your per- plexity. But let those who admit the doctrine, beware lest they rest in the notion, without the experience and effects of it. And finally, let those who have known the happy change, know also that they need to be changed more and more : and should therefore unite with gratitude, for what the Lord hath wrought, pei'severing prayer, for a more complete renewal into the Divine image, in all the powers, dispositions, and affections of their souls. ESSAY XIIL On the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, with some Thoughts on tlie Docuine of the Sacred Tiinity. Christianity is styled by the apostle " the ministration of the Spirit," (2 Cor. iii. 8 ;) and a careful investigation of the Scriptures may suffice to convince any impartial inquirer, that the promise of the Holy Ghost is the grand peculiarity of the New Testament ; even as that of the Messiah was of the old dispensation. Having considered regeneration, or a man's being " born of the Spirit," or " born of God it regularly occurs to us in this place to give a more particular statement of the Scripture doctrine concern- ing the Holy Spirit. What relates to his personality and Deity, and to the DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 249 tlocti-ine of the Trinity a« connected with it, will constitute the suhject of the present Essay : and the extraordinary and ordinary operations, influences, and gifts of the Spirit ; the office he performs in the economy of our salva- tion ; and the duties resulting fi-om them, must be reserved for the next Essay. AYhen we use the term personality, in the discussion of this subject, we only mean, that language is used in Scripture concerning the Holy Spirit, and actions are ascribed to him, which lead us to think of him as a distinct Agent, and such as woujd be extremely improper, if a mere attribute or mode of operation were intended. Yet all must entertain this sentiment, who deny tlie personality of the Holy Ghost, and yet pay any suitable respect to the sacred oracles, in which so much is constantly ascribed to him. But we do not suppose, that the words " pei'son," and personality can, in an adequate manner, explain to us the distinct subsistence of the Spirit : or assii-t our conceptions in respect of mysteries, which we profess to consider as absolutely incomprehensible. These words, indeed, in this use of tliem, are not found in scripture : but when divine truths arc opposed with ingenuity, learning, and pertinacity ; it becomes necessary for those " who would contend ear- nestly for the faith once delivered to the saints," to vary their expressions : because their opponents will invent some plausible method of explaining away those terms, which bad before been made use of. That imperfection which characterizes every thing that belongs to man, is peculiarly discernible in human language : the mysteries of the infinite God can only be declared to us in words primarily taken from the relations and affairs of men ; and every thing that relates to infinity, confounds and overwhelms our finite and nar- row capacities. The most careful and able riters cannot, on such topics, wholly prevent tlieir readers from attaching ideas to their w ords, which they meant not to convey by them : so that they, whose object it is to put an ab- surd construction on our expressions, or to enervate, by a plausil)le interpre- tation, the language of holy scripture, will never find it very difficult to ac- complish their purpose, as far as the generality of mankind are concei'ned. If we speak of three distinct Persons in the Godhead, they may charge us with holding three distinct gods : supposing, or pretending we mean, that this incomprchenniWe distinction is perfectly like the obvious distinction of three men from each other. On the other hand, the labour, study, and in- genuity of revolving centuries have so perplexed the subject, that we cannot at present find words explicitly to define our meaning, and exactly to mark the difference of our sentiments from those of our o]>ponents, unless we use such exceptionable terms : at least, this is my principal reason for adhering to them. But if our expressions convey to the reader's mind the doctrine of scripture, with as much perspicuity and precision as human language gene- rally admits of; it is mere trilling to object to them, because they are not found in the Bible: for truths not words constitute the m.'itter of revelation ; and words are only the vehicle of truths to our minds. If some men have got the habit or art of evading the force of Scriptural terms, and thus mis- lead otliers into error ; it is not only allowable, but needful, for us to state our sentiments in other words, and then to prove that those sentiments are actually contained in holy Scripture ; unless we be disposed to give our op- ponents every advantage in the argument. For it cannot well be doubted by impartial persons, but that aversion to the doctrines themselves lies at the bottom of those objections that are made to the words, in which their defen- ders have been used to express them. We proceed therefore to consider the personality of the Holy Spirit; pre- mising, that as " these are heavenly things," (John iii. 12, 13), we can nei- ther explain them clearly in human language, nor illustrate them fully by any earthly things, nor yet prove them by arguments from human reason : for the wliole rests entirely on the authority of divine revelation : we gain our knowledge of them by simply believing God's s-ure testimony ; and we fchould improve them to practical purposes in humble adoration, and not treat • 250 ON THE PERSONALITY AND tliem as subjects of disputatious speculation, or presumptuous curiosity. And may he, " who hath promised to give his Holy Spirit to those who ask for him," guide us by his divine teaching into the sanctifying knowledge of the truth, in this and every subject that we investigate. We may, I presume, be allowed to say, that if such language be uniformly used in the Scriptures concerning the Holy Spirit, as in all other cases would convey to our minds the ideas of personality and personal agency ; the true believer Trill conclude him to be a personal agent. In allegories, indeed, and in sublime poetry, we often find attributes, propensities, or modes of opera- tion personified : but none, except the most ignorant reader, is in danger of being misled by such adventurous figures of speech. Should any man sup- pose that AVisdom, in the book of Proverbs, was introduced merely as an fdiegoricai person ; we might allow that he had some colour for his opinion : though I should rather say, that the Messiah, the Word and Wisdom of the Father, who is made wisdom to us, is the real speaker in those passages. But if such bold figures of speech are supposed, without any intimation, to be interwoven in historical or didactic discussions, or in promises and pre* cepts, that is grants and lavs, where the greatest precision is absolutely ne- cessary, what instruction can be certainly derived from revelation ? or how shall we know what we are to believe, to do, or to expect ? Surely this tends directly to render the Scriptures useless ; and to perplex and bewilder every serious inquirer after tbe way of eternal life ! But it is from discourses of t'lis lattter kind especially, that I shall select my proofs of the personality of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord promised his disciples, "that he would pray the Father, and he should give them another Comforter, that he might abide with them for ever," &c. (John xiv. 16, 17 :) and afterwards he added, "the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father shall send in my name, he shall teach you all things," &c. (ver. 26 :) and the personal pronoun (f«E/>»j) is used in this, and several other passages, especially those that follow. Calling this Com- forter " the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father," he added, " he shall testify of me," &c. (John xv. 26 :) and still more explicitly, he says, when " he cometh, he shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak :" " he shall glorify me ; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you" (John x^'i. 7 — 15.) Not to insist fur- ther on the repeated use of the personal pronoun, which the ordinary' rules of language appropriates in such discourses, to a personal agent ; being sent^ coming, testifying, receiving, showing, teaching, hearing, and speaking, do un- doubtedly imply personal agency: and if we are required to suppose the strongest rhetorical figures, that ever orators or poets have used, to be con- stantly interwoven in the plainest instructions and promises ; we must infer, that the language of the scripture is so indeterminate and unusual, that no certain conclusions can be drawn from it. This indeed seems to be the in- ference that some interpreters of the scripture are willing should be deduced from their observations : but an insinuation more dishonourable to Giod and his holy word can hardly be imagined. In like manner, Srt. Paul, when expressly instructing the Corinthians con- cerning the gifts of the Spirit, uses the strongest personal language : " all these worketh that one and self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as lie u-iit," (i Cor. xii. 11 :) but are not working, diciding, and willing personal acts ? or can such tenns be used of a mere attribute, consistently with the precision required in religious instructions ? He also speaks of the Spirit, as searching all things, yea the deep things of God" (1 Cor. ii. 10,) for he knoweth the things of " God, as the spirit of man knoweth the things of a man." The Holy Spirit is also said to dwelt in us, to lead us, to " bear wit- ness with otir spirits, and to make intercession for us ;" whilst " he that searchetb the hearts, knoweth what is the 7nind of the Spirit which certainly implies personal distinction (Rom. viii. 11, 14-, 16, 26, 27.) The sacred historian also records several msbancesj in which -the Holy Spirit spoke, acted, and com- DEITY OP THE HOLY SPIRIT. 251 inanded. " The Holy Ghost spake by the mouth of David" (Acts L 16.) " The Spirit said to Philip," (Acts viii. The spirit said to Peter, " Arise, get thee down," (Acts x. 19, 30). The Holy Ghost said, " Separate me Barnabas and Saul : and they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed," (Acts xiii. 2, 4). " It seemed good to the Holy Ghost/' (Acts xv. 28). " They wer« forbidden of the Holy Ghost," — " The Spirit suffered them not," (Acts xvi. 6, 7). " Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias," &c. (Acts xxviii. 25.) To which the language of other Scriptures accord ; " Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saitli," (Heb. iii. 7.) " Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches," (Rev. ii. 7.) That this is the frequent phraseology of Scripture is undeniable : and as the sacred oracles were given to make bs wise unto salvation; so it is evident, that we are taught in them to think of the Holy Spirit as of an Agent, willing, hearing, speaking, acting, commanding, forbidding, receiving, and executing a commission ; and performing a part in the great work of our salvation, distinct from that of the Fatheif, by whom, or that of the Son, through wliom he is given unto men. I apprehend that they who deny this doctrine, would feel themselves embarrassed in familiarly using such language as this, concerning the Spirit, or in speaking according to the oracles of God in their discoures, treatises or devotions ; at least many of them deem it convenient to adopt a more literal, philosophical, or modera style than that of the Scriptures, lest they should mislead some of their un- established disciples, or give men reason to call their consisteacy in ques- tion. When the personality of the Holy Spirit has been proved from the word of God, little difficulty remains to ascertain his Deity. The operation of the Holy Ghost in our Lord's conceptior^, rendered it proper to call him the Son of God, even in respect to his human nature, according to the l.'Uiguage of Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, (Luke i. 35). Ananias, by " lying to the Holy Ghost, lied unto God," (Acts v. 3, 4). Christians are " the temple of God, because the Spirit of God dwelleth in them ;" even " an habitation of God through the Spirit," (1 Cor. iii. 16, 17 ; vi. 19 ; 2 Cor. vi. 16 ; Eph. ii. 22). Indeed, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, in all believers, wheresoever they are dispersed, evidently implies the divine attribute of omnipresence ; nor could he " search all things, yea, even the deep things of God," unless he were omniscient. His work of regeneration, or new creation, and sanctifi- cation, require omnipotence to effect it : and all these surely ai-e divine at- tributes, incommunicable to any creature. But " if any man- liave not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his," (Rom. viii. 9 — 11) : and they are strangely ignorant of Christianity, who do not " know that Christians arc the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in them." Of this more abun- dant proof will be given when we come to consider the ordinary iniluences of the Holy Spirit. The very titles which are given to this distinguished Agent in all revivals of vital godliness, confirm the same conclusion. He is called, by way of emi- nence, " the Holy Spirit," " the Spirit of Holiness," " the Spirit of Truth," " the Spirit of Power," " the Spirit of Promise," " the Spirit of Wisdom and Knowledge," " the Comforter," " the Eternal Spirit." These, and se- veral other expressions of a similar nature, seem to denote both his essen- tial perfections, and the nature or effect of his influences on our minds ; and to distinguish him from all tliose created spirits which are sent forth to mi- nister to the heirs of salvation. And when it is said, that " he divideth to every man severally as he will his divine sovereignty, as well as his per- sonal volition, is declared to us. But if distinct personality, agency, and divine perfections be in Scripture ascribed also to the Fatlier and to the Son, no words seem more exactly to express the unavoidable inference than these, " that there are three distinct Persons in the Unity of the Godhead." The Scripture most assuredly teaches lis, " tliat tlje One living and true God is, in some inexplicable manner. Triune :" for he is spoken of as Oao in some respects, as Three in others. 252 ON THE PERSONALITY AND The dependence, confidence, affections^ and worsliip peculiar to Cliristia- nity, are manifestly connected by an indissoluble tie, with our sentiments on this respect : for, (not to anticipate the subject of the ensuing Essay) hovr can we avoid grieving- the Spirit, if we entertain thoughts of him infinitely beneath his divine dignity and excellency ? Men may continue confidently to assert without proof, that the doctrine of the Trinity is either a contradiction in itself, or inconsistent with the Unity of the Deity : they mav inform us, that the primitive Christians learned it from Plato and his followers, and so corrupted the faith by philosophy (though it is a thousand times more likely, that Plato borrowed his ideas from those Scriptures, which were extant in liis time :) and they may dignify themselves as Unitarians, as if none worshipped the one true God but themselves. But we sliall still have the satisfaction (mingled with our regret at such depar- tures from the faith) to find, that they grow proportionably shy of the phra- seology of the Scripture ; that they want to diminish men's reverence for the sacred writers ; that they are constrained to adopt methods of interpretation, in respect of those testimonies, which they still admit to be a divine revela- tion, that would be deemed contemptible, if employed in fixing the sense of any reputable classical writer ; and that they make their principal appeal, not to the oracles of God, but to the oracles of human reason, or to the vague and disputed standard of antiquity. It must be evident to all who are con- versant with modern treatises on these subjects, that the opposers of the doc- trine no longer attempt to support their sentiments by a particular examina- tion of Scriptui-e testimonies, allowing the Bible, as we have received it from our fathers, to be the infallible word of God ; and that it ought to be inter- preted by the same rules, which judicious scholars employ in explaining other ancient writers. A small part of the Scripture is by them considered to be of divine authority ; and the rest they would have us discard as doubtful, or irrational, or at most to give it a subordinate measure of attention. Could it be proved, that the Trinitarians were not Unitarians also, some ground would be gained by them ; but we suppose, that the Trinity of Per- sons in the Deity consists with the Unity of the Divine Essence : though we pretend not to explain the /nodus of it, and deem those to have been repre- hensible, who ha^•e attempted so to do ; as the modus, in which any being subsists, according to its distinct nature and known properties, is a secret to the most learned naturalists to this present day, and probably will continue to be so. But if the most common of God's works, with v.hich we are the most conversant, be, in this repsect, incomprehensible ; how can men think that the modus existendi, (or manner of existence) of the infinite Creator can be level to their capacities .'' — The doctrine of the Trinity is indeed a mys- tery : but no man hath yet shown, that it involves in it a real contradiction, ilany have ventured to say, that it ought to be ranked with transubstantia- tion, as equally absurd. But Archbishop Tillotson has shown, by the most convincing arguments imaginable, that transubstantiation includes the most palpable contradictions ; and that we have the evidence of our eyes, feeling, and taste, that wliat we receive in the Lord's Supper is bread, and not the body of a man ; whereas we have only the testimony of our eyes, that the ■words, " This is my body," are in the Scriptures. — Now this is intelligible to the meanest capacity, fairly made out, and perfectly unanswerable : but who ever attempted tlms to prove the doctrine of the 'Trinity to be self-con- tradictory ? Or what testimony of our senses, or demonstrated proposition, does it contradict .'' Yet, till this be shown, it is neither fair, nor convinc- ing, to exclaim against it as contradictory, absurd, irrational, &c. Indeed, it may be easy to say that Three and One cannot be the same ; and then to sliow, that the absurd tenet which they would persuade men that we hold, is self-contradictory : but if we may not quote the much-contested text, (1 John v. 7, 8) as an authority, we mav surely use it as expressing our sentiments : " There are three that b^ar record in lieaven, the Father, the ^Yord, and the Holy Ghost, and these Three are one ; " three PersonSj the DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 253 masculine being used ; one Being, the neuter being substituted. Now let any man in logical form prove if he can, that these words involve a real con- tradiction : but till this is done, let no man mistake confident assertion for demonstration. I cannot but hope, that the preceding concise arguments have fully shown, tliat the sacred writers spoke as strong language, concerning the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, as even tlie Nicene Fathers: though they did not use such illustrations, explanations, distinctions, or definitions, as the letter unhappily employed in tlie controversy. Nor can I doubt, but that the Deity of Christ hath been fully proved in the seventh and eighth Essays. And if these two points have been established on Scriptural authority, all that can be said against the doctrine of the Trinity on other grounds, only suggests these questions : — Is the human intellect, or the infinite understand- ing of God, most competent to determine on the incomprehensible mysteries of the Divine Nature ? Shall we abide by the language of inspiration, or give it up for that of human reason ? But what is faith ? Is it not a dis- position to say, " let God be true, and every man a liar?" For " the tes- timony of God is sure, and giveth wisdom to the simple." If the Scriptures be incontestably proved to be the word of God, by unanswerable external and internal evidences ; and a man shall dare to say, " that to allow such a doctrine as that of the Trinity to be contained in it, is enough to impeach its divine authority ;" it amounts only to this, that he is so wise in his own eyes, so leans to his own understanding, and is so fond of his own senti- ments, that he is determined not to be convinced by any testimony, human or divine. In addition to the general argument for the doctrine in question, which has been considered, it may be proper to consider a few remarkable passages of Scripture, in which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are men- tioned together, or jointly addi'essed in the same act of worship. When our Lord was ba})tized, the Fatlier by a voice from heaven, declared him to be his beloved Son, and publicly sealed his appointment to the mediatorial of- fice ; of which he solemnly accepted, and on which he then entered. And the Holy Spirit, descending visibly, under the emblematic representation of a dove, lighted upon him, as tlirougii him to be communicated to all his true disciples ; thus the Three Persons in tlie sacred Trinity, evidently acted ac- cording to the parts sustained by them in the great work of man's salvation. But tlie appointed form of Christian baptism is far more conclusive, " Bap- tize them into the name" (not names) " of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." By baptism we declare our dependence on, and de- votedness to him in whose name we are baptised ; and it implies one of the most solemn acts of worship that vve can perfoiTn.. Would it not then greatly tend to mislead us, if a mere creature, and an attribute, were joined with the One True (Jod in tliis ordinance? Upon the Trinitarian system it is ex- tremely proper : but that man must surely have very lax notions of the peculiar honour due to God, which he will not give to anothei', who can think it consistent with the doctrine of our opponents. This form of bap- tism fuUy warrants the excellent doxology of our Church, " Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost," &c. : and it is worthy of obser- vation, that ancient Anti-triuitarians attempted to improve our Lord's words, saying, " In the name of the Father, and through the Son, and by, or in the Ilidy Ghost :" which, joined with modern attempts to show the form to be non-essential to baptism, &c., constitutes a full proof that the argument is of great force, even in the opinion of our opponents. When our Lord eays, (John xvi. 13 — 15), " The Spirit of Truth, — //e shall glorify me, — all that the Father hath are mine," &c. ; he establishes the doctrine of the Tri- nity. Tlie personality, and consequently the Deity of the Spirit, has been proved from many testimonies : if all things belonging to the Father, belong to Christ also, his Deity must be allowed : and thus the three persons in the Trinity are here pointed out to our observation. The apostolic benediction S5i OX THE HOLY SPIRIT, 1(9 Cor. xiii. 14), refers to the One Name in which Christians are baptised ; and leads our thoueht* to the form of blessing appointed in the law, (Numb, vi. 24 — 26) ; in which benedictions were pronounced on the people ^vith a threefold repetition of the name of Jehovah, as well as to the adorations of the heavenly hosts, " Holy, holy, hoh', is the Lord," &c. (Isaiah vi. 3 ; Rev. iv. 8). Now this benediction is in reality a prayer in behalf of the Corin- thians, for all the blessingrs of salvation ; and these are sought from the Lord Jesus, and from the Holy Spirit, as well as from God the Father. To this accords the address of the Apostle John to the seven churches in Asia, in •which he wishes, or prays, for crace and peace to them, from the eternal Fa- ther, from the seven Spirits before the throne, and from the Lord Jesus, &c. (Rev. i. 4 — 6.) According to the emblematic syle of this book, the Holy Spirit, with reference to his manifold gifts and graces, and to the seven churches in Asia, is spoken of as the seven Spirits, &c. : but we cannot doubt of the meaning, nor can we imagine, that any created spirits would have been thus joined with the etei'nal God, in such an evident act of adoration. I shall close the present Essay by observing, that the subject before us is of the greatest importance. Either Trinitarians, or Anti-trinitarians, are idolaters ; for they cannot both worship that God who rep eals himself to us in Scripture ; but one of them must substitute an imaginary being in his place. It is not therefore a subject to be decided by sallies of wit, or osten- tation of learning, or by attempting to render one another odious or ridicu- lous. A sober, humble, teachable mind, disposed to believe the testimony of God, -is above all things requisite in such inquiries ; this must be sought of God by fervent prayer ; and then the Scriptures must be daUy and diligently examined with an obedjent and reverential mind. The writer of these re- marks was once an .Vnti-trinitarian, and on the point of leaving the Church of England, from objections to her doctrine and worship in this respect. But the study of the Scriptures has changed his judgment : and as he then ne- glected or disliked the other doctrines which he now values more than life, and was a stranger to vital, experimental religion ; so he observes, that they who deny this doctrine, gradually give up otiier peculiarities of Christianity till the name alone, or very little more, be left of it. He cannot therefore but deem it, (like the key-stone of an arch) essential to the support of evan- gelical piety ; and would subjoin these observations on the Trinity with the apostle's words, " This is the true God, and eternal life ; little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." But whilst we deem the rejection of this doctrine as a virtual renuncia- tion of Christian baptism ; a dissent from the apostolical benediction ; and a substitution of another object of worship in the place of the God of the Bible ; and whilst we lament the i-apid progress of this destructive heresy, which often proves a forerunner to prepare the way for a more avowed apos- tacy ; we must also observe, that it is almost equally to be lamented, that so few who profess the doctrine, seem to understand its real nature and ten- dency, or to experience its sanctifying efficacy upon their hearts. Alas ! ■what will it avail any man to have maintained, or even triumphantly con- tended for this fundamental truth, if he continue the devotee of ambition, avarice, or any other vile affection.' Of what use is it to show the distinct offices of the Father, Son, and Spirit, in the work of our salvation ; unless •we, as lost sinners, depend on the everlasting love and free mercy of the Fa- ther ; on the merits and mediation of the incarnate Son, and on the sancti- fying grace of the Holy Spirit .'' No outward administration of baptism can profit those who are not made by " the true baptism," the spiritual wor- shippers and servants of " the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." Nor can the pronunciation of the apostle's benediction save any man who does not partake of the blessings pronounced, in the inward experience of his own soul. Moreover, whilst we disregard the charge of bigotry, in refusing all reli- gious intercourse with Anti-trinitariansj lest we should give a sanction to THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 255 tJjeir heresy : let us protest against all attempts to injure them in their tem- poral interests. Every kindness is due to them as men, when they need it ; many of them, as good members of society, are entitled to civil respect and commendation ; and by this conduct, we shall best silence the censures brouglit against our principles as intolerant ; and prove that they enlarge the heart with the most diffusive philanthropy. ESSAY xrv. On the Gifts and Influences of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine which is selected for the subject of the present Essay, has oc- casioned a great variety of dangerous or destructive mistakes. Some persons have advanced claims, which seem at least to place them upon an equality in this respect, with the prophets, apostles, and inspired writers ; and others, (perceiving the absurdity or arrogance of such pretences; deeming them- selves wise, strong, or good, by their native powers and exertions ; and hav- ing no experience to direct them in discriminating between what is Scriptu- ral and what is anti-scriptural) have argued, that we neither want, nor are warranted to expect any such influences : that they were exclusively vouch- safed to the apostles and primitive Christians ; and that all, which is now spoken of the operations or assistance of the Spirit, is mere enthusiasm and delusion. These opposite extremes have also admitted of intermediate errors and variations ; whilst some contend, that there is no discoverable distinc- tion between divine influences and the actings of our own minds ; and do not clearly admit of an exception, in respect of the diverse eflFects produced by these distinct causes ; others suppose, that they are immediately distinguish- able by an inward and a kind of instinctive consciousness, (like that which doubtless assured prophets of their divine inspiration) ; and thus, whilst they seem to honour the Spirit, and will attempt nothing, till, as they say, they are moved by him, they covertly advance a claim to infallibility and perfec- tion, in those favoured seasons, or impute all their mistakes and follies to this sacred Agent. Nor is it uncommon for men to plead that they are in- fluenced by the Holy Spirit, in order to establish other rules of faith and practice than the written word of God, to bring that, or some parts of it, into a measure of discredit ; or even to substitute something wrought in or hy them, in the place of the righteousness and atoning blood of that Saviour, •whom he, the Spirit, is sent to glorify among men. In short, much enthu- siasm and spiritual pride, and many fatal or disgraceful delusions have, on the one hand, arisen from misapprehensions of tliis subject ; and, on the flther, multitudes have taken occasion from these things, to treat the whole doctrine with the most profane contempt and derision. But a careful attention to the Scriptures, and to the ends for which the Holy Spirit was promised, may enable us properly to discriminate in this matter ; and to show in what sense, and for what purposes, we ought to ex- pect and depend on the influences of the Spirit, and which of his gifts and operations were peculiar to the primitive times, or to such extraordinary oc- casions. I shall therefore at present off'er some thoughts on the miraculous gifts and powers imparted by the Holy Ghost ; — on those ordinary endow- ments wliich uninspired men may reasonably expect to receive from him ; — on his common influences upon the minds of many unconverted persons; — and on the special nature of those influences which he vouchsafes, and of that sanctifying work which he effects on " the vessels of mercy, prepared i)efore unto glory." If we accurately mark the language of the Scriptures, we shall find that 236 ON THE GIFTS AND INFLUENCES the Holy Spirit is spoken of as the Author and Giver of all those miraculous and supernatural powers with which any of the human race ever were en- dued. Not only did " holy men of God speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," (2 Pet. i. 21) ; not only did apostles, evangelists, and primi- tive believers receive the Holy Ghost, to enable them to cast out devils, heal the sick, raise the dead, speak in languages before unknown, or to interpret the discourses of others : but even Christ himself was " anointed by the Holy Ghost," to work his beneficent miracles, (Acts x. 38) : he cast out devils " by the Spirit of God," (Matt. xii. 28) ; " who was not given to him by measure," (John iii. 34) : and through " the Holy Ghost he gave com- mandments to his apostles," (Acts i. 2). Indeed the promises made to him, in the Old Testament especially, relate to this ; and his very title of the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed of the Lord, was derived from it, (Psalm xlv. 7 ; Isaiah xi. 2, 3 ; xlii. 1 ; lix. 21 ; Ixi. 1). Nor can we easily and satis- factorily account for