13'^' A^ cy A PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF TI.K CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS; A LECTURE, DEI-IVKRKD IN CHRIST CHURCH. HUNTER STREET, I.IVEUPOOI., ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEB. (5, 183y. REV. FIELDING"1)ULD, A.B. BEING THE FIRST OF A SERIES ON THE " UNITARIAN CONTROVERSY," BY SEVERAL CLERGYMEN OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. " Aperte dicite non vos credere Christi Evangelio ; nam qui in Evangelio quod x-ultis creditis, quod vultis non creditis, vobis potius quam EvA^c.EI,Io crcditi.s." — Aug. conf. Faiixt. vi. 3.'»6. ^ccontJ CfjoiifianU. HVERPOOI. : PUBLISHED BY HENRY FERRIS, CHURril STUEET. 1839. LIVERPOOL : PRINTED BY H. PKURIS, CHURCH STRh.KT. MV BELOVED BRETHREN IS THE MINISTRY OF GOD OUR SAVIOUR, WHO HAVE SO READILY CO-OPERATED WITH ME IN THIS EFFORT TO VINDICATE HIS NAME AND HIS TRUTH FROM THE DEGRADING ASSUMPTIONS OP THE GOD -DENYING HERESY OF UNITARIANISM, AND TO ALL, IN EVERY PLACE. WHO LOVE THE LORD JESUS CHEIST IN SINCERITY, CJ^e folloluiiTS %tct\ivt IS RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY THEIR FRIEND AND SERVANT IX THE BONDS OF THE GOSPEL, THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. In sending this Lecture to press, the author thinks it right to premise, that having dehvered it from notes, and corrected it into its present form from the report of a short-hand writer, it cannot profess to be, verbatim, the same as was spoken. There has not, however, been any important change, that he is aware of ; and while but a few unimportant alterations have been made, and one only additional quotation introduced, he can affirm it to be substantially the same. It is scarcely to be expected that, on such a subject, much original matter should now be elicited. The praise of originality was not, however, the author's object, but rather usefulness and edification. He has accordingly availed himself freely of the labours of those who have gone before him in the controversy, not only in the adoption of their arguments, but frequently of their tvords ; and being aware how eagerly advantage is taken of definitions and forms of ex- pression by those whose tenets are here impugned, he has pre- ferred rather to clothe himself in the verbal armour of the tried veterans in this contest, than trust himself in the weaker pano- ply of liis own providing. He has further abstained from drawing a picture of Unitarianism in his own language, and then criti- cising that picture ; but has deemed it more candid and honest to let it speak for itself, in the words of its most eminent and gifted defenders. The reader will, therefore, find large quotations from Priestley and Channing, as well as other distinguished writers of their school, whose opinions may be taken as a fair specimen of those which are generally held by the body at large. It must be obvious, that in endeavouring to ascertain the doctrinal senti- ments of a sect which boasts of its freedom fi'om creeds, articles, or formularies, considerable difficulty must be encountered : it is so easy and convenient withal, for each particular member to dis- claim any responsibility for what has been advanced by another. VI PREFACE. however venerated he may be in reality for his talents, or silently considered as a standard of appeal. "To seize what is fugitive," says Archbishop Magee, " to fix that which is ever in the act of change; to chain down the Proteus to one form, and to catch his hkeness ere he has shifted to another, — this is certainly a work not easily accomphshed."* Tlie difficulty of the case is not diminished by the notorious and avowed difference of opinion which exists among Unitarians themselves ; from the highest Arianism down to the lowest shade of Socinian Humanitarianism itself. If, therefore, it should be attempted to turn aside the force of the argument on the practical tendency of this system, by disowning the authorities of Belsham, Priestley, Channing, and the editors of the " Improved Version," — confessedly the ablest men, and most learned critics and expositors of Unitarian princi- ples who have yet appeared in this country or in America, whose writings have formed the text-book and influenced the destinies of unnumbered thousands, it can only be answered, that until Unitari- anisni shall have set forth, in an authentic and authorized form, an exhibition of its fixed principles, (if it have any,) it must be con- tent with being judged of, as a system, by those individuals, however irresponsible, whose published works (many of which have passed through numerous editions) furnish the most plau- sible and elaborate statement of their doctrinal sentiments, and which have never been repudiated or protested against by any section of the general body. It is amusing to see the coolness with which the " Improved Version" has been abandoned by the champions of Unitarianism in this controversy, after it has served its awful purpose of unsettling the minds and undermining the faith of multitudes in the divine authority of the Word of God. It has been said that the present agitation of the points in dispute between us and Unitarians, involves an unnecessary and injurious disturbance of the rehgious peace of the commu- nity. This objection is natural enough from those who are con- tent to fraternize with every creed, and no creed, among the un- bounded varieties of prevailing opinion, and who can gracefully ♦ Atonement, vol. ii. 347, 3-*8. PREFACE. Vll salute as "fellow Christians," those who differ from them on almost every point of the circle of religious truth. But it cannot be for a moment recognised by us, who hold that there is but one way of salvation, and that a " strait and a narrow way," in which there are comparatively few who walk ; while the way that leads to destruction " is wide and broad, and many there be who go in thereat."* It is in vain to say, that this is requiring sub- mission to a creed of human imposition, and exposes us to the charges of an assumed infallibility, and a disposition to domineer over the convictions or consciences of others. It is requiring submission only to the authority of the oracles of God, which gives no countenance to the latitudinarian hypothesis, that all errors of opinion are innocent, and that sincerity, even in error, is acceptable with God. Those who remind us that Trinitarian- ism originated in and tends to Popery, and of the proiieness of the teachers of an Established religion to spiritual despotism, well know that this is a controversy between principles, and not be- tween churches ; and that the doctrines of the Trinity and the Atonement have been and are as zealously contended for and maintained by various members of the dissenting community, who exist independently of any connexion with the State, and who are, at least, as far removed from any disposition towards Popery as the Unitarians themselves. Regarding, then, as we do, a peace which is based upon false principles, and so leads to unscriptural conduct and exposes to future peril, as " no peace," t — and being sincerely anxious to lead our erring brethren to the knowledge and enjoyment of Him who is the only minister of a " peace winch passeth all understanding," — and being per- suaded, moreover, that even the tumultuous swellings of Jordan are preferable to the stagnant waters of the Dead Sea, we have only followed the example of the Saviour and his Apostles, in warning sinners of their danger and exhorting them to embrace the deliverer from " the wrath to come. ' We would be as solemn as Jesus when he upbraided Capernaum, and as tender as when he bathed Jerusalem in tears. And when men tell us that • Matt. vii. 13, M. t Ezpk. xiii. 10. Vlll PREFACE. Jesus did not weep over errors of opinion we maintain that it was the " error of opinion," which led them to reject him as the Messiah, over which he lamented, and which made him exclaim, " How often would I have gathered you, and ye would not!"* But this is to speak as if we considered the state of Unitarians as hopeless, and had as infallible a knowledge of their doom. Holding the atonement and its kindred doctrines to be essential to the Gospel, how can we look upon the condition of those who reject them as any other than hopeless ; while " our infallible knowledge" of the doom of all such, is derived exclusively from this infallible revelation, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature : he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." f But these principles involve a violation of unity : and what if they do ? Did not our Saviour emphatically declare, " Think not that I am come to send peace on earth ; I came not to send peace, but a sword," &c.+ Unity is, doubtless, an eminently desirable attainment, but it must be a " unity of the spirit," if it would be " in the bond of peace." Principles are the springs of conduct and moral conversation : to talk of a unitj/ without prin- ciple, or of a unity purchased at the expence of the surrender of all principle, is to speak of that which is not worth having, even when attained. In order, therefore, to moral union, there must be doctrinal union, not the doctrine of creeds, as such, but the doc- trine of an "unimproved," because unimprovable revelation. We feel concerned for Unitarians solely on their own account, and because of our deep conviction of the fatal character of their principles. It has been justly observed, that Unitarianism " appeals to the vanity of the half-learned, and the pride of the half- reasoning ; but it neither interests the imagination, nor awakens the feelings, nor excites the passions, nor satisfies the wants of the human heart." Of the popularity, or extensive spread of such a system, we have no apprehensions ; but we do deeply feel for those whom the pride of reason has already led into its fatal enclosure, and " our heart's desire and prayer to God for * Matt, xxiii. 3;. i i'Mark xvi. 15, It). ; JIatt. x. 3i— 36. PREFACE. IX them is, that they may be saved."* It seems necessary further to remark, that while in om* judgment sound principles are essen- tial to the foiTnation of a correct moral deportment here, as well as to the attainment of final salvation hereafter, we at the same time freely acknowledge, that sound principles may be held and professed without any favourable influence being exerted, either on the temporal or eternal condition of those who make such pro- fession. There is such a thing as "holding the truth in un- righteousness,"! as beUeving with the head instead of the heart,X as saying, " Lord, Lord ; and doing not the things which he says." II We have no desire to defend such a faith as this. We contend for a faith in Jesus, as the atoning Saviour, which is " the gift of God* § originally lodged in the heart, and sustained in actual exercise through the life, by the power of the Holy Ghost. This faith we hold to be necessarily influential upon conduct ; it affects the temper, the spirit, and conversa- tion of all the subjects of it, and invariably and exclusively pro- duces that moral conformity with the image of Christ, which, if it do not constitute the Christian's title to heaven, is at least the surest evidence of his meetness, and the final end of his holy am- bition. Amongst the partakers of this "precious faith," and among them alone, is to be found that true moral unity, which indeed deserves the name. It is this which we labour to attain for ourselves, and for aU others who come within the sphere of our influence ; and whUe we are told that we do not gather but lecture, we reply, that we lecture in order that we may gather — gather all who make a covenant with the I^ord by sacrifice ;5[ and the harmony which we desire to see prevailing, is not a har- mony of metaphysics, any more than a harmony of cold and deadly scepticism, but a harmony of living principles, and heavenly graces derived from the pure word, and wrought bv the mightv Spirit, of God. Tliis is the Spirit which wiU prevail in the universal church when our Saviour shall come again with power and great glorv : until when we shall have neither universal * Rom. X. 1. t Hum. i. IS. J Acts viii. sy. . I.ukc vi. Itj. ^ Kph. ii. 8. ^ PsHlm 1. .i. X PREFACE. church nor imivcrsal harmony. Till then the Church of England, as well as other orthodox churches, will be engaged in doing their api)ointed work, of taking out of mankind " a people prepared for the Lord,"' * who may diifer from each other, perhaps, in various points of non-essential moment, but who will all agree in the great fundamental doctrines of a plenarily inspired Bible. It is only when the trumpet of the second Advent shall have sounded, that the world will see the " manifestation of the sons of God," \ and shall, in consequence, be " filled with the knowledge of His glor\', as the waters cover the sea." + It has been said that Trinitarianism, during its long day of power, has not produced the efiects which Christ attributed to his system, and, therefore, it must have preached " another Gcspel." We reply that the Gospel, as we preach it, does still produce not only the veiy efiects which its Divine Author predicted of it, but the very same which it produced when preached by his owti lips and those of his Apostles. And what are these ? Offence on the part of many, faith on the part of some. || Thus it always has been, and thus will it continue to be till the Saviour shall again appear. Whether that system which professes to offend none, and to be pleased with all, embracing in its capacious arms eveiy pos- sible variety of heresy down to the very verge of infidehty tself; whether, I say, that system produces the efiects which have been predicted of the Gospel dispensation, or whether it be " another Gospel," let all candid men decide. The argument which concludes the movement of Trinitarianism towards Poperv, because of certain extreme opinions which have been unhappily promulgated by the Oxford Tract divines, is, to say the least, neither very candid nor ver\' conclusive. That the recent and ephemeral movement of a few mistaken and unau- thorised individuals should be appealed to against the experi- ence and authority of centuries, that the exception should be quoted rather than the rule, that the argumentinn a particulari ad universale should be so hastily resorted to in this instance, demon- • LuKc-i. 17; Acts XV. II. -i Rom. \-iii. !<»■ ^Ilali. li. II. : .Inhii vi. til- <'iy ; Acts ixviii. 21. I'KKKAC;!-:. XI stratively proves how hartl pu^^hed our opponents are for the materiel of their case against Trinitarianism. Would that their theology was as harmless as their logic ; then indeed might the swords of our spiritual warfare against them be beat into plough- shares, and the spears of our defence into pruning-hooks, nor need we learn any more the tactics of holy Avar. In conclusion, let it be observed, that while as Protestants we recognise the right of private judgment, as Christians we solemnly warn men against its abuse. It is said, that whilst we tell men they must be saved by a creed, we provide them with no guide to find it ; we give them the Bible, and send them to them- selves for an interpreter. We do not say that men must be saved by a creed, but by the truth, wherever found, whether originally in the Bible, or derived from the Bible into any faithful " form of soimd words." The Bible alone is our rule of faith, and we believe that " God is his own Interpreter, And he will make it plain." Instead of directing men to their own interpretations, we place them reverently on their knees, before the volume of inspi- ration ; and, directing their attention to the Saviour's precious promise, " When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth, — he will show you things to come,"* we believe that He wiU do as he hath said. Does this savour of the bond- age of Egypt, demanding the full tale of bricks, but giving no straw } But it is a priestly spirit which says, " You must be- lieve." Such, however, was the spirit of Christ, Mark xvi. 16. Such was the spirit of the Apostles : of Peter, Acts x. 43, — of Paul, Acts xvi. 31. And such is. ours. We say^ with the Bible, that faith in its doctrines is necessarv to salvation ; we prav, according to the direction of the Bible, that it mav be "given" unto men to believe accordingly. That the Lord may accompany with his blessing this feeble effort to vindicate his Sacred Word from misapprehension, is the Author's earnest prayer, and for its usefulness, his only hope. » John x\i. Vi. LECTURE I. INTRODUCTORY. THE TRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. BY THE REV. FIELDING OULD. " FOR THE JEWS REQUIRE A SIGN, AND THE GREEKS SEEK AFTER WISDOM : BUT WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, UNTO THE JEWS A STUBIBLINGBLOCK, AND UNTO THE GREEKS FOOLISHNESS ; BUT UNTO THEM WHICH ARE CALLED, BOTH JEWS AND GREEKS, CHRIST THE POWER OF GOD, AND THE WISDOM OF GOD."— 1 Cur. i. 22. 23. 24. Never have I ascended this pulpit^ brethren, to address you on the great themes connected with your everlasting peace, with feelings of deeper solemnity or more reverential awe, than at present. It is always under a weighty im- pression of the responsibility of my office that I apply my- self to deliver to you the message of eternal life ; how greatly is that impression increased under our present circum- stances, when I am called, in the discharge of painful but necessary duty, not merely to propound to you the truths of the everlasting Gospel, but further to contrast those truths with certain perversions which pass current among many of our countrj-men for Gospel, but which are, in effect, " another Gospel, and yet not another/'* And who, it may be asked, has imposed this duftj ? And whence has arisen this necessity ? The duty has been im- * Gal. i. 6, 7. ti PRACTICAL IMPORTAXCE OF THE posed upon me^ under my Lord and Saviour, by the Church of -vvhicli I am vmworthily a Minister, when, on the day of ordination, she required from me this solemn pledge, — '^'^ to be ready, Avith all diligence, to banish and drive away all false doctrine, contrary to God's Word, God being my helper." And the necessity is to be found in the con- viction that the Ministers of an Established Church are bound to labour, not only for the edification and confirma- tion in the faith of those who voluntarily attend her minis- trations, but also for the instruction and conversion of those '^'who are without,^' and who withdraw themselves, from whatever motives, from her pale. For the fulfilment of our obligations to our own members, the ordinary performance of our stated services is considered to suffice : — for the pay- ment of our debt of missionary solicitude to those who are not only estranged from our worship, but also from the principles and doctrines of our holy religion, some such extraordinary effort as the present seems to be imperatively called for. Of all the various classes of Dissenters from the Na- tional communion, there is none with whom our ground of difference is so wide, or whom we regard Avith feelings of such unfeigned interest and concern, as the class which assumes to itself the distinctive title of Unitarian. From our hearts we pity these men, although aa'C are told (1.) that to feel or to exj^ress pity for those who are not themselves impressed with a conviction that they require that pity, is to insidt them. But when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shed his tears of sublime compassion over the Holy City, surely he did not mean to insidt it; and yet, as surely, there was but little community of feeling between the holy sympathizer himself and those Avho were then the objects of his melting pity. The title of Unitarian, it will be ob- served, is one which we cannot concede has been properly CONTROVERSY WITH T'XITARIANS. 3 applied, inasmuch as it seems to take for granted that the doctrine of the Unity of the Godhead is alone held by those who are designated by this term. Admitting, however, as we do, that the term Socinian is not, perhaps, fairly appli- cable to this class of religionists, and unwilling to give just cause of oifence at the outset by the use of it, we are satis- fied to employ the name which they have themselves se- lected, while we enter our protest against the unfairness of its assumption. Neither can we conscientiously recognize as Christians those who deliberately reject the doctrine of the atoning sacrifice ; and this, together with the considera- tion that we occupy a totally different ground from our op- ponents in this controversy, from believing that the eter- nal destinies of men are affected l^y their belief or rejection of certain doctrines, — a notion from which all Unitarians, so far as I can learn, dissent ; — this, I say, frequently places us in a position of considerable embarrassment, and exposes .us to the charges of bigotry, iUiberality, want of Christian courtesy, and of Christian charity. Before entering, then, on that which is to form the immediate subject of this lecture, I would desire to address a few observations with a view to excuse ourselves from justly incurring these charges. The principal reason why we have been accused of spiritual pride, bigotry, &c. is, the importance we attach to some of our opinions. The difference between us and Unitarians does not respect merely the circumstantials of religion: it respects nothing less than the 7'ule of faith, the ground of hope, and the object of worship. The question is, whether we Trinitarians are not only super- stitious devotees, and deluded . dependents on an arm of flesh,* but also habitual idolators ; or whether Uni- tarians l)c not guilty of refusing to siil)jpct tlicir faitli to 4 PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE the decisions of lieaven^ of rejecting the only way of salvation, and of sacrilegiously depriving the Son of God of his essential glory. What if Unitarians do not deny our Christianity on account of our supposed idolatry ; this only proves, in my opinion, not, as they allege, their charity, but their indifference to religious truth, and the deistical tendency of their opinions. If the proper deity of Christ be a divine truth, it is a great and fundamental truth in Christianity; so great, and so fundamental, that a denial of it involves a forfeiture of the name of Christian. Is the honest avowal of this conviction to subject us to the charge of bigotry? I ask what is there of bigotry in our not reckoning Unitarians to be Christians, more than in their reckoning us idolators ? What says Dr. Priestley, the arch-apostle of English Unitarianism, a name to which I shall have frequent occasion to refer in the course of this lecture? Here are liis own words. "All who believe Christ to be a man, and not God, must necessarily think it idolatrous to pay him di\ine honours ; and to call it so is no other than the necessary consequence of avowing our belief." Nay, he represents it "^ as ridiculous that they should be allowed to think Trinitarians idolators, without being permitted to call them so." (2.) Doubtless if Unitarians have a right to think Trinitarians idolators, they have a right to call them so ; and further, if they are able, they have a right to prove them such ; nor ought we to consider ourselves as insulted by the attempt. We have no idea of being offended with any man, in matters of this kind, for speaking what he believes to be the truth. Instead of courting compliments from each other, in affairs of such moment, we ought to encourage an unreservedness of expression, provided it be accompanied with sobriety and benevolence. But neither ought Unitarians to com- j)lain of our refusing to acknowledge them as Christian CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. 5 or to impute it to a spirit of bigotry ; for it amounts to nothing more than avowing a necessar}'^ consequence of our behef. If we beheve the deity and atone- ment of our Lord Jesus Christ to be essential to Christi- anity, we must necessarily think those who reject these doctrines to be no Christians, nor is it inconsistent with true charity to speak accordingly. (3.) Yet how stands the matter ? To entertain degrading notions of the person of Christ, and to err from the truth in so doing, is consi- dered innocent, and no one ought, on that account, to think the worse of those who do so. But to be of opinion that he who rejects the deity and atonement of Christ is not a Christian, gives great offence ! Why is this ? Suppose we are in error, why should not our error be as innocent as the contrary' one ? Tliere is no other way of accounting for it than ])y sui:)posing such reasoners more concerned fi)r their own honour than for the honour of Christ. The graTid question, then, l^rethren, is, are the doc- trines which Unitarians disown, supposing them to be true, of such importance, that a rejection of them would endanger their salvation ? It must be admitted that these doctrines may be true, and not only may be true, but may 1)6 essential to true Christianity. Christianity, like every other system of truth, must have some principles Avhich are essential to it; and if the principles in question be such, it cannot be justly imputed to pride, or bigotry, it cannot l)e uncharitable or uncandid to think so. Neither can it l)e wrong to draw the natural and necessary con- clusion, that those who reject these doctrines, practically reject Christianity itself. To think justly of persons is, surely, in no respect inconsistent with universal good-will towards them. It is not contrary to charity to consider unl)clievcrs in the light in which the Scriptures represent them, nor to consider those who reject what is essential 6 PRACTICAL IMPOR'IAXCE OF THE to the Gospel as rejecting tlie Gospel itself. If the Deity of Christ be a divine truth, he is the object of trust, and that not merely in the character of a witness, but as " JehovaJi in ivhom is everlasting strength." This appears to be a characteristic of true Christians in the New Testa- ment, " In his name shall the Gentiles trust ""^ " I know in whom I have trusted," as it is in the margin.f " In whom," says the same Apostle, "ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your sal- vation/' % But if it be a characteristic of true Christianity so to trust in Christ, as to commit the salvation of our souls into his hands, how can we conceive of those as true Christians who consider him only as a fellow-creature, and, consequently, repose in him no such trust ? If men by nature be in a lost and perishing condition, and if the Lord Jesus Christ came to seek and save them under those characters, as he himself constantly testified, then all those ^\\\o are whole in their own eyes, who, like the Scribes and Pharisees of old, feeling no sickness, have no need of a physician, must necessarily be excluded from an interest in his salvation ; and in what other light can those persons be considered, who deny the depravity of their nature, and who approach God as an abstract God — the God who is "a consuming fire"|| — without respect to an atoning Saviour ? Further : if the death of Christ, as an atoning sacrifice, be the only way of a sinner's salvation, if there be "No other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved," § hoAv can we conceive that those \\\\o deliberately disown it, and renounce all dependence upon it for acceptance with God, should yet be interested in it? If the doctrine of atonement by the cross of Christ be a divine truth, it constitutes the * Jlatt. xii. 21. t 2 Tim. i. 12. } Kpli. i. 12, 12. ; Hub. xii. 2.0. 6 Acts i\ . 12. CONTROVERSY WITH I'MTARIAXS. 7 very substance of the Gospel;, and, consequently, is essen- tial to it. The doctrine of the cross is represented in the New Testament as the grand peculiarity and the principal glory of Christianity. It is described as being, not merely an important branch of the Gospel, but as the Gospel itself, — " We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."* The doctrine of the cross is the central point in which all the lines of evangelical truth meet, and are united. What the sun is to the system of nature, that the doctrine of the cross is to the system of the Gospel : it is the Life of it ! If such, then, l)e its importance, a denial of it, as the ground of hope, is a virtual denial of Christianity. Further : if we believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration, or that unless a sinner l)e renewed in the spirit of his mind, he can never see or enter into the Kingdom of God, in what light must we consider those who plead only for a reformation of manners, and al- together repudiate the doctrine of a supernatural, divine influence, by whi('h "A new heart is given us, and a new spirit is jiut Avithm us."t How can we believe men to be the subjects of this great change, who are continually ridiculing the very idea of it ? Enough, I trust, has now been said to justify our refusal to acknowledge Unitarians as Christians, and to show that we do not in justice deserve the charges brought against us in consequence of that refusal. I shall conclude this preliminary' reference to the subject with a sentiment of Dr. Priestley's, in which I heartily concur: — "The man," says he, "whose sole spring of, action is a concern for lost souls, and a care to preserve the purity of that Gospel, * 1 tor. i. 22. 23. 21. t Kz'k. x.wvi. 2(i. 8 PRACTICAi: IMPORTANCE OF THE which aU)nc teaches the only effectual method of their re- cover)' ^from the power of sin and Satan unto God/ will feel an ardour of mind that will prompt him strenuously to oppose all those whom he considers as obstructing his benevolent designs. I could overlook everj-thing in a man who^, I thought, meant nothing but my everlasting welfare." (4.) This, and nothing else than this, is the temper of mind I desire to cultivate, and am endeavouring to defend ; and earnestly do I pray my God, through the merits of His blessed Son, that I may be exclusively ani- mated and wholly absorbed by the desire, while engaged in this or any other controversy, to benefit lost souls, and turn the erring feet of those whom I beUeve to be walk- ing in the broad road that leadeth to destruction, into the only narrow way that leadeth unto everlasting life ! Unitarians are fond of appealing to Reason and Common Sense as a sort of judicial guide to a knowledge of truth. (5.) Here, at the very outset, we are at issue with them. We maintain that the Bible is alone safely interpreted by its Author and Inspirer, the Holy Ghost; and while we value, as it deserves, the blessing of common sense, and are w^illing to give to reason, fallen and imperfect as we believe it to be, its legitimate place in our enquiries, we never dream of constituting either the one or the other the judges of what God should reveal, or has revealed, in refusing to believe, as essential truth, what has not already received their authoritative recognition. But Unitarians are Rational Christians! The Corinthian Sophists referred to in the text were the rational religionists of their age. In the context of the passage we have presented to us the manner in which the Apostle preached the Gospel : " Christ sent me not to baptise but to preach the Gospel ; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." It was not to be preached with the flourish CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. 9 of oratory, or the accuracies of philosophical language, upon which the Greeks so much prided themselves; lest the success should have been ascribed to the force of art, and not of truth ; not to the plain doctrine of a crucified Jesus, but to the powerful oratory of those who si:)read it. Then we have the different effects of this preaching. To some it Avas a stumbhngblock, as in the case of the Jews ; to others foolishness, as in the case of the Grecian Sophists ; but to those who were called and saved, it was Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Then we have the triumphs of the cross over the pride of human reason, " For it is written,* I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise ? Where is the scribe ? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world ?" Tlie truths the Apostle preached seemed foolishness in the eyes of worldly-wise men, because they could not rationally under- stand them. To have life through one who died — to be blessed by one who was made a curse — to be justified by one who was himself condemned — this was all folly and incon- sistency in men blinded by self-conceit, and wedded to their own prejudices, and the boasted cUscoveries of reason and philosophy. But still all their vaunted reason and pride of learning were confounded, baffled, and eclipsed by the revelation of the Gospel, and the glorious triumphs of the cross. We "thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.'^t The subject which I have selected for the commence- ment of this controversy is " The practical Importance of the Controversy with Unitarians," and in handling it I pro- pose to show, that as the practical tendency or efficiency of • See le. xxix. 14. t Matt, xi, 25. c 10 PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE any system is the proper criterion of its truth, Unitarianism is indefensible on the ground of its moral, that is, its prac- tical tendency. And being solemnly convinced that the very essence of true religion is concerned in this contro- versy, and being above all things anxious that the glory of my Lord and Saviour may be promoted through its instru- mentality, and that the knowledge and love of the adora- ble Jesus may be brought home through it to many hearts ; and utterly regardless of all the accusations, calumnies, and false imputations wherewith we, who are engaged in it, are assailed from without, I beseech you, beloved, to unite with me in solemn prayer to our heavenly Father, that He would give us much of the "mind that was in Christ Jesus,^^ and empty us altogether of self, that we may be filled out of his fulness, and that out of that fulness you may receive a blessing from on high. I propose, then, in dependence on the divine blessing, to take up and prove these four points : — I. That Unitarianism tends to depreciate and LOWER THE AUTHORITY OF HOLY ScRIPTURE, SO AS TO MAKE IT DOUBTFUL WHAT IS, AND WHAT IS NOT, INSPIRED. II. That Unitarianism tends to diminish and lessen, rather than to promote, love to the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the distinguishing GRACE of Christianity. III. That Unitarianism tends to foster and cherish pride — the pride op human reason — at the expense of evangelical humility. IV. That Unitarianism tends to promote infi- delity. These four subjects will embrace the scope of this dis- course. CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. 11 I. UnITARIANISM TENDS TO DEPRECIATE AND LOWER THE AUTHORITY OF HoLY SCRIPTURE, SO AS TO MAKE IT DOUBTFUL WHAT IS, AND WHAT IS NOT, INSPIRED. In order properly to venerate the authority of Scripture, it will be admitted that we must receive it as being what it professes to be, and for all the purposes for which it pro- fesses to be written. If the Scriptures profess to be divinely inspired, and assume to be the infallible standard of faith and practice, we must either receive them as such, or be consistent, and disown the sacred writers as so many impostors. Let us now inquire into the professions of the sacred writers themselves, concerning what they wrote, and then compare these with the avowed sentiments of Unitarians. By this means we shall be in a condition to judge, whe- ' ther the spirit which animates the whole body of Unita- rian divinity does not breathe a language unfriendly to the sacred ^vritings, and whether it does not carry in it something hostile to the notion of " Every thought being subdued unto the obedience of Christ.^' 1. The professions of the sacred writers are as follow: "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me."* "Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel." f *^ Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, beheve in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established ; beheve his prophets, so shall ye prosper." % The New Testament writers also assert their own inspiration, in language equally strong. "All Scripture is given by • 2 Saml. liiii. 2. 3. f Isaiah xliii. 1. J 2 Chroii. xx. 20. 12 PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine^ for re- proof;, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, tliat the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works/'* "No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation," that is, it is not to be considered as the private opinion of a falhble man, as is the case with other productions, "but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." t And, not to multiply passages, while they thus bore testimony to their own inspiration, they constantly represented their writings as the infallible test of divine truth, to which all appeals were to be made, and by which every rehgious controversy was to be decided. " To the law and to the testimony : if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no hght in them." J "These are the true sayings of God."§ "Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal hfe ; and they are they which testify of me." || Nor did the sacred writers spare to denounce the most awful judgments against those who should either pervert their writings, add to them, or de- tract from them. Tliose who ^Tested the Apostolic Epistles, are said to have ^Hvrested them, as they did the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."^ "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."** "What things soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." ft And the canon of Sacred Scripture closes wdth these most solemn words : — " I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall * 2 Tim. iii. l6. f 2 Peter i. 20. 21. X Isaiah viii. 20. ^ Rev. xix. 9- !l John v. .'ig- f 2 Peter iii. 16. ** Gal. i. s. TT Pent. xii. 32. CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. 13 add unto liim the plagues that are written in this book ; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of hfe."* Such are the avowed professions of the sacred penmen. 2. Let us now compare these professions with the avowed sentiments of Unitarians. Dr. Priestley speaks as follows : — "That the books of Scripture were written by particular divine inspiration, is a thing to which the writers themselves make no pretensions. It is a notion destitute of all proof, and that has done great injury to the evidences of Christianity.^' (G.) Again. " Not that I consider the books of Scripture as inspired, and on that account entitled to this high degree of respect; but as authentic records of the dispensations of God to mankind, with ever)' particular of which we cannot be too well acquainted.'^ His sentiments on this subject will appear still more clear from the following passages: — " If you wish to know what, in my opinion, a Christian is bound to believe ^^dth respect to the Scriptures, I answer, that the books which are universally received as authentic, are to be considered as faithful records of past transac- tions, and, especially, the account of the intercourse which the Di^'ine Being has kept up with mankind from the beginning of the world to the time of our Saviour and his Apostles. No Christian is answerable for more than this. The writers of the books of Scripture were men, and therefore fallible ; but all that w^e have to do with them is in the character of historians and ivitnesses of what they heard and saw. Of course, their credibility is to be esti- mated like that of other historians ; viz. from the circum- stances in which they wrote, as with respect to their oppor- tunities of knowing the truth of what they relate, and the * Rev. xxii. 18. 19. 14 PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE biasses to which they might be subject. Like all other historians^ they were liable to mistakes with respect to things of small moment, because they might not give sufficient attention to them; and with respect to their reasoning we are fully at liberty to judge of it, as well as that of any other men, viz. by a due consideration of the propositions they advance, and the arguments they allege. For it by no means follows, because a man has had com- munications with the Deity for certain purposes, and he may be depended upon with respect to his account of those communications, that he is, in other respects, more wise and knowing than other men. (7.) "'You say,' says he, in his letters to Dr. Price, 'that I do not allow of Scriptural authority; but indeed, my friend, you should have expressed yourself vaXh more caution. No man can pay a higher regard to proper Scriptural authority, than I do. But neither I, nor, I presume, yourself, believe implicitly every thing that is advanced by any ivriters in the Old or New Testament. I believe all the writers, Avithout exception, to have been men of the greatest probity, and to have been well in- formed of every thing of consequence of which they treat; but at the same time, I believe them to have been men, and consequently y«//i6/e, and liable to mistake with respect to things to which they had not given much attention, or concerning which they had not means of exact information; which I take to be the case with respect to the account that Moses has given of the creation, and the fall of man.' " WTiether these notions of proper Scriptural authority will accord with the foregoing professions, I leave you to judge. I shall now add the following extracts on the same subject from the writings of the justly celebrated American CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. 15 Unitarian, Dr. Channing; the ablest, the most eloquent, and the most candid writer of his school with which I am acquainted. " We regard the Scriptures as the record of God's suc- cessive revelations to mankind, and particularly of the last and most perfect revelation of His will by Jesus Christ. Whatever doctrines seem to us to be clearly taught in the Scriptures, we receive without reserve, or excep- tion. We do not, however, attach equal importance to all the books in this collection. Our religion, we believe, lies chiefly' in the New Testament. Tlie dispensation of Moses, compared with that of Jesus, we consider as im- perfect, earthly, obscure, adapted to the childliood of the human race, a preparation for a nobler system, and chiefly useful now, as ser\'ing to confirm and illustrate the Chris- tian Scriptures." "We find, too, that some of those books are strongly marked by the genius and characters of their respective Amters, that the Holy Spirit did not so guide the Apostles, as to suspend the peculiarities of their minds; and that a knowledge of their feelings, and of the influences under which they were placed, is one of the preparations for understanding their writings. With these views of the Bible, we feel it our bounden duty to exercise our reason upon it perpetually ; to compare, to infer, to look beyond the letter, to the spirit, — to seek in the nature of the sub- ject, and the aim of the writer, his true meaning; and, in general, to make use of what is known for explaining, what is difiicult, and for discovering new truths." " From a variety of possible interpretations, we select that which accords with the nature of the subject and state of the writer, with the connexion of the passage, with the general strain of Scripture, ivith the knoivn cha- racter and will of God, and with the obvious and acknow- 16 PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE ledged laws of nature. In other words^ we believe that God never contradicts, in revelation, what He teaches in His works and providence. And we, therefore, distrust every interpretation which, after deliberate attention, seems repugnant to any estabhshed truth ; we reason about the Bible precisely as civilians do about the constitution under which we live, who, you know are accustomed to limit one provision of that venerable instrument by others, and to affix the precise import of its parts by inquiring into its general spirit, into the intention of its authors, and into the prevalent feelings, impressions, and circumstances of the time when it was framed. Without these princijjles of interpretation, ive frankly acknowledge, that ive cannot defend the Divine Authority of the Scriptures. Deny us this latitude, and ive must abandon this book to its ene- mies'' (8.) So then, it appears, that if these " rational and liberal critics" are not allowed to Unitarianise the Bible, they are prepared to deny its divine authority, and to give it up to its enemies ! The generality of Christians consider it their duty to adjust their belief to Revelation ; but unless " Unitarian Christians,^' are allowed to adjust Revelation to their belief, they are ready to pass over into the ranks of the adversary and the infidel ! We complain that the generality of Unitarian ^Titers, as well as Drs. Priestley and Channing, speak disparagingly of our only rule of faith. The Scriptures profess to be '^' profitable for doctrine," and able "/o make men wise unto salvation." "^ The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." But Mr. Theophilus Lindsey, a convert of Dr. Priestley's, considers them as unadapted to promote any high perfection in knowledge, and supposes that they are left in obscurity, in order to promote mutual charit}^, candour, and forbearance ! CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. 17 Speaking of the doctrine of the person of Christ, he says, "Surely it must be owned to have been left in some obscurity in the Scriptures themselves, which might mislead readers, full of heathen prejudices (otherwise so many men, wise and good, would not have dilFered, and still continue to differ, concerning it,) and so left, it should seem, on purpose to ivhet human industry and the spirit of inquiry into the things of God, to give scope for the exercise of men's charity and mutual forbearance of one another, and to be one great means of cultivating the moral dispositions ; which is plainly the design of the holy Spirit of God in the Christian revelation, and not any high perfection in knowledge, which so few can attain." (9.) I may just ask, on this extraordinary passage, if the Holy Scriptures be so obscure on this subject as he sup- poses, how did he come to be so decided upon it ? It is evident he must have obtained his "high perfection of knowledge" about it from some other source than the Holy Spirit speaking by revelation: and if he has, we have no further controversy with him ; as, in what respects religion, we seek not " to be wise above what is written." And again, think what a heavy reflection this principle casts on the moral character of God; imputing to him that he not only leaves the most important doctrines in obscurity, but purposely so. God, it seems, designed that men should stumble on in ignorance, error, and dis- agreement; till, wearied with conjecture, and finding themselves all involved in one common calamity, they might at last shake hands, and become friends ! Such is the sum and substance of what he states. Another writer of this class says, "The nature and design of the Scripture," "is not to settle disputed theories, nor to decide 2/pon speculative D 18 PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE controverted questions, even in religion and morality. The Scriptures, if we understand any thing of them, are intended not so much to make us wiser, as to make us better ; not to solve the doubts, but rather to make us obey the dic- tates of our conscietices." (10.) If this be true, the Scriptures were never designed to be a rule of faith or practice, but to act merely as a stimulative; and if so, to what purpose are all appeals to the Scriptures on controverted subjects, and why do Unitarians appeal to them ? And why all their outcry against interpolations, mistranslations, and misrepresen- tations, if the Scriptures, be they ever so pure, were never designed to decide our controversies ? Hitherto we have been accustomed to think that conscience had but one master, and that that master was Christ: according to this view, conscience is its own master, and Jesus Christ does not pretend to dictate to it, but merely to assist in the execution of its decisions ! But if English Unitarians have gone far in these matters, they have not as yet exceeded, or even equalled those of the same denomination in other countries. George Engedin, speaking of the writings of St. John, says, "^ If a concise, abrupt obscurity, inconsistent ivith itself, and made up of allegories, is to be called sublimity of speech, I own John to be sublime : for there is scarce one discourse of Christ, which is not altogether allegorical, and very hard to be understood." (11.) Gagnieus, another writer of the same spirit, says, " I shall not a little glory if I shall be found to give some light to Paul's darkness ; a darkness as some think, industriously affected." (12.) Steinljart, and other foreign Unitarians of later times, write in a similar strain. "These narrations, (speaking of the Old Testament CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. 19 narratives) true or false, are only suited for ignorant, uncultivated minds, who cannot enter into the evidence of natural religion." ^' Moses, acco)'dififf to the childish conceptions of the Jews in his days, paints God as agitated by violent affections, partial to one people, and hating all other nations." (13.) I ask, is it any wonder, after such views of Scripture, that Dr. Priestley, should have affirmed '•'• Christ to be a mere man, the son of Joseph and Mary, and naturally as fallible and peccable as Moses, or any other of the Prophets" (14.) It is thus that false religion invariably shows itself, in turning away from Scripture as the ground of final appeal and the source of highest authority. It is thus the Papist turns us away from the Bible, and sets up tradition as a part of the rule of faith. And thus the Irvingite turns us away, and teaches us to expect a present inspiration. Thus also other heretics, who have risen amongst ourselves in these latter days, turn us away, and direct our erring steps to what they call "• Catholic antiquit)'," as the Bible^s only safe interpreter. While the Unitarian in his turn leads us away from the safe and sure footing of the word of God, by telling us that reason and common sense must be taken as the bases and directors of our judgment in the understanding of it. I never yet met one soUtary Unitarian, in this or any other country, who did not, before the conversation had lasted five minutes, virtually deny the plenary inspiration of the Bible. But let me refer, before leaving this point, to another proof. It may not be known to many present, that the Unitarians, at the end of the last centur}^, being dis- satisfied with the authorised version of the New Testa- ment, applied themselves to the task of constructing one 20 PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE for themselves. I hold in my hand what is called their "Improved Version, with a corrected text and notes explanatory', pul^lished by the Unitarian Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, 5 th Edition, London, 1819/^ In the introduction, page 5, we are told, that *' by divesting the Sacred Volume of the technical phrases of a systematic theology- which has no foundation in the Scriptures themselves, they will render the New Testa- ment more generally intelligible, or at least preclude many sources of error." That is, in other words, we are told, that the great object has been, so to render the New Testament, as to empty it of all such expressions as might give support to any of the received and peculiar doctrines of Christianity. Further on, it is stated, that "In this Version verbal criticism has not been attended to in the degree that some might wish and expect." Thus we are fairly informed, that certain liberties are to be taken in the translation, to which the minuteness of verbal criticism might possibly present some impediment. That is, in a work, whose very object is to ascertain the exact meaning of words, the exact meaning of words is not to be attended to, lest it might embarrass the freedom of translation, and force upon the translator a sense different from that which he chooses to assign. (15.) V^'^e are farther told, page 22, that " no superstitious regard is due to the mere language of the Received Text, which, like the works of other ancient authors, is open to rational and liberal criticism." After this preparation, let us see how these " rational and liberal critics" have performed their task. We find, that with the exception of the first sixteen verses of the first chapter of St. Matthew, they have rejected as spurious the first and second chapters of that book, which contains the history of the Incarnation and the account of the CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIANS. 21 miraculous birth of our Lord. They have hkewise thrown off, for the same reason, as of no authority, the entire of the first two chapters of St. Luke. In a note on Matt. i. 16, we have the distinct admission, that these rejected por- tions are " to be found in all the manuscripts and versions which are now extant.^' And in a note at the commence- ment of St. Luke, we have a similar acknowledgment. — Then the question comes, why reject these parts ? Because the two first chapters of St. Matthew are not found in the canon of the Ebionites in the first centurj'-, and the two first of St. Luke were not admitted by the heretic Marcion, who lived in the second century ! Therefore, it follows, that since the sect of the Ebionites, and the heretic Marcion, are against all the manuscripts and all the versions, it is impossible they can be received as true ! But let us inquire a little about these authorities. Ebion rejected from his canon the three Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John, and all the epistles of St. Paul. Marcion rejected the whole of the Old Testament, and every part of the New which contained any quotations from the Old. In short, he contented himself with the simple Gospel of St Luke, expunging from this also whatever he did not approve. On the authority of these t^^'o heretics, the Unitarians have rejected the tvvo first chapters of Matthew, excepting the first sixteen verses, and the two first chapters of Luke, against the evidence above quoted. But why, professing to respect the authority of the Ebionites, retain the first sixteen verses of Matthew, which they reject? Because those verses are supposed to countenance the doctrine that Christ was merely the son of Joseph and Mary. Therefore these verses, con- taining the gencalog)^, are retained in rejection of the testimony of their own ivitnesses ! That is, as respecting the first sixteen verses, the Editors discard the evidence 22 PRACTICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE of the Ebionites, as being convicted of a mutilation of the Gospel; but as regards the remainder of the two chapters, the testimony of these same Ebionites is to be held good against all gainsayers whatever ! If time permitted, it might not be amiss to give you a .few specimens of the comments upon various Scriptures, as presented in the Notes of this precious Volume. For the present, the following brief extracts must suffice : — On Matthew xvii. 3, we have, " Hence it appears probable that the account of the death of Moses, in the last chapter of Deuteronomy, is erroneous; and that he, like Ehjah, was translated." On Matthew iv. 1, "Jesus was led up by the spirit into the desert." '^'^This form of expression denotes that the historian is about to describe a visionary scene, and not a real event. The introduction of the devil into this scenical representation no more proves the real existence of such a being, than the introduction of the lamb, or the red dragon, in the apocalyptic vision, is a joroof of the real existence of those symbolical agents." On He- brews xiii. 25. "This Epistle, which contains many im- portant observations, and many wholesome truths, mingled, indeed, with some far-fetched analogies and inaccurate rea- sonings, was probably written before the destruction of Jerusalem, &c." This is the way in which Unitarians deal vA\h the Word of God. We have heard of certain persons engaged in a law-suit, who, in order to silence the testimony of indivi- duals whom they expected to appear in e\Tidence against them, have contrived to sue the tvitnesses, and so by mak- ing them parties in the contest, have disqualified them from appearing in opposition to their cause. Pretty simi- lar to this is the conduct of Unitarians : they take certain passages of Scripture, and declare, on the authority of ac- knowledged heretics, or on some other ground, that they CONTROVERSY WITH UNITARIAN'S. 23 are of doubtful or no authority. Tims Dr. Priestley says there is not a single text in Scripture in which Christ is properly called God; (16.) and when we bring fonvard a variety, such as " God manifest in the flesh," " God over all, blessed for ever," " Tliis is the true God and eternal life," we are told they are of douljtful authority, either as respects genuineness or translation : so that by the prac- tice of stoning one Scripture testimony and killing another, they may triumphantly assert that there is not an instance in all the Scriptm-e in which their opinions can be con- fronted. The Scripture evidence is first neutralised, and then the challenge is given. II. Tlie second head of this discourse, which will not occupy us so long, is, — That Unitarianism tends to DIMINISH AND LESSEN, RATHER THAN TO PROMOTE, LOVE TO THE LoRD JeSUS ChRIST. ^' He that loveth me," said Christ, " shall be loved of my Father,"* ^"'Whom, having not seen, ye love."t ^' Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerit)'." % " If ^i^y ni^n love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha."^ From these, and other similar passages, we may conclude, that love to Christ is not only a Christian A^irtue, but that it is essential to the very existence of true Christianity, — nay, to true morality — if, by that term, we mean a conformity to the moral law. Let us now inquire whether Unitarianism or Trinita- rianism most tends to exalt the character of Christ, whicli of the two systems places his mediation in the most im- portant light, and which represents iis as most indebted to his undertaking. * John xiv. 21. t 1 Peter i. 8. } Eph. vi. 24. rofess to believe in the divine unity, as much as they do in Christianity. Uut they consider a oneness oi person, as well as of essence, to be essential to the unity of God ; and therefore cannot acknowledge us as Unitarians. And we consider the Deity and Atonement of Christ as essential to Christianity ; and therefore cannot acknowledge them as Christians." — Fuller's Calvinistic and 8ocinian Systems, p. 170. (4.) p. 8. — Considerations on Difference of Opinion, sec. i. (5.) p. 8. — The following is the Title of a Pamphlet published a few years ago, by Dr. Drummond, of Dublin : — "The doctrine of the Trinity founded neither on Scripture, nor on reason and common sense, hnt on tradition, &c." Again in Rammohun Roy's Final Appeal, p. 354, we read, "The doctrine of the Trinity appears to me so obviously unscriptural, that I am pretty sure, from my own experience and that of others, that no one possessed of merely common sense wiU fail to find its unscripturality after, ike." (6.) p. 13. — Letters to the Philosophers and Politicians of France, p. 38. (7.) p. 14. — Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever, Part II. preface, p. xiii. also Letter v. (8.) p. 16. — Sermons and Tracts by W. E. Channing, D.D. London, 1828. pp. 67, 71, 72, 73. (9.) p. 17. — Lindsey's Apology, chap. ii. (10) p. 18. — " Monthlv Review" of Bishop Horsley's Sermon, March, 1793. (11.) p. 20.— Quoted by Mr. Blackwall, as cited in Fuller. (12.) p. 20.— Ibid. (13.) p. 19. — " Let any of the followers of these worthy interpreters of the (iospcl, and chamjjions of Christianity," (adds Mr. Blackwall, by way of re- flection,) " speak worse, if they can, of the ambiguous oracles of the father of lies. These fair-dealing-gentlemen first disguise the sacred writers, and turn them into a harsh allegory ; and then charge them with that obscurity and in- consistency which is plainly consequent upon that sense, which their interpre- tations force upon them. They outrage the divine writers in a double capacity : first, they debase their sense, as theologues and commentators, and then carp at, and vilify their language as grammarians and critics." — .Sacred Classics, Part ii. chap. v. I 58 APPENDIX. (14.) p. 19. — Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever, Part ii. pp. 33 — 35, (15) p. 20. — See Magee on the Atonement, vol. ii., pp. 419, 420, fifth edition, 1832. (16.) p. 23. — " In no sense whatever, not even in the lowest of all, is Christ so much as called God, in all the New Testament." — Priestley's Letters to Mr. Burn, Lett. i. (17.) p. 28. — Tliat which is called sin by Unitarians, must consist chiefly, if not entirely, in the irregularity of a man's outward conduct ; else they could not suppose, as Dr. Priestley does, that "Virtue bears the same proportion to vice that happiness does to misery, or health to sickness, in the world." — Let- ters to a Philosophical Unbeliever, vol. i.. Let. v. — That is, that there is much more of the former than of the latter. (18.) p. 28. — I do not see how Unitarians, while they speak of moral evil in so diminutive a style, can possibly conceive of it after the manner of the in- spired writers, as " an evil and a bitter thing ;" or, as it is expressed in that remarkable phrase of the Apostle Paul, " Eaceeding sinful." This expression is very forcible. It resembles the phrase ^^far more exceeding," or rather excessively exceeding in 2 Cor. iv. 7. It seems that the Holy Spirit himself could not find a worse name for sin than its own. (19.) p. 32. — Channing's Discourses, London, 1833, x. and xi. on Love to Christ; also Sermons and Tracts by the same, London, 1828, p. 114. (20.) p. 33. — Mr. Lindsey's Catechist, Inquiry 6. (21.) p. 33. — See Mr. Toulmin's Sermon on the death of Mr. Robmson, pp. 47, 56. (22.) p. 33. — See Mr. Belsham's Sermon on the " Importance of Truth," pp. 4, 32. (23.) p. 33. — For specimens of this, see Notes to the " Improved Version," passim. Especially Note on Heb. xiii. 25. (24.) p. 33. — Doctrine of Necessity, p. 133. (25.) p. 34. — Histoiy of the Corruption of Christianity, vol. i. p. 155. (26.) p. 35. — Mrs. Barbauld's Answer to Mr. Wakefield. (27.) p. 35. — Dr. Harwood's Sermons, p. 93. (28.) p. 35. — Doctrine of Necessity, p. 153. (29.) p. 37. — Channing's Sermons and Tracts, p. 155. (30.) p. 37. — "For it is notorious, and it will require no small degree of hardihood to deny it, that from those who have professed Unitarianism in England, the largest stock of unbelievers liave arisen ; nay more, that their principal Academy, the place in which Unitarian principles were inculcated in their greatest purity, and with every advantage of zealous ability in the teacher, and of imbiassed docility in the learner, has borne witness to the efficacy of those principles, by its dissolution, imperioiislg demanded hy the prevalence of infidel opinions. Now in what way shall we account for this event ? Was Unitarianism not properly taught at Hackney ? Or, with all its vaunted simplicity, is it a scheme so difficult to conceive, that the learners, not being a])le to comprehend it rightly, became unbelievers from not having been firmly grounded ? Howsoever it be explained, the fact is incontrover- tible, and serves not a little to countenance the idea, that the road to Uni- APPENDIX. 59 tarianism differs from that which leads to infidelity by so slight a distinction, that the traveller not untVequently mistakes his way." — Magee on the Atone- ment, vol. ii. pp. 391, 392. "What other tendency, may we ask, than to promote infidelity can such a commentary as the following have, — in which the inspiration of the apostle Thomas is boldly denied ? " 'And Thomas answered and said unto him. My Lord and my God.' The great stress laid on this text is no evidence of a good and well-supported cause. Thomas, overpowered with astonishment, and too full of emotion to give an orderly arrangement to his thoughts, breaks out into the sudden excla- mation, ]My Lord ! and my God ! and theologians build an essential doctrine on this passionate language o/" ax uninspired man ! Whether Tliomas ad- dressed Jesus in the first clause of the sentence. My Lord ! and then in a pious rapture looked up to heaven and exclaimed, my God ! or whether he left the sentence unfinished, through the force of his feelings, so that his precise mean- in!^ cannot be ascertained, I will not determine." — Channing's Sermons and Tracts, p. 130. (31.) p. 37. — History of Baptism, p. 47. (32.) p. 39. — Lord Shaftesbury insinuates, that the Heathen Magistrates, in the first ages of Christianity, might have been justly offended " With a notion which treated them, and all men, as profane, impious, and damned, who entered not into particular modes of worship, of which there had been formerly so many thousand kinds instituted, all of them compatible, and soQiable till that time." — Characteristics, vol. I, sec. iii. (33.) p. 39. — Priestley's Dififerences in Religious Opinions, sec. ii. (3-1.) p. 42. How pleasant must it be, for instance, to the profligate or the sceptic to reail such a passage as the following: — The word hell, which is used so seldom in the sacred pages, and which, as critics will tell you, does not occur once in the writings of Paul, Peter, and John, which we meet only in four or five discourses of Jesus, and which all persons acquainted with Jewish Geography, know to be a metaphor, a figure of speech, and not a literal expression, this word, by a perverted and exaggerated use, has done unspeakable injury to Christianity. — Channing's Sermons and Tracts, p. 257. — It would be ludicrous, were not the subject so unspeakably awful, to observe the shifts by which these Unitarian divines endeavour to get rid of the plain scripture testimony to eternal punishment. The word in the original, to which the Doctor in the above passage limits his observation, as being always connected with the notion of penal retribution, is manifestly Gehenna, there being another word also rendered in our version by the term Hell, that is Hades. Let us, however, follow the Doctor in his criticism, and see to what it amounts. — First, this word has been onli/ used by the inspired WTiters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and James, and by our Lord himself in four or five of his discourses. The imiilied inference is that, because it is onlg used by these, it is a word of minor importance, and not worthy of having any Christian doctrine or Scripture argument founded upon it. — Secondly, this word was derived from a particular place connected with particular facts. It was derived from the valley of Hinnom, once the seat of the cniel idolatries of the worshippers of Moloch, and after the time of Josiah given up to desecra- tion and a curse, set apart for the reception of all tliat was vile and refuse, the uuhuried malefactor, the jiutrifying carcase, the filth and offal of Jerusalem ; a place where continual fires were kept burning to prevent the pestilential communication. Hence the name of this place was aptly taken to express the region of future torment, the accursed place, the place of all that was vHe (>() Al'l'ENDIX. and aboniiiirtl)le, the j)lace of perpetual fire : and hence Dr. Channing's second easy solution of its most awful a])piication. It is a matter of Jewish Geo- gra])hy ; it is a metajjhor ; it is a mere figure of speech. But now let us, Thirdly, consider two or three of those ])assages thus lightly disposed of. In Matt. X. 28, we read — " Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Again, in another discourse, Luke xii. 5 — " Fear him which, after he hath killed, hath jiower to cast into hell." Is the place spoken of in these passages a mere matter of " Jewish Geography ?" Again, in Jlatt. xviii. 8, 9. " Rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into ever- lasting fire," or "having two eyes to be cast into hell f re." Is this nothing but an affair of "Jewish Geography?" Again, in Mark ix. 43. — "Than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Is this only metaphor, a mere figure of speech } .Still further. Matt, xxiii. 33. — " How can ye escape the damnation of hell.' " There is no cause of alarm, however ; it is nothing but a geographical metaphor! Oh ! is it not awful, is it not pitiable, to hear men thus cheated out of the warning voice of the Saviour of sinners, of Him that " hath the keys of hell and of death," and whose word shall judge in the last day } But it is said, Peter has not used this word. Peter has certainly not used this express term Gehenna, but he has adopted a term for the same idea of equal, if not of yet more fearful import, 2 Pet. "ii. 4. — "For if God .spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them dovm to hell." The w-ord which the Apostle uses in this jilace is borrowed, not from the Jews, but from the term by which the Heathens ex- pressed the place of future torment ; and seems chosen as the oiJy Greek word corresponding to the idea he wished to convey, A.yCKu ceipats t,0(bov TaoTapuxras. This word can certainly have no geographical solution. But Paul and John have not used this word. Granted that they have not ; but liave they not repeatedly referred to the thing which the word implies .' What means then the fearful picture in 2 Thess. i. 7, 8, 9 — "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance 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." And what is the import of the language of the Apocalj'pse } " Cast alive into the lake of fire" Rev. xix, 20, xx, 10 — " This is the second death." Rev, xx. 14, 15. But this is the ve:y trick and subtlety of this vmscriptural system, to turn us aside from the vast realities, the actual verities of revelation, to a minute questioning and criticism of the primary meanings and composition of words. But we are not ignorant of their devices. (35.) p. 44.— Mr. D. Le\d's Letters to Dr. Priestley, p. 82. (36.) p. 45.— Ibid, p. 24. (37.) p. 46. — Letters to a Philosophical Unbeliever, Part ii. p. 33 — 35. (38.) p. 46.— Defence of Unitarianism, 1787, p. 111. (39.) p. 47. — " Monthly Review" of Edward's Histoiy of Redemption, vol. Ixxx. art. 68. (40.) p. 55. — See Belfrage's " Unitarianism a perversion of the Gospel." INTEGRITY Ol' Til K CANON OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED AGAINST UNITARIAN OBJECTIONS: A LECTURE, DELIVERED ly CHRIST CHURCH, HUNTER STREET, LIVERPOOL, ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEB. 13, 1839. yiix THE REV. THOMAS TATTERSHALL, D.l) MINISTER OK ST. AIGUSTINE's, EVl^PTON, AND LATE FELLOW OF OUEEN's COLLEGE, CAMBRIDCK. Ur.lNCi THE SECOND OF THE SEllIES ON THE " UXITARIAN CONTROVERSY,' BV SEVERAL CLERGYMEN OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. LIVERPOOL : PUBLISHED BY HENRY PERRIS, CIIUIUH STHEKT. 1839. The following Sermon has undergone such alterations only as were calcu- lated, in the opinion of the Author, to express more clearly the meaning he wished to convey. No alteration, however, has been made in the substance of any argument employed, or sentiment advancetl. PUINTKn BY H. PKRRtS. CHtTRCH STREET, LIVERPOOL. LECTURE II. THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED AGAINST UNITARIAN OBJECTIONS. BY THE REV. THOMAS TATTERSHALL, D.D. AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN JEHUDI HAD READ THREE OR FOUR LEAVES, HE CUT IT WITH THE PENKNIFE, AND CAST IT INTO THE FIRE THAT WAS ON THE HEARTH, UNTIL ALL THE ROLL WAS CONSUMED IN THE FIRE THAT WAS ON THE HEARTH."— Jer. xxxvi. 23. The passage of Scripture History, of which the text is a part, may be thus summarily stated. Although the idola- tries and sins of Judah had provoked the Lord Jehovah, to declare His purpose of removing " that kingdom out of His sight, as He had formerly removed the kingdom of Israel:'^* yet it pleased Him, nevertheless, first, graciously to warn them of the judgment which impended over their heads ; " if so be they might hearken, and turn every man from his e\\{ way," that God also might himself " repent him of the evil which He purposed to do unto them, be- cause of the evil of their doings.'^f In the execution of this truly benevolent, but arduous and thankless office, the Prophet Jeremiah had been en- gaged, during the chief part of the reign of Josiah ; and also, after the decease of that pious monarch, during about three years of the reign of his son Jehoiakim, who, alas ! though the successor of Josiah on his throne, was not the inheritor of his piety. * 'i Kings xxiii. 2^- + Jeremiah xxvi. S. 62 THE INTEGRITY CF THE CAXON Unhappily, however, the people of Judah gave little heed to the warnings of the Prophet, though spoken in the name of the Lord, and the period was fast approaching, when Jehovah would pour contempt upon their stoutness of heart and unbelief, by bringing to pass the judgment which he had threatened against them. Yet still, willing to aiford them another, though it must now be a final warning and opportunity of escape, the Lord thus commands his servant the Prophet. "Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I pur- pose to do unto them ; that they may return every man from his evil way ; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.^^* And we learn that in obedience to this com- mand ^' Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah : and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him upon a roll of a book.^'t It was necessar)', that the contents of the volume thus written, should now be published, with a solemnity suitable to the occasion, to the people. And that particular time was selected for the purpose, when it might have been hoped, that the endeavour to make an impression upon their minds, Avould prove most successful. Accordingly we find that Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying : — " Go thou, and read in the roll which thou hast MTittcn from my mouth, the words of the Lord in the ears of the people, in the Lord's house, upon the fasting day : and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities."J And in obedience to this command of the Pro- * V, 2, 3. -f \. *. J V. 6. OF HOLY SCRIPTLItE MAINTAINED. G3 phet, Banich " read in the book the words of Jeremiah, in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, attlie entry of the new gate of the Lord's house, in the ears of all the people."* Intelligence of this solemn proceeding Avas speedily brought to the Princes, who were sitting in the scribe's chamber, in the King's house ; and who immediately sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, to request Baruch to come and read a second time, in their own hearing, the words which he had before read to the people. The Princes, who appear to have been deeply affected and alarmed, by the warning they had thus received, pro- ceeded to inform the King of Avhat had occurred; having first, however, knowing the resentment which was likely to be kindled in his mind, by such a communication, taken the precaution of advising both Baruch and Jeremiah, to retire into some place of concealment. The monarch, on hearing the account of the transactions which had taken place, im- mediately sent Jehudi to fetch the roll, which had been left in the scribe's chamber, and Jehudi then "^ read it in the ears of the King, and in the ears of all the Princes which stood beside the King.^f The conduct of the King, on this occasion of a\A-ful in- terest and terrible solemnity, when he was standing upon the brink of destruction, and hearing, for the last time, the voice of a compassionate God, who willed not the destruc- tion which he had threatened, but had rather that both the King and his people should turn unto Him and be saved, is the next particular related in this remarkable history. "The King," it is said, "sat in the winter-house, and there was a fire on tlie hearth burning before him. And it came to pass that when Jehudi had read tliree or four 64 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the iire that was on the hearth/^* On the spirit by which the king was actuated, and which exhibited itself, in conduct so awfully insulting to the majesty of the Lord Jehovah, I shall not enlarge, further than to observ^e, that it must have had its origin in Unbelief. The judgments threatened against him, were not only painful to his feelings and wounding to his pride, but they were opposed also, to his most cherished sentiments of confidence in his own power and wisdom. He thought himself secure, and able both to defy and to overcome any enemy which could come against him ; and any decla- ration, with whatever pretensions advanced, which was at variance with this assured confidence, seems to have ap- peared to him to bear the impress of falsehood, and there- fore not to admit of being regarded as a divine message, or possessing divine authority. Hence, therefore, he angrily refused to receive it, as having any claims upon his atten- tion, and contemptuously cut out of the record, in which it was contained, first one portion and then another, and cast them into the fire till the whole was consumed. Brethren, I have selected the portion of Scripture which you have heard, and made upon the passage itself, and upon its context, the preceding observations, intending them to serve as a preface to some further remarks, which I shall now proceed to offer, upon the subject which has been announced as purposed to be brought before you this evening, and which has been expressed in the follow- ing terms: — The Integrity of the Canon of Holy Scripture maintained against Unitarian Objec- tions. And my reason for so doing is, that the conduct, with which we have to charge the parties, with whose OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 65 tenets we are now concerned, bears a lamentably near resemblance to that of Jehoiakim on the occasion already referred to. They too, like him, have suffered their o^vn prejudices to overcome, M'hat must otherwise have been the thorough conviction of their minds ; and have ventured, on grounds of no validity, to reject certain portions of Holy Scripture, and refuse to receive them as of di\'ine authorit}', or act upon the sacred truths which they reveal. It will be my duty on the present occasion, bearing in remembrance the nature of the audience which I now address, and considering that, perhaps, the greater portion of them, are little conversant with discussions of this nature, to endeavour to make the subject ^\ith which I have l^een entrusted as plain and simple as possible ; in order that thus, one principal source of those errors, with the exposure of which we are concerned, in this series of Lectures, may be clearly perceived and understood by you all. And I shall, therefore, endeavour I. To EXPLAIN WHAT IS MEANT BY THE CaNON OF Holy Scripture. n. To SHOW the duty of preserving it IN ITS IN- TEGRITY. ni. To POINT OUT, IN ONE OR TWO PROMINENT IN- STANCES, THE MANNER IN WHICH IT HAS BEEN VIO- LATED BY Unitarians. Let us, therefore, proceed L To EXPLAIN WHAT IS MEANT BY THE CaNON OF Holy Scripture. And here I will commence by obser\ang, that the great truths of rehgion — that is, of the Christian rehgion — are not a matter of human discovery ; that is, are not dis- coverable by man, by the mere exercise of his own un- assisted reason. 66 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CAXOX There are^, indeed, some truths of rehgion, and those of primary importance, with which the case is altogether dif- ferent ; which fall quite within the range of the intellectual vision of man ; and the proofs and evidences of which, he open to the observation of everj^ reflecting mind. For assuredly there do exist, in the works of nature and of Providence, those obvious marks of design, and that design harmonious, wise and benevolent, which, to a mind duly contemplating them, would not fail to convey the assurance of the existence of a Creator : a Creator, one, alone, and unrivalled — a Creator of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness ; to whom all creatures stand in the relation of property ; on whom they must ever be dependent ; and to whom, therefore, their submission, their services, and their gratitude are due. Let me not, however, M'hile I make this admission, make myself subject to misapprehension. Let me not be supposed to express the belief, that the particular truths which I have admitted to lie within the range of the intellectual vision of man, have ever, in any instance, become actually known to man, as a matter of discovery, by the simple exercise of his own intellectual powers. We have no sufficient evidence to give support to any such supposition, and I believe the contrary to be the fact. I believe that, in practice, the knowledge of the attributes of the Deity, and especially of the Unity of the Godhead, wherever that knowledge has existed, has been derived, at least in the way of suggestion, either directly or indirectly, from another sovirce (to which our attention must presently be directed), that of revelation ; and that it has not been, until the mind of man has been turned into this particular direction, and may be said to have looked into the book of nature for proofs of a thing known, rather tlian to discover things previously unknown, that it has beheld therein notices of truths, which had been OV HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. GJ altogether overlooked before. It has seen, however, that those truths were^ in their own nature, as well as also in their evidence, independent of revelation ; and in due order of arrangement, antecedent to it; and it may be added, that it is upon the knowledge of God thus studied in this great book of instruction, the book of nature and providence, although it may not have been, in the first instance, liractically derived from it, that must be built, and to the same knowledge must be brought^ as a test to tr}'' its correctness, all further instruction, however com- municated, respecting the same great and Almighty Being, and the relations of mankind towards Him. But there are other truths, and these constituting the distinguishing part of the Christian religion, which could not have been discovered in this manner. Perhaps the existence of sin, and the extent of God's displeasure against it, ought to be reckoned among this number. But whether this be so or not, there can be no doubt that every thing which relates to the pardon of sin, every thing which relates to tlie restoration of man to that di\dne image from which he has fallen, is to be so reckoned. Ever)" thing too which exhibits the principle upon which God is pleased to act in the forgiveness of sin ; every thing which demonstrates the harmony of that principle with those of his moral government of the M'orld ; and which points out the method by which such forgiveness is con- veyed, secured, and evidenced; all these, and many other particulars, are to be excluded altogether from the region of even possible human discovery ; all these must have become known to us in some manner totally different from the mere deductions of reason. In other words — we should never have knowTi these things unless they had been told us. The knowledge of them must have been communicated to man by God himself. It could proceed 68 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON from no other quarter. It must be purely matter of reve- lation. It must be the substance of a message sent from God, declaring his will and purposes towards man, and could have been derived from no other source of informa- tion. It is, however, matter of notoriety — and moreover, of just self-congratulation, among all who bear the name of Christians — that they are in possession of, what they be- Ueve to be, correct information upon these subjects, the importance of which none will venture to deny. And the question with which we are at present concerned, relates to the mode in which that knowledge has been com- municated to us, and to the grounds upon which we believe it to be in reality, what it must of necessity be by profession, a message sent from God. Now, there are various channels through which this knowledge, in less or greater measures, reaches us as indi- viduals ; but there is one general and principal source of that information, from which all other, ought, at least, to profess to be derived, — namely, the Holy Scriptures ; respecting which I observe as follows : — A certain volume reaches our hands ; and we look into it ; and we find that it professes (under different forms, all however having the same general bearing, and tending to the same object) to furnish full information respecting the above momentous particulars. We see, also, that this volume consists, not of one, but of many parts or separate treatises, bearing the names of different authors. And the first reflection which naturally presents itself to our minds, is obviously the following: — Here is a matter in which I have a deep personal interest. If this volume really is what it professes to be, no words can express the importance of my becoming thoroughly acquainted wdth its contents, and implicitly following its instructions. The OF HOLY SCRIPTl'UE MAINTAINED. (19 pretensions of this volume, therefore, require to be inves- tigated by me witli all care and diligence. I may be allowed, therefore, 1. To peruse these books, and examine their contents; and to see whether they are consistent with themselves. I must, of course, in an examination of this kind, lay aside altogether all prejudices of my own, and allow the authors to speak wholly for themselves. I must also take every thing they say, in the sense which it really appears to have been intended to bear, and then candidly judge whe- ther they do or do not agree with themselves throughout. Because nothing, I am sure, can come from God, which has not this character of consistency with itself. I may add, also, that any message coming from God, must also be consistent with the character of the same Holy Being, as exhibited in his works. I may also be allowed, 2. To inquire into the history" of these books, and see whether they did really proceed from their professed authors, whose names they bear ; or whether they are a forgery, fabricated for some purpgse of imposition. And I may be permitted in like manner, 3. To inquire whether these authors, with respect to their position and circumstances, were so situated, as to be able to obtain correct information on the particulars which they relate : and further, which is a question of not less importance, whether they were persons of cha- racter and credit, whose veracity may be depended upon : so that whatever they relate, whether as a fact or as an opinion, must be held to be true as a reality or as a matter of conviction, simply because they have so related it. And 1 may also be permitted, 4. To examine whether these books, in their original languages, are now in a perfect or a mutilated state; whether L 70 THE INTEGRITY OF TIIK CAXOX they have undergone any alterations, or whether we have them now as they proceeded from the pen of their authors. Now these, I say, are legitimate subjects of inquir}^, respecting the several parts of the volume of Sacred Scripture. They are more : — they are iiecessary : — they are essential. Such inquiries cannot be dispensed with, nor can they be pursued too far, or prosecuted with a too searching scratiny ; provided only they be undertaken, and followed up in a spirit of candour, and with an anxious desire, not to hnd support to any favourite system, but to ascertain the truth wherever it may be fovmd to present itself; and a fixed determination to deal honestly with all the e^ddence, of whatever kind, which may form the sub- ject of examination. Let us then, brethren, now suppose these inquiries to have been made; and the result of them, in each instance, to be in the affirmative of the several propositions, to which they respectively refer: there will then arise one or two further inferences, out of the very nature of the contents of these books or writings themselves. It will follow, first, that the lessons of truth or religion, taught in these Scriptures, are of divine authority. For these books contain, in some ^Bxis, prophecies or predictions of future events ; and in other parts, accounts of the fulfil- ment of those prophecies or predictions, in many instances, after the lapse of centuries : which is proof sufficient, that those persons who delivered such prophecies, were possessed of a wisdom which could only have proceeded from God. And, therefore, whatever lessons of instruction or doctrines they teach us, these doctrines being themselves wise and holy, must have been delivered under a divine sanction, and, therefore, possess divine authority. In like manner these books contain accounts of miracles, or the perform- ance of works which imply a suspension of the ordinary OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. /I laws of nature. Now no suspension of the laws which God has established, and maintains in continual operation, could take place otherwise than by the express permission, or rather the co-operation of God himself: and the person, therefore, who performs such miracles, must be acting under the immediate sanction of the great Lord of the Universe ; and if he also teach lessons — lessons worthy of God — these lessons undoubtedly come to us clothed with divine authority. And it will also follow, secondly, that the same writings are inspired of God. Declarations to the effect that their authors were under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit, are found in various parts of the writings themselves ; which declarations, being themselves already admitted to be true and credible, establish at once the point in question : and it, therefore, follows further, as an additional and very important consequence, that these writings deserve and require to be received as containing the very Word of God ; and all the lessons which they contain have precisely the same authority, as if they had proceeded, at once and immediately, from the lips of the Almighty himself. Hence, then, these writings come to be esteemed Sacred, and to constitute what we call the Canon of Scripture. The word Canon is a Greek term, meaning a Rule; and by the use of it in this connexion, it is simply intended to express the idea, that these Sacred Scrip- tures form the Rule or standard of a Christian's faith and practice. They are the fountain, from which he is to draw the knowledge of all those truths which he must " beheve to the saving of his soul," and of all those duties in which he is " to walk and to please God." But before I proceed to the second part of tliis dis- course, I must return, for a few moments, to one of those J2 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CAXOX subjects of inquiry, to which I have ah-eady referred, as beinghoth legitimate in themselves, and essential to the esta- blishment of the Canon of Scripture. I mean that which relates to the question, whether these wnritings are now in a perfect or mutilated state ; whether, as we have them now, they are the same, without addition, diminution, or material and designed alteration, as they proceeded from the pen of their authors ; or, in other words, to the question of the genuineness of the Books of Holy Scrip- ture. And I do this for the purj)ose of offering some remarks, upon the manner in which an inquiry of this nature must be conducted. Such an inquiry, it is obvious, must relate, directly and immediately, to the Scriptures in their original languages ; and it should be remarked, that it is wholly of a literary character, and, in no sort whatever, different from the species of investigation which must be instituted and performed, in order to ascertain the genuine- ness of the productions of any other author, whether sacred or profane. Suppose then we have in our hands a copy of one of the gospels, or a copy of some work of any ancient author, and we fix upon some particular passage in that copy, and wish to ascertain whether that passage was really contained in the work at first : — In what manner should we proceed with such an inquiry ? This is the question now before us, and to which I wish to invite your close attention. We live in an age when books are greatly multiplied through the introduction of the art of printing ; and the works of authors of note pass through many editions. AVell — it would 1)6 a method sufficiently obvious, perhaps, to look first, into such various modern printed editions as we can pro- cure, and see whether the passage in question is contained in them. We should then consider ourselves, I conceive, naturally directed next, to former, and then in succession to OF HOLY SCUIPTITRE MAINTAIXEI). 