THE LIBRARIES THE PRESENT STATE OF THE GREEK CHURCH IN OR A SUMMARY OF CHRISTIAN DIVINITY; BY PLATON, LATE METROPOLITAN OF MOSCOW. L H 'STransiateti from tfje *ž)Iai3omant WITH A PRELIMINARY MEMOIR ON THE ECCLESIASTICAL ESTABLISHMENT IN RUSSIA; AND AN APPENDIX, ORIGIN AND DIFFERENT SECTS QF RUSSIAN DISSENTERS. By ROBERT PINRERTON. EDINBURGH: PRINTED FOR OLIPHANT, WAUGH & INNES: AND SOLD BY W. TURNBULL, GLASGOW; L. B, SEELEYj J. HATCHARD, AND GALE, CURTIS & FENNER, LONDON. 1814. 575O 5 D PREFACE. The Author of the following translation and remarks having resided for many years in different parts of Russia, has had various opportunities of acquiring information re- specting the principles and usages of the ecclesiastical establishment of that empire. When he arrived a few months ago on a visit to his native country for the sake of his health, it w^as suggested to him, that the publication of the knowledge he pos- sessed on a subject hitherto little und^r- stood, would be highly acceptable and im- portant, not only on account of the con- spicuous and decided manner in which the Russian government has entered into the views, and adopted the plans, of the British and Foreign Bible Society, but on account of the interest naturally excited by recent public events, in every thing relative to IV PREFACE. Russia, — a nation to whose firmness and exertions the Continental States are so much indebted for the restoration of their independence. It is, however, to those who are zealously concerned for the circulation of the word of God, and the diffusion of Gospel truth among the nations, that he conceives the following pages will be chiefly valuable. His object, accordingly, in publishing this volume, is to exhibit a view of the principles of the church of Russia, in the only unexceptionable way in which this object can be accomplished, by affording the Russian divine an opportunity of stat- ing himself what are those principles which have been so long misrepresented by tra- velers and others ignorant of his language, who have drawn their conclusions from exr ternal ceremonies, and have imputed to the Russians a system of faith in many re- spects the creature of their own imagina- tions. This statement of doctrines, important as it is in itself, becomes still more interest- PBEFACE. ing, when viewed in connection with the in- stitution of Bible Societies in Russia ; as it will enable the religious public in this country to estimate more truly the effects likely to be produced by the circulation of the Scriptures in that empire ; effects which must always be considerably regulated and modified by the exposition of the leading- truths of revelation acknowledged by the establishment of a country. The treatise of Christian doctrine, which is the subject of the following translation, was written by Platon, late Metropolitan of Moscow, and first pubhshed in 1765. Since that period it has gone through many large editions, and has been introduced into almost every place of education in the em- pire. It was strongly recommended to the translator by some of the first dignitaries of the Russian church, as containing a just view of the doctrines believed and tausrht in their communion. The translator has endeavoured to state faithfully the ideas contained in the ori- ginal, and has not unfrequently sacrifi- vi PllEFACE. ced elegance to perspicuity. He holds himself answerable only for the fidelity of the translation, not for the accuracy of the writer's definitions and sentiments. Notes were requisite on some passages, either where the text required illustration to the English reader, or where the quota- tions from Scripture appeared more appo- site in the Slavonian than in the English version. The Preliminary Memoir will give a con- cise view of the present state of the eccle- siastical establishment in Russia ; and par- ticularly of the education of the clergy, a point so intimately connected with the pros- perity of true religion. The Appendix contains an account of the origin and present condition of the Russian dissenters, derived from the best Russian publications, as well as from personal ob- servation and enquiry ; and, with regard to one interesting sect, from a Russian manu- script, with which the Author was favoured by a Nobleman of distinction in that coun- try. The particulars in this narrative he- PREFACE. Vil ing, of course, new to the English reader, it is hoped they will be found satisfactory. The Author trusts that this publication, by affording a more accurate idea of the doc- trines and present state of the Russian church than has hitherto been given, Vill have the effect of exciting in the British nation a lively feeling of Christian regard for the inhabitants of that extensive em- pire, and will suggest additional motives to unwearied exertion, and fervent prayer in behalf of its numerous tribes, that the fun- damental object of the St Petersburg Bible Society may soon be obtained, and " each tribe put in possession of the word of God in its own language." CONTENTS. Page, Preliminary Memoir 1 Schools of the Clergy 5 Russian Clergy, Regular and Secular l-it Churches 21 Service of the Church 24; Monasteries and Nunneries 29 Ecclesiastical Government 30 Part I. Of the Know ledge of God as derived from Nature, being subservient to the belief of THE Gospel 37 The Knowledge of Man . ib. Evidences that there is a God ib. Of the Existence of God 38 Of God and his Attributes 41 Creation of the World 4-8 Image of God in Man 53 Immortality of the Soul 53 Divine Providence 54 Particular Providence 56 Worship of God 57 Foundation of Divine Worship 60 External Worship 62 Reward of true Worship 63 Future State 64< Corruption of Human Nature .66 Man is in a State of Condemnation 70 Man is unable to deliver Himself 74 X CONTENTS. Page. Part II. Or the Faith of the Gospel 79 Revelation 80 The Holy Scriptures are the Word of God 81 Evidences of the Holy Scriptures being the Word of God 83 Jesus Christ is the Substance of Holy Scripture ... 88 The Faith of the Gospel as old as the World .... 89 Reasons why Sacrifices were abolished 91 Three different States of the Church 94; Why a written Law was given 96 External Persecution of the Church 97 Ihternal Persecution of the Church 101 The Symbol of Faith 104- Faith is a hearty reception of the Gospel 106 Justification by Faith without the Works of the Law 108 Mystery of the Holy Trinity 109 Good and Evil Angels 113 Man the Object of Divine Providence 115 The Destination of Man Il6 Original State of Man 118 The Fall of Man 121 ■ Effects of the Fall . '. . 123 Man Unable to Deliver Himself 127 Incarnation of the Son of God 129 Chief Reasons of the Incarnation of the Son of God 132 The Person of Christ 136 The Acts of Jesus Christ 138 Christ's Death upon the Cross 140 Resurrection and Ascension of Christ 148 Second Coming of Christ 1 50 Descent of the Holy Ghost 156 Effects of the Apostles' Preaching 159 Properties of the True Church l6l Government of the Church ,167 Mysteries or Ordinances 1 72 Mysteries of the New Testament .175 Of Baptism ib. CONTENTS. 3a Page. The Chrism ; . 178 A Of the Eucharist, or Communion 179 How to prepare for partaking of the Communion . 183 Of Repentance 186 Of Ordination , . 188 Of Mai-riage 191 The Sanctified Oil 193 Traditions and Ceremonies 194 Resurrection of the Dead . . . . , 19G Blessed State of the Righteous after the Resurrection 202 Part III. Of the Law op God 205 Faith without Works is Dead ib. The Law contained in the Ten Commandments which God gaVe to Moses 209 The Law fouijded onlpye.to God and Man .... 212 Cases of two opposite obligations interfering . . . . 214 The First Commandment .216 The Invocation of Saints 221 Preventives against Error 223 The Second Commandment 224' Reverence due to the Pictures of the Saints .... 228 Of such as err in reverencing the Pictures of the Saints 230 The Third Commandment 231 Blasphemers, Perjured Persons, &c 232 How to use the Name of God 235 The Fear of God . 237 The Fourth Commandment 239 The Fifth Commandment 246 The Sixth Commandment 251 The Seventh Commandment 254 The Eightli Commandment 257 Antidotes against Theft 262 The Ninth Commandment 263 Antidotes against Lying , 265 Xii CONTENTS. Page. The Tenth Commandment 266 Conclusion of the Explanation of the Commandments ik Divine Grace necessary to the keeping of God's Com- mandments 269 Of Prayer 271 Of the Lord's Prayer 273 Illustration of the Lord's Prayer 274 Appendix, containing an Account of the Origin and DIFFERENT SeCTS OF DiSSENTERS IN RuSSIA. Origin, &c 279 I. Of Popqftschins 298 1. The Starobredsi, or Old Ceremoniahsts . . . . ib. 2. Diaconoftschins 302 3. Peremazanoftschins, or Re-anointers 303 4. Epefanoftschins » • 304 5. Tschernaboltsi ib. IL Of Bezpopoftschins 305 L Duhobortsi , ib. 2. Pomoryans 330 3. Theodosians 331 4. Philipoftschins 332 5. Netovtschins ib. 6. Pastushkoe Soglasia 333 7. Novojentzi ib. 8. Samokrestschentsi, or Self-baptizers 334 9. Tschuvstviniks ib. 10. Molokans ib. 11. Ikonobortsi »b. 12. Seleznevtschini 335 13. Martinists • 336 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. The first dawn of civilization in Russia, does not appear to have commenced until the introduc- tion of Christianity, towards the close of the tenth century. Before that period, the inhabi- tants were sunk in the deepest ignorance ; and their religion consisted chiefly in the worship of Nature, which they lepresented under the charac- ter of a female. They paid religious homage also to different objects in nature, such as to Jire, which they considered to be the creator of thun- der, and called Periin ; and to the earthy under the name of Volata. At the same time, how- ever, they believed in the immortality of the soul, and a future state of rewards and punishments. In the year 955, the Grand Princess Olga ha- ving visited Constantinople, and being honour- ably received by the then reigning emperor, Con- stantine VI. was instructed in the doctrines of PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. Christianity; and, at her own desire, baptized into its faith, by the name of Helena. On her return, she used all the influence in her power to introduce the now religion into Russia ; but her exertions, though incessantly employed for upwards of fourteen years, proved insufficient to withdraw her son, the Grand Prince Sveioslajfy from the worship of Perun. Her conduct and conversation, however, seem to have made a due impression on the mind of her grandson Vladimb\ • who, after her death, embraced the Christian re- ligion, and publicly professed it, by being bap- tized in 988. This prince was the instrument of effectually bringing over his subjects to the profession of Christianity ; and, from that period, the Catholic and Apostolical faith of the Eastern or Greek Church, together with all its ordi- nances, rites, and ceremonies, have been pre- served among this people, nearly in the same state in which they were at first received and established. The Roman Pontiffs, indeed, have at different times attempted to impose their creed on the Russians ; but every such attempt has in- variably proved abortive : and, to this day, they remain stedfast in the faith of their ancestors.^'" * It is not to be denied, that some of the Roman Catholic doctrines, pai'ticularly that of transubstantiation, liave crept into the Greek church. Most probablv this doctrine was in- PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 3 On Christianity becoming the religion of the Russians, their princes began to have a more im- mediate intercourse with the sovereigns of other Christian kingdoms: and, in order to promote the diffusion of knowledge and civilization a- mong their subjects, they invited learned fo- reigners to settle in their dominions. Of such as accepted their invitations, the greater number were CTreeks from Constantinople, who not only assisted in establishing and organizing schools, but zealously propagated the Christian faith throughout the empire, and generally occupied the chief offices in the newly formed church. By the labours of such men, under the direc- tion and authority of the Grand Princes, many useful books were translated out of the Greek into the Slavonian language, and many schools founded in different parts of the country, in which the youth were instructed in the princi- ples of Christianity, and other branches of use- ful knowledge. In the 12th century, among troduced by the Catholic priests of the middle ages, the ten- dency of whose sophistical reasonings, the Greek priests were too illiterate to detect ; for it is quite indisputable, that tran- substantiation formed no part of the faith of the primitive Greek church, though it is now admitted not only among the Russians, but also in the Eastern cluu'ches. See, on this sub- ject, Dr Covel's Account of the Greek Church, printed in ] 722. 4 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. many others, there were two institutions of thia kind, one in Kieff, and the other in Smolensky in whicl) both Greek and Latin were taught ; and even several of the Russian princes of that time spoke and wrote these languages. The names of Yaraslaff of Galifsia, Romaii of Smolensk, Svetopolk of Novogorod, and Constantine of White Russia, are honourably recorded in the Russian annals, as patronizers of learning and the sci- ences. About this same period, there was a pretty extensive library collected at Vladimir, for the purpose of promoting civilization, which was afterwards destroyed by accidental fire.* In the thirteenth century, however, the irrup- tion of the Mongol Tartars, who penetrated west- ward even as far as Novogorod, sv/ept away all these hopeful appearances, and, for upwards of 200 years, put a stop to all the benevolent exer- tions of the Russian princes to civilize their sub- jects It was only, indeed, on their deliverance from the Tartar -yoke by loan Vasilliviich, in the middle of the sixteenth century, that at- tempts again began to be made to diffuse learn- ing ; arid not till the accession of the present * For some of these, and also tor a number of other parti- culars contained in this Memoir, I am indebted to a ce lebrated statistical work in the Russ language, by Frofesso". Ziablofsky, published in 1808. PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 5 dynasty o? Romanoff to the throne in 1613, that general civilization became an object of the first importance with government. It is not my intention, however, in this place, to give an account of what has been done of late years by the powerful sovereigns of this mighty empire, to promote general civilization among upwards of forty-four millions of the human race, under their government ; but, as a proper intro- duction to a statement of the doctrine held by the Russian Church, I propose merely to give a concise account of the present state of the cle- rical schools — of the clergy themselves — the churches and service — monasteries, and form of ecclesiastical government. 1. The Schools of the clergy, or spiritual schools, as they are called, belong to the most ancient institutions for learning in Russia ; for, during the dark ages, as in other countries of Europe, any degree of literary knowledge which existed amongst the Russians, was confined solely to the clergy : and, till the establishment of the public schools in the beginning of last century, they were the only seminaries of education in the em- pire. The chief object of these schools is to train up a sufficient number of young men for the priestly 6 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. office ; and, from the time of Peter the Great, none have been admitted into them except sons of the clergy. In the earliest of the spiritual schools that were founded at the introduction of Christianity, the Greek and Slavonian languages, and the wri- tings of the Greek fathers, were the principal subjects of study ; but, on the foundation of an academy at Kieff, after the manner of the Po- lish schools, the Latin became the classical lan- guage, and the scholars were taught grammar, rhetoric, philosophy, and divinity. The same course of education was also adopted in the spiri- tual academy of Moscow, and continued in it till the end of the 16th century. The state of these schools was much improved by the wise arrangements made by Peter the Great, which were calculated to procure to the sons of the clergy a degree of learning unknown among their fathers. His successors have also considered the proper education of the clergy as an object of the first importance for promoting the civilization and prosperity of their subjects ; and hence, since his time, various changes and regulations have been introduced into the cleri- cal schools. Thus, in 1788, the two seminaries of Novogorod and Alexandroff* were united, and * This academy is attached to the monastery of St Alexander PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 7 students of abilities ordered to be sent to the lat- ter from the other clerical seminaries, to be pre- pared for the office of teachers. In 1797, the spiritual seminaries of Alcxandrojf and Kazan were denominated academies ; and, together with the former two of Kiejf and Moscow, furnished with every thing- answerable to their designation, as the first spiritual schools of the empire. The following year, the same course of liberal edu- cation which had been adopted in the academy of Alexandroff, was introduced into the other three academies, and into all the seminaries. It was also appointed, that the four academies should be particularly appropriated for train- ing up the most hopeful young men to the office of teachers in the spiritual schools. After these arrangements were made, the system of education was again enlarged by order of the Holy Synod, and every class was, at the same time, furnished with a particular set of instructions for directing its studies. By an imperial Ukaz, also, in 1802, a medical class was ordered to be instituted at all Nevsky, built by Peter the Great, in the vicinity of St Peters- burg, from which monastery it takes its name ; but it is also called the Spiritual Academy of St Petersburg. The present Rector of this academy is the Ai-chimandrite Philaret, who is also the professor of divinity, and has been much distinguish- ed of late years for his learned and eloquent sermons, many oi' which have been publislied. 8 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. the academies and seminaries of the clergy ; and the several branches of learning taught in these schools at present are, grammar, rhetoric, natural and moral philosophy, divinity, some parts of the mathematics, history and geography, in the Latin and Russ languages. In the four academies, and in some of the seminaries, the Hebrew, Greek, German, and French languages, are also studied. The number of spiritual schools in different parts of the empire, is 58 ; of which, four are academies, thirty-six seminaries (one in every diocese, under the particular direction of the bi- shop), and eighteen inferior schools, in which the Russian language, arithmetic, and the doctrines of Christianity, are the chief subjects of study. These eighteen schools were erected A.D.I 800, at several of the seminaries, and in other parts of the empire, for the sake of those scholars, who were reckoned incapable of pursuing with ad- vantage, the more extended course of education established in the academies and seminaries. In these fifty-eight spiritual schools, upwards of 26,000 young men are at present educated, principally at the expence of government. The number of scholars in the four academies, is about 4000, with upwards of 50 preceptors ; and, in the thirty-six seminaries, there are above PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 9 20,000 scholars, and 297 teachers. In the eigh- teen schools, there are nearly 2000 scholars, and SO teachers. The sons of the clergy are usually sent to these institutions when about ten years of age. They begin with the Latin and Slavonian languages ; and, according to their progress in these, are ad- vanced into the higher classes, to be instructed in the different branches of science above men- tioned. The more advanced students are taught by means of public lectures delivered by the preceptors ; and the younger ones according to the method adopted in common schools. Many of the elementary books are the same with those used in the universities, into which they have been introduced by the German professors ; but their theological studies are confined to the writings of the Greek fathers, such as Chrysos- tom, Gregory Nazianzen, &c. and to the works of the Russian divines.* * Among these, the most distinguished are tlie voluminous writings of our author Platon, late metropolitan of Moscow ; of Demetrius, metropolitan of Rastqff; of Theophanes, arch- bishop of Pleskoff; and of Michael, the present archbishop of Tscherniga. The last is a man of profound learning and genuine piety, who, after travelling in foreign countries for liis improvement, has raised himself, by his talents and elo- quence, from the office of a common priest in the church of Ivan Vain in Moscow, to one of the first dignities of the Rus- sian church. He has published several excellent theological 10 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. There are, properly, no regular academical de- grees in the seminaries of the clergy ; but I un- derstand it is under consideration to introduce the same mode of education, and the same acade- mical honours, into the academies and semina- ries of the clergy, which now exist in the uni- versities and civil academies. In each of the clerical schools, an annual pub- lic examination takes place, under the inspec- tion of the archbishop or bishop, when such of the ptipils as have finished their studies have the choice either of taking immediate steps for ordination as secular or parochial clergymen, or of entering into the monastic life ; which latter is often preferred by young men of talents, as it is the only channel for rising to the higher pre- ferments in the Russian church. The mode of living in these seminaries is in every respect monastic; for the teachers and overseers are all monks, who have introduced into them a degree of abstemiousness in respect to diet, and of slovenliness in dress and other ac- commodations, which are hurtful, and not bene- ficial, as they pretend, to literary pursuits. Except the four academies, all the spiritual works, amongst which I have read, with great pleasure, his sermons, and a treatise in two volumes. On the Old and Nem Man. 3 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 11 schools were formerly supported by tythes of corn from the lands belonging to the monasteries and churches ; but, in 1 764, the crown took pos- session of these lands, and appropriated the sum of 38,000 rubles per annum for their support. At that period, the number of schools was twen- ty-eight, in which about 6000 scholars were educated ; but, in the course of about twenty years, the scholars increased to 12,000; in con- sequence of which, the annual sum granted for their support was raised to 77,000 rubles. Soon, however, the continual increase of the number of scholars rendered even this sum insufficient ; and the Emperor Paul, accordingly, in 1797, augmented it to 180,000 rubles ; and, by his pre- sent Imperial Majesty, Alexander, it was, from the same cause, raised, in 1807, to 362,555 ru- bles. These schools have always been of essential advantage to the empire, not only as nurseries for those who are to fill the clerical office, but as they have produced many individuals, by whose services in various civil departments, society at large has been highly benefited. At present, indeed, there is hardly an institu- tion for education in any part of the empire, in which some of the young men brought up in these seminaries are not to be found holding the office 12 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. of teachers ; and, since the year 1 780, more than 5000 of them have been permitted to enter the civil service of their country. Great as has been the liberality of his present Majesty, in doubling the annual allowance for- merly granted by government to the support of these schools, they are still destitute of several accommodations indispensibie for carrying fully into effect the important olyect for which they are instituted. Of these, that which is most felt, and which proves one of the greatest hindrances to the successful prosecution of literary and sci- entific studies, is the want of proper books ; for, though small libraries are attached to some of the principal schools, the greater number have none ; so that the students, though ever so well grounded in the elementary principles of literature and science, are deprived of the means of attain- ing that comprehensive knowledge which is to be acquired only by an extensive perusal of the best authors on every subject. Of late years, there have been some excellent books translated from the German, English, and French languages ; but most of the seminaries being at a distance from Petersburg and Mos- cow, where books are usually published, the stu- dents have but few opportunities of obtaining them ; and hence their reading is very circum- PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. IS scribed, being confined mostly to the ancient Greek fathers, many of whose works are trans- lated into the Slavonian. The candidates for the priesthood being thus trained up from their early years in these seclu- ded retreats, have but few opportunities of mix- ing in civil society. In consequence of this, on leaving the seminary, and entering into the world, the student is like a foreigner coming into a strange country, with the language and man- ners of which he has but an imperfect acquaint- ance. The very dress * he is obliged to wear on his admission to the priestly office, tends to exclude him from mingling with polished com- pany, or such as in Russia is styled enlightened society ; so that, as student and priest, he has but few opportunities of attaining that comprehen- sive general knowledge, that polish of manners, and freedom of address, which are so essential * The Russian clergy are all dressed in the wide flowing robes of Orientals, and are obliged to wear long beards, and their hair floating upon their shoulders. This gives them a reverend appearance, which tends not a little to impress the vulgar with false ideas of their sanctity, and also becomes a liar to their having a free intercourse with people of every condition. To change the dress of the clergy, however, would prove difficult ; for tlie people look upon it as holy— as the manner in which Christ and his apostles were arrayed, and therefore the only habit in Avliicli his ambassadors should ap- pear. 14} PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. for enabling him to perform, with advantage, the duties of a Christian minister ; and which are to be obtained only by general reading, and a fre- quent intercourse with civilized society. 