these expressions, or reconcile them with our Lord's .conduct in speaking and acting, as in his own name, or by his own authority and power; unless we advert to the distinction between his divine and hu- man nature, and his personal and mediatorial dignity ; and remember that in respect to his divine nature, he is one with the Father, and with the Holy Spirit, in all the essence, perfections, and operations of the Godhead. We must therefore consider the Holy Spirit as the great Agent, according to the economy of the everlasting covenant, in the inspiration of the Scriptures, in the performance of all those miracles, by which the messengers of God au- thenticated their doctrine, and in the revelation of those future events, which being interwoven with every part of the sacred volume, and receiving their accomplishment from age to age, confirm the divine original of the whole to every attentive and impartial inquirei-. Such discoveries of the truth and will of God had been made from the beginning: but they became more par- ticular and copious when Israel was brought out of Egypt, and the law was given by Moses. The prophets, and other servants of God, who from time to time were raised up to call the attention of Israel to his law and promises, •or to effect extraordinary deliverances for the nation, were endued with mi- raculous powers by the same Spirit : at the coming of Christ, Mary, Eliza- teth, Zacharias, Simeon, &c., spake of him by the Spirit ; and his apostles and seventy disciples partook of his extraordinary gifts, and miraculous powers, even before our Lord's cruciiixion. Yet the out-pouring of the Spirit, at and after the day of Pentecost, was so vastly superior in energy, ex- tent, and duration, that St. John who had witnessed and shared both, saj's, in relating the discourses of Christ, " this he spake of the Spirit — for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified," (John vii. 39). Whatever had preceded that great event, might be an earnest of, but did not properly belong to " the dispensation of the Spirit," nor was worthy to be compared with it. But when Jesus was risen, and ascended on high, these gifts were showered down on men in rich abundance, to confirm the testimony of the apostles to his resurrection, and to qualify them and their fellow-workers to spread the gospel through the nations ; and being com- municated by the laying on of the apostles' hands, the number of witnesses and instruments was continually multiplied, and provision was made for the rapid progress of their salutary doctrine. The evident design and use of these extraordinary influences of the Spirit was to rouse the attention of a careless world to the spiritual doctrines of the gospel; to counterbalance men's prejudices in favour of their old tradi- tions, and against religious innovations ; and to put honour on those who were employed to propagate Christianity in the midst of contempt and per- secution. The gift of tongues especially seems to have been indispensably necessary, to enable the first preachers of the gospel to address men of dif- ferent nations in a suitable manner ; and the difficulty of learning the lan- guages of heathen nations, forms, at this day, one grand impediment to the propagation of Christianity. These miraculous powers seem to have conti- OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 257 Tiued with the church, in some measure, during thethree first centuries ; but ■to have decreased in proportion as the Christian religion obtained establish- ment in the world. At length, when " the only wise God our Saviour," saw that occasional prejudices had sufficiently subsided, and extraordinary ob- stacles were in a great degree removed ; and that the truth had only to con- tend with those lusts of man's fallen nature, and those efforts of the powers of darkness which are common to every age and place ; he was pleased to withdraw these miraculous operations, and to carry on his work by means of the written word, the fulfilment of prophecies, and other abiding evidencas of the truth, and by the ordinary influences of the Holy Spirit. But it does not appear that he hath any where declared, that he will no more endue his servants with miraculous powers, or confer on them the spirit of prophecy. We may however be assured, that such powers will never be imparted to en- able men to support any thing materially different from tliat complete reve- lation which we now possess : and for thirteen hundred years at least, all pretences to miracles or prophecies have tended, in one way or other, to sub- vert the doctrine contained in the New Testament ; and have justly been deemed impostures, or satanical delusions, and marks of antichrist. We al- low therefore, that in this respect, the promise of the Spirit related to tlie pri- mitive times, or at least, that all claims at present to such powers, as imply new revelations, predictions, miracles, infallibility, &c., in those vvho advance them, are enthusiastic, arrogant, and unwarranted. The Scriptures ai-e fully authenticated, as a complete rule of faith and practice : Christianity has all tlie advantages which it can possess, in a world that " lieth in the wicked one there is no rival system, pretending to be a divine revelation, that can at all stand in competition with it ; minister.s may obtain needful qualifications, by the ordinary blessing of God on their diligent studies ; the establishment which our religion has had for so many ages, and through so many nations, gives it, as it were, a claim by prescrip- tion, to the attention of mankind ; and the Lord sees these things to be suf- ficient for the accomplishment of his purposes, in the present state of human affairs. We may further observe, that miraculous and prophetical powers, imparted by the Holy Spirit, had no inseparable connection with personal sanctity ; and they have often been bestowed on very wicked men. Balaam might, in a measure say with David, " The Spirit of the Lord spake .)y me, and his word was in my tongue," (Num. xxiii. 5, 16 ; xxiv. 2, 16 — 2t : 2 Sam. xxiii. 2). Judas doubtless was endued with the power of casting out devils and working miracles, as well as the other apostles ; and many will be condemned as never known of Christ at the last day, who have done many wonderful works in his name, (Matt. vii. 22, 23 ; i Cor. xiii. 1 — 3). These .gifts were likewise liable to be abused by man's ambition and corrupt passions ; and Jhowever useful to others, were injurious or even fatal to the possessor, if he were not disposed and enabled by the more common, but far more valuable influences of the Holy Spii-it, to use them in humility, zeal, and love, (1 Cor. xii. xiv.) But there are also other gifts derived from the same Spirit, which are not directly of a sanctifying nature. It is observable, that John the Baptist, v, ho was " filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb," wrought no mi- racles: yet our Lord declared, that " he was more than a prophet ;" and it is evident, that he was more illuminated in the nature of Christ's redemp- tion and kingdom, than any of the apostles were, previous to the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of- Pentecost. His divine illumination, tlierefore, according: to the Scriptures of the pi-ophets, and his ministerial endowments, though not miraculous, were yet the gifts of the Holy Ghost. The apostles and disciples, on the day of Pentecost, were not only endued with miracu- lous powers, but greatly advanced in their knowledge of the gospel, deli- vered from their prejudices and mistakes, raised above the fear of men, anj enabled to speak with promptitude, facility, and propriet)', far beyond wliat 258 ON THE GIFTS AND INFLUENCES 'was natural to them, or what they couhl have acquired by habit or study. That wonderful chaiig-e, which, in these respects, took place in them, oiiglit to be ascribed entirely to the agency of the promised Spirit, (John xiv. 26 ; xvi. 12, 13) ; and we may hence conclude, that religious knowledge, pru- dence, fortitude, utterance, and other endowments for the sacred ministry, or for any useful service in the church, are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Dili- gence indeed in the use of proper means, is required, yet the success of that diligence should be considered as the gift and work of the Spirit of Christ ; on him we ought to depend for all needful qualifications for the services al- lotted us ; and whilst we take to ourselves the blame of every mistake, de- fect, and evil, that mixes with our endeavours, the whole glory of nil that is true, wise, or useful, should be ascribed to this divine Agent. This may surely be done, without enthusiasm or arrogance : and the apostle hath taught us to do it, in his before-cited discourse on spiritual gifts, in which he enumerates wisdom, knowledge, and the faculty of speaking to edifica- tion, exhortation, and comfort, among the operations of the Spirit ; and these are evidently as much wanted at present, as they were in the primitive times, (1 Cor. xiv. 3). We need not then wonder, that the official minis- tration of numbers at present, is so devoid of pathos, energA', and Scriptural wisdom, when we learn, that all dependence on the Holy Spirit in preparing for the ministry or the pulpit is disclaimed by them as enthusiasm and folly : fijr if no man can say that " Jesus is the Lord," or do any thing elfectual to promote the gospel, but by " the Holy Ghost ;" and if men, pretending to be teachers, affront this Divine Agent, by rejecting and vilifying his prof- fered assistance, the consequence must be, that they will be left to oppose or disgrace the faith, instead of preaching it. But these gifts tot) may be possessed ana e.xercised by those that are stran- gers to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Jvlen may be enabled by the Spirit to attain ksiowledge in the mysteries of the gospel, and readiness in speaking or writing about them, whilst they remain ungodly : even as others have possessed miraculous or prophetical gifts, whilst they continued the slaves of avaricj or lust. Tiius persons may arise, endued with eminent talents, whose preaching may excite great attention, and even do much good ; or whose writings illuminate the church, and exceedingly tend to elu- cidate the truth, and to silence the objections of its enemies ; and yet these very men may possibly be themselves cast-airai/s, because they received not the love of the truth, neitlier obeyed it, but obeyed unrighteousness." But these are spirituul gifts, which are wanted alike at all times ; unless it can be believed that men are now so wise and good, and that Christianity is so con- genial to our nature, and so generally understood and practiced ; that we are fully competent, without any divine assistance, to maintain the cause of it in the world. It has also been generally allowed by orthodox divines, that there are other influences of the Spirit on the mind, which do not always issue in its sanctifi- cation. " To resist the Holy Ghost," seems to mean something more than merely to reject the word of inspiration: and to " quench the Spirit," is not ex- clusively the sin of believers, when on some occasions they stifle his holy sug- gestions. He strives with, and powerfully stirs up the minds of many, who are not born again : new principles are not implanted, but natural powers are excited ; conscience is influenced in part to perform its office, notwith- standing the opposition of the carnal heart ; convincing views are given of many important truths ; the Spirit concurs with an address to a man's fear, and even a Felix trembles before a prisoner in chains. A man's hopes are addressed, and " he hears gladly, and does many things," though he will not divorce Herodias : or convincing arguments are applied with energ\' to an intelligent worldling, and he is almost persuaded to be a Christian. Such characters often take up a profession of the gospel, and continue for a time, or even persist to the end, in an unfruitful form of godliness : and men of this description, when the Spirit has finally ceased to strive with them. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 259 have been the principal heresiarchs in every age, while the bulk of heretical societies have been constituted of inferior persons of the same stamp. Yet, as far as truth produces its proper effect, though it be at length borne down by human depravity and temptation, it ought to be ascribed to the Spirit ; and in this sense, as well as in respect of miraculous powers, men have been partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have yet fallen away beyond the possibility of being renewed unto repentance, (Heb. vi. 4 — 6; x. 29). But, on the other hand, these strivings are often preparatory to those " things which accompany salvation ;" nor can we always exactly distinguish between them, except by the effect : for they resemble two small seeds, which are so much alike, though of distinct species, tliat our eyes cannot distinguish between them ; till, having been sown, they spring up and produce their respective plants, and then they are easily and perfectly known from each other. The observations that have been made on regeneration, (Essay XII.) in- troduces what is needful to be added in this place, in respect to the special work and influences of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers. We may therefore observe, that the conversion of three thousand persons on the day of Pentecost, the rapid spread of the gospel which followed, and the holiness and joy of the primitive Christians, were as much the effect of that " out-pouring of the Spirit," as the miraculous gifts conferred on the apostles ; and the same change wrought in men's characters and conduct by the gospel, must uniformly be ascribed to the same cause. But we shall be able to mai'k more precisely the nature of these sanctify- ing influences of the Spirit, by adverting to the language of Scripture on that subject. The word " Comforter," by which our Lord distinguishes this di- vine Agent, may also signify an advocate, or an admonisher ; and this title implies, that it is his office to plead the cause of God in our hearts, to excite and animate us to all holy duties, and to communicate to us all holy conso- lations. Water, which purifies, refreshes, and fructifies all nature ; and fire, which illuminates, penetrates, melts, softens, and consumes whatever cannot be, as it were, changed into its own nature, are the constant emblems of tliat Spirit with which Christ baptises his true disciples. When he comes, " he re- proves," or " convinces men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment ;" by his divine light he so discovers to them their obligations to God, and the demands of his perfect law, tliat they are deeply convinced of guilt, even in such things as before did not burden their consciences ; especially, they soon perceive their state of condemnation as unbelievers, and the atrocious evil of not re- ceiving Christ by faith : they are thus convinced of the justice of God in his dealings with sinners, and understand his righteousness in justifying be- lievers ; and so are brought to realize habitually a judgment to come, as the whole tenor of revelation manifests to them, that the prince of this world, and all his subjects, lie under certain condemnation. When the Holy Spirit Jias thus prepared the hearts of sinners, (as he did those of the Jews on the day of Pentecost, Acts ii. 37), " he glorifies Christ, and receives of the things of Christ, and shows unto them," (John xvi. 7 — 15). By his illumi- nating energy, by divesting the mind of proud and carnal prejudices, and by bringing the words of Scripture to their remembrance, he discovers to them the glory and excellence of Emmanuel's person, his infinite compas- sion and condescension, the perfection of his righteousness, the preciousness of liis blood, the prevalence of his intercession, and the suitableness of his whole salvation. In proportion therefore as the sinner is abased and hum- bled in his own eyes, Christ becomes precious in his estimation ; the Com- forter exalts him in his heart ; he perceives him to be " altogether lovely," " the pearl of great price," and that all tilings are but loss in comparison of him. Now he begins to see something of his unsearchable riches, his unfa- thomable love, his inexhaustible fulness ; he finds that all he can want is comprised in a relation to, and interest in Clirist, and in union and commu- nion with him. His li!>erty, honour, pleasure, and felicity consist in having such a Saviour, brother, and friend ; and those strains of admiring love, de- 260 THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. sire, gratitude, and praise, which once appeared to him too rapturous, or even enthusiastic, heeome the genuine language of his most lively hours, and he knows that they are all far beneath his real excellency and glory : thus the love of Christ to him, and his reciprocal love to Christ, constrain him to live to his glor\-. And here we may observe, that in proportion as the doc- trine of tlie Spirit is exploded or overlooked, the person and work of Christ are generally dishonoured ; and whilst men plume themselves on a rational religion, they evidence, and sometimes must be conscious, that the language of Scripture does not suit their views, but far better accords to those of the enthusiasts, whom they so liberally vilify, and cordially despise. Is it not then evident, that the reason why Christ is no more glorified in the visible church, is simply this : men do not expect, depend on, or seek for the influ- ences of the Holy Spirit in this respect ; and therefore they are left to exalt themselves, or philosophy, or some favourite author, and to degrade the light of the world and the life of men ? Several of the apostle's prayers for his conn'erts had respect, not to mira- culous gifts, but to such things as are equally needful in every age. He de- sired, '-' that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation might enlighten their un- derstandings to know God and the glorj' of his gospel, and cause them to ex- perience the power of his grace," &c. (Eph. i. 17 — 19; iii. 16 — 21 ; 1 Cor. ii. 12 ; 2 Cor. iv. .3 — 6). Now, is it not necessary tliat all Christians should thus know God, understand the gospel and its privileges, and be inwardly strengthened in love and obedience to the Lord Jesus.'' Surely these are essentials to real Christianity in ererj' age ? And the state of the profess- ing church of Christ, amidst all modern improvements, shows that they cair no more be produced without the influences of the Spirit, than skill in agri- culture can insure a crop of corn, without the inflaences of the sun and rain. The apostle says, " that the love of God is shed abroad by the Holy Ghost, who is given unto us;" and whether we undei"stand this of our knowledge of God's love to us, or of our exercise of love to him, it is manifest that we cannot attain to it, except by the influences of the Spirit, preparing and per- vading all the faculties of our souls, (Rom. v. 5) ; and indeed all fervent af- fections towards God, or joy in him, are deemed enthusiasm by those wha deny these doctrines ; and a decent conduct, with a form of godliness, con- stitutes the sum total of improved Christianity. The same apostle prays, that the Romans " may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Ghost," (Rom. XV. 17). Hope is one of those graces which abides in the church, (1 Cor. xiii. 13) ; and if this springs from, and abounds through the power of the Spirit, we must conclude, that all who are destitute of bis influences are either " without hope," or buoyed up in presumptuous confidence. According to St. Peter, the believer's obedience results from " the sanctification of the Spirit." And he says, " Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren," &:c. (1 Pet. i. 2, 22). Surely these are duties of Christianity peculiar to no age or place ; and the influences of the Spirit must be as needful to the perform- ance of them at present, as when inspired apostles were the teachers of the church. " The kingdom of God is — in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom. xiv. 17) : how then can we rejoice in the Lord always, without his blessed influences ? But this subject is most copiously discussed in the eighth of Romans, which brevity forbids me to enlarge upon. Let it suffice in general to observe, that the apostle ascribes the believer's deliver- ance from " the law of sin and death," to " the Spirit of life in Christ Je- sus," (2 Cor. iii. 17, 18) ; and derives the spiritual mind, which " is life and peace," from the same source. They in whom " the Spirit of God dwells," are " not in the flesh, but in the Spirit ;" but " if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his :" they, who " through the Spirit mortify tlie deeds of the body, shall live ;" they " that are led," or willingly guided and influenced by him, " are the children of God." He dwells in them, not as a " spirit of bondage," to induce them to obey God from servile motives. ON THE USES OP THE MORAL LAW. 261 but 8S a Spirit of adoption, hy whom they cry, " Abba, Father:" and thus, by producing- filial dispositions and affections in their hearts, he witnesses with them, that they are the children and heirs of God. They have there- fore, " the first-fruits of the Spirit," called elsewhere, the " seal of the Spirit," being the renewal of the Divine image on their souls, and the " ear- nest of the Spirit," or the beginning and sure pledge of heavenly felicitj', (a Cor. i. 22; Eph. i. 13, 14; iv. 30). But who can deny that these things are essential to gen\iine Christianity at all times, and in all places ? In short, we are directed to pray " in," or by " the Holy Ghost," who " also helpeth our infirmities ;" and whatever words we use, his influences alon© can render our worship spiritual. Our holy tempers, affections, and actions are called " the fruits of the Spirit, (Gal. v. 22, 23 ; Eph. v. 9), to distin- guish them from mere moral conduct, on worldly or legal principles. We are said " to live, and to walk in, and to be filled with the Spirit ;" and all our heavenly wisdom, knowledge, strength, holiness, joy ; all things relative to our repentance, faith, hope, love, worship, obedience, meetness for heaven, and foretastes of it, are constantly ascribed to his influences ; nor can we es- cape fatal delusions, resist temptations, overcome the world, or glorify God, except as we are taught, sanctified, strengthened, and comforted by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in believers, " as a well of water springing up unto ever- lasting life." We need not then wonder at the low ebb to which vital Christianity is fallen, when we consider how many nominal Christians utterly disclaim all dependence on the Spirit as enthusiasm ; and how much this part of the gos- pel is overlooked by numbers who are zealous for other doctrines of it ! The subject therefore suggests to us the vast importance of owning the divine person and whole work of the Spirit in all our services ; of prnying f(/r, that we may pr.^y by the Spirit, (Luke xi. 13) ; of applying for and depending on him in all things ; of cautiously distinguishing his genuine influences from every counterfeit, by Scriptural rules ; of avoiding those worldly cares, and that indolence, which " quench," and all those evil tempers, which " grie\ e the Spirit of God ;" and of giving the glory of all the good wrought in or by us, to him, as the original source and author of it. Thus, depending on the mercy of the Father, the atonement of the Son, and the grace of the Spirit, we shall be prepared to give glory to the Triune God our Saviour, botli nwff and for evermore. ESSAY XV. On tlie Uses of tfie Moral Law, in subserviency to tlie Gospel of Clirfst. When we have duly considered our situation as fallen creatures, and those tilings that relate to our recovery by the mercy of the Father, the redemp- tion of the Son, and tlie sanctification of the Holy Spirit, we must perceive, that " we are saved by grace, through faith ; and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God ; not of works, lest any man should boast," (Eph. ii. 8 — 10). And we shall next be led to inquire, " wherefore, then, serveth tlie law.''" (Gal. iii. 19). Indeed, the apostle introduces this question as the objection of a Judaizing teacher to the doctrines of grace. But, in stating the uses of the law as coincident with the doctrines before-mentioned, it is obvious, that neither the ritual law nor the legal dispensation are intended ; the for- mer typified, and the latter introduced, the clear revelation of the gospel, and they were both superseded and antiquated by the coming of Christ. The moral law alone is intended, which was originally written in the heart of man, as created in the image of God ; was afterwards delivered with awful solemnity from Mount Sinai in ten commandments ; is elsewhere summed up 262 ON THE USES OF THE MORAL LAW, in the two great commandments of loving God with all our hearts, and our neighbour as ourselves : and is explained and enlarged upon in a great va- riety of particular precepts throughout the whole Scripture. This law, be- sides what it .nore directly enjoins, implicitly requires us to love, admire, and adore every discovery that God shall please at any time to make to us of his glorious perfections ; cordially to believe every truth he shall reveal and authenticate ; and willingly to obey every positive appointment which lie shall at any time be pleased to institute. This law is immutable in its own nature ; for it could not be abrogated, or altered, without an apparent intimation, that God was not so glorious, lovely, and excellent ; or so worthy of all possible honour, admiration, gra- titude, credit, adoration, submission, and obedience, as the law had repre- sented him to be ; or without seeming to allow, that man had at length ceased to be under those obligations to God, or to stand in those relations to him, and to his neighbour, whence the requirements of the law at first resulted. The moral law, I say, could not be changed in any essential point, unless we could cease to be under infinite obligations to our great Creator ; unless he could allow us in some degree to be alienated from, and become despisers of him ; or to love worldly objects and our own temporal advantage or pleasure, more than his infinite excellency, and to prefer them to his glory, and the en- joyment of his favour; unless he could allow us to be ungrateful for his benefits, to discredit his veracity, to dispute his authority, to reject the ap- pointments of his wisdom ; and to injure, neglect, corrupt, or hate one an- oUier, to tlie confusion and ruin of liis fair creation. Such absurd and dread- ful consequences may unanswerably be deduced, from the supposition of the moral law of God being repealed or altered ; and they are the bane of every Antinomian or Neonomian invention, however ingeniously stated or diver- sified. The Lord may, consistent with the immutable perfections of his na- ture and righteousness of his government, reveal truths before unknown to his creatures ; he may abrogate positive institutions, or appoint others ; he may arrange various circumstances relative to the law, in a new manner, according to the different situations in which rational agents are placed : but the love of God with all the powers of the soul and the equal love of each other, must continue the indispensable duty of all reasonable creatures, how- ever circumstanced, through all the ages of eternity. This law is the foundation of the covenant of works ; and it is the wisdom and duty of every holy creature to seek justification by obeying it : but for fallen men who are continually transgressing, to seek to be justified by their obedience to it, is absurd and arrogant in the greatest degree that can be conceived. This attempt is generally called self-righteousness ; and all the preachers of Christianity are bound most decidedly to warn men against it as a fatal rock on whicli multitudes are continually perishing. But what purposes then does the law answer, under a dispensation of mercy, and in subserviency to the doctrines and the covenant of grace ? And what use should the ministers of the New Testament make of it ? The fol- lowing statement may perhaps contain a sufficient reply to these questions ; and make way for some observations on the bad effects which follow from ignorance, inattention, or confused apprehensions respecting the moral law in the ministers and professors of the gospel. L The apostle says, " I, through the law, am dead to the law, that I might live unto God," (Gal. ii. 19.) He doubtless meant (by " being dead to the law,") that he had entirely given up all hope and evei-y thought of justification by the law, or of obtaining eternal life as the reward of his own obedience to it: and having fled to Christ for justification, he was delivered also from the fear of final condemnation by it. He had therefore no more to hope or fear from the law, than a man after his death hath to hope or fear from his friends or enemies. "When he was a proud Pharisee, " he was alive ■witliout the law : but when the commandment came, sin revived, and he died," (llom. vii, 9). And every impartial reader must see, thattlie apostle IN SUBSERVIENCY TO THE GOSPEL. 263 there spoke of the moral law, which he called, spiritual, holy, just, and good, in whicli he " delhjhted after the inner man, and which he served with his inintl," &c. And thus will every self-rig'hteous Pharisee become dead to the law, in pro- portion as he knows and understands the nature of its requirements and sanction. When the sinner becomes well acquainted with the strictness, extensive demands, and awful denunciations of the law, his hope of being justified according to it must expire : for he will perceive, that it requires a perfectly holy heart, and a perfectly holy life ; that it respects every ima- gination, intention, affection, disposition, motive, word, and work ; that it demands absolute, uninterrupted, and perfect obedience from the lii'st dawn of reason to the moment of death ; and that it denounces an awful curse on " every one who continueth not in all things, written in its precepts, to do them." But unless the goodness or excellency of the law be also perceived, the sinner will not be brought to genuine self-abasement. A man may be clearly convicted of higli treason according to tlie letter of the law ; but if he thinks the law itself to be iniquitous, he will pei-sist in justifying his con- duct ; and his sullen enmity to the prince, the government, and his judges, will probably increase in proportion as he sees the execution of the sentence denounced against him to be inevitable. If men only consider the strict- ness of the precept and the severity of the sanction of the divine law ; hard thoughts of God will be excited, they will deem themselves justified in des- ponding inactivity, or they will take refuge in Antinomianism, or infidelity, jiut when every precept is shown to the conscience to be " holy, just, and good," rei ritual good he cannot properly be said to have so much as one just idea R3 270 ON THE BELIEVER'S and religion is his task, of which he performs no more than what lus fears or Lopes impose upon him : yet tliese are often confounded tog^ether, and this produces much mischief. But the enemies, with whom the C-'hristian soldier is called to encounter, must be more precisely ascertained, if we would fully understand the important subject. The apostle having declared, that " the flesh lusteth against the spirit," &c. ; proceeds to show what are the works of the flesh, and the fruits of the spirit (Gal. v. 17 — 23 :) by which it is evi- dent, that thejlesh signifies our whole nature (as born of Adam's fallen race,) with ail its propensities, animal and intellectual, as they are contrary to the spiritual commands of God ; and that " the spirit" signifies the work of the Holy Spirit, renewing our souls to holrness, and so teaching, disposing, and enabling us to love and serve God. For that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." If we then proceed to examine the nature of man, we shall find that a dis- position to depart from God, and idolatrously to love and seek felicity from the creatures, is common to our whole species : and from this general prin- ciple, according to different mens' constitutions, education, habits, connec- tions, or circumstances, some are more prepense to avarice, some to ambi- tion, some to sensual indulgence, and others to malignant passions with every possible variation. These propensities being excited by temptation, gather- ing force by gratJfication, triumphing over shame and conscience, and irri- tated by the interference of those who pursue the same objects, hurry men into every kind of excess, burst forth into all the variety of crimes that have prevailed in every age and nation, and produce all kinds of immorality in mens' conduct towards each other, and all impiety, blasphemy, and other daring offences against the Almighty Governor of the Universe. And as he best knows the strength of a torrent, who attempts to force his way against it ; so none are so well acquainted with the power of corrupt propensities and habits, as they that resolutely endeavour to overcome and extirpate them. ^Vhen, therefore, holy principles have been implanted in the heart by the Spirit of God, and a man sees the urgent necessity and feels the ai-- dent desire " of crucifying the flesh, with its affections and lusts," then bis conflict begins ; for pride, anger, envy, malice, avarice, or sensual lusts being no longer allowed to domineer, abide (like a dethroned tyrant,) and have a strong party in the soul ; and consequently they oppose and counter- act the best desires and purposes of the believes, and engage him in a per- petual contest. At some times they find him off his guard, and gain a tem- porary advantage over him, which makes work for deep repentance ; and at all times they impede his progress, mingle pollution in his services, and in- terrupt his endeavours to glorify God and adorn the gospel. These things are generally most painfully experienced in respect of those sins, which by any means had previously acquired the ascendancy over him, and in pro- portion to the degree in which he remits watchfulness and prayer : but even those evil propensities from which a man before thought himself most free, will be found on trial to possess great power in his soul. The apostle gives us a very particular account of the believer's conflict with these enemies, (Rom. vii ;) for I think we may be confident that no man, except the true believer, " delights in the law of God," " serves it with his mind," " hates all sin," and " has a will" to every part of the spi- ritual service of God : nor can we suppose that St Paul would say, " I my- self," if he meant another person of an opposite character; or use the pre- sent tense throughout, if he referred to his experience in an unconverted state. Now the whole of the passage most aptly describes the case of a man who loves God and his service, and would obey and glorify him, as angels do : but finds the remainder of evil propensities and habits continually im- peding, and often prev ailing against him ; but who still resolutely maintains the combat with these enemies of his soul, as determined if possible entirely to extirpate them ; and at the same time feels his heart more pained by the opposition made by his sins to the best desires of his heart, than by all his WARFARE AND EXPERIENCE. 