7-^ still earlier editions, until we come to the time of the inven- tion of printing. Advancing from that period upwards, we are confined to manuscript, or written copies only. Of these we may examine all that we can obtain, proceeding from those of a more modern, to those of a more ancient date, until we arrive at the time in which our author flourished. And if we find, in the course of this inquir^^, but few in- stances of copies in which the passage in question is omitted ; and if, especially, we find no instance of such omission in those manuscripts which appear to be most correct, we may then, it would seem, conclude, with moral certainty at least in favour of such conclusion, that our passage is genuine, and tliat it did really constitute a part of the author's original. It is, however, a possible case that there may be no ma- nuscripts so ancient as the date of the author ; and it is evident that, in such an instance, we can proceed only so far as to the oldest we can obtain ; and our conclusion, drawn from these sources, will be of the same kind as before. It may also occur, that Ti'anslations of the work un- der examination, may have been made into different lan- guages ; of which translations copies may be found ; and if these also contain the particular passage, which is the sub- ject of investigation, they will evidently furnish a strong corroborative testimony in its favour. And a very important additional testimony, to the same effect, will be supplied, if the same passage is found to be referred to ; and more especially if it is quoted in express terms by other ancient wTiters. Here, however, I would venture to ask one question, which shall be as follows : — Let it be supposed, that after a diligent and long continued research of the above nature, all the direct evidence possible — the evidence of every 74 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON edition, of every manuscript copy (these amounting to se- veral hundreds), and of every translated version (some of these also being very ancient) in existence, without excep- tion is found to lie uniformly the same ; and the whole to be in favour of the genuineness of some p)articular passage of a work which is under examination ; suppose, too, that this passage is quoted or referred to by other ancient au- thors. But let it be supposed, also, that in reading some authentic history, we find that mention is made of some person or persons, who possessed one or more copies of this same work, in which it is declared, that this particular passage did not exist : would such a fact appear sufficient to render the genuineness of the passage in any consider- able degree liable to suspicion ? I am inclined to think the contrary would be the case. But let us suppose, further, that the historian who informs us of the existence of these manuscripts, should be found, in speaking of some of them, not to have said that the passage in question was wanting, but to have made a remark bearing a totally different sense ; and also that the same historian, in speaking of the remainder of these manuscripts, should have informed us, in distinct terms, that they were not entire and perfect, but corrupted and mu- tilated, in which statement he is also borne out by all other historical testimonies relating to the same subject; and let me then ask — What is the conclusion, at which a candid mind would arrive, to be drawn from such premises as these ? Would any of you, brethren, think such a mode of rea- soning as the folloAving to be warranted and just ? " It is true, that all the manuscripts and all the versions now in existence, without any exception, support the passage con- cerning which I am making my inquiries ; but because I have learnt that some well-known garblers and interpo- lators of antiquity, had some copies of the work of my OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAIXTAINED. ^5 author, in an altered and mutilated form, which altered copies did not contain the passage in question ; therefore I must consider that passage as of doubtful authority?" Does not the absurdity of such reasoning appear, in a manner too glaring to require to 1)e pointed out ? Does it not appear at once, that the mere negative evidence against the genuineness of a passage, which is svipposed to be afforded by the absence of that passage from certain copies of a work, avowedly altered and mutilated, cannot weigh one feather, against the whole accvmiulated mass of positive evidence in its favour, which is supplied, by its existence, in every known copy of the same work, in its entire and perfect state ? Is it within the limits of ra- tionality to admit or entertain, for a moment, a doubt of the genuineness of the passage in question, for any reason, (or rather no reason) of this kind ? And supposing even further, that in addition to our knowledge of the character of the possessors of these copies of the mutilated work, we have other and totally independent reasons for believing that some part of this omitted passage must be genuine; and yet further still, supposing that the very first sentence in these garbled copies, is known to have contained a gross and palpable error: — Is it, I again ask, within the limits of rationality, upon the strength of such evidence, to admit 07ie part of the passage to be genuine, and assert the remainder to be spurious ? Surely if the evidence of these garbled copies is of any force at all, in a question of this nature, it must be of force against one part of the passage as well as against the other : and if it is not worthy to be relied upon in the former case, so neither is it in the latter. My reason for making these observations will appear hereafter. But it is time that we proceed to the second part of our discourse, in which it was proposed. 70 TlIK IXTEORirY OF THE CANOX II. To SHOW THE DUTY OF PRESERVIXG THE CaXOX OF Scripture ix its ixtegrity. On this part of our subject, it will not be necessary to treat at any considerable length. It will at once appear obvious to every reflecting mind, that as soon as it is clearly ascertained, that we are in possession of the genuine Avorks of any inspired author, it can no longer remain a question, what parts of his writings are to be received as of divine authority, and what parts are not to be so received. It will follow, as an inevitably necessary conse- quence, that the entire work must be regarded as the '^WoRD of God," and that every part of it is entitled to that unsophisticated simplicity of receptioa, that profound respect, that unhesitating credit, that ready obedience which cannot be withheld, without aff'ront to that diAnne wisdom and authority from whence it proceeded. To do otherwise, would be altogether absurd, as well as impious in the extreme. If, indeed, the whole sum of divine truth were known to us, independently of the Volume of Inspira- tion, we might then detect any redundant parts by which that volume might be supposed to be encumbered. But, where then would be any need, or any use of Revelation at all? But, while, on the contrary, we can know nothing of the truths pecuhar to Christianity, except what we are taught — taught too, in this ver}' Volume of Scripture now in our hands, and which we acknowledge to be inspired of God : to take upon ourselves to select portions of that inspired record, and to say this we will, and this we will not believe : is evidently a proceeding which admits of no rational defence. It is not merely to place the learner in a position superior to his teacher, but to make him the arbiter of the science itself which he is professing to learn. OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 77 It is to place the creature of a day, in the attitude of dictating to the Almighty, what //ie sltall teach, and what He shall not teach. It is to assume a jDrerogative superior to that wliich belongs to omniscience. It is the climax of folly, ]iresumption, and impiety. " But suppose," — I Avill now imagine some inquirer or objector to demand. — "Suppose we should find in the writings of one or other of these authors, whom we regard as Inspired, some statement which is either self- contradictory, or which can be shown to be at variance with the truth : — What is then to be done ? Must we receive such a statement as true, when we know it to be false ? Is not this too much to demand of us ? Are we not at liberty to confine our credit to such parts of these writings, as our judgment determines to be established upon sufficient evidence ? And may we not reject the authority of passages of the character supposed?" Now, in answer to this inquiry, I obsersx : — that the case supposed, is one which cannot possibly occur in prac- tice or reality. The very idea of Inspiration is utterly opposed to all supposition of the presence of error. And should any really erroneous statement be found, in the genuine ^ATitings of a reputedly inspired author; that erroneous statement would be of itself proof sufficient and irrefragable, — that the author in question was not so en- tirely under the immediate teaching, and superintendence of Almighty God, as to he preserved from error : or, in other words, that he was not inspired. I admit, there- fore, according to the terms of the su})posed objection, that any erroneous statement, so discovered, must be re- jected, as claiming to be of divine authority : but I assert, that it must not be rejected alone. Such passages must, it is true, be excluded from the Canon of Scripture, but, together xrnth them must be excluded also the vjhole M 78 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON work in whicli tlicy are found. No ground, therefore, can be afforded by any genuine Ijook of inspired Scripture, for any such proceeding as that now supposed; that is, for the rejection of any of its single parts. Let a Book be once shown to be (/enuine, and admitted to be inspired, and it must tlien be received ivhole and entire, without rhutilation or alteration of any kind. 'The foregoing remarks, it is plain, can apply only to those passages, (supposing such to exist,) in any reputedly inspired author, which are either really self-contradictory, or containing statements really opposed to some historical, or other well-established and approved truth. And it may be Avorth while to remark, that they have no applica- tion whatever, to those which are apparently only, and not really such. Many statements, doubtless, are to be found in the Volume of Sacred Scripture, to Avhich this latter character may, in greater or less degrees, belong; which raiay be thought to involve a contradiction to themselves, or to established facts or principles, when such contradiction exists only in the imagination of the parties entertaining such an impression. The Scriptures, it is most true, do contain statements of facts, which have no parallel in any other historical record ; which differ, in their principal cir- cumstances, from any which have fallen under our own observation, or which occur in the ordinary course of nature. Such, in fact, are the statements which relate to the nature of God himself. Such are those, also, which relate to the miraculous Incarnation of our Lord, and to the union of the divine and human natures in Him: as well as many others. Statements of this kind, supposing them to be true, cause us to feel, in a more than usual degree, conscious of the very limited extent of our own intellectual capacities : and it may, perhaps, be more than suspected, that a secret OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 7^^ unwillingness to submit to this kind of humiliation, may so operate upon the minds of many, as to cause them to suppose many things to be erroneous, merely because they are mysterious ; or to be impossible, merely because the modes in which they subsist — not the facts themselves — (for the latter are often extremely plain, while the former far transcend the powers of human, or it may be, of even angelic intelligence) — arc not within the range of their in- tellectual comprehension. At the risk of being thought to diverge, in some de- gree, from the main purpose of this discourse, I will ven- ture to offer a few remarks on one of those doctrines of the Gospel, to which allusion has been already made, and Avhich are of this mysterious character : namely, the great and Cardinal Doctrine of the Trinity — the grand and characteristically Christian verity of God subsisting in three persons — a primary article of the belief of us, who consti- tute the vast majority of those who bear the Christian name, but impugned and denied by those, whose senti- ments are, in the present course of Lectures, to be brought under review. Now the plain statement of this doctrine is, that there is one God and one only — the single, the exclusive object of all lawfvd adoration and worship. And that this one God subsists in three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This statement will, I think, be allowed to be clear and intelligible : and because it is clear and intelligible, it is, therefore, capable of being liclicved, provided it be supported by proper and suffi- cient evidence. Let it be well observed, however, what I say. I do not say that the mode in which God subsists — that the manner, \n which God is one in substance, and three in personality, is clear and intelligible, but that the stnlcwent of the fact flad He does thus subsist is so — and 80 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON may, therefore, be received as true, provided the Scriptural evidence in its favour be also clear and unequivocal. But this doctrine is thought by some, to be self con- tradictory, and, therefore, incapable of being established by any proof, arising out of Scripture testimony. And, consequently, any passages of Scripture, which would seem to countenance it, must either be condemned as spurious, or so interpreted, as to be made to bear some different meaning. " How,^' it is asked, " can one be three, or three be one ?" Such a question contains its own answer. NoAV, in reply to such an inquiry, I answer at once, and make the concession without the smallest reserve or hesitation, that if it had been said, that God is one, and that He is also three, or that He is three and also one, in the same sense: — if it had been said that He is one God, and also three Gods ; or one Person, and also three Persons — then the statement would have been self contradictory, and no evidence could have established the truth of such a proposition. And had any genuine passages, of a reputed work of inspiration, been found making any such statement — those passages would have condemned, not themselves only, but the books in which they were contained. The doctrine in question, however, has no concern with any statement of this nature. It affirms that the same God, who is one, in one sense, is three in another sense ; that He is one in substance, three in person- ality. In this statement there exists no contradiction whatever ; and there is no reason, therefore, in the nature of the -proposition itself, why it should not be true. Well, but — How^ does God subsist in three Persons? — This is a question which I cannot answer. This is a particular concerning which God has given me no infor- OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 81 raation. This is a matter which He has not revealed. But agaui — "How can three different Persons subsist in the same essence ? Does not a distinction in personality necessarily imply an independence of subsistence also ?" — Now, to this I should reply thus : — According to the manner in which God has constituted man, — un- doubtedly, as applied to man, this question must be an- swered in the affirmative. But it does not thence follow, that it must be answered in the same manner when applied to God. It has not yet been proved that God and man must, in this respect, be alike ; that because one man does subsist in one person only, therefore one God must subsist in one person only. " What, then,^' it may, perhaps, be asked, " do you mean by the term person, as thus applied?^' I gladly answer the question : first of all premising, that I use this- term, merely because language supplies no better. Nor is it wonderful that such should be the case ; that terms invented to express ideas of objects which come within the limited range of human observation, should be found, not fully appropriate, when applied to an object far removed beyond the limits of that range, namely, to the great Creator of the Universe. By the use of the term Person, then, I mean a sub- ject in which resides what I shall take the liberty of calling an entire set or series of those properties which are imderstood to constitute personality : namely, the property of life, that of intelligence, that of voli- tion, and that of activity, or power of action. Where these properties are present, there is personality; and nothing is a person, in which these properties arc wanting. Now, it is (|uite true, that one such set or series of 82 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON properties only resides in each individual of ourselves; and, therefore, one man is no more than one person. But with God it is otherwise. I find in the Sacred Scriptures, the Word of Inspiration, three such sets, or series of properties, ascribed to God ; each series being distinguished from the other two, and each connected with an appropriate term of distinction. And I, there- fore, say, that God subsists in three persons. How these three distinct series of personal properties, reside in the same great subject — God — is a question which I cannot resolve. Bvit if I were asked how One such series resides in man., I should be under the necessity of acknow- ledging my utter ignorance of this also. I understand the mode in one case no more than in the other. I maintain that God could have created man with two such persona- lities, or any other number, had He seen fit so to do ; and that, therefore, to speak of one God subsisting in three persons, involves no contradiction whatever. There is, therefore, nothing in the doctrine of the Trinity, contrary, as the phrase is, to reason ; that is, con- trary to any fact or principle previously established, and of which reason has recognized and acknowledged the truth. And, consequently, those passages of Holy Scripture which contribute to establish that doctrine, either in whole or in its separate parts, do not supply any of that prima facie evidence against themselves, which should cause their genuineness to be suspected, or affect their title to be con- sidered as a part of the Canon of Inspired Scripture. On the contrary, if found in the copies, they must be received as the genuine Word of God, and their declarations must be believed, and submitted to, with all humility. We now proceed to the last head of our discourse, in which it was proposed — OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 83 III. To POINT OUT, IN ONE OR TWO PROMINENT INSTANCES, THE MANNER IN WHICH THE CaNON OF Scripture has been violated by Unitarians. And here I shall refer to the well-known publication, entitled, " The New Testament in an Improved Version, &c.;"and notice the rejection, from Canonical authority, of tvvo particular, and very important portions of Sacred Scripture, namely, — the latter part of the first, and the entire second chapter of the Gospel by St. Matthew, and the first two chapters of the Gospel by St. Luke, as ex- hiliited in that work. The objection manifested by Unitarians, against the contents of these chapters, is not to be wondered at; since it is ob\dous that, if they are genuine, and if they also de- clare, on divine authority, the truth, on the subject to which they relate, that system which represents Christ as merely a creature, like one of ourselves^ vanishes before them in a moment. But, perhaps, I may here be met with an objection in the outset, "lliis Improved Version," it may be said, " is of no authority. It was the work of two or three in- dividuals only, who are alone answerable for its contents.^^ Now if the fact stated in the latter part of this objec- tion be really the truth, then this celebrated publication certainly carries its condemnation upon its own forehead : for it professes, in the title page — I refer to the first edi- tion, printed in the year 1808 — to be " Published by a So- ciety for jn'onwlinff Christian knowledge and the -practice of virtue, by tlie distribution of books." And, if this pro- fession be a false one, no doubt, every honest Unitarian, as well as every Trinitarian, will join in the indignant reprobation of so gross an attempt to practice imposition 84 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON on the public. And some disavowal of this kind, was the more, in such case, to be expected ; because, in other subsequent editions, this part of the title underwent an alteration, — an alteration which, in my opinion, does credit to the parties who made it : and in which, for the sake of truth and honesty, I greatly rejoice ; inasmuch as, in its original form, it was calculated, and, I fear I must add, it seems to have been intended to mislead, and no^v stands thus: — '^Published by a Unitarian Society," &c. Moreover, in the " Introduction," prefixed to this work, we are informed, that a pul)lication of this kind had been long contemplated^ by more than one society ; and, that the present work, was executed under the sanc- tion of a Committee, the description of which would lead us to suppose that it was rather numerous. The state- ment itself is to the following effect : — "In the year 17^1? a society was formed in London, the professed design of Avhich was to promote religious knowledge, and the practice of virtue, by the distribution of books. Of this society, from its first origin, it had always been a principal object to publish an ' Improved Version of the Holy Scriptures,' and particularly of the New Testament." It appears, however, that this design was interrupted chiefly by the decease of the celebrated Mr. Gilbert Wakefield, and " for some time lay dormant, till it was resumed by another Society in the \^'est of England, which was formed upon the same principles with the society in London." This second attempt, also, proved abortive; but we are informed, that " The design of publishing an Improved Version of the New Testament was never totally aban- doned ; and it was resumed, with great unanimity and spirit, OP HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 85 at the annual meeting of the London society, in April, IROn, when a Committee was appointed, consisting of all the Ministers who were Members of the society, together with some gentlemen of the Laity, to carry the intentions of the society into effect, with all convenient dispatch ;" and the result was, of course, the publication of the pre- sent work. The above account has not, so far as I am aware, re- ceived any contradiction ; and I must, therefore, leave any statement which would imply, that this publication is a mere private aifair, with those whom it may concern. With regard, however, to the disclaimer of '^ authority " on behalf of this publication, I may be permitted to ask, what is the thing meant, by such disclaimer ? If nothing more be intended, than that those who call themselves Unitarians, are not under any compulsory obli- gation, to hold themselves responsible, for all the statements contained in this work: — this I gladly admit. I am quite sure, that no one ought to be bound by it, in any sense ivhatever ; and most gladly should I hear any of them say, that they repudiate it altogether. And this last is, in fact, the point which I should wish to ascertain. Do the par- ties who disclaim the authority of this work, really mean to say, that they disapprove of the work itself? — that they disavoio its principles, and the statements which are made in it, respecting the points now at issue between us ? This " Improved Version," for example, tells us that the portions of the Gospel of St. Matthew, and St. Luke, already alluded to, are of doubtful authority. Now — Do they really disclaim this statement? And do they mean at once to say, that they acknowledge the genuine- ness, and divine authority of these chapters, as much as of any other portion of the New Testament: and. 86 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON to declare their conviction that, whatever is contained in these chapters, is to he received as true, simply, because it constitutes a part of the work of these Evangelists ? If such be the case, I rejoice from my heart, and pray that the God of all grace, may bless the reading of this portion of His Word to their souls. But if, unhappily, this should not prove to be their meaning; if, while they disavow the authority of this publication, they still maintain the sentiments contained in it; we then stand, for all practical purposes, in the same position, as if its authority were ever so completely admitted. And, in speaking of the rejection of these chapters from canonical authority, we speak of the virtual work of the Unitarians of the present day, as truly, as of the actual work of the Unitarians of the last preceding generation : we speak of what the immediate predecessors of the present Unitarians have done, and of what they themselves ap2)rove. I will commence my remarks, therefore, with reading what is said, in a note on page 2, of this work, respecting the first two chapters of the Gospel by St. Matthew. " The remainder of this chapter (that is, all the verses after the first sixteen), and the whole of the second, are printed in Italics, as an intimation that they are of doubt- ful authority. They are indeed to be found in all the ma- nuscrif)ts and versions which are now extant ; but from the testimony of Epiphanius and Jerome, we are assured that they were wanting in the copies used by the Nazarenes and Ebionites, that is, by the ancient Hebrew Christians." Now here I beg you to observe that it is admitted that " these chapters are to be found in all the manuscripts and versions now extant." This, one surely Avould have imagined, to be tolerably clear evidence in their favour. And it might have been added, with truth, that quotations. OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 87 verbally accurate, from this portion of St. Matthew, occur in the Works of a Christian author, so early as Justin Mar- tyr, who was converted to Christianity soon after the year A.D. 130; and that there is contained in the writings of one of tlie Apostolic Fathers, Ignatius, himself a contem- porary of the Apostles, a distinct reference to the miracu- lous conception of our Lord by the Virgin Mar}", and also, to the appearance of the star at the time of his birth. But still, these chapters are, it seems, to be regarded as of doubtful authority (i, e. not to have been a part of Matthew's original), and the reason assigned is, that we are assured, by Epiphanius and Jerome, that they were want- ing in the copies used by the Nazarenes and Ebionites, who are described as the early Hebrew Christians. Now, here it is to be obsers-ed, first, that nothing can be more incorrect than to give to the Nazarenes, and Ebionites, the title of "The early Hebrew Christians." This title is, obviously, that which belongs rightfully to the original, or main body of Hebrew Christians. And, tliough it is true, that the early Hebrew Christians were called Nazarenes ; yet, this is not the application, in which that term M'as used by Epiphanius. On the contrary, we learn from Ecclesiastical History, that these Nazarenes and Ebionites, were originally one sect, though afterwards divided into two ; that they were, in fact, the successors of the Judaiziny Christians, so often denounced by the Apostle Paul; and that after the second destruction of Jerusalem, under the Emperor Adrian, they separated from the general community of the Christian Church, and formed a distinct sect, having their own pecuhar places and forms of worship, in which the law of Moses main- tained its primitive authority.* It appears to be assumed also, in this note, that the manuscript copies of the Gospel, in use among the Naza- * See Mosheim cent. i. part 2, chap. .>, s. 17. and cent. ii. part 2, c. .1, ss. 1, 2, .t 88 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CAXON renes and Ebionites were, in their contents, alike. And, that they were, properly speaking, Copies of the Gospel of St. Matthew, written in the Hebrew language, in which, there is every reason to believe, that Gospel was originally composed. Now, this assumption is either true, or it is erroneous. If the former be the case; it will then appear, as we shall presently see, both that the testimony of Epiphanius is inconsistent with itself, and also that Epiphanius and Jerome, so far from giving any such united testimony as that stated in the note, are altogether at variance with each other upon the subject. And, if the latter alternative be supposed to contain the truth ; then still the testimony of these two witnesses will not be consistent, and the assertion of the note, will still be found to contain a gross misrepresentation of the facts. Let us, then, take first the former alternative, and suppose these Gospels to be the same. And here then, I commence, by observing that it is a fact perfectly M'ell known to every reader of Ecclesiastical History, that the Gospel, if it must be so called, which was in use among the Ebionites, was the same work which was known by the title of " The Gospel according to the Hebrews," and was sometimes called, " The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles." The testimony of Epiphanius himself, to this effect, will be cited presently. In the mean time, it is to be observed, that if the Gospels in use by the Nazarenes and the Ebionites were the same, the Gospel used by the Nazarenes, must also have been that " accord- ing to the Hebrews." Now, what is the testimony of Epiphanius respecting the Gospel in use by the Nazarenes? I shall quote the passage as given by the Rev. Jeremiah Jones, in his invaluable work on the canonical authority of the New Testament. It is as follows: — OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 89 "■' They (i. e. the Nazarencs) have the Gospel of Matthew most entire in the Hebrew language among them: for this, truly, is still preserved among them, as it was at first, in Hebrew characters. But, I know not whether they have taken away the genealogy from Abraham to Christ."* What, again, is the testimony of the same writer, respect- ing the Gospel in use among the Ebionites ? It is this : — "In that Gospel which they (i. e. the Ebionites) have called the Gospel according to Matthew, Avhich is not entire and perfect, but corrupted and curtailed, which they call the Hebrew Gospel," ■\ &c., the inconsistency of the above testimonies of the same M'riter, if they refer to the same tcork, must be sufficiently obvious. But let us proceed : That in speaking of the Gospel used by the Ebionites, Epiphanius meant the same work which is called " The Gospel according to the Hebrews," appears from the fol- lowing passage : — " They (i. e. the Ebionites), also receive the Gospel according to Matthew. For this both they and the Cerinthians make use of, and no other. They call it Tlie Gospel according to the Hebrews." % Here it is, indeed, to be observed, that Epiphanius * "E-^ovai 8e TO Kara MarOacov Evar/jeXiov ifKripecnarov 'E^paicrrl' Trap" avrols 'yap aacf^ojs tovto, Ka6u>s e^ "-PXV^ iypdcf)!], 'EjSpdiKols jpdfMfMaaiv ert aco^erai. Ovk oiSa 8e, it Kal Tus yeveaXoyla^ tus utto rov ^A^padfju ci'^t Xpcarov ire- pLeTkov. t Ev Tw 'yovv Trap avrols EvayyeXio) Kara WLardalov 6vofia^op,eva>, ovk oXfo Be TrXrjpeardro), dWd vevodevfievo) Kal i^Kp(orr}piaafx,iv(a, 'E/BpatKov 8e rovro KaXovaiv. X Kal Be-^ovrai fxev Kal avrol ro Kara Mardatov Evayye- Xiov ' rovrcp yap Kal avrol, dis Kal oi Kara Ky']pi.v6ov, ^poovrat fiovoi • KaXovai he avro Kara 'E^palovs. 90 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON speaks of this work as " the Gospel according to Matthew:" but it is sufficiently plain, especially from the last preced- ing quotation, that it could not have been identical with the Gospel of St. Matthew, in its entire and perfect state. In fact, it is quite clear, and I think no one Avould wish to deny, looking at the testimonies as they stand, that he simply meant that this Gospel was a species of compilation, grounded principally upon that of Matthew as its chief basis, and as supplying the chief part of the materials of which it was composed. That the work itself, however, did not claim to be that of St. Matthew, but professed to be written in the name of the Twelve Apostles, appears from a further testimony of the same author, Epiplianius, in a quotation from that Gospel itself, which, in the work of Epiphanius, immediately follows the sentence last quoted. The sentence is continued as follows: — ^^In that Gospel, &c. (as above), it is written, that there was a certain man called Jesus, and He being about thirty years of age, made choice of us."* It appears, therefore, that this same Hebrew Gospel professed to be that of the whole number of the Apostles ; and we, therefore, readily infer that it is the same work to which Jerome refers, under the title of the Gospel of "the Twelve Apostles," in the folloAving passage, which is also here given as quoted by Mr. Jones, and in which he gives his own testimony, as to the character of that Gospel, among others of the same kind. "The Evangelist, Luke, declares that there Avere many who wrote gospels, Avhen he says, Forasmuch as many, &c. (chap. i. ver. 1.) which, being published by various authors, gave birth to several * ^Ev T(p yovv EvayyeXia) * * * efj,(f)eperai otc ijevero Tty dvi]p ovofiaTL 'lycrovs, Kal avTos ws erwv rpuiKOVTa, os OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 91 heresies ; such as that according to the Egj^ptians, and Thomas, and Matthias, and Bartholomew, that of the Twelve Apostles, and Basihdes, and Apelles, and others, Avhich it M'ould be tedious to enumerate. In re- lation to these, it will be enough at present to say, that there have been certain men ivlio endeavoured, ivithout the Spirit and Grace of God, rather to set forth some sort of account, than to publish a true history."'^ Now, what conclusion are we to draw from these tes- timonies ? Let it be remembered, that we are to consider the Gospel used by the Nazarenes, and that used by the Ebionites as the same. And our object is to see, what ground is afforded to authorize the Unitarian editors, in assuming these to be equally Copies of St. Matthew's Gos- pel, and to be equally unfavourable to the genuineness of the first two chapters. In the first place : — What is the value of the testimony of Epiphanius on this supposition ? Speaking of the Gos- pel of St. Matthew, as used by the Nazarenes, he says, that it is most entire : speaking of that Gospel as used by the Ebionites, he says that it is not entire and perfect, but corrupted and curtailed. If, therefore, the two be the same, then the same work which is most entire is also not entire and perfect, but corrupted and curtailed. But allo\nng this to pass, I ask — * " Plures fuisse, qui Evangelia scripserunt, Lucas Evan- gelista testatur, dicens, quoniam quidem multi, S^-c, quae a diversis auctoribus edita, divcrsarum hgeresium fuere principia, ut est illud juxta yEgyptios, & Thomam, & Matthiam, & Rartliolomscum, duodecim quoqite Apostolorum, & Basilidis atque Apellis, ac reli- quorum, quae enumerare longissimum est : cum haec tantum im- prsesentiarum necesse sit dicere, extitisse quosdam, qui, sine ppiritu & gratia Dei, conati sunt magis ordinate narrationem, quam historian texere veritatem." — Jones, v. i. p. 157, 92 THE INTEGRITY OF THE CANON Secondly — How does the testimony of Epiphanius agree Avith that of Jerome', respecting the same work? Epiphanius states, as above, that the work in question Avas " the Gospel of St. Matthew, most entire." Jerome ascril)es it to ^'certain men without the Spirit and Grace of Christ." And again — Thirdly — Does Epiphanius really say that the copies of St. Matthew, used by the Nazarenes, were Avithout the two first chapters ? Certainly nothing of the kind is said, in the passage AA^iich has been cited from his AV'ritings, and, I freely confess, that I have read of no other bearing upon the same question. In the instance before us, he speaks merely oiv^part oi Xh^ first of those chapters, namely, the genealog}^, and says, he does not knoaa" AA'hether it is left out of the copies in question. Does Jerome say that the copies of this Gospel were without the first two chapters of St. Matthew ? This I think may fairly be inferred from his statement. But Jerome does not admit the Avork in question, to he the Gospel by St. Matthew. " Where then, I may surely now ask, in the midst of all this confusion, are Ave to look for the united assurance of Epiphanius and Jerome, that these tAvo chapters AA'ere wanting in the Copies (of St. Matthew) in use, in common among the Nazarenes and Ebionites ? Such a question requires no answer. But, let us now take the other side of the alternatiA^e, and suppose the Gospels in i;se by the Nazarenes and the Ebionites to have been different. And let us ask how the matter will stand on this view of the case ? Here, then, I obserA^e — First — That, in this case, they could not be, both of them, true copies of St. MatthcAv's Gospel, it may be that neither of them Avas such. And, until this preliminary point is first ascertained, namely, AA'hether of the two, was OF HOLY SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 93 truly the Gospel of St. Matthew; or whether either of them was such ; no testimony, furnished by them, can be of the smallest value, even if the substance of tliat testi- mony was to the same effect ; which, by comparing what Epiphanius says of the Nazarenes' Gospel, with what both lie and Jerome say of the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles, appears, to the last degree, improbable. But here we fall upon another difficulty : for it appears that, in reality, Jerome and Epiphanius, though agreed respecting the Ebionite Gospel, are at variance, with resjiect to that used by the Nazarenes. Epiphanius clearly makes a distinction betiveen the two, when he says, that the Nazarenes have the Gospel of St. Matthew most entire, but tliat the Ebionites have it corrupted and cur- tailed. Whereas, Jerome says, that the Gospel of the Twelve Apostles, Avhich we have shown to be the same ^^^th the Ebionite Gospel, was in use by the Nazarenes. His words are — " In the Gospel, accordincj to the Hebrews, which is written in the Chaldee and Syriac language, which the Nazarenes use, (and is) that according to the Twelve Apostles ; or, as most think, according to Matthew,'' &c.* Here again, then, I am compelled, bearing in mind that we are now dealing with the second part of our alternative, namely, that these Gospels were different, to ask: — \^1iere is the assurance afforded us, that the first two chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel were wanting in the Copies of that Evangelist, used by these two sects ? And yet, brethren, that which you have now heard, is * " In Evangelio juxta Hebrseos, quod Chaldaico Syroque sermone, sed Hebraicis Uteris scriptum est, quo utuntur usque hodic Xazarcni, secundum Apoftolos, sive ut plerique autumant ju-xta Matthanim," &c. O 94 THE INTEGIUTY OF THE CANON really the testimony of those authors, from whose writings, the information contained in the note, professes to have been derived. May I not, therefore, ask further : — Whe- ther, from such testimony respecting them, you can con- sider these Nazarene and Ebionite Gospels, as having the smallest authority' for the purpose, for which they are adduced, in the note under consideration ? — whether they furnish one particle of reason for doubting the genuineness of St. Matthew's Gospel ? There is, however, another part of the same note, which may be thought to require some attention. The Editors of the Improved Version say, " If it be true, as Luke relates, chap. iii. 23, that Jesus was enter- ing upon his thirtieth year, (see Wakefield's translation,) in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, he must have been born two years, at least, after the death of Herod, a circumstance which alone invalidates the whole stor}%" Now, there does exist, it is true, an apparent discre- pancy, between the facts recorded in these chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel, from which it might fairly be concluded that Christ was born, at least, one year, if not more, before the death of Herod; and the calculations made, from the records of authentic history, respecting the date of the latter event. But this discrepancy is apparent only, and not real; and it arises solely from the circumstance of our having, ourselves, fallen into a wTong computation of the years which have elapsed, since the period of our Lord's nati- vity ; which event, we know, from the accurate researches of chronologists, to have taken place, four years earlier than the period, from which we date our present ordinary reckoning ; and it is evident, that when this fact is taken into account, the whole discrepancy vanishes in a moment. Yet this mere shadow of a difficulty, which arises ex- OF HOLV SCRIPTURE MAINTAINED. 95 clusively from our own false computation, and with which St. Matthew himself is in no way implicated, is made use of by the editors, as a ground for discrediting the account given us by that Evangelist, and stated to be sufficient " alone to invaUdate the whole story."* It will, however, I am persuaded, strike my hearers with surprise, when I contrast together, the conduct of the editors toM'ards the Gospel of St. Matthew, with that which the same persons have considered to be due to the spurious Ebionite Gospel, of which we have already heard so much. This latter Gospel contained a real chronologi- cal error, which it would be impossible to reconcile with the true facts of the case to which it refers. It actually commenced, as we learn from Epiphanius, with the words — " And it came to pass, in the days of Herod, the King of Judea, that John the Baptist came preaching," &c.J Now, most assuredly, Herod must, at all events, have died within two years, or a little more, after the birth of our Lord. And the ministry of John the Baptist could not have commenced earlier (if so early), than the twenty- eighth year of our Lord's age. Herod must, therefore, have been dead, at least, somewhere about twenty-five years, before the commencement of John's ministry. And yet, upon the authority of a work, so palpably erroneous as it is here proved to have been, these Unitarian editors venture to pronounce the first two chapters of St. Matthew, to be of doubtful authority. So that, in fact, according to their mode of estimation, the matter will stand thus : — • See Note at the end. X H 8e dpxv "^^^ Trap avrols evayyeXiov €^(€1. "Otl €(i.'). OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 123 who once contemplated taking a pastoral charge among Unitarians, — no less a man than tlie illustrious Coleridge. " I can truly say, I never falsified the Scriptures. I al- ways told them that their interpretations of Scripture were intolerahle, on any principles of sound criticism ; and that if they were to oifer to construe the will of their neighbour, as they did that of their Maker, they would he scouted out of society. I said plainly and openly, that it was clear enough, John and Paul were not Unitarians.^'* Let me, however, now define more particularly what I intend hy Unitarian interpretation of the New Testa- ment. The leading principle, then, of this interpretation is to divest the Christian Scriptures of the testimony which, in their original language, they unequivocally bear to the Proper and Supreme Divinity of Jesus Christ. In company with this leading truth, a great number of kindred doctrines either stand or fall. Accordingly, the ingenuity which has been employed in endeavours to prove that this cardinal doctrine has no place in the New Testa- ment, when properly explained and understood, has been exercised upon the rest, and, at the magic touch of Uni- tarian erudition, the atonement for the sins of a ruined world by a vicarious sacrifice, the divinity and personality of the Holy Ghost, the depravity of human nature, the necessity of spiritual regeneration, justification by faith, the existence of an evil spirit superior to man, and the eternity of future punishment, vanish into thin air ! Nothing is left, that distinguishes Christianity from what has been called the Religion of Nature ; and the professor of pure Theism might justly plead, in reply to any attempt to make him a believer, that in becoming a disciple of Christ, he Avould add a little to the few articles of his previous faith, without, in the least degree, multiplying its advantages. * Cottle's Recollection'!, vol. ii. p. 1 13. 124 THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION The character of Unitarianisni was admirably drawn, not long ago, in an eloquent speech, by one of the highly- talented Unitarian ministers of Liverpool. I entirely coincide with his observation; may we agree upon other and more momentous subjects ! " I conceive," said he, "that, controversially, our system is correctly described as purely negative." * * Speech of the Rev. James Martineau. — Report of the proceedings of an aggregate meeting of Unitarians, held at Essex-street Chapel, London, in June last. — London, printed for the British and Foreign Unitarian Associa- tion, 1/1/ C. Green, Hackney, 1838. In connection with this quotation, a double accusation has, I understand, been brought against me. I have been charged vnth almost or altogether sup- pressing, in the delivery of this discourse, the word "controversially." To my positive, but respectful, denial of the charge, I can only add, an appeal to the thousands who heard me. It has been also stated, that the sentence I have quoted, bears a very different meaning, if read together with the context. Of this, that my readers may judge, the whole speech is here transcribed. That Ms auditors under- stood the Reverend Gentleman as I do, wiU be evident from the disapproba- tion which they signified, wlien he uttered the sentiment. Rev. James Martineau, of Liverpool. — "Before the proposed resolu- tion is put to the vote, I esteem it only respectful to the gentlemen who have recommended its adoption, to state tlie reasons why I am compelled to give it only a qualified and conditional assent. Tlie resolution expresses approba- tion, and virtually desires an increased support, of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association. From these sentiments, considered in themselves, no one in this Meeting is likely to dissent ; and for myself, acknowledging as I do, the excellent aims and careful management of this institution, and re- specting the disinterested zeal of its conductors, so far from wishing to assail it, I should esteem it an honourable task to defend it from unjust attacks. (Hear, hear). So far as a sectarian engine can be useful among our churches — so far also as a public office of ecclesiastical finance is convenient — so far do the services of the Association extend : and, if its claims stop here, it is not from any deficiency of zeal or ability in its directors, but from the very nature of its constitution. That constitution is entirely sectarian, contem- plating the diffusion of one fixed form of theological o))inion; containing vari- ous provisions for obtaining a proselyting action on society; and embracing no objects which do not assume the essential importance to true religion of the points which distingmsh the Unitarian from the Trinitarian faith. In this feature of the Association I discern reasons why it cannot be regarded as realizing the ideas and desires of union which have led to the convening of OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 125 " Our leading principle/^ says another highly dis- tinguished Unitarian minister, " is this — that the Bible is a book written for men, in the language of men, and that this Meeting ; why it is incapable of kindling into life all the latent zeal of our churches; or of administering to even the most urgent wants of our religious condition. With the indulgence of the Meeting, I will state some objections, which appear to me deserving of consideration, against the very principle of a sectarian, or theological union among Unitarian Churches. No union, on the basis of theological opinion, can be successful, because real and serious differences of sentiment have growni up among us. It assumes an agreement which neither does nor can exist in a class of religionists con- stituted like ours. That we are all Unitarians, implies only that we have renounced the doctrine of the Trinity, while we retain our faith in Christianity ; that we have departed, at least thus far, from the common standard of ortho- doxy, and cancelled one of the elements of the popular belief. I conceive that, controversially, our system is correctly described as purely negative — (no, no) — as destructive of ideas which receive the veneration of other sects ; and that an association of Unitarians is an association of rfwbelievers of the Trinity. It must, therefore, encounter the difficulties of all unions founded on dissent, rZwcontent, dinhelief, or any other principle of repulsion, and com- prise parties of every variety of sentiment, except one. Our lapses from the mark of orthodoxy have no uniform direction, and reach to every gradation of distance, w'ithin the limits of Christianity. Some of us place the miracles at the very foundation of our religion ; others esteem the distinction between the natural and the supernatural of slight account. Some affirm the entire con- sistency and jiartial inspiration of the Scriptures ; others conceive that the several books teach a somewhat different theology, and that the true idea of their authority must be souglit in something better than the intellectual infal- libility of the contents. Some give their assent to the general scheme of in- terpretation by which our elder writers efface from the New Testament the traces of all Calvinistic peculiarities ; others esteem it fundamentally erroneous, and wholly incapable of producing the convictions expected to result from it. It is vain to conceal, and worse than vain to dejilore, these inevitable differ- ences— to reiterate lectures on the ra.shness of speculation, and demand sub- mission to any one school of Unitarianism. My friend Mr. Madge has pro- tested agamst the ' ostentatious moral courage wliich announces all sorts of odd opinions.' In answer to this attempt, amusing enough in a sect so or- thodox as ours, to raise the old cry of heresy, permit me to say, that no one can build his piety upon another man's faith but his own — (hear) ; — that opi- nions very ' odd ' to one, may be very dear to another; that an open mind, in- tent on thoughtful progress, is more modest than a closed one ; and that ve- neration for our predecessors is most truly manifested, not by embalming their opinions, but by taking up their vow of self-devotion to truth and humanity, 1 12G THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION its meaning is to be sought in the same manner as that of other books. We beheve that God^ wlien he condescends to speak and write, submits, if we may so say, to the and God. (Hear.) To indulge in mutual theological distrust, under any de- sire to keep uj) an appearance of uniformity, I conceive to be treason against the intellectual liberty of which we arc justly proud. It is wiser to give a frank reception to all well-considered varieties of sentiment, and to acknowledge that they offer serious obstacles to any zealous and hearty sectarian co-opera- tion. But, independently of these actual differences, can it be expected that our present forms of opinion will continue uniform and permanent .■' Is it con- sistent with experience to suppose that a church, however wise and however confident its members, is to be exempt from the laws of intellectual and social change ? Some preceding speaker has professed his undoubting belief, that our existing Unitarianism is destined to be the world's universal and eternal faith. Happy and complacent belief ! — held and disappointed by every sect in turn, with respect to its own creed, yet living and fervent still ! — needful, perhaps, to maintain the zeal of successive generations, yet surely maintaining it on delusion ! Among ourselves, little has been done since the time of Priestley: yet it cannot be supposed that we are always to live on the dis- coveries and glories of the past. I, too, doubt not that either our present Unitarianism, or something far better, will be the ultimate faith of men ; but I conceive that we are obviously in a state of transition, that every mark which history ever affords of such a state is to be found among us ; — in one direction, a great ferment of new ideas ; in another, a determined stand upon old ones ; and everywhere, a consciousness of rehgious defect, exciting earnest but vague aspirations after improvement. — (Hear, hear.) Why, then, shovdd we not confess that we are on our w^ay to better things, instead of attempting to consolidate and perpetuate our present mode of thought .■' "VNTiy drop our anchor here, in seas from which we must be driven, instead of looking out for bright lands a-head, and seeking still a better country, even a heavenly .' • — (Hear, hear, hear.) I apprehend, that even the doctrines in wliich we all agree with each other, and are at variance with other sects, are not regarded with the same interest by all our churches. Many good and wise men assign to these Unitarian peculiarities the very first rank among the truths wliich are to enlighten and improve mankind ; and let those who entertain this idea, faithfully and with honour from us all, act it out in then- proper sphere. But there are others who, perceiving that other Christians are as good and as happy as we, seriously doubt whether pure morality, or peaceful aiul energetic piety, depend upon the expulsion from the world of the doctrine of the Trinity, with its connected ideas. Many of us conceive, that little practical importance is to be attached to the numerical distribution of the Godhead, in the concep- tions of men ; — (no, no ;) — and that, while the moral and personal qualities which they venerate, and trust and aspire to iipitate, are truly august and OF THE NKW TESTAMENT, ETC. 127 established rules of speaking and writing. How else would the Scriptures avail us, more than if communicated in an unknown tongue ?^^ Thus writes Dr. Channing,* and I perfectly coincide with him also. divine, it is of sm;ill moment by what name or names they may be called. I cordially subscribe to a sentiment, of deep, perhaps unsuspected meaning, in the sermon preached before the association, on Wednesday ; viz. — that our Trinitarian brethren, in their devotions, bow, like ourselves, before the men- tal image of an infinite jierfection. If so, and if the real object of every man's worship be the conception of Deity in his own mind, then must two persons, standing before the same vision of perfection, both exercise the same devotion — both revere the Holy and Divine, whatever name they may pro- nounce, and whatever number they may annex. Admit the idea within to be the same, and the whole question becomes one of mere names. We, who have our descent from forefathers of Calvinistic beUef — who pride ourselves on their heroism and their faith — who, confessing that they had not the nobi- lity of rank, boast of their better nobility of conscience, should be the last to deny the tendency of the system, from which we are now estranged, to pro- duce great and most excellent minds. And to admit this, is to damp all the fuel of sectarian zeal. Grant the tendency of Unitarianism to make men better ; urge us to propagate it, because it has a remote promise of lessening the moral evils of society, ^^^ly, are there not moral e\'ils enough, ready made, that we must concern ourselves so much with those which are pos- sible, instead of grappling at once with the actual ? So long as we are more impressed by the theologicsd errors of the good, than by the wretchedness and godlessness of the guilty and degraded, our plea for proselytism cannot be sincere. At all events, be these ideas true or false, so long as, in fact, there exists among us a large amount of sectarian indifference, it is unwise to look for strength to any sectarian union. I confess that I cannot attribute our want of progress, as a sect, to defective ecclesiastical arrangements, so much as to the spirit of our religious system, and to the state of mind in which that system has its origin and support. The one great function of a religious body is, I apprehend, to generate faith : an absolute reliance, that is, upon internal convictions and truths of religion and morals, in opposition to external expediencies ; — an undoubting self-abandonment, in action and affection, to some great idea, worth living or dying for. Every sect has pros- pered, and deserved to prosper, in proportion as it has produced this dispo- sition ; it has failed, and deserved to fail, in proportion as it has produced the opposite, and excited the critical, sceptical, disorganizing temper. — (Hear, hear.) Moral power appears to me to develop itself in the transition from unbelief to belief, and to disappear in the change from belief to unbelief; depending, much less than we are apt to suppose, on the absolute truth and * As {juoted by Stuart. — Letters on the Diviniti/ of Christ, p. 3. 128 THE rXITARIAX INTERPRETATION There are reasons, however, why the New Testament should be approached with fcchngs of deep reverence, while it submits to the examination which, like other books, it logical consistency of the opinions embraced. To this fact, all the great moral revolutions, in the history of civilization, seem to bear witness. Chris- tianity, indeed, is often represented as a disintegrating agency, which over- turned the superstitions of the ancient world : but the subversion which it effected was rather of institutions than of ideas ; it annihilated old hierarchies by creating a fresh individual faith, and converted men by their veneration, not by their doubts. So, too, it was with the Protestant Reformation ; whose function it was (involving incidentally the destruction of many things ecclesias- tical rather than religious) not to mend theology, nor to vindicate the ra- tionalist prir^ciple of free enquiry, but to substitute individual faith for sacer- dotal reliance. With these views of the true office of a body of religious re- formers, I cannot but lament that Unitarianism had a sceptical origin ; that it began with dissuasives from belief removing successively objects of human veneration and reliance ; and, on the whole, characterized in the eyes of others by its success in proving how few things need be regarded as wonderful and divine. To this spirit, impressed upon our system at first, we are indebted for such accessions of adherents as it receives. The doubters and unbelievers of other and less reasonable churches constitute the new forces of our own ; we grow by men's lapses from their previous convictions : and thus a critical, cold, and untrusting temper becomes silently diffused, unfavourable to high enterprise and deep affections. (Disapprobation.) Moreover when at length this spirit vanishes, and the genuine sentiments of personal religion acquire power, their effect upon our consolidation, as a sect, is the very reverse of their action in orthodox churches. With those who esteem error to be no less fatal than sin, the growth of piety inflames sectarian zeal ; with us, who attach no terrors to the involuntary mistakes of the sincere, it is otherwise ; the pure perceptions and natural instincts of the pious heart detect and love the good and great in the spirit of otlier churches ; becoming more devout in mind, we feel ourselves not more, but far less, discriminated from the true Christian of every faith ; and our sectarian zeal imdergoes inevitable decline. And thus, as a mere theological denomination, we profit by scepticism of other sects, and lose by the piety of our own. (Disapprobation.) Conceiv- ing, then, that the causes of onr defective social influence lie thus deep, I have no sanguine expectations from any principle of sectarian union, or schemes of mechanical organization. The proper use of organization surely is to direct into proper channels, and reduce to a steady and calculable power, an exube- rant energy and wild force already existing. But it can create nothing ; the symmetrical aggregation of dead atoms can kindle no life ; and the spontaneous vigour of our separate churches must, I apprehend, be much increased before they have a superfluity of power to shed upon the weak and depressed. In OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 129 necessarily undergoes. No other book pretends to contain matter of such interest to those who are invited to read it; no other book lays claim to such authenticating evi- the mean time, the less impatience we feel for immediate and showy results, the more perhaps shall we obtain of ultimate and beneficent power. We want, it maj' be, not so much visible prosperity, as high faith and courage to go on without it, — to act from conviction within, rather than from disappoint- ment without. If there be any correctness in the remarks with which I have troubled the meeting at so much length, — if the great function of a religious association of men be to generate some species of faith, where before it did not exist, the general principles which should guide us are clear. We should turn our attention, I respectfully suggest, not to orthodoxy, which has a faith and is satisfied with it, but to indifference and unbelief and sin, which have it not, and are satisfied without it. On these we should make aggression, in the power of our positive religion, bearing down upon them with the persuasion of the Divine Paternity and Human Brotherhood, under the sense of the sanctity of duty and the grandeur of immortality. We should deal with them with singleness of aim, as if left alone with them in God's world to cure them, — as if unconscious of the presence of other sects. Permitting our activity thus to flow, not from our perception of the false, but from our per- suasion of the true, our own spirit of disinterestedness would grow. We should aci[uire more noble faith ourselves, and thus win the only title God bestows to meddle with tlie faith of others. The sole case in which, I con- ceive, the employment of proselyting missionaries is desirable, is where the popiUar systems of Christianity have produced an uneasy, sceptical and irreligious state of mind, and we can therefore go forth to construct, not to destroy, to re-assure and not to unsettle, to re-place the barrenness of doubt and aversion by the divine fertility of love and trust. — (Hear, hear.) The proposed resolution sums up the proceedings of this meeting, convened in the desire to re-invigorate our religious prosperity, in an expression of interest in the objects and measures of the Unitarian Association. By itself it would seem to proclaim the diffusion of Unitarian theology and worship to be of primary importance. Acknowledging the value of this sort of sectarian action, I yet consider it as altogether subordinate, even with an exclusive view to all immediate social influence, to two other kinds of activity, intimately connected with each other, the one intellectual, the other moral. — 1 mean the continued exercise in matters of religion of perfectly free inquiiy, unreproved by others' fears, and unrestricted by any authority foreign to the inquirer's mind ; and the maintenance of that deep spirit of religion and of duty which has its seat, not in the Christian's creed, but in his soul. — (Hear, hear.) I shall conclude with expressing my decided opinion, that a mere mechanical union will fall to p-ieces in five years. A resolution has been prepared embody- ing the sentiments I have been defending, and which I will read ; and should T 130 THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION dence; no other appeal to the intellect, conscience, and feelings of men, has ever exerted such an influence upon them all combined. You will observe that I take the lowest ground, with regard to the matter in hand ; but before I advance to the proof that Unitarian Interpretation of the New Testament is indefensible, I will cite the words of another most eminent Unitarian minister — " I must declare my own conviction, that if we cannot show our principles to be accordant with the Scriptures, the mass of the popiilation, the serious, intelligent, scriptural population, who have the Bible constantly in their hands, however much disposed to fall in with a priori views, would never take Unitarian- ism to their hearts, if they were to imagine they could not take it along with the Scriptures, and this they Avould do if we were to set them in opposition."* These are the re- ported words of the celebrated Dr. Carpenter ; and I have the happiness of agreeing with him also. But in these Avords he appears to me to pronounce the doom of the sys- tem of which, perhaps, he is the ablest living advocate. As to whatever may seem aggressive in our present it be accepted, I shall gladly waive all objections to the resolution proposed by my friend Mr. Harris, and contribute my vote to its unanimous adop- tion." The resolution which Mr. Martineau read to the meeting, after several verbal alterations had been made in it, at the suggestion of Messrs. Tagart, Harris, and other gentlemen, was in the following terms : — That this meeting, in professing its attachment to Unitai-ian Christianity, as at once Scriptural and rational, and conducive to the true glory of God and well-being of men, and in avowing its veneration for tlie early British Expo- sitors and Confessors of this Faith, — at the same time recognizes the essen- tial worth of that principle of free enquiry to which we ai-e indebted for our own form of Christianity, and of that spirit of deep and vital religion which may exist under various forms of theological sentiment, and which gave to our forefathers their implicit faith in Truth, their love of God, and their re- liance, for the improvement of mankind, on the influence of the Gospel. * See report &c. OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 131 movement, I may be permitted to cite the words of the eloquent speaker whose sentiment I have already quoted. "The true way is not to attempt any foreign aggression on those who beheve more than ourselves, but to operate on those who beheve less."t Surely this justifies our "operating upon " Unitarians, for, whoever may be the persons who come within the definition of believing less than they do; it cannot be denied that they believe less than we do. I arrange my proofs under four heads. The Improved Version is guilty of, I. Unjustifiable mutilation of the sacred text. II. Rash conjectural emendations. III. Translations which violate the established LAWS of construction. IV. Misrepresentation of the opinion of the WRITERS OF THE NeW TESTAMENT, UPON SOME MOST MOMENTOUS CORRELATIVE SUBJECTS. If I succeed in proving these points, some of my hearers will, think that the title of this Lecture might have been advantageously changed by the substitution of the copulative for the disjunctive particle. I. Unjustifiable mutilation of the sacred TEXT. Ever^^ person acquainted with the Unitarian Version is aware, that the principal portions of the introductor)- chap- ters of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke are pro- nounced by the Editors to be of doubtful authority ; and t Reported speech of the Rev. James Mjrtineau, as above. 132 THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION are accordingly branded with the marks of spuriousness. They are at the same time stated to be found "in all ma- nuscripts and versions which are now extant" ! The task of maintaining the Integrity of the Canon of Scripture against Unitarian objections, has been entrusted to abler hands than mine ; and has already been admirably and successfully performed.* It would be extreme presumption in me to go again over the ground occupied by my learned friend ; or to think that I could improve his luminous statements. I will, however, call your attention to a few particulars, which you will allow to be strongly corroborative of his argument. You were informed, that the latter part of the first, and the whole of the second chapter, of St. MatthcAv's Gospel, are rejected, on the authority of Epiphanius and Jerome, that they were wanting in the copies used by the Nazarenes and Ebionites, '^ that is, by the ancient Hebrew Christians." t The errors and self-contradictions, con- nected with this statement, have been sufficiently ex- posed. Now, although, upon this authority these important passages are rejected, the reader finds that the former part of the first chapter is retained. Upon whose autho- rity? Epiphanius asserts that the Ebionites had taken away the whole of the two first chapters, " not excepting the genealogy!" But the same Epiphanius says that " Cerinthus, and Carpocrates, who vised the Gospel of * See the Lecture of the Ilev. T. Tattershall, D.D., the second in the series. t That the Ehionites and Nazarenes were identical with the ancient Hebrew Christians, must be the erroneous conjectui-e of the Editors, for Epiphanius says no such thing, but rather intimates tlie contrary. ESpaiKOV Be TOVTO KcCkoixTi, . . . KcCKoixTi, he avro Kara E^paiov9. OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 1.^.3 the Ebionites, argued from the genealogy at the begin- ning." * Tlius, the Gospel of the Ebionites, which is admitted to have l^een a mutilated Gospel, is to prove that the account of the miraculous conception is of no authority ; while the same Gospel, through Cerinthus and Carpo- crates, is to prove, notwithstanding its mutilation in this ven,- particular, the authenticity of the genealogy ! Or did Cerinthus and Carpocrates forge a genealogy, and prefix it to the Gospel of the Ebionites ? Is it not plain that these heretics, respectively, adopted the same common copy, exscinding from it whatever opposed, and retaining whatever seemed to favour their own opinions ? The Ebionites repudiated the whole of the first two chapters, because they contain the account of the miracu- lous conception ; the Cerinthians and Carpocrates retain the genealog}^, because they thought it enabled them to demonstrate that Jesus, was properly, the son of Joseph. For the same reasons, the Unitarian Editors agree with both parties ; although they have unskilfully arrayed them, one against the other. This specimen of criticism meets us in tlie very first sentence of the book! And here let the nature of my argument be recol- lected. If these important portions of Scripture be omitted on insuflicient evidence, then the Editors are fairly chargeal)le with defective scholarship ; if, in addition to this, the evidence was known to l)e insufficient, what is the moral character of their criticism ? It seems impossible not to come to the conclusion that the nature of the contents of the exscinded chapters, led to their condemnation. Had there, indeed, been nothing * Improved Version, Matt. i. 1. — Note. 134 THE UXITAUIAX INTERPRETATION in the subsequent parts of the respective Gospels to which they belong, in accordance with the mysterious truths which they record, then, all would admit that even a small portion of probable evidence might have been sufficient to justify their rejection. But if, on the contrary, they had both appeared to be as favourable to Unitarianism, as the ge- nealogy of St. Matthew is, ignorantly, thought to be, then, no evidence, it seems, in the opinion of the Editors, would have been allowed to prove them spurious. Now, if there are marks, throughout the whole of both narratives, that they are continuous records of the same won- derful history, and if we find that the same pains which were taken to justify the excision of the offensive introductions, are employed to obliterate these traces of their existence, we cannot but perceive, at once, hoAV useless has been the labour so expended, and how determined the Unitarian Editors were to make every effort to maintain their fa- vom-ite and preconceived hypothesis. It will be my duty to prove, in a subsequent part of this discourse, that this determination betrays itself, in every part of the New Translation. But the argument which I ground upon it, admits of a remarkable illustration in the case of St. Matthew. As the Editors refuse to ad- mit the authenticity of the first part of his narrative, so they endeavour to pervert the meaning of the last words of his Gospel. The spirit which presided over their work gave the command — Servetur ad imum Qualis ab iticepto processerit, et sibi constet ; and they have faithfully obeyed it. The reason is obvious. The first and second chapters relate the miraculous con- ception of Jesus ; the last verse of the last chapter records a declaration, in which he lays claim to the attributes of Divinitv ! OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 13') The Saviour thus conchides the address, in which he gave his Apostles their commission to EvangeHze all na- tions,— "LiO, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world/'* If our Lord, in these words, asserts his omnipresence, little would be gained to Unitarianism, by the demonstra- tion, that we have no authentic account of his miraculous conception. The same remark, be it not forgotten, ap- phes with equal truth to every passage intervening between the beginning and the end of the Gospel, in which his proper Deity is, either implied, or asserted. There is a congruity between that account and the rest of the history, which strongly corroborates its truth ; but, even if it be removed, the history itself testifies to the same mysterious fact. The portico would be gone, but the temple would remain in all its beauty and magnificence ; and its pro- portions would enable us to discover, Math infallible pre- cision, what must have been the character of the part which had been destroyed. In the endeavour, to destroy the force of the testimony, borne to the divinity of Christ, in this passage, I trust I shall make it evident, to any plain man of unbiassed judg- ment, that the criticism is as contemptible as the purpose is unfair. Under the improving process, our Lord is made to say — " Lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age." This language, without some explanation, would be un- intelligible. Accordingly, we read in the note, "to the end of tlie JeAvish dispensation, — till the destruction of •lerusalem and tlie temple ; soon after which, miraculous powers were withdrawn, and no personal appearances of Jesus Christ are recorded." * Matt, xxviii. 20. 136 THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION Upon these latter words, it is to be observed, that we are left at a loss to discover whether the Editors intend to identify the fulfilment of the promise with the power to work miracles, or with the personal appearances of the Redeemer. If the former, we remark, they assume with- out proof, the time of the withdrawment of miraculous poM'ers from the Church. If the latter be their meaning, we ask, how is it to be reconciled with the words, Trdaas ras rjfiepas ? But I forget that these learned persons are not so much concerned with informing their readers what they ought, as with warning them against what they ought not, to believe. If my hearers bear in mind that I am illustrating a principle intimately connected with the reasons which led to the rejection of the former part of this Gospel, they will not think a critical discussion of this text out of place here. 1. Even if it were granted, that the word translated world,^ cannot signify what we generally intend by the English term, yet there would be, assuredly, more justice in applying it to the duration of the Christian dispensation, than of the Jewish economy ; if for no other reason, yet because the Disciples would need their Master's assistance as much after the termination of that economy as before. And not to say that John, and, perhaps, others of the Apostles, lived after the destruction of the temple ; to limit the command, " to teach all nations," to the Apostles, and not to extend it to their successors, is a gratuitous as- sumption, incompatible with the facts of the case. 2. The use of the same phraseology in all the other places where it occurs, proves the correctness of the com- mon translation — j; o-vvreXeia rov alcovos'f is a phrase used * See Schleusner. t Ileb. ix. 26. Although quoted by Mr. Wakefield as such, is not the same. OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 137 only by St. Matthew. Besides the passage under con- sideration, we find it in four places. The first two in- stances are in our Lord's explanation of the parable of the tares. Matt. xiii. 39. 41. " The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels ; as, therefore, the tares are gathered and burned, so shall it be in the end of the ivorld. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire.'' The third case is in a parable, de- livered in illustration of this awful truth, in the same chap- ter, V. 47 — 49. "Tlie kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away ; so shall it be at the end of the world — Iv rfj avvre- Xeia rov aloivos." Is it possible to regard these passages as referring to any other event than the final judgment? Let Dr. Priest- ley supply the answer. "According to this parable, we are not to expect a complete separation of good and bad men, till the end of the ivorld, the day of judgment, or the last resurrection. We are here told that the harvest is the END OF THE WORLD, and that the Son of Man, at his second coming, will send forth his angels to gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity ; and that then, and not before, the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. All our hopes and fears, therefore, should respect that great DAY, emphatically called that day." Thus writes Dr. Priestley,* himself, the father of modern Unitarianism. The last instance of the use of this phrase is (Matt. * As quoted by Ur. J. P. Smith, Scripture Testimony, 2d Edition, vol. ii. p. 222. 138 THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION xxiv. 3.) in the question put to our Lord by his diseiples^ " Tell us when will these things be, and what the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the ivorld, Trjsf avprekeias rov aloivos'"' The words are here used, it is to be obser\'ed, not by the Redeemer himself, but by his followers. To suppose that they had any notion at the time, of the end of the Jewish economy, apart from the consummation of all things, and the destruction and renovation of the mun- dane system, is to betray ignorance of the character of their opinions and their prejudices. Tliey regarded the two events, the destruction of the temple, and the end of the world, in a literal sense, together with the coming of Christ, as coincident. This is the opinion of di^dnes of the greatest eminence, orthodox, as well as neological, and it receives striking illustration, from the mistake made respecting our Lord's saying of John, " If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? — then went this saying abroad, that that disciple should not die. Yet Jesus said not unto him he shall not die; but if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" John xxi. 22-23. 3. The emphatical language in which the promise is expressed, may be noticed, as supporting the same argu- ment:— Behold, alway, irciaas ras rj/juepas, until the END OF TUB WORLD. But this remark applies especially to the words I am, iyo) el/j,t. Had our blessed Lord intended no more than M'hat is conveyed by the new translation, he would hardly have spoken in the present tense. Espe- cially, too, is it to be observed, that the form of expression, " / wn ivith thee or you," is the language adopted by Jehovah, when speaking to his serv^ants of old. '' Fear not, I am with thee : be not dismayed, I am thy God." —Is. icli. 10. The Redeemer, indeed, seems to have adopted this OP THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 139 language, as, emphaticalhj, descriptive of his perpetual pre- sence and ubiquity. Matt, xviii. 20. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I (et/xt) in the midst of them." John viii. 58. " Before Abraham was, I AM [erfo) elfit)" To which may, in my judgment, be added — (John iii. 13,) — "And no man" (properly no one, no person) "■' hath ascended up to heaven ; but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which IS (6 (av) in heaven."* * The force of this reasoning has been perceived by Unitarians, and it has been attempted thus to turn it aside. "We know that the genuine Gospels" — mark the assumption here — " record only the discourses and the miracles of Jesus after the commendement of his ministry. The Evangelists profess to relate only the things which they saw and heard of Christ, as the Son of Man, the Son of Joseph, the Man of Nazareth. They make no use whatever, of his supernatural birth, which, supposing it to have been true, they must and would have done. Such a doctrine is no where asserted in the whole of the Gospel History, except in these disputed chapters. In no other place do the sacred writers inculcate it, either directly or indirectly. In no passage of all the Ej)istles, or Acts of the Apostles, is any expression made use of, which implies even an approbation of the doctrine, or shows that it originated with them." — Lectures delivered in the Unitarian Chapel, Ren- shaw-street, Liverpool, 1819-20, by George Harris. Where bold assertion, without even the form of proof, is allowed to pass for argument, this statement must decide the question. If by making use of the " supernatural birth," Mr. Harris means the repeating the account of it again in a formal manner, why ' ' must ' ' they have done so ? Admitting that they "record only," except this account, "the discourses and miracles of Jesus," — a loose and imperfect description, however, of the character of their writings — 80 far from there existing a necessity for introducing this fact again, its intro- duction would have been altogether out of place. It was, beyond all ques- tion, the intention of our Lord to make his miracles the proof of his claims. Accordingly, we find, that he manifested a reserve until the last, as to asserting them. Great critics, however, and Schleusner among them, think that this fact is expressed always in the phrase "the Son of Man;" I argue, however, from the congruity of the account of the conception with the other proofs of the divinity of Christ. Yet, when it is said that there is not even an indirect allusion to the fact, either in the Gospels, or the Apostolic writings, the assertion can be met, by producing such passages as the following. "The word was made flesh." John i. 14. That this is the meaning of €yeV€TO will be proved in the second part of this discourse. "God sent forth his Son, 140 THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION 4. Lastly, all the early Christian writers understood this phrase of the end of the world. Mr. Wakefield him- self admits this. He refers to Ignatius, Polycarp, Origen, Eusebius, Lactantius, and others. In the first two, a great Biblical scholar,* of the present day, has shown, that made of a ifowaw."— Gal. iv. 4. See Schleusner, and compare Geu. iii. 15. " Tlie true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." — Heb. viii. 2. " A greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made witli hands." — Heb. Lx. 11. The Apostle's reasoning identifies the ''true tabernacle," with the body of Christ, "and not made u-ith hands," signifying, not produced by human agency, it is plain that he meant to speak of the miraculous formation of our Lord's humanity. " SyV^V ip^^™^ Servatoris naturam humanam denotat. Xecp07roC')]TOS humanis viribus conditus." — Kilttner. Hypomnem. From Schleusner, in verb — avOpcoTTOS, I extract the following testimony to, at least, indirect allusion : — " 3) Femina — et hcec significatio in omnibus illis locis (octogies minimum formula o vloy TOV av6 p(i)7rov re\^eritur in N. T.), necessaria est in qui- bus Christus vocatur o VLOS TOV avdpoiTTOV, h. e. Alius Marias, v. c. — Matt. viii. 20. ix. 6. Coll. Luc. i. 42. ubi o KapiTOS rr]S KoCKtas rrjs Mapias appellatur, et Gal. iv. 4. ubi yevo/jievos e/c yvvaLKOS dicitur." I assert — and wiU do more, as I proceed, I wiU prove — that there is direct, as well as indirect allusion to the existence of these rejected portions of the Word of God. Let me take from Mr. Harris's pages a corroboration of the previous state- ments, respecting the authority of the Improved Version. He hesitates not to say, that the Unitarian Society determined, in the year 1806, to publish an Improved Version. He adds, "the public, my friends, have shown their approbation of the labours of the Editors, nearly ten thousand copies of the Improved Version having been sold, which is a fact highly interesting to the friend of truth, and truly important to those who mark the signs of the times. It is therefore with the greatest earnestness I would recommend it to your attentive and serious perusal ; the notes which are added are, in my judg- ment, invaluable; and the preface is truly above all praise." — Lectures de- livered in Renshaw Street, Liverpool, pp. 88, 89. In one case, Mr. Harris prefixes to his discourse this text, 1 Cor. xiv. 19, with an, unnoticed, altera- tion, according to the suggestion of tlie Improved Version. — Ibid. p. 165. I cannot but express my satisfaction, that in the very place where this book was thus regarded as an authority, and thus earnestly recommended, it is now renounced and disclaimed. I do indeed consider " this fact," I borrow Mr. Harris's language, "as highly interesting to the friend of truth, and truly important to those who mark the signs of the times 1" * Dr. J. P. Smith. OF THE XEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 141 Mr. Wakefield's candour was greater than his exactness ; as the references cannot be verified. I will add one more which will help to sujjply the deficiency. Chrysostom, of whom Mr. Wakefield would liardly have said that he was " ignorant of Hebrew^ ' has the following beautiful remarks on the passage. " He did not say merely that he would be with them but with all who have believed after tliem. For the Apostles were not to remain until the end of the world. But he con- verses with the faithful as with one body. Speak not, to me, he says, of tlie difficulty of the work, for I, who make all things easy, am with you. Thus he used to speak con- stantly, also, in the ancient. dispensation, to the prophets. To Jeremiah, when he alleged his youth as an excuse, to Moses and Ezekiel, when they held back; this, also, he here says to them."* My hearers will not fail to obser\-e how Chrysostom identifies Jesus and Jehovah. They will j)erceive too, that he corroborates the truth of what we stated before, by considering the language — " I am with you," to be the expression peculiar to the Almighty and Omnipresent God, when he speaks to his people. "Fear not, I am with THEE, be not dismayed, I am thy GoD."t I will add to this testimony, that of Origen. The ^ Ov fier eKelvcdv he [lovov elirev eaeaOac dWd koI /jLerd irdvTwv TOiv fier eKeivovs TriarevadvToyv, Ou ydp 8j) ecos rrjs avvTeXelas tov dtcovos ol aTrocrrdXoL fievetv efjueWov, aW ojy evl (rdifiaTC BidXeyerat rols ttlcttois. Mrj yap /jioi ri-jv hvaKo- \iav, (prjcrlu, eiTrare rtov Trpay/idTcov, iycb ydp el/xi jjued v/jlmv, 0 vdvTa iroLwv euKoXa. Tovro koX toIs irpocfy^jTaLS kXeyev ev Tjj TToXatd crvve-)(ws' kol tm lepefxia veorrjTa '7rpo/3dXXo/xei^o), KOL TCi) M(ovV)]0T) as it ought to have been rendered, " was begotten." The antithesis between the use of the active and the passive verbs, produced by the sudden introduction of the latter would have struck the most careless reader, indicating that there must have been some strong reason for the change. 