2. The Russian clergy are divided into Regular and Secular. The former are all monks, and the latter are the parochial clergy. The supe- rior clergy are divided into metropolitans, arch- bishops, and bishops, who are indiscriminately styled Archires ;* but the title of metropolitan or bishop is merely personal, and not properly at- tached to the see ; and, though there be some difference among the superior clergy in denomi- nation, rank, and dress, yet it scarcely ever hap- pens that one Archire is subordinate to another. Before the time of Peter the Great, the bi- shops were absolute in their own dioceses ; and though, at consecration, they took a general oath to walk in the spirit of their office, according to the Holy Scriptures and councils of the fathers, yet Peter found it necessary, in 1716, to make their duties and obligations more clear and spe- cific,! ^s the moral conduct of many of them was t These obligations refer to the judicious exercise of the powers committed to them — personal conduct — strict cogni- zance of the monks and clergy under them — prevention of su- PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 15 highly unworthy their sacred office, and others were remiss in the performance of their spiritual duties. Promotion to the rank of bishop depends en- tirely on the will of the sovereign. When a va- cancy takes place in a diocese, the holy legisla- tive synod presents to his Imperial Majesty two or three candidates from among the eldest of the Archimandrites,* or chiefs of monasteries, out of whom he selects one, and orders him to be or- dained an Archire-, though he is not restricted in his choice to any of the candidates brought for- ward by the holy synod. Thus, the metropoli- tans, archbishops, and bishops, compose the high- est class of the Russian clergy, of whom the greater part in the present day are men of learn- ing, and many of them possessed of distinguished abilities, whose theological writings, especially of late years, have done honour to their profession and country ; but, unfortunately for their lite- rary reputation, they write in a language which is unknown to the other nations of Europe. From the intercourse which I have had with the higher ranks of the Russian clergy, in different perfluous building of churches and monasteries — pai-ticular duties towards their flock — study of the Scriptures — establish- ing of schools, &c. * Af;it;«(tt«v^p4Tii?, probably from ^xv}^m, a fold, 16 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. parts of the empire, I cannot express my senti- ments of their character in more appropriate terms than those which Dr King employed forty years before me, that *' the superior clergy of Russia are men whose candour, modesty, and truly primitive simplicity of manners, would have illustrated the first ages of Christianity." After the Archires, the next in order of dig- nity are those who in Russia are called Tschornoe Duhovenstvo, or the Black Clergy, to which class belong the Archimandrites, or chiefs of monaste- ries, from amongst whom the bishops are al- ways chosen ; the Hegumins,^ chiefs of small convents, of which they have the direction ; leiv- monachs-\ and Ierodiacons,X who perform divine service in the monasteries ; and, last of all, the Monks. All the Black Clergy, and also the Archires, according to the regulations of the Greek church, are obliged to lead rigid and recluse lives ; are forbidden animal food ; and are not permitted to marry, after entering into this order. They com- pose the regular clergy, and consider themselves as superior to the secular priests, in respect both of rank and learning ; for the whole powers and * 'Uy^yAvot, rulers. t 'lig^oMm'x.oi, monks, wlio are priests. J 'Ug^t^ttiy.ovii, monks, who ai'C deacons. PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 17 dignities of the Russian church are exclusively vested in them. The secular priests are called Beloe Duho- venstvo, or the White Clergy, and consist of Pro- toires,^ or, as they were formerly called, Proto- popes. Priests, and Deacons, together with the Readers and Sacristans. According to the state- ment published by the Holy Synod in 1 805, the number of Protoires, Priests, and Deacons, in ac- tual employ, was 44,487 ; and of Readers and Sacristans, 54,239 ; in all, 98,726. The Protoires, Priests, and Deacons, must all have been educated in the spiritual schools, and must be married before they can be ordained to these offices; but are restricted from marrying wi- dows. The death of their wives, however, does not now prevent them, as formerly, from officiating as priests, though they are not allowed to marry a second time. But they are at liberty to enter into the order of the Black Clergy, by becoming monks ; and thus the way is open before them to the first dignities of the Russian church. Those, again, who desire to marry ^ second time, must first resign their office in the priesthood, and are for ever excluded from that order. From what has already been mentioned, te- B 18 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. specting the education of the cjergy, it naturally follows, th^t the state of learning amongst the secular priests must have undergone a gre^t change for the better since the beginning of the last century. The judicious measures employ- ed by Peter the Great and his illustrious succesr sors, to procure to the clergy a regular educa- tion, and to dispel the ignorance and supersti- tion in which every class of their subjects was involved, together with the vigilant and stre- nuous exertions of the present government i^ promoting civilization and the interests of reli- gion, have already greatly ameliorated the ge- neral state of knowledge and manners among the higher ranks of society, and likewise a- mong the clergy, and must ultimately be pro- ductive of the most salutary consequences to the lower orders of the people. The duties of a secular priest in Russia are peculiarly laborious. The service of the church, which must regularly be performed three times a-day, and which, from its excessive length, is evidently of monastic origin, and only adapted for such as are entirely withdrawn from the world, together with the numerous and compli- cated ceremonies attending the administration of baptism, marriage, burial of the dead, visiting of the sick, kc. occupy the greater part of his PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 19 time, and leave him but little leisure for study. To this cause, in part, I am disposed to attri- bute that want of zeal and activity in advancing the true interests of religion and morality, which, in general, forms such a conspicuous feature in the character of the Russian clergy.* Perhaps their being, as it were, a distinct tribe, tends also greatly to produce this general characteristic; for, since the time of Peter the Great, who, in order to reform the irregularities which then existed among the clergy, ordered them all to be registered, and obliged them to send their sons to the spiritual schools, to receive a suit- able education for the ministry, none have been admitted to the offices of secular priests, but the sons of the clergy. Hence, many thousands of these men have entered into the priestly order, »ot from choice, but from necessity. It is but justice, liowever, to add, that many of the secu- lar priests are learned and worthy characters. * Comparatively few publications, either of a moral or religious kind, come from the pens of the clergy ; and, as far religious magazines or joui-nals, those invaluable channels of general instruction, which have tended more, perhaps, of late years, to promote the interests of religion andmorahty inGrpat Britain, than any other kind of publications, they are as yet but little known in Russia. A Rehgious Magazine was some years ago published in St Petersburg, but was suppressed, ia consequence of being injudiciously conducted. 20 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. who diligently perform the duties of their office, and spend their days in promoting the spiritual interests of the flocks committed to their charge. Nor is it unworthy of remark, that the Russians of all ranks are in general void of that persecuting rancour against other religious persuasions, which is so characteristic of Roman Catholics ; and, though they adhere strictly to the doctrines and ceremonies of their own church, yet not only the laity, but even the clergy, are far from thinking that there is no salvation without her pale. In most of the churches now, both in towns and, villages, a sermon is preached every Sunday, and on the chief holidays. Some of these dis- courses, which I have heard in different parts of the empire, for sound reasoning and clear views of the leading doctrines of the Gospel, might have done honour to a British clergyman. In some of the churches, I have also heard the priest read a homily from a printed book, a practice which is not unfrequent in the country, particu- larly in large congregations, where the duties of a priest leave him but little time for study. Among the peculiar privileges of the clergy, may be mentioned their complete exemption from all civil taxes. They are also exempted from corporal punishment, even in the case of com- mitting capital crimes: and, according to an PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 21 Vkaz of 1801, they are permitted to hold lands. The greater part of their support is derived from the free-will offerings of their parishioners, and their revenues are comparatively small. With the view of adding to their respectability, and exciting them to diligence in their sacred calling, the Emperor Paul began to bestow upon the su- perior clergy the orders of knighthood ; and, in 1797, he appointed golden crosses to be made for the secular priests, to be worn suspended from their necks, together with mitres like those of the Archimandrites, and other marks of distinc- tion in dress. These he bestowed on such of them as distinguished themselves in their holy calling. This Emperor, also, in order that the country clergy might have more time to attend to their spiritual duties, commanded that their fields should be cultivated by the peasants belonging to their respective parishes ; a regulatioix, how- ever, which has since been laid aside. 3. The whole Russian empire is divided into thirty-six dioceses or eparchies, which, in extent, are nearly the same with the divisions of the empire into provinces or governments. In these, there are 483 cathedrals, and 26,598 churches,* * In Russia, tlae rage for bviilding churches and monaste- 22 I^RELIMINARY MEMOIR. which are, in general, magnificent buildings. For- merly, many of them were of wood, but now they are mostly built of brick ; and compara- tively few of the wooden churches remain. A foreigner, in particular, is forcibly struck with the elegance of these fine edifices, raising their gilded spires amidst the humble izbas, or huts of the peasantry- Some of the churches are large square build- ings, but the most of them are built in the form of a cross. In general, they have five domes, with crosses, which, in monasteries and cathedrals, and even in some parish churches, are gilded, and have a splendid appearance. Adjoining to the church, or near to it, there is always a steeple or belfry, commonly of great height, provided with large bells ; and, like the churches, overloaded with decorations. The church is divided into three parts ; first, the Sanctum Sanctorum, called the Altar ^^ and in- to which females are not permitted to enter. In i-ies, in the iGth century^ was so great, that loan VasiUivitch was obliged to pvit a stop to it by an Ukaz. Moscow alone once contained, according to a proverbial expression, her sorok sorokoff, or forty times forty churches ! * Evidently from the Latin altare. However, the word Allar, as used in the Russian rubric, has properly no particu- lar reference to the holy table upon which the Gospels and cross are laid, but means the whole space which is separated from the body of the church by the Ikonostas. PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. '23 the middle of the Altar stands the Holi/ Table, upon which a golden or silver cross, and a richly- ornamented copy of the Gospels, are always laid. This part of the church is the east end, so that the congregation always worship with their faces towards the rising sun. The Altar is separated from the nave or body of the church, by a screen, upon which pictures of our Saviour, the Virgin, the Apostles, and Saints, are always painted. This screen is cal- led the Ikonostas,* in the middle of which are the Royal Doors,-\ which are opened at different times in the course of the service. Upon a platform before the Ikonostas, raised several steps, the readers and singers stand behind a low rail, to separate them from the congregation ; and, in the middle, before the Royal Doors, the most of the service is performed. The second division is the nave or body of the church, which properly may be styled the inner court, where the congregation stand ; for there are no seats in the Russian churches, neither do the congregation make any use of books. In some of the new churches in Petersburg and Moscow, there are pulpits erected to elevate the speaker ; but they are unknown in the churches 24i PRELIMINARY MEMOIR, in other parts of the empire, in which the preach- er, while delivering his discourse, usually stands before the Royal DoorSy behind a moveable desk.* The third division is called the Trapeza, which is the west end of the church, and may properly be denominated the outer court. This part is usually as large as the inner court, where the congregation assemble ; but, on holidays, both these divisions are generally filled with the wor- shippers. The inner walls and domes of the churches are covered with scriptural paintings, which in general represent the most interesting scenes of our Saviour's history. The Ikonostas is al- ways richly gilded and ornamented, and the pic- tures of the Saints adorned with gold and silver, pearls, and precious stones. 4. The service of the church is contained in up- wards of twenty volumes folio, all in the Slavo- nian language, which, though the ancient lan- guage of the country, is not well understood by the greater part of the modern Russians. Ttvelve of these volumes, one for every month, * Most of the Russian preachers keep theu- manuscript ly- ing before them, while delivering their Sermons, whether they make use of it or not. PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 2,5 contain the particular services and hymns for the festivals of the Saints, who are so numerous in the Greek kalendar, that there are more of them than there are days in the year. These twelve volumes are called the Minoeon.^' The Octoechos f compose two volumes, and are divided into eight voices or tones, each of which contains hymns for the days of one week, that are mixed in the service according* to the subjects to which the days of the week are appropriated. Thus, Sunday to the Resurrection ; Monday to the Angels ; Tuesday to John the Baptist ; Wed- nesday to the Virgin ; Thursday to the Apostles ; Friday to the passion of Christ ; and Saturday to the Saints and Martyrs. To these two there is a supplementary volume, containing hymns, to supply the deficiency in the Minoeon. The Psaltei' and the Hours take up another volume. The Book of Psalms is divided into twenty parts, one of which is read at a service ; so that the whole is read through in the course of a week. The Book of Prayer contains the ordinary daily prayers and Edinias for the priest and deacon, in the vespers, matins, and communion service. 26 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR^ The Fast Triads are two vollimes, which con- tain particular services for the great fast before Easter*, and for the days of Pentecost, when the hymns in the Octoechos are discontinued. The four Gospels compose another volume, a portion of which is read at every service. The Book of Offices contains the rites of bap- tism, marriage, burial service, (Sec. And, lastly, The Book of Regulation, which con- tains directions how to use the rest.* The Lives of the Saints are contained in several folio volumes, which are not now read in churches, but are sometimes read in monasteries, at the matins or morning service. The Russians make no use of a complete copy of the Bible in their churches ; they have only ex- tracts from the Old Testament and the Epistles, interspersed throughout the Minoeon and Octo- echos : and even many of the clergy in the coun- try do not possess an entire copy of the Scrip- tures. Both in monasteries and parish churches^ the service is performed three times a day. It begins in the evening of the preceding day, as among the Jews; the vespers at sunset; the matins * For a more particular account of the service of the Ruf<- siau Greek church, see Dr King's valuable work published in London in 1772, On the Rites and Ceremonies of the Greek Church in Rmsia. PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 27 between four and five in the morning ; and the li- turgy or communion service between nine and ten. The greater part of the service consists of psalms and hymns, which, according to the Regulation^ ought to be sung, but are now mostly read. The length of the service also, has given rise to the unintelligible manner in which most of it is now performed ; for the priests and readers, in order to get the more quickly through it, have fallen into the practice of repeating and reading the hymns and prayers so quickly, and in such a tone of voice, as renders the greater part of them im- possible to be understood by the congregation. The Gospel, however, is always read slowly, and in a distinct and audible voice ; so that it is much more intelligible, from being thus read, than many other parts of the service. 5. The wisdom of Peter the Great is in nothinp- more conspicuous than in the prudent regula- tions which he introduced into the monasteries and nunneries of Russia, and the restrictions which he laid upon the entering into the monas- tic state. These, since his time, have effectually remedied the disorders which formerly prevailed among the monks and nuns, and prevented in- dolent peasants and others from abandoning so- ciety, a practice so hurtful to the interests of the 28 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. community in every nation, but peculiarly so in Russia, where the proportion of population to the extent of territory is still so small.* Similar effects also resulted from the measures employed by the Empress Catherine II. in depri- ving the monasteries and nunneries of the exten- sive lands and numerous villages of peasants which belonged to them, only leaving a sufficient num- ber to perform the manual labour about these re- ligious houses. Out of the revenues, too, of which they formerly had the exclusive property, she appointed to the monasteries, and nunneries, annual salaries, and ordered the remainder to be applied to the support of hospitals and poor's-houses. By these means, that rage which formerly pre- vailed in Russia for the monastic life, has been so effectually repressed, that, at the present day, * The present number of inhabitants in the whole Russian empire, is upwards of 44,000,000, of wliich 3,000,000 belong to Siberia. But, according to the best Russian statistical ac- counts, this vast empire, exclusive of that great tract of coun- try in Siberia, lying to the north of the 60th degree of lati- tude, and of the many extensive sandy steppes or deserts, witli- out water, in the southern parts of Asiatic Russia, — exclusive, I say, of these uninhabitable parts which include almost one third of the whole empire, Russia contains good arable land capable of supporting 600,000,000 of inhabitants ; so that her present population, though rapidly increasing, is not one twelfth of what she is capable of supporting. 5 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 29 the monasteries and nunneries of that empire, in comparison of what they formerly were, are lite- rally deserted ; for, in 387 monasteries, we find no more than 4901 monks ; and, in 91 nunneries, lt^96 nuns. The monastic order, however, can- not be altogether abolished among the Russians, without an essential change in the constitution of their church ; for the higher ranks of the clergy can only be chosen from amongst the monks. On this account, it is an object of great importance with government, that such men should enter into this order, as may afterwards prove worthy the offices of spiritual fathers and rulers of the people. The monasteries and nunneries are divided in- to three classes; Siauropegiaf Ccenohia, and Laura. The two first are directly under the government of the Holy Synod, and the last is under the di- rection of the archbishops or bishops in whose dio- ceses such religious houses are situate. These monasteries, in respect of discipline and service, were at first regulated according to the famous Greek monasteries of mount Athos, called by the Greeks "Ay;«» o'?»?, the Holy Mountain.^' The * A large mountain in Macedonia, where there are up- wards of twenty monasteries of Greek monks, anciently fa- tnous in the Eastern church for their sanctity and learn- 30 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. monks of the Greek church are all of the order of St Basil, and the degrees are, Probationer, Pro- ficient, and Perfect. The order and discipline are the same in the nunneries as in the monasteries. The abbess of a nunnery is called Hegumina. A secular priest always performs divine service in their chapels ; but the nuns themselves are al> lowed to read the lessons, and sing the hymns. The nunneries in Russia, at present, are pro- perly nothing but asylums for aged or unfortu- nate females, who there spend the remainder of their days in retirement, most of them usefully employed ; and it were altogether inconsistent with justice and truth, to consider them as belong- ing to those retreats of licentiousness and vice, covered with tlie black veil of feigned devotion, of which we have so many shocking accounts ill ecclesiastical history, 6. On the introduction of Christianity into Russia, the first dignitaries of the church were the metropolitans, who were chosen by the Grand Princes and the Bishops, and ordained by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Hence, the Patri- archs, not unfrequently, without consulting ei- ther the Russian princes or clergy, sent them ing. Foi- an account of them, see Ricaut's State of the Greek Church, p. 215. PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. SI metropolitans and bishops of their own choosing-, though the Grand Princes generally opposed such an infringement on their prerogative, and often sent them back again to Constantinople ; and even some of the Grand Princes, in place of applying to the patriarch, commanded the Rus- sian bishops to ordain their own metropolitans. But, in genei:al, the person chosen to be metro- politan of all Russia, went to Constantinople for ordination ; and this usage continued till the ta- king of that city in 1453 by the Turks, when a final stop was put to the free communication which had so long subsisted between the patri- archs and the Russian church. On this account, Tzar Theodore loanovitch, in 1588, appointed his own patriarch in the Russian church ;. in which appointment the four patriarchs of the East* having acquiesced, Jeremias, the patriarch of Constantinople, came into Russia, and ordain- ed Job, the metropolitan of Moscow, patriarch of all Russia, conferring upon him equal authority and powers with the eastern patriarchs. This office lasted till the beginning of the 18th ceiir tury, when the disturbances which had taken place in the preceding reigns between the princes and the patriarchs, induced Peter the Great to * The patriarchs, viz. of Conslantinople, Jerusalem, Aii' t'wchi and Alexandria. 32 PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. abolish this office, in order the better to carry into effect his plans of reformation, both in church and state. When Peter ascended the throne, the power of the patriarch was almost equal to that of the Tzar, after whom he took the first seat, and had a chief voice in all the aflfairs of the empire, both civil and religious. Without his blessing, nei- ther war was undertaken, nor peace concluded. From these peculiar privileges, and the influ- ence he possessed over the clergy and people, an influence which was oftentimes augmented by his own extensive domains and family connec- tions, it not unfrequently happened that the pa- triarch opposed his voice to that of the Tzar and nobles, in national affairs of importance, for no other reason but because he had not been previ- ously consulted. On this account, Peter the Great, on the death of the last patriarch, Adrian, in 1 700, abolished the patriarchal office, and appointed an Exarch, or vicegerent of the Holy See, with limited powers, who could do nothing without the con- sent of the other bishops, and was obliged to re- fer all affairs of moment to the decision of the Tzar himself. The person appointed to the Exarchy was Stephen, metropolitan of Bezan, under whose FRELIMINARY MEMOIR. S3 presidency the schools of the clergy were much improved, the priests and monks more strictly looked after, and arrangements made for that further reformation in the government of the church which soon followed. In 1721, Peter abolished the Exarchy also, and, in place of it, instituted the Holy Legisla- tive Synod, and furnished it with instructions,*^ for the government of spiritual affairs, under his own particular cognizance. This spiritual coun- cil was at first to consist of twelve members, chosen from amongst the Archires, Archiman- drites, and Protoires ; but the number is now indefinite, and the choice and appointment of its members depend entirely on the will of the sove- reign. At the head of the Holy Legislative Synod there is always a layman, denominated the * These instructions are called Du/iovnoe Regelamenf, or Spiritual Regulation, which was principally drawn up by Theophamis, Archbishop of Pleshoff, a man of distinguished talents and learning, who v/rote an ecclesiastical history, a ca- techism, and many other theological pieces of acknowledged merit. The Spiritual Regulation has been translated into English by the Rev. Mr Consett, and published in 1729, and is well worth the perusal of every one who wishes to have a just idea of the value of that reformation, which Peter, so justly styled the Great, wrought upon the Russian church, which^ before his time^ lay in a state of the utmost ignorance and dearadation. 34> PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. Ober Procurator,* who is considered as sitting there on the part of the crown, and has a negative on all its resolutions till laid before the Emperor. The whole government and spiritual concerns of the church are vested in the Holy Synod, which, in point of dignity, is on a level with the Legislative Senate, f Subordinate to the Synod are, a department of this court in Moscow, the Censor of religious publications, the Consistory of every diocese, (which is composed of three Archimandrites, or Hegumins, at the head of which is the Bishop,) the lesser courts of Spiri- tual Judicature, called Cantoirs, the clerical schools, and the monasteries and nunneries. Ap- peals lie from the Cantoirs to the Consistory, from thence to the Bishop, and from the Bishop to the Holy Synod. The above particulars, it is hoped, will enable * This honourable and most important office is at present filled by Prince Alexander Golitzin, who is also minister for foreign confessions, and president of the St Petersburg Bible Society, — a nobleman, whose high rank, personal talents, and public and private character, render him a general blessing and honour to his country. t The Legislative Senate is the chief civil court in the empire, in subordination to which are all the courts of justice in Russia. Both the Legislative Synod and the Legislative Senate liave their seats in St Petersburg, and are accountable for their decisions to the Sovereign alone> who is properly the head of both. PRELIMINARY MEMOIR. 3S the reader to form a general idea of the present state of the Greek church in Russia, and will prepare him for perusing the following concise system of her present tenets, written by one of her most learned and universally esteemed Divines. ORTHODOX DOCTRINE; A SUMMARY OF CHRISTIAN DIVINITY PART FIRST. OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AS DERIVED FROM NATURE, BEING SUBSERVIENT TO THE BELIEF OF THE GOSPEL. I. With what does the knowledge of man begin ? The knowledge of man begins ivith the knowledge of himself Know thyself was reckoned by the ancients to be the first step towards real wisdom ; and in conformity to this are the words of the apostle : " If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."* 1 Cor. xi. 31. II, Evidences that there is a God. On entering into the knoivledge of ourselves, the * The Slavonian reading is more applicable — " If we would consider ourselves, we should not be condemned." 38 OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. Jirst thing we come to understand is, that we could not create ourselves. Hence, we necessarily con- clude, that' there must he an almighty and uncrea- ted Cause, hy which we and every other creature were created. Now, hy this Jirst cause, according to general acceptation, we understand God. 1. Every thing in this world is contingent, that is, it might exist or not exist, or exist un- der some other form. But when something was produced out of nothing, then of necessity there must have been a creative Cause. Agreeable to this are these words of the Psalmist : " Know ye that the Lord he is God : it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves." Psalm c. 3. 