271 persecutions or afflictions ; and yet rejoices in the mercy and ^ace of the gospel, and in the prospect of complete and final deliverance. Indeed all the falls, defects, complaints, rebukes, chastenings, confes- sions, &c., of believers in every part of Scripture, imply the same conflict ; and seeing' that we do not read of any one, who explicitly spoke of himself, ■or was spoken of by others, as free from all remains of sin, and made perfect in holiness, or as having accomplished his warfare whilst he lived in this world ; so we must conclude, that those persons are in this respect deceived, or use words without a proper attention to their meaning, who now profess to have attained to this kind of perfection. If the inward enemy were quite slain, and we could in this sense adopt the words of Christ, " the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me," the rest of our conflict would be comparatively easy ; but whilst this cause still subsists, we must expect at times to have our joys interrupted by sighs and groans, and tears and trembling, till we are removed to a better world. But " we wrestle not against flesh and blood" only, " but against princi- palities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world," &c. (Eph. vi. 10 — 18.) The Scriptures continually lead our thouglits to these invisible enemies, fallen angels, or evil spirits. A kingdom of darkness and iniquity is spoken of, as established under Satan, the arch-apostate, consist- ing of vast numbers of his associates in rebellion : these differ in capacity and influence ; but are all replete with pride, enmity, envy, deceit, and every detestable propensity; and their natural sagacity and powers are increased by long experience in the work of destruction. The entrance of sin by Adam's fall is ascribed to their ambition, envy, malice, and subtlety : un- godly men are uniformly considered as their slaves, yea, as their children. Satan is called the god and prince of this world : this old serpent deceiveth the nations, yea, the whole world ; and he taketh sinners captive at his will. Conversion is stated to be " turning from Satan to God." This adversary, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour ; and he trans- forms himself into an angel of light to deceive the unwary. The whole com- pany of evil spirits are represented as counteracting by every possible eifort, the endeavours of the Lord's servants to promote his cause ; as harassing those by their temptations, whom they cannot destroy ; and as desiring to sift and assault them : they are said to put all kinds of wickedness into mens' hearts, to fill their hearts ; and to be the original authors of all heresies, persecutions, delusions, and apostacies ; and in short, to work in the children of disobedience, (1 Kings xxii. 22 — 24.; Job i. 7 — 12; Luke xxii. 31 ; John viii. 44. ; xiii. 2 ; xiv. 30 ; Acts v. 3 ; xxvi. 18 ; 2 Cor. iv. 4 ; xi. l-l ; 2 Tim. ii. 26 ; 1 John iii. 10 ; Rev. xii. 9, 10 ; xx. 2, 3, 7 — 10.) As, therefore, the Scri])tures speak so plainly on this subject, we must ascribe it wholly to the subtlety of the devil (who prospers most when least suspected) that the Sud- ducean spirit of the age hath so much discarded the language of the oracles of God, and hath prevailed so far to bring this doctrine into contempt. Thus self-wise men are outwitted by these sagacious deceivers, and then are em- ployed by them to delude others also into a fatal security. Were it not for the depravity of our hearts, these enemies would not have so much power against us ; and their suggestions do not excuse the sins which we voluntarily commit : but as they prevail to deceive the world in general, so believers must expect to have a sharp conflict with them ; not only as they act by their servants (such as infidels, persecutors, false teachers, scorners, flattei'ers, calumniators, seducers, &c.,) but immediately by their suggestions and as- saults. They seem especially to have access to the imagination, where they present such illusions as excite the corrupt affections of the heart, or impose upon the understanding : they draw men into error, by stirring up their pride, prejudices, and lusts, which darken and confuse the judgment: they often present such thouglits to the mind as fill it with gloom and dejection, or witli distressing doubts and hard thoughts of God, and by suggesting such things as the soul abhors ; aad by all means they induce men to neglect ON THE BELIEVER'S jneans of grace, duties, or the improvement of tlieir talents. But enough has been said to show, that we are called to conflict with evil spirits, wlio know where we are most vulnerable, and when most off our guard ; whose Jierif darts are as suited to excite our passions, as the spark is to kindle the most inflammable materials ; who constantly aim to deceive, defile, dis- courage, or impede our course ; and with whom we must expect every day to wrestle, though some are comparatively euil days, when they have peculiar advantages in assaulting us. Tli^ believer is also engaged in an arduous conflict with this evil world, which is Satan's grand engine in all his stratagems and assaults. He uses the things of the world as his baits, or proposed premiums, by which to allure men to disobedience. " All," or some of " these will I give thee," is still one grand argument in his temptations. Nor is this only the case when the conduct suggested is evil in itself, and wealth, honour, or pleasure is an- nexed to it ; but more commonly he prevails by seducing us into an inexpe- dient or excessive use or pursuit of worldly things. Thus ambushments are concealed in every business, connection, relation, recreation, or company ; and the world prevails against us by inducing us to waste our time,tomispend what is entrusted to us, and to omit opportunities of usefulness. Moreover, what we call the evil things of the world are employed by Satan, to deter us from >the profession of our faith, and the performance of our duty : thus many are seduced into sinful compliances, and led to renounce or dissemble their re- ligion, lest they should be ridiculed, reproached, forsaken of their friends, or exposed to hardships and persecutions ; and then they flatter themselves -that this prudence will enable them to do the more good, till the event con- futes the vain imagination. Near relations, beloved friends, liberal bene- factors, admired superiors, as well as powerful opposers, are often dangerous foes in this respect. Riches and poverty, youth and old age, reputation and authorit}'-, or the contr;u-y, have their several snares ; whilst politeness and ^•ude insolence, company and retirement, assault the soul in different ways. These few hints may show, in what the believer's conflict consists, and to what continual dangers it must expose him. \VTien, indeed, we seriously consider the variety of those obstacles ■which interrupt our course, the number, power, and malice of our enemies, the sinfulness and treachery of our own hearts, our weakness, and our exposed condition ; we may well say, " who is sufficient for these things }" Or what hope is there of success in this unequal contest i" But a proper attention to •the Scriptures will convince us that there is no ground for despondency, or even for discouragement : as the Lord assures us, that he will strengthen, assist, and uphold us, and never forsake his redeemed people. W e ought not, therefore, to fear our enemies ; because he will be with us ; " and if God be for us, who can be against us.''" Or who can doubt, but he that is in us is greater than he that is in the world } And this was typically intimated in the promises made to Israel, in respect of their wars with the Canaanites and other nations, which were shadows and figures of the good fight of faith, (Exod. xiv. 14 ; Deut. vii. 17, 18; Josh. x. 25, 40 : 1 Sam. xiv. 6 ; 2 Chron. xiv. 11 ; Isa. xli. 10 — 15; liv. 15 — 17.) We are, therefore, exhorted " to fee strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might ;" for " they that wait on the Lord, renew their strength ;" and Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength, is become our salvation. All power in heaven and earth is vested in the Lord our Righteousness : he is head over all things to his church ; and his servants have always found, that in proportion as they simply trusted in him, " they could do all things ;" and that " when they were weak, then were they strong ;" for the " power of Christ rested upon them," (2 Cor. Kii. 9 — 11 ; Phil. v. 13.) He restrains and moderates as he sees good, the assaults of our outward enemies, or confounds their devices, and defeats their deep-laid machinations ; all providential dispensations are directed by him, nor can any tribulation or temptation exceed the bounds he assigns them, though all the powers of earth and hell should combine against one feeble WARFARE AND EXPERIENCE. 273 saint : whilst the Holy Spirit communicates strength to our faith, fear, lave; hope, patience, and every principle of the new man ; imparts strong conso- lations and heavenly joys ; eifectaally restrains the energy of corrupt pas- sions, and disposes us to self-denial, to bear the cross, to persevere in well- doing, and to dread sin, and separation from Christ, or even dishonouring him, more than any other evil that can befal us. Supported, strengthened, and encouraged in this manner, believers have in every age been enabled " to fight the good fight of faith," and to " overcome every foe by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and have not loved their lives unto the death," (Rev. xii. 11.) Nay, they have generally acquitted them- selves most honourably when their adversaries were most formidable, and their temptations apparently most invincible ; because they were then most simply dependent cn, and most fervent in praying for the all-sufficient grace of the Lord Jesus, and most stedfastin contemplating his sufferings and the glory that followed. In order to maintain this conflict with good hope of success, we must take to ourselves and " put on the whole armour of God." Conscious sincerity incur profession of the gospel must be " as the girdle of our loins," without which we shall be entangled and embarrassed in all our conduct ; an habi- tual obedient regard to our Lord's commands, as the rule of righteousness must be our breast-plate, in facing our foes : whilst a distinct knowledge, and cordial reception of the " gospel of peace," and the way of access, pardon, reconciliation, and acceptance in the divine Saviour, must be " the shoes of our feet," our only effectual preparation for firmly standing our ground, or comfortably marching to meet our assailants. Above all, faith or a firm belief of the truths, and reliance on the promises of God, must be our " shield," with wliich we may ward off and extinguish the " fiery darts of Satan," and prevent their fatal effects : hope of present support and heavenly felicity must be as a helmet to cover our head in the day of battle ; and witli the plain testimonies, precepts, promises, and instructions of tlie word of God, as " with the sword of the Spirit," we must (after our Lord's example) repel the tempter, and so resist him, that he may Hee from us ^Eph. vi. 10 — 18 ; 1 Thess. v. 5, 6.) In short, " the weapons of our warfare are not carnal:" worldly wisdom, philosophical reasonings, and our own native strength and resolution (like Saul's armour, when put upon David,) can only encumber us : but when conscious of our weakness and unworthiness, and dis- trusting our own hearts, we " strive against sin, looking unto Jesus," relying on his power, truth, and grace, and observing his directions ; when we aim to do his will, to seek his glory, and copy his example ; then indeed we are armed for the battle : and however men may despise our weapons (as Goliatli did David the shepherd with his staff, his sling, and stones,) we sliall not be put to shame in the event, but shall be made more than conquerors ove-r every inward and outward foe. This armour is prepared in Christ " our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption and in " his fulness of grace :" wo take it to ourselves by " the prayer of faith," b}' searching and meditating on the Scriptures, and attendance on the means of grace : by watchfulness, sobriety, habitual circumspection and caution, &c., we put it on and keep it bright : and thus we are continually prepared far the con- flict, and not liable to be surprised at unawares, or to fall into the ambush- nients of our vigilant enemies, (Matt. xxvi. 4.1; Luke xxi. 31 — 36; Roisi. xiii. 1 1 — 14 ; 1 Pet. v. 8, 9.) And when we live at peace v. ith our brethren, and pray for, warn, counsel, and encourage them also ; we fight the good fight, as a part of tlie great army wliich is enlisted under tlie Redeenter's standard, to wage war against sin, the world, and the powers of darkness. As far as we are enabled in this manner successfully to op])ose our own corrupt passions, and various temptations, we gain victories which, afford us present comforts, lively hopes, and discoveries of the Lord's love to our sculs ; and hereafter " glory, honour, and immortality." Our captain assures every one of his soldiers of this inestimable recompense ; and if they are slain ia 2f4 OX THE PRIVILEGES ENJOl'ED the conflictj this will only put them more speedily in possession of the con- queror's crown. In respect of others, our warfare is directed to the encou- ragement and help of our fellow-soldiers ; the salvation (not the destruc- tion) of our fellow-sinners ; the benefit of all around us ; and above all, the honour of our divine Saviour, by the spread of his gospel among men. Our bold profession of the truth, our exemplar)- conduct, expansive benevolence, fervent prayers, improvement of talents, and unremitted attention to the duties of our several stations, with quietness and prudence, as well as z<:di, promote these ends: the reiigrion of Jesus is thus continued from ase to age, by the conversion of sinners to the faith : and though the seed of the serpent still bruises the Redeemer's Leei in the suiferlngs of his people, yet Satan is, as it were, put under the feet of every true Christian at death, and Christ will at lenffth finally and completely crush his head, whilst all his faithful soldiers shall attend his triumphs and share his glory. It must appear from this compendious view of our conflicts, that all who are really engaged in them, experience a variety of chansring emotions in their minds, to which others remain entire strangers. They must often mourn their iU success, or that of the common cause, or rejoice in the ad- vantages attained or hoped for. Sometimes they will be ashamed and alarmed, by being baSed ; and at others they w ill resume courage and re- turn to the conflict. They will always come far short of that entire victory over their appetites, passions, and temptations, to which they aspire ; they C4»nnot therefore be so calm as indifference would render them. Much self- denial must he required in such a case, and perpetual fears of being surprised by the enemy. Yet their very alarms, tears, groans, and complaints, are evidences that they are Christ's disciples : their joys (with which a stranger intermeddleth not) far more than counterbalance their sorrows, and they can often triumph in the assured hope of final victory and felicity, even amidst the hardships and sufferings of the £eld of battle. ESSAY XVII. On the Privileges Enjoyed by the True EeHever. The sacred oracles continually teach us, that the upright servant of God, (notwithstanding his mourning for sin, and all his conflicts, fears, chasten- ings and tribulations) is favoured and happy above all other men, even in this present world ; for when the apostle observed, that " if in this life only ■we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most miserable," he only meant, that if a Christian could be deprived of the fiope of heaven, and all those ear- nests, consolations, and lively affections which result from it, his peculiar trials, his tenderness of conscience, his antipathy to sin, and his thirstings after God and holiness, would be superadded to the ordinary burthens of life, without any proportionable counterpoise to them. But as this is not, and cannot be the case, so the Christian, with the hope of glor)-, and his other peculiar pri- vileges, may be, and actually is, in proportion to his diligence and fruitful- ness, of all men the most happy. In order to evince this truth, it may be nseful to appropriate this Essay to the consideration of the most distinguished privileges of the real Christian, which no other man in the world can share with him, for they constitute " a joy with which a stranger intermeddleth not ;" " the secret of the Lord, which is with them that fear him," (Psal. XXV. 14 : Prov. siv. 10 ; Rev. ii. 17.) And it may be premised, that a dis- position, supremely to desire, and diligently to seek after a// these blessings as the felicity in which our souls delight, and with which they are satisfied, is one grand evidence that we are actuaDy interested in them. BY THE TRUE BELIEVER. 275 I. Every real Christian is actually pardoned and justified in the sight of God : and " blessed is the man whose trangression is forgiven," &c. (Psal. xxxii.l, 2 ; Rom. iv. 6 — 8). Among a number of condemned criminals, that man would be deemed the happiest who had obtained the king's pardon, though others were more accomplished, or better clothed ; for he would expect, ia cheerful hope, the opening of his prison door, to set him at liberty from his confinement, and to restore him to the comforts of life ; and this hope would render the temporary hardsliips of his situation more tolerable : whereas the rest would dread the hour when they were to be brought out of their cells to an ignominious and agonizing execution, which prospect would add to the gloom and horror of the dungeon. We are all criminals : death terminates our confinement in this vile body, and this evil world: at that important mo- ment, the pardoned sinner goes to heaven, the unpardoned sinner drops into hell; and, except as the one has his views darkened by temptation, or by a fatherly rebuke for his misconduct ; or, as the other has his fears obviated by infidelity, or dissipated by intoxicating pleasures and pursuits, the very thought of this closing scene, and its most interesting consequences, must have a vast effect upon the inv/ard feelings of their minds, during the un- certain term of their remaining lives. Nothing can be more evident, than that the Scripture declares the sins of all believers to be actually pardoned, and their persons completely justified. " There is," says the apostle, " no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit," (Rom. viii. I, 33, 34) ; " for who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect, whom he justifietli Or who shall condemn those for whom Christ died and rose again," &c. And our Lord not only assures us, that " he who believeth is not condemned," but also that " he hath ever- lasting life, and shall not come into condemnation," (John iii. 14—21 ; v. 24). The same privilege was proposed to the Old Testament church, when the prophet, stating repentance and conversion as the concomitants and evi- dences of true faith, declares iu the name of Jehovah, " that if the wicked man wiU turn from all his sins, and do that which is lawful and right — all his transgressions that he hath done shall not he mmitiowd to him," &c. (Ezek. xviii. 21, 22, 27). In other places the Lord speaks of " blotting out the sins of his people, and remembering them no more ;" of " casting them into the depths of the sea and of " not imputing iniquity," (Isa. xliii. 25 ; xliv. 22 ; Jer. xxxi. 34; Mic. \n. 19).- The apostles assures us, that all who believe are justified from " all things ;" that the blood of Christ cleanseth them " from all sin;" and that even little children in Christ ha\e their sins for- given them, for his name's sake, (Acts iii. 19 ; xiii. 38, 39 ; 2 Cor. v. 19 ; 1 John i. 7 ; ii. 12.) So tliat the forgiveness and justification of believers are stated to be already past; and their deliverance from condemnation is not represented as a future contingency, but as secured to them by an irrevo- cable grant: " being justified by faith, they have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." But, though this be the privilege of all true believers without exception, yet the actual assurarice that the blessing belongs to them, is possessed only by some, and only at times, even by many of these : for true faith may be very weak, and it may connect with a confused judgment, a considerable degree of ignorance, many prejudices or mistakes, and sometimes a prevalence of carnal affections. So tliat a man may believe with a trembling faith, and cry out with tears, " Lord help my unbelief :" or he may firmly credit the tes- timony, and rely on the promises of God, with a full persuasion of his power and willingness to perform them ; and yet doubt whether he do not presume and deceive himself, in supposing his faith to be of a saving nature: in va- rious ways a man may doubt whether he be a true believer, though he do not doubt but that Christ wiU certainly save all true believers. Nay, the frame even of a real Christian's mind, and the present tenor of his conduct, may render such doubts reasonable and the necessary consequence of faith : for if a man yield to those evils, which the Scripture enumerates as marks of un- 2T6 ON THE PRIVILEGES ENJOYED conversion, the more entirely lie credits the Divine testimony, the greater r-eason will he have to call his own state in question : and I suppose that ■when St. Paul told the Galatians, that he stood in doubt of them, he meant to induce them to examine whether they were in the faith, or whether tliey had liitherto deceived themselves. Weave therefore directed to gii e dili- gence both to obtain, and to preserve the full assurance of hope," (Heb. vi. 11 ; 2 Pet. i. 10) : but this would not be proper advice to believers, if sav- ing faith consisted in being sure of an interest in Christ ; which doctrine, (though incautiously maintained by some \ery respectable persons), is evi- dently suited to discourage feeble believers, and to bolster up the false con- fidence of hypocrites. In proportion as it is manifest that we are regenerate, that our faith is living, that it works by love, and is accompanied by repen- tance, and that we partake of the " sanctification of the Spirit unto obe- dience;" we may be sure that our sins are pardoned, and that all the pro- mises of God shall be accomplished to us. Yet misapprehension, and exces- sive fear of being deceived in a concern of infinite moment, exclude many, who liave these evidences, from enjoying this assurance, except when im- mediately favoured with the consolations of the Spirit : whilst conformity to t)ia world in this day of outward peace and prosperity, prevents many others from attaining to that decision of character which warrants it ; and an abate- ment in diligence and fervency of affection causes others to lose the assurance which once they enjoyed, and to walk in doubt and darkness, because thej' Lave grieved their holy Comforter. Hence it appears, that the assurance of salvation is rather the gracious recompence of a fruitful and diligent profes- sion of the gospel, than the privilege of all, who are in a state of acceptance : and though all doubting may originate directly or remotely from unbelief ; yet frequently it is the evidence that a man credits the testimony of God, concei-ning the deceitfulness of the heart, the subtlety of Satan, and the characters of those v/ho are in the broad, and those who are in the narrow way. These same observations are equally applicable to all the other privi- leges, which we are about to consider ; for in every one of them, the dis- tinction between a title to the blessing, in the sight of God, and the actual as- surance and enjoyment of it in our own souls should be carefully noted : the former is not affected by the believer's varied success in his spiritual war- fare ; the latter must be continually influenced by the assaults and tempta- tions of the enemy, and by his own conduct respecting them. II. The true Christian, " being justified by faith," " is reconciled to God :" .1 perfect amity succeeds, and a covenant of peace and friendship is, as it were, signed and ratified ; and therefore he is honoured by the appel- lation of the friend of God. When we contemplate the infinite majesty, autliority, justice, and holiness of the Lord, and contrast with them the meanness, guilt, pollution, provocations, and ingratitude with which we are chargeable ; when we consider, that he could easily, and might justly have destroyed us ; that we cannot profit iiim, and that he could have created by his powerful word innumerable millions of nobler creatures to do him service ; and when we further advert to the enmity of the carnal mind against his omniscience, omnipotence, holiness, righteousness, truth, sovereignty, ser- vice, cause, and people : we shall perceive, that we never can sufficiently admire his marvellous love, and our own unspeakable felicity, in being ad- mitted to tliis blessed peace and friendship with the God of heaven; which is still more enhanced by the consideration, that " Christ is our peace, and that he made it for us by tlie blood of his cross," (Eph. ii. 14. — 19 ; Col. i. 14 — 22.) Nor can the advantages resulting from it be sufficiently valued: whilst believers, by the grace bestowed on them, are taught to love the char- acter, servants, cause, truths precepts, and worship of God ; to hate the things which he hates, to separate from his enemies, and to seek their liberty and felicity in his service; the Lord considers all kindnesses or injuries done to believers, as done to himself ; and " will bless those that bless them, and curse those that curse them." All his perfections, which before seemed BY THE TRUE BELIEVER. 277 with united force, to insure their destruction, now harmoniously engage to make them happy : liis wisdom chooses their inheritance, his omniscience and omnipresence are their ever-watchful guard, his omnipotence their pro- tector, his veracity and faithfulness their unfailing security ; his satisfied justice, connected with mercy, vindicates their rights, and recompenses the fruits of his grace ; and his bounty surely supplies all their wants. Nor does the Lord conceal from these his friends the reasonsof his conduct in such mat- ters as concern them, (Gen. xviii. 17 — 19; John xv. 15:) and he encourages them to open their inmost souls, and to pour out their sorrows and fears be- fore him ; so that they can rejoice that he is acquainted with those things, which they could not mention to the dearest and most intimate of their earthly friends. But indeed this privilege of reconciliation to, and friend- ship with God, comprises all our other blessings and expectations, here and hereafter : yet it may be more instructive to speak of them under different heads. in. The believer is also adopted into the family of God, and admitted to all the honour and felicity of his beloved children. " Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God," (l Jolm iii. 1.) " Having chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love ; and predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will," &c. (Eph. i. 3 — 15 ;) he calls to us by his word " to come out and be separate — and he will receive us ; and will Le to us a Father, and we shall be the sons and daughters of the Lord Al- mighty," (2 Cor. vi. 17, 18.) This call being accompanied by the regene- r;rting power of the Holy Spirit, our minds are influenced to obey it ; thus Tve are brought " to repentance and faith in Christ," our sins are par- doned, and we pass from the family and kingdom of the wicked one, into the household of God, by a gracious adoption. This term was borrowed from the custom of tlie ancients, who frequently took the children of others, and by a solemn legal process adopted them into their own family, gave them their name, educated them iis their own, and left their estates to them. So that regeneration communicates to the soul a divine nature, and makes us the children of God ; and adoption i-ecognizes us as such, and admits us to the enjoyment of the privileges belonging to that relation. Thus pardoned rebels become the children and heirs of the almighty and everlasting God, by faith in Jesus Christ, (Gal. iii. 26.) But what words can express the value of tliis distinguished privilege ! The adoption of the meanest beggar, or the vilest traitor, into the family of the greatest monarch, to be the heir of all his dignities, would producAj but a trivial alteration in his circum- stances: for vexation, sickness, and death would still await him ; and the distance between tlie mightiest and tl)e most abject of men or of creatures, is as nothing, compared with that which subsists between the great Creator, and all the works of his hands, (Jsa. xl. 13 — 20.) But to be adopted as the children of God is not a mere name : it is a substantial good, an honour, a dignity, and an advantage whicli eclipses, and, as it were, swallows up all otlier lienefits which can be obtained by any creature. " If children, then heirs ; heirs of God," &c. ; and we may be sure that every thing, which can prepare us for, and put us in possession of our incorruptible and eternal inheri- tance will be conferred by the love and bounty of our Almighty Friend and Father. But " we know not wliut we shall be :" " eye hatli not seen, nor ear heard, neitlier hatli it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things xvhich (iod liath pi'epared for them that love him." And lest we should ima- gine, tliat any possible honour, advantage, or felicity was excepted, when the inheritance of the children of God was mentioned ; he hath been pleased to expand our views, and enlarge our expectations, by language taken from all the other most endeared relations of life. The obedient disciples of Christ are his l)relhren, his sisters, and his mothers ; yea, their Maker is their Hus- band, the Lord of Hosts is his name, (Isa. liv. 5; Matt. xii. 4G — 50 j Eph. V. 25—27.) 