150 THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION say which of the two feeUngs is the strongest, that of con- tempt for the criticism, or indignation at the disingenuous- ness it exposes. We advance to the consideration of II. liAsii Conjectural Emendations. If liberties, in the way of conjecture, may be taken with the text of an ancient author, then there would soon be as many conflicting editions of his works as there were parties, who, through want of knowledge, could not under- stand, or through prejudice, were disposed to misrepresent them. It is a canon, acknowledged and acted upon, by all real scholars and true critics, that no conjectural emendation should be admitted into the text of any author, unless the place which seems to need it, be hopelessly corrupt, no meaning being deducible from it as it stands, and except the new words bring out a sense in unison with the general sentiments of the author, or at least not inconsistent with his subject. If this be a rule, which it is not only safe to follow, but worse than dangerous to disobey, with regard to pro- fane authors, how extremely preposterous must it be, to introduce into the sacred text, conjectural emenda- tions, which produce a sense, entirely at variance with that which the authenticated reading conveys. There are many passages in the New Testament, which are supposed, by persons not deeply versed in theological studies, to militate against the doctrines of the Trinity, and the Divinity of Christ. But Trinitarians know that these portions of the Divine Word are indisputably stamped with the marks of authenticitv ; and thev believe them. I OP THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 151 likewise, to be the words of Inspiration. Trinitarians are convinced, moreover, that these places, properly under- stood, so far from embarrassing their faith, are, in fact, calculated to confirm it. But let it be supposed that an impracticable sentence of this kind were discovered. Let it be supposed that all the ingenuity of the learned had been exercised, in vain, to amalgamate it wdth the orthodox system. When every other resource had failed, what would those, who oppose our views, be ready to say, if we were, upon the strength of our own doctrinal system, to assert that the offending words could not, or ought not, to have been in the original text, in spite of all reasonable and possible evidence that they were there ? For instance, we read, (John v. 30,) " I can of mine own self do nothing." If, perplexed by this text, and yet confident in the soundness of our creed, we were to assert that " nothing'^ must give place to " every thing," what would be said of our scholarshijj, or of our integrity ? Or if, in the words almost immediately succeeding this text, (v. 31.) "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true," we were to argue, that as the change of one single letter in the original for another, Avould bring out a mean- ing conformable to our theory, namely, " my witness is true," and that, therefore, that change ought to be made, what, I repeat the question, would be said of our scholar- ship, or of our ititegrity ? Tlie Editors of the Improved Version shall give the answer first. " It ought, perhaps, to be laid down as a general rule, that the received text is, in no case, to be al- tered by critical, or at least by theological conjecture, how ingenious and plausible soever."* This language is sufficiently cautious, but yet it is * Improved Version — Introduction, xviii. 152 THE IMTARIAN INTERPRETATION decided. It is liardly credible, that, nevertheless, in the next paragraph, they recommend two theological conjec- tures, as meriting " very attentive consideration." These remarks affect two passages which, while they remain in the Sacred Page, will prove its assertion of the Divinity of Christ, should every other testimony to that fundamental doctrine of Revelation be obliterated. They will, hereafter, claim our more particular attention ; we, therefore, merely name them now, in conjunction with the proposed conjectural substitutions. ^^The Word was God," (John i. 1,) is to be changed into "the Word was God's, or of God !" " Of whom Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever," (Rom. ix. 5,) is to be changed into " of whom was Christ, of whom was God, who is over all ! ^^ * Of the latter of these conjectures, the Editors say that it is " very plausible" and then go on to defend it. To the former also they attach the same epithet, although "it rests upon no authority," which is equally true of both, or they would cease to be mere conjectures. In their introduction, the Editors, we have seen, not- withstanding they appear to discountenance conjectures, both critical and theological, and especially the latter, re- commend these. Most certainly these are not critical conjectures: no one would be hardy enough to defend them as such. They must be, therefore, theological conjectures. That is, they are the violent efforts made by prejudice, baffled in its attempts to find its own creed in the text, to force that creed upon the text. It is strange that the Editors should refer to Michselis in this matter. MichEclis, although no Unitarian, (as neither was Griesbach, we may observe, in passing,) is a * Improved version, in loc. OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 153 favourite with them. Let us hear what he advances upon the subject of theological conjecture. '^'Beside the critical conjectures which I have described in the preceding sections of this chapter, there is another kind of conjecture, which can hardly be referred to the same class. It consists in altering the text of the Sacred Writings, according to the maxims adopted by any parti- cular party, whether it be the ruling or the persecuted party in the Church. This species of conjecture I would denote by the name of theological conjecture. Now, a theologian, whose business it is to form his whole system of faith and manners from the Bible, cannot, with any propriety, assume, previously, any system of theology by which he may regulate the Sacred Text, but must adopt that text which is confirmed by original documents, and thence deduce his theological system. Whoever alters the text in sul)jects which relate to points of divinity, evidently presupposes q. principium cognoscendi, that is prior to the Bible itself; and when we enquire into this principiuni cognoscendi, we find it to be nothing more than a set of principles, which this or that particular person has thought proper to adopt. If we ask, from \vhat source they derive these principles, they answer, from reason. Now I readily admit, that reason is a principiuni cognoscendi prior to Revelation: but then, I am of opinion, that, if a set of writings, M'hich we suppose to have been revealed by the Deity, are really contradictory to sound reason, we ought not to endeavour to reconcile them by inserting new read- ings, without any critical authority, but at once reject those writings as an improper standard of faith and man- ners. Even the writings of a false prophet might be new modelled, so as to make them consistent with the truth : and if these lilierties be allowable in one case, they are allowable in others." Y 15 4 TllK UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION There is an infinite difference between the inserting of a reading into tlie text, without any authority whatsoever, in order to render it, as we suppose, more rational, and the preferring, of two readings which really exist, that which is most conformable to truth. As critical conjectures have been principally made by those who, in the language of the church, are termed heretics, I will insert one or two examples of the same kind, in the name of the orthodox, and ask those of the opposite party, whether they would admit them as lawful conjectures. For instance : suppose I should alter ort 6 TraTtjp jjbov fMel^cov fjbov ecyrl (John xiv. 28,) to on 6 irarrjp /jlov ecrrt, or otl 6 Trartjp {jlov ^cov fxev iariv, in order to be freed from a text that implies an inequality between the Father and the Son ; or if I should alter 1 John v. 20, in the following manner, ovtos 6 vios iartv 6 oXtj- Olvos Qeos, in order to show, more distinctly, the divinity of Christ, I think the heterodox would exclaim, " He is either extremely ignorant, or, by having recourse to such miserable artifices, acknowledges the badness of his own cause. But the heterodox, as well as the ortho- dox, must appear before the impartial tribunal of criticism ; where there is no respect to persons, and where it is not allowed for one party to take greater liberties than the other."* Still more to the purpose are the following remarks of this great man, as they bear directly upon the two emen- a dations in question, recommended by the Improvers, on the authority of Crellius, and other Unitarians. " It must be evident," he says, "to every man that the New Testament would be a very uncertain rule of faith and manners, and indeed wholly unfit to be used as a standard * Marsh's Michtclis, vul. ii. |i. 1, 113. OF THE \K\V J-KSIAMKNT, KTt'. \ 'i!) of religion, if it were allowable, as is the practice of several Socinians, to apply critical conjecture, in order to estab- lish the tenets of our own party. For instance : if, in order to force ourselves from a superstitious doctrine, on the supposition that the Divinity of Christ is ungrounded, we Avcre at liberty to change, without any authority, ©eos Tjv 6 Xoyos (John i. 1,) into &eov rjv 6 Xoyos — and 6 a)v eirl irdvTwv ©eos into atv 6 eirl irdvTcov ©eos, the Bible would become so very uncertain, that every man might believe or disbelieve, as l)est suited his own principles."* Several Socinians have applied theological conjecture to passages, which clearly prove the Divinity of Christ ; of which I have given two instances : the one relates to John 1. 1, and was made by Crell — the other to Rom. ix. 5, and was made by Schlichting and Crell. But Wets- tein, though no friend to the doctrine of our church, in regard to the Divinity of Christ, was too good a critic to admit either of these conjectures." f It may be said that the Unitarian Editors have not inserted the conjectures under consideration into the text. True ; but they have lent them all the weight of their re- commendation, as proceeding from " men of great learning and sagacity, and as meriting, to say the least, very atten- tive consideration." Let us give that in Romans a little attentive considera- tion. And, in the first place, we observe, that it contra- dicts a proposition which the Apostle had made in the preceding part of the Epistle, and which he had laid down as a principal foundation of his argument. He had stated that "God was the God of the Gentiles, as well as of the Jews," but the conjecture of these men of great learning (iix/ ftagacity appropriates tlic Divine Being exclusively to * Marsh's Mirha'lis, vol. ii. p. 3S;. t lliid, )>. (IS. l;)fi THE UNITARIAN INTERPRETATION the Jews. It does this as far as it conveys the meaning which it is to be supposed its original patrons had put upon it. But as the improvers translate the passage, it is not easy to know what is intended "of whom was God who is over all." Secondly, the learning and sagacity of these great men did not preserve them from a gross solecism. The struc- ture of the emendation we confidently assert is not Greek. It ought to have been wv 6 eTrl iravTwv Qeos o euXoyrjros et'y T0V9 alwvas. The conjunction koX in the preceding part of the verse also must have been removed, and placed before wv 6 eTrl, K.T.X. '' But who does not perceive/' I use the language of the Eclectic Review at the time of the appearance of the Improved Version, " that the conjectural criticism of an interested party, in his own cause, and in defiance of positive evidence is little better than subornation of testimony in a court of law ?" With regard to the other conjecture upon John, it is to be observed that Crellius, who was its author, admits, that the received text cannot stand without leaving the im- pression on the reader's mind that Christ was the supreme God. These are his words. "If Christ had been expressly called God by the sacred writers, and had not always been distinguished from God, they have given an occasion to unskilful men to regard him as the supreme God." It is, however, strange that the persons who approve of this conjecture, should not see how it militates against themselves. It was invented, in order to escape the difficulty in the verse of which they seem to be insensible. And upon their own principles of translation, if it were adopted, a new difficulty might occur, for what would there be to prevent our translating the new text, "he was a OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, ETC. 157 God's." They have thus translated the centurion's excla- mation, at the miraculous accompaniments of the cruci- fixion— " Truly, tliis was a Son of a God /"* Crellius was too good a scholar to have put up with the translation of the Unitarian Version. He knew that the Greek words could not signify he was a God ; and he was too honest a critic to remain satisfied witli his own rash conjecture. He renounced it ultimately, together with the system which it was invented to support, and died a believer in the su2:)reme Divinity of Christ, and the efficacy of his atoning sacrifice. Under this head, should be classed, what, in my judg- ment, is the most wonderful instance of daring corruption of the sacred text ; and the most demonstrative illustration, of the pre- determination to make it speak the language of a party, to be found in the whole book. Tlie criticism by which the reckless alteration is defended, will come under consideration, in the sequel of this discourse. I shall, therefore, now do little more than barely point out the passage. — " He was in the world, and the Morld was made by him, and the world knew him not." The difficulty to reconcile this text to the Uni- tarian Hypothesis did not consist in the word "made." That word might have ])een struck out, and, scholars would not have reclaimed, as far as this text is, by itself, concerned. " The world was by him," would have con- veyed the same meaning. The Editors were sufficiently aware of this ; and, therefore, ^' in the present version TrefpcoTiafjLevoSyf enlightened, is understood after eyevero, as best connecting with the preceding verse." * Matt, xxvii. 54. t By the way, who superintends the " Unitarian Press ?" In the first edition, 1808, this word is misprinted TrecfjcoTiafievoi- In the fifth edition, 18iy, the lust I have seen, the mistake is faithfully retained. 158 THE UMTARIAN INTERPRETATION Thanks be to the Divine Author of the Record of Christianity, it is not the exclusive property of critics and scholars. No knowledge of Greek is required to detect tlie ffross outraije here committed on the Sacred Text. Any man of plain unbiassed understanding, and for such, principally, this discourse is intended, however illiterate, can confute the sophism. He was in the world, ENLIGHTENING the world, and yet the M'orld knew him NOT ! What kind of light is that which blinds the eyes which it was intended to illuminate ? A writer, who will not be suspected of extravagant and unmeasured language, the deeply learned Joseph John Gurney, thus justly characterizes this instance of "un- candid and dishonest criticism." "It may be questioned whether a more palpable dereliction of the fair interpre- tation of Scripture was ever attempted than by the Editors on this occasion. — We might, in such a case, UNDERSTAND the participle HDurnt,' or ' destroyed,' with nearly as much critical propriety, as the participle ^en- lightened.'"* I here close this portion of my discourse. What I have now advanced is but an inconsiderable portion of the proofs, which I shall bring forward of the defective and uncandid character of the Unitarian Inter- pretation. In the opinion of those, who estimate argu- ments, not by their number, but by their weight, even these will have been amply sufficient. I cannot, however, quit this place without addressing a few words of respectful and affectionate expostulation J to my Unitarian friends. If, in the delivery of this dis- course, there has been one word, or even a tone, or a look, calculated to give them unnecessary pain, I do as sincerely * Gnrney'\'ithout confusion of suljstance, must be obvious to ever}'^ candid and unprejudiced student of Holy Scripture. It is, in fact, the key to the New Testament. Without it, it is impossible to deal fairly with its sacred contents, or to open its secret treasures to the understanding, and the heart. The sophistical and uncandid criticisms, — the crafty contrivances, — and the mean subterfuges to which an attempt to explain that inspired book in opposition to this doctrine has invariably led, have been ably and satisfactorily exposed by my Reverend Friend who last, addressed you. Every fresh attempt of Unitarian expositors to get over their uncon- querable difficulties — every new scheme of interpretation which they devise, is only like the production of one false key after another, which never does, and never can answer to the lock. It is true they may use violence on the Sacred text — they may apply force to their false key, and make some apparent progress in turning it round. But what is the result ? The wards are injured, but the bolts re- main immovable. And what incomparable folly is this Avhen the proper key is at hand, and a single trial would be sufficient to prove it to be the right one! AVhen once, indeed, it is applied, the mutual correspondence is seen, part answering to part ; and no sooner is it touched by the hand of intelligence, than the bolts fly back with an elasticity and rebound, which leave you in no doubt that you possess the proper key. In the early part of this Discourse, I alluded to the opinion of the Gnostics. They, too, had their false key. They denied not the Deity, but the humanity of Christ. They contended that he spake and acted under the aj)- pearance only of a man. But how would they unlock such a passage as this: — " Forasintic/i as the c/iildren are 242 THE PROPER HUMANITY OF partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same.^' Tliey could not unlock it : but still they pretended that they did, and that their's was the right key. The Unitarians of the present day admit the humanity of our Lord, but deny his Deity ; and notwithstanding almost every page of Scripture opposes them, on one point of doctrine or another, they persist in trying every solution but the right one, — every key, in short, but that which is provided by him who constructed the lock. " Have the "Trinitarians/' then, no such difficulties? Certainly not. They have difficulties, doubtless, in the interpretation of many passages of Scripture, arising from defective knowledge and limited comprehension ; but not difficulties of this class — not difficulties which meet them merely as Trinitarians. — Let us try, for example, a few passages of Scripture which our opponents deem subversive of our notion of Christ as a Divine Being. Our Saviour says in one place — " My Father is greater than L"* In another — "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do."t "I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say, and what I should speak." J "But of that day, and that hour, knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." 1| We produce our key, viz.: — the completeness of each nature, and the union of both in one person, and we find no hindrance whatever. In his Mediatorial character, in which he assumed the manhood for our redemption, he was obviously inferior to the Father — he came as a servant to do his Father's will, * John xiv. 28. t John v. 19. * John xii. 4p. 11 St. Mark xiii. 32. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 243 and could not, therefore, act an independent part. Nor could he, as we have already intimated, know any thing beyond the ken of a finite intelligence, except it were revealed to him by the eternal "Word," with which he was mysteriously united, or by the " fulness of the God- head, which dwelt in him bodily."* We exercise no violence on the Sacred Text in giving this brief explana- tion. We look not out for ingenious and far-fetched sur- mises. We take the statements just as they are presented to us, without note or comment. We have no wish to explain them away. We have not even the temptation to do so. When we meet with a passage which attributes to him the actions or sufferings of a creature, we are not stumbled as to the doctrine of his Deity, for we know that he was properly a man, and felt as a man, and acted as a man. Still less do we call in question his manhood, when we meet with passages which attribute to him the perfections of Deity, for we know, that whilst he took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man, he was "over all, God blessed for ever."t * Col. ii. g. t When our Lord appeared unto his Disciples, in Galilee, after his resur- rection, he said unto them, " All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." That this power must be possessed, necessarily and unchangeably, by the Divine Nature of the Messiah, admitting such a nature, is evident : how then (it may be asked), is it "given" him ? and that it is " given," he repeatedly declares. Matt. xi. 27. John xiii. 3. and x\M. 2. I answer in the words of a valuable writer, (Dr. Pj'e Smith:) — "The reply is obvious. The mediatorial function, and the assuming of human nature, in order to discharge that function, constitute a new office, a new character, new manifestations of uncreated glorj' to intelligent beings. In the contemplation of these, nothing can be more proper than to say, that the dominion and glory of Christ are the ' Gift, ' to him, of his Divine Father, ' of whom are all things ;' while the essential excellencies of his superior nature remain ncces- sarily unchangeable, because they are infinite. Unquestionably it is difficult for us to form precise conceptions on the harmonizing of these distinct doc- trines ; and, indeed, the nature of the subject requires us to expect that it 2 L 244 TlIK PROPER lirMAXITY OF And is there any thing surprising, I would ask, in the fact, that the Scriptures speak of Christ some times with reference to his humanity, and at other times with refer- ence to his Deity, without formally marking the distinction ? Do we not thus speak of one another, in reference to what takes place in the two constituent elements of our being, — the body and the soul ? If we say that a neigh- bour is sick, or in pain, or hungry, or thirsty, or in want, we mean that his body is sick, or in pain, or hungr^^, or thirsty, or in want ; and no one, for a moment, supposes that we refer to his soid. And if, on the other hand, we say that a man is learned or ignorant, wise or unwise, happy or miserable, humble or proud, it is equally ob- vious that we refer to the soul, and not to the body. The nature of the things which we attribute to the in- dividual, sufficiently indicate whether we refer to his body or his mind, or to both body and mind united in one person. Where, then, the absurdity of saying, that the Scrip- tures speak of Christ sometimes with reference to his manhood, whether of body or mind, and sometimes with reference to his Deity, though the distinction be not for- mally pointed out, but left to be inferred from the nature of the things which are attributed to him ? There is no absurdity whatever, except in the reasoning of those who should be so. Philosophy and piety equally dictate the expectations so emi- nently befitting our natural state and circumstances. Our business is to as- certain the facts of the case, by the examination of their proper evidence. If we find it to be the voice of Revelation, that those separate facts really are so, as has been here stated, our incompetency to discover the links of the chain which connects them, ought, indeed, to teach us some humbling lessons, but ought not to give us any anxiety. Heaven is, for tliec, too high To know what passes there. Be lowly wise : Contented that thus far hath been revealed." OUR I^ORD JESUS CHRIST. 245 contradict the testimony of analogy, no less than the de- clarations of Holy Writ ? And here I might close the argument, were it not for a specious objection which the Unitarian may be ready to bring forward at the eleventh hour, and which, therefore, requires to be met. " Though," says he, " your acknow- ledgment of the perfect humanity of Christ may enable you to explain to yourselves, satisfactorily, such passages as you have just quoted, are there not other passages, which not only assert the human nature of Christ, but imply that he has no other nature ? Look, for instance, at your text, where it is not merely stated that Christ is a * man,' but where an emphasis is laid upon the term." Now that the term " man" occurs emphatically in the text, I am quite free to admit, but that it, therefore, im- plies his having no other nature, is altogether a gratuitous assumption. The Gnostics, in former days, would have been just as much warranted to infer from the emphasis with which the Apostle Paul elsewhere speaks of Christ as God, that he possessed no other nature, but that of Deity. A corresponding emphasis of this kind occurs in Hebrews i. 6 — 8. " And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith. And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith. Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." Tlie Apostle here contrasts the Son of God with the angels, showing his superiority over them in his divine nature, and quoting from the Old Testament to prove his proper Deity. But how absurd would it be for any one to infer from hence, that because St. Paul speaks here emphatically of his divine nature, that therefore he was 24G THE PROPER HUMANITY OF not a man ! Equally inconclusive is the reasoning whicn would go to prove, that because he speaks of him empha- tically in the text as possessing human nature, that, there- fore, he cannot be God. But the reason why the Apostle mentions the hu- manity of our Lord, so emphatically, in the text, is obvi- ous from the remarks which I have already offered at the opening of this discourse. He is speaking of him in the character of " Mediator," and declaring that he " gave his life a ransom for the world." Now, what was that life ? Was it not his human life ? Or take the precise phrase which the Apostle employs, — '^^Who gave himself a ran- som for all." It is obvious that the only nature in which he could make such an offering, or pay such a ransom, was his human nature. It was, therefore, emphatically, "the MAN Christ Jesus" who suffered in our stead, "the just for the unjust, to bring us to God." It is true that the ransom would have proved inade- quate and unavailing, had not the suffering human nature of our Lord been united to a nature that was di\'ine ; and most true, that, our rescue from the dominion and punish- ment of sin, required sufferings infinitely meritorious, — yet still, the nature in which alone those meritorious suf- ferings could be endiu-ed, was that of humanity. If with- out the Divinity, the ransom would have been ineffectual, — without the humanity, no ransom at all could have been paid. It was man's life that was forfeited ; and by the life only of man could it be ransomed from destruction. Well, therefore, might the Apostle exclaim, with emphasis, and well may every one of us gratefully re-echo the sound, "There is one Mediator between God and man, — the Man Christ Jesus." In bringing my Sermon, at length, to a close, I cannot but express my heartfelt desire that it may not have been OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 247 delivered in vain. If it be overruled, by God's grace, to the correction of error on this momentous subject in one indi- vidual,— or if it only tend, by the divine blessing, to esta- blish the faith of those who already beUeve and know the truth, my object will have been gained. But oh ! let me assure my Unitarian hearers, if there be such in this assembly, that "this also I wish, even their salvation." And if I have dwelt strongly upon the importance of forming right notions of the person of our Lord, it is because " there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we may be saved, but the name of Jesus." It is because, in him, and in him alone, "we have redemjotion through his blood, even the for- giveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." It is because he is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life."* It is because we are required to "honour the Son, even as we honour the Father."t It is no light matter, on either side, to err on a point like this : on the contrary, a mistake may be dangerous and fatal in the extreme. If Christ be merely a man — if he be not " God manifest in the flesh " — then are Trinita- rians guilty of worshipping a creature, instead of, or in conjunction with, the Creator. And who are they who are thus deeply implicated ? Not the members of the Churcli of England only, but of the Universal Church. For whom could we except ? Go through the length and breadth of Christendom — visit the churches in every quar- ter of the globe — compare them one with another, and note the points on which they differ. " They are many," you M-ill say, '' and great." True : but they all agree on the point which we have this evening been discussing. They all regard Jesus as a divine, no less than a human being — as the everlasting Son of the Father, no less than • John xiv. 6. t .lolin v. 23. 248 THE PROPER HUMANITY OF the Son of Man. They all worship him^ and put their trust in him. They all confide in his atonement, and depend upon his intercession. Romanists and Pro- testants, Churchmen and Dissenters, Episcopahans and Presbyterians, Moravians and Methodists, differ as they may on important, but not absolutely essential points, they all agree in regarding the union of the two natures in Christ as the corner-stone of their system. Surely, it becomes men who presume to differ thus essentially from the whole Christian world, to weigh well their reasons, and to be quite sure that they make no mistake. To follow any other guide than that of Scrip- ture in coming to a conclusion on the subject is virtual infidelity. And, in appealing to the Scriptures, the re- ference must, of course, be ultimately made to the lan- guages in which they were originally written. Now, it is notorious, that all the best scholars throughout the world, are unanimously of opinion, that the distinctive interpre- tations of Unitarian writers are untenable, and that, whether the doctrines they maintain be true or false, they are not the doctrines of Scripture. In maintaining then, your peculiar creed, you maintain it in opposition to the plain meaning of God's Holy Word, as established by the testimony of the best and most erudite scholars of every age and nation. Let me earnestly intreat you, then, to ponder seriously what I have advanced. I do not pretend to know any thing more on the subject than other men, or to put forth any new arguments in favoiu" of orthodox views. My object has been simply to set before you, old and well- established truths, and to beseech you, in the name of the Most High God, not to trifle with, nor reject them ! If there be one thing rather than another at which I have aimed throughout this discourse, it has been to avoid OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 249 exaggeration, and to act fairly and honestly towards what you profess, for the most part, to believe. Let me request from you similar candour and fairness in return, towards those sentiments of ours from which you dissent. Do not misrepresent nor caricature our doctrine : do not take the ignorant statements which some Trinitarians liave been guilty of making, as a fair representation of our creed. Do not raise a phantom of heterodoxy, under the name of orthodoxy, and then justify yourselves to your oaati breasts in scorning and deriding it; but act fairly, and judge righteous judgment. My controversy, you will remember, is not with you, nor with your ministers, but with what I believe to be your baneful and dangerous errors. I would not, will- ingly, give you or them the least unnecessary offence ; nor have I any personal feelings of ill-will to any one of you : on the contrary, nothing would gratify me more than to prove instrumental in doing you good. Receive, then, in good part, that which I have now ventured to address to you ; and suffer neither prejudice nor pride to stand in the way of your profiting, or prevent you from " receiving, with meekness, that ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls !" KM) UK TlIK KOl'RTH I.KCTURE. PROPER DEITY (3 UK LORD JESUS CHRIST PROVED PBOM THE PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES A LECTURE, DELIVERED IN CHRIST CHURCH, HUNTER STREET, LIVERPOOL, ON WEDNKSDAY EVENING, MARCH 6, 1839. REV. JAMES HALDANE STEWART, M.A. INCUMBKNT OF 9T. BRIDE 9, LIVERPOOL, And Chaplain to the Most Nolilc, the Blarquis of Bute, and the Manjuis of BrcadaIl)ano. BEI\<; THE FIITH or THE SERIES ON THE "UNITARIAN CONTROVEnSY," UY SEVERAL ( LERGYMEN OF HIE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. LIVERPOOL: HENRY PERRIS, 6, CHURCH STREET, AND IFAMILTON, ADAMS AND CO. LONDON. 1839. r.ITERrOOL : PRINTIil) BY H. PERRIS, CHURCH STREET. I'll I LECTURE V. THE PROPER DEITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST PROVED FROM THE PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES. BY THE REV. JAMBS HALDANE STEWART, A.M. "ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES AND COME; DRAW NEAR TOGETHER, YE THAT ARE ESCAPED OF THE NATIONS : THEY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE THAT SET UP THE WOOD OF THEIR GRAVEN IMAGE, AND PRAY UNTO A GOD THAT CANNOT SAVE. TELL YE, AND BRING THEM NEAR; YEA, LET THEM TAKE COUNSEL TOGETHER: WHO HATH DECLARED THIS FROM ANCIENT TIME ? WHO HATH TOLD IT FROM THAT TIME? HAVE NOT I THE LORD? AND THERE IS NO GOD ELSE BESIDE ME; A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR; THERE IS NONE BESIDE ME. LOOK UNTO ME, AND BE YE SAVED, ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: FOR I AM GOD, AND THERE IS NONE ELSE. I HAVE SWORN BY MYSELF, THE WORD IS GONE OUT OF MY MOUTH IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND SHALL NOT RETURN, THAT UNTO ME EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, EVERY TONGUE SHALL SWEAR."— 7saia/i, xlv. 20, 21, 22, 23. Assembled, as we are, in this House of Prayer, conse- crated to the service of the ever blessed God; assembled also, in the name of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: and thus assembled, meeting for the special purpose of maintaining his honour, and upholding his righteous cause, I would, with luimility, adopt the words of the Apostle Paul, Avhen opening his defence before King Agrippa. 2 M 252 THE PROPER DEITY OF " I think myself happy/' in the subject allotted to me, in this deeply interesting course of Lectures : so fully am I assured that the truth 1 am called upon to prove is, in- deed, the truth of God. For when I have to shew the proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, or to shew that He who was in the bosom of the Father from all eternity,* " His only begotten Son,"t "by whom also He made the worlds ; the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person '"% the King, "whose throne is for ever and ever;"§ who says of Him- self, "Before Abraham was, I am ;"]| of whom the com- mand is given, " Let all the angels of God Avorship him''^ — a command so accordant with their minds, that no sooner do they hear the voices of the redeemed acknow- ledging his worthiness, than ten thousand times ten thou- sand, and thousands of thousands of angels unite in ascrib- ing " Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power to Him that sits upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever," — ** to shew, I say, his proper Deity, or that He is " the true God and eternal life,"tt is to prove a truth which shines through this Inspired Volume with a glory far surpassing the brightness of the meridian sun, — a glory so manifest, that it is difficult to conceive how it can for a moment remain unacknowledged. ^Miilst I deeply regret my total inability to do justice to so great and glorious a subject, this is my consolation : — That if the highest among the orders of the Host of Heaven, one, for instance, of the seraphim, who burn with love, or of those mighty angels who excel in strength, was to have united in him, not only his own powers, but the powers of all the numerous choirs who surround the ♦ John i. 18. compared with Prov. viii. 22 — 28 t John. iii. j6. Ileb. i. 2, .1. \ Psalms xlv. fi. I| John viii. 58. f Hcb. i. 6. ** Rev. V. 9— U. tt I John v. 20. H OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 253 throne, and thus endowed, was commissioned to speak forth the excellencies of the Lord Jesus Christ, even his exalted faculties could not sufficiently make known His worth. 1 1 is love alone has a height, a depth, a length, and breadth, which passeth knowledge. But while a seraph's mind would fail in making known his exceeding and eternal weight of glory, God " has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, — He has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.'' It is upon his Almighty arm, and upon the aid the Holy Spirit may be pleased to grant, that, as one of the lowest of the serv^ants of the Lord Jesus Christ, my Divine Lord and Master, I altogether dej^end. For it is, my beloved friends, as one of his servants, and in his name, and, as I trust, by his authority, that I desire to address you. For, however prejudiced persons may be disposed to charge us with assuming an office to which we have no special right, my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I spoke the truth, and nothing but the truth, when I gave the annexed answers to the follow- ing questions put to me, by the Bishop, at my ordination: — Question : " Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost, to take upon you this office and ministration, to serve G(id, for the promotion of his glory and the edifying of his people? Answer: I trust so. Question : Do you think that you are truly called, accord- ing to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the due order of this realm, to the ministry of the Church ^ Answer : I think so."* This is my trust, as to myself; and, ac- * See Ordination Service of tlir Church of Kiiulaiul. 254 THE PROPER DEITY OF cording to the best of my knowledge and belief, I have a similar confidence as to my beloved brethren in the ministry, who have united in preaching this course of Lectures. I believe, unworthy as we are of such grace, that we are all the servants of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is for this reason that I am grieved at the advantage which has been taken of the very kind invitation of my much beloved and highly-respected friend and fellow-ser- vant in the Gospel, the Minister of this Church. He, with the benevolent design of affording to those persons, whom, we all conscientiously believe, have embraced the most dangerous errors, the opportunity of hearing the truth, and thus saving their souls from death, invited those who hold what are commonly termed Unitarian sentiments, to attend the delivery of these Lectures. This Christian re- gard for their best, their everlasting interests, has been made use of to attempt to change this Gospel ordinance into a mere discussion of two opposite parties ; and thus to give to this all-important declaration of '^'the truth as it is in Jesus,^^ the air of a trial of skill, and human talent, and superior learning, rather than that which these services, in this hallowed place, were intended to be — namely, to use, in the mild and gentle spirit of Christian affection, one of the divinely-appointed means of grace, to impart to those who, we believe, have set up a god of their ovm, the know- ledge of the true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. For I would desire all who are present, to bear in mind, that the preaching of the Gospel widely differs from an ordinary discussion, carried on between tAVO parties, either viva voce or in writing. The preaching of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is a divinely-appointed ordinance — one of those means of grace in which God puts forth his Almighty power : as the Apostle declares, — " After that. OUR LOUD JESUS CHRIST. 255 in the wisdom of God, the M'orld l)y wisdom knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that beheve."* It pleased God to accompany the outward preaching of the Word with the inward power of the Holy Spirit ; and, without this power, even an angel would preach in vain. For it is expressly declared, that " no man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost."t It is His shining into the soul, — His giving the light of theknowledgeof theglory of God, in the faceof Jesus Christ; oh, that He would now grant this light to every one i^resent ! It is this alone which will enal)le any per- son cordially to say to our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ, *^ My Lord and my God." I would, therefore, request you, my beloved friends, to view these discourses in their true light. Regard them not as mere strivings for the mastery, but look beyond the instruments to that gracious God who appoints the ordinance. And, that He may of his abundant mercy, bless the present discourse to the enlightening every soul in error, and for the confirming of the faith of all who truly believe, let me entreat you, my beloved Christian friends and brethren, to lift up your hearts to God, in silent but earnest prayer, for the aid of his Holy Spirit, by him so to glorify his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that "every knee may bow to him, and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Oh Thou, who in the economy of our salvation, hast undertaken to glorify the Lord Jesus — thou who art the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, God the Holy Ghost, do thou now vouchsafe thy aid, for His name's sake ! Amen. The subject for our consideration this evening is this:— * I ('or. i. ai. * I Cor. xii. :i. 256 THE PROPER DEITV OF The Proper Deity of orii Lord Jesus Christ, PROVED from Prophecies, Types, and Jewish Ordi- nances. You mark the words, ray friends, — the proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. For there are those who, when closely pressed by the plain declarations of the Word of God, from an unwillingness to be classed among Deists or Infidels, will admit the Divinity, as they term it, of Jesus Christ, but who still deny his Deity and Godhead. Thus retaining their errors, though to the unwary they seem to have renounced them. But this must ever be borne in mind, that there is, in fact, no such thing as an inferior Deity. They are mere human inventions, — the so-called gods of them who " professing themselves to be wise, became fools." It is Jehovah alone who can say, "I am, and there is none beside me;" I alone am the eternal, self-existent God. All other beings are entirely dependent upon Him. It is He alone who can '"lift up his hand to heaven and say, I live for ever.^'* Call them what you will, good men, angels, archangels, or beings superior to the highest order of angels, as our blessed Saviour is by some said to be, still, if any one of these names is all that you admit our Lord to be, "you cast him do\vn from his excellency," t you rob him of that which he thought it no robbery to claim, equality with God ; one in nature, one in essence, one in Al- mighty power, sufficiency and eternal existence with Jehovah — from everlasting to everlasting, God over all, blessed for evermore. | • Dcut. xw'v. in. i Psalm Ixii. 4. t Rom. i.v. .1. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. , 257 This is that we are to understand by the proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. As to the mode in which the three persons of the ever-blessed Trinity subsists in the unity of the Godhead, or how " the Word,"* he who " was in the beginning with God and is God/' subsists in union with the Man Christ Jesus, "perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul, and human flesh subsisting ; equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead, and inferior to the Father, as touching his manhood," we presume not to say. Secret things belong to the Lord. When every one must acknowledge his ignorance of the first step in this mysterious subject, namely, — his ignorance of the nature of the Divine essence, for him to disbelieve the inspired declarations of the God of Truth, because he cannot explain the mode in which this divine essence subsists, would be any thing but sound wisdom. Sincere Christians rest their faith upon the plain and simple fact, that the Lord Jehovah has, in his Lispired Word, again and again made known his subsistence in the Person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and also the proper Deity and Godhead, as w^ell as the proper Man- hood of the Lord Jesus Christ. No inequality we know, Essentially the same, The utmost glory we allow, To each most hallowed name. No Deity subordinate, For us hath shed his blood. We feel so wretched is our state, That none could save but God. This, my friends, is the truth which we hold, with all the faithful followers of the Lamb : the proper Deity and Godhead of our Lord Jesus Christ. I say, of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is necessarv to define our terms. It 258 THE PROPER DEITY OF will be recollected, that when the angel announced to Joseph the birth of our blessed Lord, he said, " Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which is con- ceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." — You notice this. " His name shall be called Jesus, for, he shall save his people from their sins." Not in their sins, but from their sins. That is to say. He shall deliver them not only from the guilt and punishment of transgression, but from all its evils, its defilement and pollvition, and finally, from its existence. For sin has a two-fold evil, it not only brings the sinner under the sentence of death pro- nounced upon it by the Almighty, but it assaults and pollutes the soul. It brings man into a state similar to a criminal condemned to death for breaking the laws of his country, and at the same time subject to a painful and most loathsome disease. In such circumstances, if a kind and benevolent person were to procure his pardon, it would only be giving him partial relief. This would change his outward condition as a condemned criminal, but the loathsome state of his frame, as a diseased invalid, would still remain. Was he released from prison, his malady would still accompany him. A complete deliverer, therefore, must not only obtain his pardon, but heal his disease ; restore him to health, as well as deliver him from confinement. This, my beloved friends, is the reason why — "He whom our souls adore," was called Jesus, that being a true friend, a complete Saviour, he should save his people, not only from the curse of a broken law, but from all the misery connected with sin; either with its open acts of transgression, or with its indwelHng in the heart. I mention this to prevent misconception. Judging with OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 259 the candour and openness of mind which becomes the followers of Him who "did no sin, neitlier was guile found in his mouth/' we should naturally suppose, that when a person professing to be a Christian teacher, under- took to make known what were the doctrines of those who believe in the proper Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, tliat he would not give a partial view, but that when he stated the truth, it would l)e the whole truth; that he would declare, for instance, that whilst the true Ministers of Christ preached the merit of his precious blood as the ground of pardon, and the righteousness of Christ as the ground of our acceptance with God, that he would also state that they affirmed that ^'^ without holiness no man should see the Lord,^'* that "this was the will of God, even our sanctification" — that their prayer for their flocks was similar to that of the Apostle for the Thessalonians, " Now the God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless to the day of Christ/'f For such are their conti- nual statements. They constantly inculcate that " holiness is happiness," that next to " seeing Him eye to eye, and face to face,'' or conjointly with this beatific view, the bliss of heaven will be conformity to him ; dweUing in the pre- sence of a holy God, and surrounding his throne associated with holy angels, and with them uniting in that seraphic song, " Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts."J I regret, therefore, to be compelled to say, that such is not the candour of Unitarian teachers; but that, in their statements of Trinitarian doctrines, this part of our preaching is altogether omitted. When, therefore, we are proving the proper Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will remember that it is Jesus who saves his people from * Heb. xii. 14. \ \'V\\r%f..\.-n. X Isaiali vi. .1. 2 X 260 THE PROPER DEITY OF their sins, that we intend; the complete deliverer, He "who is exalted as a Prince and Saviour, to give repentance as well as remission of sins/' who " has ascended up on high, leading capti\nty captive, that he might receive gifts for men — yea, for the rehellious ;" — and this among the first gifts, the gift of the Holy Spirit — "quickening the dead in sin" — enlightening those "who sit in darkness and the shadow of death'' — subduing their wills — rectifjdng their consciences — purifying their affections — and shedding abroad the love of God in their hearts. Such was the grace bestowed upon his very crucifiers, upon the day of Pentecost, — and such is the grace which we humbly en- treat him this night to bestow upon every one present, who has hitherto rejected his salvation. Oh Thou exalted Prince and Saviour, Immanuel, God with us, now manifest thy power and Godhead, by the free gift of the Holy Spirit, that they indeed may know that thy name is called Jesus, because thou savest thy people from their sins ! Having explained what was meant by the proper Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, and what was included in His name, I should now proceed to set before you the subject we are to prove. Before doing this, however, there are one or two things to which, for its clearer elucidation, I desire to call your attention. The first is this. That from the period at which the Lord appeared in Paradise to our first parents, after their fall, down to the days in which our blessed Sa\aour Avas brought into the temple of Jerusalem, the hopes of the people of God have been fixed upon the person of a deliverer, or upon the gracious promise, that, through the infinite mercy of God, a person should appear who should completely triumph over their enemies, and deliver them from all the consequences of their transgression. I will thank you to mark the expression, that the hopes of the OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 261 people of God have been fixed upon the person of a Deliverer. For I may say^ that this is the pecuUarity of the rehgion of the Bible, that which distinguishes it from all human inventions, that, from the very first, it takes a sinner out of himself, and fixes his hopes upon a Saviour. Thus, we are told, in the third chapter of Ge- nesis, that, when God denounced sentence upon our first parents, for their disobedience, He made this gracious de- claration : — Addressing the serpent. He said, " I will put enmitv between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Here you notice a promise of divine interference. "I will put enmity between thee and the woman." It shall be the result of my grace and Ans- dom, and this interference shall terminate in the serpent's complete overthrow. " It shall bruise thy head." The head is the seat of power and wisdom. It was by the sub- tilty of Satan that our first parents were deceived. But IT, that is, the promised seed " shall bruise his head," — shall give the death-wound to his power and craft, but in doing this he himself shall suffer, and this from Satan. " It shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel." We cannot doubt but to this gracious promise made by the Lord to our first parents, and to his condescending goodness in providing coats of skins for them, that we may trace the oifering of a lamb by Abel as the type of " the Laml) of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." For it is said " by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts."* Now faith requires a previous revelation, for where nothing is made known, there is nothing upon which faith has to act. The declaration, therefore, that his offering was made * Ilcb. \i. i. 262 THE PROPER DEITY OF by faith, implies that it was of divine institution — that he was trusting to the divine promise, and obeying the divine command, or was confiding upon the person of that De- liverer, whom God liad so graciously provided. I say I have no doubt that this was the fact ; but we need not de- pend upon the faith of Abel to prove that the hope of the patriarchs was fixed upon the person of a deliverer, for we have the strongest evidence that this was the faith of Abraham, the father of the faithful. For these are the words of our blessed Lord himself, " Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad ;"* that is to say, God had declared to him, after the offering of his son Isaac, '^ thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies" — that is, shall obtain the victory over them, and "in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." This declaration enlarged his previous hope. He beheld in the offering of his son the type of his Deliverer — of that Lamb "which God would provide for a burnt-offering" — and fixing the eye of faith upon his person, he ^'saw the day of Christ and was glad." This hope in the person of a Deliverer appears in in- creasing brightness in the Royal Prophet, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, pious King David. So lively was his confidence that not only does he speak of Him in the most exalted terms, foretell his death, his resurrection and ascen- sion, and predict his dominion over the whole earth, but he expresses the earnest desire of his soul for his speedy advent. " Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion ! When God bringeth back the captivit)'- of his people, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad."t In equally, or still more lively terms, does the Prophet Isaiah speak of this long-expected person ; and so do the other Prophets, as we shall after^'ards have occasion to John viii. 56. t Psalm liii. 6. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 263 shew. But without occupying your time with referring to them at present, I will only remind you of the address of the angel to the shepherds watching over their flocks at Bethlehem, when he announced the birth of our Lord. This was his language — " Fear not : for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."* Li all these suc- cessive ages, from the days of our first parents to the ap- pearance of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in our nature, the person of the Deliverer was the great object of hope. In Him they trusted as " H6 that should redeem Israel."t And when He did actually come, we know that pious Simeon, taking the infant Saviour in his arms, broke forth in this devotional address to the Most High. *' Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word : for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ; a hght to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." If you dwell upon this continued confidence, you will see how completely it differs from that theory which would set up Jesus Christ as a virtuous man, or as one of a higher order of beings, who came to exhibit a beautiful code of morals, or who, for establishing the truth of that code, died as a martyr. The whole amount of the feeling pro- duced towards the Lord Jesus Christ by such a faith, would be gratitude to him, as the revealer of this superior code, and admiration of his character, as manifesting it in his life. It is to the code he inculcated, that the attention is primarily called. Our blessed Saviour becomes little more than a teacher, and as it frequently is with an in- structor, their pupils considering that the master has ful- • Lvikc ii. in, II. 1 I-ukc xxiv. 21. 264 THE I'ROPER DEITY OF filled his office, they respect him indeed for the instruction he formerly gave, but imagining tliey have learned his les- sons, they have no longer any special dependence upon him. They know his rules, and that suffices. But my beloved friends, this is essentially different from the view which the patriarchs, the prophets, yea, "all who died in the faith," took of the promise of the Messiah. They felt that they were sinners. Like our first parents, who, after they had eaten of the forbidden fruit, knew that they were naked, so they knew that they were ex- posed to all the consequences of transgression, without the power to deliver themselves from their misery. Tliey, therefore, gladly fixed their hopes upon the Saviour God had prom.ised ; they looked forward to the day of his appearing, and like dying Jacob, when blessing his sons, and predicting the coming of Shiloh, or the Peacemaker, refreshed their fainting spirits by the confession of their faith. " I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord."* Another thing to which I desire to call your attention is this — that such vv'as the extent of the offices which this Dehverer was to perform for man, that for their due fulfil- ment HIS PROPER DEITY was essentially reqviisite. Without mentioning other offices, these three w^ere predicted. That he should be our Prophet, our Priest, our King. Thus Moses declares — " I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth ; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.^f So David, in the 110th Psalm, makes known these words of Jehovah to his Lord, or his Adonai, as the original word is. "The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, ♦ (icnrsis xlix. 18. f VcM. xviii. 18, 19. I OUR LORD .lESrS CHRIST. 265 thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec/' So it is recorded in 2 Samuel. "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou slialt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a liouse for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee : thy throne shall be esta- blished for ever."* These offices no one but lie who was God as well as man could fulfil. For as the Prophet who was to dehver mankind from all the ignorance and error under which their fallen nature, through the dominion of Satan, was groaning, it was necessary that he should be perfectly ac- quainted with the mind of God ; should have that com- plete knowledge of his will, that he might be capable of communicating it to man as far as was needful for the ac- complishment of the Divine purpose. But what creature could thus know the mind of God ? for " with Avhom did He take counsel^'? "God," indeed, "at sundry times, and in divers manners," or in divers parts, "spake in past times to the fathers by the Prophets ;" but these Avere only par- tial communications ; " here a little and there a little ;" by types and visions, and prophetic announcements, none of which communicated the full light of Divine Truth. For, as the Inspired Evangelist declares, " The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." " No man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath de- clared him." And as our Lord himself spake to Nicode- mus, " Verily, verily, I say unto thee. We speak that we • 2 Sam. \i\. 12, 13, 14, 16. 266 THE TROPER DEITY OF do know, and testify that we have seen ; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, ho\v shall ye believe, if I tell you of hea- venly things ? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, which is in heaven.'^* No mere man was so completely one with God as to be able to make known His will. His Son alone, " He, who was in the bosom of the Father,^^ "one wdth Him,^' He only could fully enter into his counsels, and, by declaring them, deliver man from the thraldom of error ; or, visiting us as " the dayspring from on high, give light to them that sit in darkness, and the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace." So for the right fulfilment of his Priestly office, his proper Deity, as well as humanity, was necessary. For he " was to make a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world." He was also to intercede for all his people, and to send them "another Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth,^'* who should " abide with them for ever." I ask, who but the Son of God could offer such a satisfaction for sin ? or who but He, who, as God, could search all hearts, and know the desires of all his people, could thus bless them ? But of His Priestly office I speak not further : this will be the subject of a future lecture. It is enough for our present purpose to advert to His office as our King. For who but He, " who is the King eternal, immortal, invisible," could sway the sceptre, which is put into the hand of the promised Deliverer ? It is predicted of him in the 72d Psalm, " He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the * John iii. 11, 12, 13, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 267 wilderness shall bow before him ; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents ; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him : all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence : and precious shall their blood be in his sight."* But how could he rule over the whole earth ? how could he hear the cry of the needy ? how could he redeem their souls from deceit and violence, if he was not every where present, or Almighty to overcome every enemy ? But without referring to these constant acts of his govern- ment, for the sustaining of which his proper Deity is so needful, how could he otherwise fulfil that part of his Kingly office, which he has declared himself that he will execute ? These were his solemn words, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God ; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this : for 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, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." And again : — " When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : and before him shall be gathered all nations : and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats : and he • Pnalms Ixxii. 8 — 14. 2 o 268 THE PROPER DEITY OF shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left." Think, for a moment, of the innumerable masses that vnU. then be gathered together, when not only all that are in the graves shall come forth, but when the sea shall give up its dead; those unfathomable caverns of the great deep which contain the untold multitudes who were swept away at the deluge, and all others who have at any other period sunk below the waves ! — Who but the Almighty God could restore to life these countless myriads ? — who but He who knows all things from the beginning to the end, could accurately discriminate the characters of each, and this with the same ease as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats ? When, therefore, these three offices of Prophet, Priest, and King are assigned to man's deliverer, it is absolutely necessary for their due fulfilment that he should be " God over all, blessed for ever and ever/' I might have added that this was also necessary to pre- serve mankind from the sin of idolatry. For who could for- bear trusting, loving, praising, adoring and magnifying this gloriovis person, who had freely bestowed upon him such unspeakable blessings : who had dehvered his mind from the thraldom of error, his heart from the dominion of sin, his body and soul from the power of death and Satan, and fashioning them like to his glorious body, and to his perfectly pure and holy mind, had raised him to dwell for ever in his eternal and everlasting kingdom ? Not to confide in such a Saviour, not to delight in honoring " his holy name would be impossible ! The nearer the eye beheld him, the more the hapj)y spirit partook of his likeness, the greater would be the desire to shew forth his praise. Hence we find that the songs of the redeemed who stand around the throne are sung in OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 269 the loudest strains. "Their voice is as the sound of many waters, saying, Hallelujah ! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Let us he glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his Avife hath made herself ready .^' But into that reason I do not enter. It is sufficient for better preparing your minds for the direct proofs of the proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to shew that the offices the promised Saviour was to execute, make it absolutely necessary that he should be perfect God, as well as perfect man. Let us now proceed to these direct proofs from the Old Testament Prophecies, which, in the plainest terms, declare his glory. The passage which I have read as my text, is taken from a series of Prophecies, commencing with the 40th chapter, which were delivered by the Prophet Isaiah, by the express command of God, for the comfort of his people. The principal subject of consolation, as might well be expected, is the exhibition of that Saviour who had been promised from the fall of man. He commences by this announcement : " The voice of Him that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every val- ley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, the rough places plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together ; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.^'* This prophecy is expressly applied by John the Baptist, to his OAvn office of fore- runner of our blessed Saviour; and his father, Zacharias, when filled with the Holy Ghost, thus prophesied of him "Thou, child, shall be called the Prophet of the Highest, for thou shaltgo before the face of the Lord to ♦ Isainh il. .1—:.. 270 THE PROPER DEITY OF prepare his ways :"* — To prepare his ways, whom he had named the Highest, and whom the Prophet Isaiah had announced as Jehovah, calling upon men to make straight in the desert a highway for our God, or our Alehim. The Prophet, then, in the ninth verse, as if he actually saw him, gives this charge ! " O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain, O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid, say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God,^^ or your Alehim. Behold the Lord God, or as it is in the original, Adonai Jehovah, will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him, — " Behold his reward is with him, and his work before him." Such of the con- gregation as are acquainted Avith Hebrew will know that the word translated — " Behold your God," — " Behold the Lord God will come with a strong hand," is a word con- stantly used to express the presence of an object. See, behold, here he is ! When the Prophet, therefore, having previously declared that the glory of the Lord should be revealed, and all flesh should see it, directs Zion, or the Church, to say to the cities of Judah, Behold thy God, it is to announce the actual appearance of their long- promised deliverer. Thus he commences his comforting predictions. Having, in the intermediate chapters, deli- vered some most instructive lessons, in his animated style, he breaks forth in our text in a still more lofty strain. As if he saw before him those Gentile nations who had been mercifully spared by the Almight}^, when he sent his sore judgments upon many of the Heathen, for their abominable idolatries and acts of wickedness, he thus addresses them. " Assemble yourselves and come : draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations ; they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven * Luke i. 7C. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 271 image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye and bring tliem near, yea, let them take counsel together : who hath declared this from ancient time ? Avho hath told it from that time ? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me ; a just God and a Saviour ; there is none beside me. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return. That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." In this grand portion of inspired prophecy these things may be observed: — First, the speaker is Jehovah, the eternal self- existent independent God. Next, this Almighty Being declares "There is no God else beside me;" in the original, there is no Alehim, no God in covenant, beside me. This word, as all Hebrew scholars know, is in the plural number. It is used in that very important passage which respects the creation of our first parents. "And God," (or the Alehim in the plural number) " said, let us make man in our image, after our Ukeness,"* and then it is added — " So God created man in iiis own image, in the image of God created he him."t The Inspired Writer thus making known a plurality of persons, whilst at the same time, the Unity of the Godhead is preserved. This word Alehim is used also upon that memorable occasion, the giving of the law at Mount Sinai as recorded in the 20th chapter of Exodus, ^-'And God," (or the Alehim) "' spake all these words," saying, — " I am the Lord thy God," or thy Alehim, thy God in covenant, " which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Further, whilst thus declaring himself the only Alehim, " there is no God else beside me," the Lord takes these • Genesis i. 26. + v. 2S. 272 THE PROPER DEITY OF titles, A JUST God and a Saviour. This is a most im- portant union of titles. For it manifests that Jehovah cannot be a Saviour at the expense of His justice, but that His salvation shall be according to His character, " mercy and truth meeting together, righteousness and peace em- bracing each other." Further, in this remarkable passage, three times repeated, does the Lord declare, " there is no God else beside me," " there is none beside me, for I am God," or " I am Al, the Almighty, and there is none else." As if in this glorious revelation of Himself, and of his office as a Sa\Tiour, he would make known to all creation, that it was the one living and true God, in the Persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who would accom- plish our salvation, as it is said in chap. xliii. 11 : "I, even I, am the Lord, or Jehovah, and beside me there is no Sa- viour," "no Oshea,^' as it is in the original, or, no Jesus. Whilst thus asserting his own sole, absolute, eternal, self-existent Godhead, he gives this striking charge, or as it might rather be termed, this most gracious invitation ; for surely the words " are full of grace,^' — "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth ;" or, as it is in the original, '' turn ye to me ;" as is the case when the eyes are fixed upon any one in the way of confident trust, or devout worship, — "look unto me." As if the Lord would say to those w^ho were making gods of their ovrc\, either some gross image, or some \asionary being of their own vain imaginations, whom they called their god, idols alike unprofitable ; a course which was pursued of old by the heathen nations, " who changed the glory of God into an image, made hke to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." But alas ! not by them only, for similar practices have been followed by those infidels who, in a neighbouring country', set up the Goddess of Reason, as they termed their profane idol, as OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 273 an object of worship — and I much lament to say, by those also in our own land, who have tried to " cast down the Lord Jesus Christ from his excellency." For the God they worship, even according to their own shewing, is neither a just God nor a Saviour, but one entirely of their own creating. For though they, in appearance, retain the common notion of the unity of the Divine Nature, yet many things concerning his essential properties, they have greatly perverted, so much so, that, let all the Unitarian teachers, now living, assemble together, and try to bring out, from the unmutilated Word of God, that imaginary Being whom they profess to worship, and they will find it a harder task than all their united wit can perform. To these false worshippers, whether of graven images or of idols of their own imagination, Jehovah, the Saviour, says, " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else." This striking com- mand he enforces by a most solemn affirmation : — " I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return ; that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." Such are the contents of this comprehensive portion of the Word of God. We have the eternal, self-existent Je- hovah proclaiming himself the only Saviour, and, in this character, offering himself to the whole human race: — " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth," — the most distant parts of the habitable globe ; the re- motest islands of the sea ; the very islands which we in- ha1)it, the British Isles, called by the ancients, the Ultima Thulsc, or the very extreme western point of the then known world. It is, my beloved friends, most cheering to the hearts of those who feel their need of such a Saviour, to find that this glorious prophecy is expressly applied by the Inspired 274 THE PROPER DEITY OF Apostle, St. Paul, to the Lord Jesus Christ, in the four- teenth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans. For after shewing that Christ died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord botli of the dead and the living, he declares "We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." In proof of which he quotes this Prophecy of Isaiah : — " For it is Avritten, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." The Apostle again applies my text to the Lord Jesus Christ in his Epistle to the Philippians, c. ii. v. 5 — 11 : — "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God : But made himself of no reputa- tion, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men : And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name : That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Here then we have, upon authority that it is impos- sible to doubt, the declaration made by the Lord Jehovah in the wTitings of the Prophet Isaiah, applied by the Apostle Paul to him whose birth was thus announced by the angel : — " His name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.^' If any person should inquire, how can this application be justified ? the answer is plain, namely, that He who in the 45th chapter of the Prophet Isaiah, declares himself to be Jehovah the Saviour, is in an earlier part of that roll of prophecy foretold as the one who woi;ld effect OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 275 salvation, by uniting in one person the divine and human natures, as perfect God and Man. The passage will be found in Isaiah, vii. 14. The first promise made to Adam intimated that the dehverer was to be of the seed of the woman ; not the offspring of both parents, but the seed of the woman. This evangelical prophet, as he has well been termed, was raised up at a time of great calamity to comfort the house of Judah by a plain declaration of his birth. For when Syria was confederate with Ephraim, combining together to go up against Judah, and set a king in the midst of it, thus hoping to defeat the promise made to David, the Lord said, " It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass." Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, "Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also ? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign : Behold a wgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Here is a direct promise of a deliverer who should unite both natures. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and call his name Immanuel." This prophecy is declared by St. Matthew to have been fulfilled at his birth whose name was to be called Jesus, or Jaii the Saviour ; for he was indeed Immanuel, God with us, God in our nature, God engaged in our behalf, and manifested for our salvation. This consolatory declaration is still further confirmed l)y Isaiah, towards the close of that portion of his pro- phecy; for the division of the prophetic writings into chapters, is a mere arbitrary division. It has its advan- tages ; but at times weakens the force of a prediction, or renders it less intelligible. The Prophet, after stating different intermediate trials coming upon Judah, and then L' r 276 THK PROPER DEITY OF looking forward to the deliverance Messiah would ulti- mately accomplish, thus speaks in the ninth chapter. "They joy before thee, according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou has broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his spoil, the rod of his oppressor, as in the days of Midian. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and the government shall be upon his shoulders : and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.^^ Here, in language plain and simple, and such as is quite intelligible to ever)' ordinary understanding, Isaiah announces the actual birth of the child foretold as Immanuel, God with us. First, his proper hvmianity is made known. Unto us a child is born, a son is given. This long-expected child, this long promised Deliverer, the desire of all nations, the seed of the woman, is now granted. Then his rule is mentioned, " The government shall be upon his shoulders." Then his proper Deity is declared : " His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Wonderful, indeed, is his name, for "great is the mys- tery of Godliness, God manifest in the flesh." W^onder- ful in his conception, born of a virgin. W^onderful in his humiliation, — " He who thought it not robber}' to be equal with God, made himself of no reputation, but took upon him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." W^onderful in his works, performing such miracles as were never before seen, rising triumphantly from the grave, ascending into glory, and sitting down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, astonishing even the angels who kept the portals of heaven ! For when his accompanying heralds demanded I OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 277 an entrance, saying, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glor)'- shall come in!" They answered, "Who is the King of Glory ? '^ as if they had said, what wonderful personage is this ? The reply was immediate, " The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glory," — Jehovah Sabaoth ; or Immanuel, God with us, for it is the same person in different names; he is this wonderful personage, "The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glorj^!" His next title is " Counsellor," for he is the repositor)^ of all the counsels of God, they are all connected with his per- son, and he is tlie manifester of them aU, and especially of that " counsel of his will, which he purposed in him- self"— " that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in Him."* Following these two names, comes one that most plainly speaks forth his proper Deity. For not only shall he be called "Wonderful, Counsellor," but, "the Mighty God," the Al-Geber, as it is in the original, or the conquering God ; for not only does this name denote miglit and power, but the most emphatic strength, supreme irresistible force to overcome every enemy. This name is referred to by this Prophet in chap. x. 2L when speaking of the restoration of Israel, he says — " the rem- nant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob unto the Mighty God," the Al-Geber. It is also strikingly exem- plified in a passage in Jer. 1. 23, 34. " Thus saith the Lord of Hosts ; the children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together; and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. Kjihe 278 TlIK I'UOl'ER DEITY OF Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of Hosts is his name: He shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon." May those unhappy persons Avho are now so fast bound in the spiritual Babylon, experience the truth of this prophecy, may their strong Redeemer set them free. After this title of "the Mighty God," follows this name — "The everlasting Father," or, as it has been rendered, the Father of eternity, or of the everlasting age. " For before the mountains were brought forth,^^ says the Psal- mist, " or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, (and by him were all things created) even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God!" Having all the tenderness of a Father for us even before the foundation of the world. Even then as it is declared, "rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and his delights were with the sons of men."* His last name is "The Prince of Peace," a name parti- cularly suitable for closing these blessed titles, for it is after he has manifested his wonderful Incarnation, his gra- cious counsels, his all -conquering power, his care of his spiritual offspring, surpassing not only a father's pity, but a mothers' tenderness, that he will reign for ever as the Prince of Peace, or bring in a peace which shall never be disturbed ; for Satan and all who take part ^\dth this fallen spirit in resisting his peaceful dominion, shall be cast into the lake of fire, and He shall reign for ever and ever, or as the prophecy concludes, " of the increase of his govern- ment and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this." OUR l.Olll) JKS'oS CHRIST. 279 Thus it is, that one of the predictions of this prophet casts light upon another. He, who in my text is named Jehovah, a just God and a Saviour, and who says, "Look unto me, all the ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God, and there is none else,'^ — a Scripture which is expressly applied to the Lord Jesus Christ, by St. Paul, is declared to be a ^^ child born, and a Son given, whose name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," the child l)rought forth by a virgin, whose name is Immanuel, God with us — as plainly proving as the Inspired Word of God possibly can prove, the proper Deity, as well as the proper humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unanswerable, however, as this proof is from the pro- phecies of Isaiah, it is not upon this Prophet alone that the direct evidence of the proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ rests. Time prevents my quoting many passages, but you will, I trust, bear with me, my beloved friends, whilst I briefly refer to two particularly striking portions. — First, the Prophecy of David, recorded in the 45th Psalm. He, with the ardour most befitting so glorious a subject, breaks out at once in this animating strain. — " My heart is in- diting a good matter : I speak of the things which I have made touching the king : my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men, ftdl of grace are thy lips ; therefore God hath blessed thee for ever."* Here he sets forth our Lord's proper humanity, as taking our nature upon him ; perfect man; and yet holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. " Fairer than the children of men,"— "The Holy Child Jesus." The Prophet then addresses him as his deliverer — " Gird ♦ rsalin xlv. 1. 2. 280 THE PROPER DEITY OF thy sword upon thy thigh, O Most Mighty/' the very word that is used by Isaiah^, when he calls him the Mighty God, " with thy glory and thy Majesty, and in thy Ma- jesty," as having united in thee not only the autliority of a King, hut the power of God, " ride prosperously because of truth, of meekness and righteousness, and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things." '^Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies ; whereby the people fall under thee." His enemies being overcome, David looking forward to his everlasting reign, thus speaks forth his proper Deity. " Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.^' No one, except from wilful blindness, can mistake as to the person intended in this Psalm, for the inspired Apostle St. Paul himself applies it to the Lord Jesus Christ, in the first chapter to the Hebrews, quoting the very words of the Psalm. Yes, my friends, he is David's king, *^ fairer than the children of men," the Mighty One, the One of whom the inspired word of Prophets and Apostles has declared — " Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." Surely here is an unanswerable proof of his proper Deity. Oh, may the Lord open every heart to receive the testimony, and, with glad lips, to say, — " Thou great Almighty Lord, My Conqueror and my King ; Thy sceptre and Thy sword, Thy reigning grace I sing. Thine is the power, behold I sit In willing bonds beneath Thy feet !" I only mention one more proof, taken from the Prophet Jeremiah : — " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the eartli. In liis davs Judah sliall be saved. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 281 and Israel shall dwell safely : and this is his name where- by he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness."* This name, a Branch, is frequently given to Messiah, as indicating his human nature as of the seed of David, — but here, with this very important epithet, " a Righteous Branch," — manifesting that his human nature, as before mentioned, is "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners,^' — '" the Lamb, without spot or blemish." It is declared of this Righteous Branch, that, as a King, He shall reign and prosper, — a prediction exactly accord- ant with the Prophecies from the Book of Psalms and the Prophet Isaiah. The name whereby this Righteous Branch shall be called is the Lord, or Jehovah our Righteous- ness ; for, uniting the Divine ^^'ith the human nature, the righteousness which he wrought out for his people is the righteousness of God ; and hence it is, that in the verse which follows my text, this declaration is made, as to him who proclaims himself Jehovah the Saviour. " Surely shall one say, in the Lord, or in Jehovah, have I righteous- ness and strength : even to him shall men come ; and all that are incensed against him sliall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all Israel be justified, and shall glory." For he, who is the Son of God, having united himself to us, as the Son of Man, and having, in that nature, fulfilled all righteousness for us, and, as our surety, " is made of God unto us," not only ^^ wisdom," but " righteousness, sanctifi- cation, and redemption ;"t so that all his spiritual seed may indeed glory in Him ; for " His righteousness is unto all, and upon all them that believe," J — a righteousness complete, the garment of salvation. May you and I, my beloved friends, ever be clothed in it, and rejoice in the Lord, as our righteousness and strength. • Jrroiniah xxiii. (i, J. t ' Cor. 1. :tO. { Uom. iii. 'J'.'. 282 THE PUOI'Kli DEITY ov Tliese, then, are the direct proofs which I would offer in support of the proper Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, from the Prophecies. Allow your minds, for a moment, to revert to the truths I have declared. I first shewed that, from the fall of man to the appearance of our Lord in the temple, the hopes of the people of God were fixed upon the person of a Deliverer from all the evils connected with the disobedience of our first parents. Secondly, That the offices this Dehverer was to fulfil for the attain- ment of this object, namely, those of Prophet, Priest, and King, not to mention others, could only be properly exe- cuted by one who was God as well as Man. I then brought before you, not only from my text, but from other prophecies confirmed by New Testament Scriptm'es, differ- ent passages of the Inspired Word of God, clearly shewing that he who says, " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else,^' is indeed Immanuel, God with us, God in our nature, God with us and God for us ; the child born, the Son given, whose name shall be called Wonderful, Coun- sellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace; who is fairer than the children of men, the Most Mighty, whose throne is for ever ; the Righteous Branch, the Lord our Righteousness. If you calmly and dispas- sionately meditate upon these proofs, you Avill find a body of evidence of the proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, which I am well assured it will be utterly impossible for all the teachers of error, now living, to overcome. I should, my friends, according to the subject assigned to me, now proceed to prove the proper Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, from types and Jewish ordinances. When, however, I was preparing my Discourse, it oc- curred to me, that when He who gives this gracious com- mand,— " Look unto me, and be ve saved all the ends of OUR I.ORIJ JESLS CIIIIIST. 283 the earth," shall have fully accomplished this glorious sal- vation, there will l)e "no more night;" but this will be the blessed state of all his faithful followers : " Their foreheads proclaim His ineffable name, Tlieir bodies his glory display ; A day without night, They feast in his sight, And eternity seems as a day." But we are not yet come to that rest. I, therefore, will not trespass upon the midnight hour by entering upon these important topics ; the more especially as the types and Jewish ordinances will form verj- appropriate parts, either of the next Lecture, or of the follovring one, upon the Atonement. I would rather invite you, my beloved Christian friends and brethren, you who glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, to refresh yourselves for a few moments, by taking a view of our blessed Lord and his great salvation. It would be almost impossible to treat so glorious a sub- ject merely in a dry, cold, and formal manner. Let us, then, delight our souls by " looking unto Jesus." " He has, by his own blood, made a way for us into the holiest of holies ;" we are invited to enter within the veil ; to anti- cipate the period Avhen the din and strife of party spirit Avill have altogether ceased ; when there will be no more contending for the master)^, but when they ^Svho have gotten the victor)" shall stand upon the sea of glass, having the harps of God," and in one \mited chorus shall sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Oh blessed day! then we shall be near to him — we shall see him eye to eye, and face to face — be conformed to his image — have "his name upon our foreheads" — "serve 2 Q 284 THE PROPER DEITY OF Him day and night in his temple" — and unite with the redeemed in never-ceasing hallelujahs ! In that joyful season, my Christian brethren, it will not grieve us that we have not been ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified — to own our Lord, or to maintain his cause. No, my beloved brethren, with hearts full of love, and with lips glowing with praise, and with eyes sparkling with joy and delight, we shall " cast our crowns before him,^^ and magnify the grace that brought to our ears the joyful sound, — "Look unto me, all the ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God, and there is none else/' Yes, not only brought the joyfal sound to our ears, but enabled us to receive the word into our hearts. Oh, what a word it is ! " Look unto me, all the ends of the earth, and be ye saved." Look and Live ; — Look and Live ! "Only turn to me, rest your souls upon me, in whom alone there is righteousness and strength," and you shall live for ever and ever! Oh, may the wonders of his love fill our hearts with gratitude and praise, and constrain us to hve to him, who lived, and died, and rose again for us ! Let us consider the past time of our lives, the scanty services we have yet rendered, only as the entrance upon the threshold of a Christian course. Let us now "have our conversation in heaven :"* let us continually remember " what manner of persons we ought to be in all holy con- versation and godliness, looking for, and hasting to the coming of the day of God."t Oh that the God of all grace would work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure — strengthen our faith — animate our hope — enkindle our love — enhven our zeal — grant us a conversation becoming the Gospel — that men might see in us something of the likeness of our divine Lord — and that they who were disposed to • 1 Philippians, ii. 13. f 2 Peter iii.ll. 12. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 285 speak evil of us, might, like the accusers of Daniel, " have no occasion" against us, except they " find it against us concerning the law of our God." But I turn to those who may be teachers of Unita- rian errors ; and I would desire to speak to you in the spirit of my Lord, and in earnest prayer, that I may only declare that which shall be for your everlasting welfare ; for this I can say, with the greatest sincerity, I really desire. "\Mien I considered that, with some minute excep- tions, the whole drift of your teaching is to degrade the Son of God, even Him who is at once the Light and Life of men, — our Creator, Lawgiver, Judge, Advocate, Re- deemer, all in one ; in whom alone there is salvation, peace here, and everlasting blessedness hereafter : — When I thought of this being the general character of your in- structions, to degrade my Di\ane Lord and Master, and to ruin the souls of my fellow-sinners, by turning them away from this glorious Saviour : when, also, I saw you taking advantage of the kind invitation given by the Minister of this Church, to persons holding what are termed Unitarian doctrines, to attend this Course of Lectures, publicly to address a letter to the Clergymen who were to preach these sermons, in which you subscribe yourselves, " Your fellow-labourers in the Gosjjel" although so far from being our fellow-labourers, you must be well aware, that there is scarcely a single doc- trine of the Gospel that we hold, that you do not op- pose ; and that, at the same time, 3'ou put forth, by your own authority, a syllabus of a Course of Lectures, con- taining a conjoint list of subjects, the one to be preached at Christ Church, the other at a Unitarian chapel ; thus leading the public to suppose that there might be some private understanding Ijctween us, and that we had agreed together to deliver this seemingly-united Course: — when, in 286 THK I'KOl'EJl DEITY OF addition to this uncandid guile, you place in this un- authorized list, opposite to the subject fixed for the Lecture to be delivered this evening, namely, " The Proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, proved from pro- phecies, types, and Jewish ordinances,'' — this dreadful blasphemy, which I scarcely know hoAV to repeat ; " The proposition that Christ is God proved to be false, from the JeAvish and Christian Scriptures ;" thus uncourteously, as well as unnecessarily, wounding the feelings of a large Christian community : — when the account of these accu- mulated dishonours upon my Lord, and injuries to man, came first upon me, I had, for a short moment, some of those indignant feelings which St. Paul testified against Ely mas, when he sought to turn away the Deputy from the faith.* But when I paused for a httle, this thought was presented to my mind, as I trust, by Him ^'from whom all holy de- sires, all good counsels and all just Avorks do proceed," — " Who made thee to diifer ? and what hast thou that thou hast not received?'' Instead, therefore, of giving place to these feelings, I poured out my prayer to God for you, that He, of His infinite grace and mercy, for His dear Son's sake, would grant you forgiveness, and open the eyes of your un- derstanding, and turn your heart, that you might acknow- ledge the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and your God. And in this prayer, I entreat every one, who calls upon the name of Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours, to unite. O blessed Saviour, thou that didst meet Saul, the persecutor, when he was breathing out threatening and slaughter against thy Disciples, now mercifully look upon these men ; make them monuments of thine Almighty power and grace, and grant that they may yet preach that faith that they now attempt to destroy. Oh, that the Lord may grant our prayer, for his own name's sake. I can say, with the greatest sincerity, that I have no other feeling ♦ Arts xiii. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 287 than that of good-\nll towards you ; that I lament over your errors ; that I am truly sorry that you should have ever written such a sentence as the one you have proposed as the subject for your next Lecture ; and that I do hope you will not attempt to speak forth such blasphemy ; for I had rather my hand was burnt off than publish such a sentence as my own creed ; and, as for preaching upon it, rather than thus defile my lips, my prayer should be that my tongue might cleave to the roof of my mouth. "Be not then proud, for the Lord hath spoken : give glory to God, before he cause darkness, and your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while you look for light, he turns it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness/'* Remember the wise counsel of the Apostle, — ^' If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise."t Learn wisdom from a little child, the child of one of the scattered remnant of Judah, at present resident in this town. He was placed at a Christian school; there he heard prayer offered up to the Father, through the intercession of His Son, Jesus Christ. After being in the school for a short time, he said to his mother vipon coming home — Mamma, when I pray to God, I feel that I should like to pray to Jesus Christ; but, mamma, we must not pray to Him. The answer was. No. But said this sweet little Jew child — " When 1 go to lieaven, and see Jesus Christ, if he is God, I shall be ashamed to look him in the face." Oh, let this little Jewish child be your teacher. Let him remind you of the declaration of our blessed Lord to his disciples, when he called a little child and set him in the midst of them. — " Verily, 1 say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the king- dom of heaven ; whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself Jeremiah xiii. 15 and 16. t 1 Cor. iii. 18. 288 TIIK PROPER DEITY OF as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven/^* For be assured that if you do not now bend your knee to Jesus as God, you ^^•ill " be hereafter ashamed to look him in the face." Finally, let me beseech those who profess to belong to the Church of England, or to be believers in the proper Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, not to be led away with that false charity which confounds truth vnth. error, and which, under the name of liberality, regards not the true welfare of our fellow-men ; but let us seek for that sincere love which really merits the name. Sup- pose for instance, you should visit a prison ; that at your entrance you should come to the cell of a prisoner con- fined for horse-stealing, an ignorant man, who could neither read nor write ; that you should next pass to one found guilty of manslaughter, a dissipated person, who, when intoxicated, had given a death wound to one of his companions. You were shocked, as well you might be, at these low and base crimes. You then entered a third apartment, and there you observed a person of courteous manners, of gentlemanly address, who spoke to you in a benevolent manner respecting the other criminals. You asked the keeper of the prison why he was confined ? his answer m' as, — " This person is here for high treason ; he has concerted a plot against the king's son, and mild as his language to you is, he is constantly teaching the prisoners to rebel against the crown prince.'^ If, after this report you were to say to this prisoner, — " Sir, I am very sorr)^ to see you here : — it is a very hard case that you should be imprisoned, for you have only made a mis- take in the interpretation of some parts of the statute- book containing the laAV of the land, and therefore I ^^'ill give you my hand, and acknowledge you as a loyal and * Matthew xviii. 1—4. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 289 faithful subject of the king/' I ask if this would be true charity ? — true brotherly love ? Would it not be bouying up the prisoner in his error, and encouraging him in his evil course ? Woidd it not be even worse than this ? Would it not, by calling him a loyal subject, whilst he was speaking treasonable language, be like exciting him to commit other overt acts of treason, and thus make the proof of his guilt more easy, and his condemnation more certain at his trial ? Assuredly it would. But, if in a kind and candid spirit you were to say to him ; — " You have committed one of the highest crimes of which a subject can be guilty; you have attempted to disinherit the king's son, and to deprive him of his father's throne ! I recommend you at once to cast yourself at his feet, and sue for mercy ; the day for holding the assizes is not yet arrived, although it is near at hand ; and he may forgive you, therefore make no delay, but at once acknowledge your offence. I mil, ^\ith all my heart, assist you in your application." Would not this be true charity, unfeigned love, real hberality ? For you might thus save the prisoner's life, since the more he respected your character for kindness and for candour, the more likely would he be to attend to your counsel, and to be swayed by your advice. This, my friends is the true Christian course to be pursued with those who blaspheme the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, not to flatter them by calling them Christians, and taking counsel with them upon matters of religion, as if their "damnable heresies," as the inspired Apostle St. Peter calls them, " denying the Lord that bought them,"* were but trivial errors — but in sincere Christian love, tell them you deeply feel for their danger ; that there is no sin that you can conceive ot^ greater than 290 TIIK I'llOl'KR DEITY OF that of dishonouring the Son of God, even Him of whom it is declared — "That the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son/' — " that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father :"* a sin of so deep a dye as to produce this solemn warning from an inspired Apostle — " He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall lie be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace ? For we know him that hath said, vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord." f It may be that thus treating them in a spirit of love, God " may give to them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth," and to you the delightful privilege of " saving a soul from death, and hiding a multitude of sins. J" And this I can, with the greatest truth say, is my moti^^ for not calling a blasphemer of the Lord Jesus Christ a Christian, that by giving him the name, I might deceive him or encourage him in a most dangerous error. I can lay my hand upon my heart and say, it is from no ill-will, from no bigoted, sectarian, or Anti-Christian spirit ; it is with a view to his real peace here, and his everlasting welfare hereafter. For whilst I bear the affection of a son, to the Church of which I am a member, and esteem it a high privilege to be one of her ordained Ministers, my object, for years, has been to unite in prayer to God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit "all that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity," desiring the coming of that blessed day, (oh that the Lord would hasten it,) when all strifes and divi- sions, and heart-burnings among Christians, may termi- * John \. 22. 23. t Hcl). X. 28. 30. X .lames v. 19, 20. OUR LOUD JESUS CHRIST. 291 nate ; or, if there must be a contest, this may be the only one — who shall love their Saviour most, serve him best, and sing his praises in the higliest notes. Let this be the aim of all who profess to hold the Proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ ; let them shew that it is a "faith which works by love." Of all ways of putting down objections, there is none comparable to living them down. As an old writer has quaintly, but truly said, — " Thsinksgivinff is good, but thanksliving is better still.'^ Let me then recommend you to adopt, not that false charity, which will prove an injury instead of a benefit, but to cultivate the mind of Christ : — "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, Avhatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think of these tilings !" Now unto Ilim that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you, faultless, before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Sa- viour, be glory and majesty, dominion and poM'er, both now and for ever. Amen. END OF rue FIFTH LECTURE. '2 R PROPER DEITY OF OUR LORD * THE ONLY GROUND OF CONSISTENCY IN THE WORK OF REDEMPTION: A LECTURE, DELIVERED IN CHRIST CHURCH, HUTsTER STREET, LIYERPOOL, ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 13, 183D. BV THE REV. HUGH M'NEILE, M.A. BEINC THE SIXTH OV THE SEHIES ON' THE "UNITARIAN CONTROVERSY," BY SEVERAL CI.EIIGYMEN OK THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. TovTO . Vin HREKACE. promote and prolong theological strife ? — why do we persevere in controversy ? — why do we not keep quiet, and allow others to be quiet also, and to go to heaven their own way ? — our answer is simple : — Fallen man's own way is not the way to heaven. If it were, neither redemption nor revelation would be required. Our hearts' desire and prayer, before God, for our fellow-men, is, that they may be saved. We are as deeply persuaded, as it is possible to be of any truth, even of our own existence, that there is but one only name given under heaven among men whereby any man can be saved. From innumerable proofs, rising into moral demonstration the most convincing, we are satisfied that the Author of Creation is the Author of Christianity, — of Chris- tianity in its Patriarchal promises, in its Jewish t}'pes, in its mani- fested Evangelical and Apostolic plainness ; and that, since the fall of Adam, no human being has been, or can be, restored to communion with God, and conformity to the Divine image, — (i. e. to real happiness), — except through the Incarnation, Atone- ment, and Intercession of the everlasting Son of the Father, and by the quickening energy, and sanctifying fellowship, of the Eter- nal Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son. Our heart, and mind, and soul — our whole moral and intel- lectual being, with all its powers, and aU its capacities, is pene- trated with the most unwavering confidence in the truth of the Holy Scriptures ; and the most unhesitating assurance, that the things which are bound and loosed in the declarations of this Book, taken in their most obvious and popular meaning, will be bound and loosed in the unalterable decisions of the living God, on the throne of eternal judgment. When essential truth is rejected, — the Godhead of the Sa- viour, for example, — we are constrained utterly to deny the ex- istence of Christianity, and, consequently, the possibihty of salva- tion. Rejecting the Incarnation, Unitarianism leaves a moral gulf between God and fallen man, which can never be filled up or passed over ; re-union is impracticable. Rejecting the Atone- ment, Unitarianism leaves a load of guilt upon eveiy man, which, in everlasting equity, will demand everlasting punishment ; right- PREFACE. IX eous release is impracticable. And rejecting the indwelling-, sanctifying agency of the Eternal Spirit, Unitarianism leaves a fountain of corruption in every man, which will prove a worm that dieth not, and a fire that is not quenched; holiness, and, therefore, happiness, is impracticable. These falsehoods are infallibly fatal to all who are so far de- ceived by the pride of fallen human reason, as really to embrace them. We may not be restrained, by any relenting tenderness or yearning sympathies of an affectionate heart, from affirming these faithful sayings of God's truth. We are aware of the repugnance with which such sayings are received ; and we know something of the crucifying eftbrt which is required in order to continue to utter them in love. If our silence concerning the danger, could annihilate the danger itself : — If, by mingling truth and error in one indiscriminate heap of mis -called charity, we coLild glorify our God, and save our fellow-men ; with what joy should we yield to the complacent sympathies of our fallen nature, and ourselves become Liberals! But it may not be. The danger abides in full force, though we cease to mention it ; and, therefore, silence on our part, is transferred from the region of charity, into the region of the most barbarous cruelty. Instead of wearing the mild and winning features of forbearance and tender love, it would assume the revolting aspect of either hypocrisy or infideUty. It is recorded concerning the celebrated eastern bird, whose name is a proverb for folly, that when she has succeeded in hiding her own head, so that she cannot see the approaching danger, she reposes, as if in perfect security, unconscious of the exposui'e of her entire body. The advocates of charity, who would blot out the damnatory clauses from our creeds and Bibles, seem to par- take of this ostrich folly : as if when they had blinded themselves to the danger, and succeeded in procuring repose, by getting rid of these troublesome remembrancers ; they had also succeeded in annihilating the danger itself — in blotting out hell from the store-house of the righteous judgments of God, and securing an eternity of plausible Uberalism. X PREFACE. When essential trutli is concerned, it is impossible to speak too plainly, or too strongly, or too frequently. It is the gi-and design of Satan, with all his varied forms of temptation and delusion, adapted to the varying temper of men's minds, and the fashionable tone of the various ages of the world, and grades of society, to lull mankind into a slumber of indifference about eter- nity, until it is too late for them to be in earnest about salvation. And it is the grand business of the Ministers and Messengers of Christ, to rouse the slumberers, and tell them of salvation, now while it is called to-day. If we may not speak thus, let us speak no more at all. If, while the fire rages, and thousands are falling into it, we may not sound an alarm, and cry, — Awake, awake ! flee from the wrath to come : — then are we watchmen no longer ; our occupation, in all that rendered it effective, is at an end. If we must confine our ministrations to soft lullabys, which do not disturb the slumberers ; or which, when they are in some degree disturbed by conscience, aUay the incipient alarm, and soothe them again to repose ; then are we transformed from being Am- bassadors for Christ, into being no better than cradle -rockers for Beelzebub. Great and gracious God ! rouse, and guide, and strengthen us, thy Ministering Servants, that we may raise, and prolong, and re-echo, a fervent cry through the length and breadth of the land — proclaiming the reality and eternity of hell — testifying repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ — and displaying, in the light of thy sure promise, gloiy, honour, and immortahty of holiness and joy, to every one that beheveth. St. Jude's, April, 1839. LECTURE VI. THE PROPER DEITY OF OUR LORD THE ONLY GROUND OF CONSISTENCY IN THE WORK OF REDEMPTION. BY THE REV. HUGH M'NEILE, A.M. "FOR THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE: FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD; BEING JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS: WHOM GOD HATH SET FORTH TO BE A PROPITIATION THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, TO DECLARE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST, THROUGH THE FORBEARANCE OF GOD; TO DECLARE, I SAY, AT THIS TIME HIS RIGHTEOUS- NESS: THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST, AND THE JUSTIFIER OF HIM WHICH BELIEVETH IN JESUS."— iiom. iii. 22—26. It is not my intention to delay you with any prefatory observations on the general subject of this controversy, but to proceed at once to that particular portion of it, the discussion of which is entrusted to my charge. It is thus stated : — "The Proper Deity of our Lord the only ground OF Consistency in the Work of Redemption." Man is ruined, and needs redemption : only God can redeem. In redeeming, he cannot be inconsistent with himself. If the Deity of the Lord Jesus be rejected, in- consistency is ine\-itably involved. If the Deity of the 2 s 294 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: Lord Jesus be received, inconsistency is avoided. The Deity of the Lord Jesus is distinctly revealed, as distinctly as the Unity of the Godhead. These are lofty themes. Gracious Lord, grant us, in this world, knowledge of thy truth — increasing knowledge of thy sanctifying truth ! I. God is love. He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. The first and great command- ment of the law is love. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love is the fulfilhng of the law. The end of the com- mandment is love. The end of all true religion is love, — the love of God and the love of man. 1. It is commonly admitted that these two comprise our highest duties ; but it does not seem to be commonly understood, that they also constitute our best happiness. Yet, this is strictly true, and will and must continue true to all eternity. To love God supremely, and to love one another sincerely and cordially, are the essential elements of the happiness of all intelligent creatures. It is thus the holy angels are happy. Their exalted and pure aiFections are fixed with supreme devotion upon their great Creator and continual Preserver. There, at the fountain, each imbibes spiritual joy. The stream is hap- piness. And can the kindred streams be kept from union ? No ! emanating from the same divine spring, they flow together towards the one boundless ocean of the divine glory. The whole angelic host, with one feeling of happy love, and one voice of happy praise, enjoy and proclaim the perfections of their Maker and their God. If their happiness be capable of increase, it can only be by an in- crease of their love towards God, and towards each other ; OK, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 295 or, by witnessing additional multitudes of intelligent crea- tures becoming partakers of similar happiness. It is thus the disembodied spirits of all true Christian believers are happy. Thus tlie children of the glorious resurrection shall be happy, ays dyyeXot tov deov iv ovpavo), as the angels of God in heaven. And thus true Chris- tians, now on earth, enjoy their measure of happiness. It must ever be in direct proportion to their love. Be- loved, saith the Apostle John in his affectionate exhorta- tion, let us love one another, for love is of God: and every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God. O that my heart were filled with holy, hunil)le love to my God, and overflowing with sincere, self-denying, active, persevering love to my fellow-men ! This, my brethren, is a Scripturally-enlightened aspiration after genuine hap- piness. This is the true " Christian idea of salvation."* Perfected salvation in man, is perfected conformity to God. 2. But here the question arises, how is this salvation, this conformity, this happiness, this love to be attained? It is not natural to man thus to love. The affections of his heart do not rise in unbidden instinct to this supreme love of his God : neither do they expand to this comprehen- sive and disinterested love of his fellows. If they did, if such were the natural, the spontaneous action of his moral being; he would require no redemption, no deliver- ance from any evil or mischief. He would l^e whole at heart, and they who are whole need not a Physician, but they who are sick. * That is, so far as the soul of man is concerned. In its more compre- hensive sense, salvation includes the body also. So the Apostle writes : — " Ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption — to wit — the redemption of o'lr Aof/y." — Rom. viii. 23. 296 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: 3. It is indeed natural to man to admit as a theorj'', that he ought to love God, and goodness. In accordance with this theory, he admires in sentiment, what he does not follow in practice. The celebrated classical confession of this has passed into a proverb. " Video meliora i^oho que, deteriora sequor," which has been Enghshed thus: — " To know the best, and yet the worst pursue." This theory is the spring of all that poetical self-deception which leads men to think of themselves more highly than they ought to think. This theory is the source of those fictitious characters of imaginary excellence, which oc- cupy the pages of the novelist, and beguile the fancy, excite the morbid sensibilities, and waste the precious time of the unwary reader. This theory is the secret basis of those anticipations of unbounded perfectibility in human society under an improved management, which animate and seem to ennoble the ambitious longings of the romantic philanthropist. This theory has sketched many an air-drawn castle, peopled many an enchanting island, and made many an amiable dreamer about Utopia appear, in his own eyes, a deliverer of his species. 4. It is painful to be compelled to bring the stern and stubborn testimony of fact and experience to bear against this fanciful elysium, and by the steady light of reality to dissipate the fantastic gilding of these lovely clouds. Poor fallen man is willing to be beguiled by a pleasant theory, and resents as unfeeling rudeness, the truth which pronounces his vision to be a dream, and the faithfulness which, preferring his permanent welfare, to his present ease, cries with a loud voice — "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Together with this pleasing theory, that he ought to love God, there exists in man, by nature, a bitter conscious- OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 297 ness that he does not love God. There exists at times a secret feeling (or at least fear) of having oifended God; which induces a secret distaste for Him, and a secret will- ingness to postpone the inevitable, but dreaded meeting ■with Him. I said " at times.^^ It is at times only : for there are seasons when this feeling is lulled asleep. But there are other seasons, in every man's experience, when there arises from the depth of his being, a secret appre- hension that all is not well. 5. The theory of love towards his fellow-creatures is in like manner disturbed and overborne by the intrusions of selfishness. Self, directly or indirectly, is the idol of the natural heart. Self, not always terminating in the indi- vidual, yet seldom rising above or expanding beyond the family, or little circle or party to which the individual be- longs. Selfishness is the bane of happiness. It is an at- tempt to shut up close what God has opened wide — to contract what God would expand — to circumscribe, within a favourite boundary, what God would diffuse over the length and breadth of creation. It is the rebellion, the high treason against heaven, which characterizes the inha- bitants of the earth. It is blindness and wretchedness, defeating its own object : not condensing enjoyment, true enjoyment wont be condensed, but multiplying and mag- nifying disappointments, and vexations, and distresses. G. Yes, man is a ruined creature, under the practical dominion of his carnal affections and appetites: bearing in his bosom a lurking troublesome witness against him- self, a conscience which has been happily compared to a dethroned monarch, whose legitimacy is not theoretically disputed, l)ut whose authority is practically disregarded. Imagine a disastrous revolution successful to that point of anarchy which has dethroned the lawful sovereign, but not yet advanced to the consummation which puts him to 298 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: death; and you have an image of the moral anarchy of fallen man. In some it would seem, indeed, as if the rebeUious process had reached its fatal climax. Conscience is seared, as it were, with a hot iron, and the hardened creature given over to a delusion, to a reprobate mind, to believe a lie. 7. I will read to you an inspired description of the actual character of the human race in their natural un- converted state. They are " filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, mahciousness ; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, mahgnity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affec- tion, implacable, unmerciful : who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." * And again. " There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that under standeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips ; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood ; destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known : there is no fear of God before their eyes." t 8, Is this too much ? Do these words of inspiration exaggerate man's guiltiness ? Surely not. Every word of God is true. If men do not acknowledge the justice of the description, it is not because of exaggeration in the charge, Ijut because of infidelity in the accused. ^'The Roin. i.2J— 3.'. t Kom. iii. 10—18. 1 OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 299 heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked/'* A specimen of the deceitfulness of man's heart may be de- tected and exposed in his treatment of such passages in Holy Scripture as those just now quoted. The attention of each individual fastens, almost insensibly to himself, upon those clauses in the passage, with reference to which he feels he can plead not guilty ; and, in escaping from these, he flatters himself, that however the passage may have applied to ancient heathens or Jews, or possibly to some notorious characters even now, yet certainly it has no application to him. It is quite possible that this process may be in opera- tion, at this moment, among yourselves. But remember, these Scriptviral indictments are as Avide as the world, em- bracing, in their comprehensive descriptions, all classes of human offenders. The passage is distributive. It was not intended that all the clauses should apply to each in- dividual case ; nor is it necessary, in order to be convicted under them, to be an offender against every clause. One is enough. When you heard the word murder, you felt free ; but were you equally free under the charge of deceit ? When a mouth full of cursing was mentioned, you felt un- touched ; but were you equally untouched under the charge of envy, whispering, and backbiting ? Hear, then, the high principle of the divine law, which takes cognizance of sin, not because of its quantity, but because of its opposition to God. " Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Because He vjho said" — observe the reason — "do not commit adultery, said also, do not kill," &c.t It is the same authority that pers'ades every commandment : therefore, if thou break one commandment, though not another, thou transgressest against that authorit}\ This is the principle laid down by * Jer. xvii. 9. t Junies ii. 10, II. 300 A JUST GOn AND A SAVIOUR: the Apostle. The law of the Lord is perfect. It is ex- ceeding broad, stretching, in its rigorous demands, over the whole surface of human life. It is spiritual, holy, just, and good, penetrating, in its searching application, to the thoughts and intents of the human heart. And no human being can stand examination by it. " Every mouth must be stopped, and all the world be pronounced guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight : for by the law is the know- ledge of sin."* By the law is the knowledge of sin ! What law ? The Apostle says again, — " I had not known sin, but by the law : for I had not known lust (to be sin) except the the law had said. Thou shalt not covet." f Proof, clear and sufficient to every candid mind, that he speaks of the moral law, and excludes from the office of justify- ing obedience, not merely the observances of the cere- monial law of the Jews, (as Unitarian writers endeavour to shoAV,) but also the works, so far as any fallen man can perform them, commanded by the moral law. This is the connexion in which the Apostle introduces the language I have read for our text. 9. But whence all this guilt in man ? Neither fruits nor branches can grow without a root. Neither rivers nor streams can flow without a fountain. Where is the bitter root, where the poisoned fountain, from whence proceed these branches and streams innumerable of human guilt ? Hear what the Lord Jesus Christ spake upon the subject : He who knew what was in man ; He who spake as none other man ever did, or could speak. " From within" he said, " out of the heart of man, proceed e\\\ thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, cove- • Rom. iii. 19. 20. t Rom- ">• "• OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 301 tousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness : all these evil things come from within, and defile the man/'* Here is a frightful enumeration of mischiefs. Mark these streams — they flow perpetually. Taste them — they are of deadly bitterness. Trace them one by one to their source, and you find them like so many spokes of the same wheel, meeting in one centre, the centre of iniquity, the heart of man. 10. From all this results, not only condemnation before God, l)ut also misery amongst men. " From whence come wars and fightings among you V From whence come contentions and bickerings, strifes and law- suits, family divisions and rooted enmities, with all their train of jealousies, and hatreds, and misrepresentations, and recriminations most wretched ? From whence also pain, and sickness, and sorrow, and death ? "Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members ? Do you think that the Scripture saith in vain, — The spirit that dwelleth in us kisteth to envy ?"t And again, " The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity : so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind : but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." J The reason is obvious. "Out of the abun- dance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." § 11. Such are the statements made by the God of all truth, concerning the present condition and character of man, corrupt in principle, and guilty in conduct. It is easy to exclaim against such views of human nature. It is easy to break forth into amiable astonishment at the • Mark \-ii. 21— 23. t James iv. 1. S. J James iii. 6 — 8. ^ Matt. xii. 34. 2 T 302 A jrST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: harshness, the cruelty, the barbarity, the unfeehng ortho- doxy (a word sneeringly used in such connexions as a synonyme for bigotrj') of such exhibitions of our species. It is easy to enhst the jDrejudices of the accused, by appeals against the severity of the accuser. But it is not easy, either to erase such faithful testimonies as have now been quoted, from the Canon of Inspired Scripture, or to affix any meaning to them consistent with the flatteries of human nature, in which Unitarianism delights. Neither is it easy to close our eyes to the fact, that on every side painful experience too faithfully corroborates these state- ments of Revelation. Man does, indeed, require redemp- tion— and that of a two-fold character: redemption from the guilt of transgression, and redemption from the power of corruption. 12. But was this always so ? Was man created in the appalling state of character in which we now find him ? Nay, verily. Man was created upright. He ivas planted, as it is written, ivlioUy a right seed.* He was pure : the thoughts, and feelings, and desires of his heart, were holy before God, without exception, and without interruption. He was innocent : the words and actions of his life were blameless before God, without spot or blemish; and he was perfectly happy. " In the image of God created he man ; male and female created he them ; and God saw all things that he made, and behold, they were ve7'y good."i If good seed, then, very good seed, and only good seed, were sown in the field of the world, from whence hath it tares ? If man were created in the image of God, how does he come now to exhibit such revolting features of ungodliness? Here is a question for Unitarians to answer. If man be noAV as he was created, then God created a sinful, corrupted creature. If man be not now Jcr. ii. 21. t Grn. i. 27, SI. OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. .S().5 as he was created, then some disaster has befallen him since he was created. What is that disaster ? Whence hath the world tares ? Jesus said,- "An enemy hath done this ;" and, in explanation, he added, " the enemy that sowed them is the devil."* 13. It does not belong to my subject to prove at large the existence, personality, and subtle agency of fallen spirits, under Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. This topic will be specially considered in due time, and in its appointed order. I take the statement as I find it in the Scripture. An enemy : an angel who kept not his first estate, but sinned ; that old serpent the Devil, and Satan, practised and prospered against our first parents and Adam sinned. f Tremendous deed ! In itself most in- excusable, and in its consequences most fearful. For consider what Adam was. "God said. Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit- tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth ; and it was so." J Such Avas the creative fiat which gave being to herbs and trees, and none have been created since. The substance of every acorn which has ever been planted in the earth, and of every oak which has ever spread its branches in the air, from the first day until now, was created in the first oak, whose seed was in itself. So also with man. The substance of the whole human race was created in Adam, and there has been no creation of man since. In Adam all men sinned. The wages of sin is death. And thus it is writ- ten : " by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that (or in whonj, e' w) all have sinned." § In the day that Adam sinned, you and I sinned, and our children sinned, and their children who are yet unborn sinned ; for all • Matt. xiii. y8. :<9. t Gen. iii. 1—6. t Ocn. i. II. * Kom. v. \l. 304 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: men sinned while as yet there was only one man. Adam stood as the head of the whole human race : while he was holy, all were holy in him; while he was innocent, all were innocent in him ; when he fell, all fell in him ; when death passed on him, death passed on all ; when he be- came alienated from the love of God, so as to hide himself in terror, we all became alienated ; when he deserved hell, so did we all."* 14. Tliis is an awful saying, — so a^vful and so much opposed to fallen man's notions of what is just and right, that it is strenuously denied. Unitarians deny it, and re- ject it with horror. There is no subject on which they are more eloquent, because there is none by W'hich their benevolent feelings are more outraged. Doubtless, in answer to what I have now said, you will soon hear or read animated denunciations of this atrocious doctrine, which you will be told is derogatory to the divine charac- ter, bereaving God of the benignant loveliness of his pa- ternal goodness, and kindness, and patience ; and painting him as a stern tyrant, taking pleasure in the agonies of his creatures. Or, perhaps, you will hear or read charitable lamentations over our condition, as the prejudiced adhe- rents of a state religion, compelling us to subscribe to wha otherwise our good sense and good nature would have led us to repudiate. And many other such captivating say- ings of superficial softness you may probably hear. But what arguments will you hear or read against the Scriptu- ral statements here advanced ? You may probably be re- ferred to external nature. The teeming wonders of crea- tion, the proofs abounding on every side, of the most be- nevolent designs in the Deity, the rich provisions made for the enjoyment of creatures innumerable in every cli- mate,— these, and similar shafts, may fill the quiver, and ■'' See Appendix, A. i OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 305 fly with power from the bow of the eloquent preacher. But he will not exhaust the mighty theme ; he will not present to you all the scenes exhibited by external nature. It is more than possible that he will not call your atten- tion, as I do now, to yonder cradle, containing a child of Adam, only a few days old. Behold those infant features con^'ulsed in agony. See the helpless little creature writh- ing in torture, from some inward inflammation or outward sore. Hear his bitter screams, piercing the anguished heart of his trembling mother ; while his father, in the manly exercise of self-control, suppresses his emotion, that he may not add to the anguish of one he loves. The child's disease bafiies all human skill ; and, after a few days of complicated suffering, leaves a Uttle haggard corpse to be consigned to a baby grave. Such, alas, is a com- mon occurrence. Oh ! how common ! And what does it mean ? Is there no cause ? Can there be pain, and suf- fering, and death, where there is no sin ? And how can a child of a week old have sinned ? Vain is the attempt to evade this, by pleading that the child's pain and death were occasioned by some disease in his parents, or some accident in his birth. This was no fault in the child ; and where, I would ask, is the difference in principle bet^veen saying, that it suffered for its father's fault, and saying, that it suffered for its grandfather's, or its great-grand- father's fault, or for Adam's fault ? Oh ! when you hear arguments of a different nature from those I am advancing, do not forget that anguished cradle ; be not deceived by plausible declamation ; neither give up this subject to the Unitarian, till you hear the torment and death of a little infant accounted for without original sin. 15. But it is ol)jected, that, as we had no personal existence in Adam, it is unreasonable to ascribe to us per- sonal acts in him : that however the human race, in the 306 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: aggregate, may have been damaged in their original, still, as detached individuals, they should be answerable only for their own personal acts. 16. Our reply is, first, we have just seen that, as detached individuals, human beings suffer and die, before they can personally act amiss. This is a fact : and it seems to us to involve the principle objected to. Our higliest answer, however, is an appeal to Scripture. The Apostle says, that in Adam aU ?iave sinned. This is to ascribe an act to all men, while as yet there existed personally but one man. Neither is this a solitary instance. The Apostle's argument respecting the Levitical priesthood, supplies a remarkable illustration of the principle here defended. His object is to show that the priesthood of Levi is inferior to that of Christ. This he does, by a two-fold process, — first identifying the priesthood of Christ with the priesthood of Melchisedec; and then proving the priesthood of Levi inferior to that of Melchisedec. This he does by reference to Abraham, as his intermediate link in the argument. Abraham was inferior to Melchi- sedec, for he paid tithes to him, and received his bless- ing, and without aU contradiction the less is blessed of the better. Therefore, argues the Apostle, Levi also was inferior to Melchisedec ; — why ? because he also paid tithes to him. He " paid tithes in Abraham ; for he was yet in the loins of his Father when Melchisedec met him."* So then Levi was in Abraham, and the act of Abraham, in paying tithes, is ascribed to Levi also as his act, although Abraham was dead above half a century before Levi was born. As, therefore, in respect of the priesthood, the Levites were in Abraham's loins : so in respect of sin, all men were in Adam's loins : and * Hcb. vii. 1—10. i OR, REDEMPTION COXSISTEXT. 30/ as when Abraham paid tithes, Levi paid tithes in him, so when Adam sinned, all men sinned in him. You observe the weight of the argument rests on the constitution of man, as being not individually an inde- pendent creation, but a creation en masse. In this the constitution of man is essentially different from that of the angels. The angels are each, individually, an inde- pendent creation : independent, I mean, of one another — not, of course, of their Creator. There is no addition to their number, nor diminution from it. They neither marry, nor are given in marriage ; neither do they die. The constitution of man is quite different. Tliey do marr)^, and are given in marriage; and they do die. It is on this particular feature of the human constitution that the weight of this important argument rests. This is the true philosophy of the Apostle's statement in our text, — ^^ There is no difference; for all have sinned." In the sight of God there is no difference. With reference to his authority all have transgressed. Therefore we con- clude upon what seems to us sure warranty of Holy Scripture, that — '^ Original sin standeth not merely in the "following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk) but *^it is the FAULT and corruption of the nature of every ^' man that naturally is engendered of the offspring of " Adam : whereby man is very far fquam longissime) "gone from original righteousness, and is of his own " nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always " contrary to the spirit ; and therefore in every person " born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and " damnation."* — Article IX. of the Church of England. * I know not how it is with others, but, for my own part, I do not remember, neither do I believe, that I ever prayed in my lifetime with that reverence, or heard with tliat attention, or did any other work with that pure and single eye, as I ought to have done. I do not only betray the 308 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: 17. Such is the condition of man, plainly revealed in the Scripture — painfully corroborated by experience. Such is the deep, dark ground, on which we read the dire necessit}^ of redemption and renewal, in order to the recovery of holiness and happiness, in filial com- munion with God. This applies, not to some men only, but to all men; "for there is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." There are, indeed, many and great diiferences in the sight of men. The corruption of human nature shows itself in a variety of outward aspects ; though, in every case, the inward and secret source is the same. This was illustrated by the leprosy. The cvxtaneous eruptions upon the leper varied exceedingly in their aspects. There was, in some cases, a white rising; in others, a bright spot, somewhat reddish ; in others, a yellow sore ; in others, a black scall : but, in every case, the seat of life within was diseased, the plague was in the blood, and the leper was commanded to put a covering upon his upper lip, and to cry unclean, unclean.* 18. This is illustrated by the scene now before my eyes. What vast variety I behold in the complexions of the thousands of faces at this moment turned towards me ! — pale, florid, fair, dark, sallow — yet in one essential inbred venom of my heart, by poisoning my common actions, but even my most religious performances also, with sin. I cannot pray, but I sin ; I cannot hear or preach a sermon, but I sin ; I cannot give an ahns, or re- ceive the sacrament, but I sin. Nay, I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them ; my repentance needs to be repented of ; my tears want washing ; and the very washing of my tears needs still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer. Thus, not only the worst of my sins, but even the best of my duties, speak me a child of Adam ; insomuch, that whenever I reflect on my past actions, methinks I cannot but look on my whole life, from the time of my con- ception to this very moment, to be but as one continued act of sin. — Bishop Beveridge's Private Thoughts. OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 309 feature there is no difference. All are flesh, and all flesh is as grass, and the glory of it as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower thereof fadeth away, the loveliest still the soonest ; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God enduretli for ever. 19. This is illustrated by the method of obtaining flowers of different colours on the same stem, which is thus described: — " Split a small twig of the elder bush lengthways, and '' having scooped out the pith, fill each of the compart- " ments with seeds of flowers of diff'erent sorts, but which " blossom about the same time. Surround them with " mould, and then tpng together the two bits of wood, '' plant the whole in a pot filled with earth properly " prepared. The stems of the diff'erent flowers will thus "be so incorporated as to exhibit to the eye only one "stem, throwing out branches covered with flowers of "various hues analagous to the seed which produced "them.'' Adam was this elder bush. The Devil scooped out his pith, the life and power of his original holiness in which he served God; and filled each of the compartments of his nature with evil seeds, of different sorts, which all blossomed at the same time. And thus as from one compound stem we may have flowers of diverse colours; so from one compound source, the sin of Adam, we have iniquities of every varying degree of malignity propagated throughout the whole world. When that plant, of Satan's right hand planting, had taken root: that worse than hemlock — that plant from the bottomless pit, impregnated with poison fi)r eternity : it sprang up, it blossomed, it seeded, and the "' Prince of the power of the air" carried those noxious seeds, and strewed them to the ends of 2 u 310 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: the earth. Hence it is that men, whatever variety of aspect they may wear in the sight of their fellows, from the deepest and most degrading profligacy up to the fairest and most ensnaring morality, are every where " alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts," to spiritual tilings. They cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God: they are foolishness unto them. WTien they call them absurd, they do but verify the Scripture: they cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Hence the tremendous truth of that saying of the Apostle, which, as with a thunder-bolt from heaven, prostrates all human pretensions of comparative excellence. There is no difference, for all have sinned. Only God can redeem. Redemption is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past, through the for- bearance of God; — to declare his righteousness, that he might l)e just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. n. This is our second topic. It is the glory of the Gospel of the grace of God, that it meets all the complicated necessities of fallen man. It provides for man's state of guilt, as regards the divine law: and also for man's state of alienation, as regards the divine character. 1. Unitarians speak of redemption, as if it consisted entirely in an improvement of character : as if it were to be communicated by an impress from a character ex- oil, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 311 hil)ited, in the way of assimilating imitation. They identify it with what the Scriptures declare to be a part only; an essential part indeed; but still, only a part; and, in order of time, the second part of it — to wit, sancti- fication. They speak of the loveliness of the diAane cha- racter. So does the Bible. But they do not speak of the enactments of the divine law as the Bible does. Tliey speak not exactly of sin ; — sin is a word they do not like, though so frequently , used in Scripture; — but of some faults, some deviations from rectitude, — as a malady in man, causing unhappiness. So do we. But they do not speak of it as an offence to God, incurring condemnation, as we do. They think that all man wants is an improve- ment of his character: we think, that before he can be introduced to the only true process of improvement, he must first have forgiveness of his guilt. We say, that the only true process of improvement is communion with God ; and before a man can be admitted to it, he must be pardoned. 2. How is this pardon to be obtained ? " If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him ; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?"* Sin against God is unlike sin against man. The atrocity of the offence is proportioned to the dignity of the person offended. .3. This admits of a simple illustration. Suppose the case of a soldier guilty of the offence of striking a man. His offence in the atrocity ascribed to it, and in the penalty incurred by it, varies with the station (relatively to himself) occupied by the man stricken. If the blow be given to a fellow-soldier, the offence is trivial, and the punishment slight. If the blow be given to his commanding officer, tlie offence is aggravated into insubordination, and the punish- * 1 Sam. ii. 25. 312 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: ment incurred is severe. If the blow be given to his sovereign, the offence assumes the mahgnity of high trea- son, and the punishment is death. The act itself was, all the while, and in every case, striking a man; but the character of the oifence, and the extent of the penalty, varied with the dignity of the person offended. What, then, is the character of an offence against the King of kings, the infinite God ? It is to be measured, not by the insignificance of the creature committing it, but by the majesty of the Creator against whom it is committed. 4. With what view do holy angels contemplate sin against God ? This is no vain or curious inquiry into secret things ; for the angels are expressly and repeatedly described in Holy Scripture as admiring spectators of the wonders of redemption ; and God himself challenges the observation of his intelligent creatures, and their judg- ment upon his conduct — ^Hhat he may be justified in his sayings, and clear when he is judged."* The holy angels contemplate God as the Holy One. Their song of adoration prolongs the strain, with special emphasis, " Holy, holy, holy !" (It is somewhat remark- able, that in every instance of such adoration contained in the Scriptures, the angels are described as repeating, in the very sight, as it were, of the throne, the word holy, three times, — never only once or twice, and never four times). 5. Now, if in his moral government they beheld sin connived at, any sin of any kind ; if they saw the holi- ness of the Judge merged in the tenderness of the Father ; if they beheld the veracity of the Lawgiver compromised in the easy softness of the friend, — how could they con- tinue to adore, how to respect a Being who was thus under the necessity of relinquishing the perfection of * Luke XV. 10. 1 Tct. i. 12. Psalm li. i. comp. Rom. iii. 3 — 8. OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 313 truth, in order to the exercise of mercy? — or relinquish- ing the exercise of mercy, in order to maintain the perfec- tion of truth ? 6. If the Godhead be one, in the sense for which Unitarians contend, some such compromise is ine^'itable. If an offender against such a God escape, strict justice and truth are violated: if he escape not, saving mercy is not exercised. I pray you to consider this statement: mercy, by a Being such as we now suppose — by a Being whose imity resembles the unity of man — can only be exercised by setting aside the verdict of justice — ^justice can only be exercised by refusing to show mercy. If the divine unity be similar to our unity — -if God be one in the sense that Unitarians contend for, he is reduced to this alternative : either he must shew no mercy, in order to continue true, — or he must show no truth, in order to exercise mercy. It is impossible to extricate the Deity of the Unitarians out of this dilemma. He has no adequate resources within himself on which to draw. If he over- look man's guilt, admit him to the enjoyment of his fa- vour, and proceed by corrective discipline to restore his character; he unsettles the foundations of aU equitable government, obliterates the everlasting distinctions be- tween right and wrong, spreads consternation in heaven, and proclaims impunity in hell. Such a God would not be worth serving. Such tenderness, instead of inspiring filial affection, would lead only to reckless contempt. Communion with, and conformity to, such a God, instead of being holy love, would be unholy M'eakness. A uni- verse under the dominion of such a God would imme- diately become a chaos. 7. But, beloved, "he who is our God is the God of salvation."* He is indeed one; hut not as men count * Psalm Ixviii. 20. 314 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: oneness. He 1ms resources within himself; by the exer- cise of which he remains holy, while he pardons the un- holy— justj while he justifies the unjust — consistent, while he redeems ; resources, by the exercise of which, the yearning tenderness of the Father harmonizes with the unbending strictness of the Judge — the softened sympathy of the friend is united to the strict veracity of the Law- giver; resources, by the exercise of Avhich, ^^ mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other"* — by the contemplation of which, the native song of angels is prolonged : Glory to God in the highest ! and a new verse of sweetness, added in perfect harmony, on earth peace, good will towards men /f 8. What are these wondrous resources in the God- head ? I answer first in the words of Agur — "Who hath ascended up into heaven or descended ? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists ? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth ? What is his name, and, ivhat is his Son's name, if thou canst tell?"J On this subject we can tell only what we are told. Jesus said — "^ What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is he ? They said unto him, the Son of David. He said, how then doth David in spirit call hiiii Lord, saying — The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy foot- stool ? If David then call him Lord, how is he his Son ? and no man was able to answer him a word ; neither durst any man from that day forth, ask him any more ques- tions." || They were silenced, not knowing the wonders of his person, who is both " the root and the offspring of David" both David's Lord, and David^s Son. 9. How modern Unitarians attempt to meet this dilemma by which ancient Pharisees were put to silence, * Psalm lixxv. 10. i I.ukc ii. 13. U. J Piov, x-^kS. J. '• 3IiiU. xxii. il— 46. OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 315 will be seen by the follo\A'ing specimen. I do not cite it as binding upon all Unitarians, but simply as a specimen of Unitarian interpretation. It is Channing's comment upon Romans ix. 5. He says — " Paul is speaking of the Israelites, and adds, of whom, " as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is God over " all, blessed for ever. There are strong reasons for think- " ing, that this passage should be differently translated, so " as to stand thus, of whom Christ came, God who is over " all, be blessed for ever. The last clause, according to *' this version, is a devout ascription to God, not a decla- " ration of Christ's dignity." Upon the strong reasons here referred to for altering the translation, it is my intention to print some remarks in the Appendix to this Discourse.* It is to the next passage in this commentar}" that I wish now to call your attention. *' Allo^^dng, however, our translation to remain, it will " not justify the strange belief that Jesus is literally the " Supreme God. In this passage it is worthy of remark, " that Christ is first spoken of as a natural descendant of the " Israelites, a circumstance as inconsistent with Supreme " Divinity as any which can well be imagined. Now, " could any persons acquainted with Paul, with his belief " of God's unity, eternity, and invisibleness, could any " such persons, on reading this passage, have imagined "that the Apostle intended to declare Jesus, whom he " called a Jew by birth, to be the Supreme God, infinite, " eternal, uubegotten and invisible ? How natural and " necessary is it to restrain and modify the last clause by " the first ?"t To restrain and modify ! Upon this I venture to in- * Appendix, B. t Sermons and Tracts, by W. E. Channing, D.D. pp. 131. 132. Lon- don, 1828. 316 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: quire, why is it not quite as natural and necessary to re- strain and modify the first clause by the last, as to restrain and modify the last clause by the first ? And upon what Unitarian principle can the fijUowing variation of Dr. Channing's comment be objected to ? In this passage it is worthy of remark, that Christ is at last spoken of as God over all, a circumstance as inconsistent with being a natural descendant of the Israelites as can be well ima- gined. Now could any persons acquainted with Paul, with his knowledge of a Jew, as a poor, helpless crea- ture, in the flesh, — could any such persons, on reading this passage, have imagined that the Apostle intended to declare Jesus, whom he calls God over all, blessed for ever, to be literally a poor fleshly Jew ? How natural and necessary is it to restrain and modify the first clause by the last ! And thus, by the fact that St. Paul plainly calls Jesus God over all, blessed for ever, it is proved to demonstration upon the restraining and modifying prin- ciple, that it is quite impossible for Jesus to be a Jew. 10. But, suppose we give up the restraining and modifjang principle, and exercise the becoming modesty which takes the Word of God as it is, not as we fancy it ought to be ; then, in this text, we learn that Jesus, who is God over all, blessed for ever, is also, as concerning the flesh, a natural descendant of the Israehtes. This is the more satisfactory, because it harmonizes with what we have already learned from another text, namely, that Jesus is both David's Lord, and David's Son. 11. And it is the more satisfactory still, because that, xmder one or other of these heads, every thing written in the Scripture concerning Jesus, will most harmoniously range itself. Do we read of him that he was hungry, thirsty, weary with his journey ; that he sighed, groaned, wept, prayed? We remember that he was bom of a OR, REDEMPTION' CONSISTENT. 317 woman, of the house and Hneage of David. Do we read that " by him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things,, and by him all things consist?"* — that he is not only the Creator of all things, but the cement of creation, — that in him all things consist — have consist- ency, or stand together ! Do we read this ? We re- member that he is God over all, blessed for ever. Thus we read the Word ivas made flesh, and we read the Word was God. And when we read also, the Word ivas with God, we discover something of the Scriptural answer to the inquiry, what are the resources of the true and living God ? His resources are infinite, because they consist in CO-EQUAL, and co-eternal personalities. Alas for language ! I do not defend the words : — If I had better, I would use them. It is the truth which we en- deavour to convey by them that we defend. The state- ment is objected to l)ecause it is not Scriptural in expres- sion. That is an objection, so far as it goes; and we should never have been driven to use words of caution, or words of defence, or words of metaphysical subtilty, or to go beyond the words of Scripture, but for the in- genuity of heretics in inventing errors. The language of our creeds is adopted as of necessity, not as of choice: neither is it to the very wording of the idea that we are tied, but to the idea itself. I do not mean to disclaim the wording of our creeds. By no means. For holding, as we do, that they have succeeded in expressing the idea, we shall retain the words until we are supplied with better. 12. But this statement is objected to, in the next * Cul. i. 16, 17. 5i X 318 A Jl'ST GOD AND A SAVIOUR : place, because it is unreasonable. I have already inti- mated to you that God's mode of existence is not to be judged of by our mode of existence ; neither are the pos- sibilities of it to be limited within the range of our capa- cities to comprehend. Created intellect, of whatever order, is still finite, and must have its horizon of attain- ment. If there were no reserve, on God's part, in the amount of revelation ; still there must be limitation, on man's part, in the amount of comprehension. If the wide ocean of truth were laid bare before him, \A'ithout any barrier on its bright surface ; still the most extended view that he could take, from the loftiest pinnacle of his little bark, would be but a circle of a comparatively insignificant circumference. This, as a general principle, will, I sup- pose, be admitted ; but its application to the case in hand will be disputed. But now we are fortified in our view, by the statement of a man, of whom it is written, that he spake as he was moved by the Holy Ghost: Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself! — exclaimed the Prophet Isaiah, while yet he rejoiced in the revelation of the God of Israel, the Saviour.* Here the general principle is actually ap- plied to this case. God revealed, — yet hid ; known as a Saviour, — and yet not fully known. 0 the depth! — ex- claimed the Apostle ; and again, — Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness.^ One only God, — yet not in one only person. I must continue to use the word, which has been selected as coming nearest to the notion we wish to express, 'booking through a glass darkly" at the mode of God's existence. The arguments against per- sonalities in the unity of the Godhead, derived from the im- possibility of such a thing in the unity of manhood, are falla- cious arguments ; because they proceed on the supposition * Isaiah xlv. 15. + Rom. xi. 33. and 1 Tim. iii. l6. OR, UEDKMI'TION COXSISTENT. 319 of an analogy between man's mode of existence and God's, — which analogy does not hold good. He is one only, in one sense, — and not one only, in another sense. This is revealed, — not explained. It is a paradox, — not a contradiction. ^'^ When two distinct propositions are se- parately proved, each by its proper evidence, it is not a reason for denying either, that the human mind, upon the first hasty view, imagines a repugnance, and may, perhaps, find a difficulty in connecting them, even after the distinct proof of each is clearly perceived and understood. There is a wide difference between a paradox and a contradic- tion. Both, indeed, consist of two distinct propositions ; and so far only are they alike : for, of the two parts of a contradiction, the one or the other must necessarily be false, — of a paradox, both are often true, and yet, when proved to be true, may continue paradoxical. This is the necessary consequence of our partial views of things. An intellect to ivhich nothing should be paradoxical, ivould be infinite. It may naturally be supposed that paradoxes must abound the most in metaphysics and divinity, ' for who can find out God unto perfection ?' Yet they occur in other subjects ; and any one who should universally re- fuse his assent to propositions separately proved, because when connected they may seem paradoxical, would, in many instances, be justly laughed to scorn by the masters of those sciences which make the highest pretensions to certainty and demonstration. In all these cases, there is generally in the nature of things a limit to each of the two contrasted propositions, beyond which neither can be extended, without implying the falsehood of the other, and changing the paradox into a contradiction ; and the whole difficulty of perceiving the connexion and agreement between such propositions arises from this circumstance. 320 A jisT (joi) Axn A SAVioru: that, by some inattention of the mind, these limits are overlooked."* 13. To say, then, that Jesus is God and man in one Christ, appears, indeed, })aradoxical ; but cannot be shown to be contradictory. The subject-matter of the proposi- tion is l)eyond the range of man's reason, in this way, — * Bishop Humlet/, Sermon on Matt. xvi. 21. Ujion this jiart of the subject, the writer takes the liberty of transcribing here, the following extract, from a newspaper report of his speech, delivered at a meeting upon the subject of National Education, held at Warrington, on the 25th of last January, the Lord Bishop of the Diocese in the chair : — "They demand, in a tone of assumed superiority, ' Is not the test of a good education that it proceeds methodically from the easier to the more difficult, from the simpler to the more complicated, from the plainer to the more abstruse?' And having laid this down as an axiom of universal applica- tion, they proceed to ask, with an air of anticipated triumph, ' Is the Bible an easy book ? Is it simple ? Is it plain ? Is it accessible to the intellect of a child ?' " My Lord, I feel it to be of the utmost consequence, that the appearance of argument contained in such appeals should be met, and the reality of their sophistry exposed. There is an appearance of argument in the implied analogy between education in science, arts, languages among men, and edu- cation in religion revealed from God ; while the secret of the sophistry lies concealed in the convenient but gratuitous assumption of such analogy. We deny that any such analogy exists. On the contrary, there is a complete contrast between the two subjects. The various dei)artments of human learning, originatmg in the exercise of the senses and the simplest deductions of the reasoning faculty ; progressively improved by discovery, and combina- tion, and comparison ; stiU remaining imperfect ; and inviting to further im- provement ; may and ought to be communicated to the scholar in the gradually advancing aspect which has characterized their attainment by the master. But to treat Christianity thus, is, at once, to compromise its character. It is to deal with it as with a science progressively discovered by man and sus- ceptible of progressive improvement ; and so to yield its high distinguishing claim as an authoritative, undiscoverable, and unimjjrovable communication from the living God. "While, therefore, we concede readily, that in human sciences the method advocated is the right method, and, therefore, adopt it ourselves ; we must strenuously deny tliat it is properly applicable to religion. "Any communication from God, which contains any measure of information concerning himself, must, from the nature of the case, involve what is beyond OR, UEDEMl'TION CONSISTENT. 321 that he cannot conclude anything a priori concerning it ; and that which seems to be contradictory about it may be rendered really harmonious by something in the na- ture of the subject which man's reason has not reached, all created understanding. God is infinite. The highest created understand- ing is finite. Between these there is, and can be, no comparison. It follows that the position of every created intelligence, with respect to God, must be either one of total ignorance, or one of submissive reception, at some point, upon authority : either one of utter blindness, which sees nothing, or one of a limited horizon, creating, by the little that is seen, a devout consciousness of an immensity remaining unseen. W/iu can, by searchiriff, find out God? There must be an horizon to the loftiest angelic intellect. The good pleasure of Jehovah sets bounds to the lucubrations of iutelligeuce as truly as to the motions of matter. The proud waves of the sea and the proud pretensions of fallen man are under the same control ; and whatever be the instrumen- tality employed, whether the attraction of gravitation and the centrifugal impetus of our system in the case of matter ; or the unveiling of a glimpse at his own infinite majesty in the case of mind, still the language of his sovereignty is ^ Hitherto shall thou come and no further ;^ while the con- fession of the clearest contemplation of even an inspired man is, ' Verily, thou art a God that hident thyaelf, 0 God of Israel, the Saviour !' " Is there then no place for the exercise of human reason in the truths of revealed religion .' Oh ! yes ! Because in some things it has pleased God, not only to reveal, but also to explain. " It has pleased Him to explain, for example, the apparently irreconcilable contradiction between perfect justice and perfect mercy in simultaneous exer- cise : perfect justice requiring unfailing obedience to every command of a holy law, — or strict and rigorous execution of the whole penalty of disobe- dience ; and perfect mercy, extending free and loving, and reclaiming for- giveness to the vilest transgressors. "To the Deist who rejects the explanation, these are still irreconcilable, and his notion of deity, if accurately analyzed, will be found to be a combmation oj imperfections. Imperfect justice making way for mercy at a certain stage, and imperfect mercy, giving place to justice at a certain other stage of human character, that stage conveniently transferable at the option of the self- deceiver. "The revealed explanation is in the person and work of our glorious Re- deemer, ' God and man m one Christ,' in human nature made under tlie law, doing all that holy nian was recpiired to do, and suflering all that guilty man deserved to suffer, while His divine nature, in the unity of that wondrous person, invested every act, and every pang, with an infinite nieritoriousness ; j)roviding for the essential rightjousncss of the divine government, that, in the language of the Apostle, ' God miy/if br just, and the justificr of him 322 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOTR: and cannot reach. This distinguishes between statements concerning matters within our reach, and statements con- cerning matters beyond our reach. If a statement such as this concerning God, were made concerning a creature that believeth in Jesus.' On this point, we are thus furnished with reasons, with a line of argument addressed to our intellect, and here it becomes a high duty to have clear and distinct views, and to be able reasonably to refer to them. This is a branch of .revelation on which it is worse than affectation not to reason. " On the subject of the Trinity (on the contrary) no explanation is vouchsafed. It is revealed and stands in the horizon. If by the revelation of some other truth, the Trinity were advanced into the nearer ground of reason and argument, then that other truth would, in its turn, occupy the place of the horizon, inviting the contemplations of the believer into remoter depths of Deity, but still leaving an undiscovered infinity behind ! " It is thus in the case already adduced. Had the Scriptural statements concerning the exercise of perfect justice and perfect mercy been given without any mention of the atonement, they would have been as inexplicable to us as the Trinity is now. But by the revelation of the person and work of Christ those statements are explained. They are advanced into the nearer ground of reason and argument, wliile the truth, which throws them forward, occupies the horizon behind them, and we are called to bow before 'the mystery of the holy incarnation.' " I am aware how this argument, concerning the mysteries of revelation, has been perverted to the defence of the contradictions of priestcraft ; and how the submission of understanding, which we claim in the case of the doctrine of the Trinity, has been claimed in the case of the invention of transubstantiation. But here again there is sophistry in the implied parallel- ism, for the cases are not at all parallel. " Independent of the highest ground of difference, that the one is re- vealed and the other is not, it may be fairly urged that, in the one case the subject matter of the proposition is above the sphere of man's reason. He can conclude nothing certainly a priori concerning the Godhead, and, there- fore, an assertion concerning God, although seeming to involve a contradic- tion in terms, cannot be proved really to do so. There may, in truth, be no contradiction at all, the harmony of the statement being resolvable into some hitherto undiscovered depth ux the lofty subject. In the other case, the subject matter of the proposition is an object of sense, and all its properties are within the reach and examination of reason. We can conclude with cer- tainty concerning flour and water, and, therefore, an assertion concerning bread, which involves a contradiction in terms, can be proved to be really contradictory. There remains no undiscovered region wherein a reconciling harmony can be supposed to lodge. An attempt has, indeed, been made, in OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 323 whose properties we can analyze, then we could prove the saying contradictory. But when the statement is made concerning God, whose properties we cannot reach, then, though it may continue to seem paradoxical, it cannot be the language of the schoolmen, to imj)ly the existence of some such region, by ascribing not only properties but accidents to matter : accidents, on the strength of wliich it has been gravely affirmed, that, while all the properties are entirely changed, flour into flesh, water into blood, the senses of men continue wholly unconscious of any change. The wide-spread success of this attempt to ffet vp a mystery bears ample testimony to the ignorance of past ages, and has led to such habits and associations as render emancipation from its absurdity, even in our times, little less than a moral miracle. In this point of view, as well as many others, the reformation was indeed a blessing ; and it is one of the high and satisfactory pri^dleges of the sons of the re- formation, with the formularies of our church in their hands, to know and feel that in defending the submission of mind indispensable for the reception, in the last resort, of the profound mysteries of revelation ; we are in no way involved in a principle which would bind us to receive in like manner the inventions and traditions of men." This, of course, implies such a reverence for the Scriptures as will rather succumb to its apparent difficulties than presume to alter it, in order to get rid of such appearances. Our opponents, however, manifest no such reverence : — " He who would desire an instance of the yer^eVi^y of men's inventions in forging and coining objections against heavenly mysteries in the justifica- tion of the sovereignty of their own reason as unto what belongs to our rela- tion unto God, need go no farther then the writings of these men against the Trinity and incarnation of the eternal AVord. For this is their fundamental rule in things divine and doctrines of religion, that not what the Scripture saith is therefore to be accounted true, although it seems repugnant unto any reasonings of ours, or is above what we can comprehend ; but what seems repugnant unto onr reason, let the words of the Scripture be vhat (hey will, that we must conclude that the Scripture doth not say so, though it seem never so expresly so to do. Itaquenon quia utrumque scriptura dicat prop- terea hcec inter se non pugnare concludendum est ,- sed potius quia hcec inter se pugnant ideo alterutruni a scriptura non did statuendum est, saith Schlicting, ad Meism. def Socin. pag. 102. Wherefore, because the Scrip- ture affirms both these (that is the efficacy of God's grace and the freedom of our wills) we cannot conclude from thence, that they are not repugnant ; but because these things are repugnant unto one another, we must deter- mine, that one of them is not spoken in the Scripture ; no, it seems, let it say what it will. Tliis is the handsomest way they can take in advancing 324 A JTTST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: proved to he contradictory. It is revealed in records of whose authenticity and inspiration we have reasonable proof, and, therefore, we most reasonably embrace it as a truth above and beyond our finite comprehension. III. In the management of such a God as we have now seen the true God to be ; and conducted by such a person as we have now seen Jesus to be — God and man in one Christ; the redemption of man becomes gloriously consistent A^dth all the infinite and uncompromised perfec- tions of God. The love of God can now go forth in the exercise of pardoning mercy towards sinners, without intimating the slightest feeling of impunity to sin. Christ hath redeemed us, not merely from alienation of character, but from the curse of the law : not by an indemnity to sin, or a mi- tigation of its penalty, but by being made a curse for us.^ In our nature he endured what we most righteously their own reason above the Scripture, which yet savours of intolerable pre- sumption. So Socinus himself speaking of the satisfaction of Christ saith in plain terms ; ego qiiidem etiamsi nan semel sed smpius id in sacris monn- nientis scriptum ej'taret, non idvirco tamen ita prorsus rem se habere cre- derem, ut ros opinamini ; mm enim id omnino fieri won possit, non sens atque in multis aliis Scriptures Testimoniis, una cum cteteris omnibus facio ; aliqua qua minus incommoda videretur, interpretatione adhihita, einn sensum ex ejusmodi verbis elicerem qui sibi constaret ; for my part if this {J)oc- tT'me)xvere extant and written in the Holy Scripture, not once b^it often, yet would I not therefore believe it to be so as you do ; for whereas it can by no means be so (whatever the Scripture saith) / would as I do with others in other places, make use of some less incoyyimodious interpretation, whereby I would draxv a sense out of the words that should be consistent with itself. And how he would do this he declares a little before ; sacra verba in aliiim sensum quam verba sonant 2^er inusitatns etiam frnpos quandoque explicantur ; he would explain the words into another sense than what they sound or pro- pose by unnstial tropes. And indeed such uncouth tropes doth he apply as so many engines and machines to pervert all the divine testimonies concerning our redemption, reconciliation and justification by the blood of Christ." — Oiren on Justification. Intro, ch. * Gal. iii. \?,. Appendix, C. OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 325 deserved : while the union of the divine nature in his per- son gave a meritoriousness to every pang, at once vindi- cating the requirements of God^s moral government, and manifesting the intensity of God's paternal love. The assertion that we represent God as vindictive and implacable, until appeased by the work of Christ, is a Unitarian slander against the Gospel. No : we say that God so LOVED the world, not that he forgot himself and confounded angels by allowing sin to go unpunished, but that he gave his only begotten Son, the Word, which was with God, and was God, to become flesh, and suifer the just for the imjust — the just One for the unjust ones — AUatos virep aSiKcov — that he might bring us to God.* * John ill. 16, ixnd Pet. iii. 18. "Jesus, therefore, as we have said hefore, united man with God. For if " it had not been a man who conquered the adversary of man, the euemy " would not have been rightly conquered. And again, if it had not been God " wlio gave salvation, we should not have had it seciu'ely. And if man had " not been united to God, he could not have partaken of immortality. For " it was necessary that the mediator between God and man, by his own "relationship to both, should bring both to friend.ship and unanimity; that " he .should present man to God, and make God known to men." "Hvcoaev ovv, KaOuts Trpoecpa/jiTjv, rov dvOpcoirov rcS ©ecG. El yap fi7) avOpiOTTOs ivLKrjcrev rov avrlTToXov rov avdpoiTrov, ovk CIV hiKalois ivLKqOii o e')(f)p6s. UdXiv re, el fii) 6 Oebs iScopjj- aaro rijv crwri'ipiav, ovk av jBejBaio)^ ea'^^ofxev avryv. Kal el p,i] (Tvvrjvctidr} 6 civdcfxoTros rco &e(p, ovk av TjBuvijdTj p.eraa-^elv r?}s a^dapcrias. "ESetydp rov /u,ealr'i]v Oeov re kol dvdpcorrMv, hid rrjs Ihlas rrpos eKarepovs olKei6ri]ro9, els (fxXiav koX bpbo- voiav rov9 dfjuc^orlpov, avvayayetv Kal Qew fiev Trapaarijcrai rov dvOpo)7rov, dvOpcoTrois Be yvoipitjat rov Qebv. — Ireneus opnd, Burton's Ante-Nicene Fathers, pp. 85, 8G. ^Avros rov i8t,ov vlov uTreSoro Xvrpov, virep 'tjjjLthv, rov dyiov yirep dvoficov, rov uKaKov iirrep row KaKwv, rov BiKatov virep rcov aBiKoov, rov dcpOaprov vrrep rcov 6vi]rcov. Ti ydp uWo rds d/Maprlas ijfiMV i^Bvvi'jOi) KoXvyfrac y eKeivov BiKatoavvi)' ev rlvt 8iKai(odP]vai Bvvarov roi/s avofxovs t]/j,ds Kai aae^els i) ev /xuvco ru) vuo rov 2 Y 326 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: "It became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Captain of tlieir Salvation perfect through sufferings."* It became Him in exercising his love, and accomplishing 0€ov' u> rys jXvKelas avraWayyp, a> rrfs uve^i-^yi- darov 6rj/jiiovfr/ia9, w tmv d-wpoahoKr^rodv evepyeacMV cva avofxia fxev ttoWmp iv SiKaLa> evl Kpvdrj, SiKaioavvr] Se ivbs TToWovs dvojxovs SlKaicoarj. — Jiistln Martyr, Epi.it ad Diognet. — He gave his Son a ransom for us : the holy for transgressors — the innocent for the nocent — the just for the unjust — the incorruptible for the corrupt — the immortal for mortals. For what else could hide or cover our sins but his righteousness ? In whom else could we, wicked and imgodly ones, be justified, or esteemed righteous, but in the Son of God alone ? O sweet permutation! — or change. O unsearchable work, or curious operation I O blessed beneficence, exceeding edl expectation ! That the iniquity of many should be hid in one just one, and the righteousness of one should justify many transgressors. — And Gregory Nyssen speaks to the same purpose : — MeraOels n)s fyXvKeias dvraWayijs. O sweet commutation and change ! And Chrysostom to the same purpose ; on those words of the Apostle. That we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Tlotos Tavra \oyo9) TTOios ravra wapaarrjaas huvi^aeraL vov9' top yap BiKaiov, (pTjcrlv, CTroiTjaev d/j,apT(i)\6v, 'iva rovs d/jLaprtokovs iroLrjCTri BiKdiovs. MaXXov St] 6v8e ovrcos etTreV dWd 6 ttoXXw aei^ov r]v' ov yap e^tv e9i]Kev, dX)C dvrijv Ttjv TTOiGrtjTa. 'Oy yap etirev, eiroirjaev d/jLapr(o\6i>, dXX" afxapriav of \'t rov /xev OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 327 his scheme of mercy, to do it so as in no respect to dis- solve the eternal connexion between sin and misery ; but in every respect to maintain and to make manifest that he loveth righteousness and hateth iniquity. This hath God ('ifiapTcivovTa fiovov, dXka tov /jb7]Be . Hrh. xi. 4. 332 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: system of Patriarchal and Jewish sacrifice degenerates into wanton cruelty ; — the typical splendoitrs of the Temple of Solomon are degraded into the unmeaning filth of a great slaughter-house ; — and the language of the Baptist and the Apostles concerning the lam1), the blood, the pre- cious blood — nay, the song of the redeemed in heaven — " Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood''* — all is converted into unintelligible jargon.t 7. No wonder that Unitarian writers deal sparingly in Scriptural language : no wonder they substitute the embel- lishments of polished composition, the words which man's wisdom teacheth, for the gravity and simplicity of the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth. * And we may add the language of Jesus himself, when he said, — This is my BLOOD of the Nev Testament, which is shed yor many, for the re- mission OF SINS. Matt. xxvi. 28. A clearer declaration of this great truth cannot be conveyed in words. Surely if Unitarians reject the connexion between the shedding of blood and the remission of sin, they are bound, upon every principle of consistency, to reject Jesus as a teacher. The writer confesses himself unable to perceive either reason or consistency in professing to respect Jesus as a teacher of excellent doctrine, to believe that he died in attestation of the truth of that doctrine, and, after all, not to believe the doctrine which he taught. t As the sun paints the clouds with variety of glorious colours, which, in their own nature, are but dark and lowering vapors, exhaled from the earth ; so, when the Sun of Righteousness arises, even the carnal ordinances and commandments of the law, dark and earthly as they seem, are gilded by his beams, and wear a smiling appearance. By his kindly influence, who is the light of the world, the most barren places of the Scripture rejoice, and blossom as the rose. Wliat portion of Sacred Writ is more apt to be perused without edification and delight, than what relates to the Levitical priesthood, — the qualifications of their ))ersons, their apparel, their consecration, and bleeding sacrifices which they offered ? And, indeed, it must be confessed a very hard task to reconcile, with the wisdom of God, the enjoining such numberless rites, purely for their own sake. But when we consider that Aaron and his successors were figures of our great High Priest, we must acknowledge that these injunctions are neither unworthy of God, nor useless to man ; but "are profitable for doctrine, and instruction in righteousness." — M^Ewen. OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 333 IV. Such is the provision made in the Gospel for man's guilt in reference to the divine law. 1 . This, however, is but a part of Redemption : the next* part is the provision made for man's moral renewal in reference to the divine character. 2. And here we revert to the true Christian idea of salvation. It is conformity to God- It is love. How shall fallen man become possessed of it ? Who or what can make us love God ? This is the question. What is the precious medicine which can diffuse itself through all the pores and alleys of this corruption, and sweeten every pulsation of my moral being into love towards my God ? Who is the philanthropist for eternity, that can successfully storm this citadel of enmity, and plant upon the tower of my heart the flag of genuine hberty, the love of God ? 3. Hear what St. John saith : — We love Him, because he first loved us. And in this was manifested his love towards us, that he gave his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Here we behold the combination of provision, and see that, in Christ crucified, there is not only a legal rescue for the guilty, but also a moral remedy for the alienated : there is an exhibition of the mind of God, not only consistent with his own excellence, but also suited to make a deep and restoring impression upon the reason and feelings of men. I must, at the risk of wearying you, read another extract yet : — * I cannot say the remaininr/ part, because there still remains a part, — to wit, — the redemption of the body at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus, into which it is impossible now^ to enter. 