2. On this account also, man is styled " a lit- tie world," by the contemplation of which, and of certain other traces (in nature), we arrive at the knowledge of the Deity. III. The existence of God is further demonstrated, 1. By a diligent examination of the works of crea- tion. 2, By the general consent of all nations. 3. By the internal testimony of our oiun conscience : and, 4. By our innate desire of a chief good, or of perfect happiness. 1 . This world may be compared to a stagCj on which the glory of God is represented before us; OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. S9 or to a book, proclaiming to every one the exist- ence of its author ; or to a mirror, in which we behold clearly exhibited the infinite wisdom of God. In testimony of this the apostle writes, " For the invisible things of him from the crea- tion of the world are clearly seen, being under- stood by the things that are made, even his eter- nal power and Godhead." Rom. i. 20. 2. Every where among all nations, even amongst the most savage, altars have been rai- sed, and sacrifices seen smoking upon them. Thus so strong in man was the conviction of the existence of a Deity, that he rather chose to worship stocks and stones in the place of God, than to suppose that there was no God. 3. The conscience of every man on his doing good, feels a lively sensation of joy; but on his committing evil, he feels remorse, and is self-tor- tured. Such feelings must originate from some innate j^owers, that most convincingly assure us, that there exists an Omniscient and Al- mighty Judge, a most liberal rewarder of the good, and a severe punisher of the bad. These considerations agree with the words of the apos- tle : " For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves : which shew the work of the law 10 OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. written in their hearts, their conscience also bear- ing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing, or else excusing one another." Rom. ii. 14, 15. 4. Let a man be ever so happy in this world, and abound ever so much in all that it can af- ford, yet still he is unable to satisfy his desires so far, as to prevent, at times, the world and all its enjoyments from becoming disgusting to him, or to keep his desires from running out after something more than all that surrounds him. Solomon, after having tried all manner of grati- fications, was forced at last to exclaim, " Vanity of vanities ; all is vanity !" This innate desire cannot be in vain ; it must be gratified by some perfect and unchangeable good ; and this chief good is God. In conformity to this, David says, « I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." Psalm xvii. 15. But blinded and im- pious Atheists cannot properly understand this most convincing reasoning: though it is not with- out cause, that some have even doubted, if such characters could exist as reject the being of a God, without feeling the accusations of their own consciences for entertaining such a sentiment. OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. 41 IV. What is God? ,, Having obtained the knowledge of the existence of God, we represent him to ourselves as a Being most exalted, who, independent of every one, is of himself, and cannot hut exist. If God be the maker of all things, then it is impossible for him to be indebted for his exist- ence to any thing : otherwise we would be obli- ged to confess, that there is a cause higher and more powerful than God, which is altogether contrary to the conceptions we have of Deity. V. What are the attributes of God ? On the knoivledge of the existence of God depends the knoiuledge of his divine attributes. Because, if God is independent of every one, and cannot but ex- ist , it necessarily folloivs that, 1. He is one. 2, That he is ivithout beginning and luithout end, or eternal. 3. And that ivhich is eternal, must be im- material and immortal. 4. Consequently, a most pure Spirit. 5. And such a pure Spirit, without doubt, is possessed of intelligence, is, 6. Omniscient; I . Infiiitely wise ; 8. Free ; 9. Good ; 10. Just ; II. Holy ; and 12. Almighty. Hence, we are oh- liged to conclude, thai he is, 13. Most perfect, and, 14. 3Iost hlessedi and the Supreme Lord of all. 42 OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. 1. A plurality of gods is altogether incom- patible with the idea which we have of Deity, as a Being possessed of all possible perfections ; and hence, though others should hold a plurality of gods, yet will we continue to hold fast the truth, that there is but one God. " For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, to us there is but one God the Fa- ther, of whom are all things, and we in him." 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6. Therefore, polytheists and worshippers of idols are without excuse, and it is a hopeless refuge, which, in order to cover the shame of the ancients, some philosophers have devised, saying, that they all worshipped one God by different rites and under different forms ; but according to the words of Paul, " they have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." Rom. i. 23. 2. He who cannot but exist, must also, of ne- cessity, be without beginning and without end ; and duration without beginning or end, is call- ed eternity. How beautifully the following text explains this subject ! — " They (the crea- tures) shall perish, but thou shall endure ; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment ; and as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF 60D. 43 be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end." Psalm cii. 26, 27. 3. Every material thing has had a beginning, from the union of the constituent parts of which it is composed, and on these parts being separat- ed, the thing itself is destroyed. In living crea-* lures also, this change is produced by death. But God having neither beginning nor end, as above shewn, cannot consist of component parts ; because he is immaterial and immortal. Hence it is written : " We ought not to think that the godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." Acts xvii. 29. And though in the Scripture, mention is made of God's eyes, his ears, and hands, and other members such as we possess ; yet these are not to be literally understood, but are only used to point out to us the inexplicable powers of Deity. Thus, by the eye, is meant God's omniscience ; by the ear, his gracious hearing of our prayers ; by the hands, his omnipresent and active power. And in a similar manner we ought to explain the rest. 4. A spirit is a being that is immaterial ; en- dowed with inteUect and will. Such a Being, in the most exalted sense, is God ; and thus it is written : " God is a spirit." John iv. 24. 5. Intellect is a faculty which clearly re- 44« OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD, presents a thing to itself. Hence, in the divine intellect, all things, not only that do exist, but that could exist, most evidently ap- pear in their images, (phantasms.) For as his being is infinite, so his attributes must be un- •limited. " Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Heb. iv. 13. 6. God's omniscience, is that attribute by which he penetrates into the very essence of all that does, shall, or could exist. Hence God is called the searcher of hearts, and the trier of the reins, and the judge of the thoughts of the heart. The foreknowledge of God is certain; however, it doth not infringe the liberty of man's will ; that is, we ought not to suppose that we are obliged by some fatal necessity to do good or evil ; for God seeth the future as he beholdeth the present, consequently, from eternity itself, he seeth the actions of men just as they are to hap- pen in time, according to the law of free-will. But the free act of God's foreknowledge does not infringe on man's liberty. 7. The wisdom of God is that attribute by which he directeth all things, and actions, to their proper ends. And thus the Psalmist sung : *' O 4 OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. 45 Lord, how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom hast thou made them all." 8. Whatsoever God doth, he doth it out of his own free will, and he cannot be obliged to act by the influence of any person or thing. This is taught us in scripture, in these words : " Our God is in the heavens ; he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased." Psalsm cxv. 3. 9. The goodness of God is the active divine wish to communicate to all his creatures as much perfection and happiness as they are capable of; capable of, I say, because God being infinitely wise, ordereth all his works according to his infinite wisdom. Thus, for instance, he gave to the sun light, but not reason ; and hath adorn- ed man with reason, but not with light ; because these are agreeable to their respective natures. And the Scriptures speak so highly of the good- ness of God, that it cannot in the least be com- pared with the goodness either of angels or of men. " None is good save one — God." Luke xviii. 19. 10. The justice of God is the display of his goodness ; and this display is regulated accord- ing to his divine wisdom. In order to illustrate this, it is necessary to observe, that God, according to his goodness, de- sires all men to be partakers of eternal happiness ; 46 OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF COD. but the justice of God restrains this ; because the divine wisdom can never look upon the righteous and the hardened sinner as both alike. Therefore, when such a sinner is cut off from eter- nal happiness, this is an act of the divine justice. In this way we must judge of the other actions of God. The word of God proclaims in the most powerful manner the justice of the Deity. " For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, his countenance doth behold the upright." Psalm xi. 7. 11. God is holy, consequently hath no part in sin. His will is alone directed towards good, and he hath an utter detestation of evil. Hence, man defiled by sin, can have no communion with the most holy God, unless he is purified by re- pentance and faith. God's holiness is compared, in scripture, to light. " God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1st John, i. 5. 12. There is nothing impossible for God. And this divine omnipotence becomes more conspicu- ous when we reflect, that he can create ; nay, create out of nothing, by the word of his power, without the smallest difficulty. However, God doth not do all that he could ; but he doth what he will ; and he willeth that alone which is agreeable to his infinite wisdom. Thus, for ex- ample, God could by force keep men from sin- OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. 47 ning ; but were he to do so, then the freedom of man's will would be infringed, and in so doing he would have acted contrary to his in- finite wisdom, which requireth man to be free in all his acts. Moreover, were man withheld from sin by the power of another, even then he would not he less blameable or unrighteous than if he were permitted to sin as he would. But God, as most beneficent, hath given us sufficient warn- ings against evil, without violating the freedom of our will. Of the omnipotence of God, the Scriptures reason in the same manner. " I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee." Job xlii. 2.* 1 3. All the above mentioned attributes of God are his eternal excellencies, in which consist his majesty and glory. These divine excellencies are without bounds, and they do not belong to God only in time, but his Being has been adorned with them from all eternity. Hence, God never is, nor can be, in need of any thing. And as such a condition must indeed be blessed; therefore, strictly speaking, God alone is perfectly blessed. O how happy will those be, who shall be reckon- ^ The Slavonian renders tliis verse, — " I know that thou canst do every thing, and that there is nothing impossible for thee." 48 OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. ed worthy to be made partakers of this blessed- ness ! And thus David exclaims: "For with thee is the fountain of life ; in thy light shall we see light !" Psalm xxxvi. 9. 14. None can with such propriety have power over the creatures, as he who created them; who being almighty, can always preserve them in ex- istence; and being infinite in wisdom, knows how to direct them according to his own purpose, to the accomplishment of the ends for which they were created. " Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth tlirougliout all generations." Psalm cxlv. 13. VI. Who created the universe, and how was it created ? The great God created the universe, and all things that are therein. Created it ont of nothing, 7iot out of necessity, hut according to his own free will, to make it a partaker of his goodness. 1. Under the term universe, is understood all creation taken collectively, and in which we also are included. All the creatures are generally di- vided into visible and invisible. The visible are those which are perceived by our senses ; as the sun, the stars, the earth, the air, b&c. But on the contrary, we only attain to a knowledge of CREATION OF THE WORLD. 49 the invisible by our intellectual faculties. Thus human souls and angels arc not objects of sense ; and hence they are called immaterial spirits. Of the existence of spirits we have sufficient proof from reason ; though the Holy Scriptures afford us fuller assurance on this point : " For by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and in- visible." Col. i. 16. Here it is necessary to ob- serve, 1st, That God in creating all things, unit- ed them in one strong bond, in order that one tiling might serve another, and taken collective- ly, might preserve unity in the whole creation. In this is most evidently seen the infinite wis- dom of God. 2d, There is nothing in crea- tion, taken abstractly, that can be called bad, or the use of which, taken in itself, can be call- ed unclean. Hence it is written : " And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good," Gen. i. 31 ; and the apostle reasons in the same way, in these words : " I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; But to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean." Rom. xiv 14. However, good things will become bad, if an improper use is made of them ; as, when a sword is used to slay D 50 CREATION OF THE WORLD. the innocent, or reason used to the perversion of truth. 2. Some have been of opinion, that the world was created out of some kind of material substance. But if this matter was produced by the power of God out of nothing, then such an opinion is not much contrary to our own ideas. If, however, this matter was not created out of nothing, then it must have been eternal ! Such a way of reason- ing is very pernicious and ill-founded ; because no being, except God, can be infinite, and of course without beginning. However, as no be- ing can produce itself, and as before its creation it had no existence ; consequently, all creatures were made out of nothing. Hence it is evident, that before the creation of the universe, there existed nothing except God. 3. God can never find difficulty in any work : to create all things, only cost him one word ; that is, he needed only to will, and it was done. And though the Holy Scriptures teach us, that God created the universe in the course of six days, yet it was not becavise he could not create all things in one moment. By this it is evident al- so, that God doth not act out of necessity, or ac- cording to some blind impulse ; but that he useth his power where it is agreeable to him, and in proportion as he pleaseth. Now, of what God CREATION OF THE WORLD. 51 willed to create each day, the divine Moses has informed us ; and that this creation took place in the following order. On the first day, he created the heavens, and the earth, and the light. On the second day, the firmament, that is, in all its extent as we view it from the earth. Afterwards he made a division between the waters above, (by which, it appears, we ought to understand the clouds,) and the waters below, namely, rivers, lakes, and seas. On the third day, he divided the waters from the land, by which the waters were gathered together into one place, which gathering together of the waters, we call the Ocean : and then the earth shewed its face, which was im- mediately adorned with different kinds of herbs and trees. On the fourth day, the luminaries of heaven were created, the sun, the moon, and the stars, probably from the luminous substance which was created on the first day On the fifth day, the fishes that swim in the waters, and the fowls that fly in the air. On the sixth day, beasts, and cattlcj and creeping things ; and last of all, man, male and female. Gen. i. 4. God being, from all eternity, most perfect, could never stand in any need of the creatures; but he created them in order to make them partakers of his goodness, that is, to communicate to them perfections that have the image of his own per- 52 THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN. fections, in as great a degree as they were ca- pable of containing them. Hence, the creation of the universe may be called the pouring out of the goodness of Go^, VII. What is the image and likeness of God ? J[£an was mack a partake?' of this goodness, inore than any other creature, being created male and female, after the image of God ; formed of a body and an immortal soul. ] . The image and likeness of God consist in a si- milarity to the divine perfections. For example, God is possessed of intelligence, and man is like- wise endowed with intelligence. God, according to his nature, only chooseth that which is good, and turneth away from all evil ; and man received at his creation an innate propensity to good, and an aversion to evil. God is the supreme Lord of all creatures ; and man is placed also at the head of this lower world. In this manner, it is necessary to reason of the other perfections. And because God is immaterial, as we have mentioned above, therefore the image of God cannot be material, as the Anthropomorphites foolishly argue ; for this image was, at first, impressed on the soul of man. We can even attain to tolerably dis- tinct ideas of this subject, by the assistance of IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. 53 our reason ; but the Holy Scriptures speak still more distinctly, when they admonish us to " put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph. iv. 24 ; see also Col. iii. 10. And what we have here said in regard to the image of God, belongs to both the sexes, that is, to man and woman, as is evident from Gen. i. 27. The first man was called Adam, and his wife Eve : and from these two, the whole human race has sprung. The soul is immortal. 2. On entering into ourselves, we feel that there exists within us, a being, as it were, distinct from our body, possessed of powers to know itself, and also other objects. This being we call soul ; and we cannot entertain a doubt of its immortality ; because it is not material ; for matter cannot be endowed with such reason and will as we feel our souls to be possessed of, put it into what form soever you please. This subject is explained by the Holy Scriptures, which inform us, that the body was taken from the earth, and God breathed into man the soul : " And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." Gen. ii. 7. But we ought not to suppose from this, that God breathed like a man, or 54) DIVINE PROVIDENCE. that our soul is air or vapour ; for by this breath- ing of God, we are taught, that our soul is a be- ing created after the image of God, and that it stands in a nearer connection with him than all the other creatures. However, let none from this imagine, that our soul is a part of the di- vine nature : God cannot be divided into parts ; for if God possessed parts, then they, like him- self, must also be uncreated. VIII. Of the Providence of God. God did not leave the world which he had crea^ ted ; but careth for it, and preserveth to all things their being and powers, and most wisely governeth and directeth all things to the best ends. 1 . The providence of God, or God's care over the world, consists in this, that he preserveth to all his creatures their being and powers ; for all creatures do exist, and possess powers of ac- tion, only in consequence of God's willing it to be so ; and because this willing of God still con- tinues : (for who will say, that any thing exists or acts in opposition to the will of God ?) This will of his is active ; consequently all creatures have their existence and powers continued to them by God. This preservation may be called. DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 55 a continued creation of things. Otherwise, should this goodwill of God stop for a moment, in the same moment all creation would fall into non- existence. In support of this, it is written, " In him (God) we live, and move, and have our being." Acts xvii. 28 ; also Matthew vi. 26, he. There is neither Fate nor Chance. 2. God hath established such a union among his creatures, that one is made to serve ano- ther ; and thus the universe is preserved in one whole. But who could direct all these innumer- able movements of things to one end, except the almighty and infinitely wise God ? In this he revealeth to us the transcendency of his glory ; and thus it is written : " Nevertheless, he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful sea- sons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." Acts xiv. 17, and the whole of Psalm ciii. Hence, nothing takes place in the world from necessity or by fate, and nothing can happen by chance, that is, it cannot take place without the permission of God. Therefore, abundance and want, poverty and riches, success and dis- appointment, all happen as the paternal and divine counsel of infinite wisdom permits. And when we suppose, that we observe in the world 56 PARTICULAR PROVIDENCE. any sort of disorder, this arises from our inability to penetrate into the whole connection of things, which, if we could once comprehend, we should be astonished at the infinite wisdom of God. IX. Proofs of God's particular providence to- wards man. But over man, as ihc noblest of creatures, God exerciseth a particular providential care, exclusive of the general providence above mentioned. The particular providence of God towards man, is evident, from two considerations. First, That he pointeth out to him different ways, and granteth him various means to be virtuous. Thus, some he deterreth from evil by threaten ings, and others he encourageth to good by the promises of re- ward; this one he correcteth by poverty, and that one he inciteth to virtue by riches. Also, to the real happiness of good parents, he hath made requisite for their children, a proper education, a good example, and an acquaintance with good books, &c. Here must also be included the great changes that take place in the governments of the world, as when one kingdom is brought into sub- jection to another. In all these things we behold the clearest proofs of God's providential care of THE WORSHIP OF GOD. 57 tlie children of men. Secondly, That the very worst of men's mtentions, and deeds, are by God over-ruled to a good end. Thus, for instance, by persecution, such as the righteous endure from the wicked, those virtues of the righteous are made evident, which, perhaps, otherwise would never have been seen : and the wicked are made asha- med ; and thus often brought imperceptibly to a confession of their sins. But the wonderful ways of divine Providence are particularly shewn in the redemption of mankind, where the greatness of man's guilt, served, in a most wonderful man- ner, to exhibit, in a more conspicuous light, the magnitude of God's mercy ; for, " Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Rom. v. 20. " And v/e know that all things work to- gether for good to them that love God." Rom, viii. 28. X. Of the worship of God. From the foregoing considerations, it follows thai man, as a reasonable ci'cature, is bound to j'ender unto God supreme and unfeigned woj^ship, as to his Ahnighiij Creator, and most merciful Benefactor. 1. Every creature is bound to worship its Crea- tor. But as the worship of God necessarily re- qiiires intelligence and sincerity of spirit ; and as 53 THK wonsmi' Oh- i;0». mail alone, amongst the visible creatures, is adorned with these gifts ; theretbre, he is the only one that can rentier unto Cod reasonable worshi|i, and on this account he is bound to do so. He is buund to do so, not only for himself, but for all creation ; to present his prayers to Ciod, as a master prayeth his liord lor those who are under him, or as a father ]>leadeth for his family. Thus, for example, on beliolding the sun, we ought to bless our Maker for pre- serving its light and heat, for the benefit of all the other creatures ; or on looking upon the face of the earth, we should thank Cod that he hath made it fruitful, ami lauseth it to produce food for all that lives ; and so in other cases. But when a man neglects this duty, he, as it were, pours <'ontenipt upon the creatures, and makes theiu ungrateful before Cod. In this sense the apostle writes, '* For the creature was uiade sub- ject to vanity« not willingly." Uoni. viii. 'JO. W'lmt is divine worship ? 2. Divine worship is the testifying of our sub- jection unto Cod. This subjection ought to be i:ouiplete ; because it is rendered to the highest of Beings, from whom we have i-eceived all that we possess. It ought also to be sincere; because we stand before Him, to whom are know n the THE WORSHIP OF GOD. 59 most secret thoughts of the heart. God himself calleth upon us to render unto him divine worshi]); First, By his very nature, which is most worthy to be adored by us. Secondly, By his innumerable benefits l)estowed on us in creation, and more par- ticularly in redemption ; of which we are con- tinually made partakers in his gracious provi- dence. The Holy Scriptures teach us, that we are so deeply indebted to God for his manifold mercies, that we are altogether incapable of rendering unto him the worship which is due. " What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me ?" Psalm cxvi. 12. XI. The wojship of God is internal and exter- nal. 7' he internal reqidreth love to God, — Jew, — a ^loriftjinir of his name^ — thanksgivi/iff for his bene/ilSy — confession of our weakness and poverly, and invocation of him for help. And the external requireth prostration, — offering up prayers, — sighs and tears in confession, — -joy beaming on the coun- tenance in thanksgiving, — attendance on public wor- ship, 8^c. 1 . The worship of God is, properly speaking, only internal; for the external without the in- ternal, is so far from being divine worship, that it is nothing but abominable hypocrisy : but when 60 THE FOUNDATION tlie internal makes itself known by external signs, then these signs are called the external worship of God. The internal may exist without the ex- ternal ; but the external cannot he without the internal. With the internal worship of God, the external ought not to be neglected ; because it is impossible, when the soul is deeply affected, not to shew these impressions by some outward signs. Thus, for instance, when the heart is broken and contrite, it is impossible that tears should not flow, and sighs be heard. More- over, these external pious marks of divine wor- ship may be very useful to rouse'others, par- ticularly when the worship of God is going on in public. In regard to internal worship, our Sa- viour speaks as follows : " God is a Spirit : and they that worship him, must worship him in spi- rit and in truth." John iv. 24. What is the foundation of divine worship ? 