2T8 ON THE PRIVILEGES ENJOYED They who are thus adopted into the family of God, receive the spirit of adop- tion (instead of the spirit of bondage,) and are thus disposed and encouraged to say " Abba, Father ;" or to address him as their Father, whatever lan- guage they speak, or to whatever country they belong. We ought not to understand this expression merely of a confidence that God is our Father : for believers are often actuated by the spirit of adoption when they are harassed with doubts whether they be the children of God or not ; and many are very confident in this matter, while their actions demonstrate that they belong to another famil}', (John viii. 41 — 47.) This indeed more properly belongs to the believer's temper and character, than to his privileges : yet it is neces- sary here to observe in general, that the Holy Spirit producing in us that disposition towards God, which a dutiful son bears towards a wise and good father, manifests our regeneration and adoption, and bears witness with our spirits, that we are the children and heirs of God : and whilst we feel our minds habitually influenced to apply to him in all our difficulties, to revere him, rely on, love and obey him, to seek his glory, and rejoice in the success of the gospel and the prosperity of his people, &c. ; we have " the witness in ourselves, that we are born of God," and adopted into his family, even though weakness of faith, misapprehension, or temptation should create an hesitation in our minds, whUst addressing him as our Father. This privi- lege, therefore, consists in the allowance and liberty of approaching the Lord at all times and for all things ; of entrusting all our concerns in his hands, and of considering them all as managed by him in perfect wisdom, truth, and love, for our present and everlasting good. Indeed, the very disposition, pro- duced by the Spirit of adoption is our privilege, and constitutes the seal, the first fruits, and the earnest of our felicitj', (Rom. viii. 14 — 17 ; Gal. iv. 6, 7.) IV. The believer has the firmest ground of confidence that all his tem- poral wants will be supplied, and that every thing which can possibly con- duce to his advantage, will be conferred on him by his Almighty Friend and Father. We are not indeed authorized to expect or allowed to desire great things for ourselves in this world ; and indeed it is evident to every reflect- ing person, that power, wealth, or constant prosperity, have so great a ten- dency to excite the envy or enmity of others, and to feed the distempers of mens' own minds, that they add nothing to the real enjoyment of life. But he who hath the security of the promise and providence of God, is more sure never to want any thing really good for him, than that man is who possesses the greatest wealth ; for riches often strangely " make themselves wings and flee away :" but the unchangeable God, the possessor of heaven and earth, who has all hearts in his hand, can never be unable to provide for those who trust in him. " Bread shall be given them, their water shall be sure " verily they shall be fed ;" " their Father knoweth what things they have need of," and " a little, which the righteous hath, is better than the riches of many wicked men," (Ps. xxiii. 1 ; xxxiv. 8 — 10; xxxvii ; Ixxxiv. 11; Matt. vi. 24 — 34; Phil. iv. 6, 7 ; 1 Pet. v. 7.) It is, threfore, the privilege and duty of every believer, to " cast all his cares and burthens upon the Lord," " to take no anxious care for the morrow ;" to rest satisfied that " the Lord will provide," as " he hath promised that he will never leave him or forsake him." " Having food and raiment, we ought to be there- with content," and to go on with the duty of our station without any more solicitude, than the child feels, who, when learning his lesson, or obeying the command of his parents, cheerfully leaves them to provide him food and rai- ment, and does not encumber his mind with cares of this kind. Indeed the believer is allowed and required to expect a peculiar providential interposition in all things : he is instructed that not a sparrow falls to the ground without the appointment of his Father, and that " the very hairs of his head are all numbered." He should consider the place of his abode as de- termined and guarded by the Lord ; and that all the holy angels are minis- tering spirits sent forth to minister to his good : that he lies down and rise^ up, goes out and comes in^ under this special protection ; that no enemies BY THE TRUE BELIEVER. 279 can assault, no calamity befal, no dangers so much as alarm him, except by the appointment or pel-mission of his Almighty Father, who " makes a hedge about him, and all that he has," (Job i. 10 ; ii. 3 — 7.) So that no famines, earthquakes, pestilences, fires, wars, massacres, persecutions, or other dreaded catastrophe can hurt or should alarm him : for he is safe, and shall be guided, supported, and guarded in all places and circumstances till the appointed period of his pilgrimage arrive ; and then he will be conveyed home to his Father's house, in the best way which infinite Wisdom and everlasting Love can devise. Thus " godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come," (Job v. 19 — 27 ; Psalm xci ; Horn. viii. 28 ; 1 Cor. iii. 21 — 23 ; 1 Tim. iv. 8.) V. Communion with God is the believer's privilege. We " have boldness to enter into the holiest through the blood of Jesus," and to come to the throne of grace, that we " may obtain mercy, and find help in every time of need," (Heb. iv. 16 ; x. 19 — 22). We are directed to ask what we will, and assured that it shall be given us, " for the prayer of the upright is the Lord's delight," (Prov. xv. 8; Mark xi. 24 ; Luke xi. 5 — 13; John xiv. 13, 14: xv. 7 — 16 ; xvi. 23, 24 ; James i. 5 ; 1 John iii. 21, 22 ; v. 14, 15). So that we may come, with humble confidence, into the immediate presence of our re- conciled Father, upon a mercy-seat, whenever we will ; we may present what- ever petitions our wants and circumstances suggest ; we may multiply, re- peat, and enforce them with f our Lord concluded his pathetic exhortations to his disconsolate di^ ciples, just before his crucifixion, by a comprehensive prayer for them, he made this one of his petitions to the Father in their behalf, " Sanctify them by thy truth ; thy word is truth," (John xvii. 17); and the Scriptures al- ways represent divine truth as the seed in the believer's heart of every holy disposition ; the graft, which " makes the tree good, and its fruit good and the mould, into which the soul rs cast, and from which it receives its form and exact impression, as the metal is fashioned by the artist's skill, (Rom. vi. 17, original). We are therefore sanctified by faith, (Acts xxvi. 18); and the doctrine of Christ dwells in the regenerate soul, as an operative transform- ing principle, producing a peculiar state of the judgment, dispositions, and affections, in proportion to the degree in which it is understood and believed. This may be called the Christian temper ; it is the exact counterpart of the truths by which it is produced; it discriminates the real belie\'er from all other men ; and it constitutes the standard of our proficiency in vital godli- ness, of " our growth in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." For a great part of the acquaintance of most of us with the truths of revelation is merely notional : and if we do not perceive the genuine na- ture and tendency of the doctrines to which we assent, they must fail to exert their transforming efficacy upon our hearts ; thus " knowledge puffeth up," even when the things known are evidently suited to produce the deepest hu- mility ; and though they never fail to have this effect, where they are received by a living faith as the nutriment and medicine of the soul. It may therefore be proper to consider more particularly those dispositions and affections of the mind, which constitute the appropriate temper and character of the true believer ; adverting, as we proceed, to those truths by which they are pro- duced and nourished ; and endeavouring to distinguish between the lamented failures and imperfections of the upriglit, and the allowed and indulged evife of the mere hypocrite or self-deceiver. I. Humility may be considered as most essential to the Christian temper, and as radical to evejy other part of it. The believer's principles continually present before his mind, the greatness and majesty of God, and the compa- rative meanness of all creatures : which cannot fail to abate his natural pro- pensity to self-importance and self-exaltation, and to make him feel himself to be as nothing before the infinite Creator. Having received his being, and all he is and possesses, from the hand of the Lord, and holding every thing in the most ai>solute dependence on him, he cannot conmstenthf glory, as though he had not received them. He knows that every benefit lays him under obligation ; that every talent den>and« a proportionable improvement ; and that he must shortly be turned out of his stewardship, and required to give an account of it ; and he is- conscious, that he has not made suitable re- turns to his Benefactor, or due improvement of his talents. This teaches him, that all those tilings of which he has been tempjpd to be proud, ought to cover liim with shame and increase his humility ; for they have all proved occasions of additional transgressions, and call upon him to repent and de- precate the wrath of his offended Benefactor. His principles also lead him to compare his conduct with the perfect law of God, and not with the ex'- amples and maxims of this sinful world ; and to condemn every deviation from that strict and spiritual rule, even in thought or inclination, as sin, and as deserving the Lord's displeasure and abhorrence ; so that every part of bis past and present beliayiour suggests to him reasons for self-abasement ; S 282 ON THE CHARACTER for sin mixes with and defiles even his best duties ; and he feels his need of repentance, of mercy, and of the atoning blood in every action of his life. He is deeply convinced, that it " is of the Lord's mercies he is not con- sumed ;" all his hopes of acceptance and happiness spring from faith in the Lamb of God, and his expiatory sacrifice ; and he receives every comfort, not only as tlie gift of the Lord's bounty, but as purchased by his Redeemer for an hell-deserving sinner ; how then can he, who lives under the influence of these principles, be proud of his possessions or attainments ? He dare not venture even to the mercy-seat of his forgiving God, except in the name of his beloved Son ; and he deems it a precious favour, that he may be al- lowed thus to pray for mercy and salvation. Moreover, when he cannot but perceive that he diflFers from ungodly men, and from himself in former years, he knows that this difference is the effect of a divine influence on his mind : so that he sees abundant reason for thankfulness on this account, but none for pride and self-complacency. Nay,he is sensible thathe hath been kept from the gross immoralities, through which numbers are made equally mischievous and ■wretched, by a divine interposition, in various ways restraining him from listening to temptation, or following the devices of his own heart : so that his preservation from the most destructive enormities is rather an occasion for gratitude than for self-preference ; whilst his misconduct in less scanda- lous instances seems to him to be baser, when compared with his advantages, than the crimes of the unhappy outcasts from human society. As he also frequently and carefully views himself in the glass of the holy law, and compares his conduct with the perfect example of Christ ; as he at- tentively considers his obligations and opportunities, and examines strictly his motives, afl^ections, thoughts, words, and works : as he is more severe in judging himself, and candid in estimating the conduct of his brethren ; so he is unavoidably led, in his best hours, to " esteem others more highly than himself, and in honour to prefer them thus he is disposed habitually to take the lowest place, instead of ambitiously aspiring to pre-eminence, which always results from the want of consistency with evangelical principles. He is also accustomed to entertain a deep sense of his own ignorance, and proneness to mistake ; for his experience and observation confirm the de- clarations of Scripture in this respect : hence originates a teachable disposi- tion, and a willingness to " receive the kingdom of God as a little child," and to become a fool," in order to obtain true wisdom. The most eminent saints have therefore always most felt and owned their want of wisdom, and been most ready to ask it of God, (James i. 5) ; and to inquire his will at every step, with the greatest simplicity and fervency. And though the well- instructed believer will not call any man master upon earth, but will bring every opinion and counsel to the touch-stone of God's word ; yet he will be always learning, even from his inferiors, his enemies, or false accusers: be- ing glad of a little additional light on his path from any quarter. And whilst he considers the written word as the complete rule of truth and duty, and decidedly rejects both the traditions of men, and the efl'usions of enthusiasm ; he will ever feel his need of divine teaching to prepare liis mind for receiv- ing and using the light of revelation, whatever means he employ in order to understand it ; and he will continue a learner to the end of his days, which constitutes his security against the artifices of Satan, and the devices of false teachers. In like manner, the consistent Christian is humbly sensible of his own weakness; and, when he is actually influenced by his principles, he will not dare to say, " though all men deny thee, yet will not I but rather, " hold thou me up and I shall be safe," " lead me not into temptation," " hold up my goings in thy ways, that my footsteps slip not." Experience hath con- vinced him, " that when he is weak, then is he strong," and that " when he thinks he stands, he has most cause to take heed lest he should fall so that he is conscious that he has no power in himself, either to resist temptations, endure tribulations, face dangers, or perform duties ; and that he can only OF THE TRUE BELIEVER. 283 be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might," (2 Cor. xii. 9, 20 ; Eph. vi. 10; Phil. iv. 13). Tlius simplicity of dependence on God for teach- iiigj assistance, protection, forgiveness, acceptance, sanctilication, &c., are produced and maintained : the believer becomes more and more poor in spirit, a beggar in every thing, and a constant pensioner on tlie Lord in all circumstances, and on all occasions. And though even this peculiarity of the true believer partakes of that imperfection which pervades his whole chai'ac- ter ; and he often betrays and is humbled for the pride of his heart, and con- tinually laments his proneness to self-exaltation; yet in this manner, " boasting is" habitually " excluded," with self-preference, self-admiration, and contempt of others : and, in short, all the varied workings of ambition, arrogance, insolence, vain-glor)', and envy, witli the numerous evils of which pride is the prolific parent, are opposed, hated, mortified, and crucified ; and a lowly, self-abased, contrite, and submissive spirit is gradually formed, both in respect of God, and his brethren and neighbours. Every part of the Christian temper and character depends on this, and springs from it, as from its proper root : and that person is not much conversant in the Scriptures, who has not observed, that more is there spoken in approbation of this disposition of mind, and that more encouraging promises are made to it, than to any other part of that " holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord :" for " he resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the humble," (Isaiah Ivii. 15 ; Ixvi. 2 ; Luke xviii. 14 ; James iv. 6 ; 1 Pet. v. 5.) So that all no- tions, gifts, and experiences, which consist with allowed prevailing and habi- tual pride, ambition, self-exaltation, boasting, and contempt of others, are radically defective ; and give cause to suspect, that they are wholly detached from tlie power of godliness, and the special grace of the regenerating Spirit of Christ, however splendid they may be. IL Another branch of tlie Christian temper may be comprised in the word submission. " Submit yourselves to God," says the apostle ; and tliat view of the Divine perfections, law, government, and grace, which spring from evangelical principles, tends to counteract and crucify the self-will and de- sire of independence, which predominate in our fiJlen nature, and are the source of all our rebellion against our Maker. This submission is diametri- cally opposite to the dispositions of men in general ; and in its full extent cannot be produced by any other principles, than those of the holy Scriptures. The efficacy of divine truth upon the believing mind tends to produce a willingness to submit the understanding to the teacliing of God : and instead of hankering after the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge, or counting it more pleasant to discover matters for ourselves by the sufficiency of our own powers ; it leads us to submit as the scholar to his tutor, to believe what the Lord testifies, and to rest satisfied with it ; leaving secret things which belong to him, and tliankfully using revealed things as the light of our feet and the lantern of our paths. The same principles tend to produce sub- mission to the will and authority of God, deeming his service perfect free- dom, his commandments not grievous, his yoke easy, and liis ways the p.aths of peace and pleasantness. Submission to his righteousness springs from the same source ; and the man who truly believes the word of God, will gradually become more and more unreserved in allowing his justice in the sentence of condemnation which he hath passed upon sinners in general, and upon him in particular: in consequence of which he will also submit to his sovereign wisdom and righteousness in the appointed method of saving sinners, anelievers. So that indifference to the world and its honours, friendsliip, wealth, decorations, pomp, splendour, and indul- gences, whether of the senses, the appetites, or the passions of the mind, is the genuine result of evangelical principles ; and it is uniformly proportioned to the degree in which we are really influenced by them ; so that every tendency to covetousness, ambition, vain-glory, dissatisfaction with mean or precarious provision, or the desire of things more ornamental, elegant, fashionablci or indulgent, than those which Providence hath allotted to us, is a proof that we are not fully cast into the mould of the truths which we profess. A Chris- tian is a stranger and a pilgrim upon earth ; he wants accommodation du- ring his abode in this foreign land, and his journey to his heavenly home ; he cannot but prefer things pleasant to those that are painful ^ yet this is not his object, nor can he consistently loiter, turn aside, or disqxiiet himself about such matters ; much less can he seek great things by disobeying his Lord, clouding his prospects, disgracing his character, or interrupting his comforts. His principles will indeed show him, that there is a place as- signed to him, and that perhaps he cannot fill this place with propriety', with- out many externals which are of little value, and which many of his brethren have not ; but he cannot consistently glory or rejoice in them, or prefer him- self to others on that account ; nay, he will rather deem them snares and incumbrances, which may retard his course, and induce him to conformity to the world. His duty may also call him to fill up a superior situation in sc- ciety, and to possess authoi'ity or wealth, as the steward of God for the good OF THE TRUE BELIEVER. 289 of others, or he may be engafrod in any lav^ful business : but his principles will prevent him from loving- the world, and teach him moderation, both in the pursuit of apparent advantaj^es, and in the use of his possessions ; they will dispose him to abstain from many tilings which others in similar situa- tions seize upon, or indulge in ; to shun wltat others deem desirable ; and to consider the concessions which he makes to the customs of society, rather as a cross tluin as a satisfaction. The principles of revelation, indeed, are far from confounding- the different ranks and orders in the community : nor do they countenance self-invented austerities, or a morose rejection of the ra- tional comforts and satisfactions of life : for " the Lord hath given us all things richly to enjoy :" but they teach us to be sp.tisfied with such things as we have, if we have merely " food and raiment," tlfough the meanest and most scanty ; to refrain from every thing inexpedient, as well as from what- ever is unlawful ; and not to put any interest or indulgence in competition, even with the peace and comfort of our weakest brother ; they instruct us not to consider any earthly distinction as our riches, adorning, honour, or pleasure ; to use all things as strangers that are about to leave them ; to do all as the Lord's servants, and to improve all our advantages as his stewards : and " whether we eat or drink, or whatever v/e do, to do all to the glory of God." Whenever these ends require it, we are called up- on to deny ourselves, to forsake all, to act as if. we hated our dearest rela- tives, to part with every earthly possession, to take up our cross, and even lay down our lives for the sake of him who died for us and rose again ; who liath expressly declared, that without this disposition, purpose, and conduct, ■we cannot be his disci])les ; and hath given motives and assurances sufficient to encourage us to make all these sacrifices with cheerfulness, (JMatt. xvi. 21. — 26 ; xix. 29 ; Luke xiv. 25—33 ; 1 Cor. viii. 12, 13 ; x. 31 ; Heb. xiii. 5, 6). He hath moreover taught us " to seek first the kingdom of ( Jod and his righteousness;" hath assured us, "that all things needful shall be added to us and hath given us a warrant to trust him in the path of duty, both in respect of ourselves, and of all that belong to us. Moreover, our principles teach us to consider this world as a barren land and a scene of trouble, and to expect no rest in it ; to take matters as we find them (except as the duty of our station may be concerned) ; and not to be anxious about our condition, though we be poor, or even slaves, because the fashion of this world passetli away," (1 Cor. vii. 21 — 23 ; 2!> — 31). All discontent, therefore, in obscure and indigent circumstances, as well as inso- lence in prosperity ; all envy of the rich or renowned ; all coveting or hanker- ing after somewhat greater, easier, or more abundant ; all eagerness in pur- suing and seeking after worldly advantages; all sanguine expectation of those changes by which carnal men fancy, that the blanks of this world's lot- tery may become prizes ; all inclination to spend more than we can afford in things not absolutely necessary, or to appear above our rank in our raiment, habitations, furniture or tables, and to incur debts l)y thus emulating our su- periors ; all that shame which we are apt to feel at the discovery even of iionest, frugal poverty ; all our reluctance to leave our children to earn tlieir bread by menial labour, if the Lord be pleased so to appoint it ; and a great many other things which we witness around us, and may be conscious of in our- selves, are manifest deviations from the spirit of Christianity, inconsistent with the principles of the gospel, and productive of many evil consequences. It does not indeed follow, tliat such persons as manifest a degree of these car- nal propensities are insincere in their profession, but it proves, th;it they have but partially understood the tendency, and experienced the efficacy of the truth. Atid if any who contend for evangelical doctrines, are wholly strangers to this " cru(\ifixion to the world," and treat such subjects as low and legal, without doubt their faith is dead, and their hope presumptuous: for all true Christians lament and mourn, that they are no more mortified to the world, and indifferent about its perishing trifles. II. Benevolence, or philanthropy, is an eminent branch of the Christian 299 ON THE CHARACTER temper. The law of " loving our neighbour as ourselves," is vfritten in the heart of every regenerate person, and it is constantly referred to in theNevT Testament, as the believer's rule of conduct towards all men; om* Lord has beautifully illustrated its extensive meaning in the parable, or nan-ative, of the Good Samaritan ; ami he exemplified it in his beneficent life, and by dy- ing for us when we were strangers and enemies. Kvery man, of whatever nation, complexion, or religion he may be, is our neighbour, whom we are to love as ourselves, and to whom we are to act as we would he should act towards us ; and this is the substance of the second table of the law, ( Essay IV.) The princijiles of the gospel also, respecting the worth of immor- tal souls ; tlie ruined state of the whole human species ; the sovereignty ami freeness of Divine grace ; the infinite sufficiency of the reeet danger, in order to protect and provide for her; to employ his authority wholly for her good, and especially in promoting her sanctification and salvation ; to admit Ler to a full participation of all the advantages attached to his station in life ; T2 300 THE BELIEVERS ATTENTION to soothe all her sorrows with a tender attention, and a self-defiying endea* voiir to alleviate them ; not to despise her because of infirmities, nor to aU low others to despise or injure her, " but to give honour to her as the weaker vessel ;" to be as careful not to give her needless pain or uneasiness, as he would be not to wound his own flesh ; and to give up his own humour, nay even sometimes his reasonable inclination, rather than ruffle her temper, or give her umbrage, when by any means a temporary peevishness hath beea excited, and so to behave in all things, that she may find it easy to respect and esteem him. In general, both of them are requirect to watch over each other, to tend each other in sickness, to alleviate one another's cares and Borrows, to pray for and with one another, and to avoid whatever may hin- der those prayers. Above all, each of them must be sure to remember to be most attentive to their several duties when the other is most deficient ; for if only one party at once indulge a wrong temper, or fall into misconduct, few serious interruptions of domestic harmony would follow. To these general hints a few more special may be added. Sometimes it is discovered after marriage, that a mistake hath been fallen into as to the re- ligious character of the person with whom the union has been formed. la this trying case, great care must be taken, that the mind be not alienated, or amicable intercourse interrupted on that account ; that no disgust be ex- cited by reproach, or any expression importing repentance of the union. Oij the other hand, wisdom and grace should be immediately and earnestly sought, to enable the party to bear the cross cheerfully ; to win upon the other by kindness and attention ; to induce a concurrence in family worship, and attendance on the means of grace ; and to use a prudent caution, that the circumstances may only be a cross, and not a snare to the soul. By what^p ever means a pious person is thus united with an unbeliever, the same cau- tions are in a measure needful, and others may be added. The apostle hath expressly directed, that believers should not on any such account withdraw from their partners, but should abide with them, in hopes of being instru- mental to their salvation, (1 Cor. vii. 12 — 17). In this case, the wife, whose husband " obeys not the word," should endeavour " to win him without the word," not so much by frequent and earnest discourse on religious subjects, .(which ought to be introduced very cautiously, modestly, and affectionately), as by a " chaste conversation, coupled with fear," or an union of circumspect fidelity and respectful submission ; and to render herself agreeable to him, not by the vain decorations of elegant and costly attire, but " by the orna- ment of a meek and quiet spirit," and the exercise of all those holy tempers, the seat of which is in the heart, and which are " in the sight of God of great value." In such circumstances, it may be advisable to bear unkind usage or neglect with patience, or to wait for opportunities of mild expostu- lation, in humble prayer and persevering submission. Thus the cross may be lightened, which a contrary conduct commonly increases ; and the best method taken of " rdorning the doctrine of God our Saviour," and of giv- ing an unbeliever an affecting proof that the truths he rejects are most ex- .cellent in their nature and tendency. Many of the same rules may properly be adopted by the pious husband, whose wife dislikes his religion ; but in the superior relation there may be a propriety in more explicitly and frequently proposing religious conversation ; in urging attendance on the means of grace, .md concurrence in family worship. In both cases, such compliances as cannot be conscientiously made, should be firmly, but mildly refused ; and in proportion to the degree in which a decided conduct is adopted, where the will of God is concerned, an obliging and yielding disposition should be manifested, where personal inclination only is at stake, or where the matter is rather expedient than obligatory. But there is a case of still greater difficulty, viz. when a believer has mar- ried an ungodly person, after having been competently acquainted with the truth and will of God in this respect. In general, such persons flatter them- selves with the hope of being the instrument of good to the object of their TO RELATIVE DUTIES. 