2 z 334 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: " The Judge himself bore the punishment of transgres- sion, whilst he published an amnesty to the guilty ; and thus asserted the authority, and importance, and worth of the law, by that very act Avhich beamed forth love unspeakable, and displayed a compassion which knew no obstacle but the unwillingness of the criminals to ac- cept it. The Eternal Word became flesh, and exhibited, in sufferings and in death, that combination of holiness and mercy which, if believed, must excite love, and if loved, must produce resemblance." A pardon without a sacrifice (such a pardon as Uni- tarians suppose) could have made but a weak and obscure appeal to the understanding or the heart. It could not have demonstrated the evil of sin ; it could not have de- monstrated the graciousness of God. If pardon may be extended without a sacrifice, it is a light thing; and if pardon be a light thing, so is sin : and the love that lightly pardons a light offence, is a light love. Therefore, it could not have led men either to hate sin, or to love God. If the punishment, as well as the criminality of sin, con- sists in opposition to the character of God, the fullest par- don must be perfectly useless, whilst this opposition remains in the heart ; and the substantial usefulness of the pardon will depend upon its being connected with such circumstances as may have a natural and powerful tendency to remove this opposition, and create a re- semblance. The pardon of the Gospel is connected with such circumstances ; for the sacrifice of Christ has associated sin v\'ith the blood of a benefactor, as well as with our own personal sufferings, — and obedience with the dying entreaty of a friend, breathing out a tortured life for us, as well as with our OMm unending glory in his blessed society. This act justifies God as a Law-giver, in dispensing mercy to the g-uilty ; it gives a pledge of OK, UEDIiMI'TlON CO.NSISTKNT. 335 the sincerity and reality of that mercy ; and, by asso- ciating principle Avith mercy, it identifies the object of gratitude with the object of esteem, in the heart of the sinner. It may also here be observed, that the Resur- rection and Ascension of Christ, as the representative of our race, not only demonstrate the Divine complacency in the Avork of the Saviour, but exhibit to us also the indissoluble connexion which subsists between immortal glory and an entire, unreserved, acquiescence in the will of God. And thus the Christian hope is not directed to an undefined ease and enjoyment in heaven, but to a defined and intelligible happiness, springing from the more perfect exercise of those very principles of love to God and man, which formed the character of their Master, and still constitute his joy. " Ancient history tells us of a certain king who made a law against adulter)^, in which it was enacted that the offender should be punished by the loss of both eyes. The very first oflfender was his own son. The case was most distressing ; for the king was an aff'ectionate father, as well as a just magistrate. iVfter much deliberation and inward struggle, he finally commanded one of his own eyes to be pidled out, and one of his son's. It is easier to conceive than to describe what must have been the feelings of the son in these most affecting circumstances. His offence would appear to him in a new light ; it would appear to him not simply as connected with painful con- sequences to himself, but as the cause of a father's suffer- ings, and as an injur}^ to a father's love. If the king had passed over the law altogether in his son's favour, he would have exhibited no regard for justice, and he would have given a very inferior proof of affection. AYe mea- sure affection by the sacrifice it is prepared to make, and by the resistance which it overcomes. If the sacrifice had 336 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: been made, and the resistance overcome secretly in the heart of the king, there would have been but Uttle evidence of the real existence either of principle or of affection ; and the son might, perhaps, have had reason to think, that his pardon was as much the effect of his father's disregard of the law, as of his affection to him." (I pray you to mark this in the application. If a Unitarian imagines himself pardoned, what must he think? Can he ascribe it all to love to him ? Has he not some feeling that God disregards his own law, in allowing him to be happy ? If he be told so, what can he answer ? And if God can disregard his own law, he cannot remain an object of love.) ^^And at any rate, even if he had given the fullest credit to the abstract justice and kindness which were combined in his acquittal, it is impossible that this theoretical character of his father could have brought on his heart any impres- sion half so energetic, or interesting, or overwhelming, as that Avhich must have been produced by the simple, un- equivocal and practical exhibition of worth which has been recorded. If we suppose that the happiness of the young man's life depended on the eradication of this criminal propensity, it is not easy to imagine how the king could more wisely, or more effectually have promoted this bene- volent object. The action was not simply a correct repre- sentation of the king's character; — it also contained in itself, an appeal most correctly adapted to the feelings of the criminal. It justified the king in the exercise of clemency; it tranquillized the son's mind, as being a pledge of the reality and sincerity of his father's gracious purposes towards him; and it identified the object of his esteem with the object of his gratitude. Mere gratitude, unattracted by an object of moral worth, could never have stamped an impression of moral OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 337 worth on his character, which was his father's ulti- mate design. We might suppose a conflict of con- tending feehngs to be carried on in the mind, without evidencing, in the conduct flowing from it, the full vehe- mence of the conflict, or defining the adjustment of the contending feelings ; but we cannot suppose any mode of conduct so admirably fitted to impress the stamp of the father's character on the mind of the son, or to associate the love of right, and the abhorrence of wrong, with the most powerful instincts of the heart. The old man not only wished to act in perfect consistency with his own views of duty, but also to produce a salutary eff'ect on the mind of his son ; and it is the full and effectual union of these two objects, which forms the beautiful and striking part of this remarkable histor}\'^ " And shall we refuse our love and admiration to the King and Father of tlie human race, who, with a kindness and condescension unutterable, has, in calling his wander- ing children to return to duty and to happiness, presented to each of us a like aspect of tenderness and purity, and made use of an argument which makes the most direct and irresistible appeal to the most familiar, and, at the same time, the most powerful principles in the heart of man ?"* 4. Such are the blessed announcements of the Gospel, — such its suitableness, — such its consistency in redemp- tion ; — consistency as regards God's character and govern- ment;— suitalileness as regards man's character and im- provement. And it is obvious that their practical effect upon any individual must depend upon his personal ap- propriation of them ; — in other words, upon his confidence in the truth so announced, — or, in the language of our text, through fail] I in- his blood. 5. The gracious power which, in the secret operation * Remarks on Internal Evidence — by Thos. Erskine — pp. 67 — 74. 338 A JUST GOD AVJ) A SAVIOMl : of the Holy Spirit upon man^s spirit, produces this faith, is another subject into whicli I cannot now enter. All I am concerned to show here, is the moral suitableness of the Gospel proclamation, when freely made, to redeem man's character and purify him into the love of God, and of his felloAvs ; which is happiness — which is heaven itself ! 6. The nature of man's moral disease being alienation from God, and that alienation being produced and main- tained by a secret consciousness of sin against God : it is obvious that pardoning love (when believed) becomes sanctifying love. It reaches the depth of our distaste for God, because it plucks the venom from the sting of conscience. It shows us that we need no longer have any hesitation in coming to God; that the hindrance is not with him, but entirely in ourselves. When we think of him, and in proportion as we think of him, a consciousness of guilt arises. Here there is a provision made for entire and free pardon. "^ Justified freely by his grace through" — which makes it consistent — " the re- demption that is in Christ Jesus." This redemption is proclaimed that it may be believed ; and being believed, it reaches the sore place of man's moral constitution, and removes the secret feeling of distrvist and distaste. Be- lieving the love of Jehovah towards us, as manifested in the costly gift of the Eternal Word dying for our sins, and rising again for our justification, we have no longer any lurking, painful desire to conceal from ourselves, or from God, the darkest or vilest corners of our heart. Thus self-examination is secured, and unreserved confes- sion is secured, and genuine repentance is secured. Thus progress is made in moral redemption, because a way has been opened by penal redemption. It is beginning at the wrong end, to set forth an attempt at moral redemp- tion, before you liave provided for man's guilt against on, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 339 God's law. It is daubing the wall with untempered mortar, saying, " Peace, peace ! " when there is no peace : endeavouring to soothe and mollify man into an outward, superficial peace — to make him fancy all is well, because nature smiles and God forbears, while yet there remains the deep, rankling, deadly sting of conscience, — con- science that, in the hour of danger and alarm, philosophy cannot still ; whose clamours science cannot quiet ! Man is unhappy till he believes in Jesus. I know the turmoil of the world can drown the voice of conscience for a time: I know that in seasons of good health, in the midst of friends, the enjoyment of projierty, and the excitement of society, the stern demands of conscience may be procras- tinated, and even the still small voice hushed to silence; but I know that many a man, who, in tlie midst of these enjoyments, has theorized concerning God, as an abstract benevolence, when caught in a tempest at sea — when the vessel heaves, and he begins to fancy there is real danger, and eternity seems at hand — then his boasted philosophy falters — his view of the God of Nature is no longer satis- factory.— The beneficence of a sunny sky is no longer above him, but the frowns of a thunder-storm ! Then what becomes of the Unitarian's repose on God's benevo- lence ? Let me illustrate this in another M'ay. Take the case of a governor of a castle who has a number of officers engaged, in various departments under him. He allows tliem to be busy for different inter\-als of time, and first one, and then another, is taken and confined in a dark dungeon. Nothing more is heard of them than this. No one returns to tell what there. befals them. The history of all is this: work as they may — let them be faithful or faithless — at some period of their lives, the governor withdraws them from view, and they are confined in a dungeon which all 340 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: men look upon with horror. I would ask, is this a con- templation to excite confidence in the benevolence of the governor, if there be no communication from him to tell his mind about those who are thus taken away — no com- munication with regard to what he means to do afterwards, and why all this is done ? I ask, is this a contemjslation cal- culated to inspire confidence in the great Governor of aU, — that one intelligent creature after another should be cut off, laid in a coffin, and confined in a narrow dungeon out of sight. Another and another following in the same track : and all the warmth and fervour — all the tenderness and loveliness of life, in every case, giving way to the haggard and loathsome abominations of the grave ; and all that was fair and gentle — all that was beloved and embraced in the fleshly friend, carried away in the sad disgrace of human nature, which makes us fain to hide from our eyes the dearest object that those eyes have rested on for years? Beloved friends, be not, I beseech you, beguiled into a fancy that this is a fair world, — that we have only to do with abstract benevolence. O forget not the hospital that is all around — the cries of misery, the weeping and wailing, the anguish, the mourning, and the woe, which characterize the world you live in. Forget not that you carry the seeds of death in yourselves. Forget not that the flatterers of human nature are deniers of the Inspiration of Scripture, — that the men who wish to make you at ease with your- selves, do not touch the sore place of your character; they amuse your fancy, and gratify your natural intellect, but they do not appeal to your conscience, as men who are in real earnest about eternity ; they do not tell you that you are dead in sin, and that God is holy to punish sin ; they do not deal with you like faithful physicians, who probe the sore, if haply they may reach the depth of the mischief, and effect a cure : but rather like quacks, who OR, REDEMPTION' COX.SISTENT. 341 cover over the sore, healing the skin, while they leave the mortifying venom beneath. Let nie entreat you to consider these things. And Oh, if I address any wlio, instead of feeling touched in their own consciences, rather feel wounded at being so spoken of; I would say, with unfeigned affection for them, that it was not to wound their feelings I so spoke, but to guard this mighty multitude against what I believe to be the de- ceitfulness of their principles. And it is now with the same affection I would address them, and implore them to com- pare their habitual mode of dealing with religion, with the facts of the case in this world of iniquity and sorrow • — and with the language of the Divine Lawgiver. I would entreat them to remember, that, as touching reli- gion, the Lawgiver, and the laAv — the sin, and the penalty, are not their themes ; but that, omitting the painful view of man's guiltiness, they ad^'ance at once to the more encouraging, but, if taken by itself, delusive view of man's moral improvement. O let me entreat them to see, that I object not to the great leading idea that love is salvation. Let them take notice, that conformity to God is our idea of salvation — that our controversy is about how to get at it — that it is not about the education of the child who is safe and well, but about an escape for the child that is drowning. A set of children have fallen into a river : I cannot wait to argue about their education, till I have snatched them out of the water. Man is in a lost con- dition, through sin. To talk softly and calmly about the improvement of his moral condition, before he is snatched as a brand out of the burning, will never be anything else than ineffectual. It is felt to be so. It is felt to be cold and lifeless ; because it does not go home with power to the affections and conscience of a sinner. Suppose a congregation of lame persons to be ad- 3 A 342 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: dressed ia a beautiful treatise on the art of good walk- ing. They cannot walk till they have their legs restored. Cure them, and then your dissertation may do them some good. Unitarian preaching, for the most part, resembles a dissertation on good walking, addressed to a congre- gation who are all lame. Bring in the restoring power of God to remove the lameness — then they will walk with God in holy love. Then we shall find that the mani- festation of God's love produces love in return. TJien we shall find that the exhibition made in Jesus, God and man in one Christ, marking the extent of the love that so made the sacrifice, the authority of the law so vindicated, the A^eracity of the lawgiver so proved, the suitableness of the love that so comes in the shape of pardon for sin, — that this love calls up our love to God. It will be, as Archbishop Leighton has beautifully ex- pressed it, "the repercussion of the beam of his love to us" — the beam striking down from God, and reflected by the cross of Jesus, which is the great re-uniting, combining agency I have been describing, penetrates into the deep recesses of the soul, and is reflected back in gratitude, esteem, reverence, holy fear, devoted afl^ection, enduring love, — for such a God deserves to be loved. O yes ; this is the true, the deep, the only foundation in the human heart on which the love of God and the love of man can be erected. When this chord is struck by the finger of Divine Grace, every string of the heart of man vibrates and responds to it. And full and deep as is the note of pardoning love in God, so full and deep will the responsive voice be of grateful and holy love in man. IFe love him, because he first loved us. This is redemption — from penalty, from alienation. This is dehverance from the curse of the law, from the bondage of sin. Here are the two grand qualifications : OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 343 and I only have to regret, and do regret most sincerely, that the nature of the subject, and the shortness of the time, altogether preclude the possibility of doing justice to this latter part of the subject, by bringing out the Majesty and Godhead of the Great Agent in this second process, the Holy Ghost. In this way it is, that he takes of the things of Jesus, and shows them to us.* The cross of Christ is the moral instrument suited to pro- duce the harmony, but it requires an agent to play it — a hand to put it in motion. It is a sword, but it needs a power to wield it. Tliat power is supplied in the pro- mise of the Spirit, who does not work by other means. " He shall not speak of himself." But he does work by this means : — " He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath, are mine."* I may not proceed with any further enlargement of this subject of the power of the Holy Ghost in the heart. I would only say, that it is no disparagement or argument against the sufficiency of an instrument, to say that it requires a power to put it into action. I have shown the moral suitableness of the Gospel, and you will be shown, I trust, in the course of this series, the personal agency which renders it effectual for man's salvation, by exciting within him faith ; for by faith he has union with Jesus: and thus lie is restored from all the conse- quences incurred in Adam. Christ is the second Adam ; and, as in the first Adam, we incurred a penalty by his fault, antecedent to any fault of our own, so, in the second Adam, we obtain righteousness by his work, antecedent to any righteous work of our own. The union in the first Adam is by nature ; the union in the second Adam is by faith : and faith is of the operation of God. But I nmst have done. I have referred generally to 344 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: Unitarian sentiments, rather than given quotations speci- fically, except in one instance, from any of their authors. I have done so for this reason, that no individuals among them seem to be bound by the sentiments of other in- dividuals. Each is at liberty to receive or discard, as seems good to him, any sentiments on the subject which he can find in any book. If we quote Channing, Priestley may not agree with Channing, and others may not agree with either. If we quote the Improved Version of the New Testament, nobody is boimd by that : it is but the ojjinion of one or two individuals, of no binding authority upon the body. Very possibly, if we quoted the lan- guage of any one of our reverend opponents in this town, the others might not feel themselves bound by it. For, in the horror of creeds entertained by Unitarians — I honestly believe, sincerely and vmfeignedly entertained — they glory in the detached, and insulated independence, and strength of a rope of sand. It will not do to retort upon us that we also differ. We do. But how ? We differ, as free men and free thinkers will always differ, on all points of mere human opinion, or doubtful details of interpretation ; but where God has plainly spoken, we do not differ, but believe. Therefore, with all our differences, we agree, as one man, in the statements of the creeds and articles of our Church. Here is something tangible — something to be laid hold of — something to be opposed, if wrong; and we earnestly desire to have something equally tangible, from the Unitarian body, to be opposed, if wrong, and agreed with, if right. We respectfully object to vagueness. We desire to ascertain, distinctly, what it is we have to meet. For it is mani- festly unfair, that one man should engage himself to maintain a proposition which his opponent may after- wards say he never denied, or to resist and ujjset a pro- OR, REDEMPTION CONSISTENT. 345 position which his opponent may say afterwards he never held. Therefore, against opponents, who are at hberty to deny or receive any thing at any time, and who are tied to nothing, men are fighting against the wind — beat- ing the air. Surely, if there be truth in the scheme, it cannot be so hard to state it. Surely if it be the pre- eminence of truth, it is easy to give it a shape, an an- nouncement, a form, by which we shall be able to conae at it — to receive what we think to be true, to oppose what we believe false, and to give our reasons. At present we pause and demur, ])ecause we have nothing tangible to oppose. The inspiration of Scripture is neither fully denied, nor fully admitted. It is treated in a way which leaves men at liberty to ascribe a certain degree of au- thority— as much as they please — to any part that suits them, and to ascribe no authority at all to any part which may prove an inconvenient part to deal with. We wish to know what part it is that they will hold by throughout, and what part it is that they give up. For ourselves, we main- tain the inspiration of it all. Therefore we are not asking too much, when we ask an equally free and full statement of the views of our opponents. My brethren, I must now conclude. I would further merely say, that I have no doubt you will see, or hear, or read all that genius can devise — all that talent can execute — all that eloquence can exhibit, — in defence of certain statements which we have felt it our duty to oppose. But I do believe, that if you will watch narrowly, you will see the force of truth clipping the wings of genius, fettering the powers of talent, and chilling the effect of eloquence. And I do hope, and trust, and pray, that the power of the Spirit of God, who alone can convey conviction of sin, faith in Jesus, true renewal into the image of God, will direct the efforts of that genius into channels of truth, and 346 A JUST GOD AND A SAVIOUR: ETC. the powers of that talent into the defence of truth, and the glow of that eloquence into the exposition and confirma- tion of the truth. God in his infinite mercy grant a healing balm to the wide-spread population of this place j that instead of increas- ing unkindness, heart-burning, and contention, the efforts now made may be overrvded, to the triumph of the Gospel of the Grace of God, to the acknowledgment of the glo- rious Godhead of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the suf- ciency of his atoning sacrifice, — the true Passover — the morning and the evening Lamb — fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, — the seed of the woman — the seed of Abraham — the root as Avell as the offspring of David — the Branch — the King — the Shepherd — the Lord — the Saviour, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, that was, and that is, and that is to come, the Almighty — Jesus Christ — the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever ! Amen. END Ol' THE >^IXTH LECTURE APPENDIX. (A.) Whereby it came to pass, that as before he was blessed, so now he was abhorred ; as before he was most beautiful and precious, so now he was most vile and wretched in the sight of his Lord and Maker : instead of the image of God, he was now become the image of the Devil ; instead of the citizen of Heaven, he was become the bondslave of Hell, having in himself no one part of his former purity and cleanness, but being altogether spotted, and defiled ; insomuch that now he seemed to be nothing else but a lump of sin, and there- fore by the just judgment of God was condemned to everlasting death. This so great and miserable a plague, if it had only rested on Adam, who first offended, it had been so much the easier, and might the better have been borne. But it fell not only on him, but also on his posterity and children for ever, so that the whole brood of Adam's flesh should sustain the selfsame fall and punishment, which their forefather by his offence most justly had de- served. St. Paul, in the fifth chapter of the Romans, saith ' ' By the offence of only Adam, the fault came upon all men to condemnation ; and by one man's disobedience many were made sinners." By which words we are taught, that as in Adam all men universally sinned, so in Adam all men universally received the reward of sin ; that is to say, became mortal, and subject luito death, having in themselves nothing but everlasting damnation, both of body and soul. They became, as David saith, corrupt and abomi- nable, they went all out of the way, there was none that did good, no not one_ O what a miserable and woeful state was this, that the sin of one man should destroy and condemn all men, that nothing in all the world might be looked for, but only pangs of death, and pains of Hell ! — Homily on the Nativity. For the second man's state, I mean before his fall, and his state now, thus let us think, namely, that God made man after his image, — that is, endued man with a soul immortal, wise, righteous, and holy ; for the image of God is not concerning the body, which man hath common with the beasts of the earth, but it is from above, and of God's breathing. So that Adam's transgressing God's prece]>t did not according as he should and might have done, but ac<:ording as he should not have done, and might have avoided, if that he had not received the persuasion and counsel of the serpent: which God permitted him to do, thereby to declare, that perfect justice, wisdom, and holiness, is not, nor cannot be, in any creature which is not God also ; and therefore Christ being God was made man, that in man there might be this perfection and justice, which is in Christ our Lord, and in Adam 348 APPENDIX. we could never have had, which wisdom of God we shall joyfully one day behold, if we will now restrain our busy brain and curiosity from searching further than we should do. But to return again : — Adam, (I say,) being made after God's image, which he received for us all to have devised the same unto us all by natural propagation, by transgressing the commandments, lost and mangled so the same image of God in himself and in us all, that for immor- tality came death ; for wisdom came foolishness ; for righteousness came unrighteousness ; for holiness came corruption ; concerning God's judgment and in God's sight, although there remained in him concerning man's judg- ment and the sight of the world, life, wisdom, righteousness, and holiness, the which all we by propagation do from our mother's womb receive, so that we may well see our state now to be far from the state we had before Adam's fall ; and therefore God's law requireth nothing of us, but that which was in our nature before the fall, which we see is impossible for us to pay accord- ingly ; and yet God, not unjust in that he asketh of us nothing thereby, but the self-same thing which he gave us in our creation. The law then and the precepts of God were given after the fall of man, not that man should thereby get life and the thing which was lost by sin (for the blessed seed was promised for the recovering hereof and to him that pertained), but that man by it might know sin, and what he had lost ; thereby to desire more deeply the promised Seed, by whom as we be received, so our evils be not imputed, and that we, being renewed by his Holy Spirit and new seed, should as new-born babes desire, and by will begin to do the law of God, which after our deliver- ance forth of this corrupt body, and man of sin, by death, we shall without all let fully accomplish, and at the length receive the body to be spiritual (as Paul saith), and holy, ready to obey and serve the Spirit, as a helper, rather than a hinderer. Oh ! happy day, when wilt thou appear! — Bradford's Treatise of Election. Ajmd Richmond's Fathers of the English Church, vol. vi. pp. 386— 38S. But here will some man say, Oh ! Sir, if I were certain that I should depart from this miserable life into that so great felicity, then could I be right glad and rejoice (as you will me) and bid death welcome ; but I am a sinner, I have grievously transgressed and broken God's will, and therefore I am afraid I shall be sent into eternal woe, perdition, and misery. Here my brother, thou doest well that thou doest acknowledge thyself a sinner, and to have deserved eternal death ; for doubtless, if we say we have no sin, we are liars, and the truth is not in us. (1 John i.) A child of a night's hirth is not pure in God's sight. (Job xxv.) In sin irere ve lorn, and by birth or nature we are the children of ivrath, and f re-brands of hell ; therefore confess ourselves to be sinners, we needs must. For, if the Lord will observ'e any man's iniquities, none shall be able to abide it ; yea, we must needs all cry, — Enter not into judgment, O Lord ; for in thy sight no flesh nor man living can be saved. (Psalm cxxv. cxli.) In this point therefore, thou hast done well to confess that thou art a sinner. — Bradford against the Fear of Death. Ibid. vol. vi. p. 408. But what go I about to avouch ancient examples, where daily experience APPENDIX. .MO doth teach ? The sweat the other year, the storms the winter following, will us to weigh them in the same balances. The hanging and killing of men themselves, which are (alas !) too rife in all places, require us to register them in the same rolls. At the least in children, infants, and such-like, which yet cannot utter sin by word or deed, we see God's anger against sin in punishing them by sickness, death, mishap, or otherwise, so plainly, that we cannot but groan and grunt again, in that we have gushed out this gear more abundantly in word and deed. — Bradford's Sermon on Repentance. Ibid. vol. vi. p. 450. I believe that the first man, through the craft and subtilty of Satan, did slide and fall from the excellency, wherein the Lord had created him ; con- senting, through his own free will (which at that time he had), unto the subtle suggestion of the serpent, w-hereby he lost the graces that the Lord had given him ; in such sort, that of wise, he became foolish ; of just, unjust ; of true, a liar; of perfect, altogether imperfect: having, from thenceforth, a will wholly corrupted, which neither could, nor would agree with the will of God, but altogether with the will of the Devil, the world, the flesh, and sin ; which could do nothing of himself but evil, seeing that he is altogether carnal, bond, captive, and sold under sin. This is the free, yea, to say more truly, he bond-will that man hath in this present life. I believe, that this disorder and corruption of nature was not only in Adam, because of his sin, but is also in all men generally, which come of him (Jesus Christ only excepted) : and that in such sort, that all men after their own nature are corrupt, unjust, liars, ignorant, unkind, and imperfect in all things, and have no power of their own nature to do, think, speak, or will any thing that may please God ; until that they be regenerated and renewed by the Spirit of the Lord. I believe that this corruption of nature, otherwise called original sin, is the fountain and root of all sins : for the which all the miseries and adversities that we endure in this present life, as well in body as in soul, do come unto us : yea, and in the end, double death, that is to say, both of body and soul. These be the fruits and rewards of sin. But although the same be due and common to all men generally, nevertheless, the Lord through his mercy hath reserved to himself a certain number (which are only known to himself,) the which he hath drawn from this corrupt heap, and hath sanctified and cleansed the same in the blood of his .Son Jesus Christ, and by means thereof hath made them vessels of election and honoui", apt unto all good works. — Hooper's Confession of Christian Faith. Ibid. vol. v. pp. 437, 438. The words of the promise made unto Adam and Abraham, confirm the same : they are these : — " 1 will put enmity and hatred between thee and the woman, between thy seed and the woman's seed, and her Seed shall break thy head." (Gen. iii. 15.) For as we were in Adam before his fall, and should, if he had not sinned, have been of the same innocence and per- fection that he was created in ; so were we in his loins, when he sinned, and participated of his sin. And as we were in him, and partakers of the ill; so were we in him when God made him a pi-omise of grace ; and we are par- 3 B 350 AI'PEXDIX. takers of the same grace, not as the children of Adam, but as the children of promise. As the sins of Adam, without privilege or exception, extended and appertained unto all Adam's, and every of Adam's posterity, so did this promise of grace generally appertain as well to every and singular of Adam's posterity, as to Adam : as it is more plainly expressed, Gen. x\iii. 18, where God promiseth to bless, in the seed of Abraham, all the people of the world ; and Paul maketh no diversity in Christ of Jew or Gentile. (Coloss. iii. 11.) — Hooper on the Ten Commandments. Ibid. pp. 254, 255. And here you may consider, good children, how great was the misery, and how horrible was the indignation of God, which we were brought into by Adam. So great it was, that neither gold nor silver, nor any other thing, was able to buy us out of the same, but only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by his death and effusion of his most precious blood. And of this great misery and indignation of God towards us, this was the cause. At what time God had made Adam and Eve, and set them in Paradise, he entreated them like a most loving and gentle father : for he made them lords over all lively creatures, both beasts, fish, and fowl, and did give imto them all trees that bare fruit, that they might feed thereon ; only he for- bad them that they should not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And yet he gave them warning of the great loss and damage that they should suffer, if they ate of that tree, saying, " Whensoever you shall taste of the fruit of that tree, you shall be made mortal, and shall die." Their duty had been unto so gentle a God, and so merciful a Father, in their hearts to have believed him, trusted him, and loved him ; to have obeyed him, and to keep all his commandments gladly. But our most crafty enemy, Satan, envying man's felicity, spake to Eve by the serpent, and said, — " No, you shall not die, but you shall be like gods, knowing both good and ex-il." And with these most poisoned words, persuaded Eve to eat of the fruit which was forbid. And Eve gave of the same to Adam, who also did eat thereof; and so did break God's commandment. Now, I pray you mark, good children, what they lost by this their dis- obedience. First, when Adam and Eve were thus deceived by the serpent, and persuaded that God did not favour them, but had envy at them, that they should have knowledge of good and ill (and that for envy he forbade them to eat of that fruit that should give them such great knowledge), they did no more trust God, but began to trust themselves, and did study to care and provide for themselves. Secondarily, when they no more trusted God, they could no more find in their hearts to love him, but began to dote upon themselves, and to think that they had no better friend, neither in heaven nor earth, than their own selves. And after that they had thus put their trust and confidence in themselves, and dotingly loved all that was their own, by and by followed fear and concupiscence : for by and by they began to hate and eschew all things that were painful or unpleasant to the flesh, and dotingly to lust and long for such things as were delectable and pleasant to the flesh. Hereby you perceive, good cliildren, how our first parents, Adam and APPENDIX. 351 Eve, poisoned with the venom of the serpent, were cast into four horrible vices, or diseases. The first is, that tliey did not trust in God. The second, that they did not love God. The third, that they did not fear him, but as a cruel tyrant. The fourth, tliat they were replenished with concupiscence and evil desires, lusts and appetites. And these be the roots of original sin, out of the wliich all other sins do spring and grow. So Adam and Eve had a very great fall, that fell from God's benediction, favour, and love, into God's curse, anger, and displeasure ; that fell from original justice into original sin, by the which fall all the strength and powers both of their bodies and souls were sore decayed and corrupted. And as our first parents, Adam and Eve, were infected and corrupted, even so be we, that be their children. For as we see, by daily experience, that commonly gouty parents beget gouty chil- dren ; and if the father and mother be infected with leprosy, we see com- monly that the children born between them have the same disease ; so like- wise, as our first parents Adam and Eve did not put their trust in God, no more do they that be carnally born of them. And as they loved not God, so their children love hira not ; and as they followed their own concupiscence, lusts, and appetites, and not the will of God, even so do all their issue. So that aU their posterity upon earth be sinners, even in their mothers' wombs : for they have not their trust in God, they love not God, they have not a fatherly fear unto him, they be full of ill lusts, and appetites, and desires^ as you have heard, good children, in the ninth and tenth commandments. And for this cause the Scripture doth say, that " all we are conceived and born in sin :" and St. Paul saith, "that by nature we be the children of God's wrath :" so that we £dl should everlastingly be damned, if Christ by his death, had not redeemed us. — Archbishop Cranmer — Catechism q/'1548. Ibid. vol. iii. pp. 222—224, This place showeth, that all men that come of Adam, be subject to sin, and for sin, are worthy of eternal death ; none being able to deliver them- selves from death and damnation In evil men, worketh the prince of the air, which is the devil, that enticeth alway to evil, and to do the works of the devil. The devil is called the prince of the air, not because he hath dominion and power to rule the air, at his pleasure or will (for that to God doth pertain) ; but that he hath power only of evil men, that live here in the air, and give themselves to serve the devil rather than God. And many more there are, that serve the devil rather than God ; for there are many more unfaithful than faithfid — more sinners than good livers — more that fol- low the honours of the world, the pleasures of the flesh, than that truly serve God by true faith and faithful works of charity, commanded in the Scripture ; more that abuse the goodness of the world, than that use it as they should do. Of all abusers of the goods of the world, the devil is the prince and captain, for they do the will of the devil. So we may learn, of whom the devil is prince, and what he maketh his servants to do, works of darkness and death ; and where he useth his power, here in the air, where evil men live following the lusts of the flesh, worldly honours, and pleasures of men ; seek- ing their own pleasure more than God's glory, or the profit of their neighbour. 352 AI'PENDIX. Men, that be out of the favour of God, walk from one sin to another, do the lusts of their flesh, and of their own will, contrary to the will of God. Here we may learn what we can do of ourselves, left to our own might and power, if we lack the grace of God ; surely we can do nothing else but sin, and follow the desires of our corrupt flesh, as adultery, gluttony, drunkenness, envy, malice, rancour, hatred, pride, covetousness, error, heresy, idolatry, and other such-like of the which, come death and eternal damnation. — Bishoj} Ridley on Ephesians, ii. 1. 3. Ibid. vol. ii. pp. 49. 50. 51. (B.) Rom. Lx. 5. — " Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concernhiy the ^^ flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. These words, as they are quoted by Irenseus, and as they are translated in our English Bibles, unequivocally assert that Christ is God ; but since the Unitarians have tried to elude the force of this evidence, it will be necessary to examine, as briefly as we can, their statements and their reasoning. In the Improved Version the passage is translated thus : — and of whom by natural descent Christ came. God who is over all be blessed for ever. I shall not inquire into the propriety of the words by natural descent, nor consider whether the internal evidence does not require that the sentence should be read without this division : but I shall confine myself to shewing, what properly belongs to the present work, that this mode of construction was entirely unknown to the Ante-Nicene Fathers. It was in fact never heard of till the time of Erasmus : he is the first writer I can meet with who suggested s\ich a punctuation ; and though the Unitarians refer to him as their authority, Erasmus does not say that he thought this mode of con- struction right. The note to the Improved Version adds, " In this sense it " is probable that the early Christian writers understood the words, who do "not apply them to Christ." Mr. Lindsey says,* and Mr. Belshamf means to assert the same, (for he quotes his words without qualifying or correcting them,) " that this clause was read so as not to appear to belong to Christ, at " least for the first three centuries :" and Jones J observes, " had the original ' ' stood as it now does, the early fathers would have cited this clause in proof " of the divinity of Christ. But neither Justin (I believe) nor Irenseus, nor ' ' Tertullian has quoted it with this view. § This is coming to the point. We are here invited to meet our opponents on the ground which we have marked out for ourselves ; their statements are positive and precise : and I shall proceed without farther comment to shew in * Sequel, p. 204. t Translation of St. Paul's Epistles. t Analysis of the Epistle to the Romans. ^ Dr. Priestley only sajs, "Paul is supposed to say, that Christ was God over all blessed "for ever." (History of Early Opinions, II. p. 42.5.) It would have been more ingenuous if he had stated his own sentiments concerning this te.\t. APPENDIX. 353 wliat manner and in what sense the passage was quoted by the Ante-Nicene Fathers. In the first place it is difficult to understand with what fair intention the name of Justin Martyr is mentioned: for since he never quotes the passage at ail, we can of course infer nothing as to the sense in which he understood it. We have already seen, that Irenseus quotes the text as expressly asserting the divine and human natures of Christ. The Latin translation of Ireneeus, which alone remains, and which reads, e.r quibus Christus secundum carnem, qui est Deus super omnes benedictus in sccula, cannot of course admit of the punctuation and division which the Unitarians propose : to which I would add, that Irenseus is to be cited, not only as giving his own opinion, but as the witness to a fact. He must often have read the passage himself; he must often have heard it read : it is perhaps not assuming too much to say, that he may have heard it read by Polycarp himself, the immediate disciple of St. John. He must therefore have known the manner in which it was customary to read the sentence in the churches ; and we have seen that he reads it, not so as to make the doxology at the end a separate and inde- pendent clause; but so as to affirm that Christ, who came of the Jews accord- ing to the flesh, was also God over all, blessed for ever. We may conclude, therefore, that the text was always read in this way in the churches which Irenseus frequented. TertuUian, the third of the Ante-Nicene Fathers mentioned by Mr. Jones, is the next in order of time whose writings we are to examine. He quotes the passage in two places. The first is where he is answering those persons, who accused the Christians of acknowledging more Gods than one: he shews, from the Old Testament, that the term God is applied to more persons than to the Father, and then says, — " Not that we ever name with " our mouth two Gods or two Lords, although the Father is God, and "the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God, and each is God; — " and if the Father and the Son are to be mentioned together, for sake "of distinction we call the Father God, and Jesus Christ Lord; but yet. " speaking of Christ singly, I can call him God, as Paul did, of whom is " Christ, icho, he says, is God over all, blessed for ever."* The next place is in the same treatise, c. 15. where he introduces the text with these remarkable words : — " Paul also himself has called Christ God, whose are the fathers, ^^ and of whom according to the flesh Christ came, tv ho is overall, God " blessed for erer."f I might perhaps be satisfied with having shewn the falsehood of the state- ment, that Irenteus and TertuUian do not quote the passage in proof of the * Duos tamcn Deos et duos Dominos nunquam ex ore nostro proferimus : non quasi non et Pater Dcus, et Filius Deus, et Spiritus Sanctus Deus, et Ueus unusquisque sed apostolum scquar, ut si pariter noiiiinandi fuerint Pater et Filius, Dcum Patrem appcUem, et Jcsum Christum Dominum nomiiiera. Solum autem Christum potero Deum diccre, sicut idem apostolus, E.r ijuihus C/iristiis, (/hi est, inciuit, Deus siijjer uinniti benedictus in ecvum omne. adv. Prax. c. 13. p. 507. t Christum autem et ipse (Paulus) Deum cognominavit, Quorum patres, el ex qui/ius Christus secundum carnem, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in cevum. 354 APPENDIX. divinity of Christ. But since Mr. Linclsey and Mr. Belsham extend the same remark to all the writers of the three first centuries, we must carry the investigation further. The next writer in point of time is Hippolytus, who flourished about the year 220. He wrote a work against Noetus, who adopted what is called the Patripassian heresy : i. e. he believed that Christ was actually God the Father, and that the Father appeared upon earth, and died on the cross. One of the means which he used to support this doctrine was to cite all the texts which spoke of Christ as God : and after quoting many, he says, " Christ was " God and suffered for our sakes, being liimself the Father, that he might "save us. We cannot come to any other conclusion; for the apostle ac- " knowledges one God, when he says. Whose are the yat hers, of whom as " concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever."* Thus Noetus evidently understood the passage as asserting the divinity of Christ. But it may be objected that Noetus was a heretic. We will there- fore see what notice Hippolytus takes of this quotation. We need not follow him in his refutation of Noetus ; but he begins the 6th chapter thus : "As " to the Apostle saying. Whose are the fathers, &c. he declares the mystery "of the truth properly and plainly. He who is over all is God : for he thus " says boldly. All things are delivered unto me of the Father, (Matt, xi, 27.) " He that is God over all is blessed ; and becoming man is God for ever." f Origen is the next writer, and nothing can be more decisive than his testimony in favour of the received interpretation, (in Rom. VII. 13 vol. 4. p. 612) but I forbear to dwell upon it, because wherever the original Greek of Origen is lost, there is too much reason to suspect that additions and interpolations have been made by his translator Rufinus. There can be no doubt, however, that Origen noticed the passage, because he was writing a laboured commentary upon the whole Epistle : and though Rufinus may have added to the original, he would hardly have altered the whole tenor and spirit of it. Cyprian, who wrote between the years 247 and 258, quotes the passage in * XpiCTTos yap Tjv ©eos, kuc k'rraa'^ev 8l ' y/xcis avrbs wv IIaTr]p, Iva Kal aojcrai i)fxas 8vv7]6fj. "AXko 8e, (fyrjcrip, ou 8f- vd/jueOa Xejetv, Kal yap 6 aTtoaToXos eva ©eov ofidXoyel, \eycou, wv ol irarepes, i^ o)V o Xpccrros ro Kara adpKa, 6 o)v iirl TrdvTcov ©eos evXojrjros els rovs atcovas. c. Noiit. c 2. II. p. 7. t ' O Se Xeyeo 6 ^AttocttoXos, o)v ol irarepes, k. t. X. koXms Birjyelrai Kal XafMTrpcos to tijs dXTjOelas fjivaTi]piov' ovtos 6 o)v eVt TrdvTcov ©eos eanv, Xeyec yap ovtco fxeTa Trappijcrias, Trdvra fioc TTapahehorat inro tov TLarpos' 6 o)v eVt irdvTtov ©eos evKoyrjTos yeyevrjTat, Kal dvOpcoiros yevofievos ©eos iaTiv els Tovs alo>vas. c. 6. p. 10. APPENDIX. 355 bis work entitled Testimonies against the Jews. The second book is almost entirely composed of texts, with little of Cyprian's own, except the short lieads or titles to each chapter. The subject of the 6th chapter is Quod Deus Christ U.I, ThAt Christ is God: and after many other quotations he says, without any farther observations, "Also Paul to the Romans, I could wish, "&c., ivhose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ " came, who is over all, God blessed for ever." — p. 286. Novatian, who was accounted a heretic, but who had no heretical opinions concerning Christ, quotes the passage twice in his work upon the Trinity, which is supposed to have been written soon after the year 257. In c. 13, he is shewing, by a reference to many texts, that " the substances both of " God and man were united in Christ :"* and after quoting this of St. Paul, without any comment, he concludes that " Christ is God." In c. 30, he argues, as Hippolytus did, against those who would not see that the Father is God, and the Son God, yet there are not two Gods, but only one ; and among many other texts which prove the divine and human nature of Christ, he quotes without any comment the one now before us. Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, died in the year 264, and his works which remain to us were composed not long before. He may be supposed to allude to this passage, when speaking of Christ he twice calls him " God over all, "f for in no other place of the New Testament do these words occur. The last instance which I shall bring is a quotation of the passage in a letter written by the council of Antioch in the year 269. This council was convened against the heresy of Paul of Samosata ; and the Fathers in their letter assert that the Son of God is essentially and substantially God. They prove this by many text, and among the rest by this of St. Paul. J I would now ask, what grounds can Mr. Belsham or any other person have for saying, " that this text was read so as not to appear to belong to " Christ, at least for the first three centuries ?" If it is ever quoted by the Ante-Nicene Fathers so as to support this assertion, I am not aware of the passage : I have looked carefully for it through all their writings, and I wish the reader to decide, whether there is any trace, even the remotest suspicion, of any of these Fathers having understood the passage in any other way, except as plainly declaring that Christ is God. I am sorry that Mr. Belsham should repeat the exploded and refuted story of the word God being wanting in the copies of Cyprian, Hilary, and Chrysostom, in their quotations of this text. This is not true ; at least if any MSS. of these authors do omit the word, it must be by accident, because they all introduce the passage where they are expressly arguing that Christ is God. Mr. Belsham, in his own translation of St. Paul's Epistles, adopts another * utraniqiic istam substantiam in unam nativitatis Christi faderasse concordiaui. p. 711. t 'O cbv €7rl TTUVTCOV QeOS. p. 2lfi. and218. *, ncU(|. Sacr. II. p. 4()7. 356 APPENDIX. metliod of evading this plain text. He alters o WV into mv 6, and trans- lates it, " whose is the God over all, blessed for ever." I am not concerned with tliis alteration any farther than to notice, what indeed the reader will have seen, that none of the Ante-Nicene Fathers countenance this transposi- tion. It is in fact arbitrary, unauthorized, and presumptuous ; and our astonishment at finding it in Mr. Belsham's translation will be increased, when we find in a work, published by himself only five years before, this very strong argument against admitting it. " This conjecture, ingenious and even " probable as it is, not being supported by a single MS. version or authority, cannot be admitted into the text:"* and yet he has himself admitted it ! and being aware that the conjunction arid after the word fathers seemed to denote the last clause of the sentence, whereas his own transposition has added another clause, he omits the conjunction altogether ! — Burton's Ante-Nicene Fathers, pp. 77 — 78. (C.) In heaven and in earth was there none found that could satisfy God's anger for our sins, or get heaven for man, but only the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who by his blood hath wrought the work of satisfaction, and alone is worthy all honour, glory, and praise, for he hath opened the book with the seven seals. Dearly beloved, therefore abhor this abomination, even to think that there is any other satisfaction to Godward for sin, than Christ's blood only. Blasphemy it is, and that horrible, to think otherwise. The blood of Christ purifieth (saith St. John) from all sin ; and therefore he is called the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world, because there was never sin forgiven of God, nor shall be, from the beginning unto the end of the world, but only through Christ's death, prate the Pope and his prelates as please them, with their pardons, purgations, placeboes, trentals, dirges, works of supererogation, superabomination, &c. — Bradford' s Sermon on Repentance. Apud Richmond's Fathers of the English Church, vol. vi. pp. 436, 437. Consider with yourselves what we are misers, wretches, and enemies to God : consider what God is, even he which hath all power, majesty, might, glory, riches, &c., perfectly of himself, and needeth nothing, but halh all things : consider what Christ is, concerning his Godhead, co-equal with his Father, even he by whom all things were made, are ruled and governed ; concerning his manhood, the only darling of his Father, in whom is all his joy. Now, Sir, what a love is this, that this God, which needeth nothing, would give wholly his own self to thee his enemy, wreaking his wrath upon himself in this his Son, as a man may say, to spare thee, to save thee, to win thee, to buy thee, to have thee, to enjoy thee for ever. Because thy sin had separated thee from him, to the end thou mightest come eftsoons * Calm Inquiry, p. 143. APi»K\ni\. 357 into his company again, and rlierein I'eniain, lie himself became, as a man would say, a sinner, or rather sin itself, even a malediction or curse, that we sinners, we accursed by our sin, might, by his oblation, or offering for our sins, by his curse, be delivered from sin and malediction. For by death, he destroyed sin, killing death, Satan, and sin, by their own weapons, and that for thee and me (man), if we cast it not away by unbelief. Oh ! won- derful love of God ! who ever heard of such a love, — the Father of Heaven, for us his enemies, to give his own dear Son Jesus Christ, and that not only to be our brother, to dwell among us, but also to the death of the cross for us ! Oh ! wonderful love of Christ to us all ! that was content and willing to work this feat for us. Was there any love like to this love ! God indeed hath commended his charity and love to us herein, that when we were vei"y enemies unto him, he would give his own Son for us ; that we, being men, might become, as you would say, gods, God would become man ; that we, being mortal, might become immortal, the immortal God would become mortal man ; that we, earthly wretches, might be citizens of heaven, the Lord of heaven would become, as a man would say, earthly ; that we, being accursed, might be blessed, God would be accursed ; that we, by our father Adam, being brought out of Paradise, into the puddle of all pain, might be redeemed, and brought into Paradise again, God would be our Father and an Adam thereunto ; that we, having nothing, might have all things, God having all things, would have nothing ; that we, being vassals and slaves to all, even to Satan the fiend, might be lords of all, and of Satan ; the Lord of all would become a vassal and a slave to us all, and in danger of Satan. Oh ! love incomprehensible ! who can otherwise think now, but if the gracious good Lord disdained not to give' his own Son, his own heart's joy, for us his very enemies, before we thought to beg any such thing at his hands, yea, before we were : who, I say, can think otherwise, but that, with him, he will give us all good things .' If when we hated him and fled away from him, he sent his Son to seek us, who can think otherwise than that now, we loving him, and lamenting because we love him no more, but that he will for ever love us .' He that giveth the more to his enemies, will not he give the less, trow you, to his friends .' God hath given his own Son, than which nothing is greater, to us his enemies ; and we now being become his friends, will he deny us faith and pardon of our sins, which, though they be great, yet, in comparison, they are nothing at all ? Christ Jesus would give his own self for us when we willed it not, and will he now deTiy us faith, if we will it ? This will is his earnest, that he hath given us truly to look indeed for the thing willed. And look thou for it indeed ; for as he hath given thee to will, so will he give thee to do. Jesus Christ gave his life for our evils, and by his death delivered us. Oh, then, in that he liveth now, and cannot die, will he forsake us ? His heart's blood was not too dear for us, when we asked it not ; what can then be now too dear for us asking it ? is he a changeling .' is he mutable as man is } can he repent him of his gifts ? did he not foresee our falls ? paid not he therefore the price ? Because he saw we should fall sore, therefore 3 c ^58 APPENDIX. would he suffer sore ; yea, if liis suffering had not been enough, he would yet once more come again. God the Father, I am sure, if the death of his Son incarnate would not serve, would himself and the Holy Ghost also become incarnate, and die for us. This death of Christ therefore look on as the very pledge of God's love towards thee, whosoever thou art, how deep soever thou hast sinned. See, God's hands are nailed, they cannot strike thee ; his feet also, he cannot run from thee ; his arms are wide open to embrace thee, his head hatigs down to kiss thee, his very heart is open, so that therein see, toote, look, spy, peep, and thou shalt see therein nothing but love, love, love to thee ; hide thee, therefore, lay thy head there with the Evangelist. — Bradford's Sermon on Repentance. Ibid, pp, 404 — 467. And yet, I say, did Christ put himself between God's deserved wrath and our sin, and rent that obligation, wherein we were in danger to God, and paid our debt. Our debt was a great deal too great for us to have paid. And without payment, God the Father could never be at one with us ; neither was it possible to be loosed from this debt by our own ability. It pleased him, therefore, to be the payer thereof, and discharge us quite For so well pleased is the Father Almighty God with Christ his Son, that for his sake he favoreth us, and will deny us nothing. So pleasant was this sacrifice and oblation of his Son's death, which he so obediently and innocently suffered, that lie would take it for the only and full amends for all the sins of the world. And such favour did he purchase by his death, of his heavenly Father for us, that, for the merit thereof (if we be truly Christians indeed, and not in word only), we be now fully in God's grace again, and clearly discharged from our sin. No tongue surely is able to express the worthiness of this so precious a death. For in this standeth the continual pardon of our daily offences, in this resteth our justification, in this we be allowed, in this is purchased the everlasting health of all our souls. Yea, there is none other thing that can be named under heaven to save our souls, but this only work of Christ's precious offering of liis body upon the altar of the cross. Behold, the law bringeth a curse with it, and maketh us guilty, not be- cause it is of itself naught or unholy (God forbid we should so think), but because the fraUty of our sinful flesh is such, that we can never fulfil it, ac- cording to the perfection that the Lord requireth. Coidd Adam, then, think you, hope or trust to be saved by the law ? No, he could not. But the more he looked on the law, the more he saw his own damnation set before his eyes, as it were in a most clear glass. So that now of himself hd was most wretched and miserable, destitute of all hope, and never able to pacify God's heavy displeasure, nor yet to escape the terrible judgment of God, whereunto he and all his posterity were fallen, by disobeying the strait com- mandment of the Lord their God. But O, the abundant riches of God's great mercy ! Oh, the unspeakable goodness of his heavenly wisdom ! when all hope of righteousness was past, on our part, when we had nothing in our- selves, whereby we might quench his burning wrath, and work the salvation of our own souls, and rise out of the miserable estate wherein we lay ; then. APPENDIX. 359 even then, did Christ tlie Son of God, by the aj)pointineiit of his Father, come down from heaven, to be wounded for our sakes, to be reputed with the wicked, to be condemned unto death, to take upon him the reward of our sins, and to give his body to be broken on the cross for our offences. He, saith the Prophet Isaiah (meaning Christ), hath borne our infirmities, and hath carried our sorrows ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are made whole. St. Paul likewise saith, God made him a sacrifice for our sins, which knew not sin, that we should be made the righte- ousness of God by him. And St. Peter, most agreeably writing in this be- half, saith, Christ hath once died, and suflered for our sins, the just for the unjust, &c. To these might be added an infinite number of other places to the same eft'ect ; but these few shall be sufficient for this time. — Homily on the Passion of Christ. I believe, that all those that are come, and shall come of the race and line of Adam, generally are conceived and born in iniquity and corruption (except Jesus Christ only,) and that they are all sinners, transgressors and breakers of the law and will of the Lord ; and according to their nature they are corrupt, the children of wrath, worthy of God's judgment, of condemnation, eternal death, all needing the grace and mercy of God, and of Christ's blood- shedding. For God hath wrapped all under siii, to the intent he would have mercy upon all, through Jesus Christ our Lord. I believe, that the knowledge of sin proceedeth of the law, but the remis- sion and forgiveness of sin cometh of the Gospel, and is given us by the only grace and mercy of God in the blood of Jesus Christ, through the faith we have therein ; whereby we are counted righteous before God, not through our good works or deservings, neither by the merits of any other creature, either in heaven, or in earth. For I know not, neither do I allow any other merits, but the merits of my good Lord, Master, and only Saviour, Jesus Christ, who hath merited and sufficiently satisfied for us, and hath paid for his own their debt, in wiping out the handwriting and obligation which was against us; and in taking the same from us, hath fastened it unto the cross. — Hooper's Con- fession of Christian Faith. Richmond's Fathers, vol. v. pp. 477, 478. But here may man's reason be astonished, reasoning after this fashion : — If a ransom be paid for our redemi>tion, then it is not given us freely : for a prisoner that payeth his ransom, is not let go freely, for if he go freely, then he goeth without ransom ; for what is it else to go freely, than to be set at liberty, without payment of ransom. This reason is satisfied by the great wisdom of God, in this mystery of our redemption, who hath so tempered his justice and mercy together, that he would neither by his justice condemn us unto the perpetual captivity of the devil and his prison of hell, remediless for ever, without mercy, nor by his mercy deliver us clearly without justice or payment of a just ransom ; but with his endless mercy, he joined his most upright and equal justice. IIi.-< great mercy he showed unto us, in delivering us from our former captivity, without requiring of any ransom to be paid, or amends to be made upon our parts, which thing by us had been impossible to be done. And whereas it SCO APPENDIX. lay not in u.s that to do, he provided a ransom for us: that was the most pre- cious body and blood of his own most dear and best beloved Son, Jesus Christ ; who, besides his ransom, fulfilled the law for ub perfectly. And so the justice of God and his mercy did embrace together, and fulfilled the mys- tery of our redemption. And of this justice and mercy of God, knit together, speaketh St. Paul, in the third chapter to the Ramans : " All have ofiended, and have need of the glory of God ; justified freely by his grace, by redemption which is in Jesu Christ, whom God hath set forth to us for a reconciler and peace- maker, through faith in his blood, to show his righteousness." And in the tenth chapter : " Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness, to every man that beUeveth." And in the eighth chapter: "That which was im- possible by the law, inasmuch as it was weak by the flesh, God sending his own Son in the similitude of sinful flesh, by sin damned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, which walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." In these foresaid places, the Apostle toucheth specially three things> which must concur and go together in our justification. Upon God's part, his great mercy and grace: upon Christ's part, justice, that is, the satisfaction of God's justice, or the price of our redemption, by the offering of his body and shedding of his blood, with fulfilling of the law perfectly and thoroughly ; and, upon our part, true and lively faith in the merits of Jesu Christ, which yet is not ours, but by God's working in us. So, that in our justification, is not only God's mercy and grace, but also his justice, which the Apostle calleth the justice of God ; and it consisteth in paying our ransom, and fulfilling of the law. And so the grace of God doth not exclude the justice of God in our justification, but only excludeth the justice of man, that is to say, the justice of our works, as to be merits of deserving our justification. And, therefore, St. Paul declareth here no- thing upon the behalf of man, concerning his justification, but only a true and lively faith, which, nevertheless, is the gift of God, and not man's only work without God. And yet that faith doth not exclude repentance, hope, love, dread, and the fear of God, to be joined with faith in every man that is justified ; but it excludeth them from the office of justifying. So that, although they be all present together in him that is justified, yet they justify not altogether. Nor that faith also doth not exclude the justice of our good works, necessarily to be done afterward, of duty toward God (for we are most bounden to serve God, in doing good deeds, commanded by liim, in his Holy Scripture, all the days of our life), but it excludeth them, so that we may not do them to this intent, to be made good by doing of them. For all the good works that we can do, be imperfect, and, therefore, not able to deserve our justification. But our justification doth come freely by the mere mercy of God, and of so great and free mercy, that whereas all the world was not able of themselves to pay any jtart towards their ransom, it pleased our heavenly Father of liis infinite mercy, without any our desert or deserving, to prepare for us the APPENDIX. 361 most precious jewels of Christ's body and blood; whereby our ransom might be fully ]iaid, the law fulfilled, and his justice fully satisfied. So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him. He, for them, paid their ransom by his death. He, for them, ful- filled the law in his life. So that now, in him and by him, every true Chris- tian man may be called a fulfiller of the law. — Archbishop Cranmer. Ibid, vol. iii. pp. 554 — 557. The Son of God, what, onr Saviour Christ ? He never sinned, how can this stand, that he should be thus handled ? He never deserved it. Marry, I will tell you, how we must consider our Saviour, Christ : two ways : one way in his manhood, another in his Godhead. Some places of Scripture must be referred to his deity, and some to his humanity. In his Godhead he suffered nothing ; but now he made himself void of his deity, as Scripture saith : "Whereas he was in the form of God, he emptied himself of it," he did hide it, and used himself as though he had not had it. He would not help himself with his Godhead ; he humbled himself with all obedience unto death, even to the death of the cross. This was in that he was man, he took upon him our sins : our sins, not the work of sin. I mean not so, not to do it, not to commit it : but to purge it, to cleanse it, to bear the stipend of it, and that w-ay he was the greatest sinner of the world, he bare all the sin of this world on his back, he would become debtor for it He suffered for you and me, in such a degree as is due to all the sins of the whole world. It was as if you would imagine, that one man had committed all the sins, since Adam ; you may be sure he should be punished with the same horror of death, in such a sort as all men in the world should have suffered. Feign, and put case : our Saviour, Christ, had committed all the sins of the world, all that I, for my part, have done, all that you, for your parts, have done, and that any man else hath done : if he had done all this himself, his agony, that he suffered, should have been no greater nor grievous than it was. — Dinhop Latimer. Ibid, vol. ii. pp. 42G — 128. DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY I'KOVED AS A CONSEaUENCE KROM THE DEITY OP OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST A LECTURE, II K L 1 V E K K D IN CHRIST CHURCH, HUNTER STREET, LIVERPOOL, o.v lVKl)^'Ksn.^y Kricx/ya, mahch so, ism. BY THE REV. DAVID JAMES, ukinc; ilik seventh ok the series on the "unitarian controvkrsy," by skvehai. cler<;ymkn of the church of England. " For there must be also HERESIES among you, that tney which ar: approved may be made manifest among you." — i Cor. ix. 19. LIVERPOOL : HENRY PERRIS, 6, CHURCH STREET; AND HAMILTON, ADAMS AND CO. LONDON. 1839. LIVERPOOL : PRINTED BY H. FERRIS, CHURCH STREET. PREFACE. Modern Unitarianism is a compound of Infidelity and Heresy. The difference between these two has always been understood to consist in this : Tliat whilst the Infidel denies the inspiration of the Bible, and rejects revelation altogether, the Heretic admits both, and, moreover, makes profession of Christianity, l)ut op- poses some of its essential doctrines, and obstinately propagates opinions of his own in direct contradiction to them. The infidelity of modern Unitarianism shows itself in the mu- tilation of the Sacred Canon of Scripture, and in the open avowal that large portions of the Bible are uninspired. Tlie heresy of the system appears in the direct and undisguised denial of those doctrines which have ever been considered fundamental in religion, and which hold the most prominent place on the pages of inspira- tion : such as the doctrine of human depravity — the doctrine of the Atonement — the Divinity and Mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ — the distinct personaUty and sanctifying agency of the Holy Ghost — and the Eternity of future punishments. In the series of Sermons to which the following Discourse belongs, the infidelity of Unitarianism is only partially met, and the preponderance is given to the heresy of the system. When the list of subjects was prepared, it was not as generally known as subsequent events have made it, that Unitarianism had so far degenerated into infidelity in this town. It was, therefore, thought advisable to dismiss that part of the subject with two Sermons only, in order to direct attention principally to the vin- dication of those fundamental articles of the Christian faith, which Unitarianism in its heretical character denies : among which one of the foremost is the Doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrine is expressed in our Litany in these simple words: "Three Persons and One God." But the first of the Thirty-nine Articles offers a short explanation of it : " There is IV PREFACE. but one living and true God . And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity ; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." In the Westminster Confession of Faith, the doctrine is stated in precisely the same words. In the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, the following question is proposed on the subject : "How many persons are there in the Godhead?" To which this answer is given : " There are three Persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these Three are One God; the same in substance, equal in potver and glory." This Confession is the standard of the Established Church of Scotland, and of all the Seeeders in that country, and of a great part of the Presbyterians in Ireland. In the Confession of Faith adopted by the Presbyterian Chui-ch in the United States of America, as ratified by the General Assembly in May, 1821, and amended in 1833, the doctrine is thus stated : "In unity of the Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, poioer and eter- nity ; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost." The doctrine of the Trinity is that which lies deepest in the Christian faith, and spreads widest through Christian practice. Christianity without it is a mere skeleton, without life or beauty. It was not to be expected, therefore, that this cardinal doctrine should escape the assaults of Satan and his emissaries in the world. It has not escaped. Learned men without morality, and moral men without piety, have openly impugned it at different periods, and in divers countries, from the beginning of the Chris- tian era. The methods adopted to get rid of it have been va- rious, but attended with very similar success. The world has re- fused to listen. The modern opposers of this chief article of the Christian Faith have always complained that the word Trinity is not to be found in the Bible. Whilst we readily admit this fact, we tliink we can satifactorily account for it. Divine Revelation does not usually set forth doctrines in abstract terms, but in full language and detailed statements : that is, it lays them before us in their distinct and several parts, with practical illustration of the truth of each, that the simplest minds might perceive them and believe. PHKFACE. V There is no such word, for instance, in Scripture, as Loyalty ; l)ut there is, " Honour the King." There is no such phrase as Moral Evil, but it is stated, " Sin is a transgression of the law." The expression free agency cannot be found, but the doctrine is admitted in such texts as the following : — " Choose you this day whom you will serve." — " Ye tvill not come unto me that ye might have life." We nowhere meet with the word Omnipre- sence, but we meet with tantamount expressions in reference to the Divine Being: "The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee." " Whither shall I flee from thy presence." If the word Trinity, therefore, be nowhere found in Scripture, yet the doctrine set forth by that word is found every where. And this doctrine, properly speaking, cannot be expressed in one word, for it consists of two distinct parts : One God — Three Divine Persons. And, as in reference to all other sciences, the use of concise technical terms is sanctioned by general consent, it is only fair that theology, the most important of all sciences, should be allowed the same privilege. Socinus was a little more liberal, and gave it as his opinion, that amongst all lovers of truth, it would be deemed sufficient that the point in question was attested, though the express words in which it was stated could not be found.* But the word Trinity is of more ancient date than the public may happen to know. It is found in the writings of Justin Martyr,t who was converted to the Christian Faith, about the * These are hii words : — " Satis est enim apud omnes veritatis amantcs, remipsam, de «luA quastio est, rationibus vcl tcstimomiis confiriuari ; quamvis vocabula, quae in ipsi qiitEstionc cxpUcandi exprcssa sunt, diserte scripta non inveniantur. t "Eva Tolvvv 6eov Trpoar^Kev ofioXoyeiv ev Trarpi, Kat vtco, KUL d'yico TTveufMari, ) 8e Oeos, TO Kar ^ovcriav kolvov tcov vTrocrracrecov voovvras ' Movasyap kul ev TpiaSi voetrai, Kat Tpias ev MovaSi yvcopi^e- rai. kis TOLVVV eaTtv 6 @eos, i) Tpias Trjfxovahi ttjs ov- CLas, % Luke iv. I6— 2p. THE nOCTKINK OF TlIK TRIXITY. 433 place in you ;" and after a few more sentences, tiiey made true his words, " and took up stones to cast at him, so that he was obliged to hide himself and make his escape from the temple."* At the feast of dedication — a feast that called the Jews together in multitudes, the same thing again occurred, "they took up stones to stone him/'t The chief priestS) the rulers, the scribes and pharisees, and the elders of the people — all the learned and the noble of the land conspired against him how they might put him to death ! And who has forgotten the cry of the multitude when Pilate brought him forth at the Passover, wishing to release him, and endeavouring to excite their pity towards him by repeated appeals on the ground of his undoubted innocence? It was the people, the great body of the Jewish nation then present from all parts, that exclaimed, "Away v^'ith him, am^ay with him! Crucify him, CRUCIFY HIM !" They preferred Barabbas, who was a robber, and had committed murder in the city, to the amiable and benevolent Jesus of Nazareth. But they did not stop here — they followed Jesus to Calvary where he was crucified between two malefactors, and there derided him in his last agonies, wagging their heads as they passed by. So much for the effect of example. Is this, then, the Unitarian expedient for renewing the human heart, and regenerating the soul ? and for leading man up to God ? What saith the Scripture ? What saith the Author himself of the example in question ? " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water AND OF THE Si'iRiT, he Cannot enter into the kingdom of God"X The ahenation of the human heart from God will continue, and sin will still lord it over the inner man, despite the example of patriarchs and prophets, of apostles and martyrs, and (»f the Son of God himself^, until the Holy • .f'.hn viii sp. t Ibid. x. 20 —31. ; .Tolin iii. S. 434 THE DOCTRINE OK THE TRINITY. Ghost^ to whom the work of sanctification is committed^ exert his Divine energy on the soul, and re-mould it after the image of God. But how can they who deny the personal existence of the Spirit, be born of the Spirit, and become his temples, and be made rich with his grace ? Oh, there is ground for apprehension that those who deny the atonement of our High-Priest, and the work of the Spirit on the soul, are neither justified by faith, so as to be dehvered from the consequences of sin ; nor sanctified in heart, so as to be freed from the dominion of sin. Without the former of these, there is no acceptance M'ith God ; without the latter, there is no admission into his presence. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of practical impor- tance. In this point of view we have attempted to ex- hibit it throughout. And in bringing all its bearings to a point, we beg to adopt the language of Dr. Whately : — ^^As the doctrine of the Trinity may be considered as containing a summary and compendium of the Christian faith, so its application may be regarded as a summary of Christian practice : which may be said to be comprised in this ; that as we believe God to stand in three relations to us, we also must practically keep in view the three corres- ponding relations in v/hich, as is plainly implied by that doctrine, we stand towards Him, — as first the creatures and children of God; secondly, as the redeemed and pur- chased people of Jesus Christ ; and thirdly, as the temples of the Holy Ghost our Sanctifer."*- As God the Father set his love upon us, and in conse- quence of that love sent his Son to redeem us, let us love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength: as the Eternal Word who was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made * Whately's Essays, p. 208. THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. 435 rich, let us adore his grace, and bow the knee to him in di- vine worship; for it is appointed "that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ;" and let the Unitarians see to it that they learn and practice this lesson betimes. And as the Holy Spirit has engaged to invest us once more with the image of God, let us beware that by no harbouring of error, by no indulgence of sin, by no neg- lect of duty, we grieve his mind, or quench his influence. Such is our duty to each of the Divine Persons of the ever- blessed Trinity, for we are " elect according to the fore- knowledge of God the Father, through sanctincation of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."* We are deeply concerned to hear the Unitarians of this town declare that they cannot find the doctrine of the Trinity in the Bible.f Had they declared that they never found a Bible without it, their statement would meet with an approving response from the whole Church of God throughout the world. The doctrine is so interwoven with all the transactions recorded in Scripture, that we think it quite safe, and likely to be handed down to all future generations, notwithstanding the fate of the text respecting the Heavenly Witnesses, J and the discredit attempted to be thrown upon others, which contain exi^ressions a little too plain for Unitarians to bear. The doctrine of the Trinity pervades the Bible, like a mine of gold embedded in the * 1 Peter, i. 2. t These are Mr. Thorn's words in the preface to his first sermon in the series of rejily : — " Our unbelief in the doctrine of the Trinity, vhich ve, accepting both the Scrijjtvres and Chrini, declare we cannot FIND TO he authorized BY EITHER." X "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one." 1 John v. 7. This text is now generally rejected as an interpolation, though the evidence for it is by no means contemptible. 43G THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. rock, — you may blow up the rock into a thousand frag- ments, but you will find in every fragment a portion of the gold ! To him that would see the distinction between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, at one point of view, 1 would say, notwithstanding the sneers of Unitarians, "Go to the Jordan." Behold Jesus, "in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," receiving baptism at the hands of John : view the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him : and listen to the voice from heaven, saying, " This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."* To him that would see the equality of the same three persons, I would say, — Go to the sacrament of Baptism, and hear it administered "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost :"t one NAME — THREE PERSONS. The Sou and the Spirit are here associated with the Father in a solemn act of wor- ship ; and the baptized are laid under an injunction to be- lieve in the three, and to serve the three alike. And to him that inquires what benefits the baptized receive from each of them, I say, — Listen to the benediction from the mouth of an inspired Apostle : " The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."J And now, my beloved brethren, as members of that Church, which puts into our mouths the form of sound words, let us wdth one heart unite in saying, " Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost : as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, w^orld with out end. Amen." * Matt. iii. 13—1;. t H'id xxviii. 19. * 2 Cor. xii. 14. END OF THE SKVKNTH LECTURE. THE ATONEMENT INDISPENSABLE TO THE NECESSITIES OF GUILTY MAN ; ANU SHOWN TO STAND OR FALL WITH TUK DEITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: A LECTURE, >EMVF.ttKIl 1' CHRIST CHURCH, HUNTER STREET, LIVERPOOL, ON WKDNKSUAV EVKNING, SIAKCH 27, 1839- , BY TUF. REA^ R. P. BUDDTCOM, M.A. F.A.S. INCUMBENT OK ST. GEORGe's, EVERTON ; AND LATE FELLOW OK QUEEN's COLLEGE, CAMHBIDOE. BRING THK EIl.in'H OK THIC SERIES ON THi: " UNI I'AIilAX C ON THOVErisV," BV SEVEUAL fLEUCiYMEN OF THE fHURrH OF ENGl.ANU. ' Oi, K.av TaWa Sicrw ecpr/vcKoi re Kol fierpioi, tovto ye ov (pepovaiv e7rt€CK€is ecvai, Qebv TrpoStSovai 8ui rris i]av^ias ' aWci Kal \iav elcriv iuravda, TroXefitKoi, re koI Svafj,a)(^oi, KoX Oarrov av rt fjbr} Beov 7rapaKLPi']aac€v, r) heov TrapaXl- TTOieV. UREGOR N^lAIAN, ORAT XXI. COLOSICE, \ms. LIVERPOOL : HENRY PERRIS, 6, CHURCH STREET AND HAMILTON, ADAMS AND CO. LONDON. 1839. LIVERPOOL : IIXTED BY H. I'ERRIS, CHURCH STREET. PREFACE. When Jerusalem was to be rebuilt, after the captivity of Baby- lon, the enemies who sought to frustrate that undertaking were active and vigilant in their opposition. Thus tried and hindered, it was necessary that they, unto whom the privileged labour of restoration was committed, should exhibit the union of courage with industry in their holy work. " They, therefore, which builded the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laboured, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other held a weapon.'"* Such a mixture of prepa- ration to resist the inroad of error, with the more immediate ob- ject of building up the members of the Church of Christ upon their most holy faith, befits those, unto whom that sacred office is committed. The latitudinarian spirit of the times, upon the great and essential verities of religion, seem to demand something like the Course of Lectures, of which the following pages form a portion ; and something of St. Paul's spirit, when, knowing himself to be set for the defence of the faith, he stood fonvard against those who would oppose its gracious fulness and freedom, crjdng, " To whom we gave place by subjection, no not for an hour ; that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you.'f In common, therefore, with others of my Reverend Brethren, I have consi- dered it my duty to draw that Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, in the threatened cause of the truth as it is in Jesus ; and to use that weapon from the armouiy of heaven, not as handling the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending myself to every man's conscience in the sight of God.J Concerning every part of this Discourse, I would * Nchcni. iv. i;. t Gal. ii. .i. i 2 Cor. iv. 2. IV PREFACE. say with Cyril of Jerusalem, MijSe e/xol to3 ravra Xeyovri airXMS Tnarevarjs, idv rijv cnrohel^LV rcov KarayyeXoiMevcov uTTo Oelwv fir) Xd^rjs »ight. t Job xxxiv. :12. t Ps. rxix. is. LECTURE VIII. THE ATONEMENT INDISPENSABLE TO THE NECESSI- TIES OF GUILTY MAN; AND SHOWN TO STAND OR FALL WITH THE DEITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. BY THE REV. R. P. BUDDICOM, M.A. F.A.S. "FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD; BEING .JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE, THROUGH THE REDEMP- TION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS : WHOM GOD HATH SET FORTH TO BE A PROPITIATION THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, TO DE- CLARE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST, THROUGH THE FORBEARANCE OF GOD; TO DECLARE, I SAY, AT THIS TIME HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST, AND THE JUSTIFIER OF HIM THAT BELIEVETH IN JESUS." — Iloma7is iii. 23 — 26. The question has been frequently asked, in the spirit of a spurious and latitudinarian charity, which would cry, " Peace, peace, when there is no peace," except by the sacrifice of trutli and loj-alty towards God, "Why should the otherwise smooth and even surface of society be dis- turbed by the agitations of religious controversy ? Why should not the dark and impure admixtures of jarring sects and sentiments be allowed to subside ; and the cur- rent of relative life, thus cleared and purified, to roll onward in its beauty, until it expanded into an overflow of universal benevolence ? " If in very deed such mutual forbearance would fulfil the all-gracious import of that blessed Gospel, wliich pro- claims " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 3 N 438 THE ATONEMENT. good will toM'ards men/'* it would be a most imperative duty. Or, if the points in dispute between those who pro- fess a common Christianity were merely questions of words and names, and indifferent or speculative intrica- cies, such as Gallic deemed the subject brought before him for adjudication, we might most fittingly drive the temptations to plunge among them from our minds, as he drave the turbulent and insurrectionary'- Jews from the judgment-seat. But if we, by whom this course of Lectures is conducted, believe that the controverted subjects in- volve the honour of the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, — which so-named rational Unitarianism impugns; if, in our conscientious and deep persuasion, they embrace the Person, Work, and Office of the Eternal Word, the Son of God, reconciling the world to Himself, by the atoning sacrifice of the cross ; if we are not more fiilly assured that " it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,"t than we are certain that sal- vation is by the faith of Christ crucified, — not merely or mainly as a martyr for the truth, but as a vicarious atone- ment unto God, in order to avert his wrath from guilty man; — then, in reference to these Sermons, we ask with Da^dd, meeting the objection of Eliab against his visit to the camp, "Is there not a cause V So far from suffering reproach, as busy-bodies in other men^s matters, we should have credit, not for a spurious, but for a Scriptural charity, in warning and in pleading with those whom we deem to be so fearfully endangered. Our Lord Jesus Christ hath solemnly and emphatically said, " He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned."J Unitarians assert that they fulfil the requirement, and, therefore, are ♦ Luke ii. U. t Heb. ix. 27. % Mark svi. l6. THE ATONEMENT. 439 safe from the penalty. We, on the other hand, are as- sured, that, as it would be treasoii against the sovereign of these realms, to acknowledge her claim only to a part of her dominions, while her royalty over the remainder was utterly denied ; so, the Unitarian scheme, which would give unto the Saviour the honours of a Prophet, and a Witness, while it would unsphere Him from that full- orbed glory, wherein He shines through the revelation of his grace, is treason against Him, and against the Majesty of God, who willeth " that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father."