A comprehensive view of the leading and most important principles of natural and revealed religion: digested in such order as to present to the pious and reflecting mind, a basis for the superstructure of the entire system of the doctrines of the gospel

Columbia (Hnitiersttp
intl)eCitpof3^rttigork

THE LIBRARIES

Bequest of

Frederic Bancroft

1860-1945

COMPREHENSIVE VIEW

OF THE

.EADING AND MOST IMPORTAF'^ PRINCIPLES

OF

NATURAL AND REVEALFiD
KELIGIOISr:

J>1GEST*D IN SUCH ORDER AS TO PRESENT TO THK "IOCS AND REFLECTITiC

MIND, A BASIS FOR THE SUPERSTRUCTURE OF THE ENTIRg

SYSTEM OF THE DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL,

BY THE REV. SAMUEL STANHOPE SMITH, D.D. L.L.D

LITB PRESIDENT OF THE COI.LBGJ: OF NEW-JERSSY.

Second Edition — with additions.

NEW-BRUNSWICK:

Printed and Publislied by Deare .V Mver.
1816,

"W

District of Nerv-Jerati/, aj.

Be it P.EMEMBER2D, that on the twenty-fourth day of August, m
the fortieth year of the Independence cf the T.'r-ited Statts o" America,
Deaie &; Myer. of tlie ^aid district hue de osited in lir.? ofFce, tl-.e title of a
book, the right '.vhereof tl.ey claim as proprietors, in the woiJs following, to wit:
*' A Comprehensive View oi the leading and nict important orinciples of Na-
*'tuial and Revealed Relidon, digested in -uoh order as to pre ent to the pioua
*' and reflecting niiud, a basis for the superstructure of the entire "vstem of the
"doctrines of the Gospel. Bv the Rev, Samuel Stanhope Smith, D.D. L.L.D.
" late President of the College of N^w-Jersev ^

In confornoity to an aci or the Cor^cress oi the United States, entitled. " Ao
act i'^r the encoura Lenient of learning, by securin? the copie? of naps, charts,
and hooks, to tlie anihor:^ and proprieters of such copies, o iring the times
therein mentioned ;" and al«o to the act, entilled. ' An act suoplementarv to
the act, <^r;itled an act for the cncouragemcDi o; leaniing, by sccurir:^ ti'e cop-
ies o. map-, -^harts an(j honks, to Vas a ithors ar-d pro-jrietorsofsuch copies, daring
ilii limes the; ein mentioned, and extending the benefit; th<^reof to the arts of de-
iigaing, engraving and etching, historical and other nrii.ts."

ROBERT B0GG9,
Clerk of (ht District of Nm-Jers ty.

\

■^ ^*f

PRELIMINARY NOTICES

REFLECTIONS.

jVO donbt ran exist in the. mind of a judirionsv.hristian, hut that
the Sacred Scriptures comprise the most complete development of
the entire system of our holy religion. But the extent and variety
of information which they embrace, the loose and narrative style in
which a great portion of them is written, and the picturesque and
poetic imagery in which others are clothed, have presented an occa-
sion both to ingenious and to feeble minded men, to build upon them
a multitude of contending opinions, each supported by detached ex-
pressions collected from these divine oracles, or by interpretations,
either plausible or forced, imposed upon their language. Divines,
in order to correct or restrain this ambiguous diversity of senti-
ment, have endeavoured to reduce the whole of the doctrines f the
sacred writings to certain definite principles, arranged in scientific
order, so as mutually to illustrate and support one another. This
would have been a scheme sufficiently rational, if system writers
liad confined their object to digesting the diffusive and expanded
phraseology of the scriptures into a few simple and connected pro-
positions, intended to present the substance of the whole to the
mind, under one view. But their design has become so mingled
with tlie discordant theories of dilFerent writers, that their extend-
ed discussions on each topic have often destroyed the simphcity of
the gospel, and led their readers, as well as disposed the writei's

themselves, to substitute human reason for the word of God. I«i

fStead t prescr-L;wg a brief analysis of the doctrines contained in the
Bible, they have too frequently attempted to make their respective
explanations of the system of divine truth an entire hbrary of theo-
logical science : — It has occurred to the author that it would be de-
sirable to students in that sphere of knowledge, to have its princi-
pal subjects distinctly pointed out, and clearly illustrated, in a short
compass, in order to direct their future inquiries, and so to guard
their future addresses from the pulpit, from blending discordant
opinions ; that they should, in no pomt, err against the general sys-
tem of evangehc truth. He further hoped that such a compen-
dious view might usefully aid the private christian, in examining
the sacred scriptures, and pursuing throughout the whole the con-
nected thread of christian doctrine.