301 clioice, though the revetse is by far the more common effect. Yet this hope should not afterwards be abandoned : but deep humiliation, with earnest jtrayers to a merciful God to pardon and to overrule for the best what can- not now be disannulled, should be considered as above all things needful : to this the observance of the foregoing rules should be added ; and the con- sideration of the sin by which the cross hath been incurred, should constitute an additional motive to persevering patience, meekness, and kindness, even in return for harsh treatment ; and in one way or other the Lord will sup- port, comfort, and rescue such humble penitents, and make all to work to- gether for good to their souls. These hints indeed are very inadequate to the full discussion of so copious and important a subject ; but they may throw some light upon the believer's path, who reads them with prayer, and compares them with the sacred Scrip- tures. II. We proceed to consider the reciprocal duties of parents and children. Some observations have already been made on this subject, (Essay IV), but a few hints must here be subjoined, beginning with the duty of children to their parents, which will finish the first part of this Essay. The apostle ex- horts " children to obey their parents in the Lord," in obedience to the will, for the honour of the gospel, from grateful love to the name, and in imita- tion of the example of the Lord Jesus, this being also right in itself, and re- quired by the holy law of God. The general grounds and nature of this duty have been stated ; it remains for us to consider it, as practised by a believer from evangelical motives. If such a young disciple have the blessing of pious parents, in honouring and obeying them, he will commonly honour and obey the Lord : and gratitude for the spiritual benefits derived to him by means of their instructions, example, and prayers, will be an additional incitement to a respectful, submissive, and obliging deportment ; to a steady concern for their comfort, ease, interest, and reputation ; and to a self-denying, fru- •gul, and diligent endeavour to ward off want and distress from their old age, as pious Joseph maintained his father and family just as many years in his old age, as his father had maintained him in his youth. In this case, it will be peculiarly proper to bear with their infirmities, and conceal them from others ; to submit to inconveniences and restraints, in compliance with their wishes, and to soothe their sorrows ; to consult them in every undertaking as long as they live ; to pay a deference to their opinion, even when it is in a measure unreasonable, if it do not interfere with other duties ; and never to grieve them by a contrary behaviour, without a very satisfactory rea- son, and with the most evident reluctance. On the other hand, it sometimes happens that pious children have parents, whom they cannot but consider as strangers to the power of godliness ; in which case, it must be a leading desire of their hearts to win them over to the doctrine and grace of the Lord Jesus: but in order to accomplish this purpose, it is peculiarly needful to watch against a hasty zeal, and a violent spirit. They should expect to be opposed in their religious pursuits ; to be assailed by arguments and autho- rity, and perhaps by reproaches and menaces ; to be restrained by various methods from attending divine ordinances ; and to be allured into such com- panies and diversions as are inconsistent with their profession : they should therefore beg of God to give them the meekness of wisdom, as well as a steadfast mind ; that they may not refuse obedience in frivolous or doubtful matters, or in a harsh find disobliging manner, but where evident duty re- quires it, and with calm and mild ileclarations of the grounds on which tliey proceed : thus it will appear, that a Scriptural conscientiousness (and not caprice, self-will, or self-conceit) compel them to act in this manner ; and in proportion as this is done, redoubled diligence and self-denial should be used, to oblige their parents in all other things. In general, children are not required to preach to their parents ; at least, every word should be spoken in modesty, tenderness, candour, and unassuming gentleness: and they should lather aim to induce them to hear semons, to read books, or to converse with T3 302 THE BELIEVER'S ATTENTION pious and prudent Christians, than themselves to give instructions, or en- gage in arguments with them, except in very particular circumstances ; for parents will seldom become docile scholars to their own children, especially if they teach in magisterial and reproving language. The most conclusive argument they can use consists in an uniform, conscientious conduct, an ob- liging attention, silent submission to undeserved rebukes, diligence in busi- ness, fidelity to every trust reposed in them, and a disinterested regard to the temporal advantage of the whole family. When a young person uni- formly acts in this manner, he will have opportunities of speaking or writ- ing a few words with weight and propriety, which, being joined with perse- vering prayer, may at length be crowned with the desired success; whilst a contrary conduct will close a parent's ear against the choicest arguments, and most zealous discourse. But however that may be, in this way he will adorn the gospel, and will be sure of meeting with the gracious acceptance and blessing of his heavenly Father. ESSAY XXI. On the Believer's Attention to Relative Duties. 'In Continuation of tlw preceding Essay.) Having given some brief hints on the conduct to which the principles of the gospel will influence the true believer in the filial relation, we must subjoin a few observations on the reciprocal duties of parents, whom reason and re- velation unite in appointing to be the guardians of their offspring, in respect of tlieir present and future welfare. Their attention therefore, must not only commence from the time when they actually become parents, but many things sliould previously be arranged, with reference to the probabUity of this important event; important, because every human being that is brought into existence must be completely happy or miserable to all eternity. From the very first, conscientious parents will do nothing for the sake of ease, in- dulgence, or other selfish purpose, which may endanger the life, limbs, senses, constitution, understanding, or morals of their children : they will person- ally attend to every thing relating to them, as far as they can ; and will be very careful not to entrust them with such persons as are merely influenced by worldly interest in what they do for them. They will perceive the im- portance of inuring them early to action, application, and observation, and of storing their minds, as they become capable of it, v/ith information on every subject which can conduce to render them useful members of the com- munity. They will endeavour to accustom them to such things as areof be- neficiiJ tendency, to preserve them from habits of indolence or self-indul- gence, and to prevent their forming impi'oper connections. Many difficul- ties, indeed, must be encountered in adhering to such a plan of education, and the success will not always answer the expectations which have been ex- cited by it ; but more may be done than many parents so much as attempt ; and the general education of both sexes at present, seems calculated to an- swer any purpose, rather than that of regulating the judgments and improv- ing the minds of the rising generation, of preserving their principles and morals from contamination, and of qualifying them for usefully filling up the station in life for which they are designed. The word of God directs parents to rule their children during their ten- der years, by compulsion, and to repress their self-will anil rebellious spirits by correction : that they may be early habituated to obedience and submis- sion to authority, which will be of the greatest advantage to them during TO RELATIVE DUTIES. 303 their whole lives, both In secular and religious matters ; for the more any man studies human nature, and repeats the actual experiment, the fuller will be his conviction, that all attempts to educate children without correction, and to treat them as rationed and independent aj^ents, before they are able to use their reason or liberty, arise from forgetfulness of their innate depra- vity, and oppose the wisdom of man to that of God : and let modern man- ners evince with what success this has been attended, (Prov. xiii. 24 ; xix. J8; xxii. 15; xxiii. 13, 14. ; xxix. 17; Heb. xii. 5 — 11). Chastisement should indeed be inflicted at an early period, dispassionately, and in mode- ration, yet sufficient eventually to attain the end proposed by it, viz. to es- tablish the parent's authority over the mind of the cliild. It is therefore generally improper to contest a trivial matter, for that will eitlier give tlie correction tlie appearance of undue severity, or induce the parent to desist before the child lias completely submitted. The frequency, severity, and passion, with wliich cliildren have been corrected, and the bad effects occa- sioned by these abuses, have prejudiced numbei-s against the use of any cor- rection ; but to argue from the abuse of any thing against the use of it, is uni- versally allowed to be bad logic: and if children were early taught in this manner to know that tlie parent would be obeyed, when he gave a decided command, correction need not be often repeated, and much Jess severity, all circumstances considered, would be requisite in education than is genei-ally used. For when children become reasonable creatures, that authority which correction has established, may be maintained by arguments, reproofs, com- mendations, and expostulations : whereas, too many leave their indulged children witliout correction, till age and habit have confirmed them in stub- born self-will, and then, by an unseasonable severity, complete their ruin ; for, being exasperated by their ingratitude, they find fault with their very attempts to please them; and by harsh language and usage drive them into bad company and destructive courses ; to which case the apostle especially referred, when he sfiid, " Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged," (Eph. vi. 4; Col. iii. 21). On the contrary, parents ouglit to use every method to render tlieir children, as they grow up, easy and ha])py in their company, and confident of a favourable reception in every attempt to please them ; for this tends exceedingly to keep them out of temptation, to improve their minds, and to render the parental authority of wisdom and love respectable and amiable in their eyes: and if they can al- lure their children to choose them for companions, counsellors, and friends in all their undertakings, a most important point indeed will be carried. It is also incumbent on pax'ents to bring up their children in that manner, and (if they can do it consistent with otlier duties) to make that moderate provision for them, which may, at all events, enable them to live comfort- ably in society, without being a burthen to others, or to themselves. The Christian cannot consistently seek great things for his family, or be de- sirous of advancing them much above his own rank in life ; but he will judge it best (if the Lord will), that they should not be depressed very much be- low it, at least by his fault; for that condition in which men have been brought up is generally the safest for them. But the principles of the gospel will especially influence those who are ac- tuated by tliem, to desire the blessings of salvation for their beloved offspring. This will induce them to recommend them to God in fervent, constant prayer, from the time that they receive their being ; and to instil instruction into their minds as soon as they become capable of receiving it. They will early begin to store their memories with wliolesome words ; to lead their atten- tion to the simpler parts of the Holy Scrijjture ; and to impress them with a sense of their relation to God, and to an eternal state (especially by means of family worship) : to bring them under the public and private instruc- tions of faithful ministers ; to watch for opportunities of speaking seriously to them, and of inquiring what they have learned ; and to encourage them: in proposing questions on religious subjects, by answering such as they can 304 THE BELIEVER'S ATTENTION with propriety, (Exod. xii. 26 — 28 ; Deut. Vi. 0-^9 ; Psalm Ixxviii. 6 — 8). They will also endeavour to keep them from all places and companies, anil to remove out of their way all books, &c., by which their principles may be corrupted, their imaginations polluted, or their passions inflamed, even as they would lay poison out of their reach. They will more decidedly reprove vice or impiety, than any childish neglect or waywardness ; and avoid all converse or behaviour in their presence, which may counteract the tendency of such instructions, or sanction the pride, avarice, sensuality, love of gran- deur, envy, or malignity of their nature. It is peculiarly incumbent on religious parents to convince their children> as they approach to maturity, not only that they act in all other things con- scientiously, but also that they are more attentive to their comfort and inte- rest, and more ready to forgive their faults, than irreligious parents would be, though they cannot tolerate their vices, or concur in exceptionable plans of advancing or enriching them, because the Scripture holds forth such alarm- ing examples to warn men not to gratify their children by dishonouring God, or injuring their neighbours, (1 Sam. ii. 22 — 36). It behoves parents how- ever to remember the time when they were young, and not to thwart the in- clinations of their children when grown up, without substantial reasons, lest they should throw snares in their way : they should rather endeavour to ma- nifest a disposition to concur in every thing conducive to their satisfaction, if it can be done consistently ; that by thus encouraging their confidence ia them, they may have the salutary influence of experienced counsellors, when the direct exercise of authority would endanger opposition. In particular, they certainly should rather aim to guide, caution, and advise them, in re- spect to marriage, than to compel or restrain them in an absolute manner ; remembering, that peace of mind, a good conscience, domestic harmony, and a connection favourable to piety, conduce more to happiness, even in this world, than wealth, or a confluence of all earthly distinctions. Many direc- tions might be added, in respect of the conduct to be adopted by parents, when children appear to be under serious impressions ; but the subject is too copious to be discussed in this place. This is the most important perhaps of all relative duties ; and the neglect of it is productive of the most fatal consequences : for, besides those parents who in various ways are accessary to the murder of the souls of their own off- spring, even they, who seem to regard other parts of Scripture, often overlook the command "to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," (Eph. vi. 4') ; and either by neglect leave their minds like an uncul- tivated field, or by example and harsh treatment prejudice them against the gospel, or indiscreetly lead them into such distorted views of it as are of fatal tendency. Indeed the methods are innumerable by which parents fait of their duty in tliis respect ; and whilst numbers act as if they did not much care, whether their offspring were happy or miserable hereafter, it is to be feared that few, if any, are free from blame in this important concern. It may here be proper to add, that they, who in any way undertake to bring up the children of others, are required in many respects to perform the duties of parents to them : and on the other hand, such young persons owe a measure of that respect, gratitude, obedience, and affection to them, which have been described as the duties of children to their parents : and this case is not altered, even when elder brothers or sisters are the persons on whom this charge has devolved. In like manner, the other superior re- lations are entitled to a measure of filial deference and attention ; and ought to perform many parts of the parental office to their junior relatives, espe- cially if their parents be dead, or incapable of performing it, or be wholly in- attentive to them ; and they have the power of bringing them up, without burthening strangers. III. The duties of brethren in the same family towards each other, should not be wholly omitted on this occasion. The love which is supposed to sub- sist among such endeared rela.tious, is the Scriptural standard of that pure TO RELATIVE DUTIES. 305 and fervent affection which Christians ought to bear one towards another: the former therefore should not be treated as an instinctive propensity, but regulated by precept as a Christian duty. The children of one family, when they live much together, cannot, in the present state of human nature, fail to meet with many little affronts and injuries among themselves, which may interrupt domestic harmony, unless great circumspection be used not to give offence even by rudeness and uncourteous familiarity ; and a constant en- deavour be made to oblige, and to render each other easy and comfortable, joined with persevering forbearance, forgiveness, and various concessions. For want of these attentions, perpetual bickerings and lasting animosities supplant brotherly love ; and they who should be, through life, faithful and tender friends, are often more estranged from each other than from almost any other persons : of such bad consequences are the competitions, envies, and jealousies that take place in families ; and so careful ought parents to be, not to lay a foundation for them by an injudicious partiality, and not to treat them as matters of no moment, (Gen. xxxvii. 3, 4. ; Prov. xviii. 19). Moreover, they who associate so much together, as young persons in this re- lation commonly do, must have many opportunities of influencing each other's principles and conduct : these are frequently made a very bad use of ; and false principles are often instilled, and encouragement given to various things contrary to their duty to God, their parents, or others, even where no gross immorality or impiety appear. But that love which evangelical principles increase and direct, will not only be disinterested, conceding, self-denying, liberal, and peaceful, but prudent, pious, and holy : and they who are influ- enced by it, will aim, by seasonable caution, counsel, or expostulation, en- forced by kindness and a consistent example, and accompanied by fervent prayer, to guard such dear relations from snares and dangers, to instil good principles, and to win them to attend to the concerns of their souls. Nor will it be improper in this case to speak more plainly, and debate the matter more fully with them, (especially those who are younger than themselves), than they should do with parents or superior relations: and it is very com- mon for the Lord to bless such endeavours, and thus to make them the foundation of the most permanent friendship. The duties of the other collateral relations who dwell much together, are in a great measure the same. IV. The reciprocal duties of servants and masters are the last of those that belong to domestic life. The condition of servants differs widely at pre- sent from what it was when the New Testament was penned : for then they were generally slaves, the property of tlieir masters ; whose service they could not leave, but who might dispose of them as they pleased, or punish them with almost uncontrolled severity. This could never consist with the law of " loving our neighbour as ourselves though it pleased the Lord to tolerate and regulate it, in the judicial \;iw of Moses, (as he did polygamy and divorces) ; and the state of things, at the first opening of the Christian dispensation, rendered it improper for the ministers of religion directly to attack a system, which was inseparable from the foundations of every go- vernment then existing in the world. This difference, however, gives the greater energy to the exhortations wliich the sacred writers address to ser- vants professing the gospel : except, that they may now leave those places, where they are ill used, or in wliich they are restrained from attending on Divine ordinances, or hallowing the Lord's day. Yet this liberty should be used with much caution : for every place has its disadvantages, and every master (as well as servant) his faults ; and men often incur much detriment, and forfeit manifold advantages, through impatience under a single incon- venience : especially servants sometimes purchase a trivial increase of wages at an enormous price. The believer, therefore, " who is called, being a ser- vant," or who finds it necessary for him to enter upon this kind of life, should remember, that the Lord hath constituted these different situations in society, for the same reasons as he hath allotted the several members in 306 THE BELIEVER'S ATTENTION the l)ody their distinct offices, viz. for the common benefit of the whole : and that he hath chosen servitude as t'ne best situation for him ; to which ap- pointment he requires his unreserved suijmission. He should also consider the place in which he lives, as the post for the present assigned him, which he must not relinquish without substantial reasons, and fervent prayer for direction ; and if this be determined on, he ought to perform the duties of his j)lace without remission, whilst he continues in it. If he want a place, he should seek a suitable one from the Lord, in dependence on his provi- dence and promises, and prefer that which affords the greatest advantages for religious improvement, though it be somewhat more laborious or less lu- crati\ e. And here if may be proper to remind both servants and masters, that though there are many vain talkers and deceivers, yet there are also true (Christians : it is therefore the height of absurdity for believers to pre- fer the society of ungodly persons in any relation, because they have been disgusted and ill used by hypocrites. Men do not throw away bank-notes because they have been cheated by forged bills ; and no disappointment should cause them to despair of finding the far more valuable treasure of a Christian master or servant, unless any one should fancy himself to be the only true Christian in the land. If pious servants be favoured with a situation in a religious family, they s-hould remember, that equality in Christian privileges by no means implies equality in domestic life ; instead therefore of behaving with an unbecoming familiarity, or neglecting tlieir masters' orders " as if they despised them they should " count them worthy of all honour, and rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit," (1 Tim. vi- 1 — 5). And as they are conscious of much imperfection in themselves, they ought to make allowances for it in them also. They should value the pri- vilege of family worship very highly, even though it be not in all respects conducted exactly to their mind ; and they ought so to order all their busi- ness, that it may not interfere with it, or with the regular observance of the Lord's day. Should pious servants find themselves placed in families, in ■which they cannot but deem the profession of religion to be vain ; they ought not hastily to mention their opinion, or speak about it with liarshness ; on the contrary, they should aim by a good example to exhibit the difference between the form and the power of godliness. Even when they live in fa- milies where ignorance and ungodliness prevail, they ought not to speak freely on the faults of their niasters, or assume the office of an authoritative teacher ; for no man would be pleased to have a spy or a reprover in the character of a servant. Yet the Christian, thus situated, will especially aim to " adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour," by cheerful obedience to every lawful command, diligence in all the duties of his station, and faithfulness to the trust reposed in him ; remembering that his maintenance and wages are the price his master pays for his time and skill. Consistency will require him to prefer the credit, advantage, or comfort of his master or family, to his own ease or indulgence, and especially to manifest sympathy and tenderness in times of sickness and affliction ; to speak exact truth on all occasions ; not to purloin, or join with those who defraud his master in small matters ; or eren connive at such petty dishonesty, however sanctioned by custom, or whatever contempt and ill-will he may incur by his conscientiousness. It will dispose him to strict frugality, and to see that no waste be made ; and also to consult his master's inclination in the manner of doing his work. If he be justly blamed, he will learn to bear it quietly, owning himself wrong, and doing better another time ; if he be blamed without cause, or rebuked with harshness, (not to speak of more outrageous treatment), he will endeavour to recollect the Scriptural rule of not answering again," (the neglect of which is productive of innumerable evils, especially to servants themselves) : (Tit. ii. 9, 10 :) and that the apostle says, " servants, be subject to your mas- ters with all fear ; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward," (1 Pet. ii. 18—25) ; for though such usage may excite his passions, he will TO RELATIVE DUTIES. 307 not on recollection say, " I do well to be angry ;" but will conader Itim, who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatened not for we are called to copy his example, to show the reality and excel- lency of our religion, by doing well and suifering patiently ; and however snch a servant may be neglected by an austere, injurious, earthly master, yet he shall certainly receive a graciotis recompense from the Lord, (Eph. vi. 5 — 8 ; Col. iii. 22 — 25). Thus his principles teach him not to be an eye-ser- vant and a man-pleaser, attentive to his business only in his master's presence ; but in singleness of heart to do the will of God, and to refer everything to the honour of the Lord Jesus, and the credit of his gospel ; not so much, fearing man's displeasure, as disgracing the cause of evangelical religion by his misconduct. Such habitual behaviour, in a servant professing the gospel, will not only conduce to his own interest, credit, and comfort, but will procure attention to any serious remark he may make, or commendation he may give to a book or a preacher : and this will discountenance vice and impiety ; nay, perhaps it may dispose some to examine the nature of that religion, which produces such excellent fruits : whilst violent and zeaioos disputes for doc- trines, in him v/hose conduct is disobliging and impertinent, not to say sloth- ful and dishonest, expose to contempt the very truths for which he contends. The same principles will also lead a man to follow after peace with his fel- 3ow servants : he will not indeed silently see his ra.ister defrauded, or join with others in riot : but he will avoid a morose and invidious conduct ; not reporting, or even protesting against trifles ; but only against manifest evils : endeavouring by kindness, patience when ridiculed, and forgiveness when injured, to win their attention to calm discourse on Divine things. He will also take care never to seek his own interest by countenancing children in misconduct to their parents, or each other ; though he will oblige them for their good. ,He will not treat indigent relations or dependents with galling neglect, or attend on them with grudging. If he be obliged to refuse obe- dience to an improper command, he will do it with mildness and resjiect. If his time be too much taken up on the Lord's day, he will endeavour to redeem what remains more diligently ; and if he be constrained to leave his place, -he will be careful how he needlessly lessens his master's character in his own vindication. The same rules, with circumstantial alterations, suit the case of apprerrtices and labourers ; and all who ."ure employed by otnera, according to the degree and nature of the trust reposed in them, (Gen. xxiv.) On the other hand, masters are also instructed in their duties, by direc- tions and examples, in the holy Scriptures. The Christian's principles will influence him to consider true piety as an invaluable accession to the cha- racter of a servant who suits him in other respects ; and to seek the bless- ing with fervent prayer ; and by making his place desirable to such persons. If" he be thus favoured, he will endeavour to behave to liis servant as a bro- ther in the faitli ; he will make proper allowances for mistakes and defects ; and value a servant, who, on the whole, is faithful, upright, diligent, and peaceable, though he be not without faults; knowing how much the comfort of his family and the best interests of his children depend on such domestics. If he meet with bad servants, he will strive to repress his anger, to avoid reproaches, and to behave well to them, till he can change them. If liis servants suit him in other respects, but are strangers to religion, he will use all proper means of conciliating their minds to it. In general, sucli a mas- ter will not expect n)ore work from his servants than they can well perlonn ; nor deprive them of time for relaxation and retirement. lie will deem it his duty to give tliem adcfjuate wages, and to make their situation asconifort- al)le as he can. He will provide them with things suitable to their station, when in health; and be very tender to them in sickness; procuring tliem help in their work under slighter indispositions, and proper advice, if he can in more acute sickness, (Matt. viii. 1 — 9.) He will not think himself justi- fied by custom, in turning away a faithful servant, by sending him to an hos- 308 ON THE CHRISTIAN'S pital, because he cannot do his work, if he have it in his power to prevent it : but will consider, that he who has the benefit of his skill and labour when well, ought to submit to trouble and expense for him when sick. Nay, if he can afford it, he will copy the example of the Lord, in respect of the aged; as he does not forsake his servants in their old age, or when their strength faileth. " Remembering that he also hath a master in heaven," he will consult their interests, and be a sincere and faithful friend to them, in whatever may tend to their comfortable settlement in life. He will not keep them at a disdainful distance, or answer them with harshness, evea ■when they are mistaken or unreasonable ; nor express discouraging suspi- cions of them, or descant on their faults to others. The same principles will influence him to consider the souls of his domestics as entrusted to his care. He will, therefore, order his affairs sp, as may give them most leisure and opportunity for hallowing the Lord's day ; and use his authority in enforcing that observance, (Gen. xviii. 19.) He will read the Scriptures to them, and join with them in family prayer ; he will arrange his daily plans in subser- viency to that grand concern, and avoid whatever may prejudice their minds against it. He will watch over their morals and principles, and exclude from them infectious companions, as much as possible. Thus he will make family religion the cement of family peace, and not only aim to influence his servants by love to willing obedience, but to give them cause to bless the day when they entered his doors, both in this world and for ever, (Acts x. 7, 22; Eph. vi. 9; Col. iv. 1.) Many other relative duties might be dis- cussed ; but this topic has already occupied a full proportion of the limits prescribed to these Essays. Subjects are required to obey the lawful com- mands of magistrates ; to respect their persons and reverence their autho- rity, as God's ordinance ; not to speak evil of them, to pay them tribute conscientiously ; to pray for them, and to study to be quiet and mind the duties of their station. The duty of rulers and magistrates, as far as it falls under our plan, will be mentioned in an Essay on the improvement of talenta. The poor should behave, with respect to the rich, without envying, covet- ing, or repining. The rich should be courteous, condescending, compas- sionate and liberal to the poor ; and set them an edifying example of piety. The young should behave with modesty, deference, and attention to the old ; especially to such as are godly, however poor they may be. The aged should temper gravity and seriousness with cheerfulness and kindness in their conduct to the young. The faithful pastor will study from the Scriptures his duty to his flock ; and the consistent Christian will, even in this relaxed day, consider himself as bound to honour, love, and attend to his faithful pastor. In one word, true Christianity, will influence every man to fill up his station, in the family, the church, and the community, to the glory of God, and the common benefit of the whole : and all that comes short of this is the effect of remaining contrariety to its heavenly principles, in the j udge- ment and dispositions of true Christians, and among those who name the name of Clirist, but depart not from iniquity. ESSAY XXII. On Uie Christian's Improvement of his Talents. When the humble penitent has obtained peace of conscience by faith in Christ, and enjoys a prevailing hope of eternal life ; he will be disposed, in proportion as his views are distinct and consistent, to inquire seriously by what means he may best glorify the God of his salvation, and do the most good to mankind during the remainder of his days ? for " the love of Christ," IMPROVEMENT OF HIS TALENTS. 