* Thus convinced, we deem the professors of that system to be under the sen- tence of a spiritual outlawry, which, if it be not reversed, will end in the terrors of the second death. Here, then, is our apology for the exercise of that love towards souls thus perilled, which the Saviour hath im- pressed upon us by the whole tenor of his precepts, by the whole com"se of his example, and by the agony of his cross. Our heart's desire and prayer to God for them is, that they might be saved. But that alleged desire might well be called the mockery of a name — that prayer might be reasonably suspected of hollow-heartedness, which was unaccompanied by any immediate effort for the objects of our professed solicitude. It were a forbearance, anything but hallowed — it were a courtesy, anything but Christian, to pass by on the other side, without endeavouring to arrest the hand which a man raises against his own life, and especially against the life of his soul. Let the effort be accompanied with all tender- ness : but, in the name of God, let it be made indeed. For if there be "joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth,"t — if "he who converteth a sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from * John V. '23. t I-'Ulic xv. 10. 440 THE ATONEMENT. death, and shall hide a multitude of sins/'* then, surely, duty to God in Christ, and the cause of those whom we deem to be without him as a Saviour, and, therefore, with- out God in the world, should constrain us to interfere ; lest, raising no alarm, sounding no trumpet, proclaiming no danger, their blood should be required at our hand. While, however, we are prepared to contend for the lawfulness and duty of an affectionate inroad upon the regions of spiritual error, we may remember that our movement is not purely and primarily aggressive. A vo- lume of Lectures, preached expressly upon the contro- verted doctrines of Christianity, (as the Lecturer denomi- nated his subjects,) in a chapel now occupied by one of our respected opponents, has been before the world. In these, and other similar measures, the fortress of true Christianity, the only safe munition of rocks for the souls of men, hath been attacked by mine, and sap, and open assault. And shall there be no attempt to countermine, no sally made, no arm raised, in a forward movement for the truth as it is in Jesus ? Our regret is rather due to the culpable silence of the past, than to the proceeding of the present time.f I am aware, that our opponents in these high and solemn arguments, have more than once protested against being identified with what has been called, " The Lnproved Version of the New Testament." But this bill of divorce- ment, while it doubtless dissolves the connexion between that work and the three protesters, will hardly separate it * James v. 20. t " Semper ego auditor tantum ? nunquamnc reponr.m, Vcxatus toties?" — Jiiv. That silence towards some of the writers of his time, which the indignant satirist of Aquinum blamed in himself, may well form a subject of condemna- tion to those of us who came not to the help of the Lord, nor lifted up wea- pon in his cause. There was, however, more than one honourable e.xception. THE ATONEMENT. 441 from its claim to have been meant as that translation, which best represented the opinions of the Unitarian body. And certainly no ordinary skill and pains have been taken to make it speak the language of that commu- nity. An author, to whom I have alluded, speaks thus in its praise. "The Unitarian Society, in the year 1806, determined to publish an Improved Version, having Arch- bishop Newcome's as its basis, and departing from it only when necessary In the year 1808 it was first pub- lished. Though this work, like every other human pro- duction, may be in several respects liable to objections, it is decidedly an improvement upon Archbishop Newcome's version ; because the alterations in the translation are generally improvements ; and as the text, on which it is principally founded is a more perfect one. The conduc- tors of it, are, therefore, entitled to the cordial thanks of every thinking reader of the New Testament. The public have shown their approbation of the labours of the Edi- tors: nearly ten thousand copies having been sold (in 1820), which is a fact highly interesting to the friend of truth, and truly important to those who mark the signs of the times.'^ "It is, therefore," adds the author, in a spe- cific Lecture on the various English translations of the Scriptures, " with the greatest earnestness I Avould recom- mend it to your attentive and serious perusal. The notes which are added, are, in my judgment, invaluable, and the preface is truly above all praise." * Published, then, by the Unitarian Societ}'' for promot- ing Christian Knowledge and the practice of virtue by the distribution of books, — praised by the Committee, for its excellence both of text and comment, and for approaching as nearly to the apostolical and evangelical originals as the present state of sacred criticism will admit ; recommended * Harris's Lectures, pp. 88, 89. 442 THE ATONEMENT. earnestly by one Unitarian minister, though partly repu- diated by a successor, and his fellow-labourers, I deem myself quite at liberty, notwithstanding the protest, to say thus much concerning the Improved Version ; and I shall venture to quote it, both text and interpretation. Before the doctrines and decisions of this book can be set aside, as those of a court of Unitarian judgment, the disclaimer must come from the same authority, as that by which the work was undertaken, and the recommendation issued. It is, indeed, as hard to deal with the sophisms of that book, and with the barren scheme of negatives which it upholds, as to unravel a spider's web. But more than one wing of light, and fire, and godly zeal, and sacred love, has swept over them, and they have not been able to abide the shock. Very faithfully and conscientiously can I declare, that ever}'^ personal feeling, every bias of my mental and moral constitution, unites with a deep and painful sense of in- sufficiency to make such an employment as the present alien to my wishes. But he who would deliver his soul, in discharging the ministry of reconciliation, must be con- tented to hold his personal feelings in subordination to any call, which may seem to be the voice of God. If in the following remarks I shall inflict a wound by speaking with seeming harshness, let me here, and once for all, pe- remptorily disavow such intention from the depths of my heart. To sjieak the truth in love is my dearest wish, — connected as it must be with a desire not to offend Him whose eye is upon the heart. I beg then the prayers of those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, that utterance may be given unto me, to make known the mys- tery of the Gospel ; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. The subject wherewith I am entrusted is briefly this : the atonement. 443 "The Atonement Indispensable to the Necessi- ties OF Guilty Man : and shown to stand OR FALL WITH THE DeITY OF OUR LoRD JeSUS Christ." Three distinct propositions are embraced by this thesis ; each of which would occupy, with great advantage, a se- parate Lecture. Bear with me, therefore, if thus united they must demand more time than I w'ould Anlhngly have called upon you to afford me. An application of the text to my subject makes it necessar}' to consider I. The Scriptural Statement of Man's Con- dition, AND Relation to God. It is contained in a few words of gloomy import, which, unless there were an intermediate agency between the wrath of the Most High, and the guilt of his creature, would en- ^^Tap that creature in a darkness of spiritual state and expec- tancy more deep and fearful than imagination may conceive. 1. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, The first eight chapters of the Epistle to the Romans are purely doctrinal. The theme of this momentous por- tion of Holy Writ is embodied in chap. i. 16. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ : for it is the power of God unto salvation to exorj one that believeth ; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." All that follows is an expansion of this vast idea, maintained with a power of argument that never fails, and enforced by language glow- ing with love, as the Holy Ghost had enkindled it in the Apostle's heart. The Gospel is a message of salvation ; of such salvation as all men need, for all are sinners. The 444 THE ATONEMENT. bane, and the antidote, tlie disease, and the remedy, the misery of man, and the mercy of God, the tremendous de- merit of human guilt, and the transcendent preciousness of Christ's vicarious atonement, are the mighty and mo- mentous subjects whereupon he is employed. And they are treated in a manner which stamps them, as I think, incontestably with the broad seal and signet of inspiration. In the first chapter, the misery of the heathen is vividly described. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against their unrighteousness. They lie under his penal justice, which the offenders may neither escape nor miti- gate ; " because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God. They became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened.^' "^^ They were se- duced into speculative errors the most gross and awful, by practical depravity. And again, by a kind of moral radia- tion and reflection, their speculative errors produced a cor- rupt and festering mass of practical depravity. Science had done its best ; philosophy had lighted up its clearest intellectual and moral beacons ; taste had spread its most captivating refinements over the civilized world. All that human wisdom could accomplish had been attempted ; and in many instances to an extent which has been in all after time inimitable. Yet, as to man's dearest, truest, most enduring interest, all these appliances had left the Gentile world as helplessly and as hopelessly dead in trespasses and sins, as was Lazarus in his sepul- chre, before the omnipotent mercy of the Son of God bade him come forth and live. But may no exception to this awful state and its doom be made in favour of God's own and ancient people ? Doth the Apostle predicate of the Jews that they also are in circumstances of equal misery ? Yes. Their burden THE ATONEMENT. 445 and woe are described in the second chapter. Testimony is given against them, even to a still greater emphasis of condemnation. If the knowledge of what was holy did not deliver from sin — if while the express revelation of God might enlighten the mind, it yet never reached to melt and purify the heart — if he who knew his Lord's will, and did it not, was to be beaten with many stripes — if that law which was a transcript of God's moral perfections, with all the means of grace, and all the elements of salva- tion, in the typical ritual of Moses, failed to produce holi- ness according to the divine command, then was the Jew more guilty than the Gentile, upon whom he proudly and scornfully looked down from his imaginary sanctuary in the love and favour of Jehovah. In the third chapter, all the advantages which Jewish nationality could demand — all the profit that circumcision could bestow is freely yielded to the objecting son of Abraham. But after every privilege is conceded, the in- evitable conclusion must be drawn, that so far as regards guilt through sin, and need of salvation from it which no act of the offender can provide, there exists no jot or tittle of difference between Jews and Gentiles. Both parties are placed upon the same level ; because both are equally destitute of that righteousness which God most justly requires from men. Again, both parties are placed on the same level through absolute inability of establishing such a righteousness for themselves, by a faultless obedience to the divine law. Both, therefore, are still placed in cir- cumstances of equally hopeless misery' ; unless He, whose law they have transgressed, whose wrath they have in- curred, and whose judgment they must undergo, should Himself provide the remedy. " By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." Under the term Law, the Apostle comprehends alike its 3 o 446 THE ATONEMENT. moral requirements, and its ritual obligations ; every pre- cept, in short, whereof God commanded the fulfilment. The ceremonial portions of the law passed away of neces- sity, when Christ, who " is the end of the law for right- eousness to every one that believeth," had exchanged the shadows for the substance of salvation ; as the morning- star ^' pales its ineffectual fires" when the sun is risen. The moral precepts, however, eternal in their obligation, as the being of Him from whom they proceeded, remain in all the undiminished force of their requirement. By this law, then, universal in its authority and application, shall no flesh be justified before God. Whether written upon the conscience, or graven on tables of stone, it may only teach men a knowledge of their guilt. That know- ledge would be the darkness of despair, unless illuminated by a ray of sure and steadfast hope in the revelation of the grace of God. But the law cannot teach the creature, in the alienation of his heart, to hate iniquity ; nor can it in- spire him to love what is holy. " By the law is the know- ledge of sin."* In whatever sense we understand the expression, " coming short of the glory of God,^' it is one of fearfiil import : and God forbid that it should describe the posi- tion of one in this assembly, on the great and terrible day of the Lord ! The glory of God may mean that honour which Cometh from Him; wherein man's happiness is, and ever shall be enfolded.f It may mean that honour, and revenue of glory, which his infinite beneficence, to say nothing of the sovereignty of his authority, gives Him an unchangeable right to exact from men. It may mean the image of God, in which man was created. It may mean that eternal life, which is sometimes called by this expres- sive name; because it is centered in a participation of * Rom. ill. 20. t John v. 44, xii. 43 ; Rom. v. 2. THE ATONEMENT. 447 the divine glory by the spirits of just men made perfect. It should, however, rather seem to mean, the favour and approbation of God, whicli conducts to that participation, as its end and issue. Some have imagined, that it may mean the hoHness of God, which is the essential attribute and glory of his nature. Be the exact meaning, however, of this expression what it may, the Scripture is plain, that all men, without an exception, in the human creation of God, and through the six thousand years of tliis lost world's history, have come short of that glory by sin. We are as far fallen from the holiness of God, which consists in an utter hatred of all sin, as the lowest point of earth from the highest point of heaven. And that we are not in the same condition with those apostate spirits who are reserved in chains of dark- ness unto the judgment of the great day, is due to nothing in our own nature — nothing in all the possible workings of our minds, or the possible workings of our practice ; but solely to the mediation of our Redeemer j on which account God hath indulged us in a continuance of some remainders, whereof they are wholly and for ever deprived. I am not here concerned to account for the introduc- tion of moral evil into the world. I know, however, that it must be sought, and will be found, in the Scriptural history of the fall of man. That record is not only superior to any hypothesis, which human wisdom and the theories of philosophy have propound- ed; but essentially so, as intertwined with the stu- pendous mystery of Atonement by the Word made flesh. I believe, and am in my heart persuaded, that this re- cord is the golden thread, by which we must be guided through an otherwise inextricable maze of doubt and difficulty. With this key to unlock the mystery, the trea- sures of God's AVord arc tlirown open, and arranged with a 448 Tilt: ATONEMENT. symmetry the most harmonious and engaging. Thus, and thus only, so far as I can discover, doth God, beholding the new and nobler creation of grace, as once He looked upon the material world which his hand had formed, rejoice in the triumph of his love, and pronounce it very good. "A fall of some kind or other — the creation, as it were, of the non-absolute, is the fundamental postulate of the moral history of man. Without this hypothesis, man is unintelligible: with it, every phenomenon is explicable. The mystery itself is too profound for human insight. What, indeed, are the essential doctrines of our rehgion, if not sin, and original sin, as the necessitating occasion : and the redemption of sinners by the Incarnate Word, as the substance of the Christian dispensation."* " By one man, then, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned " f — a death temporal, spiritual, and eter- nal— a king of terrors, extending his sway and sceptre over the bodies and the souls of men — a death involving an absolute moral propensity towards evil, and an ab- solute moral impotence towards good. Our first parent was created in the moral image or likeness of God, in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness. He sinned, and then begat a son in his OM'n fallen likeness. His children thus derived their spiritual corruption from this apostacy : and if so, not only their own corruption, but that of all generations of men flowed forth from the same dark and bitter fountain. We bear the image of the earthy ; for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? How can man be justified with God : or how can he be clean that is born of a woman ? Be- hold, said David, " I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." % It is only thus that we can * Coleridp^r. + Horn, v. l?. ; Tj. li. 5. THE ATOXKMENT. 449 account for the universality of sin. It is only on this ground that right reason and sound philosophy can find their resting-places, as they survey the wide and dreary waste of moral evil, extending itself over all ages, all cli- mates, all kindreds, all circumstances of man, whether the most civilized or the most barbarous. Thus only can ^' they understand why the carnal mind is enmity against God, not subject to his law, neither indeed able so to be."* The Laws of nations attest the universality of sin in human character. What are their provisions, except such barriers as the wisdom of necessity could provide against the inroads of fraud or violence ? The Religion of all nations attests the same mournful truth : for what hath been, and what is its essence throughout the Pagan world, but sacrifice? — which, if it testify not of conscious sin in the offerer, is a custom absolutely inexplicable. f The Writings of all nations propound the same doctrine : for whatever be the inclination to conceal or palliate crime, and gild it with specious names, yet history has been called, and that proverbially, a vast register of the follies and wickedness of mankind. Sacred history presents its subjects to our contemplation more generally darkened and deformed than any other record. Why so ? Because it is designed to unfold the real character of man ; be- cause its joictures are drawn by the unflattering pencil of the Holy Ghost ; and because its portraits are true to the life. Unitarianism denies this resemblance. Shall we won- der then, that it turns away in undisguised contempt from the glories of the Redeemer's Person, and the com- pleteness of his mediatorial work in Vicarious Atonement? It denies the disease, however solemnly God affirms its existence. Why then should it be expected to embrace * Bom. viii. 7' i PwigUt's Thcolopj. 450 THE ATONEMENT. the remedy, and glorify eternal mercy for such a pro- vision ? It will not open an eye at God's bidding, to see the cloud of guilt and misery arising from the fall of our first parents. How, then, should it enjoy the blessedness of discovering that glorious arch of redeeming love, in the propitiation of the cross, which gives promise of peace, life, and salvation, to all the families of believing man?* Waiving, however, any further considerations upon the origin of moral evil, I merely consider the fact, that man is under a charge of sin made against him by God : and, therefore, under a sentence of condemnation. It is enough for our present purpose to know that "the soul which sinneth, it shall dierf and that as all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; a judgment of death, the death of the soul is recorded against the universal race of man. But I contend further, that man thus pronounced a sinner, must be regarded, 2. In the light of a public offender. A jvistly celebrated legal Avriter of our own country f has divided Wrongs into two sorts or species. Private Wrongs and Public Wrongs. The former are an infringe- ment of the private or civil rights belonging to individuals, considered as individuals; and are, therefore, frequently called Civil Injuries. The latter are a breach and violation of public rights and duties, which affect the whole commu- nity, considered as a community; and are distinguished by the harsher names of Crimes and Misdemeanours. * This subject has been treated by the Unitarian author ah-eady alhided to, in a discourse, of which it is difficult to say, whether the misrepresenta- tions of Scripture, the hardihood of assertion, or the reckless bitterness of a scoffing spirit, are the most i)redominating features. r Kzek. xviii. I. + Sir V^'illiani Blackstone, in his Commentaries on the Laws of England. — Rook iii. cIimji. 1. THE ATONEMENT. 451 Now we assert, that upon a principle of analogy which appears undeniahle, the sins and iniquities of men, place them, with reference to God, as the perpetrators, not of private, but of public wrongs : and place God, with re- ference to them, not in the position and relation of a Creditor, but of a Judge. Any other view of man as a sinner, referred to God, would impugn his sovereignty over the world. It would deny Him his claim to be the Protector of the world's peace, the Avenger of its wrongs, and of the wrongs of those laws, according to which his government must be administered. Our opponents assert, that sins are to be regarded as debts, and as debts only. They assert, therefore, that it is wholly and merely an act of freedom on the part of God to remit them, ^\'ithout any other satisfaction than the offender's repentance may provide. "To say," ob- serves a Unitarian writer, " that God the Father provided an atonement for his own offended justice, is in fact to give up the doctrine. If a person owe me a sum of money, and I choose to have the debt discharged, is it not the same thing, whether I remit the debt at once, or supply him with money wherewith to pay me ?"* Un- questionably, so far as debt means liability to punishment, our sins are debts to God. But with regard to the general proposition, and the utterly unworthy point of view wherein it places the sovereignty of God (and so- vereignty, be it observed, implies power, exercised for limited or universal good, according to the finite or infinite nature of its depository), we are bound to give it an entire and unqualified contradiction. The reason of debts must be founded on dominion and property. Their obligation depends upon voluntary contracts made between parties by their mutual acts. But the reason of punishments de- * Triumph of Truth, p. 21. 452 THE ATONEMENT. pends on justice and government. It depends, not upon mere contracts, but upon the relation in which the offender stands to that authority, whereunto he is account- able for his conduct. Did the obligation to punishment depend upon a mere contract, none could be justly punished, except such as had given in their consent to the right of its infliction, by an antecedent agreement. Were this the true state of the case, then those wretched and guilty disturbers of the public peace, in one of our own colonies, who lately crossed the borders of a friendly State to slay, and ruin, and destroy, under the name of Sympathizers, were justified in claiming exemption from punishment ; because they were not assenting to the law which doomed them to death. The right of punishment depends upon the obligation of laws, where the reasonableness is manifest, mthout the existence of any express contract; or any thing be- yond a relation to that government, whereby such laws are made and administered. The reason of punishment is not, because a statute has been violated ; but because that \nolation tends to sever the connecting links of the community. It is a wrong committed against the whole body, by being committed against the head of the whole body, in whom it is represented, and by whom its co- herence, health, and usefulness, must be maintained. The difference between crimes committed against divine and human authority is partly this. " Man looketh upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart." * The holiness of his nature, and the hoHness of his rule, are also outraged by the transgressions of the heart, however deeply hidden in the darkest chambers of its imagery, as well as by the open and flagrant commis- sion of sin. His commandment is exceeding broad, — * I Sam. \\\. 7. THE ATONEMENT. 453 embracing within its wide horizon of requirement, every action of the life, every word of the lips, and every imagination of the soul of man. And, therefore, the ques- tion is well put by Eli to his offending children, — " If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him : but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him ?" In human laws the reason of punishment is, not that the action is done ; but because impunity would endanger the public good. In a matter of debt, the right of resti- tution depends upon the injury received by an individual, who looks not beyond compensation for his own loss. God, however, hath charged Himself with the peace of the universe. Were He, therefore, to deal with sin as a mere debt, it would unfit Him for demanding the unlimited homage of his creatures. It surely, then may, without much difficulty, be decided, whether the Unitarian scheme be true, which makes sinful man a mere debtor, whose liability may be expunged at the simple will of his Creditor : or whether the Christian scheme be true, which regards him as an offender against the Majest}^ of Heaven, who must be pardoned, restored to favour, and placed within the pale of salvation, in virtue of some compen- sation, which may at once mark the greatness of his guilt, and the holiness of God? The Creditor acts as a Person, but not as a Judge. The Sovereign, on the other hand, acts not as a Person, but as a Judge. The judge no sooner ascends the tribunal of jus- tice, than he lays aside all his personality, with whatever relations to the criminal he might before have maintained. Whatever may be his own tendencies to pity and mercy — whatever his anxiety for the life and lilierty of tlie trans- gressor, he is to consider the criminal only with reference to the offence committed against the peace of the sove- 3 p 454 THE ATONEMENT. reign, his crown and dignity. Now, the Judge of all the earth can never be related to men, in any form which may militate against his connexion with them, as the sovereign is related to his subjects. He is bound (if we may so speak), by the most obvious conditions of that relation, to maintain the peace of all, by punishing those who offend. If every sin, then, be an offence against the Majesty of Heaven, and every sinner not a private debtor, but a public criminal, shall not the Judge of all the earth do right, in so regarding him, and dealing with him accordingly ? The argument raised from viewing the Most High as a Creditor, and sinful man as a debtor, might be more tena- ble, if we could imagine the Lord of all to be Almighty power and benevolence, without justice. But if justice be an attribute as essential as his omnipotence or good-mil, we must not so much as hint at the existence and exercise of the one, without as fully admitting the existence and exer- cise of the other. The Unitarian scheme virtually merges all the perfections of Deity in power, intelligence and be- nevolence ; mercy and justice being only modes of the two latter : the holiness of God meaning the same, or nothing at all ; and his hatred of moral evil being a mere metaphor and figure of speech. Our earthly monarchs are called the fountains of mercy to their subjects ; and they deem the designation to be among the highest and dearest of their titles. But, in the utmost strictness of right, if the monarch pardons a con- victed criminal, he really defrauds the claims of justice, of Avhich he is equally the depository, to the precise amount of that exemption, with all the evil consequences which it may bring upon the land. If the man were guilt)'', the realm had a right to expect his punishment. The sove- reign ruler, therefore, can in nowise exercise his mercy, THE ATONEMENT. 155 except at the expense of his justice, owing to the imper- fection of human laws and human administrators. Take an instance from Holy Writ : (Dan. vi. 14, 15, IG.) King Darius had estabhshed a royal statute, and made a firm decree, and signed the writing, that whosoever should ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of the king himself, should be cast into the den of lions. Daniel was found to be the first offender. " Then the king, when he heard the accusation of his nobles, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to dehver him ; and he laboured until the going down of the sun to dehver him. Then these men assembled unto the king, and said. Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree or statute which the king establisheth may be changed. Tlien the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the hon's den." An absolute sovereign here sets his heart upon deliver- ing an offender, and labours to do so ; yet is prevented by regard to the honour of his government. Could not Darius, then, at once have pardonad Daniel ? Yes, as a private man. But as a public officer he could not privately for- give a pubUc offence against the office which he adminis- tered. Could he not repeal the law which lie himself had made ? Yes ; but not \A\k\. honour to the laws of the Medes and Persians. It would have been a proof of fickleness which would have encouraged disaffection and crime throughout the extent of his mighty empire. Could he not have banished, or silenced, the abet- tors of the law, and the enemies of Daniel ? Yes ; but such a deed would have told his folly in enacting a law, which could not reasonably be executed. It would have proclaimed his imbecility in failing to enforce his own 456 THE ATONEMENT. edict. It would have declared his injustice in protecting and favouring an offender, at the expense of the loyal supporters of his throne. How then is the sovereign's honour to remain untar- narnished, and yet Daniel saved ? Darius laboured, plan- ned, devised, — but all in vain. Ever}^ expedient failed, and Daniel is cast into the lion's den. Why? Not be- cause there was any defect of mercy in the king's heart. The whole history attests the contrary. But because no expedient could be found at once to preserve the honour of the government, and allow the exercise of clemency to the offender. Daniel is cast into the lion's den, merely because no atonement is found to vindicate the sovereign's public justice in his deliverance. The story of Zaleucus, king of the Locrians, who had established a law against adultery, which sentenced the offender to have his eyes put out, is another case in point. His own son was the first offender. Zaleucus felt as a father towards his son, but as a sovereign and a legislator towards his government. If paternal indulgence induced him to pardon the transgressor, how should he hope that the laws would be respected by his subjects ; and how deep a blot would stain his public character, in the punish- ment of any future offender ? If the law be repealed, he is the selfish sacrificer of public good to his private feeling. He is weak in publishing a law, of which he cannot inflict the penalty. He is foolish in enacting an edict, of which he had never contemplated the bearings. The case was difficult. The monarch wished to save his son, and yet to magnify his law. He resolved, therefore, to lose one of his own eyes, and that the offender should lose another. In this manner the honour of his law was preserved, and the clemency of his heart extended to his guilty son. The THE ATONEMENT. 457 act was a striking exhibition of abhorrence for the sin, and of love towards the sinner.* But the Most High God is placed infinitely above such difficulties. With Him justice and grace must be equally satisfied in saving the guilty. With Him there must be a neutral ground, whereon mercy and truth may meet together, righteousness and peace may embrace each other. That ground hath been pointed out by God's own revelation in an atoning sacrifice : and there is no other whereon God has told us that He can stand ^^dth safety to his honour, as the moral Governor of the world; nor whereon man can stand, with hope of salvation to his soul ; nor yet whereon God can "be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." The sovereignty of God, thus noticed, demands a satisfaction for the sin of man. Had Jehovah indulged the creature after his fall, and remitted his offence without a just compensation for the injury which, in his legislative character, He had received by that creature's rebellion, his authority had been still more daringly vilified and set at nought. Man would have struck at his jurisdiction with a still more impious hand. There would have been, if pos- sible, a still more unbroken succession of rebellions on the part of the offenders. And if those rebellions had been ac- companied by successions of indulgence, as closely linked together as the successions of crime, his authority would have been still more loudly disowned ; his power still more recklessly set at nought ; his threatenings still more openly contemned ; his invitations to repentance still more carelessly neglected. Satisfaction must have been eventually required, either from the parties thus rebelling, or from some others in their stead. To exact that satis- faction promptly and immediately, after the first act of * Jenkyns on the Extent of the Atonement, p. 3, &c. 458 THE ATONEMENT. sin, was surely more becoming the dignity of God, and the rights of his sovereignty, than to make the demand after repeated acts of sin, and frequent revolts against the rule of that sceptre which sways the world.* Di\ane holiness is the root of divine justice: and divine justice is the triumph of divine holiness in the administration of God. His justice is a holy justice ; his wisdom a holy wisdom ; his arm of power a holy arm ; his promise a holy promise; his name, which includes every perfection of his being, is holy. Without holiness his patience would be an indulgence to sin ; his mercy fondness ; his wrath fury ; his power tyranny ; his wisdom subtilty. This attribute, therefore, the chief jewel of his crown, where all are infinitely resplendent, must make Him so unmitigably abhorrent of sin, and the law whereby sin is condemned, must be so pure, so spiritual, so transcend- ently perfect, as the manifestation of that holiness, that when brought to bear upon the sinner, not as a debtor, but as a criminal, it must surely bid him look around; not to learn how he may discharge an obligation ; bvit how and where he may find a substitute, to assume his liability for guilt, and to justify his soul before God. 3. TTius regarded as a public offender, man is utterly unable to make any ivorthy satisfaction or restitution to God, for his crimes against the Majesty of Heaven and Earth. He cannot be justified by the works of the law. He can obtain no righteousness of his own, by obedience to its precepts. "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.^t Unless he can love the Lord his God with all his heart, and all his mind, and all his soul, and all his strength, and his neighbour as himself — unless he can obey in his most secret soul, as well as * Charnocli's M'oiks, I. J50. I Gal. iii. 10. THK ATONEMENT. 459 in his most open act, every moral precept of God, with iinsinning and unswerving holiness, he can claim no merit, and, therefore, can escape no condemnation. Who, then, will venture to challenge the inquisition of a heart- searching God, in an appeal to his justice on the ground of obedience to his law ? " If He chargeth even the angels with folly, and the heavens are not pure in his sight ;" * if the Seraphim veil their faces before Him, in the con- sciousness of unworthiness, how shall man look with an undazzled eye, or an undismayed heart, upon the terrors of his judgment throne, or upon the book of his law that lies open before it, except with some other ground of hope than may be found in himself? Shall the services of the creature be weighed against his guilt ; and the scale of desert be expected to preponderate over that of de- merit? " Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous ; is it gain to Him that thou makest thy way perfect ?"t What service could be rendered by the highest and holiest, compared with the dishonour which a sinner's iniquity perpetrates against the Majesty of God, the authority of his law, and the honour of his moral government ? " He that keepeth the whole law, and yet ofFendeth in one point, is guilty of all." J The question, therefore, is not how many violations must be offered to it, before it utters the thunder of its condemnation. It brings the sinner to the bar for that single offence, and there pronounces his doom. The text declares man's absolute helplessness with reference to the divine law. It explicitly asserts, that God set forth Jesus Christ to be a propitiation, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins ; that He might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. If, therefore, God had not appointed a Propitiation, He * Jol) iv. 18. t Job xxii. 3. X James ii. 10. 460 THE ATONEMENT. either would not have justified an individual among all the generations of mankind ; or, having done so, would not have been consistently just. He must then bestow the blessing of justification, in virtue oi o. propitiation, and not in virtue of a legal obedience. " When we were with- out strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."* But if no active performance of the divine law can place man upon the ground of a meritorious righteousness, so neither can his repentance make adequate restitution for offences against the Sovereign Legislator of the world. Sorrow for an offence is no compensation, even to a fel- low-mortal : how much less to God, when the transgres- sion would strike the sceptre of universal sovereignty from his hand, and overturn that throne, from which the dominion of the world is administered ? Were it a per- fect repentance, whereof the fruit should be a future obedience absolutely unsinning, (and yet how could such fruit grow upon any branch of the stock of Adam ?) it could obliterate no portion of past iniquity. No repent- ance was required from an offender, by the law, as a condi- tion of regaining divine favour. Why? Simply because the law gave no liberty for hope, in the commission of any sin. The law challenged an exact and perfect obedience, complete, according to the original uprightness of man. If he failed, he was left to pay the penalty. " The law was not of faith :" as little was it of repentance : " but the man that doeth these things, shall live in them.^'f That man sinned and fell, furnished no reason why the law of God shovdd be repealed or altered, to suit the mo\u"nfully altered circumstances of his creature. That law is in its very nature immutable, and may not be repealed. It is perfect; and, therefore, could not be altered, except for the worse, — a change utterly inconsistent Avith every * Rom. V. 6. t Gal. iii. 12. THE ATONEMENT. 461 worthy idea which we can form of the Most High, and only wise God. If God freely forgives the iniquities of men upon re- pentance, there could have been no occasion, properly speaking, for any other device to avert punishment. If repentance could break the chains of eternal condemna- tion, which guilt had cast around the offender, why should the Almighty " send forth his only Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those that were under the law ?"* Shall we then imagine, that in the decrees of the Eternal Mind, for the happiness of man and the glory of God, his revelation would have propounded a scheme of restitution, connected with the mission and death of his Son, when repentance might have been accepted, although that Son had never taken our nature, and died in our behalf? There is rather a bounteous economy than a lavish profusion in the divine government of the providen- tial and material world. Would it, therefore, have con- sisted with Infinite Wisdom, in administering the spiritual world, to do so exceeding abundantly, as the Gospel tells us God hath done in the gift of his Son Jesus Christ, to undergo the death of the cross, when such an interference was manifestly unnecessary ?t We are taught to cry, " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and know- ledge of God ! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! " But could we fully adopt the language, glowing and glorious as it is, on the supposi- tion which I have mentioned ? If the repentance be imperfect, the man remains a transgressor. He increases the sum of his iniquities by the very process which should blot them out of the me- ♦ Gal. iv. 4, 5. t " Npo Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus Incident." — Hnrncf. 3 Q 462 THE ATONEMENT. mory of God. He thus plunges himself more deeply into the gulf of condemnation, by the very act on which he is taught to rely for extrication. It is not thus that the patriarch's question must be answered, — " How should man be just with God ?" In all legal sacrifices, the life of the animal was given for the offender ; and on this account the blood was appointed as the standing means of making atonement. " The life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls : for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul : for it is the life of all flesh : the blood of it is for the life thereof." Le^^t. xvii. 11, 14. This text clearly proves, that atonement was made by no penitent disposition on the part of the offender, but by the blood of the sacrifice. "Was Christ," as it has been eloquently asked,* " merely a person sent into the world to promulgate the will of God ; to communicate new lights on the subject of reUgious duties ; by his life, to set an example of per- fect obedience ; by his death, to manifest his sincerity ; and by his resurrection, to convince us of the great truth which He was commissioned to teach, — our rising again to future life ? Is this the sum and substance of Chris- tianity ? Is it nothing more than a new and more formal promulgation of the religion of nature ? Is the death of Christ but an attestation of his truth ? And are we, after all, left to our own merit for acceptance ; and obliged to trust for our salvation to the perfection of our obedience ? Then, indeed, has the Great Author of our religion in vain submitted to the agonies of the cross; if, after having given to mankind a law, which leaves them less excusable in their transgressions, He has left them to be judged by * Archbishop Magee on Atonement and Sacrifice. Vol. I. pp. 13, 14. THE ATONEMENT. 463 the rigour of that law, and to stand or fall ])y their own personal deserts. " It is said, indeed, that, as by this new dispensation, the certainty of pardon, on repentance, has been made known, mankind has been informed of all that is needful in the doctrine of mediation. Granting, however, that no more was intended to be conveyed than the sufficiency of repentance ; yet it remains to be considered in what manner that repentance was likely to be produced. Was the bare declaration, that God would forgive the repentant sinner, sufficient to ensure his amendment? Or was it not rather calculated to make him easy under guilt, from the facility of reconciliation ? What was there to alarm and arouse the sinner from the apathy of habitual trans- gression ? What is the history of man, from his creation to his Redeemer's advent, but a continual trial of his natural strength ? And Avhat has been the moral of that history, but that man is strong, only as he feels himself weak, — strong only as he feels his nature to be corrupt ; and from a consciousness of that corruption, is led to place his whole reliance upon God," after having been enabled to approach Him by that Great High Priest, who was to bear the iniquities even of the holy things of the congregation ? We believe, therefore, that by the entrance of sin, a righteousness of man could no more be found in the world : so that another righteousness must be prepared and ap- proved of God ; to be called the righteousness of God, in opposition to the utterly vanished righteousness of man : or else that all relation of love and favour between God and his fallen creature, so far forth as revelation has informed us, must have ceased for ever. We are thus led to that point of the argument which introduces 464 THE ATONEMENT. II. The Scriptural Method of our Recovery AND Salvation. A retention of names, and a rejection of things which they have heretofore signified in the common interchange of ideas, has ahvays been one of the darkest and most perilous of those lurking places where Unitarianism lies in wait, and whence it sallies to lead captive the unwary. It takes away the treasures out of the house of the Lord^ and the shields of gold out of the king's house, and sets up worthless shields of brass in their stead, having some faint resemblance to the precious originals, which may deceive a careless, prejudiced, distant, or contemptuous observer ; * but utterly unable to abide the refiner's test or furnace. Socinus, Crellius, and the compilers of the Racovian Catechism, called us to contemplate a scheme of religion resembling Christianity in the same proportion that the dry bones of Ezekiel's vision, with the sinews, and flesh and skin covering them, while yet there was no breath in them, resembled the living men, animated and informed by the breath and being of the Spirit of God. But the Unitarianism, Avhereof Dr. Priestley may be re- garded as the Father, hath no more likeness to the Chris- tianity of the Bible, than Michal's image had to the future * " Nos simpHcitatem unice consectamur ; verba, ut usus hominum postulat, accipimus, nee aliter quam sana ratio jubet, interpretamur. lUi omnia contra : qui quidem universas ingenii vires intendunt, ut vim dictorum sacrorum multis variisque ambagibus, verborum contorsionibus, novis inter- punctionibus, enendationibus denique, enervent, et a naturali seusu deflectent. Ita qui rationem semper nobis obtrudunt, id faciunt ipsi, quod ratio fieri posse negat." Mosheim Dissert ad Sanct Discip, quoted by Archbishop Magee, from the Bishop of St. David's. The historian was contrasting the orthodox- interpreter with the Socinian of his day, whose moderation is the scorn of the Unitarian of our time. — Archbishnjj Magee, II. 466. THE ATONEMENT. 465 King of Israel. It must be laid on its pillow, and covered with a cloth, and viewed in much darkness, or it will be found a counterfeit of truth. We are told that "impartial and sincere inquirers after truth must be particularly on their guard against what is called the natural signification of words and phrases."* What security, then, shall the unlearned and way-faring man have, whereto he may trust, in his endeavours to find the meaning of Scripture; if thus the guiding hand of God, in its language, may be the hand of a weathercock, to turn every way, as it may be acted upon by the breath of prejudice, unbelief, or presumption? Such liberties with the meaning of language are taken with especial boldness, whensoever the Scriptures direct us to that central Sun of Redemption, the Atonement made for sin by the Son of God. Unitarianism hath thus at- tempted to pluck this great light of the Scripture firma- ment from its place, and to leave us wandering and wither- ing in the darkness and barrenness of a wisdom of this world, which is foolishness with God. It has endeavour- ed to eviscerate the spiritual meaning of those passages of inspiration which treat of Jesus Christ and Him cruci- fied, as the great Propitiation for human sin.f We are then called upon to regard this utter emptiness, and ad- mire its captivating simplicity. I trust that the truth, pertinency, and necessity of these remarks, may appear as we proceed in the investigation. My text is thus rendered from the original in the ^^Im- * Belsham's Calm Enquiry, p. 4. 5. t A very cursory reader of the " Improved Version" cannot fail to notice how unscrupulously its Editors have thrown aside the mantle of Archbishop Newcome's authority and text, wherein they profess to have clad themselves, when liis reading seems to uphold those great and vital doctrines of the New Testament, the Divinity and Atonement of Jesus Christ. It would be curious to exhibit a tabular comparison of the alterations made in the version in favotir of these view.-;, with those which npposr mitf deny (hem. 466 THE ATONEMENT. proved Version." ^^For all men have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God ; being justified of free bounty, even by his favour, through the redemption which is by Christ Jesus; whom God has set forth as a mercy-seat in his own blood, to show his method of justification concerning the remission of past sins, through the forbearance of God ; to show, I say, his method of justification at this present time, that He might be just, and the justifier of him who hath faith in Jesus." In this second stage of the argument, I shall consider, 1. That man is justified, as to himself, by the mere tnercy of God. So much is expressly stated in the text, and reiterated through every part of divine revelation. " We are justi- fied freely by his grace." The Greek (Scopeav rfj avTov 'XapcTL) expresses the same meaning very decidedly. God is the principal efficient cause, and his grace the only moving cause of our justification. So far as the terms are distinguishable, one denotes the principle whence our jus- tification proceeds, — namely, grace : the other denotes the manner of its operation, — freely.* The word means freely, without price, without merit, without cause, without means of procurement, in the person receiving the favour.f The design of the term is to exclude any thing in us, which should be the ground or condition of our justification be- fore God. Favour {')(apis) may have reference, if abso- lutely considered, to somewhat of worthiness in him to- wards whom it is extended. It is, therefore, said, that Joseph found grace, or favour, in the eyes of Potiphar : % but not without cause or consideration. The captain of Pharaoh's guard, seeing that the Lord was with Joseph, * Horn. V. 15 ; Kph. li. t, S, g ; 2 Tim. i. 0 : Tit. iii. l, .'•.. t (Jal. ii. 21 ; (Ji'ii. xxix. I.'i ; Exod. xxi. 22; 1 Sam. xix. .1 ; Ps. Ixix. 1; .It)hn xv. 25 t (!cii. xxix. 1 ; Scptvmcint Version. THE ATONEMENT. 467 and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand^ extended favour towards him, from motives in which self-interest was mainly concerned. But in the whole Sacred Volume can no words be found to connect our jus- tification before God with any thing in ourselves " making us meet to receive grace, or to deserve grace of con- gruit)'."* We find St. Paul, accordingly, summing up his reasoning in the whole chapter, whence the text is taken, by asking the question, "Where is boasting then?" — and answering, " It is excluded. By what law ? of works ? Nay, but by the law of faith." He then draws the final inference: "Therefore, we conclude that a man is justi- fied by faith, without the works of the law." The univer- sality of this salvation embraces alike both Jew and Gen- tile Avithin its arms of mercy. Both need it, and pro^'ision is made that both may receive it ; " seeing it is one God that shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncir- cumcision through faith." t But while we contend, that justification, involving the pardon of sin, and the accounting a transgressor righteous in the eye and estimation of God, is aljsolutely free to him, excluding any act of his own, or any plea which he can offer to God, as that of repentance and sorrow for sin, we also assert, * Art. XXXII. "Of works done before justification." Our Creeds and Articles are objects of favourite and unqualified vituperation to Mr. Har- ris, in his Lectures. Nor can we wonder that they should be thus attacked. These forms of sound words are not only defences of the Church of England, but bulwarks of Christian faith ; to which other communities of Christians throughout the land, and indeed throughout the world, are more deeply in- debted than they choose to allow : or than they can, indeed, allow, while they endeavour to subvert the church which propounds them, and which in them, and in her formularies, has ser^-ed to keep open lines of communication with the Bible, and of defence against irreligion, not possessed by any other church in Christendom. t Kom. iii. 27, 23, 30. 468 THE ATONEMENT. 2. That the sinnet^s Justification is not immediate, as the mere remission of a debt ; but depends upon a satisfac- tion made to God by the Vicarious Propitiation of Jesus Christ. "We are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." There is a Redemption which may be called impro- per, or general, in the more extended sense of the term. Thus regarded, it simply means the powerful rescue of any one from the danger, evil, bondage, in which he may be placed. In this sense it is used by dying Jacob, when gratefully calling to mind the mercies of his covenant God, and soliciting a continuance of the same goodness to the sons of Joseph, he cries, " The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads !"* In this sense the disciples expressed their departed hope that their beloved Master was He \vho should have redeemed Israel from its subjec- tion to the Roman yoke. In this sense we have seen the redemption of many captives, of our own and other Chris- tian lands, from slavery, by might generously and righte- ously exercised. But this view of the term neither has, nor can have place in the passage before us. There is, moreover, a proper Redemption spoken of in the text, which is effected by price and ransom. It may be a full equivalent for the dehverance ; as when the kins- man was to redeem his brother out of servitude, t It may be less than the actual or estimated value of the party thus set free ; and rather accepted as a nominal, than as a real recompence. Thus the first-born was re- deemed by a fine of five shekels ; because God claimed all who opened the womb as his own. J Now, the redemption which constitutes the light and * Gen. xlviii. I6. t Levit. XXV. 49, 50. J Numb, xviii. 15. THE ATONEMENT. 469 lustre of this and similar passages in the Gospel of sal- vation, is a proper redemption. It is a full equivalent and compensation to the offended sovereignty and holi- ness of God. Tliis view of our redemption is amply con- firmed by the meaning of the original word (AiTokvrpojais). " It cannot be denied/' says Schleusner, " that this word properly signifies the redemption of one who has been detained as a captive, whether taken in war, or in any other manner ; wherein redemption is made by tl\e pay- ment of a price." Thus, " Christ hath redeemed us {i^rjyopacrev) from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth upon a tree."* The redemption effected is from the sentence and anathema of the violated law. The re- demption-price was the shame and agony of crucifixion. The original word, therefore, shows that our deliverance from the indignation of God, is effected by the blood or life of Jesus Christ, freely given, as the ransom of man's forfeited soul. In opposition to this view, the Unitarians maintain that we are justified, or pardoned, and held righteous before God, by Christ Jesus, not making an atonement to divine justice, but proclaiming the gracious purposes, and offers of divine mercy. They assert, that Christ being a man who suffered and died in the best of causes, there is nothing so very different in the occasion and manner of his death, from that of others, who suffered and died after Him in the same cause of Christianity; but that their sufferings and death may be considered in the same light with those which He endured.f And again : JThe circum- stantial account of the sufferings and death of Christ, in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, might have been the descrip- • Gal. iii. 13. Bp. Hopkin's Work^. \'i>l. 11. (i.1. t Theological Repository, I. :iO- t I'>i(1. I- i:'P- .3 11 470 THE ATONEMENT. tion of any other good man in the same situation ; with only this difference — that its moral effects are represented as being more extensive.* Yet, Dr. Priestley is obliged to acknowledge, t that this prophecy seems to represent the death of Christ in the light of a satisfaction for sin. Unquestionably the sufferings of Immanuel were those of martyrdom and example. For this end was He born, and for this cause came He into the world, that He might bear witness of the truth. When He suffered for us, He left us an example, that we should follow his steps, so far as community of circumstances will permit the imitation. And God forbid, that we should fail to consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself; lest we should be wearied and faint in our minds ! J But is no more than martyrdom or example implied in the Redeemer's death ? Then Paul, and Peter, and all the martyred Apostles and Heralds of Christianity died for us — died in our behalf — died, just in the same sense as Jesus died for us. Is this the Scriptural account of the matter ? I speak as to wise men ; judge ye. St. Paul severely blames the Corinthian converts for their disputatious temper, and unseemly divisions. " It hath been declared unto me, that there are contentions among you. . . . that every one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by "■ Theological Repository, I. 530. f The Unitarian texts, brought to prove this sentiment, are such as 2 Cor. i. 5, Col. i. 24, Phil. iii. 10, 1 Peter iv. 13, Matt. xx. 23. But when the sufferings undergone by the persecuted disciples of Jesus for righteous- ness' sake are called the sufferings of Christ, the expression is undoubtedly figurative. Tlie reasons for such a figure are ob\ious, without supposing that the sufferings of any persecuted Christian, bear the same relation to the for- giveness of sins with those of our blessed Lord. t Heb. xii. 3. THE ATONEMENT. 47 1 whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man ? " Now mark the abhorrence wlierewith he repudiates every thought of standing in the same relation to them with their Lord and Saviour. '"Was Paul crucified for you, or were you l)aptized in the name of Paul?"* He gives this as the very ditFerence between himself in the suffering of martyrdom which he should undergo, and the Re- deemer's death on the cross, — that Christ died for them.f Now, if Christ had only died for them, in the same sense that Stephen and others had already died, and as Paul himself was shortly to die, then to say that Christ died for them was giving no proof that He stood in a different relation to them, from that of other preachers of the Gospel : whereas the Apostle was labouring to confirm the very point of that distinction. J The New Testament continually represents the death of our Lord, as having a peculiar respect to our pardon and reconciliation with God. We are said to be justified by his blood ; reconciled to God by his death ; perfected through his offering, &c. Is any thing of this kind pre- dicated concerning those martyrs, whose names are high and honourable in the bede-roll of Scripture ? Of Stephen's death, who, according to the Unitarian scheme gave himself a sacrifice for us, in the same sense as the Lord of glory, we have an account the most minute and beautiful. But no record is given that we are justified by the blood of Stephen ; or that he bare our sins in his own body, and made reconciliation for us. We are merely commanded by parallel advice and precept, to be followers of him, and of those who like him counted not their lives dear to themselves, tliat they might finish tlicir course with joy. John beheld in the visions of the Apocalypse, a great • 1 Cor. i. 12, 13 ; iii, 5. t Hoy, on Atonement, f. 21. % See Arr*""'''") ^' 472 THE ATONEMENT. multitude whom no man could number, who must have been brought to repentance Ijy the preaching and example of other holy men. Were they then justified in the blood of those instructors, many of whom were doubtless martyrs for the truth ? No ; they are all said to have washed their robes, and made them white " in the blood of the Lamb'' All the vibrations of praise from the glorified converge to one point ; all their voices have one theme, all their harps have one descant. " Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood." * If, however, the cross of Christ be no more a mean of redemption, than as his death was an evidence of sincerity^ and for the effects which his example and moral precepts were calculated to produce upon the human mind — then, if it had happened that a man had been influenced to an innocent and useful life by the example, precepts, and martyrdom of Socrates, Socrates, and not Christ, would have been his Redeemer. Again, we are told, " It is only necessary, in order to understand how we are justified" through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus," to suppose that our redemption or deliverance from the power of sin, that is, our repent- ance and reformation, without which there is no promise of pardon, is promoted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ."t Were this, indeed, the truth of God, then the death and resurrection of our divine Lord could never have been declared necessary for the remission of sins. For if remission flows merely from divine mercy, then nothing else is necessary to our pardon : yet the Apostle saith, " If Christ be not raised," (and, therefore, had not died,) " ye are yet in your sins." J The suffering of Joseph, in Egypt was designed, in the wise providence of God, to promote the welfare of his * Rev. V. 9. t Triumph of Truth, p. 2). +1 Cor. xv. 17- THE ATONEMENT. 4/^ brethren, by bis advancement, to which that suffering was an antecedent condition. But can it be said of him, as the Scriptures uniformly declare of Christ, that he suffered instead of his brethren ? When Reuben, indeed, offered his two sons to be slain by Jacob, and himself to be surety for Benjamin, he volunteered that vicarious substi- tution which Jesus Christ really undertook for us sinful men, and for our salv^ation. Again, Unitarian doctrine affirms that God requires no consideration or condition of pardon, but simply the re- pentance of the sinner ; and that, consequently, the death of Christ was no real, but merely a figurative sacrifice for sin, in allusion to the Jewish sin-offerings ; as our praises, and other good works, are called sacrifices, because they are something offered up to God. We maintain that the Most High requires something wholly distinct from the repentance of the sinner; and that this consideration is the death of Christ, which was a real sacrifice for sin, and stood related to the Jewish sacrifices, as the antitype to the type. " I hold it," saith our own judicious Hooker, " for a most infallible rule in expositions of Sacred Scripture, that where a literal construction will stand, the farthest from the letter is commonly the worst. There is nothing more dangerous than this licentious and deluding art, which changeth the meaning of words, as alchymy doth, or would do the substance of metals ; making of any thing what it listeth, and bringing in the end all truth to noth- ing."* According to this sound canon, would we desire that the Unitarian interpretation of those Scriptures, and our own, (which latter we believe to prove the cardinal doc- trine of vicarious atonement,) should be tried and tested. The types of the Mosaic law form an essential part of * F.CCiCB. Pol. V. KfC. Sp 474 THE ATONEMENT. that shadowy, though very significant ritual. Modern Unitarians have laboured hard to show that those which we deem to involve substituted sacrifice, had in reality no existence under the legal dispensation ; and that, conse- quently, there could be no fulfilment of them in the death of our Redeemer. Dr. Priestley concludes that sacrificial atonement implies merely making any thing clean or holy ; so as to be fit for use in the service of God ; or, when applied to a person, fit to come into the presence of God ; who is to be considered as the King of Israel, and holding his court among that people."* That the whole tyj^ical ceremonial, as we regard it, was deemed of vast importance in the mind of Eternal Wisdom we cannot doubt. God, who wrought the stu- pendous work of creation in six days, spent no less than forty, in communing with Moses in Sinai, concerning even the most minute circumstances connected with the tabernacle, its furniture, appointments, and the worship there to be offered unto Him. "Look," saith He, "that thou make all things according to their pattern shown to thee in the Mount." t Now, surely, directions so express would never have been given, unless with reference to substances, and those most momentous, whereof these rites, and this furniture, thus arbitrarily appointed, were shadows and figures. The ancient Lacedteraonians, when they wished to convey secret intelligence to a distance, took two cylin- drical pieces of wood, exactly the same size. One was kept at home, the other delivered to the officer with whom they might wish to correspond. They cut a slip of parch- ment, rolled it round their own truncheon, one fold close upon another; and wrote down their message. The writing being then taken ofl^, and despatched to the com- * History of tlic Corruptions of C'luistianity, I. Ip3, t Kxod. xxv. 10. THE ATONEMENT. 47'> niander, was by him applied to the cylinder in his own possession ; and thus, what was otherwise illegible, was easily decyphered. The spiritual meaning of the ordi- nances in the Old Testament, applied to the revelations of the New Testament, is the roll of writing correspond- ing to them both ; and that meaning is so clear that he may run who reads it. They mutually illustrate each other. And those types which are of a sacrificial charac- ter, as sin-oflferings, and the like, are absolutely unintelli- gible, except with reference to the great propitiation oiFered on the Mount of Crucifixion. It was the universal opinion of Jew and Gentile, that sacrifices were offered unto God for the propitiation of sin, either to prevent judgments feared, or to remove those already felt. Their use throughout the world, proves them to have originated either in the light of nature, or in some express command and institution of the Most High. Now, surely, it would never have occurred to the minds of men, that the wrath of God could be appeased by the blood of an irrational creature. So vast was the difference between the offence, the offender, and the offended, that it M'ould have appeared no less absurd to expect that in- jured Deity should be reconciled to man, if he slew a bul- lock or a ram, than to have hoped to remove the indigna- tion of an earthly prince by crushing an insect at his feet, and presenting it as a full satisfaction to his injured honour. There is no reasonable, no satisfactory origin of sacrifice, except that which traces it to an immediate ap- pointment of God Himself, consequent upon the fall of man, instantly following that awful page in human history, when not merely the dominion of God was to be acknow- ledged, as in primitive innocence, but his justice also, of- fended and outraged by the guilty rebellion of his creature. There is a beautiful harmony and coherence in the whole 476 THE ATONEMENT. account of sacrifice, " if we admit that the scheme of redemption by the death of the only-begotten Son of God was determined from the beginning : that is, if we admit, that when God had ordained the dehverance of man he had ordained the means. If we admit that Christ was 'the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,'* what memorial could have been devised more appropriate than that of animal sacrifice; — exemplifying by the slaying of the victim, the death which had been denounced against man's disobedience : thus exhibiting the awful lesson of that death which was the wages of sin ; and at the same time representing that death which was actually to be un- dergone by the Redeemer of mankind: — and hereby con- necting, in one view, the two great cardinal events in the history of man, — his fall, and his recovery ; — the death denounced against sin, and the death appointed for that Holy One who was to lay down his life, in order that man might be delivered from the consequences of sin ?"t The prevalence of human sacrifices among heathen nations, both ancient and modern, only shows that men, having lost sight of the true and typical meaning of sacri- fice, and seeing the palpable folly of expecting that the deities of their idolatry should be appeased by victims taken from the brute creation, chose one of their own nature, as a more worthy oblation, and a more fitting compensation for their sin. The whole system of sacrificial institution, continued through the Patriarchal economy, was confirmed, extended, regulated, minutely arranged by especial revelations of God under the Mosaic dispen- sation. Abel offered the firstlings of his flock — an animal * Rev. xiii. 8. t Archbishop Magee, I. 51. His whole argument on the Origin of Sacrifice is admirable, as a compendium of this most important subject. THE ATONEMENT. 477 sacrifice. Cain offered of the fruits of the ground. Where, then, lay the difference ? The one was ai:)parently a mere thank-offering, the other an oblation of l)lood, and made with the death of the victim. What was the mode in which they were treated by the Divine Being, to whom they were presented ; and how stood the offerers before Him ? " Jehovah had respect unto Abel, and to his offer- ing, but unto Cain and to his offering He had not re- spect." * " If thou doest well, shalt thou not be ac- cepted ? And if thou doest not well, sin — or as the word is so frequently rendered — a sin-offering, in testimony of conscious guilt, lieth at the door," and may be made for the expiation of thy transgression. The well-doing referred not to the sacrifice which Cain had offered, but to the faith, wherein he was so entirely wanting. Having speculatively rejected the use of typical bloody sacrifice, and having thought proper to substitute for it an oblation of the fruits of the earth, he rejected by that presump- tuous act of mil-worship the rite ordained, as explanatory of the mode wherein the promised seed was to effect reconciliation between God and man. Consequently, as knowing the nature and purport of a sacrifice by blood, he rejected the mode of reconciliation itself. Hence his offering was hateful in the sight of Jehovah : and hence, while he was assured that he should be accepted, pro- vided he did well, he was admonished, that as he did not well, or was a sinner in the sight of God, he was forth- with to bring the victim which lay ready at the door, as a sin-offering, f Whence sprung, then, this different recep- tion of the offerers ? — and what appear to have been the motives for making it, in tlie mind of God ? Just as face * Gen. iv. 5. t Fabcr on the Three Disjiensatioiis, I. 7. and Hor. Mos. R. II. sec. 3. chap. 2. 3 s 478 THE ATONEMENT. answereth to face in a glass, so do the appointments of the Old Testament exhibit the truth and perfection of their great realities in the New. " By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain ; by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gift^.''* Cain, then, was an unbeliever, and Abel had faith. Who was the object of this guilty unbelief on the one hand, and of this holy confidence on the other ? We can be at no loss to determine. Cain rejected, Abel re- ceived, the doctrine of vicarious redemption. Viewed in the taper-light of reason, the different acceptance of their oblations is absolutely inexplicable. Viewed in the strong light of revelation, we clearly discern an ample cause for the distinction. The first infidel turns away from God's appointment of vicarious sacrifice, which his natural mind will not comprehend and embrace, and dies in sin. The first martyr embraces redemption by the blood of the pro- mised seed, in the depths of his souFs faith, is justified, and admitted to the life eternal. The Passover was an ordinance of divine institution, and the whole ceremonial of its appointment was, in the first in- stance, commemorative of the deliverance of Israel's first- born from death, and of the whole people from the land of bondage. Is it, then, properly a sacrifice at all ; and has it a meaning typical and representative ? Dr. Priestley would altogether deprive it of this character; and so, contends that the death of our Redeemer, spoken of in connexion with this rite, must be merely a figurative and not a real sacrifice to God. It is, however, expressly so called, in various Scriptures; of which w'C may name Exod. xxxiv. 25, — " Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven, neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the pass- over be left unto the morning." And again (Deut. xvi. 2), * Hcb. xi. 4. THE ATONEMENT. ^7^ "Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover of the Lord thy God of the flock and of the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there." See also ver. 4, 5, 6. In Exod. xii. 27, at its solemn institution, it is expressly called " the sacrifice of the Lord's passover." The very learned Cudworth, who has >mtten so admirably on this subject, has largely proved, both from the Scrip- tures and the ancient Jewish Doctors, that the passover was invariably regarded by them as a sacrificial rite. To which we may add, that Josephus considered it in the same light, by calling it Qvaia, a Sacrifice ; and in the same manner speaks Trypho, in his conference with Justin Martyr. Maimonides, in a Tract written expressly on this subject, speaks of the Lamb as a victim, and of the solemnity itself as a sacrifice. Another of their best writers (Rabbi Becchai), observes, that the paschal sacri- fice was instituted, in order to expiate the guilt contracted by the idolatrous practices of the Israelites in Egypt.* The passover had, moreover, all the elements of an abso- lute propitiatory offering to God. It was brought to the tabernacle, and there slain, as in the place of Divine ap- pointment. Its blood was sprinkled and oiFered at the altar, as in other cases of confessedly sacrificial character ; and the usual parts were consumed by fire. A most plain and palpable reference is made to this ordinance by St. Paul : — " Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us ; there- fore, let us keep the feast."t The blood of the lamb did not more truly deliver Israel from the destruction of the Eg}'ptian first-born, and the tyranny of Pharaoh, than does the blood of the very Paschal Lamb of our salvation effect our spiritual deliverance from sin and Satan, and * Aichbishoi) Magce, vol. I. p. 298. Dr. A. Clarke on the Eucharist, p. 30. Cudworth Int. Syst. ♦ 1 for. V. ;. 480 THE ATONEMENT. from the wrath of a justly offended God. The paschal lamb was a sacrifice and a feast ; — a sacrifice in Ijeing slain, and in the sprinkling of its blood ; — a feast in being eaten by the people. And. thus doth it represent Him who was brought as a lamb to the slaughter — a victim to satisfy God — a feast to refresh those who feed on Him in their hearts, by faith, with thanksgiving. He was offered to God for the expiation of sin : He is offered to us for application to our souls. When sacrifices, in their own worth, neither were nor could be grateful to God, nor the blood of an animal compensate offended Deity for the iniquities of a man — when sacrifice, and offering, and burnt-offering for sin Jehovah would not, neither had pleasure therein, then said the Eternal Word, anticipating his incarnation and suffering, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God !* He came as the substitution represented by these rough draughts of his person and office, — as the body signified by these shadows. The lamb offered morning and evening daily in the temple, was a continual memorial of sin, and a continual symbol that vicarious sacrifice was needful to its expiation among the tribes of God. The law of the red heifer, slain and reduced to ashes, wherewith the people were sprinkled : — the sacrificial appointments of the Great Day of Atone- ment ; — the ordinance of the scape-goat ; — the purification of the leper ; — in fact the whole array of victims, the whole expiatory processes described in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, are of all things most irrational and unmeaning, separated from their prospective, and spiritual references. Thus connected, however, and radiating from every point of the whole circumference of the Jewish ritual, towards the Lamb of God wlio taketh away the sins of the world, as their all-absorbing centre, their purport is plain, and * Ilch. X. 5—;. THE ATOXEMEXT. 481 their testimony to the character of salvation quite de- cisive. That the Jewish propitiatory sacrifices were a necessary consideration of pardon, and the means of obtaining it, rests upon the declaration of God. " It shall be when any one sliall be guilty in any one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing. And he shall bring his trespass-offering unto the Lord, for his sin which he hath sinned ; and the priest shall make an atone- ment for him, for his sin that he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him."* Where, then, lay the efficacy of the offering ? " It was the blood that made the atonement."t Even so saith the Scripture of the New Testament. "Almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without the shedding of blood is no remission of sins." J Can it, then, be shown that these sacrifices were intended to point out the nature of that which Christ Jesus made on the cross ? Can it be shown that they mark the rela- tion which his death bears to the remission of our trans- gressions ? If so, then the case is proved. The death of the Redeemer is the consideration of our forgiveness, with respect to transgressions of the moral, as the Jewish sac- rifices were the consideration of their pardon for trans- gressions of the ceremonial law : and, therefore, our Lord offered a real sacrifice for sin, when He offered up Himself. If the rites of the ceremonial law were not meant to represent the manner of our Redemption by the substitu- tion of the Lamb without spot or blemish in our stead, it seems impossible to ascertain their import. "The Law had a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things." "The priests that offer gifts according to the law, serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things." "Christ is not entered into the holy ]ilaces ' r.tvit. V. S. fi, Id. ' Iliid. xvii. 11 \ Ilrl. i\. 9?. 482 THE ATONEMENT. made \vith hands, which are the figures of the true/' " The first tabernacle was a figure for the time then present." * And this prefiguration was designed by God Himself — "The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing." f Thus the doctrine of atonement for sin by the death of the Son of God, is proved to be the doctrine of divine revelation; for language cannot be more clear, or precise, than this, to describe the typical nature of the ceremonial law. Again: the Priesthood of the Saviour, whereby He was ordained from among men, "in all things like unto his brethren that He might be a merciful and faithful High- Priest, in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people,'^ J describes Him as a proper High-Priest, by investing Him with every essential for the office. And, as " no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that was called, as was Aaron, so Christ glorified not Himself to be a High-Priest ; but He that said unto Him, Thou art a Priest for ever, after the order of Melchi- zedek." § "And such a High-Priest became us; who needeth not daily, as those high-priests, to offer up sa- crifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people : for this He did when He offered up Him- self." II Now if Christ did not properly offer any sacrifice for the sins of the people, why is He said to have excelled the Jewish high-priest in not offering one for Himself? The argument is conclusive, and most important, if the death of our blessed Lord were a real sacrifice for human guilt. Upon any other supposition the reasoning is worth- less. That sacrifice so offered up was Himself, his human body on the cross. And what is its power of expiation ? * Heb. X. 1 ; viii. 4, 5 ; x. 21 ; ix. 8. t Heh. ix. 8. J Heb. ii. 17. ^ Heb, v. 5, 6. , Hcb. vii. 26, 2;. THE ATONEMENT. 483 Perfect, unchallengeable, everlasting. " If the blood of bulls, and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?"* It is absurd to speak of the greater comparative efficacy of a sacrifice, which possesses no efficacy what- ever. Nor can we say, without an equal disregard of meaning, that if the blood of bulls and of goats sufficed to purify the flesh, then the blood of Christ was much more sufficient to purge the conscience ; unless the efficacy in the latter case were of the same kind with the efficacy in the former.f It may also be observed upon this text, that the Apostle attributes legal expiation, not imme- diately to God, but to the blood of the victims. And with good reason ; since Jehovah had declared, that the blood was given to expiate for the souls of the people.^ I have placed at the foot of this page, a collection of Scriptural passages, upon the subject of the sacrificial na- ture of our Saviour's death, which will amply repay those by whom they shall be devoutly and humbly examined, with prayer to God, for light to understand and love to embrace them.§ I must pass onwards, from general con- * Heb. ix. 13, 14. t Hey on the Atonement. % And yet we have this deliberate opinion of a Unitarian writer, "Through- out the Epistle to the Hebrews, the two schemes of Moses and Christ are compared, and the preference given, as in justice due, to the latter. But the Apostle never once intimates that the one dispensation was a type of the other. All he says is, that the religious system of the Jewish legislator, when compared with the nobler system of Christ, is no more than a shadow compared with the substance." — Graham's Repentance the only condition of jinal acceptance, p 9. § Is. liii. 3—12. Dan. ix. 26, 27. Matt. xx. 28 ; xxvi. 28. Mark x. 45, John vi. 51 ; xi. 50—52. Acts viii, 32, 33 ; xx. 28. Rom. iv. 25 ; V. 6. 8. 10. 1 Cor. V. 7; vi. 20; xv. 3. 2 Cor. v. 21. Gal. i. 3, -4. 484 THE ATONEMENT. siderations, to notice in what manner this most hlessed doctrine of Christ's propitiatory sacrifice is treated in the text. " We are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." " The Apostle/' say the Unitarian commentators, " re- presents Christ as a mercy-seat, consecrated by his own blood, upon which the goodness of God, as it were, takes its stand, and declares his gracious purposes and dispen- sations to mankind. The word 'IXaa-Typtos never in the Scriptures signifies propitiation, though it is so translated in the public version. It is used^ whenever it occurs, both in the Old Testament and the New, to express the mercy- seat, which was the golden lid of the ark, whereupon the Shekinah, or cloud of glory rested; and whence oracles were dispensed. (Exod. xxv. 22. Rom. vii. 8, 9. Lev. xvii. 2. Heb. x. 5.) It must be evident, therefore (say they), to every unprejudiced person, that this beautiful allusion of the Apostle, which is intended to represent Christ as the Messenger of divine mercy, and the Medium of divine communications to mankind, gives no counte- nance to the common doctrine of atonement by vicarious suffering : although many, misled by the common transla- tion, lay great stress on this text.^' They have well said all that they have spoken con- cerning the beauty of this allusion, if the passage be re- garded as speaking peace to sinners by the propitiatory blood of Jesus, and replacing the frown upon the brow of God with the smile of a reconciliation ineffably gracious. Ephes. i. 7; V. 25. Coloss. i. 14. 20—22. 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6. Heb. i. 3; ii. 7. 9. 10. 14. 17 ; ix. 12. 28 ; x. 10. 12. 14. 1 Peter, i. 18. 19; iii. 18. 1 John ii. 1, 2; iii. 16; iv. 10. Rev. i. 5; v. 9—12. xiii. 8. The greater number of these texts have been taken from Archbishop Magee, I. 222. " They speak of the Saviour's death in the same sacrificial terms that were applied to the sin-ofleriiigs of old." TTIK A TONE MR XT. 485 How, upon the Unitarian suj^position and interpretation, it should beam witli other l^eauty than that of words, from wliich all the glowing spirituality of their meaning lias been extracted, is more difficult to be comprehended. " We are justified," observe the commentators on this passage, "that is, brought into a holy communit}'-, or state, of free bounty ; and, therefore, not in consequence of any ransom paid, or satisfaction offered ; but by his grace or favour; that is, under the Gospel disi^ensation, through the redemption or deliverance that is by Christ Jesus, who was commissioned to rescue us from that state of condemnation into which all mankind had fallen, — not by making an atonement to Divine justice, but by pro- claiming the gracious purposes and offers of Divine mercy." The word which we translate here, "propitiation " is used in the Septuagint for the Hebrew original, which means a covering, and also a redemption, expiation, atone- ment. (Levit. xiii. 13, 15, 16.) In our English version, it is called the mercy-seat, M'here it occurs in the Old Testa- ment. It is found only in one other passage of the New Testament (Heb. ix. 5), where it unquestionably means the propitiatory, sprinkled with atoning blood on the great day of expiation. It is, therefore, argued, that it should be so rendered in the text, and that we should read "mercy-seat," as in the Improved Version. A long and dense array of learned authorities may be quoted for both meanings. Schleusner, Kypke, Michaelis, Tholuck, Elmer, and many others, contend that we should regard it as the same in puri)ort with the kindred word iXaaixos, which occurs, 1 John ii. 2 : — " He is the propitiation for our sins." And again, 1 John iv. 10: — "Herein is love, not that wc loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." And Arch- 3 T 486 THE ATONEMENT. bishop Magee has given a quotation from Josephus, which proves, undeniably, that it must have been so understood by the Jews of his day. 'IXaaTi^ptov is derived from the adjective ' IXaartjpios, and in this case must have dvfia, understood, denoting an expiatory victim. It is joined in the Septuagint with irrlOefjia, and then signifies the mercy- seat. But suppose we yield the point in dispute. What follows ? This mercy-seat was sprinkled with the blood of the sin-oifering, to make an atonement for those who desired that God should be propitiated towards them. If the term ikacrrrjpiov in Levit. xvi. according to the Sep- tuagint version, is strictly the mercy-seat, and ought not to be confounded with the IXaafibs or propitiation, yet the blood must have reference to the blood of the sin- offering sprinkled by the High Priest, to make atonement, not merely for the mercy-seat itself, but also for the sins of the people. Where there is a propitiatory, there must be a propitiation.* Does the mercy-seat, then, convey no idea beyond the Unitarian gloss, that Christ is this place, upon which the goodness of God might take its stand, to declare his gra- cious purposes and dispensations to mankind? When St. John as fully tells us that the Lord of Glory was our Propitiation, as St. Paul declares that He was our Mercy- Seat; when the Hebrew Church, and all believers in all time are assured of having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus ; when we are told of the blood of sprinkling ; and that Jesus sanctified the people with his own blood ; the mercy-seat must surely be some- thing more than the mere resting-place of the Shekinah. Upon this showing, the meaning of the passage would be, that as the lid of the ark of the covenant, when sprinkled with blood, imparted to the Israelite a firm persuasion ♦ Nares on the " Improved Version," in locum. THE ATONEMENT. 487 that his sin was pardoned, so the Redeemer's death is the security that a propitiation has been made for our offence; and that we may now approach o\ir reconciled God, in virtue of a vicarious atonement. The Intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ before the throne of God, with all the security of salvation to the believer, which it embraces within its verge of blessedness, is a dependency upon tlie doctrine of Atonement, too momentous to be passed over in absolute silence. The views of Socinus and his followers, sadly erroneous as they were, concerning the intercession of the Redeemer, were very different to that which has been propounded, since Dr. Priestley, and the teachers of his school, have sounded the deepest diapason in the scale of Unitarian theology. '' Admitting," it is said, " that God may grant favours to mankind at the intercession of Christ, this is not a privilege peculiar to Him ; but is common to Him and other good men who went before Him. So that the general system of the forgiveness of sins can by no means depend upon the merit and intercession of Christ only."* Now, surely, the most simple and unlearned reader of God's Word, will discover a mighty, an immeasurable dis- tance between the intercessory prayers of Abraham, Moses, and other saints of the Most High, and those which Jesus makes at the right hand of the throne of God. Under the typical and figurative ritual of the law, the High Priest, on the great day of atonement, was to slay the sin-offerings, and then, carrying their blood into the Holy of Holies, was to sprinkle it seven times upon tlie mercy-seat. (Levit. x\'i.) The atonement was by sacri- fice, the oblation by blood sprinkled wnthin the vail ; and both made by the High Priest. But Christ being come a High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and • Familiar Illustration, vol. V. p. 'iS. 488 THE ATONEMENT. more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this building ; neither by the blood of calves and goats ; but by his own blood. He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. With this blood He is entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.