2. The various parts of divine worship are mostly founded on the consideration of the di- vine attributes ; because, if God is our chief and perfect good, and more amiable in our eyes than all other objects, then our hearts, ani- mated by these feelings, must naturally turn to him with love, and seek to be united to him. If he is a just and impartial Judge, we ought to OF DIVINE WORSHIP. 61 fear, lest, by breaking his eternal laws, we should fall under his just displeasure. If he is most holy, then we ought, with the greatest reverence, to pronounce his holy name, and be afraid of thinking or doing any thing in the presence of others which might reflect dishonour upon his glory. If he is our most generous Benefactor and most gracious Father, then we should always keep in remembrance his infinite goodness ; and therefore most sincerely offer up unto him our hearty thanksgivings. If he is the Almighty Lord of all, and we, on the contrary, weak and perpetually transgressing creatures, then it is ne- cessary, that we should confess our poverty be- fore him with the most contrite sorrow, on ac- count of our sins. If he is most beneficent, and also every where present, then in all our needs we ought to flee to his protection, and patiently to wait for his timely assistance. The holy Scrip- tures abound with examples of such reflections, and therefore I do not bring forward any passage in particular. But from the above, it is evident, that dishonour is reflected on the worship of God by every evil deed ; and that those who de- sire to worship God in spirit and trutli must be lovers of virtue, " But unto the- wicked, God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my sta- (j2 EXTERNAL WORSHIP. tutes, or that thou shovildst take my covenant in thy mouth?" Psalm 1. 16. S. The external signs of our internal devotion to God are such as, 1. Prostratiouy which is a falling down upon the earth, or a bending of the knees, by which we shew our devotedness to God. 2. Offering up praters, either such as are written in a book, or such as a warm heart com- municates to the tongue. When, in the Gospel, long prayers are spoken of with disapprobation, it is not that they are of themselves sinful — far from this ; but it is when they are used in hypocrisy, and when any one thinks, that by reading over a few prayers he has done God a favour, while at the same time he never so much as felt the smallest contrition of heart. Matth. vi. 7. 3. Sighs and tears : these are most natural when a man enters into himself, and finds that he is imperfect and defiled by a multitude of sins, and liable to the just condemnation of God. 4. Jo^ of countenance, which is produced by a glad heart, sensible of the infinite goodness of God. Thus, for example, when David received into his tent the ark of the Lord, which was the evident em- blem of the unseen presence of God, he sung, dancing and playing upon the harp, and was not ashamed of this ; for all this he did before the Lord, and for his sake. 2 Sam. vi. 21. 5. At- 4 THE REWARD OF TRUE WORSHIP. 63 tendance on public worship^ in the churches, which are erected for the service of God. Though at home, and even in any place, we may pray to God ; yet it is with great advantage, and with great propriety, that we do this in his temple ; where the most general meetings of his worship- pers are held ; where the ordinances are dispen- sed, and all, as it were with one voice, unite in the praises of their universal Lord. Hence, ho- ly David thus expresses himself: " I was glad when they said unto me. Let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm cxxii. 1. xn. Such divine worship cannot remain ivithout its reward. As the justice and holiness of God require that we should turn away from those who disregard and transgress against his holy will, so they re- quire those to be beloved and rewarded who un- feignedly reverence God, and seek in the paths of virtue an union with him ; otherwise, the wicked and the righteous would be alike to God; a supposition which it is not only impossible to entertain concerning the Deity, but even con- cerning a good man. This subject is finely il- lustrated by the conversation which Abraham had with God; " A"d Abraham drew near. 64 A FUTURE STATE. and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked ; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?" Gen. xviii. 23 — 25. And the apostle to the Hebrews says, chap. xi. 6. " For he. that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him," XIII. Of belief in a future state. There must be, as indeed there is, after this, an uninterrupted eternal life, in which, ivithout doubt, the good shall be rewarded, and the wicked inevitd" hly punished. 1. It is well known, that the pious and virtu- ous in this life, not only do not always receive a proper reward, but that they are in general per- secuted, and suifer all manner of afflictions ; and that, on the contrary, the wicked, not unfre- quently, end their days in every kind of worldly prosperity, while all this takes place according to the infinitely wise purposes of God. But as we said above, that the true worship of God can- not remain unrewarded; consequently, when this does not take place in the present life, equity re- A FUTURE STATE. 66 quires that there should be another life, in which virtue shall receive her reward. And who is ca- pable of supposing, that God created man so, as to suffer every kind of evil in this life, and then irretrievably perish ? Even the Heathens them- selves were not so blind as to imagine this ; they could not bring themselves to think, that virtue could remain unrewarded. Hence, they held an opinion, that the souls of the virtuous were trans- ported to a state of happiness in the Elysian Fields. The Holy Scriptures continually remind us of the future reward, thus, Phil. iii. 20, 21, " For our conversation is in heaven," &c. And, " the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them." Wisdom of Solo- mon, iii. 1 . Farther, the present world is said not to be our dwelling-place, and life is called a pil- grimage, a journey, a race, kc. These considera- tions ought to comfort the virtuous man in dis- tress, and cheer him amidst his greatest misfor- tunes, knowing that his virtue can never be for- gotten ; but shall in due time shine forth like the sun. Moreover, what a powerful motive we have to continue stedfast in the ways of piety, in that it shall be rewarded with eternal happiness in heaven ! " For I reckon, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be Gom- E 66 CORRUPTION OF pared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."' Rom. viii. 18. 2. According to the justice of God, rewards and punishments must at some period inevitably take place. But of these rewards, and of that punishment which will overtake sinners, we shall speak afterward, when we come to treat more particularly of a future life in the world to come. XIV. Of the corrupt nature of man. Here we behold man, so weak and corrupted, that he, in his own strength, is not only unable to render unto God perfect worship ; but, on the contrary, finds himself a continual transgressor of God's law, and altogether unclean before the infinitely pure eyes of divine justice. Proofs of the corruption of human nature. \. The weakness and corruption of our nature are indisputable, even according to the opinion of Heathens. Only open their books, and you will see how they complain of the tempers of men ; accuse their unruly passions; are offended at their inconstancy ; exclaim against the shameful injustice of men ; describe the raging^ of war ; the evils of deceit, cunning, calumny ; the most HUMAN NATURE. 67 abominable fleshly lusts, drunkenness, avarice, pride, c6vetousness, insatiable revenge, kc. Hence, the ancients invented the fable of Democritus and Heraclitus; of whom, the one always laughed at the folly of men, and the other wept conti- nually over the miseries of the human race. In further proof of the corruption of hu- man nature, we observe, that once the whole world (except a chosen few, among whom the knowledge of God shone) bowed down before corruptible wood, and silver and gold, or the images of men, to whom the poets have ascribed the worst of crimes ; and though all these ob- jects of worship were not indiscriminately of this class ; yet the best of them were but men. But why do I speak of the images of men, for divine honours were paid, and sacrifices and offerings presented, to four-footed beasts and creeping things ; to crocodiles, bulls, cats, and apes, and even to onions and garlic. Is it possible to have greater proofs of the blindness of human reason, or more decisive evidences of the extreme corrup- tion of man's nature? With such dark and con- fused ideas of the divinity, they also made the man- ners of mankind to agree ; and hence, their whole lives were nothing but a wandering in the dark night of error. This corruption also has been the cause of the overthrow of the most powerful em- 6S CORRUPTION OF pires, the most flourishing republics, and the most eminent systems of human government in the world. The numerous laws enacted, and the se- verities employed to procure obedience to them, were all insufficient to stop the current of vice ; and the wickedness of mankind became so great, that vice would sooner have destroyed the laws, than the laws overcome it. But even in our own times, how many laws, judgment seats, places of correction, prisons, scaffolds, &c. ! Yet notwith- standing, sin still rages in the world with accumu- lated strength. It is impossible not to feel the force of these reasons, which prove our nature to be terribly corrupt ; more particularly, when we subjoin to them the powerful evidence of Holy Scripture, which, in innumerable passages, mourns over this our great source of wretchedness. " The earth also was corrupt before God ; and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold it was cor- rupt ; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth :" Gen. vi. 11, 12. " The Lord look- ed down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are al- together become filthy ; there is none that doeth good, — no, not one." Psalm xiv. 2, 3. But the internal war which we feel in our^ 3 HUMAN NATURE. 69 selves, proves still more forcibly our weakness and corruption ; and it shews itself in this, that we do not act as we would, nor according to our convictions of right ; but we do the very things which we condemn as evil : thus there is a kind of tyrannical evil power within us, which almost by force drags us to sin. " But I see another law in my members (says Paul) warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me in- to captivity to the law of sin, which is in my mem- bers." Rom. vii. 23. Hence it is evident, that rational creatures thus situated are in a most piti- able condition. " O ! wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" On this account, the word of God in a number of passages speaks of man as weak, and blind, and forlorn, and ruined, and dead, and in such a state, that without the blessings of revelation he is accounted altogether unable to do good, and needs to be spiritually born again. From these considerations, it without doubt follows, that man, by his own power, is unable to render unto a spotless and holy God an acceptable service ; by his own power, I say ; for we shall see after- wards what view we ought to take of evangelical worship ; and we shall also speak of the origin of this corruption, when we come to treat of the symbol of faith. But we have been the more 70 MAN IS IN A STATE particular on the weakness and corruption of hu- man nature, because these considerations pave the way for the Gospel. 2. Before man can be justified at the bar of eternal equity, he must appear without the least sin. But who among the children of men can say this of himself ? All of us are guilty of com- mitting sin every moment, either in thoughts, words, or actions : none was ever yet found so holy, as not to have been the servant of sin. Every individual of the human race has bowed down to this Babylonish idol ; and the Holy Scriptures most powerfully bear testimony to this truth. " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John i. 8. " But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Isaiah Ixiv. 6. " Enter not into judg- ment with thy servant ; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." Psalm cxliii. 2. XV. Man is therefore in an imperfect state. From the foregoing section every one will see^ that man is not now in that state of perfection in which he was created hy his Maker. In Section VII. we have said, that God crea- ted man according to his own image and likeness. OF CONDEMNATION. 71 that is, in wisdom, holiness, innocence, inclined to good, £tnd adorned with other perfections. But as we have formerly observed, that we do not now behold man in this blessed state, conse- quently, he is in a worse condition, than that in which he was created by his Maker. And who would dare to suppose, that the infinitely wise and good God originally created man with such weaknesses and imperfections as we now lament in him ? Hence, we are unavoidably led to con- fess, that man has wilfully lost that which is call- ed in the Holy Scriptures the image and likeness of God, with which he was endowed; for we shall shew hereafter, that this was not the result of mere chance. The Holy Scriptures put us particu- larly in remembrance of man's fallen state : ' ' For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. iii. 23. XVI. Man is guilty before God. Therefore many as a wilful transgressor of the law, remains subjected to all the weight of divine wrath. It has been said above, that the worship of God cannot remain altogether without its re- ward : and also, that man, under the weight of his diseased nature, is unable to render unto God 72 MAN IS IN A STATE an acceptable worship : accordingly, there remains nothing for him, but to await the just wrath of God. For what can man deserve by his ini- quities, but that the most righteous God should shut him out from his mercy ; and after this every evil must follow. But we ought not from this ta conclude, that God has no pity, and no mercy upon mankind in their misery. And again, we cannot suppose, that man of himself can merit divine mercy, otherwise we must conclude, that in God there is no justice ; or that his mercy is blind, and therefore the righteous and the wicked are both alike to him. Such a supposition re- specting God is awful. But through what means man is made a partaker of the mercy of God, we shall afterwards point out. The following words contain the testimony of the Holy Scriptures on this subject : " Cursed is every one that conti- nueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them." Gal. iii. 10. — " Indignation and wrath, tribulation and an- guish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil." Rom. ii. S, 9. XVII. Means ought to be souglit after, in order to avoid the wrath of God. But it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of OF CONDEMNATION. 73 ihe living Qod ; and hence ive ought to search af- ter means to reconcile God to us, and to avoid the punishment which we have merited. The diseased searches for a physician, he that is fallen into misery for a deliverer, and the guilty for a mediator ; but as we have formerly shewn, that mankind are without strength, and in the greatest misery, and guilty before God, so, that man must be desperately and inexpressibly hardened, who would refuse to seek means of deliverance from his most miserable condition, and still more who should refuse to accept of them, were they offered to him. Though there actually have been, and still are such persons, (which is but another strong proof of the corruption of human nature,) who do not reflect on their helpless state, and though altogether miserable, do not think of the need which they have of a Redeemer ; yet, dread- ing such a hardened state of heart, we, by the assistance of sound reason and the word of God, ought to be convinced that the healthy need not a physician, but the sick ; and ought to fear, lest the following words be applicable to us : — " Thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing : and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. iii. 17. 74» MAN IS UNABLE XVIII. What opinion we should entertain con- cerning the law and repentance, as separate from the gospel. The means of reconciliation with Gocty and of recovery out of our natural state ^ the reason of man cannot devise. All that has as yet been said, is sufficiently evi- dent to our reason ; and he must be very wicked, indeed, who would attempt to call it in question. But when this same reason begins to try by what means it were pfossible to reconcile God to man, and to deliver the human race out of the misery into which they are fallen ; then it immedi- ately begins to halt and to fail us. It is capable of conceiving the goodness of God to be inexhaus- tible, and that there should exist such means ; but it is unable to attain to the knowledge of what they are. It appears, that we are incapable of imagining more than two sorts of means, 1st, The fidjilling of the divine law ; and, 2d, Repent- ance. But these means, in the case of the unrege- nerate man, are of no avail ; and hence they are a weak refuge. For, in regard to the first, thefuU filling of the divine law, this certainly would be effectual, if we could really continue constant- ly in doing good, and never transgress against the eternal law of God. Rut, as we have above TO DELIVER HIMSELF. 75 •V. sbewn, that every one sinneth continually in thoughts, words, or deeds, and that there is not, and never did exist, any mere man who never had been a servant of sin ; so it is evident, that this means is ineffectual to reconcile God to us, and to present us justified before his judg- ment seat. In the very same sense we hear the wise apostle Paul declaring, in a number of pas- sages, that " by the works of the law no flesh living shall be justified :" Gal. ii. 16. " That the righteousness of God without the law is ma- nifested :" Rom. iii. 21. And in Psalm cxliii. David pleads, " Enter not into judgment with thy servant : for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." However, we ought not to con- clude from hence, (as some have done from the doctrines of Paul,) that it is altogether unneces- sary to do good, and to attempt to keep the divine law ; God forbid : (but we shall speak more particularly of this in its own place.) Neither ought we to suppose, that we are able, by our own doings, to justify ourselves before God. Secondly, Repentance might pei*haps seem fit to become the hope of the guilty and the com- fort of the sinner ; but it is not so. Because, though it were admitted that repentance could reconcile God, that is, a real repentance, accom- panied by the utmost abhorrence of sin, and a firm 76 MAN IS UNABLE resolution not to return to the same sins again: yet, can weak and corrupt man, who is every hour led into sin by his wicked passions, repent in this way ? . He has not such an abhorrence of sin as that great evil deserves, for having excit- ed the displeasure of the eternal God. And sup- pose that this . even could take place, and that man would strive to the utmost to avoid sin, af- ter having been convinced of its evil, yet, " we drink in iniquity like water, and" according to St Paul's words, " are sold unto sin ;" yea, these workings of sin continue through our whole lives. What hope then is to be placed in repentance, and how can it ever reconcile God to man? I do not here speak of evangelical or Christian repent- ance ; it is of another kind, and I know how effec- tive it is ; this shall be pointed out hereafter ; but I speak here of such repentance as a man might be supposed to have without the blessings of the Gospel. Such sentiments are very consonant with the reason of man ; and the Holy Scriptures more particularly put us in remembrance, that man of himself has not sufficient power to reconcile God, and that he every moment provokes him to anger. " For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin," Rom. iii. 9 ; that is, that all mankind are fallen ioto TO DELIVER HIMSELF. 77 the abyss of iniquity, and are unable to deliver themselves out of it. This truth ought to be strongly impressed on the mind of every one ; be- cause it points out to man how much he stands in need of the faith of the gospel ; and hence the apostle Paul arranged his reasonings in the epis- tles to the Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, in the same order which we have here taken to prove that man is in a helpless state. And indeed no one will seek for a physician till once he be con- vinced of his being in great distress. However, some will perhaps say ; what, are we then to fall into despair ? Certainly, if you conti- nue to look up to yourselves for help. But when we reflect on the inexhaustible goodness of God, and on his infinite wisdom, then we are comforted by hope, and our fears are dispelled ; and in this hope we ought frequently to join in the words of Isaiah : " Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah;" i. 9; also Gal. iii. 16. And we ought to keep in remembrance these words of Paul to the Romans : " But now the righteous^ ness of God without the law is manifested, be- ing witnessed by the law and the prophets ; even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of US MAN IS UNABLE, &;C. Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that be- lieve." Rom. iii. 21, 22. Thus far we have drawn our conclusions ac- cording to sound reason, and have added appro- priate passages from the Holy Scriptures for illus- tration. The following Part, however, is founded solely on the word of God ; and to the illustration of this Part of our subject, as well as the former, our natural reasoning powers can render us as- sistance. PART SECOND. OF THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL. I. Of Revelation, Those means which were requisite to reconcile God to man^ and to restore our nature, and which 7iever could have been devised hy the wisdom of man, are revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures. What is Revelation ? In Section xviii. of the First Part, we have proved, that man is utterly unable to justify himself before God, and that all the means which his reason devises in order to reconcile God, he finds to be ineffectual. But as it is impossible to conceive, that the most merciful God should have left man in the utmost despair; therefore, judging from his infinite goodness and wisdom, it natur- ally follows, that he himself should make known to us the means by which we can be reconciled to him, and be restored to that former state of happiness in which we were f.t first created. 80 REVELATION. This exalted method of our salvation, God hath actually revealed, which is known in highly fa- voured Christendom under the name of Revela- tion; under the name of revelation, I say, because God seeing that mankind were diseased, and groping in darkness, in regard to the way of de- liverance, made choice of certain fit persons, (whom we call prophets and apostles,) whose un- derstanding he illuminated by a certain super- natural light, and revealed unto them most wonderful hidden mysteries and prophecies. These mysteries and prophecies, inspired by the Holy Ghost, were, by them, committed to writ- ing, that the truths which God had made known might remain in everlasting remembrance ; and these writings we call the Holy Scriptures. In these same writings, St Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, has said, that the apostles preached that " mystery which w^as kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the com- mandment of the everlasting God;" and it is further said, that the church is " built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets/' Eph. ii. 20. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 81 II. Of the Holy Scriptures. * The Holy Scriptures are the true word of God. What are the Old and New Testament ? and what are the Law and the Gospel ? I. The Holy Scriptures are divided into the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament * The Slavonian version of the Bible was made in the ninth century, by two learned Greeks, Cyril and Methodius, the apostles of the Slavonians. The first edition of it was printed in Prague in 1519, and the second in Ostrog in 1581. The present version in use among the Russians is that of Ostrog, which, however, has undergone different revisions, particularly m the time of the patriarch Nikon. It was first printed at Mos- cow in 1663, since which period it has gone through many edi- tions both in Moscow and Kieff. The Slavonian version of the Scriptures is almost a verbal translation from the Greek, that of the Old Testament being made from the Septuagint. The New Testament is more perspicuous, and more easily un- derstood than the Old, of which many passages are dark, and others quite unintelligible. On this account, a modernised version is a most desirable object ; for though the Bible Sla- vonian be the ancient language of the Russians, yet it differs so far from the modern Russ in a number of words, in the inflections of nouns, tenses of verbs, particles of speech, and grammatical construction, that comparatively few of the Rus- sians of the present day properly understand it. The edition printed at Ostrog in 1581, is said to have been corrected, in many passages, fron^an ancient manuscript, writ- ten in the time of the grand prince Vladimir, who properly may be denominated the Constantine of the Russian church; and there are still copies of the Slavonian New Testament pre- served in the library belonging to the Holy Synod in Moscow, which Avere written in the 11 th and 1 2th centui-ies. This Talu- 82 THE HOLY SCRIPTURES contains the law, which prepares man for the per- fect reception of the faith of Christ, as also the prophecies and the symbols of gospel blessings ; and the New Testament reveals the fulfilment of these prophecies and symbols, and makes known the great mercy of God obtained for us by the death of Jesus Christ. The Holy Scriptures are also divided into the Laiv and the Gospel. Under the term Lmv, we include all those passages in which God strongly requireth the exact fulfilment of his command- able collection of Slavonian and Greek manuscripts was not destroyed at the burning of the city in 1812 ; for I visited that library, before I left Moscow, in September 1813. At that period, in the printing office of the Holy Synod, an edition of the Slavonian Bible, of 2400 copies in four vols, octavo, was nearly printed off, together with 3600 copies of the New Tes- tament. Dr Marsh, in his History of Translations, makes mention of a. vei-sion of the Scriptures in the modern Russ. This, how- ever, I believe to he a mistake, which probably arose from the following circumstance. The Emperor, Peter the Great, who was very fond of the Dutch language, got a folio edition of the Slavonian and Dutch Scriptures printed on opposite columns, the former in the modern Russ character. This differs so much from the Slavonian character, in which the Bible and all the church books are uniformly printed, that it was apt to make the superficial observer take the work for a modem translation. After the death of this great man, however, this edition, which was only modernised in character, soon disap- peared, and there are but few copies of it now remaining. See some interesting particulars concerning the Slavonian version of the Scriptures, in Dr Marsh's translation of Mi- chaelis' Introduction to the New Testament, vol. ii. p. 153. ARE THE WORD OF GOD. 83 ments ; and for the breaking of which he threatens to inflict the most dreadful punishments. And by the word Gospel, is to be understood all that respects the merciful promises of God, and that love wherewith our heavenly Father hath loved us, for the sake of his well-beloved Son. Thus, for example, these words which were spoken by God to Abraham : " In thy seed shall all the na- tions of the earth be blessed," belong to the gos- pel. The author of the Holy Scriptures, is the Holy Spirit ; for " the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God ;" 1 Cor. ii. 11. And ac- cording to the words of St Peter, his instruments were the prophets and apostles : " For the pro- pbrcy came not, in old time, by the will of man ; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter i. 21. Evidences of the Holy Scriptures being the word of God. 2. The real Christian is convinced, that the Holy Scriptures are the word of God, from the internal effects which he feels them produce in himself on reading them, or on hearing the great doctrines which they contain. But as, it is pos- sible, that every one, and particularly the un- learned, may not feel the power of this operation S4> EVIDENCES OS THE HOLY SCRIPTURES TyitKin himself; there iS; besides, sufficient evi- dence to support this tiiith, in the following con- siderations : 1st, The most convincing and well- kmwn fulfilment of the propJtecies. Such pro- phecies, for example, as that of the patriarch Jacob, (Qen. xlix. 10.) concerning the future kingdom of Judah, and its continuance till the coming of the Messiah: those of Daniel con- cerning the future changes that should take place in the monarchies of the world, with a predic- tion of the most particular events ; Chap. ii. 31, and viii. 8. Also of the coming and sufferings of Christ, and the abolition of the sacrifices of the Old Testament ; Chap. ix. 24 : those of Isaiah and of Malachi, in regard to the conversion of the Gentiles to the knowledge of the true God, Isaiah ii. and xi. and Mat. i. 10 ; and likewise the prophecies of Christ himself, respecting the de- struction of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews, Mat. xxiv. 2, and xxiii. 