309 (in dying on the cross to deliver sinners from the wrath to come, and to pur- chase for them everlasting felicity ; and in calling him, as he hopes, to par- take of so inestimable a blessing) " will constrain Tiim to live no longer to himself, but to Him who died for him and rose again." This will induce him to consider very attentively, what advantages or opportunities his situation affords him, of promoting the honour of the Redeemer's name, the peace, purity, and enlargement of his kingdom, the comfort and edification of his people, and the welfare, temporal and eternal, of the human species. These opportunities and advantages are commonly called talents, from the parable which our Lord spoke on this subject, (Matt. xxv. 14 — 30) ; and doubtless this portion of Scripture, and that coincident with it, (Luke xix. 11 — 27), relate entirely to this matter ; for they do not point out the method of sal- vation, as if the improvement of natural powers or common grace could merit or procure special grace (as some have confusedly argued) ; for special grace produces the inclination and disposition to use natural powers, and all other advantages aright ; which all men who are destitute of it are wholly disposed to abuse, as far as selfish principles will permit them. But there are a va- riety of endowments and opportunities that may be improved to the best of purposes, but which wicked men employ in gratifying their base lusts, to the increase of their own guilt, and the injury of all around them ; and which mere formal professors of religion, who harbour hard thoughts of God, and a secret dislike to his service, as it were, bury in the earth. Of these, the true disciple of Christ will avail himself ; and by " occupying with the ta- lent entrusted to him," he will both prove his own faith to be living and his i love sincere, and also become as " a light in the world," and " the salt of the earth," (Matt. v. 13 — 16 ; 2 Cor. viii. 7, 8 ; James ii. 14 — 26). Every man has some measure of these advantages afforded him, according to the ap- pointment of infinite wisdom, which also assigns to each person his station in the church and the community : and if a man profess the gospel, the use he makes of these advantages is one of the most decisive tests, by which the sincerity of that profession may be ascertained, and the degree of his grace estimated. But the improvement, and not the number of his talents, is to be considered in this decision : " he that is faithful in little, is faithful also in much, " (Luke xvi. 9 — 12): and whilst the servant to whom many talents have been entrusted may be more extensively useful, he that hath improved a very small proportion may be equally favoured of his Lord ; and the poor widow's two mixes may be more evidential of sincere love and fervent xeal. than the liberal donations of the affluent. Almost every thing may be considered as a talent; for a good or a bad use- may be made of every natural endowment, or providential appointment ; or they may remain unoccupied, through inactivity and selfishness. Time, health, vigour of body with the power of exertion and enduring fatigue, the' natural and acquired abilities of the mind, skill in any lawful art or science, the capacity for close mental application, the gift of speech, and that of speaking with fluency and propriety, and in a convincing, attractive, or per- suasive manner ; wealth, influence, or authority ; a man's situation in the church, the community, or relative life ; and the various occurrences which make way for him to attempt any thing of a beneficial tendency; these, and many others, that can scarce be enumerated, are talents which the consis- tent Christian will improve to the glory of God and the benefit of mankind. Nay, this improvement of talents procures an increase of them, and gives a man an accession of influence, and an accumulating power of doing good : because it tends to establish his reputation for prudence, piety, integrity, sincerity, and disinterested benevolence ; it gradually forms him to an habi- tual readiness to eng;ige in beneficent designs, and to coiuluct them in a gentle, unobtrusive, and unassuming manner ; it disposes others to regard liim with increasing confidence and affection, and to approach him with satis- faction ; and it proc\ires for him the countenance of many persons, whose as- tiLitaucti he can employ in accomplishing his own salutary purposes. Fur, as 310 OX THE CHRISTIAN'S far as we are consistent in our views of our calling and business in the world, we shall, both in the concerns of our own salvation and in endeavouring to be useful, imitate the skilful mariner, who always keeps his port In mind, and gets forward in his voyage, by using even- wind that blows to help him as far as it can be done, and avails himself to the utmost of every circum- stance that arises from gales, currents, &:c., to accomplish the purpose at which he perpetually aims. But we shall perhaps obtain a more distinct view of the subject, by selecting a specimen of these talents, and the improvement of which they are capable. I. Power and authority constitute a most important trust, committed by the Great Ruler of the Universe to some of the human race, for the benefit ©f the whole, and of every individual, as far as consistent with it. In one sense or other, the Scripture represents all power as derived from God^ and all rulers as the ministers of his providence in governing the world : who must all render an account to him, both for the manner in which they acquired dominion, and the use they make of it. Waving, therefore, aU questions on these subjects, rt suffices to say, that too many, who in any tray have exercised authority over their brethren, have made a very bad use of it. Ambition, vain-glory, lust of dominion, rapacity, caprice, envy, furious anger or dire revenge, superstition or impiety, have often influenced them to employ their power in exciting and waging bloody wars, destructive to their subjects as well as to foreigners ; in oppressing and burthening the poor ; in favouring the exactions and oppressions which they ouglit to have crushed ; in protecting and advancing the men whom they should have punished ; in harassing those whom it was their duty to have protected ; in persecuting their peaceable subjects for their religious opinions : and thus in various ways increasing the miseries, which they were exalted on purpose to remedy. There have also been some, wlio, as princes or magistrates, have upon the whole behaved negatively well : they have not waged unnecessary wars, or molested their subjects by oppressions or persecutions : but have been peaceably contented with the splendour, dignity, and pleasures of their sta- tion, and have left it to their serv ants to keep the machine of government in motion. They have, therefore, done far less mischief than some others : but they have not done the good incumbent on them, nor prevented the evil which has been done, perhaps under the sanction of their names, and which they ought to have strenuously opposed. " These have buried their talent in the earth." There have also been certain rulers and magistrates, who from natural principles have made, in some measure, a salutary use of their authority : they have enacted good laws, and administered justice with a considerable degree of impartiality : they have taken care to preserve their country from foreign enemies, and have yet avoided war as far as they con- sistently could, from a wise preference of the blessings of peace, above the advantajres arising from the most splendid victories : they have relieved the people from burthensome taxes, and defended the poor from oppressions, and the pious from persecutions ; and, by thus providin^for the temporal welfare of the state, they have obtained the endearing title of " Fathers to their people." This conduct the real Christian, when placed in authority, will carefully imitate from higher motives : but he will unite with it an uniform endeavour to render his whole administration subservient to the interests of true religion ; and this constitutes the proper improvement of his talents. Not only " the king as supreme," but all his counsellors and ministers of state, the members of the legislature, and the magistrates, from the highest to the lowest, have a degree of power and authority vested in them by the great Ruler and Judee of the world, and to him they must be accountable for the use which they make of it. As they are placed in a conspicuous situation, multitudes scrutinize their conduct, either to censure or to imitate it ; consequently their example becomes proportionably more important. This will be an additional motive to the true Christian, to walk circumspectly and accurately ; to shew himself a pattern of a reYerential regard to the name, the day, the word, the IMPROVEMENT OF HIS TALENTS. 311 house, and the ordinances of God ; of sobriety, temperance, moderation, and beneficence in the use of outward things ; of equity, punctuality, sincerity, and fidelity, in all his transactions, promises, and engagements : of meek- ness, condescension, courteousness, kindness, and compassion in all his de- portment ; and of attention to his domestics, and to all the duties of relative life. He will endeavour to unite wisdom, firmness, and justice, with candour and clemency in his public conduct ; to manifest a disinterested, impartial spirit ; to be the patron of the poor, the oppressed, and the friendless ; with- out resjjecting tlie persons, or fearing the unmerited displeasure of the rich X and powerful ; and to cleave to what is right, witliout warping, even when his conduct excites the censures and clamours of an ill-judging multitude. Hi3 principles will influence him " to love righteousness and hate iniquity to promote to the utmost the peace of nations, the good order of the com- munity, and the temporal advantage of all ranks ofmeninit. But they will also dispose him to render all this subservient to still more important purposes; and to aim " to adorn" and recommend " tlie doctrine of God our Saviour;" to soften men's prejudices, and silence their clamours, and to win their attention to it, by making them feel its benign eifects. He will not indeed attempt to compel any man to assent to his creed, or conform to his mode of worsliip ; for this can only make hypocrites : but many things may l:e done by tliose in autliority, to promote religion, consistent with the most complete toleration. They may very ])roperly repress, by the power of the magistrate, various kinds of vice and impiety, and endeavour to ex- terminate the seminaries and haunts of profligacy and villainy, antl the schools of blaspliemy and profaneness : tliey may furnish the endowed seats of learning witli teachers of sound principles and good morals ; and coun- tenance every reasonable plan for the good education of youth, and espe- cially for instructing the children of the poor : they may protect from in- sults, and liberate from restraints, such ministers of the gospel " as labour in the word and doctrine ;" and favour their being placed in extensively useful situations ; they may select young persons, who give hopeful evidences of piety and ability, and assist them in obtaining that learning, from which their circumstances excluded them : they may render the admission into the ministi-y open to able, conscientious men, and close it against the vicious, the ignorant and the mercenary ; they may shew a decided regard to upright, diligent, and pious ministers, who differ from them in some forms or senti- ments ; and a marked disapprobation of tlie negligent and profligate, who pretend to be of their judgment. Thus authority may be improved as a talent, in promoting the cause of truth and piety ; in the religious instruc- tion of the people at large ; in preventing the effects of the indolence, care- lessness, ignorance, and vice of those who ought to instruct them ; and in countenancing such, as would do all in their power for this purpose. Books may also be dispersed, and multitudes taught to read ; the attendance on divine worship may be encouraged, and every thing discountenanced tliat tends to keep men from it ; prisons, workhouses, hospitals, the army, the navy, &c., may be supplied with diligent, able, and pious teachers ; and various societies and plans may be formed and adopted, to promote tliis. great end, by rulers and magistrates, who are zealous for the honour of Christ, and the interests of pure and undefiled religion : and yet every man maybe allowed to worship God according to his conscience ; and care also taken not to allure mercenary men to an unprincipled conformity. Thus the pious rulers of Judah, according to the dispensation under which they lived, restrained vice and idolatry, and supported the worship of Jehovah : from Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and David, even to Nehemiah ; and true religion uniformly flourished in proportion to their prudent and pions endeavours : nor would it be easy to assign a reason, why the same talent may not be im- proved to similar purposes by Christian rulers, according to the genius of the new dixpcnsation : except it be thought, that because many have abused it by intolerance and tyranny, all the rest ought to bury it in the earth ; a con- 312 ON THE CHRISTIAN'S^^ clusioTi well stilted to the lukewarm indifference, which in this age hath snc« ceeded to fiery zeal and cruel bigotry, and assumed the dignified name of moderation ! But all judicious Christians will, nevertheless, continue to be- seech the Lord, to make all kings and rulers like Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, that they may be " nursing fathers to the church and neither spare pains nor expense to disperse the knowledge of God's word by able, faithful men, through whole nations, (2 Chron. xvii. 7 — 10 ; xxix — xxxii ; Neh. viii.) But let this suffice on a subject, coincident indeed with the plan, but, in some respects, perhaps out of the sphere of these Essays. II. Natural abilities and acquired knowledge, constitute a talent of great importance ; as they confer a distinguished reputation, and as they qualify a man to propagate with effect whatever principles he adopts. Nor is there any essential difference, in this respect, between the more solid and the more showy kinds of genius and accomplishment, for each gives a proportionable degree of influence in different circles. Philosophers, poets, orators, historians and other learned and ingenious men, possess a peculiar advantage for giving a good or bad bias to the sentiments and conduct of mankind ; though much less ability will enable a man to do extensive mischief, than is requisite for enlarged usefulness ; because our faUen nature powerfully inclines to that side. But, alas ! it has been abundantly proved that far more abuse such distin- guished talents, than make even a tolerable improvement of them ; and the fatal success, with which the deformity of vice, and the unreasonableness of impiety and infidelity, have been varnished over, by vain reasonings, inge- nious misrepresentations, and empty declamations, set off with all the charms of style and the authority of deep erudition ; and in which the violations of God's law, the neglect of his worship, and the contempt of his gospel, have been disseminated by men of genius and learning, in books of all kinds and on all subjects, can never be suflSciently lamented. Nor has superior eminence in painting, sculpture, or other elegant arts ; and the charms of engaging con- versation ; or the fascinating powers of music; or the talent for fine speaking, or that for theatric imitation of nature and real life, been less fatally abused. If then everj' one must give an account to God, for the use he makes of his natural and acquired endowments, and for the consequences of all his actions ; such as have employed " talents angel-bright," during their whole lives, in doing the work of fallen angels, by poisoning the principles, and corrupting the morals of whole nations, and of successive ages, will one day receive a dreadful recompence for those works, which have given them the most flattering celebrity among their ill-judging fellow-mortals ! But a man may employ such endowments in a comparatively inoffensive manner, and yet fall very short of improving his talents. He may so yield to indo- lence, difl[idence, and love of retirement ; or be so incapable of coming up to the standard of excellency, which he hath fixed for himself ; that he may totally slip his opportunity of usefulness, waste the day of life in doing no- thing to any purpose ; live plausibly to himself ; and instead of " occupying with his Lord's money," or even " giving it to the exchanger," he may " hide it in a napkin" and " bury it in the earth." We may not indeed conclude, that all, who are reprehensible in this way, are " wicked and slothful servants" in their whole character: yet our Lord's language on this subject, and the examples of those, who on a death-bed have mourned over the opportunities of usefulness which were then for ever gone, should teach every disciple to " be diligent while the day lasteth, and before the night cometh, in which no man can work." But evangelical principle wiU influence the consistent believer, whilst he is careful not to over-rate his talents, seriously to inquire what advantages they give him for glorifying God and doing good : and to endeavour to avail himself of them, without yielding to inactivity, despondency, fear of difficul- ties, or regard to the praise of men. A person of this character, who is held in estimation for learning or genius, may be very useful, even by sanctioning with his decided approbation the faithful ministers of Christ ; by reconi- IMPROVEMENT OF HIS TALENTS. 313 mending useful publications ; and by professing and pleading for the doc- trines of genuine Christianity, answering objections to thern, and stating them in a clear and Scriptural mannei-. His character will introduce him to numbers from whom his undistinguished brethren are excluded ; and give him a sphere of activity, in which he may subserve the temporal interests of mankind : and his principles will influence him to improve tliese advantages with prudent zeal, to recommend the gospel to them. As booJcs written by ministers of religion are read with an absurd prejudice (for who ol)jects to a treatise on medicine, because it was written by an eminent practitioner of physic?) so the learned and ingenious may do good service, by a testimony from the press to the truths of religion, which will not have this prejudice t& encounter: and the poor especially will be exceedingly pre-possessed in favour of such plain tracts, as men of this character contlescend to write and dis- perse among them. Nor can superior talents be better employed, than in recommending those things " that angels desire to look down into," and m glorifying Christ and promoting the salvation of souls. Learned men would also do eminent service, if they would infuse into those approved publications on various subjects, by which they attract the attention of mankind, a savour of evangelical religion ; as an antidote to the poison conveyed in the poems, histories, and scientific treatises, which are sent out by the enemies of re- vealed truth. In short, the consistent Christian will take care not to abuse his endowments in any way to do mischief to mankind, whatever lucre or credit it might give him ; and he will endeavour, with persevering diligence^ to do good in the world, by every means in his power : and if he have only a mediocrity of talent, he will occupy with it according to the duty of his station, as one who expects the coming of his Lord, and desires to be num- bered with those faithful servants whom he will bid to enter into his joy. III. The pastoral office is a subject of too great importance, to admit of any adequate discussion in this place. Yet, as a talent that demands im- provement, it must not be wholly omitted. Such persons as have just beea mentioned, may often be led to examine how far the due improvement of tlieir talents may require them to enter into this sacred office : and though many considerations may induce them to decline it, yet the love of ease and lucre, or the fear of contempt, should not deter them. The sacred ministry, in every degree, is a good work : and he, who desires to be the Lord's steward in so important a concern, should carefully scrutinize his motives and inten- tions, and seek, with unremitting diligence and fervent prayer, every quali- fication for the due performance of it. Alas ! what numbers utterly neglect these things, and rusli into the ministry, from tiie lowest motives, and in the worst manner imaginable ! Let us pity and pray for tliem, for, alas ! in general " they know not what they do :" and perhaps they, wiio design them for this profession, and they, who concur in admitting them into it, liavethe greater guilt. But the apostle's message to Archippua may be considered as addressed to all who are actually entered ; " Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received of the Lord, tliat thou fuHil it," (Col. iv. 17.) Such are stewards of the mysteries of God ; ambassadors for Christ to sin- ners ; watchmen to give warning, as they will answer for it at their peril ; shepherds to feed the flock of God, which he hath purchased with his blood ; labourers in his vineyard, and builders in his holy temple. Surely, then, they who have received such a ministry, should renounce " the works of dark- ness, and the hidden things of dishonesty ;" they " should take heed to themselves and to their doctrine ; they " should labour and not faint," but endure hardship, and face danger as good soldiers of Jesus Christ ; they should be instant in season and out of season ; and, laying aside all worldly pleasures, diversions, and pursuits ; all avarice, ambition, and mere secular studies which subserve not the end of their holy calling; they should devote their hours, health, abilities, and influence to the service of the sanctuary, " giving themselves wholly thereunto." Nothing, however lucrative, cre- ditable, or congenial to their taste, should engross those powers that U 314 IMPROVEMENT OF TALENTS, time which they have engraved to employ in seeking the salvation of souls: fur the desire of spending their lives in tliis good work, in preference to more lucrative and easy situations, seems to lie that very work of the -Holy Ghost, by which men are indeed " moved to take this sacred office upon them." The consistent believer, therefore, whether his office in the church be more exalted or more obscure, will certainly endeavour to improve it as a talent, by all means in his power, and with steady perseverance. His example, domestic concerns, converse, doctrine, public ministry, private labours from house to house, attention to the instruction of children, in- fluence over his brethren in the ministry, occasional services, employment of time spared from necessary duties, or money saved from current expenses, will all be adverted to, in subserviency to the end he has in view ; he will de- light in his work, study the Scriptural rules and examples for his conduct, and pray to be made an able minister. But they who are concerned in this subject may easily enlarge on these bints in their private meditation. IV. VFealtli is a talent entrusted by the great Proprietor of the world to some, for the good of many ; but it is commonly so wasted in gratifying all the senses and appetites, " the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life •" or hoarded up in idolatrous avarice ; that it is considered in Scripture as exceedingly dangerous to the souls of those who possess it (Matt, xix. 23 — 26 ; 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10, 17 — 20.) Yet the wise man had reason to say, that " money answereth all things," (Eccles. x. 19 ;) as it may be made extensively useful to others, and thus eventually profitable to the faithful steward himself : and " the wisdom that is from above" wiU teach the con- sistent Christian to make this use of it. The wealthy are not required in Scripture to part with their estates ; nor is it generally advisable to abolish all distinction between them and their inferiors in their style of life. Nay, such m.en as are engaged in lucrative business, provided it be lawful, and they are on their guard against its snares, w ill generally be more useful by carrying it on as the Lord's servants, and using its profits as his stewards, than by retiring from it in the prime of life, to a situation which perhaps hath not fewer snares, but inferior advantages for doing good. The consis- tent believer, however, will be influenced by his principles to retrench a variety of superfluous expenses, and exceedingly to moderate his desires of providing for his family, that he may raise a fund for charitable and pious uses : and whilst he shews a readiness for every good work, by which the wants and miseries of men may be relieved ; he will especially endeavour to render all his liberality subservient to the more important interests of reli- gion. This may be attempted by disseminating divine truth in the world, as the only seed of genuine piety and holiness, dispersing useful books, as- sisting in the religious education of children, in training up pious young men for the ministry, or, in various ways promoting the faitiif'ul preaching of the gospel. Wealth gives a man influence also : and the affluent Christian may use this influence to important purposes : and w hen the leisure it afl^ords is accompanied by a suitable turn of mind, he may do more good by an edi- fying example, pious converse, and prudent efforts, in his own sphere (from which others are often excluded,) than by retiring from it, even though he expend in charity what is saved by that measure. His conduct may also be rendered very useful among his tenants, domestics, and neighbours ; and if he frequently disperse his charity with his own hands, accompanied by pious exhortations, &c., it will have a vast effect in conciliating mens' minds to his religious principles. But, indeed, the reflections already made, suffice to shew in general hovv this talent may be improved ; and particulars on so copious a subject, in this compendious Essay, can scarcely be expected— only it may be added, that far more should be thus employed than commonly is. They, also, who are in more narrow circumstances, have a talent to improve in this respect ; much might be saved from superfluous expenses by most Christians, to employ in those good works which are " through Christ Jesus to the praise and glory of God." Nay, such as labour, working with their ON PRAYER. 315 hands, are expected to give something to those that are in want. This spe- cimen may illustrate what is meant by the improvement of talents." Many others might be mentioned : but brevity must be consulted. Time is an universal talent, which every Christian should redeem from useless ways of killing it, that he may employ it in some beneficial manner ; for idleness is intolerable in a disciple of him, who " went about doing good." Every man has influence in his own circle, however contracted, and he may improve it to good purposes. For did we duly consider our obligation to God our Saviour, the great end for which our lives are continued, and the near ap- proach of death ; a desire would be excited in our hearts to live to his glory, and to serve our generation ; and this would influence us to improve all our advantages to this purpose. And were every pi-ofessor of the gospel " thus steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord," the blessed effects that would follow may in a measure be conceived, but can- not be fully estimated. ESSAY XXIII. On Prayer. As " every good and every perfect gift cometh from above," so nothing can be done aright, in any of those things that accompany salvation, -except as we seek communications from God by the prayer of faith. It must, there- fore, be considered as essential to the design of this compendious publica- tion, to treat expressly on a subject of such great use and importance. The worship, which the Lord requires of us, may be distinguished into adoration, thanksgiving, and supplication. Contemplating the glories of liis nature, as displayed in his works, and revealed in his word, we express our reverential awe of his greatness and majesty, and our admiring love of his infinite ex- cellency, by adoring praises, and by celebrating the honour and harmony of all his attributes: recollecting our personal obligations unto him as our Creator, providential Benefactor, and Saviour, we express our grateful sense of them in thanksgiving, general and particular : whilst the desire of hap- piness, and love of our fellow-creatures, joined to a conviction of our weak- ness and poverty, and a confidence in the Lord's goodness and mercy, dic- tate prayers for ourselves and others : and in all these respects we render to the Lord the glory due to his name. In speaking, therefore, more particu- larly concerning prayer, it is not meant to exclude or overlook the other parts of divine worship, but rather to consider them as connected with it, and as bearing a proportion in experience to the enlargement of our hearts, " in making our requests known unto God." Yet, as prayer is especially the employment of poor and helpless sinners on earth, and the introduction, as it were, to those praises and thanksgivings which are here anticipations of the work and worship of heaven, so it may be proper, in this place, to confine our inquires principally to this part of divine worship. Prayer, in its very nature, is the expression of dependence, indigence, de- sire, and expectation. Petitions can scarcely be offered with propriety to those on whom a man has no kind of dependence ; the rich will rather buy than beg ; but he that has no money, and is unable to earn any, is likely to be induced by necessity to the humiliating expedient of supplicating relief; yet he can heartily ask for nothing of which he is not in want, or which he feels no desire to obtain ; and at last, whatever his dependence, indigence, or desires may be, he will not be disposed to petition any one, whom he con- eiders as totally unable or unwilling to relieve him. Prayer, therefore, in the piost general sense, implies a belief, and contains an acknowledgment U3 316 ON PRAYER. of the being and perfections ef God, of his presence with us, and of our de- pendence on him for " life and breath and all things:" it includes a con- sciousness, that we are insufficient for our own happiness ; that we cannot defend ourselves from dangers and calamities, nor secure our lives, health, limbs, senses, mental powers, possessions, relatives, &c. ; tliat we cannot ob- tain the sure supply of all our wants, nor find comfort in life or death ; and that all our fellow-creatures are unable to do these things for us. It fur- ther supposes, that we earnestly desire the things for which we pray ; and believe, that the Lord is able, and hope that he is willing, to grant the re- quest which we pi-esent unto him : " He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him," (Heb. xi. 6.) It is, tlierefore, evident, that aU, who deny the particu- lar providential government of God, and so ascribe every thing to second causes, independently produciug their effects, by chance or necessity, as to exclude the immediate operation of the Great First Cause, cannot with any propriety of language be said to pray. Whatever sense they may have of their indigence, and whatever may be their hopes and desires, they cannot feel a dependence, or fix their expectations on God ; and every expression, which seems like prayer, is either used by such men as a mere expletive without meaning, or it must be a virtual renunciation, in that instance, of their avowed principles. But we are not so much concerned to inquire about the prayer that might be offered by rational creatures, who, however faultless, are in themselves indigent and dependent, as about that of fallen and ruined sinners, for such we all are. This part of worship, indeed, may be considered as a duty required by the divine law : for the command " of loving God with all our hearts," &c., certainly requires all men to seek to Lim to make them happj' in his favour and presence ; and sinners (if allowed to hope for such a blessing) must surely be bound to desire and ask for this forfeited felicity; for how could any reasonable heing be supposed to love God supremely, who did not desire, and would not request, restoration to his favour, renewal to his image, the enjoyment of his love, and the capacity ©f glorifying him ? Nevertheless, prayer is here considered especially as a means of grace, to which we are directed and encouraged by the gospel. It is therefore, in this sense, an expression of our entire dependence on the unmerited mercy of God, as justly condemned transgressors, for pardon, acceptance, and all things pertaining to eternal salvation. It springs from " poverty of spirit," or a humble consciousness that we are " wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," (Rev. iii. 17, 18) ; that we have neither wisdom, righ- teousness, holiness, strength, or any disposition and ability for those things to which we are exhorted by the word of God ; and that none of our fellow- creatures can give us any effectual help in this our deplorable condition. It implies sincere and vigorous desires, yea, hungerings and thirstings after God and spiritual blessings, (which cannot be bribed, diverted, or assuaged by worldly things), arising from a deep conviction of mind, that the declara- tions of Scripture concerning a future state, the resurrection of the dead, judgment, heaven and hell, are great realities, compared with which all else is a vanishing dream and an empty shadow : and it imports also, that we have a prevailing persuasion and hope, tliat notwithstanding our sinfulness and helpless misery, the Lord is ready to bestow eternal blessings on all who apply for them in the way of his appointment. These dispositions, or pre- parations of heart for prayer, (Psalm x. 17), admit of various degrees, but ivithout some measure of them no man is capable of praying aright. They who are wise in their own eyes, cannot be disposed to ask wisdom of God ; the Publican's prayer cannot be the language of the proud Pharisee's heart ; por can the sensual, avaricious, or ambitious, sincerelij request the mortifica- tion of their favourite passions, or the renewal of their souls to the Divine image, unless some contrary influence hath begun to change their judgment aad dispositions. Heace ajrises that difficulty which men generally e«peri-« ON PRAYER. 