* As, then, the High Priest's entrance into the Holy of Holies was typical of the Redeemer's entrance into the highest heavens,, so the sprinkled blood was typical of his blood sprinkled on the true mercy-seat above. Then the legal priest interceded for the people, and had Jehovah's blessing in their behalf. Our glorious and Evangelical High Priest in like manner advocates our cause, and pleads the blood of propitiation for every needful good. The whole employment of the priest within the vail was a sacerdotal act : and so is that of Christ. As He was a Priest upon the cross to make atonement, so is He a Priest within the heavenly sanctu- ary to plead that atonement, against the curse of the law, the accusations of Satan, the indictments of sin, and the merited penalties of guilt. Unlike all liuman advocates, He is our Intercessor, because He is our Propitiation. St. Paul, therefore, speaking of his advocacy (Heb. vii. 24), links it inseparably to his sacrifice. (Heb. vii. 27.) Propitiation, therefore, is the payment ; Intercession is the plea founded upon that payment. The one was made on earth ; the other is carried on in heaven. The one was effected by the death ; the other is administered by the life of Jesus. The former was once made ; the latter is made continually. Tlie first is the foundation of the second. By shedding his blood, the Son of God makes expiation; hy presenting his blood. He makes intercession. By the one act He prepares the remedy ; by the other * Heb. ix. 7, 12, 23, 21. See also Heb. x. Ip, &c. I'*, liii. 12. Kom. viii. 21. ) .John ii. 1, 2. THE ATONEMENT. 489 He applies it, for health and salvation to all who come unto God by Him. Three things are needful in an expiatory sacrifice. 1. Substitution in the offendei'^s stead. That was made when " the Lord laid on Christ Jesus the iniquity of us all."* " He was once offered to bear the sins of many."t "He through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself to God."J 2. Oblation to God. That was offered by the Great High Priest of our profession. "Christ also hath loved us, and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice unto God for a sweet-smelling savour." § 3. Expiation of sin, in virtue of that substitution and oblation. And what saitli the Scripture ? This blood of Christ so offered " purges the conscience from dead works to serve the living God."|| "We have redemption through his blood, even the remission of sins."^ Behold, then, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world ! Hoav ? As an example of patience, and as a martyr for the truth ? Nay : but by his blood — " as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." * * " Bless the Lord, O our souls, and all that is within us bless his holy name !"tt O for the rapture of that faith which filled the soul of John, when mindful of his high vi- sions in Patmos, he cried, " Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, unto Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."J J ^1[ ♦Is. Uii.6. t Heb. ix. 28. J Ibid. ix. U. ^ Eph. v. 2. II Heb. ix. II. t Kpli- i- /"• ** 1 I'^-ter i. IQ. ft Ps- riii- 1- XX Rev. i. 5, 6. — " In opposition to these statements, it may be well to hear that of a Unitarian teacher. " There is not a single text in all the New Testament, as far as I can remember, that can, by any rules of just and sober criticism, be retained in support of doctrine of the Atonement. Only two seem to look that way. ' He gave his life a ransom for many,' (Matt. xx. 28 ;) and, ' lie gave Himself a ransom for all,' (1 Tim. ii. 6.)" — Graham's Spruinii, " Rppputaiicp Ihi' 'inhj cottditinn of final ncceptnnce," p. 9. •* Sec Appendix, H. 490 THE ATONEMENT. But further, — 3. Vicarious Atonement for sin is the great display of the Righteousness of God. "To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the for- bearance of God ; to declare, I say, at this time his righte- ousness, that He might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Whether our sins could have been remitted, and our reconciliation effected with an offended Lawgiver and So- vereign, independently of the humiliation and substitution of Christ Jesus, we pretend not to determine. It would be a presumptuous attempt to look unbidden into the ark of God. Of this we may be sure : that as atonement was the measure which Jehovah adopted in the coun- sels of eternity, and consummated in the fulness of time, it was the most admirable mode which wisdom, justice and mercy, could desire, or devise ; if only we admit, that every act of God must have a reference to his own glory, and that under his wise and holy direc- tion, the highest ends would be attained by the most fit- ting means. What we translate, " the righteousness of God/' has been by some commentators coW-Qd. faithfulness ; by others, goodness. But in the writings of St. Paul, hiKaioa-vvr], almost uniformly means righteousness, or hoHness. Much less can any idea of goodness be expressed by the other kindred words, hUacos and hcKatovv, in the text. Perhaps the whole passage may be most fittingly translated, — " Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to make manifest his justice concerning the remission of past sins, (namely, those committed un- der the Old Testament Dispensation,) through the forbear- ance of God : to manifest, 1 say, at this time, his justice, that He might he just and the justifier of him that believ- THE ATONEMENT. 491 etli in Jesus."* Fast sins remilted without an atonement, through divine forbearance, might have brought divine justice into question, and cast a shade over its transpa- rent purity. God had saved many before the Incarnation of his Son. If the Son, then, had not satisfied the demands of divine justice, that attribute must have suf- fered manifest wrong. For if a prisoner be dehvered upon promise of a ransom, and the ransom be not paid, a blot would be put upon the wdsdom and foresight of his deliverer. That justice, therefore, must needs be vindicated, and made as clear to the eye of man as the sun in the firma- ment of heaven. But in what manner ? Even by setting forth Christ as God's mercy-seat in his blood. Herein consisted the great display of justice and mercy combined, which the term ^' righteousness," in its evangelical sense, admirably expresses. Christ was set forth as a mercy-seat in his blood, to manifest the justice of God ; so as to assure men that no sins which were without adequate atonement under the old covenant, were really remitted \Aathout an equivalent propitiation. " Thus the justice and mercy of God did embrace together, and fulfilled the mystery of our redemption." Here, then, is the great and glorious para- dox of the gospel ! In the Law God is contemplated as just, but condemning. In the Gospel, as just, and yet jus- tifying the sinner. "Thanks be unto God for his un- speakable gift !" But, say the objectors to the scheme of a proper pro- pitiation for sin, " It argues injustice and cruelty, on the part of God, to demand from Christ payment for human * Michaelis renders it thus : " Whom God hath set forth to be a propi- tiation through faith in his blood ; for the vindication of his justice with re- gard to sins once committed, and which he with |)atience and longsufTering bore — for the vindication of his justice at the present time." 492 THE ATONEMENT. guilt, while He was guiltless of all iniquity, — and, conse- quently the whole doctrine of vicarious propitiation is harsh, unjust, monstrous." Do we, however, assert any thing as to \hefact of our Lord's sufferings, which they who deny his atonement do not also assert ? If, then, it be a truth his- torical, that He did suffer through life, agonize in the gar- den, and die upon the cross, does it not appear much greater cruelty in God, to impose those sufferings, which Jesus is admitted to have undergone, without any benefit to the transgressor, or any vindication of his own glory ? If it be lawful, on the Unitarian supposition, that the Saviour should suffer unto death as a Witness and Exam- ple, why should it cease to be lawful, on the supposition that those sufferings have an infinite merit, to bring in an everlasting righteousness for men, in whose behalf they were undergone ? * May not the accusation be retorted ? May it not be said, that it would have been more cruel in God that his Son should undergo, so to speak, a gratuitous death, when mere repentance is able to avert wrath, and, indeed, does alone avert it, without propitiation ; than that He should be set forth as a propitiation, to die for sinners, the just for the unjust, that He might bring them to a reconciled God ? If the truth of Jehovah has declared the atonement and substitution of the Lord Jesus to be a demonstration of his righteousness, and any interpreters of Scripture deny it to be such a demonstration of justice, need we deliberate long in order to decide between the two state- ments ? " Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto men more than unto God, judge ye."t But, is the idea of punishment thus laid on the inno- cent for the guilty, in fact alien to the analogies of divine dealing? Hath not God, in the order of his sovereign * Stillingflect on Christ's Satisfaction. t Acts iv. 10. I THE AT()\K:kIENT. 493 providence, visited the iniquities of the fathers upon the children? When the pestilence fell on Israel for the transgression of David in numbering the people, doth he not cry in the bitterness of liis soul, — '*' Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly ; but these sheep, what have they done?'^* David had offended God in his own person ; but seventy thousand men of Israel died for his sin. And then he offered a burnt-offering as a propitia- tion to God for his transgression. It is impossible for us to ascertain the extent to which the communicative consequences of sin may be transferred to the innocent, even in the way of corrective discipline to the transgressor. That some such process does, in fact, take place, we are not permitted to doubt, when we observe the manner in which parents are not unfrequently, and doubtless, with wholesome severity, chastened for their sin, by resulting sufferings to their children. We have the revealed evidence of such a dispensation of divine Avisdom, in the fact, that the man after God's own heart was most painfully corrected for his fault by the infliction of a pestilence upon his unoffending people. If, then, this transfer of suffering from the guilty to the innocent, for the purpose of correction, (however strange and startling it may appear to us) be entirely consistent with the ways of wisdom, of justice, and of mercy, why should we venture to assert it to be impos- sible, that the sufferings of the innocent, (if He shall so appoint, whose way is in the sea, and his paths in the deep waters, and whose footsteps are not known,) may, with equal wisdom and justice, be applied as a moral remedy to the guilty, not merely in the May of corrective distripline, but even of vicarious efficacy? Indeed it may be sufiicient to silence this awful ol)jec- ♦ 2 Sam. xiiv. 17. 3 u 494 THE ATONEMENT. tion of cruelty on the part of God, in sending his Son to die for us, the just for the unjust, that the Sa\'iour volun- tarily undertook the cause of a ruined world. No man took his life from Him, — He laid it down of Himself. And it is a maxim of law, "volenti non fit injuria.'^ If, moreover, the Word was truly God from eternity, and so remained after man had made himself the slave of sin. He might, without wrong to any party, or to Himself, voluntarily assume the form of a servant, and, in that form, make perfect satisfaction for sin, by transferring it to Himself; and thus restore us to the gracious and glorious liberty of the sons of God. " The atonement brings a greater revenue of glory to God than any other measure. This dispensation echpses the reno-wTi of all the others. In other measures we see but portions of the ways of God. Here we behold all the perfections of God, in transcendent lustre and beautiful harmony. There is a greater display oi public justice in the death of the cross, than in all judicial inflictions. There is more goodness, in the salvation of one sinner, than in the confirmation of thousands of holy angels. The equity of divine government shines with brighter honours in the scheme of sovereign grace, than in the dispensation of Paradise. Besides, here, and here alone, is a standing for mercy. Here alone she unfurls her standard of peace, and sways her sceptre, at once to vindicate the throne, and save the sinner. The attri- butes, whose honour seemed to require the destruction of a sinner, are glorified in his salvation — nay, more glorified in his salvation, than they would have been in his perdition."* Here is a manifestation of the holiness of the Most High, exhibiting alike the necessity, and the provision of an ample satisfaction for its violation. Here * Jenkyns on the Atouement, p. 438. THE ATONEMENT. 195 is an honour done to the amazing wisdom of Jehovah, exhibiting a mode of reconcilement, infinitely beyond the reach of all created understanding. In a word, here is a discovery of his righteousness, into Avhich angels, as they bend over the glorious propitiatory, might well desire to look. In fact, a principal element in this righteousness of God, manifested in the propitiation made by his Son, was the infinite and unsearchable riches of love displayed in not sparing that Son, but delivering Him up for us all. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His Son to be a proj^itiation for our sins."* "Scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet, peradventure, for a good man some would even dare to die : but God commended his love to us, in that while we M'ere yet sinners Christ died for us."t "God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, to the end that all who believe on Him should not perish, but should have eternal life." J That love must have been inexpres- sibly great, which, when implacable justice pleaded for the punishment of mankind, interfered according to the coun- sels of unimaginable wisdom, and sent such a victim as his Eternal Son, to avert such a penalty as the everlasting death which had been denounced. The divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ is no absurd corollary from an absurd proposition of reconcilement by vicarious propitia- tion. That foundation-stone of all religion is laid deeply, firmly, immoveably in the revealed truth of God. There we find it; and there finding it, we learn alike the love of God, and the demerit of sin. We learn alike the wretch- edness of the fall, and the glorious process of recovery. We learn the hopeless virulence of the disease, and the Almighty efficacy of the remedy. We sec the love of * I John iv. 10. + Rom. v. 7, s. ♦ Jolin iii. Ifi. 49G THE ATONEMENT. Christ — " a vast and stupendous affection, whose breadth comprehends every interest, and every intelhgence ; whose lengtli reaches from everlasting to everlasting; whose de]:)th fathoms the lowest abyss of depravity and misery ; and whose height throws floods of glory on the throne and the crown of Jehovah." 4. JVe notice, then, that Faith is the appointed mean of communicating this propitiation in the blood of Jesus Christ to the sinner, for the removal of his attainder and condemnation. The Improved Version omits the words, " throvigh faith,'^ though admitted by Griesbach, and Archbishop Newcome ; " because," say the Editors, " the original words hia TTiarews (or, as it ought to be, Zca Trjs irlaTeois), are omitted in the Alexandrian, and in some other MSS. ; and because they obscure the sense." We will venture to retain them, on far higher ground of authority than can be quoted for their dismission ; and because we believe, that so far from obscuring the sense, they throw much light, consistency, and beauty upon the passage, whether they be referred to the Lord Jesus Christ as our (IXao-fxos, or) propitiation, or to Him as our (lXa(7T')]piov, or) mercy-seat.* By faith, I do not mean that mockery of acceptance which would part the glories of the Redeemer's work and office, as. the soldiers, when they crucified Him, divided his garments, each man taking the portion which might suit him best : nor as the Scriptures of God have been mutilated, denuded of their glories, and parcelled out in such mode and measure as might induce Papists, Soci- nians, and Latitudinarians of all creeds, to admit these * Some of the best commentators have connectfd ev Tm avTOV aiuCLTt, not with hta T?JS TTiOTecos, but with i\acrT)']piOV ' ami, accordingly, Bp. Bull renders the passasre " Qnem ]-ro))o>>ut Devip placamentum in Sttn- gnine sun per fidem." THE AT0NE5TE\T. 497 poor and partial sul)stitutes for the whole truth and coun- sel of Jehovah, in the unhallowed scheme of national edu- cation for Ireland. 1 do not mean the faith of an un- sanctified reason ; which, doing the office of a winnowing- fan, separates the wheat, all that is peculiar in the Gospel scheme, all that is lovely and glorious in the Person and Redemption of the Lord of life ; and, throwing it aside, chooses, with such aAvful perversity, the chaff, which leaves Him only manhood, moral virtues, and a dpng testimony to the truth. I mean that faith which receives Him as made of God unto us, " Wisdom, and Righteous- ness, and Sanctification, and Redemption,"* as Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church. I mean that faith which, turning with utter hopelessness from every thought of acceptance by repentance, or the merit of good works, as Adam would have started aside from any endeavour to re- enter Paradise, Avhen the flaming sword turned every way to guard its gate, makes the Christian seek to be found in the Son of God, " not having his own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."t " Knowing that a man is not justiried by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have be- lieved in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law ; for by the works of the law sliall no flesh be justified."! All the Christian graces are comprised in these two. Faith and Love. They comprehend every aff'ection of a pious soul. It is the property of loi'e to make him who feels it surrender up himself, and all that he has, to God. It is the property of faith to receive and accept God, of- fering Himself, with all that He has, to us. Faith, there- fore, alone is adapted to receive and appropriate the 498 THE ATONEMENT. righteousness of Christy on account of which we are justi- fied. Accordingly we are told, that " God made Him to be sin, or a sin offering for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."* The necessity of faith in a vicarious atonement is manifest from the whole series of typical appointments. An appropriation of the blood whereon remission of sin depends, was made to the worshipper, before he coiild have part in the reconciliation effected by the offering. The blood of the Paschal Lamb must be sprinkled on the lintel and side -posts of the houses ; and this sign of ap- propriation alone saved those who dwelt mthin from the sword of the destroying angel. The lamb Avas to be eaten by each family apart; and the ordinance pointed to a par- ticipation by faith in Him who said, " Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.^f The blood of the red heifer was sprinkled seven times before the tabernacle, (a type of heaven,) to show that the only access to that spi- ritual worship, wdiich hath its centre in the true tabernacle above, is by the perfect merit of the Redeemer's blood. The ashes of the slain animal were to be mixed with water, wherewith every unclean person throughout the camp of God was to be sprinkled. Then, and not till then, might he have communion with Jehovah, and with his people in their worship. The same truth holds in reference to the real, as exactly as to the symbolical sacrifice. A goat, one of two chosen by lot, was sacrificed on the day of annual atonement, as a sin offering for the people. Aaron, after sprinkling his blood upon the altar, to hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel, to recon- cile the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, was to take the other goat, lay his hands upon its head, * 'J Cor. V. 21. t .fohn vi. .5:!. THE ATONEMENT. 499 and confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, in all their transgression, and in all their sin, put- ting them upon the head of the goat ; and the goat shall "bear upon him all their iniquities.* Now what means this eloquently-speaking portion of the t^'pical ritual ? What can it mean, except it be emblematic of that act of faith, which takes the Lamb of God for our substitute ; and without which the atonement cannot be applied to the soul ? The sacrifice has been made ; the blood poured forth ; the heavenly tabernacle sprinkled therewith. But every guilty creature within the camp must, in the person of his own deput}^, and God's deputy, the High Priest, lay his hand upon the scape-goat, to own him as a substitute for his sin, by an act of adoring faith, or the iniquity still abides on himself. Half the blood of those beasts which were offered for burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, being mixed with water, was sprinkled upon the altar, and half of it on the people, to teach the two-fold efficacy of that blood of Christ, in making atonement for sin, as the emblematic blood was sprinkled upon the altar: and the purifying efficacy of the same laver unto sanctification, as the typical blood was applied to the host. We shall derive no benefit from the atonement made at the altar, unless we have its efficacy on our souls, for their purification. And this we cannot have, unless it be sprinkled on us ; unless it be particularly applied to us by the Holy Ghost, in and by an especial act of faith in ourselves. * Lev. xvi. — A similar practice was in use among the heathen nations of antiquity. Herodotus, giving a reason why the Egyptians never eat the head of an animal, says, KarapeoifTai Se TuSe Xeyovres Tijat KecpaXfjcri, et Ti fxiWoL rj cr^i(Tt Tolat Ovovai, i) AhjvivTM rfj avvaTraarj KaKov '^/evecrdaL, is KecpaX^jv - ivrrfv rpairiadai. — Herodot- Euterpe, 39. 500 THE ATONEMENT. But faith implies mystery; and mysteries, we are sometimes told, must not be tolerated in religion. Why not? There are mysteries in art, in nature, in providence; and what reason shall even rational religion give that there should be none in the economy of grace ? Would it be wise to deny the resurrection of the dead, because it transcends our comprehension ? If nothing must be beheved except what may be understood, then the very being of God will be rejected, and Atheism lords it in triumph over the world. What, then, is the tendency of that cold and comfortless system of negatives which re- jects all mysteries in religion ? What is the inscription whereby it may be known ? Surely, " Without God in the world." It M^as well and wisely said, by one whom Unitarians are fond of quoting,* " After every attempt which we can make to understand the mysteries of God, some difficulties will still remain : and it would be a miracle greater than any we are instructed to believe, if there remained none — if a being with but five scanty inlets of knowledge, separated but yesterday from his mother earth, and to-day sinking again into her bosom, should fathom the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of Him which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." But while I thus remark upon the illogical and untenable objection to mysteries, wherewith we are sometimes encountered, it is a matter of mere justice to acknowledge, and I do it most readily, that others, from whom we so diametrically differ, very freely admit the entire opposite, and acknowledge, what the necessity of the case requires, that the very essence of all religion is mystery — tliat of Christianity — the great myster}'- of Godliness. So highly, so decidedly, so peremptorily doth the * Bishop Watson's Preface to Theological Tracts. THE ATONKMENT. 501 Father prize the honour of his Son, and the way of sal- vation opened to sinners by the redemption of his cross, that He will grant eternal happiness to none who do not join with Him in a cordial acceptance of that Son's meri- torious death and righteousness. As the Father hath so highly approved and exalted Him, as to give all power into his hand, so hath He willed that we should likewise approve Him, by bringing all our righteousness to his footstool, in order that the surpassing glory of his merit may suffer no indignity by the assumption of our own. A mediator nmst be accepted by the parties at variance. His mode of reconciliation must have their common acquiescence ; even as it happens daily in the arbitrations which arrange so many of the diifercnces and disputes that await the interchanges of commercial life. As God, therefore, hath chosen his Son to be a propitiatory sacrifice. He must in the same character be the object of our choice ; and our faith must be the echo of the will of God concerning Him. Such a faith, and only such a faith, takes hold of tlie mercy-seat. There, and only there, it hath the truth of God, and the plea of the Intercessor, and his all-prevailing blood to defend it, and to preserve it from being driven thence unpardoned and unblest. The true object of faith is not God in the simplicity of his being ; not Christ alone, in his incarnation and death; "but God in Christ, reconciling the world to Him- self."* When this faith is withheld, I know not in what manner the divine character can be more contemptuously despised, nor the divine mercy more deeply affronted. No other offer can be so gracious ; no other blessings so transcendent ; no other display of the name and attributes of God so entirely lovely. If, therefore, it be a fearful thing for the heathen world to fall into the hands of the ♦ 2 Cor. V. ly. 3 X 502 THE ATONEMENT. living God, what shall it be for those, unto whom is oiFered all the fulness of his atonement and righteousness freely, daily, continually, — who sit, from the cradle to the grave, in the noon-day light of the Gospel, and bask through life in the noon-day beams of the sun of righteousness ?* It now remains to notice, — III. That the Doctrine of Man's Salvation, by Vicarious Atonement, must stand or fall with the Proper Deity (and I will add, with the Proper Humanity), of Jesus Christ. Tliis most sublime and mysterious truth has been attacked by every carnal weapon which heresy in funda- mentals could raise against it; and in all ages of the Christian Church, learning and argument, ridicule and scorn, bold assertion and painful misrepresentation of orthodox tenets, statements reiterated after being as frequently confuted, until, as Bishop Berkley observed of the conclusions in a diiferent science, they had become the " very ghosts of departed quantities,'' have been all em- ployed, as opportunity seemed favourable, to the display and use of each. And this, with good and sufficient rea- son, upon the principles of our opponents. For, if this rock of the absolute Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, on which He built his Church, could be shaken, then, in- deed, would the whole sacred edifice of a propitiatory sal- vation fall with it to the ground. If Christ and the Father are one, then in the great work of reconciliation by atonement we have the bush burning, but not con- sumed ; for God is in the bush. Withdraw Deity from the Mediator, and if He should attempt to stand between * Dwight's Theology, vol. II. p. 426. THE ATONEMENT. ' 503 a sinful world and a holy God, He could no more abide the justice of God in the sufficiency of any satisfaction which a creature could provide, than a screen of flax might abide the fierceness of the refiner's flame. All the great and spiritual truths of Divine Revelation have co- herence and consistency, only in relation to the great mystery of Godliness, God manifest in the flesh.* This key-stone of the arch once removed, the other portions of the glorious structure of atonement cannot stand a single moment. Instead of spanning the great gulf that sepa- rates guilty men from a pure and righteous God, and enabling them to cross it, and find peace with Him in the blood of Jesus, it falls instantly and hopelessly ; disap- pears in the vast abyss ; and that separation becomes eternal. Some of those honoured brethren in the Gospel, by whom I have been preceded, have already examined this portion of my subject. The proper Humanity of our Lord, his proper Deity, as declared in prophecy, type, and Jew- ish ordinance ; together with that proper Deity, as the only ground of hopefulness for man in the work of redemption, have been propounded, I doubt not, in language of light and love the most convincing. Their ingathering from this portion of the field can have left me little to glean after them. Wivdt then remains, except that I should apply the truth of our Lord's proper Divinity and Humanity (for they are parts of one proposition concerning his mediato- rial sufficiency) to the work of atonement WTOught out by Him on the cross ? " I ask," says a Unitarian writer, " Who made atone- ment to the justice of off"ended heaven ? It is answered, Christ, by his suff'erings and death. And is Ciirist God ? Yes. Why, then, God sufl'ered and expired on the cross. * Sec Appendix, C. 504 THE ATONEMENT. No, answers reason ; that is an utter impossibility ; it is a monstrous fiction ; it is making the Almighty altogether such a one as ourselves. Yes, but says the second Article of tlie Church of England, the Godhead and the Manhood were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very man, who truly suflFered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us. Then God died ? Of course ; but the Fa- ther was in heaven. Then you believe two Gods? And if to avoid the horn of the dilemma, you say God did not die, it was only the man Jesus ; then no atonement could be made, for it required an infinite sacrifice.'^* Now we contend that this is a misrepresentation of orthodox opinions, as great in its character, as the lan- guage in which it is couched is improper in its tone. It may take its stand with that of an author, like-minded, but much better known, which represents what I must beg leave, by way of distinction, to call tlie Christian scheme, as saying, "that man could not have been saved, unless one God had died to satisfy the justice, and appease the wrath of another."t Bear with me, therefore, a fcAv mi- nutes longer, while I endeavour to place this all-precious and all-important truth of Scripture upon its proper ground. One of the principal causes of error concerning the nature of God is the want of distinguishing between Es- sence and Person ; between the Divine Nature and the Persons that participate in that nature. The Godhead is to be considered in the Unity of his Nature, and in the Trinity of Persons. The same Divine nature is commu- nicated to three Persons. "The Father is God, the Son * Harris's Lectures, p. 2'Jl. I have thought right to quote the Article more fully than lias been done by the author of this passage. t Bflshain's Review of Wilbcrforee, \u 221. THE ATONEMENT. 505 is God, and the Holy Ghost is God." Yet the Persons are not so divided, as to make three Gods ; nor tlie Name so exclusively one, as to deny the three Persons. There is only one God in Being — the great I AM. This name must needfully denote God in his Essence. And this one God in Essence is three Persons, subsisting in the unity of God- head. " Go teach all nations," said our blessed Lord, " baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."* Here the Three are joined together, unto whom equally we perform worship, and promise obedience, and of whom we expect remission of sins, and the life everlasting. He, into whose name we are baptized, is the Most High God ; for we must not be baptized into the name of Paul, or of any created being, however glorious. But we are baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Therefore, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are that Most High and Eternal God, one in Essence, and three in Person, who alone is to be worshipped ; who alone is able to pardon om* sins, and to save our souls. If it be asked, ^' What is a Person in the ever-blessed Trinity ?" I answer in the words of the venerable Archbishop Usher. "It is whole God, not simply or absolutely considered, but by way of some personal properties : it is a manner of being in the Godhead, or a distinct subsistence, not a quality, having whole Godhead in it."t And the Persons in the Tri-unity of Godhead have pecuhar attributes whereby they are distinguished. With this definition of personality, we maintain, that the Son, which is the Word of the Father, distinct in Person, but the same in substance, is begotten of the Father from everlasting, one with the Father, over all God * Matt, xxviii. 19. t Archbishop Usher's Body of Divinitj', p. 75: John xi. 22 ; .\iv. 9 — 16; XV. 1 ; xvii. 20 ; Coloss. ii. il. 'J. 506 THE ATONEMENT. blessed for ever. " In the beginning was the Word_, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."* The Scriptures never attempt /brmaZ/y to prove the Divinity of Christ ; as they never attempt formally to prove the ex- istence of God : and for the very same reason, a com- munity of titles, names, attributes, operations, and wor- ship, t The same particulars which prove the Deity of the Father, equally prove the Deity of the Son. If they do not prove the Divinity of the Son, so neither do they prove the Divinity of the Father. And "he that hon- oureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him." " Godhead, in its incomprehensibility, stands in the person of the Father ; in its comprehensibility, in the person of the Son ; and in its comraunicableness, in the person of the Holy Ghost. All that can be felt of God is in the Holy Ghost. All that can be known of God is in the Son." % The Son of God became very man ; so that He was not more like to God, nay, very God, in his divine, than he was like to man, nay, very man, in his human nature. § As He was begotten of the same substance with God the Father from eternity ; so He was conceived of the same substance with us men in time. He is God and man in one Person. ^'The Word was made flesh." He who was as really a spirit as God, became as really flesh as man : not by changing Himself into flesh; but in taking our flesh into Himself. Hence the same person who was in the form of God — who thought it not robbery to be equal with God — took upon Him the form of a servant. Now, if He were really in the form of a servant, that is actually a servant, coming not to be ministered unto, but to minister, whereof the Gospel history allows no doubt, * I John i. 1. t Sec Appcuilix, 1). X Irving on tlu- Kcv. I. llfi. ^ Sec Ajipcndix, V.. THE ATONEMENT. 507 then being- as really in the form of God, He must be actually and in very deed the true God.* Hence it is that "we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins ; who is the imagef of the in- visible God, the first-l)orn of every creature." Hence it is said (Acts xx. 28) that " God purchased the Church with his own blood."J What, with the blood of the Divine nature? No; that were a thing impossible. God hath neither parts nor passions, and cannot suffer. With the blood of a man, then, distinct from God ? No ; for then it could not be called God's own blood. Therefore it must be interpreted the blood of one who was God as well as man ; who being God, and becoming man, and purchasing the Cliurch with that blood which He assumed as an es- sential part of tlie human nature, may justly be said to have purchased the Church with his own blood. Hence to signify the two Natures in one Person, He is called " Imraanuel — God with us."§ One name expresses both. " As, therefore, the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ." || He who makes substitution for another must have somewhat of his own to offer, which belongs not to the other parties. The Incarnate Word, therefore, had his Deity for man, and liis Humanity for God. The Divine nature possessed by Him was truly and absolutely God. The flesh and blood which He assumed were as truly the flesh and blood of the co-equal Son of God, as our flesh and blood is that of the sons of men. The blood wherewith the Church was purchased was the blood of the Son of God, and that by personal union-. If the High Priest of our profession had offered any other sacrifice for us than * Sec Appendix, F. ' t See Ai)i>cntUx, {;, i Sec Appcnilix, H. § Is. vii. I I. II Atlianasian Orccd 508 THE ATONEMENT. Himself, or the manhood thus personally united to Him^ his oflfering could not have been satisfactory. Why ? Because in all other things the Father and the Holy Ghost had an equal right with the Son Himself. He could not have offered any thing to them, which did not as truly be- long to them as to Himself. But the seed of Abraham — the fruit of the Virgin^s womb, which the Son assumed into the Godhead, became his own by the incommunica- ble property of a personal union. If propitiation was to be made at all, divine justice re- quired one which no creature could supply. The wrong done to it could not be compensated, so far as we can judge, by the most exalted of creature substitutes. The glory of the law which sin had darkened, would not thus have passed into a brighter light than that in which it shone before its eclipse. If satisfaction be made at all, it must be measured by the excellency, dignity, glory of the party paying the penalty. To be perfect, therefore, the substitute must be God. Obedience to the divine precepts, which is bound upon man, could only be paid by one of the glorious Trinity, in which the Godhead subsists. Each of them is perfect Deity. None of them, then, is bound to do more than the others. Whatever acts, therefore, one of the Divine Three may perform beyond the rest, may, without viola- tion of justice, be imputed to others, and they be ac- counted righteous throvigh that merit. And as none but God can exhibit adequate obedience on the part of man, so no inferior nature can make an adequate satisfaction to Deity outraged and offended by the sons of men. We mean not to say, that the sufferings of the Lamb of God, vicariously endured, were absolutely the same in intensity and character, as those which man would have undergone, had not this substitution been found for his TIIU ATONEMENT. 509 guilt; and consequently that only Godhead could have endured their weight, without being crushed beneath it for ever. We mean not to say that He endured the pains of hell, the absolute amount of wrath and vengeance which otherwise would have been poured out from the full cup of God's indignation against transgressors, in their own persons, without measure, mitigation or end. The suffer- ings of Jesus were not the same in kind with those which a sinful world must otherwise have undergone, but an equi- valent for them. The dignity of the person most amply compensates for every degree of deficiency in the penalty actually endured. It was both in nature and kind different from the sufferings due to sinners. It had no sense of personal guilt, no remorse for a violated law, no terrors of a condemning conscience. Those agonies which He en- dured were, doubtless, of a character indescribably intense: but the elements of that intensity were different from those which compose the torments of perished sinners. In fact, if the Saviour of man had undergone the same in- flictions which were due to the transgressors, they would have rather been a literal execution of legal penalty, than a true and proper satisfaction for sin. In that case the release must have immediately followed ; because the debt would have been fully paid ; and consequently the exercise of that faith which now instates the believer in all the blessings of the grace of God, would have been unneces- sary. Nay, what is now grace and mercy, would then have become an act of mere equity and justice, contrary to the meaning of the text, and of the whole volume of salvation. No rules of equity, whether div-ine or human, require that satisfaction for wrong should be made in kind, or as it may be expressed, by counter-suffering. Adam had Avronged our common nature, and grievously offended 3 V 510 THE ATONEMENT. God. He is absolute justice itself. Man who had done the wrong, could make no compensation, either wholly or in part. Had all transgressors been condemned, body and soul, they could never have completed satisfaction, even by suffering, though employed in making it through all eternity. Therefore was the great work undertaken by the Son of God, made man for us. All that our Heavenly Father could require of Him, when thus engaged to become our Surety, was satisfaction for our sins against the rule of eternal justice. This all-momentous end He knew would be gained by that Eternal Son, in a manner the most ex- cellent. The satisfaction was more truly infinite, than were all the sins of mankind : not, indeed, because Jesus suffered infinite penalties, but because He was, in majesty and goodness, as truly infinite, as were the majesty and goodness which we had offended, and by which the com- pensation was required. This, then, we conscientiously believe, that the height and measure of all disobedience to God, vast, and enormous as it is, was neither higher nor greater than the obedience performed by the co-equal Son of God in our flesh : and, therefore, that his blood cleanseth from all sin. We believe that our Heavenly Father never felt such deep displeasure for all our guilt, as He felt joy and delight in the satisfaction made by his beloved Son; and, therefore,* in the obedience of those who are truly grafted upon Him, and so made partakers of his obedience in the sufferings of the cross. This obedience could only be paid by the co-equal Son of God. Admit it possible, that there might have been some matter of sacrifice as pure and spotless as the body of our Saviour — more pure and glorious than any angelic substance. Suppose it possible that this pure and spotless sacrifice had been offered by a Priest, for dignity equal to * Coleridge. THE ATONEMENT. 511 the Sun of God ; as, for instance, by the Third Person in the adorable Trinity, still his offering and service could not have been as acceptable to God, as was that of our Lord and Redeemer. Why ? Because the infinite worth of the Priest or Person sacrificing, could not, in this case, have conferred any worth or virtue truly infinite upon the sacrifice made by Him, although it might be in itself as holy and glorious as could consist with created being; unless it had been so personally united to Him, that He had actually offered Himself, as did our adorable Lord. Well, therefore, doth the Apostle ask that triumphant question, with reference to Jewish sacrifice, — " How much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works, to serve the living God ?" But as the Redeemer could not perform obedience for us, unless He were God as well as man, so neither could He so do, unless He were man as well as God. If he were only God, He could perform no righteousness on our behalf, which by imputation might be ascribed to us. The law was made for man ; therefore he can be accounted righteous by no other righteousness than that which was performed by man. Again ; without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins — no satisfaction to the of- fended justice, holiness, and moral government of the Most High. But God, in his essence, could neither lose life, nor suffer punishment. If Christ were altogether God, and not man. He could not suffer and make restitu- tion. If He were man only, and not God, his sufferings could have no merit of satisfaction. Upon the union, therefore, of these two natures depends the efficacy and preciousness of the Redeemer's vicarious propitiation. We cannot say that either the Godhead suffered, or the man- hood satisfied. But the difficultv ceases when we remeni- 512 THE ATONEMENT. ber that He who is God, is man as well as God, and He who is man, is God as well as man. Hence, as his suffer- ings were suitable to man, so they were sufficient for God : because, although his Godhead did not suffer, yet He who, by an ineffable union, was God as well as man, did suffer. And although the manhood did not satisfy, yet He who was man as well as God, did satisfy. As the Saviour had a body, his blood was the blood of man : as it was the blood of his person, it was the blood of the co-equal Son of God.* The Divine nature, in the person of the Father, re- quired satisfaction for man's transgression against the per- fect law, and unchangeable rule of holiness. The same Divine nature, in the person of the Son, undertook to provide the satisfaction, by assuming our nature : thus obtaining the power of redeeming by the right of con- sanguinity. The same Divine nature, in the power of the Holy Ghost, approves and seals this ever-blessed com- promise. This ineffable concord between the Divine Per- sons in the unity of the Godhead, concerning the great work of redemption, is parallel to that perfect harmony, wherein He undertook and consummated the work of creation. Redemption, in its act and application to the soul, by Deity manifest in our flesh, is the supreme triumph of " the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost.^f Although, therefore, a Unitarian writer % tells us, in bitter mockery, that, in the Liturgy of the National Church, we pray to Him Avho once was dead, who once was murdered by the works of his own hands, — to a dead God, — I would, notwithstanding, while I shudder at the expression, adopt the very words which have been the * Bp. Bevrridpe on Art. II. t 2 Cor. xiii. ult. j Harris's I,ecturcs. r- -9*- THE ATONEMENT. 513 subjects of his unmitigable scorn. In my souPs yearning for myself, and for every one who hears me, I would cry unto Him, whom all the angels of God worship, who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, — " By the mystery of thy holy incarnation ; by thy holy nativity and circumcision ; by thy baptism, fasting, and temptation ; by thine agony and bloody sweat ; by thy cross and passion ; by thy precious death and burial ; by thy glorious resurrection and ascension ; and by the com- ing of the Holy Ghost — good Lord deliver us \" And I would add, in the same sincerit)'^, from the same form of sound words, — "From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism ; from hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word and commandment — good Lord deliver us. !"* Now, to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, Three Divine Persons in one and the same Jehovah, as to the Trinity in Unity; and to the One Jehovah, existing in the Three Persons of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as to the Unity in Trinity, be all honour, grace, and glory, ascribed by all creatures, through all ages. Amen. Amen. * See Appendix, I. END OF THE EIGHTH LKCTURE. APPENDIX. " Puis que notre delivrance est nommee une redemption, il faut que Jesus Christ nous I'ait acquise par quelque ran9on qu'il ait donnee pour nous. Or il n'en a donne aucune, si vous ne posez qu'en mourant il a epandu sa vie, et son sang pour nous, et en notre place. Puis apres si cela n'est, pour- quoy I'Apotre dit-il, que c'est par le sang de Christ, que nous avons la re- mission de nos pechez ? Si son sang n'est pas la satisfaction de nos pechez, il est evident qu'il ne sert de rien a nous en obtenir la remission. En ce cas nous I'aurons, non par le sang, ou par la mort de Christ, qui n'y aura rien contribue a ce conte, mais par la seule bonte, soit de Dieu, soit de son Fils. Car de dire, que la remission des pechez est attribue au sang et a la mort du Seigneur, parce qu'en mourant il a scelle la verite de ce qu'i'l avoit presche durant sa vie, c'est evidemment se moquer du monde. Ses miracles avoit aussi confirme sa doctrine; et neantmoins ny I'Ecriture, ny aucun homme sage n'a jamais dit, que nous ayons la remission de nos pechez par ses miracles, comme S Paul dit icy, et ailleurs souvent, que nous I'avons par son sang, et par sa mort. Joinct que si cette raison avoit lieu, puis que c'est pour sceller cette mesme doctrine, que les Martyrs ont souffert, I'on pourroit aussi dire, que c'est par leur sang, que nous avons la redemption, et la re- mission des pechez ; ce qui ne se lit nulle part. Au contraire I'Apotre nie fortement que ny lui ny aucun autre que Christ, ait este crucifie pour nous. Ces raisons refutent aussi I'autre echapatoire de ces gens, que nous avons le salut par la mort de Jesus Christ, a cause qu'en mourant il nous a donne I'exemple d une patience, et obeissance perfaite. Car a ce conte les Martyrs, dont les souffrances contiennent de semblables enseignemens nous auroient done sauvez aussi bien que Christ. Joinct que la patience, et I'obeissance font partie de notre sanctification ; au lieu que I'Apostre dit, que nous avons en Jesus Christ par son sang la remission de nos pechez, et non simplement la sanctification." — Daill^ Sermons sur VEpitre aux Coloss. I. 195—197. B. " C'est chose commune en tous langages de signifier la vie par le sang, et la perte de la vie par I'effusion du sang. Mais le S Esprit employe i)ar- ticiUierement cette fa^on de parler, lors qu'il est question d'une sacrifice. Car en tels sujets le sang de la victime est presque tousiours mis pour la vie, qu'elle perd estant immolee ; de fa^on qu'il ne faut pas treuver estrange que 516 APPENDIX. ces divins auteurs disent le sang de C/irixt, I'unique agneau du monde, et la tres parfaite hostie, representee par tous les sacrifices anciens, pour signifier la vie, qu'il a epandue pour nous sur la croLx, Toffrant au Pere pour propitia- tion de nos pechez. C'est icy le grand mistere de I'Evangile, inconnu aux hommes et aux Anges, et qui n'a jamais pii tomber en autre pensee, qu'en celle de la souveraine et infinie sapience de Dieu, que Jesus Christ, le bien aime du Pere, le Sainct des Saincts ait mis sa vie pour nous, se soit constitue en notre place, et ait porte nos pechez en son corps sur le bois, souffrant en sa chair sacree, et en son ame tres-sainte les peines et les douleurs, que nous mentions, afin de nous en exempter. C'est precisement, ce que nous entendons en disant, qu'il a satisfait pour nous a la justice de Dieu. Et I'Apotre nous fournit en ces paroles de quoy y conserver cette gloire au Seigneur contre deux sortes d'adversaires ; les uns qui nient qu'il y ait satisfait pour nous; les autres, qui I'accordans etendent encore cet honneur a d'autres, voulans qu'il appartienne aussi aux Saints et a nous mesmes. Pour les premiers, lis ne meritent pas d'estre tenus pour Chretiens, puis qu'ils rejettent une verite si clairement, et si souvent preschee dans I'Evangile, confessee par toute I'Eglise, et qui d'aUleurs est la source de notre consola- tion en la vie, et en la mort, et le fondement unique de toutes nos espe- rances." — Daille Sermons sur VEpitre aux Colossi. 193, 194. C. I am aware of the Unitarian reading in this place — 1 Tim. iii. 15, 16 — (by, He who), instead of {Qeos, God). But to say nothing of the pre- ponderating evidence in favour of the common Greek text (which it may be noted Archbishop Newcome adopts), the grammatical difficulty of making the relative os stand independently of any antecedent, is very great. To begin the sentence and paragraph with K.aL OU.oKo'yoVLievOiS, and to have OS without an antecedent, appears entirely contrary to reason, and the construc- tion of the passage : and it seems indispensable to find an expressed antece- dent. Which is the more likely to be that antecedent ; the abstract neuter noun, or the agreeing, and personal noun, — the mystery, or the Living God 7 If, however, the Church belongs to Christ, and He is over all, God blessed for ever, what advantage to the cause of Unitarian theology is gained by the substitution ? Upon the subject of this text, I would beg attention to Dr. J. P. Smith's elaborate Dissertation, vol. iii. pp. 321, &c. and to his note (H.) pp. 354, &c. It may be observed that Scholz reads with the admitted Greek text 0eoy. D. The Father is called Jehovah ; — so is the Son : Is. xl. 3: The Father is called God ; — so is the Son : John i. 1 ; Acts xx. 28. The Father is Alpha and Omega ; — so is the Son: Is. xli. 4 ; xliv. G ; Rev. 8. 17. Is the Father APPEXDIX. 517 eternal? — so is the Son: Is. ix. 6; Micah. v. 2; Rev. i. 8. The Father is omnipresent ; — so is the Son : Matt, xviii. 20. The Father is omniscient ; — so is the Son : John xxi. 17. Did the Father make all things ? — so did the Son : John i. 3 ; Colos. i. 16 ; Heb. i. 2. Is the Father to be honoured .' — such honour must the Son have also: John v. 23. Well, then, might He not think it robbery to be equal with God. On this subject, I would particularly recommend "Jones's Catholic Doctrine of the Trinity," a book, which, in a very small compass, has proved the existence and equality of three Persons in the Divine Unity, " not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." —1 Cor. ii. 13. E. Have we a body? — so had He: Heb. x. 5. 10. Have we flesh and blood.' — so had He : Heb. ii. 14. Have we hands aiid feet ? — so had He: Luke xxiv. 39. Have we a soul ? — so had He : Matt. xxvi. 38. Are we hungered ? — so was He : Matt. iv. 2. Are we weary? — so was He : John iv. 6. Heavy and sorrowful ? — so was He : Mark xiv. 33. Do we grow in stature and knowledge ? — so did He : Luke ii. 52. Do we die ? — He also gave up the ghost : John x. 30. Thus was He, in all points, tempted like unto our- selves, yet without sin : Heb. ii. 17 ; iv. 15. Well then may He be called the Man, Christ Jesus : 1 Tim. ii. 5 ; 1 Cor. xv. 21 ; and Christ Jesus, the Son of Man : Matt, xxvi. 2. The word fjbop(j)r], translated " form'' in our version, may, perhaps, as Dr. J. P. Smith has observed, be unexceptionably expressed by the phrase, the characteristics of God. Schleusner, accordingly, gives this as the secondary sense of the word : — "Ipsa natura et essentia alicujus rei, i. e. (hvcris et ovaia. In this sense it was understood by the Greek Fathers : — 'H /xop(f)r) Tov @eov ravrov rfj ova la ttuvtcos earlv. " The fonii of God is the same as his essence." — Greg N^i/ssen. And again : — 'H fiopcprj TOV Geov (j)vais voelrai ©eov. "The form of God signifies the same as the nature of God." — Theodoret. Dr. Smith's Treatise on this passage well deserves attention. — Scripture Testiinony to the Mes- siah. Vol. II- pp. 350, &c. G. ElKCOV} a perfect and exact resemblance, so far as the nature of the subject in any given case admits. Thus, 1 Cor. xi. 7, the man avrjp is .3 Z 518 APPENDIX. called the image and glory of God, on account of his conjugal dominioi\. The Levitical law is said to have had only "a shadow, and not the very image (avTijV Tfjv eiKOVCi) of spiritual blessings." Heb. x. I. Holiness in believers is described as a conformity to the image of God, and of Christ. Col. iii. 10. 2 Cor. iii. 18. Rom. viii. 28. This expresses the same as in Heb. i. 2 : — He " is the brightness of his glory." He hath equally the same properties and perfections as the Father. — Dr. J. P. Smith. Vol. III. p. 297. TIpcOTOTOKOS, not merely " the first begotten of every creature ;" but "the begotten antecedently to all creation." — Bishop Sandford's Works. Vol. I. p. 165. " All things are created for Him," — an undeniable proof of his Divinity, and that supreme worship is due to Him ; smce it is clearly due from the creature to Him, for whose service and glory that creature is made. H. I am aware that Unitarians object to the words, rov ©eou in this verse, and would read the passage, TTOifJuaiveLV TilV €KK\r}(Tiav TOV Kvpiov rjv TrepteTrocjjaaTO Sia rov ihiov ai/xaros, " To feed the Church of the Lord," upon the authority of Griesbach. It is hoped to escape the peculiar force of this passage, by the general name, " Lord," instead of the peculiar term, " God." But, not to speak of criti- cal Editions of the Greek Testament, since the time of Griesbach, a contri- bution has been made to the criticism of the New Testament, which, it may well be hoped, leaves us little more to expect or desire, in an edition of the Greek Testament, by Dr. J. M. A. Scholz. He comparatively impugns the authority of the MSS. on which Griesbach principally relied, and, with the late Archbishop Lawrence, gives precedence to that class of MSS. which flowed from Palestine and Asia Minor, through the Greek Churches, as more pure than that which had taken its course through Egypt. He has vmhesitatingly written TOV &eov, and does not seem to think it necessary to enter into the dispute ; but simply shows his decision by his text. In annotating, indeed, on his own vernacular version, he says, — "For the words, the Church of God are many manuscripts ; for the Church of the Lord, are many others : and likewise for the Church of the Lord and God, and they make no material difference in the meaning. The reading, the Church of God is that of the most and best MSS. and many versions and Fathers : so that it is probably the true reading. And thus this passage contains an express declaration, on the part of the Apostle, that Christ is God." Other readings have been discovered in other MSS. but all to the same effect ; or rather some speaking even more decidedly than our own version, if decision may be measured by repetition of titles, each bespeaking absolute Godhead. The passage of Athanasius referred to in the notes to the Improved Version, has been trans- lated by an eminent scholar (the late Dr. Burton), in a manner effectually APPENDIX. 519 removing the iden of any horror said to have been felt by that great champion of the faith towards the common reading. Athanasius himself quotes the passage more than once, and expressly reads the Church of God. But, suppose it actually to be the Church of the Lord: What is gained to the cause of Unitarianism by the change ? The term Lord, (KVpios) when simply used without any limiting adjunct in the Scriptural Greek, denotes the Supreme Being. It is the word regularly employed by the Septuagint to translate the names Adomai and Jehovah. The Alexandrian Jews had a superstitious dread of writing the name of God ; and put KVpios not as a translation, but as a mark or sign, every one readily understanding for what it really stood. This word, however, we find thus put in the form of an unqualified, and unequalled preference throughout the Acts of the Apostles, and the New Testament generally, when the circumstances of the connexion require us to understand it of the Lord Jesus Christ, If the words rov KVpLOV be read instead of rdv &eov, and it be under- stood that the latter reading would be more favourable to the Deity of Christ than the former, we must acknowledge it to have the same force in other pas- sages where it occurs in connexion with the Lord Jesus Christ. John i. 1. Rom. ix. 5. Tit. ii. 13. 1 John v. 20. Our Lord emphatically calls the Church, His Church, — Matt. xvi. 18. Here it is either the Church of the Lord, or the Church of God. St. Paul terms it the Church of God, 1 Tim. iii. 5. The Church of the Living God, who is the Saviour of all men 1 Tim. iv. 10. " Mr. Wakefield contends strenuously for reading Seov, and not KVplov. He afterwards effects his escape from the consequence, by proposing two of the most extraordinary criticisms that were ever ventured by a Greek scholar. Tov l8lOV dl/xaros, he renders, not his own blood, but his own son, be- cause a man's son may be said to be his own blood; and, therefore, the Son of God may be expressed by God's own blood,- an expression, which had it been used of God the Father by a Trinitarian, in defence of his doctrine woiUd have subjected him to Mr. Wakefield's ineffable contempt. He suggests dso another mode, that of translating the words 'by the blood of his own ' supplying the word (son) Bia TOV IBiOV dl/J,aTOs" See Dr. J. P. Smith, III. 24, 57. Professor Nares' Remarks on the Improved Version, pp. 219 — 221. Abp. Magee, II. 435. Coleridge's Table-Talk, pp. 259, 2G0. " I have ever wondered, and still do wonder at the peevishness, or rather pathetical profaneness of men who scoff at those sacred passages in our Liturgy, ' By thine agony and bloody sweat ; by thy cross and passion, &c. Good Lord deliver us :' as if they had more alliance with spells and forms of conjuring, than with the spirit of prayer, or true devotion. Cer- 520 APPENDIX. tainly they would never have fallen into such irreverend and uncharitable quarrels with the Church, our mother, unless they had first fallen out with Pater Noster, with the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Command- ments. For I dare undertake to make good, that there is not either branch or fruit, blossom or leaf, in that sacred garden of devotion, which does not naturally spring, and draw its life and nourishment from one or other of the former roots, to wit, from the Lord's Prayer, or from the Creed set prayer- wise, or from the Ten Commandments. And he that is disposed to read that most divine part of our Liturgy, with a sober mind and dutiful respect, shall find, not only more pure devotion, but more profound orthodoxal Divinity, both for matter and form, than can be found in all the English writers which have either carped or nibbled at it." — Dr. Jackson's Works,, Vol. II, p. 834. LIVERPOOL : PRINTED BY H, FERRIS, 6, CHURCH STREET. DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND OPERATIONS OP THE HOLY GHOST: A LECTURE, DEMVEKEU IM CHRIST CHURCH, HUNTER STREET, LIVERPOOL, ON WEDNESDAY EV^ENING, APRIL 3, 1839. BY THE / REV. JOHN ELLISON BATES, M.A. CUR.VTE OF ST. BRIDE's, Bl I.N(. llli: .MNTU OF THE SEKIES ON THE " UNITAHIAX CONTROVERSY," BY SEVERAI- CLERGYMEN OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. " Produce youx caiise, saith the Lord : bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob."— Isaiau ui. si- LIVERPOOL : HENMIY PERRIS, 6, CHURCH STREET, AND HAMILTON, ADAMS AND CO. LONDON. 1839. LIVERPOOL : PRINTED BY H. PERRIS, CHURCH STREET. SYNOPSIS OF THE CONTENTS. I>TBODUCTION. ,,,„« Explanation of the text S-il Subject shown to lie important 523 Trinitarian Faitu respecting the Holy Ghost stated 52'l Unitarian Faitu, deduced from the wTitings of Priestley and \ ,„, Lindscy / ^^^ The question for consideration 526 To be determined by the Word of God ib. Sulyect to be treated under three divisions. — I. Deity 528 II. Personality.... ib. III. Operations ... . ib. 1. Deity.— Scripture mode of revealing the Supreme Being ib. Illustrated by the commencement of the Book of Genesis 529 Therefore, to prove the Deity of the Holy Ghost, we must show that the") ,„„ Names, Works, Attributes, and Worship, of God are assigned to Him J I. Names.— Jehovah (Lord) ib. 1. Num. xiv. 11, compared with Is. Ixiii. 10. . 531 2. Num. xii. 6, „ 2 Pet. i. 21. . ib. 3. Isaiah ■(•i. 9, ,, Actsxxviii.25,26. 532 Elohim (God). 4. Jer. xxiii. 23, 24, comp. with Ps. cxxxix. 7, 8. 532 5. 2 Sam. xxiii. 2, 3 533 6. 1 Cor. iii. l6, compared with iCor. vi. 19, \ -,0 2Cor. vi. 16 ; *•*'' 7. Luke i. 68, "0, compared with 2 Pet. i. 21.. 534 Adonai (Lord). 8. Ezek. viii. 1,3; ix. 8 ib. Eleon (Most High). Ps. Ixxviii. 17— 22, compared with Is. l Ixiii. 10, Acts vii. 51, Heb. iii./— 9 J Ohjectiun, — that the names Lord and God are often applied \ ,„/. to inferior bcinps, answered / II. Works.— 10. Creation, Isaiah xl. 12— 14 537 11. Pro\-idence, Ps. civ. 30, Is. xl. 6, 7, Ixiii. 14, lix. 19 538 12. Resurrection (of Christ), 1 Peter iii. 18; (of believers), l j. Romans viii. 11 J III. .4TTRnn;TES.— 13. Eternity, Heb. ix. 14 539 Objection, grounded upon John vii. 39, answered.. 540 14. Omnipresence, Ps. cxxxix. 7, 8 ib. 15. Omnipotence, Job xxxiii. 4 541 16. Omniscience, Isaiah xl. 13, 14; 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11 .. ib. Objection to 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11, answered 542 IV. Worship ib. 17. Baptism in the name of the Holy Ghost, Matt, xxviii. 19. 543 Objection, that Baptism in the name of a creature \ is admissible, answered / 18. Psalm xcv. compared with Is. Ixiii. 10, Acts vii. 51,1 ^ Heb. iii. 7, 9, enjoins the worship of the Holy Ghost / " 19. Prayer to the Holy Ghost, Matt. ix. 27, Acts xiii. 2, 3, .'>15 20. Praise, Ps. xcv., Is. vi. 3, 9, Acts x.\viii. 25 ib. 21. Religious Ser\'ice, Acts xiii. 2, 4, xv. 28, xx. 22, 23,"] - .^ xvi . 6, 7 J Hence, if the Scriptures be the inspired Word of one and the same" Divine Author, we conclude that the Holy Ghost is very and eter- \ ib. NAL God '. II. PKttSoNAi.iTY. — (Preparatory Ilcmarks : 1. Definition of the term " Person" 548 2. Figurative language may be used of a ) , .„ Person f * 3. Admitted that the terms " Spirit," &c.") someZ/jwcv denote the operations, or in- > 550 fluences, of the Spirit, but not always. J I. 22. Argument from tlie text, (John xvi. 12 — 15) 552 II. 23. Use of the masculine personal pronoun " He " 554 24. " I," " Me," " My," Heb. iii. 7, 9, Ps. xcv., Is. vi. 8, 9 . . 655 III. 25. Feelings and affections, — attributed to the Holy") Ghost : Is. Ixiii. 10, Heb. iii. 9, Ps. Ixxviii. 17, Acts v. 9, \ 566 Eph. iv. 30, Rom. xv. 30 J IV. 26. Properties and powers: "Understanding," 1 Cor.) ,,_ ii. 10, 11 S °*' 27. "Mind,'" Rom. viii. 27 jb. 28. "Will,'" inferred from Acts xiii. 2, Heb. ix. 8; demon- ) strated, 1 Cor. xii. 11 3 558 V. 29. Personal actions ascribed to the Holy Ghost, Johnl ,.„ xvi. 13, &c. &c f "5 VI. 30. Object of Divine Worship must be a Person. Bap- \ ,^, tism. Matt, xxviii. 19 i °°' 31 . St. Paul's Prayer, 2 Cor. xiii. 14 563 VII. 32. Divine Being, against whom it is possible to sin. Acts ) 564 V. 3, 4. Objection answered J — 5 33. The unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, Matt. xii. 31. 565 Lindsay's objection to the reading of the authorized Ver- \ ,(,g sion considered j Objections to this part of the subject considered. Ohj. a. that the Personality of the Holy Spirit \s figurative .... 569 b. That the Holy Spirit is a power evidenced by miracles 571 c. That the argument from baptism is disproved hy 1 ? j. Cor. X. 2 ) d. That the Holy Spirit is " g-i(ie)i" 573 e. That the Holy Spirit is "poured out " ib. f. Tliat the Spirit is personified by reason of the per-^ -, SHns (H !c/io»i the Spirit resides ) g. That the Holy Spirit is "seraf" 575 From the proofs under this division, we conclude, that He, "| of whom such things are said, is a voIunt.iry and intelligent > 576 Agent, really and properly A Divine Person ....J Conclusion from the whole, that the Holy Ghost is a Divine "l Person, proceeding fuom the Father and the Son, — of One > 578 Substance, Majesty, and Gloky, — very and Eternal Gou .. J III. Operations of the Holy Ghost (indispensably necessary to salvation,) stated .... 579 34. The Holy Ghost enlightens the understanding, 1 Cor. ii. 10, ) .. 12, Eph. "i. 17, 18 i 35. He unites the soul to Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. vi. 17, xii. 13 580 36. He sanctifies and renews our fallen nature, Rom. viii. 13, 2 J ,„. Cor. iii. 18, 1 Peter i. 2, 22 i 37. He governs the conduct, Rom. viii. 14, Gal. v. I6, 25 ib. 38. He seals the believer unto the day of redemption, Eph. i. 13, ) ,„„ iv. 30, Rom. viii. 14— 17 i Practical application, generally ib. ,, to Unitarians 584 N.B. — This Lecture addresses itself to Unitarianism, as professed in this place. The writer is aware that, elsewhere, there is a class of Unita- rians, who admit the Holy Ghost's Personality ; but hold him to be an inferior, not a Divine, Person. In dealing with this species of heresy, it would be unnecessary to adduce proofs of " Personality ;" the argument would be confined to " the Deity of the Holy Ghost ;" which, it is hoped, is satisfactorily established in the following pages. LECTURE IX. THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. BY THE REV. JOHN ELLISON BATES, M. A. I FIAVK YET MANY THINGS TO SAY UNTO YOU, BUT YE CANNOT BEAR THEM NOW. HOWBEIT WHEN HE, THE SPIRIT OP TRUTH, IS COME, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH : FOR HE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF; BUT WHATSOEVER HE SHALL HEAR, THAT SHALL HE SPEAK : AND HE WILL SHOW YOU THINGS TO COME. HE SHALL GLORIFY ME : FOR HE SHALL RECEIVE OF MINE, AND SHALL SHOW IT UNTO YOU. ALL THINGS THAT THE FATHER HATH ARE MINE ; THEREFORE SAID I, THAT HE SHALL TAKE OF MINE, AND SHALL SHOW IT UNTO YOU."— JoAn xvi. 12, \3, 14, 15. Such were the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to his sorrowing disciples. The time was now at hand when he must leave the world, and return unto the Father : and this announcement had filled their hearts with sorrow and grief. To cheer their drooping spirits was the object that engaged his chief concern. His own sufferings were for- gotten in the endeavour to soothe and comfort them. But, what could afford them consolation in the prospect of los- ing the presence of such a master, and the protection of such a friend ? Was it enough to show the uselessness and unreasonableness of uncontrolled grief? Was it enough to say that he loved them still, and nothing short of positive necessity could have induced him to leave them ? No ! their hearts ached with the thought of los- ing the Counsellor in all their difficulties, the Comforter in 4 A 522 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND all their troubles, and neither arguments nor assurances could fill up the aching void. Far more solid and more satisfying was the consolation he had to propose — " I go, but my place will be filled, my presence will be supplied, by another." " I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of Truth.*" This was the chord of consolation our Lord so sweetly touched : upon this one string, the coming of the Comforter, he discoursed most eloquent music. " The Comforter shall abide with you for ever. He shall dwell with you, and be in you. He shall teach, and testify, and bring to remembrance ;t ^^nd as ye have much to learn concerning me and my kingdom, which at this time ye are unable to receive, when He the Spirit of Truth is come. He will guide you into all the truth : not that he shall give any new revelation distinct from, or independent of, that which you have already heard from my lips, and received from the Word of God. His teaching will be essentially my teaching, for He shall not speak of Him- self, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak : and He will show you things to come. My person, my grace, my mercy, my love, and my glorious salvation, will be the constant theme of his instructions. J He shall glo- rify me : for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. Yes, I say He shall receive of mine, for all that the Father hath are mine, — all the attributes of Godhead are mine in union with the Father, — and when he makes known the Father's love, and mercy, and grace, to a guilty world, he will in effect make known mine. Therefore said I unto you. He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you." II Such, my brethren, being the very important part the * John xiv. 16, IT. t John xiv. 26 ; xv. 26. { Appendix, A. I| John xvi, 12—1.'). OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 523 Comforter fulfils in the economy of man's salvation, it be- comes indispensably necessary for us to know " who, or what, this Comforter is." And I am persuaded that this portion of Scripture, duly considered, will remove the opi- nion, (if such an erroneous opinion has been entertained), that the subject which is to be brought under notice this evening is nothing more than an abstruse question of spe- culative theology, neither important in itself, nor essential to the everlasting welfare of mankind. "The Deity, Personality, and Operations of the Holy Ghost," is a subject in itself' of (he utmost import- ance : for, if the Holy Ghost be God, He is the object of our love and reverence, of our adoration and worship, of our gratitude and praise. And it is likewise essential to our everlasting welfare, inasmuch as our Saviour has de- clared the operations of the Comforter to be necessary to guide us into that truth, which alone can save and sanctify the soul. For the blessing our Lord promised, and the Comforter he announced, were not limited to the indivi- duals whom he then addressed : it was a blessing which should abide with his Church until the end of the world ; a Comforter whose operations should extend even to the extremities of the earth. " He shall abide with you for ever."* " He will reprove the world of sin, of righteous- ness, and of judgment."t Did I not sincerely believe that a sound faith in the Deity and Personality of the Holy Ghost, and a genuine experience of His oj^erations on the heart, are indispensably necessary to salvation, I could not have the confidence to take up so much of your time this evening ; ])ut being deeply persuaded of the vital importance of the subject, I venture (in dependence upon the promised aid of the Spirit of God himself) to claim your most serious attention * Julin xiv. 16. t John xvi 8. 524 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND while, as a preliminary step, I state the case at issue be- tween ourselves and that class of persons designated Uni- tarians. The Trinitarian Faith concerning the Holy Ghost is given in our fifth article with so much plainness, so much precision, so much Scriptural fidelity, that it would be difficult to find words, conveying a more clear or compre- hensive statement. The first article having laid down the fundamental truth of the Unity in Trinity^ — "There is but one living and true God ; and in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the HoLY' Ghost" — the fifth proceeds with reference to the subject before us, "The Holy Ghost, pro- ceeding FROM the Father and the Son, is of ONE Substance, Majesty^, and Glory, with the Father and the Son, very' and eternal God." Here we openly and honestly declare our belief in the Deity of the Holy Ghost — " He is very and eternal God :" and we as openly and honestly declare our belief in his Personality — "proceeding from the Father and the Son" — distinct in person, but undivided in substance, — " of one substance, majesty and glory." Such is our faith. We believe the Holy Ghost to be God, a Divine Person, one of the subsistents in the incomprehensible and ever-blessed Trinity, in every respect equal to the Father and to the Son ; " for that which we believe of the glory of the Father, the same we believe of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, without any difference or inequality."* This is the doctrine our Prayer Book teaches ; and this doctrine we are prepared to defend by unanswerable arguments from the Holy Scriptures. " Communion Sorvirr. — Preface for Trinitv Sundav. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 525 On this, as on most other points, Unitarians are utterly at variance with us; but from the absence of any thing admitted to be an authorized and accredited formulary, it is not easy to state with confidence the precise nature of their faith. A process, however, by which we may arrive at something like correctness, is suggested by that enactment of the Mosaic law — " In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.^'* If the testimony of two or three of their theologians respecting the Holy Ghost agrees, the con- clusion will not have been rashly formed, that such are the sentiments of Unitarians generally. The first testimony I shall adduce is that of Dr. Priestley. He writes — '• There is very little in the Scriptures that could give any idea of the distinct per- sonality of the Holy Spirit, besides the figurative language in which our Lord speaks of the Advocate, or Comforter, as we render it, {TrapaKkrjros) that Avas to succeed him with the Apostles after his ascension. But our Lord's lan- guage is upon many occasions highly figurative ; and it is the less extraordinary, that the figure called personifi- cation should be made use of by him here, as the peculiar presence of the Spirit of God, which was to be evidenced by the power of working miracles, was to succeed in the place of a real person, viz. himself; and to be to them what he himself had been, viz. their Advocate, Comforter, and Guide. That the Apostles did not understand our Lord as speaking of a real person, at least afterwards when they reflected on his meaning, and saw the fulfil- ment of his promise, is evident from their never adopting the same language, but speaking of the Spirit as of di- vine power only."t " Dent. xix. 15 ; a Cor. xiii. I. t An History of the Corruptions of Chrirstianity. tiy .loscpli I'lit^Oov . I.L.D. F.K.S. Vol. I. see. vii. p. 88. 526 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND The next witness I shall call is Mr. Lindsey. In a note on the 28th of St. Matthew's Gospel he says — "The AjDOstle John characterizes the Spirit, or Holy Spirit, which Christ promised to his followers, as a divine person that should be with them, plead for them, and direct them, (xiv. 16, 17, 26; xvi. 7? 13, 14,) when it was nothing but the gifts of a divine power, or wisdom, which he speaks of and personifies."* The statements of these two witnesses are in such obvious agreement that it will be superfluous to produce a third. It is sufliciently clear that the light in which they regard the Holy Spirit is that of a power or influence emanating from God, and exerted by God. The question, therefore, for decision is simply this — Whether the Holy Ghost be, as we maintain. Very AND Eternal God, a Person, subsisting with the Eternal Father, and the Eternal Son, in the Unity of the Godhead ; or — whether the Holy Ghost be, as Unitarians maintain, nothing more than God's power, or influence. And how is this question to be determined ? — By the Word of God, and by the Word of God alone. By the Word of God we shall stand or fall in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ; — God's Word will be the rule of judgment then : and, as we value our souls, let God's Word be the rule of our faith now. I cannot, as a Minister (though unworthy) of the Church of England, appeal to any other authority than the authority of Scripture.t As a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, charged " to preach the Word," J I dare not ref^r this matter to any other arbitration than that of the Inspired Volume. *' To the law and to the testimony, if they * Second Address to the Students of Oxford and Cambridge, p. 17. t \'ide 6th Article. X 2 Tim. iv. 2. f OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 527 Speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no Hght in them/'* One of the writers from whom I have just quoted affects to treat arguments from Scripture with an in- difference bordering on contempt. Dr. Priestley, t in one of his controversial letters, writes — " You repeat, indeed, some hackneyed arguments from the Scriptures; but you know that I consider all arguments of that kind as sufficiently" exhausted on both sides, and, therefore, have chosen a new field of argument.^^J This is, indeed, a very summary way of silencing the only witness whose testimony can bring the question to a definitive decision ; but it betrays a weak cause, as well as advances an un- sound principle. That Scripture is capable of being misquoted, misapplied, and wrested in support of error, we are compelled by too many painful instances to admit : but are we therefore to give up the appeal to it, and have recourse to some other authority ? We have not so learnt Christ. He did not, in the hour of sharp temptation, abandon the Word of God, because Satan himself dared to appeal to Scripture, and say, " It is written." He did not leave the living oracles for Pharisaic traditions and philosophical disputations. No ! He only held the sword of the Spirit with a firmer grasp, — " Get thee hence, Satan." " It is written affain." \\ Instructed by an example so eminent, and mindful that we are about to discuss a subject, which will main- tain its infinite and everlasting importance, when this world's wisdom shall have become hke the withered grass and faded flower, we refer this question to that Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever.§ It will, therefore, be my duty and my endeavour, not so • Isaiah, viii. 20. t Priestley, in text t Priestley's Letters to the Rev. John Hawkins. || Matt. iv. 6, ;, 10. * Isaiah xl. 8 528 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND much to search for novel arguments, as to stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, Avhere is the good way, that we may walk therein, and find rest for our souls. * I design to treat the three divisions of the subject in the order already laid down. I. Prove the Deity. II. The Personality. III. State the Operations of the Holy Ghost. May that High and Holy One, of whom we are about to speak, and without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, guide us into all truth, that our " faith may not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."t I. It has been said by some who deny the Deity of the Holy Ghost, that the Scripture nowhere declares that the Holy Ghost is God. If by this is meant that the precise words " the Holy Ghost is God" are not in the Bible, we admit it : but we contend that the Bible con- tains statements equivalent, and more than equivalent, to these words. The words " The Father is God," are not to be found in the Sacred Volume, but enough is said in other words to prove Him to be so. And in like manner, I shall show that enough is said concerning the Holy Ghost to prove Him to be one of the Persons of the ever-blessed Godhead. Let us consider what method the Bible adopts for making known the Supreme Being. Does it instruct us by mere assertions ? — does it lay down certain abstract propositions concerning the essence and subsistence of the Great Jehovah ? — does it not rather lead us to an * Jer. vi. 16. t 1 Cor. ii. 5. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 529 apprehension of Ilim, by making Him known, as bearing those Names, performing those Works, possessing those Attributes, and claiming that Worship which define God- head. Take the first chapters of the Book of Genesis. The subhmc subject is not introduced to us in the form of an abstract proposition, e.g. "There is a Being, eternal and supreme, whose mode of existence is different from that of his creatures, Ijeing one God subsisting in a Trinity of Persons." No ! God is made known, first by a name expressing the plurality of persons, " In the beginning Elohim." Next our apprehension of this Supreme Being is expanded by a description of his works, " Elohim created the heaven and the earth." Then some of his attributes are exhibited. His power in making every thing, his wisdom in making every thing very good, and his goodness in blessing all that he had made, his holiness in giving a law to man, his justice in annexing a penalty to that law, his truth in pro- nouncing the threatened curse upon disobedience. And further, we are taught to regard him as the Object of worship, approving the offering of Abel, disapproving that of Cain. And our apprehension of God is derived not from mere words, but from those names, and works, and attributes, and worship, which distinguish the Great and Glorious Jehovah. The reasonableness of this method of instruction cannot be questioned. Let me appeal to any parent among you, whose pleasing office it has been to instruct the opening mind of your children — How do you teach the existence and character of God? — Not by bare as- sertion— not by abstract propositions, but by bringing within the compass of your child's understanding some description of that God with whom he has to do, — his 4 B 530 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND name — liis works — his attributes — his worship ; you teach the reverence due to his name, you speak of his works, enlarge upon his attributes, and declare him to be the object of worship. From these, and not from abstract statements, the child's mind receives its con- ception of God. This, as we have seen, is the course of instruction adopted in the commencement of the Bible, and this course I design to pursue in proof of the Deity of the Holy Ghost ; and if I show that the NAMES, the works, the attributes, and the WORSHIP, which belong to God, and define his nature and essence, are assigned to the Holy Ghost, the in- ference will be direct and undeniable that the Holy Ghost is "Very and Eternal God." And let the investigation be conducted with great seriousness and holy reverence ; for the lips of Eternal Truth have pronounced a solemn warning, lest we ^^ speak a word against the Holy Spirit.''* And if we engage to prove the Holy Spirit to be, what in reality the Holy Spirit is not ; if we endeavour to invest him ■v\ath divine honours, which are not its due ; if we presume to main- tain that He is in the fullest, and plainest, and most unqua- lified sense of the word God, when in reality it is no more than a power, or influence, what are we doing but in effect speaking against the Holy Ghost, falsifying the account which Scripture gives of this glorious and blessed Spirit ? May the Lord impose a holy restraint upon the lips, and infuse a holy reverence into the minds, of all who venture upon a subject so momentous. To proceed, then, with our proofs. I. That the names which belong to God are assigned to the Holy Ghost. The Supreme name by which God makes Himself * Matt. xii. 32. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 531 known in his Word is JEHOVAH, not unaptly called the incommunicable name, because it is never commu- nicated, or assigned, to any other than the Supreme Being. It denotes not only the eternity, and self-exist- ence, but likewise the unity of God. " That men may know that Thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth."* We beUeve the Father to be Jehovah, the Son Jehovah, and (as I am about to show) the Holy Ghost Jehovah, and yet not three Jehovahs, but one jEHOVAH.t For "Jehovah, our Elohim" (our plurality of Persons) "is one Jehovah.^J We do not presume to make divisions in the Deity, but we believe and maintain those distinctions of person which God himself has been pleased to reveal. That the name Jehovah is given to the Holy Spirit will be evident, if adopting the Apostle's rule for investigating the deep things of God we compare spiritual things with spiritual. II 1. In Numb. xiv. 11, the Israelites are said to have provoked Jehovah. "Jehovah said unto Moses, how long M-ill this people provoke me ?" According to the Prophet Isaiah, Jehovah whom they provoked was the Holy Spirit, ch. Ixiii. 10. — " But they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit." 2. In Numb. xii. 6, it is said, " If there be a Prophet among you, I Jehovah will make myself known to him." Referring to 2 Peter i. 21, we read that "prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Jehovah, therefore, who made himself known to the Prophets is the Holy Ghost. * Psalm Uxxiii. 18. t Vide Athanasiau treed. J Ueut.vi. I. I I Cor. iii. 13. The necessity of diligrent and deep investigation in examining the truths of God'3 M'ord is beautifully enforced Prov. ii. 1 — 5. 532 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND 3. In Isaiah's vision of the Lord of Hosts (chap, vi.)* the Prophet heard the divine Sjoeaker say, " Go, tell this people, hear ye indeed but understand not ;" from Acts xxviii. 25, 26, we learn who this speaker was — "Well spake the Holy' Ghost by Esaias the Prophet unto our Fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand." References might be multiplied, but these prove de- cisively that the Holy' Ghost is Jehovah. Another, name by which the Supreme Being is re- vealed in his Word is ELOHIM, a plural noun, ren- dered in our translation God. This plural noun, applied to the Godhead, is manifestly intended to convey the idea of what we call the Persons, or distinct Subsistences, in the one indivisible Godhead. Tlie peculiarity of this use of a plural noun to denote the Godhead, joined as it is repeatedly with a singular verb, prepares the mind for the truth (afterwards more fully expressed) of God's peculiar mode of existence — a Trinity of Persons in a Unity of Essence. The following references will show that the Holy Ghost is Elohim, God. 4. In Jer. xxiii. 23, 24, the Lord appeals — " Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him ? saith the Lord : Do not I fill heaven and earth ? saith the Lord." The same question is asked in very nearly the same words in Ps. cxxxix. 7? S- — " Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from * The glory, manifested in this vision is shown to be the glory of the Father by Rev. iv. 8 ; and of the Son, John xii. 41 ; and of the Holy Ghost Acts xxviii. 26 ; — three Persons manifested in one and the same glory. So Scriptural is the statement of the Athanasian Creed — "The Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one : the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal." OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 533 thy presence ?* If I ascend up into heaven, TJiou" (not thine influence, but Thou Tliyself) " art there : If I make my bed in hell, Tnou art there," &c. Thus where the Spirit is present, God himself is present; conse- quently the Spirit is God. 5. Referring to 2 Samuel xxiii. 2, 3, we find it writ- ten, "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me." Here are three names: the Spirit of the Lord, the God of Israel, and the Rock of Israel; and you must cither understand by them, that three Divine Persons spoke, or apply the three names to the one Speaker. If you adopt the former interpretation, the doctrine of the Trinity is admitted : if the latter, you must give to the Spirit the name of the God of Israel. In the Septuagint, (a translation of the Hebrew Scrip- tures into Greek, completed more than two hundred years before the birth of our Saviour,) Eloiiim is rendered ©€os, — the word used in the New Testament to designate GOD. The following are two, among many, instances of this name God being given in the New Testament to the Holy Ghost. 6. St. Paul asks the Corinthians, 1 Cor. iii. IG, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwellcth in you." Here the Proprietor of this temple is God, the Inhabitant the Spirit of God. But, 1 Cor. vi. 19, the Holy Ghost is declared to be * " From thy pi-eseucc." The original word is even still more forcible in establishing our conclusion that " Where the Spirit is present, God himself is present:" it might be rendered "from thy person." It is' the same expression as that translated 2 Samuel xvii. 11. "thine own person." Conf. Simonis Lexicon in voce nJ3- 'I- I'ln-sona, ut gra.'ce, TrpuacoTTOV, hinc cum affixis ''23 persona mra h. e. fijo praiseue "^^JH) persona iua h. e. iu preesens. 534 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND the Proprietor — " What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?" and in 2 Cor. vi. 16, God Himself is declared to be the Inhabitant, "as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them." Let me beg you to mark well the combined testimony of these parallel statements, the Proprietor is God, and that God is the Holy Ghost, the Inhabitant is the Spirit of God, and that Spirit of God is the living* God Himself. 