These are the objects to which his attention has been chiefly di-
rected in the following discourses, designed to embrace a very com-
pendious scheme of the leading principles of Natural and Revealed
Theology. When these leadmg principles are fixed they become
centers in which all the doctrines in that branch of the sci-
ence naturally inhere, and diverging from which, they are easily
traced by the judicious reader. This design very early occupied
his mind, while pursuing his own studies under the superintendence
of that eminent and learned divine, the late Rev. Dr. Witherspoon.
At the request of a number of young men, in the year 1772y gradu^
ates of the college, at that time residing in the institution for the
prosecution of their theological studies, of whom the author was
one, the doctor was prevailed on to commence a course of lectures
on this subject, which he continued once a week till the Autumn of
1773y when different objects of pursuit in life attracting the greater
portion of the class, it was of course dissolved. The doctor haii

proceeded in his course, intermixing his lectures with much extem-
pore illustration, as far as to the Covenant of Grace. The clear
method which he pursued is, on many subjects, particularly the
T'nmYi/ and the Covenants, in many of its outhnes adopted. The
author arbnowledges with pi-irle, the assistance derived from notes,
taken at that time from the mouth of the speaker. Of these lec-
tures the most copious abridgment, which was, or probably could
be made by any gentlemen not acquainted with the art of stenogra-
phy, has been published by the editor of Dr. Witherspoon's works,
though with much imperfection, as was naturally to be expected.
And, if the venerable man had lived, he would, probably, have been
little pleased in seeing this, and several other mutilated productions
of his pen, accompanying his more perfect works.* It is greatly
to be lamented, that many circumstances, after the design was com-
menced, concurred to prevent its execution. The judicious reader
who is best acquainted with Dr. Witherspoon's manner, will pro-
bably find little affinity in these discourses, with his writings ; yet
the author is not conscious that they contain opinions, on any prin-
ciples of rehgion, materially varying from those which that great
jtian was known to adopt. Any comcidences of sentiment in the
subjects treated by us in common, may easily be traced, if any per-
son have the curiosity, by comparing these discourses with that
abridgment. Diversity in the manner of proposing them to the
world, ought to be expected, even in a pupil who admires his mas-

* During his life a printer in New-Jersey was commencing an edition of his
Moral Philosophy in its present imperfect state. He was arrested in its pro*
gress, by being threatened with a legal prosecution. This event caused the
doctor a year or two before liis death, to direct the burning of a very large num-
ber of his manuscripts by his late wife, he himself being blind. His Moral Phi-
losophy, and Lectures on Criticism, would probably have shared the same fate
if many copies of both had not been preserved by his students. Thef wer« used
merely as texts.

ter. The principles which they contain have long been the basis
of religious instructions communicated first to the students at
Hampden-Sidney, in Virginia, and since to a theological class in
the college of New-Jersey. And lately, the author has employed
many of the leisure moments afforded him, by the 8:nndnpss of pro-
Tidence, in the course of a tedious disorder, in reviewing, correct-
ing, and arranging them in their present form, for the press.

It is his earnest prayer that the following pages may contribute
in any degree to elucidate the doctrines of the holy scriptures, not
to the learned only, but to the humblest christian, for which, being
freed, as much as possible, from all metaphysical discussion, he
^.opes they will be found to be usefully adapted.

CONTENTS.

Page

Oir Natural Theology, . . . . . H

Evidences of the Christian ReligioD, , . . .73

The Trinity, or Three-Fold Existence of the Deity, . . 229

Of the Decrees of God, , . . . .257

Of the Covenant of Works and the Fall of Man, . . 301

Of the Covenant of Grace, . . . « . 343

Of Sanctification, ... . , 375

Ofthe Nature of Faith, . . . .• .399

Of Justification, ...... 415

Ofthe External Seals ofthe Covenant of Grace — 1. of Baptism, 441

2. Of the Lord's Supper, . . . , . 483

On a Future State, . . . . .501

ASkrm^w, ... 521

ERRATA.

Page ^34 line 2 from boltoin, for ^VKtj read "irvj^ii'
235 5 for Heno Nous read Hev <> Nous.

340 5 for moral read natural.

381 9 for ai read no.

495 1 for ecquen read ecquem.

533 3 from bottom, for ofAer read oK';.

539 10 ibr ijielding read nielding.

5iZ 11 for insiduously read insidimisly'

A COMPENDIOUS SYSTEM

. OP

NATURAL AND REYEALED
THEOLOGY ;

BMBRACIN6, IN THE SECOND PART, A CONCISE VIEW OF
THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY.

PART I.

OF NATURAL RELIGION :

CONTAINING,
1st. THE EVIDENCES OF THE BEING OF GOD.
2d. THE PERFECTIONS OF GOD.
3d. THE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN DUTY.
4th. THE PROBABLE EVIDENCES OF A FUTURE STATE.

LECTURES,

Sic.

OF NATURAL THEOLOGY.

OF THE BEING OP GOD.

Natural Theology consists in the knowledge of those
truths concerning the being and attributes of God ; the prin-
ciples of human duty, and the probable expectations of a fu-
ture state of existence to give efficacy to those principles,
which are discoverable by reason alone. It commences with
the investigation of the evidences of the existence of God,
Almighty, and Eternal ; which are usually derived from two
sources — the necessary nature of our ideas — and the obvious
structure of the universe. Both these modes of proof, which
have been distinguished in the schools by scientific terras of
discrimination, rest on one common principle, or necessary-
idea — that every thing which begins to be, must have a cause
of its existence. Admitting this truth, which cannot well be
controverted by reason, it results as a necessary consequence,
either that the universe consists of an eternal succession of
causes, dependent one upon another ; or we must look for its
existence in some first principle, eternal, unproduced, the
source of all motion and power in the operations of nature,