317 fence about prayer, and the need they have of forms and helps, even in their most secret retirement ; for, in this case, such forms are often a vain effort to teach a man to pray for those blessings which are diametrically opposite to the prevailing dispositions and inclinations of his heart. The starving wretch, wliose urgent wants have overcome his reluctancy to beg, needs only encouragement, and words flow spontaneously from his genuine desires of relief ; but the rich man who should choose to act the beggar, must learn his part, and how to perform it, by rule, study, and practice. The fears, hopes, and desires of the condemned criminal inspire him with an energetic, though perhaps rude eloquence, wlien allowed to supplicate the clemency of his prince ; and even the little child finds apt words to ask his parent for food, and to complain of cold or pain. AV^liy then cannot men find language, when they would beseech the Lord to give them the blessings promised in his word? Because the state of their hearts is so contrary to those blessings, that they feel no want or desire of them. Did experience prove, that the Lord uniformly conferred health, long life, wealth, success, honour, &c., on all that prayed for them, men would generally get over their reluctancy to tliis humiliating service, (notwithstanding their natural independence of spirit), and find no difficulty in framing pertinent, earnest, and importunate petitions for things so suited to their carnal minds. Yet they find them- selves not only reluctant, but strangely at a loss, when they would pray for spiritual gifts : wherefore ? because they are not congenial to the desires of their hearts. When oiu- Lord on earth " went about doing good," they who felt their miseries, and earnestly desired relief, expecting it from his power and love, applied to him with suitable and energetic petitions : but others were more ready to say with the unclean spirit, " What have 1 to do with thee, Jesus ;" or to " entreat him," with the Gadarenes, " to depart out of their coasts," than to cry after him, " Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy upon me !" Pride, therefore, a carnal mind, alienation from God, contempt of spiritual blessings, and unbelief, are the sole reasons why men neglect prayer, or are unable to pray aright, except by the teaching of the Holy Spirit. But when we consider how great, glorious, and holy the Lord is, and how guilty and vile we are ; the question seems not so much to be, whetlier the fcinner ought to i)ray ; as whether he may come with his supplications into the presence of his offended Sovereign ? The humble and self-abased will iiot doubt but that the permission given to a rebellious worm, to present a 4)etition for pardon and salvation to the glorious God, is an act of grace : and indeed it is always looked upon as such, when a prince receives a petition from a rebel under a deserved sentence of condemnation. But the Scrip- ture places this matter in a much stronger light : for the whole legal consti- tution concerning the sanctuary, the veil, the priesthood, and high-priest- hood, the sacrifices, burning of incense, &c., and especially the great day of atonement, (on which alone even the high-priest might enter within the veil to the mercy-seat, with the blood of the sin-ofl'erings, and the smoke of the fragrant incense ;) were most evidently designed to show what intervening -obstacles must be removed, before the God of infinite justice and holiness could, consistently with his glory, permit sinners to approach him, even on a throne of grace, to present their humble supplications for pardon and re- conciliation. And, though under the New 'I'estament we are invited " to come boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy," &c. ; yet we have no access, except by " the new and living way, which Jesus hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say his flesh," given as a sacrifice for sin, (Ileb. iv. 16 ; X. 19 — 22) ; and by his high-priesthood, which is the substance of all those ancient shadows. Whilst therefore we speak of the encourage- ments given to the vilest of sinners, even from the first moment that they •desire mercy, to present their prayei-s before the throne of grace ; and whilst we determine, that prayer is a part of the worship required of us by the Di- viae law, and therefore an universal duty, we should never forget, that it is 318 ON PRAi tR. a most surprising instance of the Lord's condescension and compasdon, and one of the most valuable privileges, that we are aJ](wed to make our requests known unto him, with well-grounded hopes of acceptance ; for those actions may be our indispensable duty, which through our guilt and pollution it may yet be totally improper for the Lord to accept at our hands, (Isaiah i. 11—15). In order to encourage the prayers of sinners, the Lord displays his glory on a throne of grace ; here he " waits to be gracious," and to dispense par- dons and every blessing to all who ask for them, by faith in Jesus Christ. Had he been revealed merely as seated on a throne of glory, sustaining the character of a righteous Lawgiver, and an impartialJudge, a kind friend to the obedient, but a terrible avenger of the rebellious : it might well have been said, " Jehovah reigneth, let the people tremble ;" but as he hath made himself known on a mercy-seat, as " God in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself so it may be said, " the Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice." The whole plan of the gospel, as it relates to the person, righteousness, atonement, and mediation of Emmanuel, is evidently intended to give en- couragement to the trembling sinner, to seek mercy from the GoA. and Fa- ther of the Lord Jesus Christ. The general invitations of the gospel super- sede the necessity of inquiring, who may come in this new and living way ? " Let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him come."' The feast of divine love is provided, " all things are ready and the messengers of salvation are not only commanded to invite all they meet with, but even " to compel them to come in," by every argument, persuasion, expostulation, and encouragement they can devise, for these are the means by which the Holy Spirit produces the willing mind, and gives the praying heart. The very appointment of this way of applying is a complete encouragement to all who feel desires after the blessings of the gospel, and are willing to be- come humble supplicants for them: as it implies that the Lord purposes to bestow them as free gifts on indigent beggars, and not on those who would buy, earn, or deserve them : for prayer is the very language of poverty and distress, which guilt alone hath brought on any part of the rational creation of God. Every general command or exhortation therefore to pray, is an encouragement to all who desire to pray ; and whatever guilt they have contracted, or in whatever depths of temptation and misery they are plunged, it says to them, " Be of good comfort, arise, he calleth thee." Such general exhortations abound in Scripture ; they are often addressed to the vilest transgressors, and are commonly connected with absolute pro- mises; " for every one that asketh receiveth," &c. (Isa. Iv. 7, 8 ; Jer. xxix. 11—13 ; xxxiii. 3 ; Ezek. xsjcvi. 25—27, 37 ; Zech. xii. 10 ; Matt. vii. 7—11 ; John iv. 10 ; Acts viii. 22). These promises do not indeed engage that God will hear the prayers of the formal, the hypocritical, or the impenitent, who may (like the unclean spirit) pray very sincerely, " torment me not," and yet hate true religion as much as ever. Such prayers of the wicked are " an abomination to the Lord :" but when the vilest transgressor is so far humbled and softened, as to pray from his heart for mercy and grace, and all the blessings of salvation as " the gift of God through Jesus Christ ;" he begins " to offer the prayer of the upright, in which the Lord delighteth," (Prov. XV. 8, 9). These assurances are confirmed by the examples of Scripture : when Manasseh, vile as he had been, began to humble himself, and pray to the Lord, he was not upbraided with his abominable crimes, but mercifully accepted, pardoned, and delivered, (2 Chron. xxxiii). 'W^hen it could be said of persecuting Saul, " behold, he prayeth !" no further doubt remained of his acceptance and reconciliation. The Publican, who loathed himself as much as the Pharisee disdained him, and who, not daring to come near, or " to lift up his eyes unto heaven, smote upon his breast, and said, God be merciful to me, a sinner," went down to his house justified, rather than he who deemed it presumption in such a wretch to pray. Even the short peti- tion of the alauost expiiing thief, " Lord, remember me, when thou comest ON PRAYER. 319 in thy kingdom," received an immediate answer, full 6f astonishing grace. Nor is there one instance upon record, of a single prayer being rejected, ex- cept for theliypocrisj', wickedness, and unbelief, with which it was presented. To all tliese encouragements we may add the frequent commendations be- stowed on importunity, frequency, and fervency in prayer, (Luke xviii. 1 — 13) ; and the testimony of all the servants of God to his readiness to hear and save them, from the most tremendous depths, into which their sins had cast them, whenever they were brought to cry unto him, and say, " O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul." If then the vilest sinner, from the first moment when he desires to pray, is warranted to come, v/ith humble hope of being heard and answered ; the same considerations should much more enlarge the expectations, and con- firm the confidence of those who continue" {ov persist) " in prayer" from day to day ; pleading, with persevering importunity, all the promises, in the Re- deemer's name, and earnestly seeking for that wisdom, strength, grace, and consolation, which may enable them to live to the glory of God, as well as for the pardon and salvation of their souls. '■' We have not, because we ask not we are straitened in ourselves, not in the Lord ; and did we more enlarge and multiply our requests, with greater fervency and importunity, we should be enabled to exchange many of our complaints for joyful praises. This our experience in a great degree evinces, if we be indeed experimentally ac- quainted with the life of faith and prayer : for wlio can deny that his in- ward supports and comforts, his strength to resist temptation and to endure labour and suffering, have borne some proportion to his frequency and fer- vency in prayer Indeed, the word of God contains the most energetic language on this subject ; declaiming, that " the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much :" and the only righteous men on earth are penitent, believ- ing sinners, (Matt, xviii. 19; Alark xi. 21; John xiv. 13, 14; xv. 7, 16; xvi. 24 ; Eph. iii. 20 ; James i. 5 — 7 ; v. 15 — 18 ; 1 John iii. 22 ; v. 14, 15). Many curious questions have been started on this subject ; for " vain man would be wise :" but " the Lord taketh the wise in their own craftiness ;" and such difficulties will presently vanish from the serious, humble mind : yet Christ himself reminds us, that " our Father knoweth what things we have need of, before we ask him," (Matt. vi. 5 — 8) : and it is obvious, that our prayers cannot be requisite for the information of Omniscience, or to dispose the Gk)d of all grace to supply our wants. But prayer, when seriously engaged in, tends directly to increase our acquaintance with ourseh es, and our own character and situation ; to lead our attention to the promises of God ; to abstract the mind from all selfish and carnal confidences ; and thus to bring us into tliat humble, dependent, and waiting frame of spirit, which is the ])reparation for duly receiving and using every Divine blessing. To pray in a suitable manner is in effect to say, " Lord, we are poor, vile, help- less, wretched creatures ; we have no other refuge to flee to, we know not what to do ; but our eyes are unto thee, because we believe that thou art ever ready to forgive and save all that call upon thee." As therefore the parent requires the child to ask tliose things tliat he intends to give, that the child may feel his dependence and obligation, and be brought to a pro- per disposition towards the parent ; so the Lord requires us " to make our requests known to him," that we may be prepared to receive his intended benefits with thankfulness, to notice liis hand in them, and to give him the glory of them. And when our prayers accord to his precepts, are grounded on his promises, imply submission to his providence, and spring from a su- preme desire of spiritual blessings : when we pray for those things that are truly good for us, conducive to the advantage of our bretliren, or in any way honourable to his name, we cannot expect too much in answer to them ; for " he is able to do exceeding abundimtly, above all th;it we ask or think." The Scripture abounds with examples of the efficacy of prayer : Abraham ceased to ask, even in behalf of Sodom, before the Lord refused to answer him ; and 320 ON PRAYER. ** God remembered Abraham, in preserving Lot from the overthrow," (Gen. xviii. 17 — 33 ; xix. 29). Jacob wrestled with God, and prevailed with him ; and Esau's heart was softened and his I'age disai-med : he set out an enemy, yet met him as a brother, (Gen. xxxii ; xxxiii). AV^hen Moses j)rayed, Amalek was dis- comfited : and when he pleaded for Israel, the Lord said, " Let me alone, that I may destroy them." The time would fail to speak of David, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Nehemiah, &c. Doubtless the conversion of Saul was an answer to the prayer of dying Stephen : and we may suppose, that the believers at Damascus were heard in their cries for protection from that cruel persecute!', in a manner beyond their most enlarged expectations ; as were those at Jerusalem, when they prayed for Peter's deliverance from Herod, (Acts xii.) But indeed, except in the case of miraculous interposi- tions, the same is still experienced ; and the more any man has made the trial, the fuller will be his assent to this truth. The Christian, who has been frequent, fervent, and particular in his supplications, for a length of time, has doubtless found, that many of his petitions (defective and defiled as he knows them to be) have been manifestly answered, both in his owft temporal and spiritual concerns, and in behalf of others ; often beyond his expectations, and contrary to apparent probability : some requests have been granted, not exactly in his meaning, but in a far more desirable way : he hath prayed for the removal of the " thorn in the flesh but the Lord hath answered him by showing the sufficiency of his grace, and employing the trial " to humble, and prove him, and to do him good at the latter end," (2 Cor. xii. 1 — 10:) so that the things that seemed the most against him, have most effectually promoted his highest interest. Or he has found his prayers answered, by feeling his mind v.onderfuily reconciled to a denial, from a conviction that " he knew not what he asked ;" or by a calm serenity in waiting the Lord^s time for those things, which he had impatiently de- sired. The causes of his perturbation and anxiety remain, after his prayers have been presented before God ; but the solicitude itself has given place to a divine " peace which passeth all understanding for " he called on the Lord, and was strengthened with strength in his soul." In short, he can scarcely produce an instance, in which he " poured out his heart," with earnestness and importunity, that he failed of obtaining the blessing he sought, or was not, after a time, satisfied with the denial. In many cases his intercessions for those around him have been graciously answered ; in others he may still retain hope ; and in all he may be assured, that they will return into his own bosom. So that the efficacy of prayer, to bring light and wisdom into the mind, peace into the conscience, submission into the will, and purity into the affections ; to keep our garments clean, our armour bright, and our hearts joyful : to make us strong for the conflict, for service, or for suffering ; to obtain sufficiency for our place and work, and a blessing on our endeavours ; to secure peace with our enemies, or protection against them ; to carry every point that is truly good for us ; to bring down bless- ings on our families, friends, and country ; to procure peace and prosperity to the church, the conversion of sinners, and the spread of the gospel ; and for all things, which we can desire or conceive ; must be allowed by every man, who reverences the Scriptures, or knows what it is " to vi'alk with God." Did men speculate and dispute less, and pray more, their souls would be like a watered garden ; fruitful, joyful, beautiful, and fragrant. Prayer is the first breath of divine life : it is the pulse of the believing soul, the best criterion of health or sickness, vigour or debility. By praj^er we draw wa- ter with joy from the wells of salvation : by prayer faith puts forth its energy, in apprehending the promised blessings, and receiving from the Re- deemer's fulness ; in leaning on his Almighty arm, and making his name our strong tower, and in overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil. AH other means of grace are made effectual by prayer : every doctrine and in- struction produces its effect, in propoi-tion as this is attended to : every grace revives or languishes according to the same rule. Our grand conflict with 0\ PilAYER. 321 Satan and our own liearts is abeut praj'er : the sinner feels less reluctance, and meets less resistance, in respect of all other means, than in retiring to pour out his heart before God in secret ; and the believer will find his cliief difficulty to consist in continuing instant and fervent in this spiritual exer- cise. If he succeed in this, all else will eventually give place before him, and turn out to his benefit and comfort. It should be remembered, that prayer may be either public, social, or secret. Public worship most honours God, and is the grand end of our assembling together : though few seem to understand it so. Social worship tends greatly to maintain brotherly love, and to bring down blessings on families and so- cieties. But secret prayer is the grand means of maintaining communion with God, and keeping alive the power of religion in the soul. Without this, the others will degenerate into formality ; and the man himself will be devoid of life, strength, and comfort in the midst of them, ("hristians should, therefore, remember to prepare for public and social worship by secret prayer, meditation, and reading the Scriptures ; and not yield to the temptation of neglecting the one by spending much time in the other. If we desire to pray aright, we must well observe, that the Scripture always calls upon us " to pray in the Spirit," or " in the Holy Ghost," or rather " by the Spirit ;" our first petition, therefore, should be, that the Lord would graciously give us his Holy Spirit to teach and enable us to pray : when this is duly at- tended to, a very heartless beginning will often have a bright and encou- raging conclusion, and our desires may be too large even for utterance; but without it, words will often flow, that have little meaning and no cor- respondent affections, (Rom. viii. 26, 27.) We should also be particular in our secret devotions ; both in confession, supplication for tempoi'al and spiritual mercies according to our circumstances, thanksgivings, and prayers for others ; for whilst men deal in general words, they must either be very short and superficial, or run into needless repetition : and occasional ejacu- latory petitions are a blessed addition to stated seasons of retirement. All our prayers should be explicitly offered in the name, and through the inter- cession of the Divine Saviour ; in dependence on his merits ; with realissing expectation of success ; and in a loving, forgiving spirit. Finally, a thorough acquaintance with the prayers contained in the psalms, and other parts of Scripture ; and a careful observation of the requests, which the sacred penmen offered, the pleas they used, the order and propor- tion they observed, and the confessions, adorations, and grateful ])raises, they intermixed with their fervent supplications for personal and public, temporal and spiritual mercies, will be more useful to the serious Christian, in this part of religion, than all other helps whatsoever. Above all, the Lord's prayer, well understood and digested, will teach him what the con- fidence and leading desire of his heart in every prayer should be : what are the blessings especially to be sought for ; and with what moderation and submission he should ask for temporal mercies, compared with the forgive- ness of his sins, and deliverance from temptation and the tempter, from evil and the evil one : that in approaching the throne of grace, he may " seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, assured that all other things will be added to him." 322 {!X BAPTISM AND ESSAY XXIV. On Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Among tlie ordinances which the Lord hath appointed in his church, as means of grace and acts of solemn worship, some have from the earliest times been distinguished by the name of sacraments. This word originally signified the military oath, which the Roman generals required from their soldiers ; and these institutions were considered as solemn engagements, to be faithful and obedient to Christ, under whose banner all Christians have enlisted. But in process of time sacraments were multiplied, which gave rise to im- mense superstition and absurdity : and as human nature continually verges to extremes, so it may be queried, whether numbers have not lately been in- duced too much to disregard all distinctions of this kind. The word sacra- ment, however, is not Scriptural; and the nature of the two ordinances, which Protestants consider as alone entitled to this name under the Chris- tian dispensation, seems in general to be this : " In them Divine truths are exhibited to our senses, and illustrated to our minds, by outward emblems, and the reception of spiritual blessings is represented by significant actions. Thus observances, in themselves indifferent, by divine appointment become a part of religious worship, honourable to God and profitable to us ; and positive duties arise, where none before subsisted by moral obligation." Baptism * is the initiator)' ordinance of Christianity, as circumcision was under the old dispensation, from Abraham to the ascension of Christ ; and it consists in the application of water to the baptized person, " in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Water is the universal purifier of our persons, garments, houses, streets, and cities ; it is essential to the beauty and fertility of the earth ; and is the original element from which every liquor, that quenches our thirst or exhilarates our spirits, is de- rived. Water is, therefore, the most expressive Scripture emblem of the pure and satisfying blessings conveyed to us by the gospel ; especially of the purifj-ing, enlivening, fructifying, and consolatory influences of the Holy Ghost : and many ceremonies of the law, as well as the introductory baptism of John, exhibited these benefits by the use of it. The whole of that happy change, which the apostle describes, may be denoted by the baptismal water ; " but ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God," (1 Cor. vi. 9 — 11 ;) according to the Lord's promises by his prophet, " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean ; from all your filthiness, and all your idols will I cleanse you," &c., (Ezek. xxxvi. 25 — 27 ; Ps. li. 2, 7 ; Zech. xiii. 1 ; John xix. 34 ; 1 John v. 6.) But it more immediately represents the purifj-ing of the judarment and affections from the pollution of sin, by the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. The beginning of this work, therefore, is described with reference to the outward emblem, as being " born of water and of the Spirit it is called " tlie washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost," which God our Saviour pours upon us abundantly : and it is espe- cially, though not exclusively, meant by " the baptism of the Holy Ghost," (John i. 31 — 33 ; iii. 3 — 8 ; Tit. iii. 5, 6.) The appointment of this emblem, in the initiatory ordinance of Christianitj', emphatically testifies the doctrine * The design of this compendious publication render it wholly improper to treat of this subject in a controversial manner. Upon mature deliberation the writer is a Pzedo-baptist ; and his discussions will consequently be most applicable to those, who coincide with him in sentiment and practice. But he con- siders all as brethren who ** love the Lord Jesus in sincerity and would not willingly offend any man, who conscientiously differs from him in such matters ; he hopes, therefore, for similar candour from tuch readers. The disputes about the mode and subjects of baptism seem to have too long occupied a disproportionate degree of attention; whilst numbers remain ignorant of the nature and obligations of Uie ordinance itself. Mr Henry's observation seems well grounded j " that if infant baptiism were more conscientiously improved, it would be less disputed." THE LORDS SUPPER. 323 of original sin, and tlie necessity of regeneration : for it declares every man, as " born of the flesh," to be so polluted, that, unless he be washed with purifying water, he cannot be received even into the outward church of God ; and unless he be inwardly cleansed by the Holy Spirit, he cannot be a member of the true church. In this it coincides with circumcision, which implied, that without the mortification of the corrupt nature derived by gene- ration from fallen Adam, and the removal of that obstacle to the love and service of God, no man could be admitted into covenant with him, (Deut. xxx. 6 ; Jer. iv. 4 ; Rom. ii. 28, 29.) And like that ordinance, it is " the seal of the righteousness of faith for he, and he alone, who possesses the inward and spiritual grace, which both circumcision and baptism outwardly denoted, has a Divine attestation to the sincerity of his faith, and to the reality of his justification in the righteousness of the Redeemer. The form of baptism, " in," or into, " the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," contains an unanswerable argument for the doctrine of the Trinity, and constitutes a perpetual profession of it : it implies also, that the baptized person is the avowed worshipper and servant of God " the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghostj" who is become the salvation and por- tion of his people. When tlie apostles went forth " to teach," or disciple, " all nations," to baptize them in this name, and then to teach more fully all things tliat Christ had commanded, that they might observe them, (Matt, xxviii, 19, 20,) the converts, whether made from among the Jews or Gentiles, were baptized on an intelligent profession of repentance and faith. When the Jews made proselytes to their religion, they circumcised the adult males on such a pro- fession, according to the nature of their dispensation : and Pado-baptists in similar circumstances would adopt the same conduct. Rut we suppose (for reasons that have been repeatedly assigned,) that as the Jews also circum- cised all the males in the families of the proselytes, who were incapable of personally rejecting the Jewisli religion ; so the apostles baptized the house- holds of their converts, including the females, and only excluding such, as, being able to answer for themselves, gave evidence, by word or deed, that they did not obey the truth : nay, that those children were thus admitted as a part of the visible church, and relatively holy, who had one believing parent, though the other continued an unbeliever, (Acts xvi. 3 ; Rom. xi. 16, 17 ; 1 Cor. vii. 14.) The adult convert, by receiving baptism, acknow- ledged, according to the obvious meaning of the ordinance, that he was a sinner by nature and practice ; that he repented of his sins, and believed in Christ for the forgiveness of them ; that he renounced idolatry, and all other objects or forms of wor.ship, " to serve the living and true God," in whose name he was baptized, according to the revelation of the gospel ; that he cordially believed the truths contained in that revelation, and relied on the mercy of the Father, on the mediation of the incarnate Son, and on the grace of the Holy Spirit, for complete salvation ; and tliat he sincerely pur- posed to forsake all his sins, and every confidence, pursuit, interest, or in- dulgence, which interfered with these engogements. Thus lie openly joined himself to the Lord, according to the new covenant in Christ Jesus ; and embracing its benefits as his po/tion and salvation, he solemnly vowed to re- nounce the world, deny himself, bear his cross, endure persecution and hard- ship, and fight against sin and Satan, as a faithful soldier of Jesus Clirist, to the end of his days : and doubtless prayers, instructions, professions, and engagements to this elfect, accompanied the administration of baptism, as circumstances required or admitted of them. Such a solemn transaction would tend exceedingly to confirm tlie faith, to excite the love, to strengthen the mind, and to encourage the hope of the true convert ; and though a hypocritical profession could answer none of these purposes, yet we cannot determine, that confused views, partial convictions, and general purposes of following Christ, might not frequently issue in true conversion, even by means of this ordinance, and the prayers, instructions, and admonitions. 324 OX BAPTI5.M AND which preceded^ attended, and followed it : for it does not become us to limit the operations of the Holy Spirit. The public administration of baptism would nlso honour God and the Christian religion ; establish and edify believers, by reminding them of their privileges and vows ; make way for subsequent exhortations, admonitions, or censures, in respect of the baptized person, as occasion required ; and excite the attention of numbers to the peculiar doc- trines of Christianity. The baptism of the infant offspring of such converts was likewise a solemn, declaration, that they desired the same blessings for their children, as they had chosen for their own portion ; and they thus pledged themselves to the church, " to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ;" giving them every instruction, and using all means of rendering them wise unto salvation. When they brought the children, which were afterwards born to them, to be baptized, they virtuaOy renewed their former profession, and engagements, and declared their presevering purpose of instructing and commanding their households in the fear of God ; and as the children grew up, such of them as profited by these means would personally accept of the privileges, and enter into the engagements peculiar to Christianity, in the manner that will shortly be touched upon. As the number of professed Christians increased, the baptism of infants would proportionably grow more common ; and when the progress of the gospel among Jews and Gentiles was less rapid, the baptism of adults would not occur so frequently. But when the pi-ogress of error and superstition made way for the nominal conversion, and the baptism of whole nations, the latter would be seldom heard of, in countries previously professing Chris- tianity. This indiscriminate administration of infant baptism, however, has produced many very bad effects ; and the abuses, misapprehensions, and criminal conduct, which too manifest!