7. Again, Zacharias, in the inspired song recorded Luke i. 68, 70, sings to this effect, that " the Lord God of Israel .... spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began." But the Apostle Peter, 2 Pet. i. 21, informs us that these holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. If there is any consistency in the Insjiired Scriptures, the conclusion is self-evident that the Holy Ghost is the Lord God of Israel. A third name is ADONAI, Lord, (distinguished in our Bible from Jehovah, by being printed in the smaller character), a title sometimes given to inferior beings : but when joined with Jehovah, and rendered the Lord God, can be applicable to none but the one glorious God. 8. In Ezek. viii. 1, it is said " The hand of Adonai Jehovah fell there upon me ;" in 3d verse the inspired writer explains who this was, for he says, " the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem." In the conclusion of this, and the suc- ceeding chapter, we find the Prophet still attended by this same Divine Person, before whom (ix. 8,) he falls down pjostrate, invoking him by the title of Adonai Jehovah. This Scripture then furnishes an instance * The context from which the last of these references is taken is " for ye are the temple of the living God ; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them : and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 535 of the Spirit being worshipped by the name Adonai Jehovah. But, not to tire you \vith more references than is need- ful, I will only further refer to Ps. Ixxviii. 17, 22. In this portion of Scripture, a title is made use of which unquestionably belongs to the Supreme God. It is Eleon, Most High,* and well does the name become the Di\nne Majesty; for let us apply to Him all the names we can. He will be infinitely above every name, and eter- nally transcend our highest conceptions. 9. In the Psalm referred to we read, — " The Israehtes provoked the Most High in the wilderness, — they tempted El (God) in their heart, — yea, they spake against The Eloiiim, — therefore Jehovah was wroth, — because they believed not in The Elohim." To any one, who reads the passage attentively, it will appear as e^ddent as language can make it, that these several titles, Jehovah, El, Elohim, Eleon, i. e. Lord, God, God (denoting plurality of persons,) Most High; belong to one and the same Being. Do you ask avho this Being is ? We have it established by the testimony of three unexceptionable witnesses, that it was the Holy Spirit. Isaiah (Ixiii. 10,) declares that this provocation of the Israehtes was against the Holy Spirit, — "They rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit.^' The martyr Stephen says, that "they resisted the Holy Ghost, Acts vii. 51. And the Apostle to the Hebrews, (iii. 7, 9,) gives additional confir- mation by declaring, that it is the Holy Ghost who saith, "Your Fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw MY works, forty years." * When Melchisedec blessed Abram, he employed this supreme title " EL ELEON," to cxprcss the Divine Majesty. " Blessed be Abram of the Mo.st High God, possessor of heaven and earth." — Gen. xiv. 19. 536 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND Thus we see that the supreme names Jehovah, God, Lord God, Most High God, are in both Old and New Testaments given to the Holy Ghost. Here we must pause, and encounter the objections brought against this part of our argument. Obj. — With reference to the name Jehovah, it is argued, that the use of it does not prove the Holy Ghost to be God, because this name is, in Scripture, apphed to created things. An altar is called Jehovah-Nissi, or Jehovah-Jireh, or Jehovah-Shalom, and a city is called Jehovah-Shammah.* And again, — It is objected that the name " God" is given to persons inferior to the Divine Being ; as to Moses, when the Lord said, " I have made thee a God to Pharoah,^^t and in the Psalms it is written, " I have said ye are Gods, but ye shall all die like men.'' J Ans. — But a moment's reflection will show that the cases are not parallel. In the passages we have adduced, (and many more might be added), the titles of Jehovah, God, Lord God, and Most High, are given to the Holy Ghost in an absolute and unqualified sense : whereas in the passages brought in objection, the expressions are mo- dified by the context. It is obvious to common sense, that if an inanimate object, such as an altar, or city, is called Jehovah-Nissi, or Jehovah-Shammah, it must be metaphorically ; — and common sense would teach that if Moses was made a God, the name could not be then used of the true God : or if the Gods were to die like men, the signification must be modified. § While, on the other hand, common sense will no less teach that Jehovah whom the Israelites provoked, (1.) — - Jehovah of Hosts who, sent Isaiah to the people, (3.) — * J^xod. xvii. 15 ; Gen. xxii. 14 ; Judges \\. 24 ; Ezck. xlviii. 35. t Exod. vii. 1. % Psalm Ixxxii. C, 7. refer to the corre»pondinp .Sections, t Ps. xc. 2. 540 THE DEITYj PERSONALITY, AND assigns to the Holy Spirit the attribute of Eternity, calUng him "the Eternal Spirit." — Heb. ix. 14. Obj. — I must here notice an objection. In John \\\. 39, it is said, "The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified," and it has been argued from the word ''^ given ^^ not being in the original, that the passage taken simply disproves the eternity of the Spirit, "The Holy Ghost was not yet." Ans. — What, then, are we to understand from those passages of Scripture, in which the existence of the Spirit previous to the time referred to by the Evangelist, is again and again declared. The Spirit spoke by the Prophets ; * the Spirit led Christ into the Wilderness, f By the Spirit He cast out devils. J All this is antecedent to the time, with reference to which St. John said, " the Holy Ghost was not yet." Our translators, therefore, judged rightly in determining that the expression referred not to the existence, but to the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost. § 14. Omnipresence, as we have already seen, is another attribute of the Holy Ghost : " Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold. Thou art there." || The Spirit of Je- hovah fills heaven and earth ; nor is it a valid objection, that the Spirit j^ sometimes said to descend, or to depart ; * 2 Pet. i. '-^I^^H + Lulvc iv. 1. X Matt. xii. 28. § The same explana^B must be given of the exjiression made use of by the Ephesian converts, filts xLx. 2. " We have not so much as heard whether there be any H6IM3host," That is, any extraordiuarij manifesta- tion of the Huhj Ghont. Having been baptized unto John's baptism, they could not be ignorant of tlie Holy Ghost's existence ; for all the four Evan- gelists relate that the doctrine of the Holy Ghost formed a prominent feature in the Baptist's teaching. Matt. iii. 11. Mark i. 8. Luke iii. IG. John i. 32, 33. il Ps. c.\xxi.\. 7, ^. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 541 for the same thing is occasionally affirmed of Jehovah ; who, it must be admitted, is present every where : tliough he does not every where manifest his presence. 15. Omnipotence is another attribute of the Godhead, which the Holy Ghost possesses in union mth the Father and the Son. He is Almighty. He can do all things. This has, in effect, been proved, under the consideration of his works ; for he who is the author of Creation, Providence, and Resurrection, must be possessed of Omni- potence. If He does the works of omnipotence, we must believe him to be Omnipotent, "for the very works sake."* 16. To mention but one more of the divine attributes — the property of knowing all things. Omniscience, is pe- culiar to God. The possession of this attribute by the Holy Spirit is implied in words already quoted — " Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His Coun- sellor, hath taught Him ? With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him."t And the fact of his having inspired the Prophets to foretell events many years before their accomplishment, involves the same truth. But no language can more distinctly assert the Omni- science of the Holy Spirit than that of St. Paul, 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11. "The Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him, even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." The deep things of God are unfathomable, to be compre- hended only by Him whose understanding is infinite, and who is as conversant with the deepest things of God as a man is with the thoughts of his own mind. The Spirit, therefore, must be the Omniscient God, for he searches the dee]) things of God. A man is acquainted with the * Job sx&iii. 1. t Isaiah xl. 13, 14. 542 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND thoughts and workings of his own mind by self-conscious- ness ; and by self-consciousness the Spirit knows the deep things of God, and this is Omniscience in perfection. Obj. — We are told in objection that this expression " searches," instead of proving, rather refutes the Om- niscience and Deity of the Spirit, for " to search" implies previous ignorance. Ans. — This, however, is not the case ; " searching," as applied to God, denotes the perfection, not the imper- fection, of knowledge. God searched David, because He possessed such perfect knowledge of him, that He knew his very thoughts long before ;* and thus this property of " searching*^ is declared to be one of the distinguishing characteristics of Jehovah — " I the Lord search the heart."t Wherefore to search the deep things of God is a proof of Omniscience. If then the attributes of eternity, omnipresence, om- nipotence, omniscience, are perfections which belong to the Divine Nature, proving the possessor of them to be God, then we conclude that He, Who is emphatically "the eternal Spirit," (13.) — Whose presence pervades the universe, (14.) — Whose omnipotent power is displayed in creation, providence, and raising the dead, (15.) — andWhose infinite knowledge is proved by his searching all things, yea the deep things of God, (16.) — must, without controvers)^, be acknowledged to be "Very and Eternal God." IV. Here let us indulge in the supposition, (and God grant it may prove no groundless supposition), that the mind has been impressed by the truths which have been recommended to your consideration — let us suppose that the value of our proofs from the names, the works, and the attributes assigned to the Holy Ghost, has been admitted, * Ps. oxsxix. 1,2. t Jer. xvii. 10. n.) (U.) (15.) (16.)- These numbers refer to the corresponding Sections. OPERATIONS OF THE IJOLY GHOST. 543 the question might very reasonably arise — " If the Holy Ghost be God, where is his worship? God claims the worship of his creatures. Does Scripture authorize the worship of the Holy Ghost?" We reply, the Word of God not merely authorizes, it enjoins the offering of divine worship to the Holy Ghost. Is not a positive injunction to worship contained in our blessed Saviour's command that all nations should be baptized, " in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."* Baptism is the rite of admittance into the Christian Church, the Sacrament in which, when rightly received,t the Lord on his part " pours His Spirit upon our seed, and his blessing upon our offspring," and they on their part, (or their sureties in their behalf), ^^ subscribe with their hand unto the Lord, and surname themselves by the name of Israel." J The baptized takes the Lord to be his God, and gives himself to the Lord to be His servant. If this solemn and sacred ordinance means any thing, it denotes submission to the authority, dedication to the service, and dependance upon the Word, of Him in whose name we are baptized; in token of wliich submission, dedication, and dependance, prayer is an accompaniment of the ordinance. " Be baptized," said Ananias to Saul, " calling upon the name of the Lord."§ Upon what name then should we call, but upon that in which we are baptized, ^^ The Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost?" And to whose authority do we submit ? To whose service are we dedicated ? Upon whose Word do we avow our dependance, but His in whose name we are baptized ? Divine worship is submission, dedi- cation, and dependance, expressed: therefore, the ordinance which involves these does in effect enjoin divine worship : * Matt, xxviii. 19. + Sec 'j;tli Article, " tlu-v tliut receive baptism rightly." i Isaiah, xliv. 3, 5. ^ Acts xxii. l6. 544 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND and if Baptism in the name of the Father binds us to worship Him, no less does Baptism in the name of the Holy Ghost bind us to worship Him. As long, therefore, as our blessed Lord^s institution is in force, commanding all nations to be baptized " in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," (to secure the un- ceasing observance of which he promised — "Lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world")* so long must the Holy Ghost be acknowledged and ho- noured as the Object of divine worship. " Thy vows are upon me, O God : I will render praises unto thee."t Ohj. — It has been urged in objection, that if we be baptized in the Mediator's name, and the Mediator be both God and man, then we are baptized in the name of God and a creature : consequently baptism in the name of a creature is admissible, and, therefore, this institution affords no proof that the Holy Ghost is God. Ans. — But where do we read of being baptized in the name of a Mediator ? Our Lord's words prevent such misapprehension : he says not, " In the name of the Fa- ther and in my name" — (my mediatorial name) — but " In the name of the Father and of the Son" — the only begotten Son, co-essential, co-eternal, and co-equal, with the Father and the Holy Ghost. The objection, therefore, being raised upon false premises, falls to the ground, and leaves our proof that divine worship is due to the Holy Ghost unshaken. J 18. The Sacrament of Baptism is by no means our sole authority on this point. In the 95th Psalm we are invited, " To come and worship, and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker" — and this invita- tion is followed by a warning from Him who claims our worship, not to tempt him and provoke him as the * Matt, xxviii. 19, •-'(). i I's. Ivi. 12. X Appenilix, C. OPERATION'S OF THE HOLY GHOST. 545 Israelites had done in the wilderness. Now it appears from passages already referred to,* that the Holy Ghost is the Lord whom the Israelites provoked and tempted, and these words of warning are shown to be the words of the Holy Ghost. He, therefore, is the Lord our Maker, before whom, with the Fatlier and the Son, we are invited to fall down, and kneel, and worship. Divine worship consists of Prayer, Praise, and Reli- gious Service ; and these we are taught to offer to the Holy Ghost. 19. Prayer. — "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the har- vest" (said our blessed Saviour) "that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."t From the 13th of the Acts we learn that the Holy Ghost is that Lord of the harvest who sends forth labourers — "The Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where- unto / have called them. And when they" — the other Apostles — "had fasted and prayed," (doubtless to the Lord of the harvest who was sending forth these la- bourers,) " and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." J Prayer constitutes such an important part of divine worship, that I regret time will not permit me to pursue this part of the subject at greater length. But I refer you to Acts iv. 24, 25—1 Thess. iii. 12, 13—2 Thess. iii. 5, and Rev. i. 4.§ 20. Praise. — We pass on to Praise. Bearing in mind the inspired application of the 95th Psalm to the Holy Ghost, II we have at once an injunction to "come before His presence with thanksgiving, and to show ourselves glad in Him with psalms." To the Holy Ghost, therefore, in conjunction with the Father and Son, are our praises to • Isainli Ixiii. 10 ; Acts vii. SI ; Hoh. iii. 7 — {). See Sect. (). tMatt. ix. 27. { Acts xiii. 2, 3. ^ Appendix, D. 1; Sec Sect. g. 4 D ■ »4() TIIK ])K1TY, PERSONALITY, AND be offered ; nor can we do better tlian imitate the praises of the angeHc hosts, who cry before Him, who spake to the Prophet Isaiah, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory /^* 21. Religious Service. — Another part of divine worship is Rehgious Service. " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him onhj shalt thou serve/'t But it was to the Holy Ghost that Barnabas and Saul yielded religious ser- vice, when they instantly obeyed his command, and went forth to the work, to which He "had called them." J Did not the Apostles, and Elders, and brethren, at Jerusalem, acknowledge the authority, and recommend obedience to the service, of the same Divine Being, when they issued their decree to the Churches ? — " It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost and to usj" — to us acting under His authority. § And did not the Apostle of the Gentiles yield Him continual service, when he was governed by the Holy Spirit's directions where he should preach, || and where he should not preach, the Gospel ? ^ If then any -weight is to be attributed to the fact, that the Holy Ghost, in conjunction with the Father and the Son, is honoured with divine worship : If baptism in His name, (17.) — if the exhortation to come, and fall down, and kneel before Him, (IS.) — if our Saviour's direction to pray, and the practice of the Apostles in offering prayer, (19.) — if the invitation to praise Him with thanksgiving, (20.) — and the example of holy men in serving Him Avith obedi- ence, (21.) — if these things are proofs of Deity, then must we acknowledge the Holy Ghost to be "Very AND Eternal God." And here we close our argument in proof of the Deity * Is. vi. 3, 9. compared with Actsxxviii. 25. t Matt. iv. 10. i Acts xiii. 2— J. ^ .^^cts xv. 2S. II Acts XX. 22, 23. f Acts xvi. f>, ;. '17.) (18.) (19.) (20.) (21.) — Tlipse numbers refer to the corresponding Sections. OPERATIONS OK 111 K H01>Y ('.HOST. 54/ of the Holy Ghost. We have been deaUng with truths which need no garnishing to set them off. I would simply ask, — Do you admit the Sacred Volume to be the produc- tion of inspiration ? Do you acknowledge all its several parts to be the work of one and the same Divine Author ? Do you set your seal to the fact, that holy men of old, — speaking indeed " at sundry times and in divers manners," — yet spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost ? If you acknowledge this — if you allow the Canonical Scrip- tures to be in very truth (what they claim to be) "the Word of God," then you cannot resist our conclusion, — for we have fairly, and faithfully, compared one part of God's testimony with another, and the result of the investigation is. The names, the works, the attributes, and THE worship, which DEFINE DEITY, BELONG TO THE HOLY GHOST. In answer to all this, the Unitarian replies, — "We admit that these Scriptures prove Deity, but not the Deit)"^ of the Holy Spirit: they belong to the Father, who, in these passages, is described as acting by that divine power, or influence, technically called his Holy Spirit; and, therefore, aU we allow from them is, "that He, who exerts the power called the Holy Spirit, is God." The tendency of this plausible, but unsupported objection, is to transfer the burden of the argument to the question of the Holy Spirit's Personality ; i. e. to the question, — whether the Holy Ghost be really a Person in the God- head, or only a power emanating from God. We do not for a moment admit either the force or the fairness of the objection ; for if we retraced the ground over which we have just been passing, it would be seen that most of our proofs supply arguments for the Personality, as well as for the Deitv, of the blessed Comforter. But so liberal Iv 548 THE UEn Y, PERSONALITY, AND has Scripture furnished evidence on hoth these topics, that we are wiUing to pass on to the second division of our subject. 11. The Personality of the Holy' Ghost. And here I must be allowed to clear the ground, pre- paratory to raising the structure of our argument, by a few preliminary remarks. Remark 1. — First let us inquire, "what is meant by a Person ?" By a person, when we speak of creatures, we mean a voluntar}^, intelligent agent ; but when we speak of God, a Person is one single Subsistent in the Godhead, possessed of understanding and will, and a power of dis- tinct operation. Am I required to explain, how there can be Three distinct Persons in One undivided Essence ? I hesitate not to acknowledge, I can not explain. Am I challenged to point out some object within the whole cir- cumference of creation, to which we may compare, and by which understand, this mysterious subsistence of the Creator? I dare not accept the challenge; for the In- finite Jehovah bids defiance to all comparison : — " To whom will ye hken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like."* But what does our inability to render an explanation, or discover a comparison of this mystery prove, but that the Lord Jehovah is Infinite, and Incomprehensible ? If "unsearchable are Yi\s judg- ments, and His ways past finding out,"t bow much more so their Divine Author. Truth can never depend on our ability to explain it. A little child receives many things as true, on the credit of the parent, but can neither ex- plain nor understand them. He reasons thus : — " My father says such is the case : he knows better than I : he * Isiiiah xlvi. 5. Ibid. xl. 17 — 25. Deut. iv. 15. t Rom. xi. 33. OPERATIONS OF TIIK HOLY GHOST. 549 would not deceive me ; and upon his word, I believe it to be SO." True, there is much disparity between the intel- lect of the child and that of the parent, still there is some proportion ; but what proportion can there be between the most cultivated mind of the most intellectual amonar men, and the infinite, incomprehensible mind of God. " It is He that sitteth on the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers."* Let me, then, intreat you to dismiss from your minds all prejudice against this truth, upon the ground that we are not able, either by comparison or explanation, to bring all infini- tude within the compass of a finite understanding. Our wisdom is to assume the posture of devout attention to the oracles of God's Holy Word, and to allow Jehovah to make his own revelation of Himself. Remark 2. — I would further observe, that in some Uni- tarian writings, the expressions " Spirit" and '^ Holy Spirit" are introduced in such a way as might lead the reader to imagine that Unitarians do not, after all, differ so much from us ; but, upon examination, it will be found that there is an immeasureable distance between our sen- timents and theirs. We hold the Holy Spirit to be a voluntary and intelligent Agent, with a will of His own, to act and to do — in union with the Father and the Son — ac- cording to his good pleasure. They (as we have already seen) conceive the Holy Spirit to be a mere power, or influence, put in action at the will of Another, and only personalized by idioms of speech. In order, therefore, to guard against any such in- distinctness, I must further premise, that we admit that this Divine Person is sometimes spoken of figuratively : for example, he is invoked in the Song of Solomon, — " Awake O north wind, and come thou south,"t &c. Here * Isaiuh xl. 22. t Sol. Song, iv. 16. Also Ezck. xxxvii. 9. 550 THE DEITY, I'EUSOXALITY, AND is a prayer to the Holy Spirit, clothed in figurative language. But the point on which we insist is this, that the occasional use of a figure does not disprove His per- sonahty, any more than the application of figurative language to Christ can disjirove his being a person. Would it be rational to conclude that because the Saviour speaks of himself figuratively, as the Door, the Way, the Vine, that, therefore, he is not a person ? By no means. And why not ? Because though spoken of figuratively in some places, there are other parts of Scripture which establish his personahty. In the same manner the Holy Ghost is sometimes spoken of figura- tively, but not always; I shall adduce many passages, and there are many more which I shall not have time to adduce, in which the Holy Ghost is described as a Person, without any figure. Remark 3. — And yet, further, we admit that the terms " Spirit," and " Holy Spirit," or « Holy Ghost," do some- times denote, not the Person, but the operations and influ- ences of the Holy Ghost;* as, when it is said, "the Spirit is poured out," " baptized with the Spirit," " I will take of the Spirit that is upon thee."t We allow that the operations and influences of the Holy Spirit are here intended, but his personality is not on this account questionable; because elsewhere such things are predicated of him as cannot be understood otherwise than on the presumption of his being a divine Person. A clear perception of the right bearing of the question is de- sirable, in order that it may be seen, whether Unitarian writers in their answers fairly grapple with the substance, or merely beat aljout the shadow, of our arguments. Let it, therefore, be distinctly understood that the question * See Pearson on the Creed, art. viii. p. 463, edit. 1832. t Joelii. 28. Acts i. 5. Numb. xi. 1/. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY fillOST. 551 now before us, is not whether passages may not be brought forward which denote the operations and in- fluences of the Spirit, and, therefore, do not estabhsh the point; but whether, besides these, there are not numerous portions of Scripture which do positively and unanswerably establish the Holy Spirit's Personality. I must claim your indulgence while I endeavour, by a familiar illustration, to exhibit the position in which the question stands. Suppose you have placed in your hands a volume, which, on examination, is found to treat (and to treat very rationally) of various subjects of natural science, such as astronomy, botany, horticulture. And suppose further, that a friend who had read the volume were to contend, that according to this book there was no such thing as a sun in the heavens ; inas- much as the writer used the term "sun'' to denote the light, the warmth, the influence of the sun ; as for instance, "plants should be placed in the sun, — more or less sun should be admitted." Being acquainted with the con- tents, you might reply — *' I admit that in some instances our author does employ such a mode of speech ; but I can point out numerous parts of the same volume, in which his sentiments on this subject are plain and posi- tive, and wdthout figure; and these clearly prove that he does maintain the existence of that great luminary, from which light, and warmtl), and genial influence proceed." You perceive, then, my brethren, that upon the plain and positive statements the whole weight of the question under dispute would rest. Nor would it be an answer to the point, if your opponent only pro- duced some other instances of the same form of ex- pression, "giving more or less sun," &c. The occurrence of such terms in some parts of the writings would be no valid argument against the fact of the sun's existence, 552 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND stated plainly and positively in otliers. Yet, under the disguise of some well-turned sentences, this kind of reasoning might be made to wear a very plausible ap- pearance. Our arguments, tlierefore, will not be an- swered, by showing that in Scripture usage, the term " Holy Spirit" sometimes means the gifts, and operations, and influences of the Spirit. Unitarians have to show that such is the meaning always-, not bring forward Scriptures which we admit do not by themselves prove personahty, but confute those Scriptures which we maintain do prove it. We have heard of a prisoner at the bar, who by way of refuting the evidence of a witness swearing positively to a fact, offered to produce others, who knew nothing about the matter. In this solemn and sacred cause we are about to make a series of positive statements : let these witnesses, if it be possible, be convicted of perjury ; but let not the question be obscured by the producing, as witnesses, passages which do not touch the positive evidence on the matter in hand. I will proceed now to our Scripture proofs ; and inas- much as our object is not display of talent, but the demon- stration of truth, let me crave the continued exertion of that close attention which the subject requires. I. Bearing in mind that the properties which define personality are understanding, will, and the power of dis- tinct operation, let us revert to the Scripture, which I have taken as my text. 22. Again I Avould remind you of the occasion on which the words v.'ere uttered. It was on that mournful night, when our Lord Jesus, bidding farewell to his sor- rowing disciples, soothed their troubled hearts, and stilled their rising fears, with the promise of another Com- forter. If ever there was an occasion when plain and OPERATION'S OK THE HOLY GHOST. 553 perspicuous language was needful, it was now. If ever subject required to be expressed in positive and unam- biguous terms, it was tbis — tins promise of tbe Comforter — upon tbe fulfilment of wbicb tbeir comfort and the Cburcb's stability were made to depend. Listen once more to what our Divine Master tben said of tbis heavenly Comforter: "Hovvbeitwhen He, tbe Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth : for He shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak : and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify me : for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you."* Here acts are attributed to the Holy Spirit, which must determine his Personality — acts most strongly characteristic of a Person — a Person, too, distinct from the Father and the Son. He guides into the truth : He hears, and the things he hears, he speaks. He glorifies ; he receives, and what he receives, he shows. Surely these are actions which proceed from intelligence, understanding, and will. Hearing, and speaking the things heard ; receiving, and showing the things received, involve a mental process, such as can be exercised only by a voluntary, intelligent agent. But mark the absurdi- ties which attend the opinion that the Holy Spirit is no more than a power, or influence. This power hears, and what this power hears, " He," the power, speaks ; this power receives, and what this power receives, " He" the power, shows. We can call it nothing less than absurd, to attribute to a mere power, or influence, the operations of an intelligent mind : operations, too, which may be distinguished from those of the Father, and the Son. That the Spirit's operations are distinct from the opera- tions of the Son, needs no proof; for Christ describes him * .lohii xvi. i;t. H. 4 E 554 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND as another Comforter ; and that these operations are dis- tinct from the operations of the Father, is also evident; for how can it be said that the Father speaks, but not of himself, when he does all things of himself? How can the Father receive y?'om himself, the Father? There must be a distinction between the receiver and the person from whom he receives. The fact, therefore, of the Spirit's showing what he has received from the Father, deter- mines most plainly his distinct Personality. And thus my text not only establishes the Personality of the Spirit, but it also supplies a direct refutation of the Unitarian objection, that the ''^Holy Spirit'' is only the divine poiver of the Father figuratively personified, inas- much as the distinction between the person of the Father, and the person of the Spirit, is pointedly exhibited. For to receive from another, must argue Being in the receiver; and an evident distinction from the Person, from whom he receives; and the very possibility of the Comforter speaking, and not speaking of Himself , must imply the certainty of his Being and Identity, as distinguished from the Father and the Son. II. Again, the real Personahty of the Holy Ghost is marked by the use of the Masculine personal pronoun « He." 23. Readers of the Greek Testament must admit, (un- less prejudice has impaired their classical knowledge,) that the language employed by our blessed Saviour on this occasion is strongly indicative of personality. Even in our translation, the use of the pronoun "He,'^ instead of " it" leads to this conviction ; but in the original the expression is still more forcible; for this reason, — the word Uvev/jba, " Spirit," is of the neuter gender, and when joined to an adjective, or pronoun, requires thern OrERATIONS OF TUB HOLY ClIOST. 55.T to be put in the neuter gender also.* From this ordinary- usage the Divine Speaker again and again departs, and instead of using the neuter pronouns "it — that thiny — that power," he employs the most emphatic word the Greek language supplies for the purpose, the demonstrative jironoun in the masculine gender, eKelvos, ^' that person.'' The combination of the masculine pronoun eKelvos, "He — that person," with the tieutei' substantive nrvevf^a, is an idiom so remarkable,t that its force in establishing per- sonahty must be admitted by an un1)iassed mind.J 24. Also, in several of those passages to which I have already referred, the pronouns which denote personality, as " I — me — my," are applied to the Holy Ghost. "Whom • " Adjectives, adjective-pronouns and participles, are governed properly in gender and number, Ijy the sulistantives, with which they are put as epithets, or predicates, or to which they are rcfi-rrcd." — Miitthia: Grammar, Sec. 43-1. t The original runs thus -.—^OTav 8e '^Xdrj eKeiVOS, TO TTVeVfia T>}s (iXrjdelas, 68T}yi]a6i vfias els iraaav rrjv a\i]6eiav ' 6v yap Xa\})cr€t d(f) eavrov, uXh! oaa av tiKovari \aXi]aei,, koI ra €p')(oixeva uvcvyyeXh v[uv ' eKelvos ifJ^e So^daei otl e/c rou Cfiov Xij^lrerat,, koI dvayyeXei Vfilv. This usage is thus explained, Matt/lice, Sec. 434. " From this rule," (the rule given above), "there are many deviations in Greek writers : — They refer an adjective &c. to the sub- stantive only in ifs sense, and put it in the gender which is implied in the substantive, though this last should have a different grammatical gender." Hence the pronoun eKelvos, though referring to a neuter substantive, is put in the Masculine gender, because the gender implied in the substantive is Masculine; in other words, because TTVeVfia signifies a person, not a ihiTiff. J The masculine pronoun is repeatedly used in reference to the Holy Spirit in these three chapters: — "John xiv. 2G. CKelvos. xv. 27. eKelvos. xvi. 7. dvTov, Q. eKelvos. 13. eKelvos 11. eKelvos. The occasional use of IIapaK\7]T0S, a masculine noun, does not warrant this departure from the ordinary syntactical arrangement ; for upon the presumption that TrapaKXrjTOS signified a t/iing, the change (if any) would, according to the usual idiom, have been directly the reverse, a neuter pronoun after a masculine noun. So Matthiie Gram. sec. 439. — " Demonstrative pronouns are often not in the gender of the substantive to which they refer, but in the neuter, provided the idea of the substantive in the abstract be considered generally as a fMng or matter." 556 THE DEITY, I'EUSONAEITY, AND shall / send ?"* — " They tempted mc, i:)roved me, and saw my works" — Ps. xcv. 9; Heb. iii. ^ , 9. What shall we say to these things ? What other co nstruction can be put upon them, than that the Spirit to whom these per- sonal characters "lie — I — me — and my," are applied, is in reality a Person ? III. The Feelings and Affections which define Person- ality are attributed to the Holy Spirit. 25. He is described as being vexed by the Israelites ;t and we have seen in Scriptures already quoted, that the Holy Spirit was temptedX and provoked\^ in the wilder- ness. The Apostle Peter charged Ananias and Sapphira with agreeing together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord ; § and St. Paul exhorts the Ephesians not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whereby they were sealed unto the day of redemption.^ The same Apostle also beseeches the Chris- tians of Rome " for the love of the Spirit,"** an expres- sion which exactly corresponds to that, Rom. xii. 1. — " I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God."tt If God must be admitted to be a Person to exercise mercy, must not the Spirit be admitted to be a Person to entertain love ? What, I would ask, are we to understand by a Power's love ? Blessed be God ! we can under- stand a Person's love to our souls, but the love of a Power is past comprehension. Or, what is the meaning of grieving, and tempting, and vexing, oxid provoking a power, or influence ? The attempt to bring these statements of Scripture to a clear and definite meaning, upon Unitarian principles, entangles the mind in absurdities too flagrant * Is;uali. vi. 8, ;y «7«7r//y rov TLrcv[xaros—hLu ion' oiKTipiion' rov Geov. OI'KIIATIONS 01-' THE HOLY GHOST. OJ/ to need refutation. It is obvious that the feelings and affections of a person are attributed to the Holy Spirit, in order to convey the idea of his real PersonaUty. IV. Again-: The Properties and Powers which be- long to a Person, are attributed to the Holy Ghost, such as understanding, mind, and will. 26. That He has Understanding is proved from 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11, already quoted, — "The Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God." To search the deep things of God is an exercise of understanding, the most perfect that can be imagined ; and the possession and exercise of understanding is a proof of Personahty defying all refutation. The only mode of evading its force is to say, that the Spirit of God here means God the Father Himself. But the context rejects this subtle in- terpretation. It is wTitten, — " God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit" (mark the distinc- tion between the Spirit and God,) "searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." If, according to our objector, the Father himself were the Searcher, it would be, — " He searches all things, yea. His own deep things." But a marked distinction is made between the Persons, and therefore we cannot admit that when it is said, ^' the Spirit searclies," whence we conclude that He pos- sesses understanding, it means no more than that God the Father searches, and consequently possesses under- standing. Let any one read the whole of the passage, and say whether, when taken fairly, and in its full bear- ing, it does not exhibit the Holy Spirit, in his distinct Personality, possessed of the property and powers of understanding. 27. Another property predicated of the Holy Ghost is " Mind ," the possession of which indicates an intelli- gent and voluntary agent. Such, therefore, the Holy 558 THE UEITY, PERSONALITY, AND Ghost is proved to be by Rom. viii. 27. " And he that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." It is trifling with Scripture to have recourse again to the same kind of objection, and to say, that the ^'mind" of the Spirit means nothing else than the mind of God the Father — because the Searcher of hearts who knows, and the Spirit whose mind he knows, would then be one and the same Person — in other words, there would be no distinction between the person who knows, and the person whom he knows — which is absurd. The distinction is so plainly marked, that this passage might well set the whole question of the Holy Spirit's real Per- sonality at rest. 28. Besides understanding and mind, the Holy Spirit is possessed of the personal property of Will. We have already had proof of this in his command to the Church at Antioch, " Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them."* This was the command of the Holy Ghost Himself; and a command is the will expressed. The interposition of the Holy Spirit in the go- vernment of the Church was no isolated, or unusual cir- cumstance. That He exercised an intelligent and deliberate superintendence over the Church during the Mosaic dis- pensation, is evident from Heb. ix. 8, — where the Apostle states that He intended a significant meaning in all the tabernacle service : for having described the appoint- ments of the sanctuary, the Inspired Writer proceeds, '^'The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all Avas not yet made manifest." Whence we learn that the services of the Jewish Church were ap- pointed by the Holy Ghost, who intended them to convey a significant meaning. His superintendence also over the OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 559 Christian Church is described very largely in 1 Cor. xii. ; where all the various gifts, Avitli which the church is en- riched, are declared to be distributed by the Holy Spirit : "All these worketh that oxe and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He ivill ;" the word* is emphatic, it signifies " to make a deliberate choice, or pre- ference." And if the Spirit is capable of exercising deli- berate choice, or preference, must he not of necessity be possessed of ivill, with understanding and mind to direct the determination of that will ? The manner in which Scripture harmonizes with Scripture, and statement sup- ports statement, conduces to throw additional light on the subject. Can more be required in proof that the Holy Ghost possesses understanding, mind, and loill, which are the properties and powers of an intelligent Person ? v. The Actions of a Person are performed by the Holy Ghost. 29. Possessing, as he does, properties and powers, we may reasonably look for the performance of personal actions. And on this head we might refer to the Word of God very largely; — but not to occupy your time with references to Scriptures, which will readily occur to your own minds, it will suffice to say that He hears,t He speaks,t He testi- fies,§ He teaches, II He comforts,^ He commands,** He brings to remembrance,tt He makes intercession, J J (an act which distinguishes Him from the Father,) He guides * BuvXerai. See ScUleusner on the word ^OvXofMac. '' Deliberato consUio aliquid volo, cupio, decerno. Plus enim involvit l3ov\ofjiai quam ©eXci), Hoc enim est simpliciter ?'o/o, illud considerate, re prius deliberatd volo, post aliquam deliberationem in animum induco, adeoque finniter, mag- na cum animi constantid volo." t John xvi. 13. J Ezck. iii. 21. Sec also Ezck. ii. 2 ; iii. 12, 21 ; viii. 3 ; xi. 1, Jl ; Aits x. 19. ^ John XV. iS ; 1 John v. 6. || John xiv. 26. % Rom. XV. 5, 6. Where "the God of patience and cnnxnintinn" is distinguished from Jesus Christ, and from God. oven the Father. * * Acts li. 12 ; xiii. 2. 1 1 John xiv. 2fi. H Horn. viii. 27. oGO THE DEITY, pehsoxality; and into the truth,* He sanctifies^f searches the deep things of God,{ and glorifies Christ ;§ not to mention the Works to which we have already appealed in proof of His eternal power and Godhead. If any class of actions be more distinctly specified, I would name those which He performs in the character of a Witness, as marking very strongly his Personality. He is repeatedly spoken of as bearing witness : to this effect was our Lord's promise, John xv. 26. *' But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify, (or bear mtness) of me." Also, Heb. X. 15. "Wliereof also the Holy Ghost is a witness to us." And again. Acts xx. 23. "The Holy Ghost witnessed in every city, saying, that bonds and afflictions awaited him." Bat the most remarkable occa- sion, on which the blessed Comforter is revealed, in the discharge of his office of a Witness, is that of our Saviour^s Baptism. When Jesus came up out of the water, and the voice of the Father sounded from heaven, the Spirit descended in bodily shape like a dove upon him. 1 1 The design of this manifestation was to bear witness that Jesus is the Son of God. (John 1. 33, 34.) And what are we to understand by the Holy Spirit's manifesting himself after this manner ? What are we to draw from his assuming the visible form of a personal * John xvi. 13 ; 1 John ii. 20, 2;. t 2 Thess. ii. 13 ; I Peter i. 2. X 1 Cor. ii. 10. ij John xvi. 14. II Luke iii. 22. — It is scarcely necessarj' to observe, that from the use of the accusative (oaei TTepiCTTepaVy instead of the genitive axreX TTepccT- repas, a question has been raised, whether the form assumed on this occasion by the Holy Spirit was that of a dove, or whether it was some other bodily form, which descended with the motion of a dove. Whatever value may be assigned to this question, it does not affect our proof. It is sufficient that the Holy Spirit assumed a risible bodily shape. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 561 Being, but a direct and unequivocal testimony to the truth of his real Personality. VI. The Object of divine worship must be a personal being. 30. It is the reverse of rational to maintain, that a mere power or influence can be the object of worship. But, from our earliest dedication to Him in Baptism, to the last benediction pronounced in His Name by the in- spired Apostle, the Holy Ghost is set forth as the Object of divine worship. Reference has been made to the institution of Baptism in proof of his Godhead. If the Sacrament of admission into the Christian covenant is conclusive in proof of the Holy Spirit's Godhead, it is not less so in proof of his Personality. When we con- sider the vast importance of the Sacrament, which our Lord Jesus Christ commanded should be administered ^' in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," — that it is a service of perpetual obligation and universal extent; — when we reflect that it implies the dedication of the soul, for time and for eternity, to God ; — it is not taking too much for granted, if Ave feel assured that our Divine Lord, in issuing this commission, would avoid every thing that might mislead or give rise to ambiguity. In the parallel passage of St. Mark's Gospel, we learn that when he had given the charge to his disciples " to preach the Gospel to ever}'^ creature," he added these momentous words, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that beheveth not shall be damned."* Whence we learn, not, indeed, that baptism is indispensable to salvation, but that a right belief is. And what does this mention of belief in con- nection with baptism lead us to infer, but that the object of our belief is that God, in whose Name we are baptized — * Slark xvi. l6. 4 F 5G2 TIIK DEITY, PERSONALITY, AXD "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost" — the Name which defines One God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity ? It is \Torthy of observation, that our Lord does not say, " in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," but " of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.* The repeated use of the demonstrative article ^' the" (toO) before each name, emphatically marks the distinction of Persons. But while we are thus instructed to acknow- ledge Three distinct Persons, we are at the same time taught, "in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity" for we are not baptized in the names, {els ra ovofiara) but in the name — the one name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Thus as long as the Christian is mindful of the sacred ordinance, in which he has been dedicated to God, he carries with him a symbol of his faith in One God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity. It must not be omitted, that these words of Christ contain not the most distant intimation of either superiority, or inferiority, in the several persons : no dis- tinguishing character, or title of pre-eminence, is as- cribed to either ; from which the reasonable inference is, that if the Father be declared to be a Divine Person by the solemn dedication of Christians to him in Baptism, the same must be understood of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. But to what a painful absurdity is this commission of our blessed Lord reduced by the Unitarian scheme. Upon the supposition that the Father is God, the Son a mere man, and the Holy Ghost nothing more than a power emanating from • God, we are reduced to the acknowledgment, that in baptism we are dedicated to * Els TO ovofxa TOT nATPO'S, koX TOT TIOT, Kal TOT ATIOT nNETMATOS. OPERATIONS OF THK HOLY GHOST. 5G3 the joint service of the Creator, a creature, and a power, or emanation of the Creator; and thus our blessed Re- deemer is virtually loaded with the charge of teaching the most stupid idolatry — that of enjoining equal honour and worship to God, and to a man, and to an emanation, or power of Godhead. O Rational Christianity ! — \A'hat ab- surdities dost thou impose upon the minds of thy followers ! — How thou tyrannizest with rod of iron over the intellect of fallen man ! Surely it was by some allurement like thine, that Satan contrived to rob our first Parents of the divine knowledge they possessed, while they acknowledged their submission and dependance upon Jehovah. — Yes, this was the lure, — "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil"* — "no longer constrained, like children, to receive with implicit and submissive confidence whatever your Creator may be pleased to announce; you shall judge for yourselves." Their eyes were opened ; but their foolish mind became darkened.f 31. Further, the Holy Ghost is exhibited as the Ob- ject of worship in the closing benedictory prayer, in 2 Cor. xiii. 14. The Apostle prays that, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost," might be with the Christians of Corinth. Upon the presumption that these are Three co-essential, co-equal, co-eternal Persons in the One indi- visible Godhead, this prayer is plain and intelligible; but according to Unitarian views the grace of a mere man is classed with, or rather takes the precedence of, the love of the Most High God, and these together are associated with the communion of a power ; so that the Apostle's blessing amounts to a strange desire, that the grace of a creature, the love of the Creator, and the communion of an emanation, or power, might be with • Gen. iii. .1, f See Gen. iii. ". 564 THE DEITY^ PERSONALITY, AND them all. If such be his meaning, certainly the Law, which came by Moses, had the superiority over the Grace and Truth which came by Jesus Christ ; for under what we have been taught to consider the inferior Dispensation, the blessing prayed for by the priest, was in the name of Jehovah himself, — "On thiswise shall ye bless the children of Israel, saying unto them. The Lord — Jehovah — bless thee and keep thee ; Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee ; Jehovah lift up the light of his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace/^* If the Holy Ghost (whose blessing the Apostle invokes) be not God, then it cannot be denied but that the blessing under the old dispensation is more glorious than the blessing under the new. And thus this inspired Apostle falsifies, at the close of his epistle, what in the commencement he had laboured to prove, viz. the superiorihj of the new disj^ensation, — "the ministration of the Spirit exceeds in glory .^'t Unitarians may endea- vour to extricate their sentiments from this discreditable position, by contending that the Aj^ostles wrote "^ far fetched analogies and inaccurate reusonings."X But if we only give them the credit of having written under Divine Inspiration, the difficulties that arise in relin- quishing the glorious truths of the Holy Spirit^s Person- ality and Godhead are so many and so inexplicable, that we can only feel astonished, how the soheme which robs Him of his honours should be able to boast of a single advocate. VII. My last proof of the Personality of the Holy Ghost shall be drawn from the fact, that he is represented as a Divine Being, against whom it is possible to sin; so remarkably so, that the sin against the Holy Ghost is repre- * Numb. vi. 23—21). t 2 Cor. iii. ". 9. i See First Lecture, p. 22 . OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 565 sented as an oifence of the most extreme heinousness and aggravation. 32. In the well known history of Ananias and Sapphira we have proof, not less positive than appalling, that to lie to the Holy Ghost, is to lie to God. ^'^Why," said Peter to Ananias, " hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?" "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."* The words of the Apostle resolve them- selves into a simple syllogism, the conclusion of which a child may perceive; Ananias lied to the Holy Ghost; in so doing, he lied to God ; — hence, the Holy Ghost is God. Obj. — Are we told in objection, that the Apostle did not mean — " Thou hast lied unto God himself, but unto men inspired by God?" Ans. — Let it be shown what authority there is for departing from the plain and ob\aous sense of the words. Is there either in the context, or in any other part of Scripture, ground for asserting that to lie unto God, does not really mean to lie unto God, but unto inspired men ? But even if we waive objection, and allow this strained and distorted explanation to pass, Unitarianism gains nothing by it. Our argument assumes a different form, but is not the less cogent — for if, in accordance with such an explanation, "men inspired by the Holy Ghost," are men inspired by God, we conclude that the Holy' Ghost is God. 33. Our Saviour's words, respecting what is empha- tically termed ^' the sin against the Holy Ghost," also represent him to be a Divine Person. In Matt. xii. 31, our Lord speaks thus, — "Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." It does not come within my present • Acts. V. 3, 1. 566 THE DEI'IY, PERSONA MTY, AM) purpose to determine the precise nature of the offence Avhich constitutes this sin. It is sufficient to observe that there is such a sin, a sin of the most extreme heinousness, from being the only oifence absolutely irremissible ; while every other species of sin and blasphemy is declared to admit of pardon. But, without determining in what this sin consists, the fact that there is such a species of trans- gression, establishes the certainty of the Holy Spirit's Person. For, on the supposition that the Holy Ghost is not a person, but only a power, or emanation, how is it to be accounted for, that sin and blasphemy against the power of God is unpardonable, while against God Himself, all manner of sin and blasphemv is capable of forgive- ness ? Can it be maintained, that sin against a power ema- nating from God, is a greater offence than sin against God Himself? Besides, if there be no distinction of Persons, between the Father and the Holy Ghost, sin against the Father necessarily includes sin against his power. But our Lord has established a distinction of person, by de- claring that a sin may be committed against the Holy Spirit, which is so broadly distinct from sins against the Father or the Son, that while the latter is pardonable, the former precludes the possibility of pardon. This passage of Scripture brings the matter in dispute to such a conclusion as it is impossible to overthrow. Mr. Lindsey was one of those who felt its force, and endea- voured to relieve the Bible of a testimony so unfavourable to his opinions. In his "Second Address to the Students of Oxford and Cambridge,^' he gives what he conceives to be improved versions of several passages, and this among others: — "Instead of — But the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men ; read. But the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not he forgiven nnto menP To which he adds, — " Our translators have inserted the OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 5fi7 words the holy, to make out what they imagine to be the true meaning, viz. that a Divine Person, which they call the Holy Ghost, was here intended to be mentioned by Christ. But if they had strictly attended to his words only, they would have seen, that the blasjihemy, or speaking e^dl of the Spirit, was nothing more than the speaking evil of the divine power, by which Christ wrought his miracles, in alleging, that he received this power from an evil being, and not from God."* Such is Mr. Lindsey's very refined criticism ; in which you will observe that he lays, against our translators, a charge of " daubing the wall with untempered mortar,^^ in order to colour it according to their own taste ; i. e. with introducing words into the text, for the purpose of " making out*' a meaning of their own. But what, let me ask, could induce this critic to undertake the invidious task of correcting a translation, which owes its existence to the combined labours of forty-seven of the most holy, learned, and enlightened men, which, perhaps, this country could ever boast of at the same time.f What could make him so anxious to expel these unwelcome words, but the secret conviction, that if the words stood, the gene- rally-received meaning must stand also ? Let us then examine what ground our translators had for inserting the words "against^' and "the Holy;" whether they did so from a desire to render the sentence more intelligible to plain readers, or (as insinuated) from a dishonest endeavour to establish a meaning of their own. The parallel passages will throw light upon the subject: in Mark iii. 29, the rendering is, word for word, from the original: "But he that shall blaspheme against the * Lindsey's Second Address, SiC. p. 25.'). t For the niles observed in the work of Translation, see an extract from Fuller's Church History, in " Letters of Rev. IF. Venn," p. .'jGO, 4tli edition. 568 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND Holy Ghost; in Luke xii. 10: "But unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven," — which again is a literal translation. Is it not strange, that any one should hazard such a charge against the received translation, when, if he had taken the trouble of looking at the parallel passages, he might have obtained full and satisfactory evidence of the soundness of our Ver- sion ? And, is it not still more strange, that he should have done so, when the vei'y next verse to that which he criticizes, throws his criticism to the ground. ^^ But who- soever speaketh against the Holy Ghost," Kara tov IIvev/jbaTos TOV aylov.* The article "the" is inserted twice; an idiom which our language does not admit, — as if for giving emphasis to the expression, we should say, "against the Spirit, the Holy." The reading, therefore, which this Unitarian divine assails, because it gives support to the Personality of the Holy Ghost, is fully borne out by the context, and by parallel passages ; and thus we extort from our objector a reluctant admission, that, if the passage stands as it is rendered in our authorized version, it gives support to the truth of the Holy Ghost's Personality. So clearly did he perceive this, that he has made a desperate effort to get rid of the passage. He has miserably failed ; and in his failure has left behind an unwilling testimony to the force of the evidence this passage supplies : which may be summed up in very few words. If the Holy Ghost be not a Person, how can we sin against Him ? If He be not Goo, how can that sin be blasi:)hemy ? And if He be not a Person distinct from the Father and the Son, how can that sin be of a distinct character, and un- pardonable ? Thus have I endeavoured to give a sketch of the Scrip- ture warrant for believing the Personality of the Holy OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST, 569 Ghost; — The plain and obvious meaning of my text; (22.) — the use of the mascuHne pronoun correctly rendered "He;" (23. 24.) — the feelings and affections, (25.) — the proper- ties and powers, (26. 27- 28.) — and the actions which involve Personality ; (29.) — the fact of the Holy Ghost being exhibited to us as the Object whom we are bound to worship, (30. 31.) — and against whom we are especially warned not to sin. (32. 33.) — These are evidences, so direct and so decisive, that until we see them fairly taken to pieces, and refuted, passage by passage, and proof by proof, we are bound — as we value the testimony of God concerning Himself, as we love the truth which that tes- timony unfolds, and as we desire to know more and niore of that truth's sanctifying poM'er — to hold and to maintain this faith pure and undefiled. I must not quit this part of my subject without anti- cipating the OBJECTIONS usvially made to our statements. Obj. A. — It has been alleged, as you have heard in an extract from Dr. Priestley, that the language of Scripture which ascribes personality is figurative, and that the Holy Ghost is no more truly a person than wisdom or charity, which are personified in the Sacred Scriptures. Ans. — We answer (and I partly use the words of an author to whose valuable treatise I am much indebted),* " All figurative personality is founded upon a real per- sonality, as when wisdom and charity are represented as persons, it is because there are some real persons who do perform those personal acts ascribed to wisdom and charity. But there are such personal acts ascribed to the Holy Spirit as can proceed from no person at all, if the Holy Spirit is not himself a "real person;" acts (22.) (-as. 24.) (25.) (26. 27. 28.) (29.) (30. 31.) (32. 33.)— TUcse numbers refer to the cor- responding Sections. • Hurrion's Scripture Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, stated and defended. 4 G 570 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND distinct from those of the Father, and of the Son — distinct from those of the Father, because he is sent to perform them, whereas the Father is never said to be sent ; distinct from those of the Son, inasmuch as the agent is called another Comforter ; but though not the acts of the Father or of the Son, they are the acts of a Divine Being. WTio then, we ask, is this Divine Being — the real Person whose acts are personified ? I would further observe, there is a great difference between occasional personification, and that uniform and invariable mode of expression, which is observable in every part of the Divine Word, in reference to the person and being of the Holy Ghost ; in most of which expres- sions the figurative scheme of interpretation does a dis- tressing violence, not merely to the text of Scripture, but to the character of our Divine Lord himself. Ex- amine well that last affecting conversation from which my text is taken, and you will perceive that it was our Lord's object to explain, rather than to employ, figurative language. Can we believe, that when he saw those dis- ciples whom he loved broken-hearted, and full of mournful apprehensions in the prospect of his departure, the tender, the compassionate Jesus, would make use of such equi- vocal and ambiguous expressions as would mislead and betray them into vital errors ? Is this reason ? — Is it common sense ? — Is it human nature ? Suppose a parallel case. A father summons his children round his death-bed, and says, " My dear chil- dren, I am about to leave you, but let not your hearts be troubled, for the reflection that comforts me will, I trust, alleviate your sorrow. I have made every arrangement for your future welfare; therefore live together in bro- therly love ; and a dear friend of mine has j^romised to come to you, shortly after my decease : He will supply OPERATIONS OF TIIK HOLY GHOST. 57l the place of your lost parent — He will assist. He will counsel. He will protect you." What would be the astonishment and dismay of these poor orphans, if told, " Your father did not mean really that any person would come, but that, if you cultivated feelings of friend- ship, and brotherly love, you would afford mutual assist- ance, counsel, and protection, to one another. Your Father used, figurative language on his death-bed" . — Was it a time for figurative language ? Could any thing be more unnatural ? Obj. B. — Reverting to the extract from Dr. Priestley, we find him endeavouring to explain our Lord's last promise to his disciples to mean — " the peculiar presence of the Spirit of God, evidenced by the power of working miracles, which was to succeed in the place of a real person, viz. himself, and to be to them what he himself had been viz. their Advocate, Comforter, and Guide." Arts. — To this the answer is very obvious. If our Lord's promise intended nothing more than the gift of a spiritual power, evidenced by working miracles, what has become of his promise, now that miracles have ceased ? Where is that Comforter who should abide with the Church for ever? The power of miracles is withdrawn; signs and wonders are no more : are we then to admit (and the admission would be not less blasphemous than painful) that the promise has been broken, and the Church abandoned by the Comforter ? Obj. c. — Again : the argument for the Personality of the Holy Ghost, drawn from the Sacrament of Baptism, must, to an unbiassed mind, carry conviction ; but, con- vincing as it is, it has not escaped Unitarian objections. Mr. Lindsey endeavours to weaken its force, by urging, y/U THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND that in 1 Cor. x. 2, "Tlie Iraelites are said to have been baptized into Moses." * Ans. — But, even if we could admit that St. Paul's expression, " baptized unto Moses," is identical with the words of ovir Saviour, how can it disprove the Personality of the Holy Ghost ? The argument would amount to this, " Because we read of baptism in the name of Moses, a human person, therefore the Holy Ghost, in whose name we are baptized, is no person at all." The conclusion is as silly as the premises are unsound. For we do not allow that St. Paul's incidental allusion to a passage in the ancient Jewish history, and our Saviour's solemn institution of the Sacrament of Baptism, are by any means to be regarded as indentical. In the passage to which Mr. L. has referred, St. Paul is exhorting the Corinthian Christians not to rest in the external privileges of the Church. "The Israelites of old had external privileges, and yet many of them perished in the wilderness. You are baptized, so were they — I do not mean baptized really, but typically. I speak of their typical baptism, when under the conduct of Moses, they passed through the Red Sea." — The Apostle had made use of the term " baptized," to render the analogy more striking, but as if to explain and qualify the sense, he adds, in his elliptical style, " unto Moses," i. e. " I refer to their passage through the Red Sea, under the conduct of Moses." Nor can we admit that the same Apostle, who, in the first chapter of this very same Epistle, repu- diates with abhorrence, the thought of baptizing in his own name,t would use the term " baptized unto Moses," in a sense equivalent to our Lord's words, " baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of ■ ♦ Lindfcy's Second AtWress, p. 17. t 1 Cor. i. 14, 15. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 573 the Holy Ghost." The objection grounded upon sucli a presumption is "a darkening of counsel by M'ords Mith- out knowledge." Obj. D. — Again : It is said, that the Scripture speaks of the Holy Ghost being given, and how can a person be given ? Ans. — Is not Christ a Person? Whether human or divine, is not here the question. He must be allowed to be a Person of some kind ; and yet he is given. "God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son.^'* His being given, therefore, can afford no ground for an argument against the Personality of the Holy Ghost. Ohj. E. — But this is not all ; the Spirit is said to be " poured out," "given in greater or less measure," &c. If the Spirit Avere a person, how could he be divided ? Ans. — We have already admitted that by "the Spirit," are sometimes intended the gifts, graces, and influences of the Spirit; the gifts are many, and may, therefore, be divided ; the Spirit himself is one, and indivisible. "All these worketh that One and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally, as he will."t We admit that the term sometimes denotes the gifts and influences, but we have proved that it does not always. Obj. F. — Another objection is to this eff'ect, — that when the Spirit is described as a Person, it is by reason of the persons in whom this power resides, e. g. — when it is said ^' the Spirit witnessed," according to Unitarian theology, it means, " men, having the Spirit, witnessed." But I will give you the objection in the words of an objector, "The Apostle, it must be confessed, speaks also of the Holy Spirit, as a Person, witnessing, and appoint- ing persons to particular offices among them. But the uniform tenor of St. Luke's language in this book, and • John ili. \Ck t 1 Cor. mi. 1 1. 574 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND of the language of the Bible throughout, shows, that by the Holy Spirit in such instances, is not to be under- stood, a living, intelligent agent, but the extraordinary power of God at that time bestowed on Christians, and by a very common figure of speech, personified, spoken of as a Person. And thus the Holy Spirit witnessed in every city^ ihdX St. Paul was to suffer imprisonment, &c. that is, it was signified by men who had the gift of the Holy Spirit, or who had a divine knowledge conferred upon them, in this instance."* Had this been Mr. Lindsey's private opinion, it might not have been so well worthy of your notice, but it boasts the sanction of no less a name than Socinus himself, t and from Socinus it has been generally adopted by Unitarians. Ans. — How will it stand the test of Scripture? Ac- cording to this view, to say '^ the Spirit witnessed,'^ and to say, "men, having the Spirit witnessed," be- comes one and the same thing; there is no distinction between the expressions; the one is equivalent to the other. But does not our Savour make any distinc- tion between '^' the Spirit witnessing," and " men, having the Spirit, witnessing?" Refer to John xv. 26, 27. " But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which pro- ceedeth from the Father. He [iKecvos) shall testify, or bear witness of me, and ye also shall bear M'itness — {koI vfieis Se.) We have the authority of Matthise for saying, the words in the original Greek, are equivalent to — " and ye besides."^ Could the distinction between the Spirit, * Lindsey's Second Address, Introduction, p. 10. t The passage from Socinus's works is given in Pearson on the Creed — Art. viii. in a note. + " K.ai — oe, ^"ith a word between both particles, ' and but,' is gene- rally used in enumerations in the sense of ' and also, and besides,' as if before oe a proposition had dropped out with 6v ^ovovJ" — Matthm's OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 575 as a Person, and the persons of the Apostles, be more clearly exhibited. " He shall bear >vitness, and Ye BESIDES shall bear witness." What value, then, is to be given to the argument which renders " the Spirit wit- nessing," and " the Apostles witnessing" identical ? Obj. G. — To mention but one more objection to the Holy Spirit's divine Personality, it is alleged that the circumstance of the Holy Spirit " being sent," is a proof of inferiority. He cannot, therefore, be a divine Person, co-equal, and co-eternal with the Father. Am. — We make reply : It is necessary to distinguish what is said of the Spirit's office in the dispensation of the Gospel, from what is said of his personal existence. He has graciously undertaken an office in the economy of grace — an office which none but the Divine Being himself could discharge — and it is in the fulfilment of this office that "He is sent." Neither is his being sent by the Father and the Son, any mark of inferiority. Even if among men the being sent were an invariable mark of inferiority, it would not necessarily follow that it is so with the Persons of the Godhead. "My thoughts are not your thoughts ; neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." * But among men who are equals (and the Per- sons of the Trinity are equal) the being sent is sometimes a mark of distinction ; at least no proof of inferiority, e.g. — The members of a body corporate consult together relative to some negotiation, in executing which great wisdom, judgment, and experience are required. It is resolved to send one of their number. Is it any mark of inferiority to be selected, and sent, on such a service ? Greek Grammar, sec. GIG. If the ellipse be supplied, in aiconlaiice with this rule, the sentence will run — " He shall bear witness of ine, and not only He, but ye besides shall bear witness." • Isaiah Iv. 3. 576 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND It is on such a work the Holy Ghost is sent — the work of sanctifying the elect people of God — a work which none less than God can effect, and the glorious accomplishment of which will redound to His jaraise through the countless ages of eternity ! Having thus adverted to some of the most popular Unitarian objections, I would pause for a moment before proceeding to the very brief notice to which the third di- vision of the subject must be limited, and intreat you to weigh well the evidences in proof that the Holy Ghost is not a mere power of God, but a real Person in the one INDIVISIBLE Godhead. Were we to collect our evi- dence into one great mass of particulars, we should find that the blessed Spirit is described as possessing the pro- perties which define Personality, such as understanding, will, and a power of distinct operation. That besides being distinguished by personal characters, such as " He, I, me, my, and who," He has attributed to him feelings and affections, which though widely different, in their na- ture and affections, from human passions, are yet for our better apprehension expressed by such appellations : He is the Object of worship, in whose name we are baptized ; to whose service we are dedicated ; against whom to sin, and blaspheme, is an offence of the most aAvful malignity. Need you be reminded of those Scriptures in which he is described as creating and giving life :* teaching :t guiding into all truth : J interceding :|| seen in bodily shape de- scending like a dove:§ that he hath spoken expressly,^ by Prophets:^ to Apostles r^ and to Churches:^ that He hath appointed ministers:^ sent messengers :'' borne wit- * Job. xxvi. 13 ; xxxiii. \ ; Isaiah xl. 12 — li. t John xiv. 26. X John xvi. 13. II Rom. viii. 27. § Matt. iii. l6; Mark i. 10; Luke iii. 22; John i. 33. 1—1 Tim. iv. 1 ; Rev. xiv. 13. 2—1 Pet. ii. 21. 3— Acts xiii. 2; x. 19. 4 — Rev ii. ". 5 — Acts xx. 29. 6 — Acts xi. 12 ; xiii. 4 ; Isaiah xlviii. iS. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 577 ness:' been appealed to as a witness:' hath testified of Christ :^ signified divine truths by inspiration :* by types and ordinances :' that He is described as having a mind : * a will:' knowledge:* and power:" is declared capable of being resisted :'" being tempted : " and of having des- pite done unto him.'- — Ponder these things — examine the Scriptures in which they are recorded. Ponder them, and examine them prayerfully : and then determine whe- ther they do not establish our position, that He, of whom such things are said, is a voluntary and intelligent Agent, possessed of understanding and will, and a power of distinct operation. Such, brethren, is an outline of the argument in proof of the Godhead, and Personality, of the Holy Ghost. Let the advocates of Unitarian theology disprove it if they can. They may adduce some detached passages, which, taken separately and abstractedly, may not appear deci- sive ; but let them take the Scriptures as a whole, — it is from the concurring evidence of the whole, tending as the various parts do to illustrate and confirm each other, that our conclusion becomes irresistible. Most of our proofs bear directly, others only indirectly and collate- rally, on the subject; but this, so far from invalidating, rather strengthens our case ; for it is precisely the kind of evidence we might expect, supposing the Scriptures to have been framed upon the assumption of this truth. If the History of England were put into our hands, and it were required to produce evidence, that one of our sove- reigns was really possessed of royal authority, we should bring •4)rward some passages of the history bearing directly on the point in hand, (e. g. he was crowned ; 1— Hcb. X. 1 |j. 2 — Rom. ix . 1. 3- -John XV. 26. 4—1 [ Peter i. 11. 5- -Heb. ix. 8. G — Uom. viii. 27. 7—1 Cor. xii. U. 6—1 Cor. ii. 10. 9 — Kom. XV . 13. 10— Acts vii. 51. 11— AcU V. 9. 12 -Heb. X 4 H .29. 578 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND assembled the Houses of Parliament) and others furnish- ing indirect and collateral testimony ; and though, when detached and taken singly, these collateral evidences might not make out the case, yet they woidd show that the whole history was written upon the assumption of the fact, to which they contributed their indirect testimony. And thus it is with the sacred matter before us. The Scriptures not only give positive evidence, but where it is not positively their object to vindicate this truth, the whole is written upon the assumption, that the Holy Ghost is "a Divine Person, proceeding from the Father and the Son, op one substance, majesty AND GLORY, VERY AND ETERNAL GOD/' And here I might bring my discourse to a close, did we (as it has been said) hold that a system of doctrine is all that is essential to salvation. We hold, and again and again we affirm, that the operations of the Holy Ghost upon the heart are indispensable to salvation. The Word, indeed, is the instrument employed by the Spirit in the salvation of men.* His operations are carried on by the Word. Consequently, sound doctrine is essential to salvation, because by sound doctrine he sanctifies the soul. "Sanctify them through thy truth,'' was one of our Divine Intercessor's latest petitions, " thy Word is truth."t But it is possible to hold a sound form of doctrine in theory, and yet not experience its sanctify- ing poAver on the heart. Without the operations of God the Holy Ghost, enlightening the understanding, uniting the soul to Christ, sanctifying the nature, governing the conduct, and sealing us unto the day of redemption, no form of doctrine can save us. " Except a man be born * John XV. 3 ; James i. ^9 ; 1 Put. i. 23. t John xvii. 1"; Bee also Ephes. v. 26. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 579 again — be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."* It will be impossible, at this late hour, to do more than touch very briefly on some of the Holy Spirit's operations. Reference has already been made to his operations, in creation, providence, and raising the dead: I shall now confine myself to his more immediate operations in the salvation of the soul. III. The Operations of the Holy Ghost. S4. He enlightens the understanding to an apprehension of spiritual things. The Word of God describes man as naturally blind in understanding; not only fallen from God, but ignorant of the way of return. f The most that unassisted reason can attain is a heartfelt, (though, too often, unacknowledged) sense of ignorance. If, however, the Holy Spirit opens the eyes, ^^the entrance of God's Word giveth light ; it giveth under- standing to the simple." J Without his divine teach- ing even the Inspired Word is a dead letter. § With reason may the perplexed inquirer exclaim, — "I want an inspired interpreter : where is this interpreter to be found ? where am I to look for this infallible authority, which is to explain to me the exact sense of the Bible, without which I cannot be saved, and to acquaint me with the very ideas of God ? " || Oh, that such were the fer- vent and unfeigned desire of every one that hears me this evening ! If you really feel your want of an inspired interpreter, and are willing to accept one, it is my pri- vilege to declare that God has provided for your wants, in • John iii. 3, 6. t PsUm xiv. 3, 3; liii. 2, 3; John i. 10; iii. IQ; xiv. I/; Rom. iii. I/, 18; Ephes. iv. 18 ; v. 8 ; 1 Cor. ii. 14, &c. ♦ I'.salm cxix. 18. 130; 1 Cor. ii. 10, 12 ; Ephes. i. 17, 18. § See Appendi.\, E. II Unitarian Lecture, by Rev. J. H. Thorn, p. 17. 580 THE DEITYj PERSONALITY, AND the gift of his Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit himself so bless the announcement, that it may prove such a mes- sage as Ananias conveyed to Saul, " Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost/'* Humble yourselves, brethren, before his Divine Majesty : seek his promised help : and He, the Spirit of God, will, in answer to the prayer of faith, become your teacher, and guide you into all truth. 35. Another of the Holy Spirit's operations is the UNITING THE SoUL TO THE LoRD JeSUS ChRIST. By nature, man is dead in trespasses and sins ;t nor can he live before God, either in gracious obedience to him here, or in glorious enjoyment of him hereafter, except he receive a new and spiritual life from Him, who is the resurrection and the life, even the Lord Jesus Christ. { To make the sinner sensible of his sin and miser)^, — to lead him to the Saviour for pardon, — and to ingraft him into Christ by a real and vital union, as a branch in the living Vine, is the work of the Holy Ghost, "the Lord and Giver of life."|| Brethren, let me ask you, one and all, have you received this life ? " He that is in Christ, is a new creature ; old things have passed away ; behold, all things are become new."§ Are you sensible of this change? Stop short of this, and you stop short of heaven ; ^^ for if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.'^^f But if you know by experience the operations of the Spirit, uniting you by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, forget not the Apostle's injunction, "as ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him."** * Acts ix. i;. t Kplios. ii. 1 ; v. 14 ; Col. ii. 13. J John iii. 3, 5 ; vi. 53 ; xi. 25. H John vi.63; xv. 5; Rom. viii. 10; 1 Cor. xii. 13; 2 Cor. iii. 6. 1" ; 1 John iii. 24; 1 Cor. vi. 17. 4 2 Cor. V. J~. «! Rom. viii. p. ** Coloss. ii. 6. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 581 36. This leads us on to another part of the Holy Spirit's operations, the sanctification and renewal of our fallen nature. " He who begins a good work, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.^' * Not only does he implant a new principle of spiritual life in the soul, he also preserves, strengthens, and expands it. He mortifies the corruption of the old nature. ^ — He sheds al^road the love of God in the heart: - — He purifies, and sanctifies the soul. ^ — He takes of the things of Christ, and shows them unto us ; whence the believer, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, is changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. '* 37. It is, further, the work of the same Divine Person TO GOVERN THE CONDUCT. Allusiou has been made to his government of the Church generally ; he also governs the individual Christian — as the Spirit of Life, he makes us free from the law of sin and death : ^ — as a Guide, he directs our daily walk in righteousness : '^ — as a Comforter, he gives faith and hope; joy and peace; patience and consolation: '-—as an Intercessor, he is the Spirit of grace and supplications, * — helps our prayers, and teaches how to pray: " — as the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, he instructs us in our igno- rance: " — as the Spirit of counsel and might, he directs in difficulties, " and gives strength in weak- * Philip, i. 7. 1 — Rom. viii. 13 ; Gal. vi. 16. 2 — Rom. v. 8. 3 — 2 Thcss. ii. 13 ; 1 Pet. i. 2, 22. 4 — 2 Cor. iii. 18. 5 — Rom. viii. 2. 6 — Psalm cxliii. 10 ; Rom. viii. 1. 7 — Rom. .TV. 5, 6, where the Holy Ghost is designated the God of patience and conso- lation, in distinction from " Jesus Christ," and " God, even the Father of our Lord Josu» Christ. Rom. .\v. 13. 8— Zeeh. xii. 10. 9— Rom. viii. 26, 27. 10 — Nehem. i.\. 20; John vi. 45, compared with 1 Cor. ii. 13. 11— Isai. XXX. 1, 2; Zech. iv. 6; 2 Thes. iii. !5. In this last quotation, three distinct Persons are named, "The Lord," who directs the heart," " God," into whose love the Lord the Spirit directs, and '■ Jesus Christ," for whose cominf; we patiently wait. 582 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND ness : * — as the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord, he leads us in the paths of holy obedience.f 38. The last of his operations to which I shall refer is, the SEALING THE BeLIEVER UNTO THE DAY OF Redemption. He gives the children of God to know their present adoption, ' — and he is the pledge and earnest of their future glory. ^ — Through his influence, we *' know in whom we have beheved:"' — "we know him that is true." "" — "The Spirit witnesses with our Spirits that we are children of God :" and (notwithstand- ing the avowal is censured by the world as an arrogant pretension to infallibility) we know, that we are of the truth : ® for he that beheveth in the Son of God hath the witness in himself, " " and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.'^ Yes, beloved brethren, if the saving operations of this blessed Spirit have been exerted upon your souls — if He has enlightened your understanding, and united you by a living faith to the Lord Jesus Christ ; if He is sanctify- ing your nature, and governing your conduct ; — the world, indeed, knoweth you not, because it knew Christ not — it admits not your claim to be the children of God — never- theless the Apostle says, " Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be : but we know" — (yes, we know", for God hath sealed us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts) — " we know, that when He shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.^^ Even so, come Lord Jesus ! Brethren ! is this your faith ? is this your hope ? for this is the faith and hope of the Gospel. If it be, give all » Hag. ii. 4, 5 i Ephes. ili. 16. t Rom. viii. 4. 14 ; Gal. v. 16, 25. 1 — Rom. viii. 14, 17 ; Gal. iv. 5, 6 ; 1 John iii. 2. 2 — 2 Cor. i. 12 ; V. 5 ; Ephes. i. 13; iv. 30. 3 — 1 Tim. i. 12 ; 1 John iv. 13. 4—1 John V. 20. 5—1 John iii. 19, 24 ; iv. 13. 6—1 John v. 10. 7 — 1 John V. 6. — See Appendix, F. 8 — 1 John iii. 1 . OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 583 the glory to Him to whom alone the glory is due. " Who maketh thee to differ, and what hast thou that thou didst not receive ?"* Why is it that you (and I speak to Christians, not in profession only ; whatever that profes- sion may be; but in hope, and by the power of the Holy Ghost,) why is it that you have found rest for your souls in the atoning blood of God's dear Son ? Why is it that you have been brought to know him, whom truly to know is life eternal ? Why is it that while many, your superiors in talent, in abilities, in intellectual endowments, are " far off," you have been made nigh by the blood of Christ ? It is because "the grace of our Lord hath been exceeding abundant, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."t and therefore " we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you by the Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ." J Let me not, however, be misunderstood : it is not the cold, speculative, reception of this, or of any other truth, which can save the soul. It is the Spirit that quick- eneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing. The Holy Ghost must by his saving, sanctifying influence, apply the truth, and give it its transforming power — a power experienced in the heart, and evinced in the daily conduct. Without this, you will stand in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ among those who have cried Lord, Lord, and yet not done the will of the Father M^hich is in heaven. Let me then conjure those who are strangers to the Spirit's operations to seek with earnestness, to seek without delay, this precious gift. God hath promised, saying, ^^Ask, and it * 1 Cor, iv. 7 ; John iii. 27 trim. i. 11. t 2Thcs. ii. 13, II. 584 THE DEITY, PERSONALITY, AND shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you ;" — " 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/^* I cannot close without a few words (and they must be very few) to such of my hearers as entertain Uni- tarian sentiments. If the doctrine we have this evening set before you be the truth, it shakes your religion to its very centre. For, if the Holy Ghost be GOD, what must Jesus Christ be who says, "the Comforter whom I will send unto you from the Father ."f Can a creature send the Cre- ator? Must not "he, \Nh.o sends the Lord of Hosts, be HIMSELF the Lord of Hosts ? Let the inspired language of Zechariah furnish a reply — ^^Thus salth the Lord, I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of Hosts hath sent me unto thee."J Again: if the Holy Ghost be a PERSON, must not you, who withhold from him the glory and worship which as a Divine Person he claims, be under guilt the most awftd ? " O consider this, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you." Bear then the word of exhortation, while as a fellow- sinner I conjure you, as a minister of the Lord Jesus dhrist I charge you — Search the Scriptures whether these things be so. Search them with reverence ; search them with earnestness; search them with a child-like submission to their authority as the Word of God ; search them with a resolution to be guided by their decisions ; search them with prayer, that " the Spirit of wisdom and revela- tion in the knowledge of God may enlighten your under- * Luke xi. 9, 13. t John xv. 2, 6. J Zecb. ii. 10, 11. OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY GHOST. 585 standing — to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of tlie Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." And this may the Lord in his infinite mercy grant. To whom, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the One undivided and indivisible Jehovah, be all honour, and glory, and worship, ascribed for ever and ever. Amen. END OK THK NINTH LECTURE, 4 I APPENDIX. " When Christ says, — The Spirit shall not speak of himself, the meaning is, that he shall not come with any absolute new dispensation of truth or grace ; he was only to build on the foundation, Christ's person and doctrine, or the truth which he had revealed from the bosom of the Father ; he was to reveal no other truth, communicate no other grace, but what is in, from, and by Christ." — Owen on the Spirit. "OuSev a0' eavTOv XoKrja-et, oiiSev iudvriov, ovSev 'iSiov Trapa ra efxa — rb 8e '' gk tov efxov," i^ o)v iyo) olSa e/c tTjs ifir}s lyvaxrews' [Jbla ydp e/mov, Kal tov IIveufiaTos ^vmctls . — Chrijsostom in loc, vol. viii. B. An objection, something like this, is broached in the Fifth Unitarian Lecture. Mr. Martineau, quoting from Deut. xsix. 6, raises a difficulty upon the words, " I am the Lord your God," as admitting a question, whether Moses applies this great and glorious name to himself. It would be well for the readers of Controversial Lectures, to refer to the original passages, from which extracts are made ; whether the Word of God, or the writings of men, be the subject of comment. Whoever reads the Scripture from which this quotation is made, will be inclined to think, with reference to the manner of making the quotation, that something 7nore than brevity has been consulted. For, in the context immediately connected, and interwoven with this quotation, the name of the Lord occurs no less than three times ; and in a connection, which makes it evident that Moses was then speaking, not in his own name, but in the name of the Lord, whose covenant he had been commissioned to propose to the Children of Israel : thus leaving no real ground for doubting to whom the name is applied. And yet the Author of the Lecture ventures to assert that here, "Moses is called God with a distinctness which cannot be equalled in the case of Christ." In order to judge how far Mr. Martineau is justified in this astounding asser- tion, nothing more is requisite than to place his quotation side by side with the unmutilated Scripture. APPKNDIX. ^f^7 [Scripture— Deut. xxix. 1—6.