ri

the cause of whose being is to be found onlj in itself, and (he
necessity of its own nature. The idea of an eternal succes-
sion of events, each frail and imperfect, and all dependent,
one upon another, involves loo evident an absurdity to be
admitted by the rational mind. We are obliged therefore
to adopt the only alternative — the existence of an original
and independent source of being, from which all things else
have been (derived. Whence, then, exists this first cause ?
Original and underived we can find no reason of its existence
but in the necessity of its own nature. A being existing by
the necessity of its own nature, can never begin to be ; it
must be eternal. On the same principle, it rawst be un-
changeable. If any change could take place, it would in-
volve some constituent of its nature which was not neces-
sary. Infinity must be equally predicable of the original
cause : for how should it be limited when nothing previous
exists to bound it ? or how should necessary existence be
confined to a circumscribed space ? The unity of the di-
vine^essence is no less a certain consequence of this original
principle. Two equally neccessary and infinite beings could
serve no useful purpose, which could not be equally fulfilled
by one. There being no reason, therefore, for the existence
of a second, the idea, on all the rules of sound reasoning in
science ought to be rejected. Two essences, equally infi-
nite, must necessarily occupy the same place ; being equally
the cause of ail things which exist, they must possess the
same perfection *, they must be, to every purpose of exigtencc,

13

the same being. This first, and sole cause of all things iq
the universe, must also be Almighty ; for whatever can ex-
ist, can exist only by him. And finally, he must be all-wise,
as knowing the natures and powers of all things possible ; for
nothing is possible, but by him, and every thing is possible
that he wills.

This is a very brief and partial sketch of the scientific
mode of reasoning, or reasoning a priori, as the schoolmen
call it on this subject. The most profound and masterly
example of it, which exists, perhaps in any language, is to be
found in the demonstration of the being and attributes of
God, by Dr. Samuel Clarke, of England. But, I confess,
these subtle arguments of a. very refined speculation, are little
calculated to produce any deep and permanent conviction on
the mind. The extreme abstraction of the ideas, although
they do great credit to the ingenuity of that celebrated au-
thor, can be comprehended only by a few reflecting men ;
and the most speculative philosopher finds the effort to grasp
them, exhaust the sensibility of the heart, and weaken upoa
it the practical impressions of virtue and piety.

The second, or popular mode of reasoning, is infinitely
more simple and obvious. And consists of a species of ar-
gument which naturally offers itself to every man, as soon as
he opens his eyes with intelligence upon the world. A kind
of evidence here suggests itself which reaches the simples!

i

14

understandiogy and becomes more luminous and interesting
in propoiiion as we extend our observation and inquiries in-
to the system of nature. When we heboid its#rcler, varie-
ty, and beauty, the proportion, and correspondence of all
its parts, the manifest demonstrations of wistiom and design,
especially, in Ihe animal and vegetable worlds, in the struc-
ture of the earth, in the planetary system, and, as far as we
can judge, throughout the universe, can we forbear to ac-
knowledge a wise and intelligent cause, whxh has planned
and arranged the whole ? an omnipotent cause, which has
giver existence to this immense, and vai/oii^ structure ? and
an infinite providence, which every where presides over its
opprations ? The detail^ of this argument are too extensive
to be here minutely purbued. They are not necessary to
convince judicious readers of thai first of truths, of which all,
who have not speculated the heart into scepticism, are already
deeply persuaded, and which meets our understanding at
every glance that we capt over the face of nature. Yet I
cannot too strongly recommend to those, who have the
means of cultivating the studies of polite literature, diligently
to pursue their . esearches into the natural history of the uni-
verse, expressly with this view, to assemble before the mind
the multiplied evidence which it contains, in every part, of
the existence, and universal operation of a most wise, and be-
neficent, and almighty power which pervades, and presides
over the whole. It is with this design that I would recom-
mend to every disciple of science a careful study of natural

15

histor^i as the surest basis, when prudently investigated, of
natural theology, and an excellent introduction and support
to revelation. I reco'nmend it, likewise, as a study, which
contributes peculiarly to purify, exalt and delight the mind ;
and, along with the charming enthusiasm of piety, to strength-
en the most solid foundations of virtue, while, to use an ex-
pression of Malcbranche, " it sees all things in God, and God
in all things."

This argument we may see admirably illustrated by the
famous Genevan philosopher, Bonnet, and by those very re-
spectable English writers, Derham, and Ray. But perhaps
no writer has treated it with more closeness, perspicuity,
and irresistible evidence, than Dr. Paley, in his treatise on
natural theology. In those works may be seen that mechan-
ical contrivance, that correspondence of parts, that adapta-
tion of means to their respective ends, through all the pro-
ductions of nature, which are the must unequivocal indica-
tions of wisdom and desij^n, as well as of power and good-
ness, in its author. " Final cansesy says a very judicious
writer, may be considered as the language in which the ex-
istence of God is revealed to man. In this language, the sign
is natural, and the interpretation instinctive." Ferg. ins,
p. 3. ch. 1. s. 2.

Another argument to the same end has justly been derived
from tke universal concurrence of mamkiod in the asserti^tB

16

and belief of this important principle. The general senti-
ments of human nature are always found to point to truth.
Thej are intuitive perceptions resulting immediately from
the bare inspection of their objects ; or conclusions which
force their evidence upon the mind, like the first truths of
science, necessarily springing out of the comparison of our
own ideas. The concurrence of all nations, in the belief of
the being of God, is a decisive proof, either, that it is a na-
tive sentiment of the human heart arising naturally from ori-
ginal structure of constitution, and entitled to the same im-
plicit credit as our other moral principles ; or it is an induc-
tion so clearly and necessarily flowing from the phenomena
of nature as to be obvious equally to the wisest, and the most
uncultivated mind ; the rapidity of the conclusion giving it
the appearance and effect of an instinctive principle.