}' connect with it, have given many pious persons a rooted aversion to that way of administering the ordinance, and have furnished them with plausible objections against it. But when a serious parent is persuaded (notwithstanding all these crimes and abuses,) that the baptism of the infant offspring of believers accords to the word of God, and in compliance with what he judges his duty, presents his chil- dren to be baptized, he solemnly ratifies and renews the profession and en- gagements of his own baptism ; he avows his earnest desire, that the cove^ nant made with him may be for the good of his seed also, (Jer. xxxii. 3S — 40 ; Acts ii. 38, 39 ;) and he engages to bring them up in the faith and obedience of the gospel, as far as his instructions, discourse, example, and prayers can have any influence. As they gi-ow up, he, or other serious relations, may pro- fitably explain to them the nature, meaning, and engagements of baptism ; the blessings it signifies ; the advantages of being thus earlj' admitted into the visible church, and trained up as her children ; and the aggravated guilt of deliberately rejecting the salvation and service of God, from pride o£ heai-t and carnal affections ; or even of neglecting the means of appropriatf ing these advantages, and complying with those engagements which their parents or senior friends had entered into in their name, and for their bene- fit. Thus an additional avenue is opened to the consciences of young per- sons, and an additional restraint imposed on their passions. Ministers also may em])loy these topics, with great advantage, in addressing both the pa- rents and the children, and even such as wish to have their offspring bap- tized ; and if this were done frequently and generally, both in public and private ; if baptism were administered solemnly before the congregation, and proper reference were made to it in the sermon ; and if some discourag- ing barriers to these things were removed, the most diffusive good might be exjjected. But even as matters now stand, the administration of infant baptism has great influence in giving vast multitudes some ideas of the gos- pel, especially of original sin, regeneration, and the Trinity; and whilst all who act profanely, deceitfully, or formally in this matter, must answer for their own crimes ; if good be done, either to parents, children, or others, THE LORD'S SUPPER. 325 and if the name of God be in any measure glorified, the end of the institu- tion is so far answeredj even though no special benefit should be thought to accrue to the baptized person. The pious parent may, tlierefore, rest satis- fied witli performing what he considers his duty : if the child live, the trans- action may be useful, by way of subsequent improvement : nay, we may al- low, that the Holy Spirit may in some cases regenerate the infant, in answer to the prayers of believing friends, even at the time of baptism, without con- founding the outward sign with the thing signified ; or supposing tlie sacra- ment to produce the effect by its own inherent energy. Many other things connected with this subject must be waved, for the sake of brevity ; but these hints may perhaps assist some plain Christians to understand the na- ture of baptism, and their duties and obligations respecting it. Tlic out- ward sign doubtless will not profit those wlio live and die without the inward and spiritual grace," even " a deatli unto sin, and a new birtli unto righteousness ;" and the conduct of multitudes, who act in direct opposition to the most solemn engagements, entered into for themselves or others, will render their doom more dreadful at the last day, than that of Jews, Maho- metans, Pagans, or avowed infidels. The Lord's Supper also calls for our peculiar attention, as it is of the greatest importance in tjie system of Christianity. When baptized persons give hopeful evidence, that they are partakers of " the inward and spiritual grace" of the initiatory ordinance, they should be exhorted to make or re- new a personal profession of tlieir faith in Christ, their cordial acceptance of his salvation, and their purpose of living according to his commandments, by joining with his people in receiving the Lord's Supper : for this seems to be the Scriptural way of making such a profession, whatever expedience there may be in other introductory observances. Nothing can be more simple in its own nature than this institution, though superstition has been pecu- liarly successful in misrepresenting, obscuring, and perverting it. Our blessed Saviour, the evening before his crucifixion, having celebrated the passover with his disciples, appointed the Lord's Supper to be a memorial of his redemption, as the paschal lamb had been a prefiguration of it. He, therefore, took bread, and by prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, set it apart to be the representation of his body : he " brake it," to shew that his liody must be wounded, bruiaed, put to great torture, and undergo death, for the re- demption of his people ; and he directed each of his disciples to eat of that bread in remembrance of him, to instruct them in the way by which his atone- ment would be made eifectual to their salvation. In like manner, he took the cup, and, renewing his prayers and thanksgivings, he bade tliem all drink of it, as the wine represented his blood, which was about to be shed to purchase the blessings of the new covenant, and to ratify it in behalf of the whole multitude of believers, for tlie remission of their sins. The lan- guage of Christ in appointing this ordinance is mhnii'esily figitrative, and cannot be Utcrally interpreted (unless we should explain the malarial cup it- self to be the blood of Christ, or rather the new rnvcnnnt ;) and this renders it the more wonderful, that any set of men should be so adventurous and ab- surd as to require all the church to believe, in contradiction to their senses, that the bread in the sacrament, after consecration, becomes the real, entire body of Christ ! But, indeed, tlie Scripture gives us no intimation of any peculiar mystery in this institution, though strong metaphors are employed, the more emphatically to demand our attention to the importance of the thing signified by the outward emblems. (Matt. xxvi. 26 — 28 ; Mark xiv. 22 — 24. ; Luke xxii. 19, 20 ; 1 Cor. xi. 23 — 25.) From these Scriptures I apprehend we may learn in general, that our Lord commanded all his dis- ciples, in every age to the end of the world, frequently to meet together in his name, and with solemn worship, suitable to the occasion, to break, distribute, and eat bread, the most salutary and universal of all viands, and to j)ourout and drink wine, the most valuable and refreshing of all cordials. This action was intended to be a perpetual memorial of Christ, especially of his body 326 ON BAPTISM AND broken, and his blood shed for their sins. " The body" (for that alone could be represented by an outward emblem,) doubtless was put for his per- fect and entire human nature, as personally united to the eternal Word and Son of God. His blood (the shedding of which was the evident and im- mediate cause of his death) denoted the whole of his expiatory sufferings, which terminated when he expired on the cross. The dignity, righteous- ness, and holiness of the Redeemer ; the depth of his voluntary humiliation, and the intenseness of his agonies ; the vastness of his condemnation and compassionate love ; the deplorable state of deserved misery from which he redeemed sinners ; the extensive efficacy of his one oblation ; the honour and happiness to which he exalts all true believers ; and the discovery made in this great transaction, of the justice and love of God, the excellency of his law, the evil of sin, the vanity of the world, and the importance of eter- nal things, should all be taken into the account, when we contemplate the death of Christ, through the medium of these outward emblems. A^Tiilst the action of eating the bread and drinking the wine illustrates the manner in which the sacrifice of Christ becomes effectual, " even by feeding on him in our hearts, by faith with thanksgiving," (John vi. 53 — 58.) The Lord's Supper was instituted in the evening, and probably the disciples received it sitting ; but as no command was given in these respects, they may well be considered as matters of indifference, in which the validity of the ordinance is not at all concerned. The very act of receiving the Lord's Supper implies a confession of our guilt and ruined condition, from which we could not have been saved, if Jesus had not died upon the cross to redeem us; a profession that we en- tirely believe the testimony of God respecting the person, undertaking, and atonemenfe of Christ, and the reality, sufficiency, and efficacy of his vicarious sufferings ; an avowed dependence on the mercy and grace of God, according to the promises and provision of the new covenant, which was ratified by Em- manuel's blood ; an acknowledgment of our obligations to this most gracious Benefactor, and an expression of our love and gi*atitude to him ; a sacra- mental engagement to obey him as our Lord and Saviour, surrendering our- selves to him, as " bought with a price, to glorify him with our bodies and spirits, which are his :" and a public uniting of ourselves to his redeemed people, to walk with them in Christian love and fellowship, in all the ordi- nances of divine worship, and in all holy conversation and gotlliness. It is, therefore, most evident that no man is prepared for this sacred or- dinance, or capable of sincerely and inteUigeutly niakiqg that profession which is implied in it, unless he be, indeed, a seK-condemned penitent, who really believes the gospel, and renounces all other confidences to " flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before him :" and unless, in his most secret retirement, he endeavours to receive Christ Jesus the Lord, as his Prophet, Priest, Kuler, and Saviour, purposing henceforth to walk in obe- dience to him. The man who habitually allows himself in known sin, or the neglect of known duty ; who harbours pride, envy, malice, avarice, or sensual lusts in his heart ; who comes to the sacrament to compensate for his sins, or to cloak his secret transgressions ; who attends on it to quiet con- science by a self-righteous service, substituting the outward sign for the thing signified ; or who uses it as a mere step to secular preferment, must " be guilty of the body and blood of Christ," and eat and drink his own con- demnation. But the humble, trembling penitent, who would apply for sal- vation through the crucified Saviour, by using the means tliat he hath ap- pointed, ought not to suspect any snare, or fear any danger in approaching the Lord's table, even though many doubts many still disquiet his mind, or great remaining darkness obscure his views. When the Corinthians had most grievously profaned this ordinance, and exposed themselves to severe rebukes and corrections, the apostle did not counsel them to seek for security by absenting themselves from it ; and, though they might doubtless profitably use the advice and assistance of their THE LORD'S SUPPER. 327 j^asfors or brethren, he did not direct them to be satisfied with their deci- sions, but " to examine themselves, and so eat of that bread," &:c. (1 Cor. xi. 27 — 31.) It was incumbent on them to examine diligently, whether they ■were in the faith ? Whether they did truly repent and believe the gospel ? Whether their professions were sincere, and their motives pure ? Whether their hearts and lives were consistent with the holy religion they had em- braced ? Whether they did cordially accept of the vyhole salvation of Christ, and yield themselves to his service ? And whether they came to the Lord's table, " discerning his body," " rememl>ering his love," and seeking com- munion v/ith him and his saints ? Such self-examination must always be- come professed Christians ; not to find out some excuse for neglecting to obey the dying command of their loving Saviour, but in order to remember him with more fervent affection, and more exalted thanksgivings. It is very useful, when we have the opportunity, to set apart some time, previous to the administration of tlie Lord's Supper, thus to re-examine ourselves, to inquire into our progress in vital godliness, and to renew our secret cordial consent to the new covenant in the blood of Christ. Such a prepai-ation is especially important to the new convert, wlien (with the instructions and prayers of ministers and pious friends) he first approaches to make this pro- fession ; and to the backslider, when he is recovered from his wanderings, and desires to renew the solemn transaction. In all cases, such self-exami- nation should be considered merely as introductory to the exercise of re- pentance and faith, the practice of works meet for repentance, and fervent prayers for divine teacliing and grace to enable us more profitably to attend on the ordinances of God ; for should any one discover, that at present he could not approach the Lord's table in a suitable manner, he ought by no means to rest satisfied with absenting himself, but should rather be more earnest in using every means of becoming an acceptable communicant. The believer, however, who habitually examines himself, and daily exercises re- pentance and faith, may very properly receive the Lord's Supper, without any further preparation, when an unexpected opportunity presents itself. It is evident, both from Scripture, and the earliest records of the primi- tive church, that this ordinance was administered to the professed disciples of Christ in general, every Lord's day at least. This frequent recollection of that great event, which is the central point of our holy religion, was exceed- ingly suited to increase humility, hatred and dread of sin, watchfulness, con- tempt of the world, faith, hope, love, gratitude, patience, compassion, meek- ness, fortitude, and all other holy dispositions. These are obvious and in- telligible advantages of frequent communicating, if it be done in a serious, considerate, and reverential manner : for the Lord's Supper as directly tends to strengthen and refresh the believing soul, as the bread and wine do to nourish and invigorate the body. At the same time, due honour is rendered to the Lord by this repeated profession of our faith and love ; the sympathy of pious persons uniti'ng in so afl'ecting an ordinance promotes edification ; the great truths of Christianity are thus brought before the minds of in- creasing numbers ; and the presence and blessing of the Lord may confidently be expected, whilst we thus meet in his name, and present our prayers and thanksgivings before him. Indeed, this institution was expressly intended " to shew forth the Lord's death till he come and this proves, that the doctrine of the atonement is the most essential part of Christianity ; and an habitual dependence on a crucified Saviour, the grand peculiarity of the Christian character. The abuses that have taken place in respect of this ordinance, have at length produced a lamentable neglect of it ; to the dis- honour of the Redeemer, and the increase of that lukewarmness, of which it is a manifest indication. No doubt the pharisaical, hypocritical, avari- cious, and profane approaches of numbers to the Lord's table, constitute a most heinous sin, which, unless repented of, will vastly increase their final condemnation. But they, who through ignorance, impiety, carelessness, malice^ or secret crimes, are unfit for tliis holy ordinance, are equally un- 32H ON THE STATE OF SEPARATE SPlUiTS, prepared for death and judgment : and when they^ withdraw, as Christians are about to commemorate their dying Redeemer, they should consider that they allow themselves to have no part or lot in the matter. Nay, indeed, they are as incapable of praying acceptably as of communicating viorthily, whilst they live in wilful opposition to the commands, and neglect of the salvation of Christ. Some persons withdraw, apparently, lest they should make too avowed a profession of religion, or bind themselves too closely to a holy life ! As if this instance of disobedience would excuse their conformity to the world, and contempt of the favour and authority of their Judge ! Others are harassed with groundless scruples, lest a well-meant but unsuitable approach to the Lord's table should exclude them from future pardon ; when even the scandalous profanation of the Corinthians was only visited by tem- poral corrections, " that they might not be condemned with the world." Or they fear, lest some subsequent fall should be irremediable ; when Peter denied Christ, the very night in which he had both celebrated the Passover and the Lord's Supper, and yet was graciously restored ! This remaining ■unbelief induces many to hesitate, and often to refuse obedience to this plain command, during their whole lives : whilst others seem afraid of com- municating too frequently ; or make the languor of their affections a reason for absenting themselves, by which it is exceedingly increased. But let the new convert, who would thrive in his profession, speedily begin to consider this institution, and deliberately prepare for attending on it, as soon as he can do it sincerely : and let the believer gladly embrace every opportunity of communicating ; avoid whatever may unfit him for it ; and daily remem- ber the vows of God that are upon him, to live to him, who died for his sal- vation. ESSAY XXV. On the State of Separate Spirits, the Rpfurrection of the Body, Judgment, and JStcrnity. The grand design of revealed religion is, to draw off our attention and af- fections from things present and temporal, and to fix them on things future and eternal. But yet, such is the cunstitution of the universe, and such the plan of the gospel, that the regulation of our pursuits and actions, in sub- ordination to the interests of the unseen state, tends to produce by far the greatest measure of happiness to individuals, and to society, which can pos- sibly be attained in this present life. Whatever conjectures or discoveries the more rational of the heathens had made in this interesting concern ; or whatever intimations God had given about it to the ancient church ; it may with the strictest propriety be said, that " life and immortality have been brought to light by the gospel." For the new Testament revelation, eluci- dating and confirming that of the Old, has removed all doubt and uncer- tainty about this future state of existence, except what arises from our want of faith, or acquaintance with the holy Scriptures : it hath given every needful instruction on the important subject ; and hath annexed to it that authority which is suited to render it influential upon our whole conduct. This information is of the greatest moment to us ; for all error, obscurity, or uncertainty in this respect, must proportionably enfeeble and unsettle the mind ; and deduct from the efficacy of those motives, which excite or animate the soul to vigorous exertion, self-denying obedience, patient sufferings, or courageously meeting dangers, in adhering to the truth and will of God amidst the opposition of this evil world : tliis concluding Essay, therefore, will contain some thoughts on the intermediate state, the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the body, and the process, rule, and event of -udgmeut. THE RESURRECTION, Sec. 329 The immortality of the soul is established by the uniform testimony of Scripture ; which fully declares, jiot only that it is created capable of endless existence, but also that it is the unalterable purpose of the Creator, it should exist to eternity. This can never be proved by any abstract or metaphysi- cal arguments ; as the intention of God can only be known by express reve- lation. The language of holy ^rit constantly implies, that the soul is capable of exerting its powers and faculties, in a state of separation from the body ; the apostle could not tell, " whether," during his vision, " he were in the body, or out of the body," (2 Cor. xii. 1 — 3 ;) and he spoke of " being ab- sent from the body and present with the Lord," (2 Cor. v. 8.) We fre- quently read of " the things done in the body ;" which implies, that the same agent is capable of doing things mit of the body. It is called " the earthly house of our tabernacle, which must be dissolved, that we may have a build- ing of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Then the body " shall return to the dust, and the spirit to God," (Eccles. xii. 7.) Accordingly we read of " the spirits of just men made perfect," as well as of " an innumerable company of angels," (Heb. xii. 22, 23.) So that these hints may suffice to shew, that the system of modern materialists cannot be supported (any more than the other doctrines of the same school,) except by rejecting the word of God, and treating the sacred writers as men who espoused and propagated vulgar errors, whilst they professed to " speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The Scriptures, moreover, teach us/' that both the righteous and the wicked, immediately on leaving the body, enter upon their state of happiness or misery. Lazarus was carried, as soon as he died, into Abraham's bosom ; and when " the rich man's body was buried, in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments ;" whilst his brethren, in his father's house, were following him to the same state of misery. Should it be urged, that this is a parabolical representation ; we answer, that he, who is truth itself, would never have spoken those things, even in a parable, which have a direct tendency to mislead the reader, and to raise an expec- tation of a state which has no existence. But, indeed, our Lord was pleased to confirm this inference by his address from the cross to the dying thief, " this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise," (Luke xvi. 22 — 31 ; xxiii. 43 ;) which could not be unless his soul existed in a state of happiness, whilst his body lay buried witli that of the other malefactor. They, therefore, who deny this distinction between soul and body, must suppose our Lord, as well as his apostles, to have been mistaken. His answer to the Sadducees, v/ho cavilled about the doctrine of the resurrection, is equally decisive against those who deny the intermediate state : for " if God be not tlie God of the dead, but of the living," how can he be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who have been wholly dead during so many revolving centuries } (Matt. xxii. 29 — 32.) The apostle "desired to depart and to be with Christ, as far better" than living on earth : but he would not have been any sooner with Christ for departing hence, if he were to lie entirely under the power of death until the resurrection ; nor could he " be present with the Lord, when absent from the body," if he were never made capable of beholding him till his second coming. The souls of those, to whom Christ, by his Spirit in Noah, preached during the term of God's long-sufl"ering while tlie ark was preparing, are represented as being in prison at tlie time when Peter wrote, (1 Pet. iii. 19, 20:) and John was directed to write, " blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, from henceforth," &c. (Rev. xiv. 13:) yea, he saw an innumerable company before tlie throne, who were crying for vengeance on their persecutors ; but were required to wait till the rest of their brethren had finished their testimony ; which, however it may be interpreted, must precede the resurrection of the dead, (Rev. vi. ?> — 11.) And here it may be proper to repeat the observation, that the God of truth and love would not arrange the circumstances of a vision in such a man- ner, as directly tended in the most obvious interpretation to mislead mea in so material a point. These are a specimen of those Scriptural argu» 330 ON THE STATE OF SEPARATE SPIRITS, monts, by wliich wc aro induced to expect an immediate entrance into hap- piness or misery, as soon as we leave this world, by an anticipation of that sentence, which will be publicly pronounced at the day of judgment. Various absurd notions and curious speculations have been formed about this intermediate state; which the use of the word, translated hell, for the place of separate spirits, may have in part occasioned. Thus Christ by the jjrophet expressed his confidence in the Father, " that he would not leave his soul in hell, neither suifer his Holy One to see corruption" (Psalm xvi. 10 ; Acts ii. 27 — 31.) Some persons, indeed, would explain both these ex- pressions to denote the grave, by a very unnatural tautology : but scarce any thing can be more evident, than that by hell is meant the place of se- parate spirits, to which the human soul of Christ repaired, as soon as his body was laid in the grave ; till their re-union at his glorious resurrection. The Scripture seems in general only to inform us, that the souls of the righ- teous, when their earthly tabernacle is taken down, are made perfect in knowledge, purity, and love ; being freed from all remains of sin, removed from every temptation, made conquerors over all their enemies, exempted from all labours, sorrows, fears, and distresses, and admitted into the pre- sence of Clii"ist, to behold Lis glory and enjoy his love ; that they are quali- fied to join the rapturous worsliip of angels, and to share their felicity, in the full completion of all their spiritual desires, in communion with God, and in the society of holy beings ; that their joys far exceed all that they could on earth conceive or imagine, and are fully adequate to their most enlarged capacities, though proportioned to the degree of their grace and fruitfulness on earth ; that nothing is wanting to the absolute completion of their hap- piness, but that re-union with their bodies, for which they wait in joyful hope, assured, that then " mortality shall be swallowed up of life and that, with adoring acclamations, they witness the Redeemer's triumphs on earth, and the accomplishment of those prophecies, for which they fervently prayed, whilst here they fought the good fight of faith. On the other hand, it is manifest fi-om the sacred oracles, that the souls of the wicked, when they leave the body, '•' are driven away in their wickedness," under condemnation smd the wrath of God, and under the power of their vile affections, now freed from all restraint : and that thus they immediately sink into a state of de- spair and punishment proportioned to their crimes, in which they will con- tinue till the day of judgment, in dire expectation of that event to complete their misery, by reuniting them to their bodies, as the instruments of their crimes, and sharers with their souls in the righteous vengeance of their offended Creator. After the souls of successive generations have been thus gathered to their own company, and their bodies have returned to the ground whence they were taken, the end will at length arrive ; when " the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking ven- geance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ : who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power ; when he shall come to 1)0 glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe" (2 Thess. i. 7 — 10.) The Divine Saviour will then personally appear in the clouds, even as the .apostles beheld him when he ascended into heaven (Acts i. 11.) This his second advent shall be ushered in " by the voice of an arch- angel, and the trump of God" (1 Thess. iv. 16, 17 ;) and shall immediately be followed by the resurrection of " the dead in Christ," and the change of all such believers as shall then be found alive upon the earth (l Cor. xv. 51, 52 :) afterwards by the resurrection of all others, who shall have died from the creation of the world to this grand consummation of all things : and then the earth and all its works shall be burnt up by one general conflagration. No words, however, can possibly explain, illustrate, or enable the reader to frame an adequate conception of thismajestic, tremendous, yet most delight- ful scene ; or of the different emotions of the righteous and the wicked THE RESURRECTION, &c. 331 (luring this astonishing catastrophe. Wliat a spectacle of grandeur and horror would the conflagration of one large city present, were it all at once in flames ! What then will be the prospect exhibited to the innumerable spectators, when " the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the earth also, and all the works that are therein, shall be burnt up," (2 Pet. iii. 10 — 13). When universal nature shall, as it were, expire in convulsions ! when the haughtiest rebels shall call in vain for rocks and " mountains to fall on them, and hide them from the face of their offended Judge !" and when all possibility of escape or mercy shall vanish for ever ! The resurrection of the dead is more especially connected witli this second advent of Christ : " the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done good to the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation," (John v. 28, 29). The multitudes that sleep " in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt," (Dan. xii. 2) : and " there shall be a resurrection, both of the just and of the unjust." For, as the body is a part of our nature, and the instru- ment of the soul in doing good or evil ; so it is meet that it should be raised from the dead, to share the happiness or misery which shall be awarded to every one, according to his works, by the righteous Judge of the world. Little, however, is spoken in Scripture concerning the resurrection of the wicked, compared with the copious information there afforded concerning that of the righteous. By the omnipotent word of him, " who is the resurrection and the life," the bodies of his redeemed people shall first be raised from the dust of the earth, from the depths of the sea, and from every place in which they have been deposited ; and being restored to life, incorruptible, immor- tal, and glorious, they will be reunited to their immortal spirits, to partici- pate and increase their unspeakable felicity. For, " the Lord Jesus shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body, ac- cording to the working, whereby he is able even to subdue all things to him- self," (Phil. iii. 20,21). We know what appellation the apostle bestowed on those, who, cavilling at his doctrine, inquired, " how are the de.id raised, and with what bodies do they come.i*" (l Cor. xv. 35). Questions about identity, and difficulties started about the possibility of a resurrection, may answer the purposes of a proud sceptical philosophy ; but the humble dis- ciple, sitting as a little child at the Saviour's feet, will allow, " that sutrh knowledge is too high for him, he cannot attain unto it:" and perceive tliat it is meet to answer all such objections by saying, " hath God spoken, and shall he not do it ?" " Can any thing be too hard for the Lord ?" We are sure, that our bodies will be so far raised the same, that we shall know our- selves to be the same persons, who did such and such things on earth : hut " as we nuist all be changed, our bodies will not be in all respects the same. " There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body ;" the image of the first, and of the second " Adam :" and as we have borne the image of tlic " earthly, we shall also hear the image of the heavenly " that which is sown in corruption, dishonour, and weakness, shall he raised in incorni])tion, glory, and power." " Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God ;" but he v/ill give every one his own body, even as he gives to every seed an increase of the same kind that was sown, (1 Cor. xv). When we reflect on the resplendent appearance of Christ on the mount of transfiguration ; and further recollect, that the beloved disciple, who leaned on his breast at table, fell at his feet as dead, when he appeared to him in glory ; we shall find our views enlarged, and expect to receive a bo