35 ; together with a great number of other predictions, which I shall not here particularize. The fulfilment of these prophecies has been so clear, that the whole world bears incontestible evidence of it. And as none but God can know what a day may bring forth, not to speak of five hundred or a thousand years, so. without doubt, BEING THE WORD OF GOD. 85 those writings which contain such predictions ought to be respected as divine. 2d, The superior dignity of the doctrines, and (he holiness of the cormnands. The Holy Scriptures reason so sublimely of the majesty of God, and of the mysteries of our salvation, that it is impos- sible to imagine any thing mote exalted. The worship therein required of us, is such as be- cometh God to receive, and reasonable creiatures to give ; for we are commanded to worship in sincerity, and a contrite spirit is represented to be a most acceptable offering to God. In regard to the commands, they ar6 most ho- A ly, on this account, because they prescribe to man the most exalted way to perfection. They require us to love God with all our heart and with all our soul, and not only to refrain from injuring our neighbour, but to endeavour, to the utmost of our power, to assist him in need ; and this we are not to do to our friends alone, but we are to render to our very enemies acts of kind- ness in place of revenge ; in a word, we are not only to do no evil to any one, but to avoid re- taining an evil thought against our neighbour in our hearts. In general, we ought to remark, that all the commands of Christianity are perfectly con- sonant to the dictates of sound reason, and in no 3 86 EVIDENCES OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES books, written by persons ignorant of revelation, can there be found morality so pure and so ap- plicable to the present state of man. But that in Christianity there are doctrines which transcend our comprehension, is not wonderful ; for, " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor ?" Rom. xi. 33, 34}. 3d, The wonderful effects of the apostles' preach- ing, which so justly excite our admiration. The apostles, though few in number, without worldly influence, but, on the contrary, poor, weak, and indigent, destitute of every kind of armour, with- out the powers of eloquence, merely by preaching, in a short time subdued multitudes of people under the yoke of their most holy faith ; while the edicts of Emperors against their doctrine, threatenings, tortures, and the ingenious opposi- tion and artful reasonings of sophistical philoso- phers, all proved insufficient to oppose them. Who does not here clearly behold the finger of God ? The doctrine of the apostles also, as con- tained in the Holy Scriptures, agrees exactly with the other parts of holy writ ; therefore, no doubt remains of the doctrines of the Christiaii religion having been revealed by God himself. BEING THE WORD OF GOD. 87 Moreover^ if the doctrines of the apostles were not divine, then what was it that made them hold so fast by these devices^ and strive to bring the children of men under their influence ? Was it the desire of gain ? No ; for they themselves wil- lingly forsook all that they possessed, and never endeavoured to obtain riches. Was it the hope of obtaining honours ? Such hope it was impossible that they could entertain ; for their Master pre- dicted to them, that in place of honours they should meet with sufferings and deaths, and sent them out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Some, however, will perhaps say, that they were deceiv- ed through their own ignorance and simplicity. But there are no marks of ignorance to be ob- served in their sublime and divine writings. Again, if this was a device, it was not that of one man only, but of many, through many ages ; or rather from the very foundation of the world, many had agreed to propagate the same device. Sooner, indeed, might all that is impossible have come to pass, than that this could have taken place. Hence every one ought to receive, with- out hesitation, the Holy Scripture as the authen- tic word of God. We have been the more par- ticular on tliis point, because the arguments ad- vanced prove, at the same time, the genuineness of Christian piety. : 88 JESUS CHRIST IS THE III. Of the substantial contents of the Holy Scriptures. Jesus Christ, our Saviour, is the whole strength and substance of the Holy Scriptures, who was appointed before the beginning of time for our glory, believed on from the foundation of the world, an- nounced by the prophets, and prefigured by sacri- fices and ceremonies. 1. There are different things contained in the Holy Scriptures, as the commandments of the law, rules of morality, prophecies, accounts of different revelations which God made of him- self to man, miracles, and promises ; together with many accounts of the transactions of men. However, all these tend to nothing else but to the revelation of the eternal counsels of God, concerning the salvation of mankind through our Saviour Jesus Christ. Thus, for instance, the law, by bringing us to the knowledge of our guilt before God, leads us to seek for a Deliverer; the prophecies proclaim his approach ; the sacri- fices point him out; the different revelations which God made of himself, either prepare us to receive the faith of Christ, or illustrate more clearly the acts of our Saviour. And all the promises of God, in assuring us of the mercy of SUBSTANCE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. 89 our heavenly Father, rest on Jesus Christ, as our Mediator with God. The Holy Scriptures are filled with proofs of these truths. We shall ad- vance a few : John i. 45, " We have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write." 2 Cor. 1. 20, " For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen ;" that is, all the gracious promises of God have their foun- dation in him. 2. All the divine purposes are from eternity, amongst which the incarnation of the Son of God, and the cleansing us from our sins by his death, are the most exalted. 1 Cor. ii. 7, " But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory." On this account al- so, in the book of Revelation, the Saviour is sty- led, *• the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world." 3. The foundation of the gospel faith, was laid at the very beginning of the luorld. To the first man, Adam, God proclaimed his gracious will, and not only to him, but to all the children of men, in the following truly evangeli- cal words : *' And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed : it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel," Gen. iii. 15. The meaning of 90 THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL these words is this : The serpent is the devil, the seed of the serpent the wicked, and such as per- secute the truth. The seed of the woman is Christ, Gal. iv. 4. The seed of Christ are the righteous and virtuous. Christ bruises the head of the serpent when he destroys sin, and the wicked at last shall be bruised : but the serpent bruised the heel of Christ, in putting him to death according to the flesh, by his servants the wicked, and when he persecutes those that believe in him, though he cannot prevent their salvation. These important glad tidings, as was requi- site, were heartily received by our first father. And thus we see the foundation of faith at the very beginning of the world. His pious poste- rity followed this example, as Paul witnesses, Heb. xi. 2. " For by it (faith) the ancients ob- tained a good report." Afterwards, this same faith was promised, and not only once, but re- peatedly, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, in the following words : " In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Hence, the apostle Paul to the Romans, chap. iv. calleth Abraham not only a believer, and justified by the faith of Jesus Christ, but the father of all belie- vers ; that is, that all Christians, desiring to be justified before God, ought to take Abraham for an example. And thus every one will clearly AS OLD AS THE WORLD. 91 see, that the faith of Jesus Christ was founded at the very beginning of the world. 4. The blessings of the gospel predicted by tJie prophets. That the truths of the gospel might be more evident, and less doubtful, God was graciously pleased to make known through the prophets, in various ways, for many ages before, what should come to pass. All of them, with one spirit, ia the most sublime expressions, predicted the bles- sings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The num- ber of these prophecies is so great, that, in place of quoting any in particular, I shall only mark the texts of a few of them: Gen. xlix. 10; Psalm Ixxii. ; Isaiah ii. and xi. and liii. and Ix. ; Jer. xxiii. 6. and xxxi. 31 — 34 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 23 ; Dan. ix. 24. to the end of the chapter ; Hos. ii. 18; Amos ix. 11 ; Mic. v. 2; Hab. iii. 2; Zacch. ii. 10. and xiv. 8; Mai. iii. 1. 5. The reasons why sacrifices were abolished. The Heathen slew many different kinds of animals, and presented them as offerings to their gods; and some nations even sacrificed their own children as burnt-offerings. These acts of sacri- ficing amongst Heathens appear to have had their origin in this, that in their own consciences they found themselves guilty before God, and under his just wrath, which they thought to apr 92 REASONS WHY SACRIFICES pease, by the offering of sacrifices, and shedding of the blood of animals. Yet, according to the words of the apostle, " it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" Heb. x. 4. Notwithstanding this, God, in the laws given to Moses, prescribed different kinds of sacrifices to be offered : Yet these of- ferings could not serve in the least to take away the sins of men, as is evident from the above words of the apostle; and also from Heb. x. 11. which words, in particular, refer to the Jewish sacrifices : " And every priest standeth daily mi- nistering, and offering oftentimes the same sa- crifices, which can never take away sins." It is therefore necessary, to find out the reasons why God appointed such sacrifices. In the Holy Scriptures, we find two reasons given, 1. That man might confess his guilt be- fore God ; and that he has deserved nothing but to be slain by the wrath of God, as the animals offered in sacrifice were slain. Hence, God com- manded the offerers of the sacrifice, to lay their hands upon the head of the beast to be slain. Lev. iv. 15. This silent confession of guilt, pointed out to man the necessity of seeking for a Deliverer and IMediator. 2. That these sacri- fices might prefigure that glorious sacrifice which should come, the Lamb, Jesus Christ, without WERE ABOLISHED. 93 blemish, who died for our sins on the cr(ws. The prefiguration consisted in this : If the shed- ding of blood is Calculated to produce in every one the feeling of compassion, how much more is the pure blood of the Son of God calculated to excite the compassion of our heavenly Father towards us, who is offended because of our ini- quities ? If the blood of beasts could sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ wash our souls from the fil- thiness of sin ? Such are the reasonings of St Paul to the Hebrews, chap, ix. and x. where, amongst other things, it is written, " The law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect," chap. x. I. And even Heathen sacrifices might have bfeen useful in this way, if men had thereby been led to a confession of their guilt before God, and to seek a better way of justification in his sight. In respect to the rites, or holy ceremonies of the Jews, they also, as visible signs, prefigured the invisible blessings of the gospel. Thus, for instance, spiritual circun>cision ; that is, a cut- ting off of the corrupt passions, and the destruc- tion of sin, through the grace of Christ. The d4t THREE DIFFERENT paschal lamb was a sign also of our partaking by faith, of the most holy Lamb Jesus Christ. The brazen serpent in the wilderness, likewise, prefi- gured our Saviour hanging on the cross, &c, IV. The different states of the Church. The church of Jesus Christ being founded at the beginning of the worlds was first governed by oral and traditionary revelations of the will of God; after- wards by the written law^ and the doctrines of the prophets ; and at last is governed by the Gospel. The three states of the Church. 1. Above, in Section iii. we have shewn, that it is necessary to go back to the foundation of the world for the beginning of the church of Je- sus Christ. There is, therefore, nothing in this world more ancient, than the faith which we pro- fess, and the church which preserveth the trea- sure of faith in herself. This church, from the very beginning of the world, is one and the same, and will remain such till the end of time ; even so the faith which she holds is unchangeable : *' Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Heb. xiii. 7- But the conditions of the church have been various. They are reckoned three. The first includes the state of the church from Adam to STATES OF THE CHURCH. 93 Moses ; the second, from Moses to Christ ; and the third, from Christ to the end of time. The first state of the church God governed by his oral revelations, which Adam having received, communicated to his posterity, even to Noah : this was easy for him to do, on account of his long life. Noah communicated them to his children and posterity. All the ancient patriarchs, ac- cording to the testimony of Paul, were in the faith; Heb. xi. 2. But sometime after the flood of Noah, by reason of the wickedness of mankind, the revelations of God began to be forgotten or disregarded, and then idolatry, hateful to God, began to be introduced ; Joshua xxiv. 2. There- fore God was pleased, as the only means of saving the human race, to renew these reve- lations of his will to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their posterity, even to the days of Moses. All these revelations were made in the strength of the gospel, that is, they pointed at faith in Jesus Christ, as the Mediator and reconciler of God and man. Hence the divinely wise Paul, having enumerated the ancients from the beginning of the world, and having borne witness to their be- lief, at last concludes, that Jesus was the author and finisher of their faith ; Heb. xii. 2. 96 WHY A WRITTEN LAW WAS GIVEN. '^ Why was a written law given ? 2. The great confusion that exists among men, and their proneness to forget honesty and virtue, though these feelings are stamped on the heart of every one, excited the most merciful God to give unto erring mankind assistance, and this as- sistance is the written law. This law contains in itself perfect rules to regulate the actions of men, and is a most evident representation of the internal law of the heart, which had been dark- ened by men's evil deeds. God made choice of that most zealous man Mo- ses, to whom he delivered this law, and through whom it was more immediately communicated to the children of Israel, and intended for mankind in general. But as this law was not sufficiently powerful to keep men from following the bent of their corrupt inclinations, so God sent prophets, who, by declaring the divine wrath, as well as by a strict personal observance of the law, and by promises, strove to reform the children of men. Thus began the second state of the church from Moses to Christ, governed by the written law, and the doctrine of the prophets. It is also necessary to keep in remembrance, that the law of Moses, and all the prophets, and all who lived wilder the law, were founded in Jesus Christ, as PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH. 97 the only hope of man for salvation. Thus Paul writes : Our fathers " did all eat the same spiri- tual meat, and did all drink the same spiri- tual drink ; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ ;" ,1 Cor. X. 3, 4. 3. The third state of the church is the most splendid and perfect, and began with the appear- ance of our Saviour, when the truths of the gos- pel, beginning at himself, were preached by the apostles through all the world, and were sealed by the blood of innumerable multitudes of mar- tyrs. In this state, the church is founded on the perspicuous doctrines of the gospel, and supported by ordinances ; and, according to the apostle, she is not under the law, but under grace, Rom. vi. 14; and now we are not taught by hidden predic- tions and dark types, " but we all, with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord ;" 2 Cor. iii. 1 8. This state will continue till the end of time, "when he (Jesus Christ) shall have deli- vered up the kingdom to God, evep the Father ; . and when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power ;" 1 Cor. xv. 24. V. Of the persecution of the Church. The church of Jesus Christ has always been per- 98 EXTERNAL PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH. sectited, and shall be persecuted until the end of time, though there is no possibility of her ever being over- come. 1. As the church, which contains the true faith in herself, began at the foundation of the world, so she at the same time began to be persecuted; because between truth and superstition, piety and impiety, virtue and vice, there exists an eternal and irreconcileable war. The first Cain slew his innocent brother Abel, and all persecutors " have gone in the way of Cain ;" Jude 9. From Cain there sprung up a wicked race, and from Seth a righteous race, who, in holy Avrit, are denomi- nated sons of God ; Gen. vi. 2. The former were always inveterate enemies to the latter ; but they were destroyed by the deluge, and the church was preserved in the ark from the overwhelming waters of the deep. After the flood, as mankind began to mul- tiply upon the earth, the number of the wick- ed increased, and appear to have been headed by the wicked posterity of Ham ; Gen. ix. 25. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, passed through the fire of temptations and difficulties, and were thereby purified. Lot also suffered among the Sodomites, Joseph from his brethren, the Israel- ites from the Egyptians, Moses from the Israel- ites, and David from Saul. All the prophets bore EXTERNAL PERSECUTION OK THE CHURCH. 99 opposition and reproach ; yet they were all virtu- ous and holy men of Israel, though they fed on the bread of sorrow, and drank the cup of bitter- ness. In a word, the blood of t'ae righteous be- gan to (low at Abel, and ended at John the Bap- tist, the harbinger of gospel blessings; Matt, xxiii. 35, and xiv. 10. All these were in Old Testament times. And under the new dispensation, the Saviour himself has marked out this most holy course, and, through his own divine nature, has rendered sa- cred to all ages the saving bearing of the cross. He began his life in persecution, continued it amid the greatest poverty, defamation, and revi lings, and ended it upon the cross. The disciples fol- lowed their ]Master, and were sent by him into the world as lambs amongst wolves. They say of themselves, that they were accounted as the off-scouring of all things, and were " a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men ;" 1 Cor. iv. 9, 13. But the blood of the apos- tles was a prolific seed, which unexpectedly pro- duced a rich harvest of Christians, though they themselves were all slain like sheep, and were gathered like wheat. The Roman emperors, and all the rulers of the world, opposed them with their whole might. In the history of the church, we find ten sucla 100 EXTERNAL PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH. persecutions. 1st, In the time of Nero ; 2d, Of Domitian ; 3d, Of Trajan ; 4th, Of Adrian ; 5th, Of Antoninus ; 6th, Of Severus ; 7th, Of Max- iminus ; 8th, Of Decius ; 9th, Of Valerian ; and loth, In the time of Dioclesian, The heart trembles, when one reflects on those awful tor- tures which the Christians suffered during the time of the above mentioned persecutions. They accounted it a light matter to be deprived of their honours and estates. They were condemned in exile to work in the mines, beaten with rods, their teeth and eyes were pulled out, their tongues cut out, and they had their hands and feet cut off : moreover, they were sewed up in the skins .of animals, and thrown to wild beasts to be de- voured ; after having every joint dislocated in the rack, they were hung upon crosses ; sewed up in sacks, they were thrown into the water ; they were burnt by fire, buried alive, stoned to death, shut up in red hot bulls of brass, tortured to the bones and to the vitals : boiling pitch or lead were poured down their throats, they were thrown over precipices, and cut in pieces. How dreadful such sufferings ! Every kind of torture which the cruelty of man could invent was in- flicted upon them. Here, as we proceed, it is necessary to remark, the unconquerable constancy of the martyrs in INTERNAL PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH. 101 midst of torments ; because they suffered all these things with the greatest magnanimity, and were not in the least confounded in presence ^f their tormentors ; which strongly proves the great superiority of the tmths of Christianity. This open persecution continued till the days of Constantino the Great. The edicts which com- manded the persecution of the Christians, were abolished in the time of this pious Emperor ; but secret persecutions did ilot cease, such as the godly have at all times to endure from the wick- ed. Farther, what had the Christians not to suffer every where, from the frequent irruptions of the unbelieving nations, by whom they were harassed and murdered ? Exclusive of these, the church of Christ, in the course of a few ages, again beheld the flames of persecution kin- dled against her, when, at the internal division of the eastern and western churches, the East was conquered by Mohammed, the oppressor of Chris- tianity, and the West fell under the yoke of the most superstitious Pope. Of internal Persecution. Togetherwith the above mentioned persecutors, who properly may be styled external, there were also internal persecutors, of whom St John writes, " They w^nt out from us, but they were not of 102 INTERNAL PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH. US ;'* 1 John ii. 1 9. Such persecutors are here- tics ; that is, such as, under the pretext of sup- porting the truth, destroy it by their singular and I'uinous opinions. These monsters have been the dishonour of all ages, and by them the bowels of the church of Christ have been grievously torn. Since the time of our Saviour, the following have been the most eminent heretics : the SimonianSy Valentinians, Montanians, Manichceans, ArianSt Pelagians, Nestorians, Eutychians, (§c. But what necessity is there to mention them all ? Perse- cution, internal as well as external, will continue till the end of time ; that is, till that moment when " the Son of Man shall send forth his an- gels, 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;" Matt. xiii. 4a. Persecutors of the church, are styled in the Holy Scriptures Antichrists, that is, opposers of Chrisit 1 John ii. 18, who increase the more in number and in fury the nearer the judgment day approaches ; 2 Col. ii. 7. The kind providence of God permits these persecutions to take place, for the manifestation of his chosen ; because the fierceness of torments reveals constancy in the faith, and thus others are brought to embrace it, and in heaven the reward of the sufferers is thereby enhanced : and those who remain con- INTERNAL PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH. 103 stant in the truth, more clearly expose pernicious opinions, as St Paul writes, " For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are ap- proved may be made manifest among you ;" 1 Cor. xi. 19. But, woe unto him by whom offences come ! We ought to pray to our heavenly Father, that he may not lead us into temptation, that he may destroy offences and heresies, that we may be preserved from being infected by such deadly plagues, and particularly so in these most sorrow* ful times, in which we behold even Christianity itself torn into different sects. 2. The only aim of all these persecutors has ever been the destruction of truth itself; but this is one of those things which are utterly im* possible. For the church of Christ is founded on himself, as upon the most immoveable rock, against which the gates of hell shall never pre- vail, Matth. xvi. 18. VI. All the doctrines necessary to salvation, and held hy the church, are presented to us in the Holy Scriptures ; ajid, in order that every one may more easily understand them, and distinguish orthodox doctrines from heterodox,the holy fathers have abrid- ged them. The books of the Holy Scriptures, in which the 104» . THE SYMBOL OF FAITH. doctrines of the church are contained, are not few in number, and, because of the mysteries which they contain, cannot be perfectly un- derstood by every one. Moreover, in conse- quence of the different stations and abilities of men, all cannot so easily exercise themselves in reading the Holy Scriptures, though it is highly desirable that they should. On this account, it was plainly requisite for the advantage of more common Christians, that all the necessary points of faith should be presented in an abridgment, as it were in a kind of mirror, in which every one might see what he must believe, in order to his salvation ; and that he might fix the same forever upon his memory, without farther diffi- culty. VII. What is the symbol of faith ? The following abridgment is called the symbol of faith : 1 . I believe in one God, Father Almighty, * Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. 2. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only be- gotten Son of God, begotten of the Father be- fore all ages : Light of Light, true God of true * The word here rendered Almighty, properly signifies Upholder qf all things. THE SYMBOL OF FAITH. I05 God, begotten, not created, co-essentiai with the Father, by whom all things were made, 3. Who, for the sake of men, and for the sake of our salvation, descended from heaven, and be- came incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Vir- gin Mary, and became man. • 4. Also was crucified for us under Pontius Pi- late, and suiFered, and was buried. 5. And rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. 6. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. 7. And will come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 8. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father;, and with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. 9. In one holy Catholic and apostolical church. 10. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. 