To this argUQient it is not a sufficient objection, that manj
nations have acknowledged a multiplicity of Gods ; and that,
in all nations, the multitude have entertained unworthy con-
ceptions of the divine nature. The natural sentiments of
the human mind may be corrupted ; or, being left in their
original and uncultivated state, may be liable, through igno-
rance, to many errors. The principles of taste, may, in like
manner, notwithstanding their acknowledged foundation in
human nature, be rendered defective, or be grossly pervert-
ed, by erroneous culture ; yet their error, or corruption, in-
stead of demonstrating that there are no such principles, ob

17

the other hand, a proof of their existence. Many nations,
misled by the analogy of the divine, to human governments,
conceiving that the administration of the Deity might, more
honourably, be conducted by subordinate agents, elevated
each local and imaginary divinity to the throne of divine
worship. But all mankind have ever acknowledged one Su-
preme God : and the multitude of subordinate officers, if
they may be called such, which error had attached to him
in his government, does not destroy the evidence of the prin-
cipal and original sentiment that God exists. Our object,
at present, is to establish this single truth. And this truth
is not destroyed by diversity of opinion, with regard to the
mode of his administration, or the nature of his perfections.
These ideas requiring greater precision of thought, and a
wider compass of reasoning, one man, or one nation, accord-
ing to the advances which they have respectively made in
the cultivation of science, may reasonably be supposed to
have formed more just, or more inadequate conceptions of
them than another.*

* A native, which perhaps may be justly deemed an instinctive sentiment of
Deity, or of that universal power which presides over all things, occupies and
takes deep possession of the human heart, in the earliest periods of society and
the most uncultivated states of human existence. Hence has originated that
multitude of objects which called forth the respect or veneration, or amused the
fancy of mankind in the heathen world ; and that vast assemblage of supernatural
or fantastic bemgs, which peopled the groves and the forests, the hills and the
fountains of antiquity. Men, unable to grasp the grand coniurehensive idea of the
Supreme Being, who fills the universe witli his presence, yet conscious of God ia
everyplace, invested all the interesting objects of nature with some attributes of
divinity. And every situation which tended to fill th* mind, on tb§ eot haod,

3

18 f

The truth of the divine existence ia confirmed, if such
primary and palpable truths can receive additional confirma-
tion, by the absurdity of the causes to which atheists have
been obliged to resort in order to account for the origin of
things. One of their first principles is, that matter is eter-
nal, and, though senseless and inert, contains the essence of
all order and motion. Another, that the intelligence, which
evidently reigns in the universe, is the result of material or-
ganization necessarily arising from its original and essential
principles. And another still, not less extraordinary than
either of the preceding, that, from the accidental collision of
atoms, have been formed globes, which, from some interior,
and inexplicable impulse, have thrown themselves into or-
bits constructed with the most perfect mathematical exact-
ness, and governed by laws which ensure undeviating con-
stancy in their movements. From the same accidental col-
lision, roots and seeds have been generated, whence the
whole vegetable world has been evolved, and yearly repro-
duced. At this age of philosophy, one would think that

with pensive, or with gloomy thoughlfuiness, or, on the other, with pleasing fan-
cies, gave scope to the creative powers of imagination, and replenished each dis-
trict of the earth with wild imaginary forms, congenial with the present state of
its fancies, or its fears. Sages and philosophers themselves contributed to aug-
ment the mass of superstition, while they studied to add respectability and splen-
dor to their temples, by personifying the principal attributes of the divine mind^
his wisdom, his truth and his justice ; and the principal operations of a benignant
providence, in imparting its vegetative powers to the earth, or exalting the geniuf
of mankind by resplendent fictions, and embodying every idea that was supposed
useful to human society, or ornamental to the arts.

19

such principles must carry their ovrn refutation in the very
terms of their statement. Observe any mass, or congeries
of matter, and let the plainest, or the most improved under-
standing decide, if any arrangement of atoms, according to
any known laws of material action, could sublimate it, so as
to produce sensation and reason. Or is it possible, that, if
one lucky cast, or collision among infinite millions, should
have formed an animal or vegetable, it should have been so
framed as to be capable of throwing from itself continually a
similar assemblage of organized atoms, while not another
cast, of the same kind, should ever succeed in forming anew
species of being.

If an atheist ask us, why, since we admit the existence of
a wise intelligent cause, only t^||Kclude the ideas of disor-
der and chance from the world, tl^we see so many unseem-
ly examples of both, in the structure of things, and in the re-
volutions of what we call providence ? It is, I conceive, a suf-
ficient answer, to deny the existence of either, and to chal-
lenge an antagonist to produce that instance. — For, what 13
chance ? — Only a name to cover our ignorance of the cause
of an event. Nothing can happen by accident in the gov-
ernment of an in6nilely wise, and powerful being. Al!
events depend upon a certain concatenation of causes. The
cast of a die is as certainly governed by the laws of matter
and motion, as the greater movements of the planets. Dis-
order in the works of nature exists only in the imperfection

2©

of our own understanding. This is certain, with regard to
all the arrangements of nature, that, in proportion as her
laws have been more clearly developed, and her operations
more distinctly understood, those phenomena, which for-
merly yrere esteemed to be irregularities, are now discover-
ed to be directed by ihe most wise, certain, and permanent
laws. — One conclusion will obtrude itself on every reflect-
ing mind ; that, since nature, as far as we can discern her
operations, contains, even to our imperfect reason, the most
obvious indications of intelligence, design, and goodness, if
there be any parts of it, which we are unable to interpret, in
perfect coincidence with the general system, this ought to
be ascribed solely to the narrow sphere to which our intel-
lectual vision is circumscribed. We cannot doubt, but that
the same wisdom, which Wt perceive in that portion which
we do comprehend, prevades all the works of the same
author.

It has been frequently and justly remarked, that the uni-
verse is governed by general laws, which never change their
operation according to the desires of men, or the conven-
ience of particular parts of the system, and, therefore, they
sometimes appear to be productive of partial and accidental
ills. A tempest here, a drought there, a contagion, or ap
earthquake, may involve individuals in distress ; — but the
fixed and invariable laws of the physical world are among
the greatest blessings to mankind. Among other benefits,

21

(hey lay a foundation for the existence of the most useful
sciences and arts, which could have no principles, on which
to rest, in a providence of expedients, and accommodationi
to individual convenience. They serve to awaken inquiry,
to exercise ingenuity, to encourage industry, to aflford prin-
ciples on which to ground a prudent foresight and precaution,
and to promote the exercise of all the virtues which are as-
sisted by the stability of nature. For a clear and lumin-
ous illustration of the utility of general laws, and for a judi-
cious explanation, and justification of the apparent and par-
tial ills which result from them, you will again have peculiar
satisfaction in consulting Dr. Paley's work on natural the-
ology.

II. OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY.

The divine attributes, as discoverable by the powers of
natural reason, will not require an extensive illustration ; for,
when once the existence of God is acknowledged, they re-
commend themselves so obviously to the common sense of
mankind, as to admit of little controversy, except with re-
gard to those natural events which, in their first aspect, seem
contrary to our apprehensions of his infinite goodness.

The attributes, then, of the Divine Mind may be arrange
ed under two heads — the natural, and the moral. — Under
the former, are comprehended his spirituality, unity, eterni-

22

tj, omnipresence, power and wisdom i — under the latter,
his holiness, justice, and goodness.

The spirituality of the divine nature is a property oppos-
ed to every form, or refinement of matter ; and may be re-
garded as distinguishing the essence of the Supreme Mind,
from that fine, but powerful influence, the result of the mate-
rial organizatioD of the universe, which some philosophers
have substituted in the room of the Deity, and made the im-
medb^e cause of a universal necessity, or fate. It is oppos-
ed, likewise, to the opinion of those, who hold the Deity to
be the soul of the world ; that is, a certain power which,
though intelligent, is still only a refinement of matter — a kind
of spirit, or gas thrown oflf from the infinite system of its mo-
tions, or its original fermentations.

All just philosophy has considered matter as essentially
inert, and incapable of beginning motion. Spirit, as we
learn from our own experience, possesses a self-motive pow-
er, and the power of giving motion to other things. The
existence and the movements of the universe, therefore, are
proofs of an original Spirit, who formed it, and gave it that
impulse, and that system of combined motion by which its
order is still preserved.

The only knowledge, which we have of spirit, is derived
from reflection on our own minds, the essence of which we

23

conceive to lie in thought and volition. But it would be im-
pious to imagine, that we can thence frame any adequate cou-
' ception of the Divine and Infinite Spirit from whom all things
proceed. By this term, therefore, applied to the Deity, we
can mean only to express a substance wholly diflferent from
matter, simple, uncompounded, essentially active and in-
telligent.

^ The Unity of the divine nature is deducible from this re-
flection, that we see evident proofs of the existence of one
God, and we see no evidence of more than one. And it is
contrary to every principle of just reasoning, in that caf5e, to
admit a pluraHty. This conclusion is strengthened by that
unity of design apparent in all the parts of nature. It indicates
one author, one purpose, one end. How far he may com-
mit the government of particular districts of the universe to
subordinate agents, in order to employ their activity, and ex-
ercise their virtues, we have no grounds on which we can
form a rational judgment. Even conjecture, therefore, ought
to be silent concerning it, lest we should unawares awaken a
degrading spirit of superstition. On subjects so remote from
the sphere of human intellect and observation, in no depart-
ment of science, has conjecture or hypothesis ever led phi-
losophy one step nearer to truth. It is even doubtful if the
erring lights of false science do not lead the mind farther
astray from the true principles of nature, than the torpid dull-
ness of absolute ignorance.

24

Of (he almighty power, and iofinite wisdom of the Deity,
there can exist no doubt in the minds of those who ac-
knowledge his being. No more can we doubt of his eternal
existence, and universal presence, although we are not able
to form distinct and definite ideas concerning his relations to
infinite duration and space. I shall, therefore, not consume
your time in attempting to solve the many abstruse and proba-
bly useless, and, to human intellect, inexplicable questions,
which have been raised on these subjects by ingenious
men ; — but proceed io consider his moral attributes, holi-
ness, goodness, and justice.