11. I expect the resurrection of the dead. 12. And the life of the world to come. Amen. The symbol of faith was drawn up at the first general council of Nice, which was against Arius^ composed of three hundred and eighteen holy fa- thers assembled there. It was enlarged in the 106 FAITH IS A HEARTY 8th article at the second general council of Con- stantinople, and afterwards powerfully confirmed by all the other general councils, and recom- mended to all Christians, as a most precious trea-r sure of faith. This symbol ought, on this ac- count, the more particularly to be explained, and to be held by every one with faith unfeigned, seeing that in it are contained the chief tenets of the faith and hope of Christians ; and should any one of them obstinately reject it, he thereby loses the hope of salvation. VIII. What is faith ? The symbol begins with faith, and faith is a hearty reception of the gospel. 1. With good reason the symbol begins with faith ; because faith only points out to man the means of reconciliation with God ; " and with- out faith it is impossible to please God." Heb. xi. 6. 2. Under the term Gospel, as already pointed out, is understood the glad tidings of salvation to the children of men, through the only begot- ten Son of God, our Mediator Jesus Christ. Whosoever receives this doctrine with a repent- ing heart, believes ; on the contrary, whosoever despises it, is reckoned among the number of 4 SIECEPTION OF THE GOSPEL. 107 unbelievers. But the reception of this eminent doctrine is on this account called faith ; be- cause we do not attain to it by our own reason- ings, as was observed in the beginning of this Part ; but God himself, by means of the word, reveals it unto us. This is confirmed by the word of God. " Go ye unto 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," Mark xvi. 15, 16. Thus, you see how faith, in this pas- sage, is a receiving of the gospel, and, on the contrary, unbelief a rejecting of it. But, in order to receive the gospel, or really to believe, it is indispensably necessary that eve- ry one, 1st, Confess before God his misery; that he is under his righteous displeasure, and is un- able to justify himself before his judgment seat. Hence, the Harbinger, and the Saviour himself, and also the Apostle Peter, respectively began their preaching with the word repent, Matth. iii. 2. and iv. 17; Acts ii. S8. 2. Having received the doctrines of the pro- phets and apostles as undoubtedly true, it is far- ther requisite, that we firmly rest assured that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is preached in these doc- trines, is the Redeemer of the human race. And in this more particularly consists the essence of 108 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH gospel faith, of which the epistles of Paul, in par- ticular, are filled with proofs. The righteous- ness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe," Rom. iii. 22. and the whole following chapter. " We have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law," Gal. ii. 16. This faith is called justifying faith, because through it man is accounted just before God ; yea, is accounted as such, according to the doc- trine of Paul, luithout the works of the law : Rom. xi. 6. For how is it possible for man to have any part in his own justification, when it is im- possible to be justified in any other way, than by first confessing our guilt before God, and that we have merited his wrath ? However, those who are justified by faith must prove the same, and give evidence of their justification, by obeying the holy law of God. For, according to Paul's doc- trine also, "faith worketh by love;" Gal. v. 6. And such faith is styled a living faith \ because it is unfeigned, and preserves alive the spark of continual progress in virtue. But such as will not confess their poverty before God, and do not place their whole hope of salvation upon their Saviour alone, or lead lives unbecoming the cha- WITHOUT THE WORKS OF THE LAW. 109 racter of Christians, are said to possess a dead, feigned, and vain faith. From the foregoing considerations, therefore, it is evident that faith must engage the thoughts of men, and also their hearts. Their thoughts, in " bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ;" 2 Cor. x. 5. Their hearts, for believers ought, with Paul, to say, " The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave him- self for me ;" Gal. ii. 20. Faith, according to the exalted wisdom of Paul, exists only in this life, but in the future will have no place : for there we shall see God *' face to face," where the glory of his light shineth in perfection; 1 Cor. xiii. 12. This exposition of faith should be fixed in the memory of every one ; for the whole of Christianity rests upon it. IX. Of the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The most holy faith of the gospel, first teaches us, that God is one in essence, but in three persons : The Father, uncreated ; the Son, inexplicably/, and from eternity, begotten of the Father ; and the Ho- ly Ghost from the same Father, incomprehensibly proceeding, served, reverenced, and glorified in one indivisible worship. 110 MYSTERY OF THE HOLY TRINITY. 1. Our reason acknowledges that there" is a God, that he is one, and so on concerning the rest of his attributes : and faith also instructs us in the same thing ; for faith can never be in op- position to sound reason. Between the know- ledge which we have of God through reason, and the knowledge which we attain of him through faith, there is this difference, that the former is founded on proofs which our reason finds in the connection of things, while the latter is founded on the true word of God. The knowledge of faith is most perfect, and far removed from every kind of doubt ; for sooner may we be deceived by the most acute reason- ings of men, than that the word of God should ever deceive us. Here it were necessary to prove the being of a God, and to point out particularly the nature of his attributes ; but on these points we have already been particular enough in the first Part. 2. The Holy Faith reveals to us the most ex- alted mystery of the Holy Trinity, that is. That God is one in essence in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost : yet not three Gods but one God, because one in essence. The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Ghost is Lord : yet not three Lords, but one Lord. The Father is Almighty, the MYSTERY OF THE HOLY TRINITY. Ill Son is Almighty, and the Holy Ghost is Al- mighty : yet not three Almighties, but one Al- mighty God. I believe in God the Fathei% I believe in God the Son, I believe in God the Ho- ly Ghost : yet not three faiths, but one faith. I worship God the Father, I worship God the Son, I worship God the Holy Ghost : yet not three worships, but one worship, one reverence, one adoration, one glorifying of the Holy Tri- nity. The Father is neither created nor begotten ; the Son is not created, but begotten of the Fa- ther ; the Holy Ghost is neither created nor be- gotten, but proceeding from the Father. The begetting of the Son of God is from all eternity ; the proceeding of the Holy Ghost is also from all eternity. The manner in which the Son of God was be- gotten is incomprehensible to our reason, and the manner of the Holy Ghost's proceeding is also incomprehensible ; but simply without attempt- ing to comprehend it, I submit with the most profound reverence, and I believe the truth of the divine revelation. This is one of the most hidden mysteries ; however, the word of God in the strongest terms assures us of it. We are baptized in the name of the Father ^ of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Matth. xxviii. 19. At the 112 MYSTERY OF THE HOLY TRINITY. baptism of the Saviour, our heavenly Father bore testimony concerning his only begotten Son, who completed the work of our salvation upon earth; and the Holy Ghost, in the likeness of a dove, lighted upon him, Matth. iii. 16, 17. In the Gospel of John, it is also written, " 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 of me," xv. 26. Also, in many other parts, both of the Old and New Testament, titles, and honours, and wisdom, and power, and other attri- butes which are applicable to God alone, are ascribed to the Sou of God and to the Holy Ghost. We ought not to be surprised, that this exalt- ed mystery is incomprehensible to our weak rea- son ; for our comprehension is so very limited, that we must confess, with Solomon, " Hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon earth, and with labour do we find the things that are at hand : but the things that are in heaven, who hatli searched out ? And thy counsel, who hath known, except thou give wisdom, and send thy Holy Spirit from above ?" Wisdom of Solomon, ix. 16, 17. However, for our consolation, and to calm our thoughts, the Holy Spirit comforts us with the promise, that he will at a future pe- GOOD AND EVIL ANGELS. 113 riod, in the blessed world above, fully enlighten our understandings. That which we now per- ceive darkly, as through a glass, we shall then perceive clearly and openly ; and we shall rejoice in receiving a sufficient reward for our perseve- ring patience in the faith. " Now, I know in pait ; but then shall I know, even as also I am known," 1 Cor. xiii. 12. " But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is," 1 John iii. 2. X. There are good and evil angels. This God, worshipped in three persons, created this world and all things in it, visible and invi- sible. Of the creation of the world, and of other circumstances belonging to creation, we have already spoken in the First Part, under Sec- tion vi. Here it is only necessary to speak of things invisible, namely, of Angels. There are two kinds of angels, good and bad. The good, being most pure and holy spirits, always enjoy the glorious presence of God in light. " Their angels do always behold the face of my Father, which is in heaven," Matth. xviii. 10. They perfectly obey the will of God, Psalm ciii. 21. And are employed in promoting the salvation of 114 GOOD AND EVIL ANGELS. men. " Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them, who shall be heirs of salvation ?" Heb. i. 1 4. But evil angels, who were created along with the good, destroyed their original holiness, by wil- fully falling into sin ; and from a most glorious, were thrust down into a most wretched condition. " And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judg- ment of the great day," Jude 6. They were then deprived of all hope, and, wretched as they are, yet they find a pleasure in enticing mankind into sin ; alluring them by their temptations into the same state of perdition into which they them- selves are fallen. Of this we are informed by St Peter, " Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may de- vour," 1 Peter v. 8. " This kind," according to the words of Christ, " goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting." XL God careth for the world created b;y himself, and governeth all things most wiseli/. With regard to the providence of God, we have already spoken in the First Part ; but here we resume the subject, in order to shew that faith MAN THE OBJECT OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. 1 IS (which is the foundation of the symbol) teaches us from the word of God, the very same things respecting this doctrine, to the knowledge of which we may attain by the help of sound rea- son. In confirmation of this, the words of the gospel should ever be remembered : " Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Fathers But the very hairs of your head are all numbered," Matth. x. 29. XII. The distinguished goodness of God to man, is not only seen in his creation ; but from the very time of his being made, he became the object of the care of a particular Providence. The goodness which man partook of in his creation, consisted in that which, in holy writ, is called the image and likeness of God, Gen, i. For no higher honour can be conferred upon the creature, than that it should be accounted wor- thy to wear impressed upon itself the image of the most exalted and inaccessible God. With this image, there were united in man tlie purest light in his judgment, the most complete holiness in his will, and perfect concord between his bo- dily and spiritual inclinations ; nothing disturbed his peace ; he was immortal ; had rule over the 116 THE DESTINATION OF MAN. creatures, and was endowed with other godlike perfections, which made him completely happy. In this state, man enjoyed the beatific vision of the most perfect godhead; and to God himself, he was the most beloved object in creation. Even the Heathens themselves, appear to have had some sort of knowledge of this state of man's original happiness, and have styled it the golden age. The Holy Scriptures speak of it in many places ; among other passages, in the eighth Psalm, its glories are celebrated. What higher evidence can we have of the majesty and goodness of God shewn to man in his creation than this, that he *' made him a little lower than the an- gels, and crowned him with glory and honour." But how man became the object of God's parti- cular providence, shall be shewn in the following Section, XIII The blessed destination of man. An example of this particular Providence was given, in that when God created man in a state of havpinesSf he wished that he might continue un- changeably in that blessed condition ; and to this end he gave him a command, containing in itself the means of preserving for ever unchangeably, tho happy state in tvhich he was created^ THE DESTINATION OF MAN. 117 1. There is not the smallest doubt, but that God, having created man in a state of blessed- ness, actually had a wish, that he might lemain for ever in that happy condition ; because the very immortality of the soul is a proof of this, which requires, that the happiness in which man was created, according to the intention of God, should be eternal ; and the words in Gen. ii. 1 7, in which God threatened, that the breaking of the law would be followed by every evil, and by death itself, prove the same thing : consequent- ly, that state of blessedness would hav^e lasted for ever, had the law not been broken. But who could have supposed, that the infinitely good God would have created man with an intention^ that, after having enjoyed himself for a short time, he should be deprived of ail, nay, that at last he himself should for ever perish ? However, the Holy Scriptures speak clearly on this point ? " For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity," (Wisdom of Solomon, ii. 23;) that he might never be deprived of his happiness. From this we conclude, that if man had not broken the union by which he was closely connected with God, he would have enjoyed a most happy life on earth, and at last, according to the determi- nation of his Maker, would have been translated 118 ORIGINAL STATE OF MAN. to heaven, to enjoy God eternally. Of this, we have an example in the person of Enoch ; Gen. V. 24.. 2. Man is composed of a body and a soul, both of which have their peculiar affections. The soul being a pure spiritual being, longs after that which reason dictates to it, and can only find hap- piness in being united with God by virtue. But our bodily affections attach themselves most to what is agreeable to our feelings. Our bodily affections are neither sinful nor hurtful, so long as they are governed by reason, and never come into action, except when they are no hinderance to our progress in virtue. The happiness of man consists in this union being preserved betwixt the bodily and spiritual affections. So long as this union remains perfect, the happiness of man continues complete. But so soon as the bodi- ly affections overcome the powers of reason, man errs from the right way, and such a devi- ation is a shock which demolishes the temple of happiness. Those affections which overcome reason are called passions ; and because they bring the soul into an evil state, they are called vices ; and because through them also we break the law of God, they are called sins. The state of happiness in which the first man was created, necessarily required, that in him ORIGINAL STATE OF MAN. 119 there should exist the most perfect union be- tween the affections of the body and those of the soul, and that reason should reign over the whole man. Every one sees, that it was the duty of the first man, in order to preserve his happiness from being destroyed, as a reasonable and free creature, to make use of all his powers, to pre- serve himself from being overcome by the revolt of his affections against the dictates of his reason. Otherwise the danger was evident, of his being plunged into the most grievous miseries. Behold also the infinite goodness of divine pro- vidence, that provided for man so many induce- ments, fitted to preserve him in a state of recti- tude, as are recorded in the sacred history ; Gen. ii. Having made him, he settled him in a most beautiful and fruitful place, such as was becoming for the chief of God's creation. That place, on account of its inexpressible gaiety and fruitful- ness, of the beauty of its trees, and most serene and wholesome atmosphere, is called in Holy Scripture Paradise ; Gen. ii. 8. Though this paradisiacal beauty and gaiety was a most evident proof of the goodness of God, yet (though God did not intend it should have such an effect,) it was capable of becoming an occasion of man's being attracted by the visible beauty of th& 120 ORIGINAL STATE OF MAN. creature, and of his preferring it to that beauty, which pure reason finds in virtue and in God. In order, therefore, to prevent such evil conse- quences, by a particular providential care of man, God vrarned him of them, by making known unto him clearly his divine will, that he might not, in defiance of his reason, cleave to sensual pleasures, but ever prefer that which brought him spiritual enjoyment with God. This manifestation of the will of God to man was the law and the command, beyond the limits of which, for the sake of his own happiness, he ought not to have gone. This command is ex- pressed in the Holy Scriptures in the following words : " Of every tree of the garden thou mayst freely eat ; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it ;" Gen. ii. 16, 17. And in order that this command might prove the more effectual, God gave man timely intimation, that, as soon as he should become a transgressor of it, he would overthrow all his own happiness ; would fall into a most lament- able condition ; would become the slave of his passions, and the butt of every temptation; that his body would be exhausted by numerous la- bours and diseases ; and at last be forcibly sepa- rated from the soul, and pass into a state of cor- ruption, and that the soul itself should for ever THE FALL OF MAN. 121 be cast out from the presence of God. All this is implied in the following words of holy writ ; " For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die ;" Gen. ii. 17. From these par- ticulars, you may clearly see the kind providen- tial care which God exercised over man, in order to promote his happiness. XIV. Of the transgression of God's command. Man broke that salutary command which was given to him by God ; and by so doing, overturned and destroyed that godlike happiness in which he was created. 1. The salutary preventive furnished by the merciful God, had not the desired effect upon man. His bodily affections overcame the powers of his reason ; pleasure, by flattering his feelings, overthrew his sound reason ; and material beauty and enjoyment were preferred to that which is' spiritual and divine. Thus you behold in what manner this fatal fall of the human race happen- ed, of which we are assured by the word of God ; Gen. iii. Paradise abounded in all that was beau- tiful, and possessed all that was capable of charm- ing the senses of man. But man was most of all attracted by the beauty of that tree, which was forbidden by the command of God, and which by 122 THE FALL OF MAN. the dictates of reason, ought to have been avoided; because, as above shewn, by partaking of it, sen- sual gratification was preferred to spiritual plea- sure, which consists in obeying the command of the blessed God. Eve, being less able to resist the insinuating and destructive assault of the tempter, was first deceived ; and, as the Holy Scriptures inform us, he, under the form of a subtle serpent, deceitfully assured her, that not only no evil consequences could happen from what she did, but, that on the contrary, she would thereby be brought into a more perfect condition : " Ye shall he as Gods ;" Gen. iii. 5. This transgression of the woman was the most pernicious example for Adam himself, who, with all his exalted mental abilities, was overcome by sensual temptation. We have above stated, that the happiness of man could not be destroyed, so long as reason continu- ed to reign in him ; but, behold, this chief ruler of human actions hurled from his throne, and, in place of him, fleshly lusts assume the reins, and make reason their slave and prisoner. The ter- rible consequences of such a change could be no- thing less than mortal. The effects of Transgression. 2. After man had disobeyed reason, and EFFECTS OF THE FALL. IQS transgressed the command, he fell from a most blessed into a most miserable condition. The powers of reason were now overcome, and its light became dim ; the holiness of the will was defiled, the peace of the soul disturbed, the door , to the passions, that always oppose reason, was opened, and man became the mournful theatre of this internal war. Along with the passions also vices entered, and they became the causes of in- numerable sorrows and diseases, — diseases debi- litating the body, and grief and sorrow enerva- ting the mind. Thus followed the temporal death, which God threatened as the reward of trans- gression. But this temporal death drew after it a still more awful spiritual deaths which consists in the soul being cast out from God, because the bonds which united God with man, namely, the light of his reason, and the holiness of his will, were, by his transgression, dissolved. Such a condition is, in different places of the Holy Scriptures, styled a fallen state, a state of sin, of the flesh, of misery, of darkness, of ignorance, of slavery and lastly, a state of death. At the fall of man also, the very earth was cuvsed of God ; Gen. iii. 1 7 ; that is, it was subjected to vanity, which consisted in this : that from that period, by the idleness and carelessness of man, it was not .124f EFFECTS OF THE FALL. adorned with such beauty and abundance as it received at its creation ; and farther, that the in- considerateness and wickedness of man would lead him to pervert all the good things it contains. XV. The consequences of the first sin. Through the Jirsi transgression, the door to sin was opened, which, hy infecting the whole human race, at last brought them into the utmost misery. 1. In the First Part, under Section xiv. we have shewn that a change must have taken place among the children of men ; but the foun- tain out of which all this evil flowed, we knew not. Now we behold the beginning of this evil : for the Holy Scriptures, in making known the happy state in which the first man was created, are also not silent in regard to the manner in which he fell from this happiness ; and this fall has brought death upon all men. The word of God clearly and powerfully confirms this. " By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned ;" Rom. v. 12. The Heathens themselves, notwithstanding their great darkness, are unable to deny the general cor- ruption of the human race ; but Christians alone enjoy the peculiar privilege of pointing to the EFFECTS OF THE FALL. 125 very spring from which this flood of wickedness flows. In course of time sin became more powerful. 2. Though the first man was subdued by sin, yet the power of sin did not rage so much in him as in his posterity ; because the light in which he was created was not altogether extinguished, and the affections of a good heart by the first shock were not completely overthrown. But in process of time, and as mankind began to mul- tiply, sin became the more powerful, and injustice increased. Hence, soon after the fall, Cain im- brued his hands in the blood of his own innocent brother Abel ; Gen. iv. 8. And in the progress of a few ages, wickedness increased to such a de- gree, that the Holy Scriptures assure us, " the earth was filled with violence ; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." Gen. vi. II, 12. The divine Paul agrees in this representa- tion, and also reckons up the abominable and cor- rupt deeds into which the children of men had plunged themselves ; Rom. i. 18. In short, in this creature, formed after the image of God, not one feature of that image was to be observed ; but a certain kind of awful darkness, in which he blindly wandered through paths out of which he '126 EFFECTS OF THE FALL. could not extricate himself, following only the dictates of his own irregular affections. Surely it is unnecessary, in this place, to prove how wretched and sorrowful man is in such a condi- tion, because, to have the light of reason darken- ed, to be removed from virtue, consequently from God, from the most exalted good, is a state of misery, than which the mind of man cannot con- ceive a greater. XVI. In such a state, rational man fell under all the severity of God's wrath. No one will dare to affirm, that God can equal- ly love the righteous and the wicked. This can never be reconciled with his infinite justice and holiness. Hence, justice itself requires, that God should turn away from that man who is a stub- born and impenitent despiser of his holy will. Now, this turning away of God from man, is one of the most dreadful calamities ; and more par- ticularly when we reflect, that after he is thus abandoned by his Creator, every possible evil must inevitably fall upon him. Of this, the Holy Scriptures say, " Indignation and wrath, tribula- tion and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil." Rom. ii. 9. MAN UNABLE TO DELIVER HIMSELF. 127 XVII. Man was unable to deliver himself. Out of this state of utter ruin, the human race could have no hope of saving themselves. The dead can never raise himself to life, nor can he who is fallen into a deep pit ever get out of it without the help of another. But, accord- ing to Paul, man is " dead in sins ;" Eph. ii. 5 ; and the comparison used by Christ, Mat. xii. 11, represents him, as fallen into the pit of misery. Therefore it was altogether impossible for him to deliver himself out of this state of utter ruin. We have proved, in Section xviii. of the First Part, that, according to our apprehension, the mercy of God might be obtained in two ways : namely, by doing good, and by repentance. But though these means, to appearance, and accord- ing to the reasonings of man, may seem to be ef- fectual ; yet, when we duly consider them, and diligently penetrate into the spirit of the sacred Scriptures, we find them ineffectual. For, respect- ing the first, doing good, this requires, (as we have already pointed out,) that man should perfectly fulfil the law of God, and at no time be a par- taker in any kind of sin. But who, amongst men can boast of a holiness like this, in the corrupt state of human nature, such as we have former- 4> 128 MAN UNABLE TO DELIVER HIMSELF. \y described ? I do not here speak of those who are converted to Christ ; but of such as still re- main in unbelief. In regard to repentance also, it can never be sincere in the corrupt and unregenerate heart ; because, to the end of life, the perpetual commis- sion of sin proves it to be weak and ineffectual ; for former acts of repentance, are ever violated by present transgressions. I do not mean evan- gelical or Christian repentance; it is of ano- ther kind : and why it is effectual, we shall soon shew. Let no man, however, suppose, that because God is infinitely merciful, or rather mercy itself, he can, without regarding men's imperfections and their falling into sin, out of his mere good- ness, pardon men, and render them fit to be par- takers of his blessedness and glory. Such reason- ing is base and sinful ; it makes the mercy of God blind ; it presupposes a God not possessed of eter- nal and inviolable rectitude. It obliges him to regard the righteous and the wicked alike, a supposition which it is dreadful to apply to the living God. Does any one ask, by what way then can man be saved ? By that way, I answer, which infinite wisdom has devised, and in which the mercy of our God is united with a full satisfaction of his INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD. 129 justice, in the work of our salvation. And what this way is, the word of God has particularly re- vealed to us. XVIIL For the salvation of mankind, God him- self became incarnate. God could, in justice i have doomed such a guilty creature as man to eternal punishment ; hut being moved hy unspeakable mercy , and by the counsel of his irifinite wisdom, he sent to him a Deliverer, his only begotten Son. 1. Sin always draws punishment after it. Therefore, it was not only not contrary to the justice of God, but his justice inevitably required, that man, as a free-will transgressor and despiser of the law, should for ever have been cast out from God, had not the diversified and infinite wisdom of Deity, devised a way to pour out his mercy upon this wretched creature, without any infringement of his equity. The Scriptures every where declare the inviolable justice of God. " O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth ; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thy- self;" Psalm xciv. 1. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Rom. xii. 19. 2. What God saith by the prophet Isaiah, is wejl known : " Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the I 130 INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD. son of her womb ? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee;" Chap. xlix. 15. The love and mercy of God to all his creatures, but particularly to man, is greater than we are ca- pable of comprehending. How could that being then, whose goodness transcends our comprehen- sion, suffer man, the chief among the creatures, to perish ; and who, according to the design of God himself, was created for eternal happiness ? But the justice of God is no less real than his mercy, and could not suffer the least violation. Thus, if any where, more especially here, we must use the words of the gospel : " The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God;" Luke xviii. 27. What can be hid •from the infinite wisdom of God ? To it, the most secret means are all open and revealed. It beheld, that on the part of man there was no way by which he could obtain salvation ; because every individual stood in need of this for himself. The angels were not possessed of adequate powers to execute this great work, which required nothing less than infinite might. There remained no hope but in God himself. And hence, in the most secret counsels of the Holy Trinity, which are impenetrable to the powers of angels, it was appointed, that the most exalted Son of God INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD. 131 should himself become the Redeemer of the hu- man race, and this office he assumed. The world could never have expected to be- hold such a glorious, wonderful, and merciful display of God's working, as was the embassy of the Son of God upon the earth. While the divine Paul views in it the inexpressible and in- finite wisdom of God, he exclaims in raptures, " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out !" Rom, xi. 33. The holy evangelist, in like manner, is amazed at the incomprehensible love of Deity, and thus exclaims : " God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son ;" John iii. 16. But in what manner this divine Mediator has sa- tisfied the justice of God, and bestows upon us his mercy, we shall soon see from the word of God. XIX. Of the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God. The only begotten Son of God descended from heaven, became incarnate by the Mdy Ghost and the Virgin Mary ; and being real and perfect Gods became real and perfect man, God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. 132 CHIEF REASONS OF THE 1. God, who is everywhere present, cannot remove from one place to another. Therefore, the descent of the Son of God from heaven is no change of place ; but a voluntary taking of the nature of man on himself, in which he, being in his divine nature invisible, " appeared upon earth and dwelt among the children of men ;" Bar. iii. 38. When he descended upon earth, he took to himself flesh in the womb of the most blessed Virgin Mary, preserving her virginity immacu- late. And this incarnation was mysterious and inexplicable ; because it was accomplished by the almighty operation of the Holy Ghost, whose manner of acting is known alone to himself. But we are assured of this truth by the undoubted word of God, which the angel spake to the Vir- gin : " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee ;*' Luke i. 35. And thus, in the womb of the Vir- gin, began the fulfilment of that glorious pro- phecy of Isaiah : " Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Im- manuel," vii. 14. The conception of the Son of God was supernatural, and without sin : because justice itself required, that he who came to cleanse the world from sin, should himself be se- parated from sinners. Heb. vii. 26. It was necessary, that the Son of God should INCARNATION OF THE SON OF GOD. 133 become man; 1st, That our heavenly Father might enter into the work of our salvation with him as our mediator and surety, and might act towards him as he would have done towards the sinner, whose likeness Christ had taken upon himself; and this was impossible in any other way, than by assuming the human nature. " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteous- ness of God in him." 2 Cor. v„ 21. 2d, That his visible intercourse with mankind might the better attach us to himself, as repre- senting before our very senses the will of our heavenly Father and the way of salvation. This our Saviour himself points out in these words : " Henceforth, I call you not servants : for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth ; but I have called you friends : for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." John xv. 15. 3d, That the law might be perfectly fulfilled, and thereby, not only our transgression of it pardoned, but that his most holy life should re- main to us, as the rule of all our actions, which we ought to follow in order to obtain salvation. This also could not have taken place, except by his taking to himself the human nature. In re- lS4t - CHIEF REASONS OF THE gard to this, the apostle Paul teaeheth : " God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made un- der the law, to redeem them that were under the law." Gal. iv. 4.'=''- 41th, That he might die, and by his death sa- tisfy the justice of God, deliver us from our me- rited punishment, and procure for us eternal life. " Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same ; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil ; and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Heb. ii. 14, 15. These are the chief reasons for the incarnation of the Son of God. This incarnation took place after the lapse of many ages from the fall of the first man. It did not please our divine Media- tor, immediately after the fall, to appear upon earth in the flesh ; but first he prepared his way by the law of nature, by the written law, by the prophets, by different instances of exemplary punishments inflicted on the wicked, and emi- nent rewards bestowed upon the righteous, to- gether with promises of rewards that are yet greater. * Slavonian. — " God sent forth his (only begotten) Son, bern of a woman, made under the law.'' 5 INCARNATION OF THE SON OK GOD. 135 But still mankind were prone to follow the dictates of their fallen nature, and the evil of sin spread universally, so that there remain- ed no hope of deliverance except on the part of God ; and thus, when, according to secret di- vine counsels, the appointed time Was come, " God, who at sundry times, and in divers man- ners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath, in these last days, spoken untO us by his Son." Heb. i. 1, 2. This appearance of our Saviour, which took place many ages ago, was in no way inconsistent with the salvation of the chosen saints of God who lived before his coming ; for as we believe in his having already appeared, so they believed in him as a future deliverer. Their faith in its nature was not different from ours. " By faith, the ancients obtained a good report ;" Heb. xi. 2. And " Jesus Christ" is " the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever ;" Heb. xiii. 8. For this reason, St Paul not only styles Abraham a be- liever, but presents him as an example to all who desire to be justified by faith. Jesus Christ is one person in two natures. 2. In the incarnation of the Son of God, the human and the divine natures were in a most won- derful and incomprehensible manner united; and , 136 TllE PERSON OF CHRIST. from the union of these two, was produced the one divine person, God-man, Christ, because there are not two Christs but one, the Son of God and son of Mary. When he became man, he did not cease to be God ; he continues to be true God and true man. But though the two natures are united in one Christ, yet they are not mixed ; and in each nature, the wills, desires, and the powers of action, still remain complete and distinct. Hence, when we read in the Holy Scriptures what Christ saith of himself, that the hour of the last day he knoweth not ; Matth. xiii. 32 : That his Father is greater than he ; John xiv. 28 : That he offered up prayers to the Al- mighty, to save him from death ; Heb. v. 7 : That he suffered and died. All these, and simi- lar passages, must be referred to his human, and not to his divine nature. That Christ was true man, the Scriptures clearly inform us ; " Foras- much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same;" Heb. ii. 14<. And in regard to his divinity, amongst others St Paul testifieth, " Whose are tlie fathers, and of whom, as con- cerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen," Rom. ix. 5 ; and, " Great is the mystery of godliness : God was manifest in the flesh." From the very time THE OFFICES OF CHRIST. 1S7 of the incarnation of the Son of God, this most au- gust name Christ, or Messiahyhecovae applicable to him. Both these names have one signification ; that is, anointed. Under the Old Testament, the kings, priests, and prophets, were anointed. This anointing indicated, first, the choice of God. Se- cond, By it, as through a visible sign, were given to the anointed spiritual powers, to fit them for the proper performance of their respective duties. The Son of God, when he became incarnate, took on himself all these offices, and became at once a king, who, by his almighty power, governs his church, and defends her against her enemies. Hence it is written, " The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David ; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever ; and of his kingdom there shall be no end ;" Luke i. 32, S3. As a priest, he offered up himself unto death, to reconcile God to us. " Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec ;" Heb. V. 6. And as a prophet, he maketh known to us the will of God : according to Acts iii. 22, " A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall Say unto you." To these offices the Son of God was anointed, — anointed not with material ointment, but with 138 THE ACTS OF JESUS CHRIST. the Holy Spirit. ConcerniMg this he himself has borne witness : " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me ;" Luke iv. 18. And on this account he is called Christ. From this name also, those that believe in him are called Christians. Our Saviour took also, after his birth and cir- cumcision, the name of Jesus, which, according to the interpretation of the angel, signifies Sa- viour ; Matt. i. 21. XXL Of the acts of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ spent his life in the most perfect fulfilment of the law ; proved his divinity/ hy gloria ous miracles ; and fully made known the will of his heavenly Father. Gur Saviour having begun his life in pejsecu- tion, was bred up under his blessed mother, and, as he advanced in years, he " waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom ; and the grace of God was upon him ;" Luke ii. 40. Being twelve years old, by his wise questions he put to silence the most eminent of the Jewish doctors, so that those who heard him were astonished at his under- standing ; Luke ii. 46. When about thirty years old, he was pleased to receive baptism at the hands of John, the greatest of the prophets ; not THE ACTS OF JESUS CHRIST. 139 that he had any need of baptism himself, being without sin, but that he might sanctify for us, by his own holy person, this spiiitual bath, which he hath appointed for the washing away of our sins, and in order to show, by his own example, the need we have to be baptised. After this most important event, the whole fountain of his divine wisdom was opened, and he began to display his heavenly philosophy and most holy doctrine, such as mankind could never hear from any one else. He showed in what the real happiness of man consists ; and this he pla- ced in poverty of spirit, in tears and humility, in meekness and mercy, amid persecution and revi- ling, which was altogether contrary to the wisdom of this world. He explained to us what virtue and vice are, and commanded us to search out their essence, not in external acts, but in the thoughts and intentions of the heart. He taught us the difference which exists between God and the world, between truth and falsehood, and between good and evil. While he overturned supersti- tion and hypocrisy, which are hateful to God, he accused the human race of hard-heartedness, of uiabelief, and of universal error. He pointed out the way by which we can attain to the mercy of God ; assuring us of the inexpressible blessings of a future life, and proclaimed himself to be the 140 Christ's death upon the cross. Saviour, sent to deliver l^e world. All these doctrines, which are of themselves worthy the acceptation of every one, he confirmed by many glorious miracles. By healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, casting out devils, and raising the dead, he clearly displayed his divinity : so that the multitudes of people that followed him, with astonishment said, " It was never so seen in Israel !" Matth. ix. 33. Moreover, his doc- trine was the more effectual, from his whole life and actions being as it were a most pure and ho- ly mirror of every virtue. For he " did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth," 1 Peter ii. 22. In this way he perfectly fulfilled his of- fice as a prophet. All the saving doctrines of Christ are contained in the Gospel, which divine book we ought to hold as the most perfect rule of faith and virtue. XXII. Of the death of Christ upon the Cross. Ou?' Saviour Jinished the course of his blessed life hy death, even the death of the cross. Concerning our divine Mediator, his beloved disciple writes, that " He came unto his own, and his own received him not," John i. 11. And he himself condemned the blindness of men on this account, " that light is come into the world, Christ's death upon the cross. 141 and men loved darkness rather than light, be- cause their deeds were evil," John iii. 19. The Jews, to whose ancestors and their poste-r rity the Messiah and Deliverer of the world had been repeatedly promised, were so assured by the clearest prophecies of his coming, that it was impossible that any of them could fail to expect it. They still, however, though in vain, wait for his appearance. Those very Jews, by whose sacri- fices he was always prefigured, by whose holy rites and ordinances he was represented, among whom also the prophets foretold the most evi- dent marks of his appearance as a Saviour, so that they could ascertain the very time when he should be revealed; these very Jews, I say, as if determinately in opposition to the good will of God towards them, in an unprecedent- ed state of hard-heartedness and blindness, de- nied him when he came, did not receive but re- jected him, accounted him a deceiver, and per- secuted him even unto death ; — a death which was so salutary to the human race. The chief causes of this desperate and dread- ful act were their unpardonable blindness and wicked hardness of heart. 3ut at the very time when they sought to kill him, they neither knew nor desired to fulfil the divine eternal pur- pose, that the Son of God should die for the hu- 142 Christ's death upon the cross. man race ; and thus they prepared (though not to their own advantage) an invaluable treasure for the whole world. At last, by their petitions, accusations, and threats, they prevailed upon Pontius Pilate, who at that time was the Roman governor among them, to condemn the innocent Jesus to the most shameful death of the cross, and this sentence was put in execution the very same day. The Mediator between God and man offered up unto his heavenly Father the most ar- dent prayers, when he suffered an agony in the garden, in which his sweat was as it were great drops of blood, and having borne every kind of insult, he was extended upon, and nailed to the cross. But even this was not enough of the wrath of man. When already dead, they pier- ced his side with a spear : but behold a won- der \ Out of this life-giving wound ran forth blood and water, the image of the two mysteries instituted by himself, baptism and the commu- nion. When he gave up the ghost, an awful and most wonderful change took place in nature. The sun and moon were darkened, the earth trembled, many of the dead arose, and the veil of the temple was rent : what clearer demon^ stration could be given, that the temple it- self, and all its holy services, were at an end ? CHRIST'S DEATH UPON THE CROSS. 143 Christ, hanging on the cross, pronounced his last Avords full of mysteries : " it is Jinishedy^ John xix. SO. By these words he taught us, that all the sacrifices, mysteries, ceremonies, and prophe- cies of the Old Testament, concerning himself, were completed ; and that the law itself was ful- filled. " For Christ is the end of the law/' Rom. X. 4. It pleased our Lord to die the death of the cross ; in this St Paul finds a great myster}^ Those that were hung upon a cross, the law commands to be regarded as accursed. We, for our sins, lay under this curse ; but as God pro- mised to Abraham, that all believing nations should be blessed in him, so the Son of God, cru- cified on the cross, took upon himself this curscj and thus merited for us the blessing of Abraham. To this purpose, the apostle reasoneth : " Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, be- ing made a curse for us ; for it is written. Cur- sed is every one that hangeth on a tree : that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gen- tiles, through Jesus Christ." Gal. iii. 13, 14. XXIII. The death of Christ is the true and qn- ly sacrifice (for sin.) The death of Jesiis Christ is a true sacrijice, 144 THE DEATH OF CHRIST IS ^which reconciles God to vs, and saves those who believe in this divine Mediator. 1. It has been mentioned above more than once, that the justice of God, which turneth away from the sinner, could not by any means be infringed, and that on our part there was not sufficient strength to satisfy the demands of di- vine justice ; and as it is farther evident, that the sacrifices of the Old Testament, which con- sisted in the offering up of animals, were not in the least adequate to reconcile God ; therefore, all this the Son of God and our Mediator took upon himself and accomplished. His sufferings, shed blood, and shameful death, God received, just as if the sinner himself had suffered ; and this punishment of the innocent Saviour was in our stead, according to the unsearchable pur- poses of God, in place of that eternal punish- ment which we ourselves deserved. Thus St Paul reasons on this point : " For the love of Christ* constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead." " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, (that is, delivered him up unto death as a sinner,) that we might be made the righteous- ness of God in him," 2 Cor. v. 14 — 21. " He * Slavonian,'^" For the love of God constraineth us/' &c. CHRIST THE TRUE SACRIFICE. 145 was wounded for our transgressions ; he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed," Isaiah liii. 5. The death of Christ, therefore, is the true sacrifice. A sacri- jice, because Christ offered up himself upon the altar of the cross, as an innocent lamb, slain by the justice of God, and consumed by the fire of love, with which he burned for the salvation of mankind ; and his being thus consumed, was a spectacle no less wonderful in itself, than accept- able to God, the Father. Christ was also the true sacrifice ; for all the other sacrifices were nothing, but a kind of types or images of this ; and it alone was capable of satisfying divine justice, meriting for us God's mercy, cleansing us from our sins, and of resto- ring us to our original state of blessedness. The word of God bears testimony to this ; " But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect taber- nacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building ; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the K 146 CHRIST THE ONLY AND ETERNAL DRIEST. 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 ?" Heb. ix. 11, 12, 13, 14. This sacrifice put an end to the sacrifices of Aaron or of the Old Testament, and Christ be- came the only and eternal priest. The only priest, because another sacrifice is impossible : the eter- nal priest ; for, according to the words of the apostle, " He continueth ever, hath an unchange- able priesthood ; wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Heb. vii. 24, 25, This great high-priest is called of God a priest not after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchisedec. Heb. v. 10. Now, in this there is a great mystery ; in which every one must be astonished to behold revealed three of God's ex- cellencies, mercy, justice^ and ijifinite wisdom. Mercy so great, that the only begotten Son of God, of the same essence with the Father, was delivered up unto death for us the enemies of God. Can there be a greater display of mercy ! Justice so holy and inviolable, that without a * Slavonian :—'' Who through the holy Spirit/' &e. THE NEW COVENANT. 147 complete satisfaction, it could not clear us of guilt. Infinite wisdom, that devised such a won- derful plan, not only to satisfy justice, but to pour upon us the whole fountain of goodness. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and know- ledge of God ! This most exalted mystery is to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness ; but to us who are thereby saved, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God : and we, with Paul, will declare, " God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ;*' Gal. vi. 14. All the blessedness we can ever expect from the divine goodness, is procured by the death of Christ ; for, " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ?" Rom. viii. 32. And thus, while the death of Christ engages our heavenly Father, to give to the be- lievers in his Son, every thing that his love and mercy can bestow ; so also, believers themselves are thereby engaged to shew their gratitude for this, by continually striving, in all that they do, to please God ; and, in this mutual engagement the New Covenant consists, which is founded on the blood of Christ: as Matthew writes, xxvi. 28, " This is my hlood of the New Covenant" 2. Verily, « Christ died for all." 2 Cor. v. 15. i4S RESURRECTION AND And there is no one so great a sinner whom his grace alone is not able to save. But in order that this grace may become effectual in us, faith is requisite, that is, we must heartily receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and without doubt- ing, rest assured, that only through him we can be made partakers of the mercy of God. With- out the infinite merits of Christ all our attempts are in vain, and man can never be saved. This is clearly taught every where in the word of God, John iii. 15; " For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever- lasting life;" and verse 18, " He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already." When we consider faith as essential to salvation, it is to be under- stood, that we mean faith unfeigned, sincere, and living, that is, ** faith which worketh hy love,' Gal. V. 6. XXIII. Of the resurrection and ascension of Christ. The dead Saviour was buried ; hut on the third day he rose again, and afterwards ascended into heaven. The interment of our Saviour, was a proof that ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 149 he was really dead ; but the abodes of the dead could not hold our Redeemer, as St Peter has de- clared to us : " Whom God hath raised up, hav- ing loosed the pains of death : because it was not possible that he should be holden of them ;" Acts ii. 24. Being buried on the Friday, he rested in the grave the Saturday, and rose again the third day, as he himself had more than once predicted. The scriptures had testified the same thing long before, because the prophet foreseeing in the spirit the victory of Jesus Christ over death and hell, sung this triumphal song : " O death, I will be thy plague; O grave, I will be thy destruction !" Hosea xiii. 14. By the resurrection of Christ, we are com- pletely assured that he hath conquered death ; that he really is the Saviour sent us from God ; and that our hope in him is stedfast and sure. Hence, the apostle writes concerning him : " Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification ;" Rom. iv. 25. On his resurrection also, our hope in our own resur- rection is founded. " For, if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again ; even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him ;" 1 Thes. iv. 14. Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, appeared to the apostles and to many others ; and by in- 150 SECONDCOMING OF CHBIST. contestible proofs assured them, that he was risen indeed. After having given them most salutary instructions in regard to the great work of their apostleship, and making known to them that a door would soon be opened for their preaching the gospel throughout the world, even among all nations ; and having promised to send them the Holy Spirit, who would lead them into all truth, he ascended into heaven before their eyes on the fortieth day after his resurrection, and sat down at the right hand of God, even the Father. This sitting intimates his resuming divine power and glory, which, though he possessed them from all eternity, yet, while he was on earth, they were concealed from mankind by the veil of his hu- manity. John xvii. 5. XXV. Of the second coming of Christ. He also will come again io judge the liviiig and the dead, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. His first appearance is past, and his second will also take place. The first was in humiliation, the second shall be in glory. The first was in mercy, the second will be in terrors ; for in the first the Son of man came to save the world, but in the second he cometh to judge the world. In regard to this, we have the testimony of eternSil SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 151 truth. " 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 ;" Matth. xxv. 31, .32. The design of the second coming of Christ is to fulfil the demands of the inviolable justice of God, " to give unto every one according to his works,'' and thus completely to finish the work of our salvation ; for the blessedness which is purchased by the death of Christ, we expect not on earth ; but it is reserved for us in heaven o " It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you ; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ;" 2 Thes. i. 6, 7. Consequent- ly, this judgment day will be terrible only to un- believing and unrepenting sinners ; but to the faithful, and to such as have continued stedfast un- to death in the ways of godliness, it is supremely desirable and joyful. Those will tremble, when they feel the cup of the wrath of God poured out upon them ; while these shall rejoice at the recep- tion of the unutterable reward for their constancy in the faith; when they shall be united unto Christ, whose love had burned in their hearts throughout their whole lives. 