Holiness is a term used chiefly by divines, and borrowed
from the sacred scriptures, to express the purity of the di-
vine nature, and its infinite distance from all moral imper-
fection. It is, perhaps, the best and strongest word in our
language to convey the idea of his unchangeable love of the
eternal and essential rectitude of the moral law, which he
has prescribed to his rational creatures, the outlines of which
he has traced upon the human conscience, but its perfect
rule, is to be found only in his revealed' word. And it
seems further to carry in its meaning, not only a pure and
immutable love of rectitude, but an infinite abhorrence of
vice ; that is, of the omission, or the violation of the duties of
the moral law. But, besides this peculiar meaning of the
term, as expressing a single attribute of the divine mind, it is
•ften used in a more comprehensive sense, to express the

25

aggregate, and the most complete idea of all his moral per-
fections.— Perhaps the philosophy of Paganism may never
have perfectly reached these just conceptions of the divine
character, but, certainly, they are the dictates of enlight-
ened reason. And whatever absurdities are discoverable
in the vulgar superstition, concerning (he inferior deities of
the heathen; yet, among their wiser sages, their supreme
God was invested with all the moral virtues and perfections
' indicated by natural conscience.

By the attribute of goodness is meant to be expressed
the disposition or tendency of the Divine Nature to impart
happiness to the creatures he has formed, in a way accom-
modated to their respective states of being. This attribute
we ascribe to the Deity from the tendencies to benevolent
affection, which he has implanted in the human breast ; and
from that order, harmony, and beauty, which exist in the
whole structure of the universe, and which, so naturally and
strongly, associate themselves with the ideas of beneficence
in their author. It is farther confirmed by the existence of
so many tribes of creatures capable in a high degree of
pleasurable sensation, and actually enjoying it in different
ways. All these facts contribute to impress on the mind an
irresistible conviction of the benevolence of the Creator.
When we contemplate an individual animal, what an im-
mense complexity of parts do we observe combined in one

system, all contributing to the preservation and enjoyment

4

526

of the creature, which manifestly indicate the m\\ and in*
tention of the author ; and show the pains and contrivance,
sf these terms may be applied to the Deity, which he has used
to render that creature comfortable and happy. But, when we
behold creation filled with innumerable species of being, and,
under each species, innumerable individuals, down to the
meanest insect tribes, in which we discern th^same multi-
plicity of organs, and the same systematic combination and
subserviency to the purposes of enjoyment, how does the
evidence of the divine benignity and goodness rise in our
view ? The air, the earth, the sea, are full of animated and
happy being. Men often overlook these examples of be-
nevolent design, sometimes, from not perceiving the immedi-
ate utility of the creatures in the system of creation, and
Sometimes, from their extreme minuteness. But the minutest
insect, is, equally with the largest or most rational animal,
susceptible of the most exquisite sensations of happy ex-
istence. And, in the eye of the infinite being, there is
much less difference between an insect and a man, than our
vanity inclines us to conceive. Every creature, in its re-
spective sphere, is destined to some useful purpose in the
universal system^

It is well remarked by natural historians, that the benigni-
ty of the Deity is visible, not only in the structure of animal
nature, subserving so admirably the purposes of preserva-
tion, comfort, and defence j but in annexing such agreeable

27

and pleasant sensations, beyond what mere necessity requii'-
ed for subsistence, to the gratification of all the apetites,
and even the exercise of all the powers of animal nature.
Hunger alone would have been sufficient to prompt men to
eat, an operation requisite for the sustenance of life. But
the Creator has added to our food a relish, which seems to
have had no other purpose, but to increase the pleasure of
existence. The objects around us, in the structure of the
world, might have been applied to all the purposes of utility?
although they had not possesessed that beauty, fragrance, or
harmony, which affords such charms to the senses and the
imagination. There, certainly, never could have existed
8uch exquisite adaptations of objects to the senses, and of the
senses to their objects, if the Creator had not intended them
for the ends of animal, and especially of human felicitj^
Not to mention in man his superior powers of moral, intel-
lectual, and social enjoyment, which open a much wider
and nobler field of happiness to human nature.

But it is scarcely requisite to spend your time in proving
the reality of the divine goodness, which is borne in so many
examples on the whole face of nature, as to account for
some appearances, and to remove some objections, which
have been thought to contradict it in the order of divine
providence. These consist in the numerous evils evidently
mingled with good in the economy of the world.

28

The preponderance of good over evil, in the general or-
der of things, is acknowledged to be manifest and great. But
the objectors reply, that if God were perfectly benevolent,
and, at the same time, omnipotent, he would not have per-
mitted the existence of partial evil. This is pronouncing on
an infinite system from our contracted views. — Can we say,
that, in a universe benevolently constructed, there ought to
be no gradation of being ? Or, if gradation be admitted in
perfect consistency with the infinite benignity of the Crea-
tor, is it not conceivable that a creature of superior powers,
of intelligence and enjoyment, may, by a certain admixture
of pain, be brought, in the scale of happiness, to the grade
of one of inferior powers, but exempt from suffering, and
who shall have no complaint to prefer against the benevo-
lence of providence? The reflection may apply to a na-
tion, to a species of being, to a world. How far superior,
then, may this world be, with all its sufierings, to other
Bysteras — which have no such evils to allay a happiness,
which, however, may be constituted on an inferior standard
of sensibility, or of intellect ? Would a man of high sensi-
bilities, or of high intellectual powers, though they may often
be the occasion of many errors, or of keen anguish, be wil-
ling to forego their pleasures, in order that he might be re-
duced to an apathy that would render him insensible to suf-
fering ? Let us balance our goods against our evils, our saf-
ferings against our enjoyments, and consider ourselves as
completely happy in that grade of felicity, which is marked

29

by the surplus of the one above the other. By such a cal-
culation, how might mankind extinguish every complaint of
the evils of life, and justify perfectly the benignity of the
Creator. The conclusion, therefore, which each individual
ought, in this way, to frame with respect to himself, a true
philosopher may justly infer for the whole species; unless
any man should be so foolish as to imagine, that existence
alone gives him a claim on the beneficence of his Maker for
the highest grade of felicity.