152 THE MANNER AND END OF CHRIST's * In what manner shall this awful and impartial judgment take place ? There shall be an unex- pected shaking of the earth, the sun and moon shall be darkened, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken ; then the Archangel shall sound the trump, and in the twinkling of an eye the dead shall all arise out of their graves ; they shall ap- pear before God in the clouds, and shall await the divine sentence concerning them. At these awful changes in nature, the nations of the earth shall wail and be overcome with grief, such as never was felt from the foundation of the world, and never will be again ; they shall be appalled with terror of that which is to come upon all, when there will be no hope from any quarter, except from that faith alone, the sincerity of which is proved by good works. After these signs, a throne shall be placed for the Son of man, the books shall be opened, in which the state of every one's conscience shall be made manifest, and then shall the Son of man be seen coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, like the lightning which having illumined the east^ in a moment darteth to the west. Then immediately the separation shall be made between the righteous and the wicked, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. SECOND APPEARANCE. 153 and the chosen shall be placed on the right hand, and sinners on the left. At this tribunal there will be neither accusers nor witnesses, nor any farther examination. The Judge himself is the searcher of hearts, from whom nothing can be concealed. He shall look upon his chosen sons, the sons of the resurrection, with an eye of inef- fable kindness and love ; shall call them his faith- ful servants, friends, children, blessed; and mak- ing known unto them his joy at their having re- mained stedfast in the faith, shall thank them for having fulfilled his will, and for their bene- ficent deeds, which they shewed to himself in the persons of the poor. Then, as a reward for all this, he shall introduce them into a state of eter- nal joy, and put them in possession of blessed- ness, such as " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive." But, on the contrary, he shall behold the wick- ed with looks of indignation : shall call them ungrateful, hardened, and accursed creatures; shall accuse them of unbelief and obduracy ; re- proach them with their injurious and unmerciful conduct towards the helpless, by which they grieved himself. Afterwards, as a just punish ment for all their evil deeds, they shall be driven from his presence into a state of the most exqui- 154f SIGNS OF THE SECOND site torments, into a place of endless wailing and gnashing of teeth, into a place of utter darkness, to be companions of devils. This sentence be- ing passed, the fulfilment of it shall immediately take place ; for heaven and earth shall pass away, hut the words of God cannot pass away. But we shall treat more fully afterwards of the blessed- ness of the righteous, as well as of the punish- ment of the wicked. When this awful event of the judgment-day shall take place, the holy word has kept secret, and has not revealed the exact time, in order that we might always be ready. Notwithstand- ing, there are very clear signs mentioned in Scrip- ture, from which we may know when the judg- ment is approaching, or rather is at hand. A- mongst other signs, the Holy Scriptures consider this as one of the chief and most undoubted, when we shall behold an evident despising of the faith, and the utmost corruption of manners. They farther inform us, that nearly at the time of Christ's appearance, " iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold ;" Matt. xxiv. 1 2. Faith shall be despised, and even the Savi- our of the world himself shall be forsaken ; for, according to the reasonings of Paul, "The day of Christ shall not come, except there come a fall- ing away first ;" 2 Thess. ii. 3 : and this falling APPEARANCE OF CHRIST. 155 away he also reckons to be a departure from the faith. " Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith;" 1 Tim. iv. 1. This same apostle farther declares, that when the judgment-day is approaching, there shall be the ut- most corruption of manners, and a disregard of vir- tue, yea that men's chief object shall be to satisfy the lusts of the flesh. " This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come ; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." These are genuine signs of the coming of Christ. And indeed, when the world is filled with the wickedness of man, what then remains to be done, but only that divine justice should begin to act. What more striking examples can we have of its operation, than are to be found in the cases of the deluge, of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of that of the Amorites. We, who reflect on this important point of Christian doctrine, ought, according to the admonition of the apostle, to provoke one another unto love and to good Avorks ; not forsaking the assem- 156 DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST. bling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching ;" Heb. x. S^, 25. XXVI. Of the descent of the Holy Ghost. The Lord Jesus Christ, after his ascmsion, sent io the apostles, and to all believers, the Holy Ghost, hy whose blessed influence man is saved. 1 . It has been said above, that the Saviour, be- fore his ascension into heaven, promised to send to his apostles the Holy Spirit, who should lead them into all truth, which also was fulfilled on the fiftieth day after his resurrection, as Luke the Evangelist has informed us ; Acts ii. This sending of the Holy Ghost was a divine descent ; for the Holy Spirit is not one of the ministering spirits, such as angels are ; but he is Lord and God, the third person of the consubstantial Tri- nity, having the same worship and glory with the Father and the Son, but proceeding from the Fa- ther alone. The Papists, or the Roman church, daringly added, without any foundation, and in opposition to all antiquity, and from the Son. We do not wish to pry into this, for it is an unsearch- able mystery, and we ought not to engage much ill disputation upon it. However, the Holy Scrip- OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 15'7 tures have clearly affirmed, that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father alone, and not from the Son also. " But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father^ he shall testify of me ;" John xv. 26. In con- formity to this all the ancient divine fathers have written, not only those of the Eastern but also of the Western church, not darinj^ to add any thing; clearly in opposition to the word of God, just quoted 2 Jesus Christ, through the apostles, sent the Holy Spirit to his whole church, or to all be- lievers, in fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel ii. 28. " And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh." The operations of the Holy Spirit, by which the sal- vation of men is perfected, are various. The man who is wandering in error, and hardened in sin, or rather dead in sins, he calleth to the faith by the word, granting him different opportuni- ties to turn from his evil ways. By his internal operations, he softens the heart, kindles in the mind the light of the knowledge of God, regene- rates and cleanseth from sin in baptism, renews in repentance, and unites unto Christ mysteri- ously in the communion ; and spiritually, through stedfast continuance in the faith, he directs to i5Š GRACIOUS OPERATIONS OF THE SPIRIT. every work of godliness; comforts and supports iii temptations and trials, and internally assures us of that great love wherewith our heavenly Father en- compasseth us. The operations of the Holy Spirit are called grace, and as these operations are various, so grace has different denominations ; thus predis- posing grace, awakening grace, justifying grace, co-operating grace, &;c. because by these gracious operations of the Holy Spirit upon man, who of himself is spiritually dead, spiritual life is again restored. Hence the Holy Ghost in the symbol, as the giver of grace, is styled the life-giving Spi- rit ; and in Isaiah he is called " the Spirit of wis- dom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." Hence it is not difficult to know why he is called the Spirit that spake by the prophets ; because what they preached and wrote in books was not of their own will or in- vention ; " but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." On this ac- count, the books of the Old and New Testaments ought to be held by every Christian as the word of God, and writings divinely inspired ; as the only perfect and unerring rule of faith, and of a course of life well pleasing to God. According to the apostle Paul, the following graces are the EFFECTS OF THE APOSTLE's PREACHING. 159 signs and fruits of the Holy Spirit dwelling iit man. " The fruit of the Spidt is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- ness, temperance." Gal. v. 22, XXVII. Of the preaching of the Apostles, and of the Church. £i/ the influence of the Holy Ghost, the apostles preached the truths of the gospel in all the world, and they gathered a church consisting of all na- tions. The wonderful effects accomplished by the preaching of the apostles, clearly prove that they were not produced by the power of man, but by the power of God. It transcends our comprehension to suppose that a small num- ber of Christ's disciples, who were of mean ex- traction, poor, without any kind of weapons, without eloquence or human wisdom, converted to the faith the noble, the powerful, and the wise, in every quarter of the world ; a faith so diametrically in opposition to all the an- cient traditions which prevailed in the world, and that overturned all the national forms of wor- ship ; a faith which never could find a place in the conception of the proud, and instead of fa- vouring the evil propensities of men, required a 160 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. rigid course of life, and promised continual per- secution to all who should receive it. Did it seem at all possible to expect success in this most difficult undertaking ? But those things that are impossible with men are possible with God. Hell and all its powers were in arms, in order to oppose these saving operations : but the rock Christ, on whom the Christian faith is found- ed, can never be moved. One of Christ's apostles himself is amazed at these wonderful effects, and expresses himself thus : " God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath 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." 1 Cor. i. 27, 28, 29. On the reception of the gospel by all nations in the east and the west, in the south and the north, a holy society of God's chosen was form- ed ; and this is the church of Christ, which is not like the Jewish church, confined to one na- tion ; but is composed of many different nations, peoples, and tribes, under heaven, in every part of the world ; and thus was fulfilled the promise which God made to Abraham, '' in thy seed PROPERTIES OF THE TRUE CHURCH. 161 shall all the nations of the earth he blessed.'' Gen. xxii. 18. XXVII. The properties of the true Church. This church is one, holy, catholic, and aposio- lical. 1. We have shewn above, under Section v. of this Part, that the church of Christ was found- ed at the verybeginningof the world; that though it has been in different states, yet that the es- sence of faith has never been changed in it ; and that this same chui'ch, by the appearance of Christ, and the preaching of the apostles, has been brought into a state of greater glory and splendour, by the union of all nations to it. Consequently, from the beginning of the world to the present time, and to the very end of time, the church has been, and will be, always one and the same. Owe, because there is for ever one faith, one founda- tion of faith, and one head of the church, Christ ; one way of salvation, and one hope for all. Thus it is written to the Ephesians: " One body an 1 one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one faith." Chap. iv. 4. Hence this church only cuts off all those who either do not receive the word of God, or mix their own improper opinions with it ; therefore, i, 162 PROPEnTIES OF THE TRUE CHURCH. the society of such people is not a church, but an assembly holding heterodox opinions, which is go- verned by the spirit of division, and not by the Spirit of God. Even at the present time, to the offence of Christians, we behold three chief sects or parties in Christianity ; Papists, Lutherans, and Calvinists. They are mutually in opposition to one another. Popery, exclusive of its being fil- led with the most pernicious superstitions, and the edicts of Popes, in contradiction to the word of God, blindly holds the tenet in regard to the pro- ceeding of the Holy Ghost above-mentioned, and explains it in opposition to the clear testimony of Holy Scripture. It has also taken away from the common people the cup in the communion, and the reading of the Holy Scriptures. It has further devised some sort of a purgatory fire, has appropriated to itself a power unknown in the gospel, and undertakes to convert gainsayers by fire and sword. The Lutherans and Calvinists dissented not long ago from popery, under Luther and Calvin, whom passion, more than any thing else, excited to this novelty. They, in avoiding popish super- stitions and superfluities, threw away, together with them, the holy apostolical traditions of thf? first churches. Notwithstanding they hold the same opinion with the Romanists in regard to the PROPERTIES OF THE TRUE CHURCH. 163 proceeding of the Holy Ghost. But exclusive of this, they teach, what is contrary to scripture, re- specting the mystery of the communion and the other mysteries. The Lutherans, moreover, at- tach to the body of Christ omnipresence^ which is an attribute peculiar to God alone, and the Calvinists draw upon men's actions an inevitable kind of predestination. But our Greeko-R.us- sian church proves its genuineness by incontes- tible evidences ■ for^ from the very time of the apostles to the present day, it has preserved in- violate, the faith preached by them, and the an- cient traditions of the first churches. Greece was converted to the faith by the apostle Paul him- self, and the truth which she received from him she preserved inviolate throughout all the suc- ceeding ages ; and if there happened to be some- times heretical and pernicious doctrines taught, yet they were always condemned in the general and particular councils. .u. With this faith, thus preserved in all its purity, it pleased God at last to enlighten Rus- sia. And as in Greece, so in Russia, there never has taken place any change in the faith; such, for instance, as took place among the Papists in the time of Luther ; yet amongst those who hold to our church, there may exist a certain kind of superstition and abuse ; but our church does not justify such improprieties ; she 164 PROPERTIES OF THE TRUE CHURCH. rather mourns over them, reproves and corrects them. And the erroneous opinions of a few, founded on ignorance of the truth, can never, in justice, be imputed to the whole church. Hence, it is evident, that our orthodox church is not only the true church, but that it is one and the same from the very foundation of the world. I'rom the very foundation of the world, I say ; because it agrees with the Greek church, and the Greek church never departed from the primitive aposto- lical church. Again, the apostolical church was not different in the essence of faith from the Old Testament church; and the Old Testament church was founded upon the saving truth, which, with stedfast faith, was held both before and after the flood by the holy patriarchs, even from the very foundation of the world. Hence the evangelical orthodox faith of our church refers for its foun- dation to the very beginning of the world, and shall remain, as the Holy Ghost hath assured us, to the end of time. Why is the Church Holy ? 2. The church is denominated holy. First, be- cause all true believers are sanctified by the blood of Christ. Thus the apostle writes to the Corinthians, 1 Eph. vi. 44 ; " And such were some of you ; (that is, such as all unclean hea- PROPERTIES OF THE TRUE CHURCH. 165 tliens are ; ) but ye are 'svashed, but ye are sanc- tified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God." Se- condly, because all true Christians strive, through the assistance of divine grace, to conquer sin, to subdue their corrupt passions, and labour by the exercise of virtue to be united with an infinitely holy God. *' For the grace of God that bring- eth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, w^e should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world," Tit. ii, 11, 12. And though in the church there be sinners, yet those who confess their faults before God, through true re- pentance, and stedfast faith in Jesus Christ, gra-^ ciously receive forgiveness ; and the hardened and impenitent do not belong to the church at all. Why is the Church called CathoUc ? 3. The church is Catholic, otherwise called ge- neral and universal. By this we are to under- stand the society of true Christians, scattered over the whole world. True believers, where- ever they are, and in whatever age they live, be- long to the society of the universal church of Christ ; because they are all governed by the law of the gospel, they all fight under one stand- 4' 166 PROPERTIES OF THE TRUE CHURCH. aid — that of Christ, and they are all hastening towards one blessed end. In such a church, ac- cording to the doctrine of the apostle Paul, " There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is nei- ther bond nor free, there is neither male nor fe- male, for they are all one in Christ Jesus," Gal. iii. 28. Thus the properties of the Christian church are different from those of the Jewish, which was confined to one people only. From these nar- row bounds, our Redeemer said that he would set his church free. " The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Je- rusalem, worship the Father ; for they that wor- ship him must worship him in spirit and in truth;" John iv. 21 — 24. This we are to understand as extending to every place ; for his kingdom ruleth over all. Why is the Church called Apostolical ? The church is called apostolical, because it pre- serves inviolate the doctrines of the apostles, both written and traditionary, consequently of the prophets also, with whom the apostles' doc- trine agreed. The apostle Paul bears testimony to this, who teaches, that true Christians, " are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." Eph. ii. 20. GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH. 167 XXVIII. !,f;- Of the Government of the Church. This same church, under its only head Christ, is governed hi/ the ministers of the New Testament. The church is a society properly constituted and regulated ; consequently there must be a government in it. This government, however, is not despotic or lordly ; but pastoral and fa- therly ; for souls are committed to its care. Hence there is no room for command here, but for in- struction and admonition ; for no one can be com- pelled by force to believe. The governors of the church consist of Pas- tors and Spiritual Teachers, according to the doctrine of Paul to the Ephesians ; " And he (Christ) gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists ; and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Eph. i v. 11, 12. Of Pastors, some are greater, such as Bishops ; and others are lesser, such as Presbyters or Mini" sters. Christ alone is the head of this church go- vernment and service ; because, as he is the foun- der of his church, so he is her only independent governor, who ruleth her invisibly by his word and 168 DUTIES OF PASTORS AND TEACHERS. spirit. Consequently, in all matters respecting the essence of faith, the church can obey no one except himself, and the evident testimony of the word of God. Of this the apostle writes clearly to the Ephesians, v. 25, " Christ is the head of the church, and he is the Saviour of the body ;" and verse 29, " For no man ever yet hated his own flesh ; but nourisheth and cherish- eth it, even as the Lord the church." The duties of pastors and teachers are, 1st, To teach. And this teaching consists in the following points : to instruct in the ways of triiUi, remove objections, recommend good morals, and lead the unruly to amendment. 2d, To dispense the mysteries, and off'er vp the general prayers ; as, for example, to baptize, give the communion, receive professions of repentance, he. There is also given by our Saviour, to the pastors of the church, power to bind, and to loose, or the j)ower of the keys, which consists in this, that they can, and ought, after many admoni- tions have failed, in the name of Christ, to cut off, from the communion of the church, the un- ruly Christian, or the evidently hardened sinner, and to make it known that he is not a Christian; and this is to bind. But if such a one shall after- wards be softened, by the grace of God, and shall SEVEN GENERAL COUNCILS. 169 bring forth the fruits of true repentance, then he shall be received again into the church of Christ ; and this is fo loose. Such important powers cari. only be founded on the word of God. When it happens that a heretical Christian ap- pears in the church, who has devised pernicious opinions against the truth, and endeavours to inr feet the church with them; in such a case, a general or particular council is called : that is, the chief pastors of the church assemble from different quarters, in one place, when, after due examina- tion of the new opinions, and having found that they do not agree with the word of God, it is made known to the whole church that such opi- nions are contrary to the truth of God, and he who holds them is, excluded from the number of Christians. There have been seve7i such general c6uncils, exclusive of that of the apostles, mentioned in Acts XV. 6. 1st i Of Nice. 2^^ Of Constantinople, 3d, Of Ephesus. 4th, Of Chalcedon. 5th, Second of Constantinople. 6th, Third of Constantinople. 7th, Second of Nice.* These councils were * The first council of Nice was lield A. D. 325, under Constantine, against Arius, who denied the divinity of the Son. 2. The first council of Constantinople, A. D. 381, under Theodosius the Great, against Macedonius, who denied the di- vinity of the Holy Ghost. ITO DUTIES OF MONARCHS TO THE CHURCH. usually called by pious Emperors, in which some- times those great personages were present them- selves : for orthodox Monarchs are the chief guardians and protectors of the church. A Chris- tian Monarch is bound to strive no less for the prosperity of the church, than for the general good of the state. From him the church of Christ de- mands : 1st, To know the law of God. 2d, To have the fear of God, and give a pious example. 3d, To observe that the government of the church be properly administered, and to en- courage faithful labourers. 4th, To quench di- visions, and protect her from oppressors and re- 3. The council of Ephesus, A. D. 431^, in the reign of Theo- dosius Minor, against Nesforius, who, together with the errors of Arius, believed that our Saviour had two persons as well as two natui'es. 4. The council of CJialcedon, A. D. 45 1 , was held in the reign of Marcian, against the errors of Eutyches, who denied the hvimanity of Christ, and asserted that he had only an imai- ginary or phantastic body. 5. The second council of Constantinople was held in the reign of Justinian, A. D. 553, against Origen, Evagrius, and Di/dimus, who denied the resurrection of the flesh, and held that the soul is created before the body. 6. The third council of Constantinople was held in the reign of Constantine Pogonatus, A. D. 680, against the Monothclites, who held, that Christ had only one will and one act, and de- nied that he had two distinct natures and two wills. 7. The second council of Nice, was held A. D. 787, in the reign of Constantine and his mother Irene, against the Iconomachi, who condemned the use of pictures and images in the worship of God. A BELIEVING MONARCH'S aEWARD. 171 vilers. 5th, To disseminate learning, and liberally to support schools. 6th, To endeavour to bring the unbelieving nations to the faith. "* From this every one will see what a close connection exists betwixt civil society and the church; because, in order that an honest citizen may rightly perform the duties of his station, it is necessary that he keep himself from evil, and perform these conscientiously. But who can bind the conscience except God, the searcher of hearts and trier of the reins ? And more particularly, it is of peculiar advantage for a Sovereign to be under the influence of a holy faith : because he, although subject to no human laws, is there* by made subject to the law of faith, and is thus preserved within the bounds of holy justice. Moreover, it enables him, with firmness, to per- form his exalted duties ; for, as a Monarch has no person on earth higher than himself, so he can be rewarded by none for his labours ; hence, faith alone can encourage a Sovereign in the discharge of his duty, while it promises him a real, worthy, and most exalted reward in heaven, XXIX, Of the mysteries. Jesus Christ has established in his church mys- teries or holy ordinanceSi in which, under sensible 172 MYSTERIES OR ORDINANCES. signs, the invisible grace of God is communicated to believers. He that cometh to God must have some visible sign, by which he may bear testimony of his real internal conversion ; and God himself desires, by certain signs, on the other hand, to assure and confirm to us his gracious promises. We ought not to suppose, however, that God is unable to perceive our real conversion without these sen- sible signs, or that he could not have assured us in some other way of his gracious promises, and of our being admitted into the covenant of his grace. But he appointed them for the better establishment of his church ; for as man is con- stituted, not of ^ soul only, but of a body also, and as that which strikes our senses usually pro- duces the deepest impression upon the mind, and as the church is a visible society in the world; so for these reasons, our Lord, ever watchful over our salvation, was pleased to institute visible or- dinances, that we, in the observance of them, might confirm and bear testimony to our faith before all; that we might likewise have the stronger confidence in the divine promises ; and by these visible signs be mutually united to one another, while the church should be thereby evi- dently separated from all other societies. Such ordinances are, by the church, denomina- CIRCUMCISION AND THE PASSOVER. 173 ted mysteries ; for this reason, that in them, we believe in something different from the visible sign; for example, I see in baptism the body- washed with water, but I believe, that in the bap- tismal font, the soul is washed from its sins by the Holy Ghost. There are different mysteries, some of the Old and others of the Neiu Testament. Those of the Old were two, Circumcision and the Passover, or the eating- of the paschal lamb. Circumcision was ordained by God to Abraham, and to all his posterity. It was a holy ordinance, which on a man's receiving, he entered into a covenant with God; Gen. xvii. 10. This visible circumcision^ according to the explanations of Paul, was a sen- sible sign, (Rom. ii. 29.) of the internal circum- cision of the corrupt passions, which ought, in- deed, to be cut off, by all who desire to serve God faithfully. Hence it is easy to conceive, why all believers are called the children of Abra- ham, because they ought always to be careful about their spiritual circumcision, the sign of which Abraham received. When the finisher of our salvation, Jesus Christy came into the world, and by offering up himself a sacrifice, cleansed us from all sin, then the Jewish circumcision of the flesh was abolished, because, en the appearance of that which was prefigured, 174.