But, why, it may be asked, should we be left to estimate
our grade in the scale of happy being by the surplusage of
pleasure above pain ? or why should pain exist at all in the
system of a purely benevolent being? — Satisfactorily to an-
swer these, and a thousand other inquiries, which might be
instituted on this subject, would, probably, require a knowledge
of the nature, and the infinite relations of the universe, which
none but the Deity hiuiself can possess. We can, there-
fore, expect only from revelation the information which we
desire, as far as he is pleased to impart it. But while we
are compelled to resort to the feeble lights of our own reason
alone, for a solution of the difficulties which spring out of the
combinations of an infinite system, we must be contented with
such probabilities only as it can yield us.* If, in the scale

* Rejoicing, however, that when we have explored reason to the utmost, we,
as christians, still enjoy the superior illumination of the sacred scriptures, whence,
if we cannot derive such lights as will satisfy every inquiry of an ambitious curi-

30

of existence, then, there be a place for such a being as man,
with just such a measure of intellect, and sensibility, and with
just such princijjles of action, continually requiring excite-
ment, and correction ; and, especially, if it be conceived
that he is placed in the present world, in a state of discipline,
and probation, for a future period, and a higher condition of
existence, a supposition which, to philosophy, is as proba-
ble, as, to religion, it is certain, may not all the pains which
enter into the moral culture of this life, be regarded as the
discipline of a wise and gracious parent, and, therefore, as
essential parts of a most benevolent system ? Let us con-
template the relation which the pains necessarily incident to
human nature, as it is now constituted, have to the improve-
ment of its powers, and, consequently, to its happiness.
The wants of man contribute to rouse the industry, and ha-
bitual exertion of all his faculties of body, and mind, on
which their vigor, and perfection principally depend. A pa-
radise, in which all his wants should be spontaneously sup-
plied from the abundance of the soil, and all his senses grat-
ified by it!3 fragrance, its beauty, and luxuriant sweets,
would deteriorate the human character, and sink the noblest
creature in the world into a lazy, torpid, and vicious animal.
^ The happinesiS, no less than the improvement of our nature.

03ity, we may, at least, draw competent satisfaction for an humble and rational
piety ; particularly, with regard to this question, why human nature exist? in its
present state of imperfection, requiring tlie corrections and discipline of the paifts
and, Bufferings, which in thij state are attached to it?

31

lies chiefly in constant, and useful employment, stimulated
by these necessary wants. Enjoyment seldom yields plea-
sures equal to those, which arise out of the activity requisite
to procure it. The very efforts excited by pain, or want, in
all ordinary cases, or by the apprehension of them, oflen
produce a satisfaction, or diversion to the mind, which far
overbalance their evils. Want whets ingenuity ; danger
and suffering call into operation the virtues of courage and
fortitude, which communicate a character of grandeur, and
nobleness to the mind, which often raise it superior to the ills
of life. And labour, however it might be the curse of man
fallen from the perfection of a superior nature, is, beyond a
doubt, the blessing of his present existence. Reflections of
a similar nature might arise from an attentive consideration of
every particular evil to which human life is exposed. And,
in a moral point of view, how much more justly may we re-
gard them as a part of the benevolent discipline of our
heavenly Father? They are the correctors of the pas-
sions— they assist the habits of reflection — and often recall
the mind from pursuits injurious to its virtue, and its true
interests.

But, instead of examining the various evils of life, and shew-
ing how the goodness of God is affected in permitting their
existence, I shall select only a few ; believing that, if, in
these, the benevolence of the divine administration can be
justified, even to our limited understanding, a hint may be

32

suggested, or a clue given, by which ils vindication may be
pursued in other cases. — For example, take the circumstan-
ces attending our entrance into the world, and our departure
from it, which have been thought to involve serious objec-
tions against the benignity of the Creator. With regard to
the former, it may be fairly maintained, that the pains of
bearing, nursing, and educating children, with the diseases
and dangers of infancy, which seem, at first view, to be pe-
culiar afflictions on the human race, will be found, on ex-
amining their connexions, and all their relations, to be among
the chief causes of the existence of society, and the felicity
of social life. If children, like the young of other animals,
were able to run as soon as born, and procure their own sub-
sistence, with almost no dependence on the care of a parent,
the powerful ties, and sweet endearments of parental affec-
tion, and of filial duty, would be, in a great measure, un-
known. The union and happiness of domestic society
would be dissolved ; and civil society, of which domestic is
the germ, and the principal support, could not exist. Man
would be a solitary and ferocious savage. The facility of
rearing children, and their early independence on a parent's
care, would give the strongest encouragement to a vagrant,
and licentious concubinage, destructive of all the virtues,
and of the dearest interests of human nature. Besides, the
diseases of pregnancy, as human nature is now constituted,
and the pains and dangers of child-birth, serve to endear
the parents to each other, by the weakness, tenderness, and

33

dependence, of the mother ; by the honor, generosity, and
sympathy, of (he father ; and, a hundred fold, to endear
the child to the parent. And it is an acknowledged princi-
ple in human nature, that (he troubles and con(inual solici-
tudes of nursing, and of education, together with the neces-
sary diseases, and hazards of infancy, greatly augment the
strength of parental attachments, and lay the most firm, and
lasting foundation of the unions, subordinations, and harmo-
nious affections, first, of domestic, and afterwards, of civil
society. In these pains, then, which have been selected as
specious objections against the benignity of the divine ad-
ministration of the government of the world, we find some of
the principal sources of human happiness.

As to the manner of terminating the present state of ex-
istence by death, the necessity of this order arises out of
the structure of our nature. Death is only the way of giving
to successive generations, the opportunity and the means of
existence. If this part of the plan of divine providence
must be changed, the whole order of life must be changed
with it. There could be no such creature as man in the
scale of being. The institution of the sexes must be de-
stroyed ; the fnultiplication of the species must cease. The
modes of subsistence, on the products of the earth, which
can sustain only a definite number, must be done away.
And, with these, as the whole state of human life, is con-
nected together by a close unbroken chain, must cease (he

34

operations of agiicuHure, and the entire system of the pre-
sent occupations and pursuits of men. Man, himself, would
be the first to object to such a new order of things. — If
death, then, be a necessary part of the human economy,
and, to man himself, it would be undesirable to change it, if
it must be accompanied wilh so many other changes, still
more unfriendly to the comfort, and wishes of mankind, the
only question which remains is, in what manner it may be
best accomplished, so as to attain the most useful ends of
its institution? — If even the whole of human existence were
to be terminated by death, this last act of our being, so justly
formidable to our frailty and imperfection, is but a momenta-
ry pang, which has been far overpaid by the pleasures of
life ; but if, as religion assures us, and philosophy renders
probable, this life is only a period of discipline and probation
for another state of being, and death is the avenue through
which we must pass to it, certainly no method of approach-
ing that decisive crisis could be imagined more beneficial,
than that which exists, of attaining every good moral end
connected wilh it : — that is, of making the descent to the
grave easy to the virtuous~of impressing a salutary, but
not oppressive fear on all, as a useful restraint from vice— .
of preserving the mind, by its extreme uncertainty, always
vigilant and attentive to the discharge of every duty, which
is the best preparation for a tranquil exit from life — and
finally, of inducing it to hold its present pleasures in a con-
tinual state of obedient resignation to the will of God, in the

34^

hope of exchanging them for such as are higher and more
perfect.

To pursue the vindication of the divine goodness in the
introduction of other physical evils into the general adminis-
tration of the government of this world, would, to the reflect-
ing reader, I trust, be wholly unnecessary.* Of the moral
evils which afflict the world, their origin, and their cure ;
and how they are made to illustrate the benignity, and mer-
cy of God to mankind, the only true and satisfactory account
is to be derived from revelation- They arise from an abuse
of the passions, and the moral liberty of man ; but reason^
would be deplorably at a loss to find her way, in the maze of
doubts, and perplexities, which attend their existence, in the
economy of a benevolent Deity, if revelation did not put a
filament in her hand, or extend a taper before her footsteps,
to conduct her through the labyrinth. The elucidation of
this subject belongs to the second part of this treatise, and
will receive all the lights, which we can shed upon it from the
holy scriptures, under the heads of the covenant of works^
and the covenant of grace.

The only attribute which remains to be considered is that
of justice. It is an invariable determination in the Divine

* On the physical evils incident to the animal creation, and particularly on that
•rder of nature, which has destined the weaker part as the prey of the more pow-
erful, see many judicious re6ections in Dr. Paley's natural theology, near the
•ODcIueioD.

36

Mind, to render to all his creatures according to their
works — to tlie virtuous, reward— -to the vicious, punish-
ment. This attribute we ascribe to God from the dictates
of conscience, and the sentiments of justice in our own
breasts. — As philosophy delights to trace the most compli-
cated causes and effects to the simplest principles, justice
may, perhaps, be considered as only one expression of infi-
nite benevolence, in which, by proper correctives, restraints,
and examples, the injurious consequences of the passions
may be prevented, and individuals deterred from seeking
their own enjoyments, by the sacrifice of a greater good, in
violating the general laws of order and happiness.

Justice has, by divines, been distinguished into two
kinds — distributive, and \indictive. The former has been,
already' defined, and may be applied for the reformation, as
well as punishment of the offender ; the latter is conceived to
be the infliction of punishuient on vice, simply for its own
intrinsic demerit, without any respect to the reformation of
the individual, or any ulterior regard to a farther good end,
except the general good of the universe. Conscience, in
the nature of its reprehensions, makes us perceive that guilt
deserves such infliction ; and in its anticipations, in conse-
quence of some atrocious acts of iniquity, often leads the
criminal despairingly to fear it. These facts appear to indi-
cate, ;hat the distinction has a real foundation in nature.-—
And in these apprehensions, probably, we discern the

37

source of tlioge bloody rites of superstition, which, on so ma-
ny pagan altars, have dishonoured the name of religion.

On this subject, a theological que<?tion has been raised of
great importance to religion — whether, in consistency with
the justice and holiness of the Divine Nature, the violation
of the moral law, by any creature, be pardonable without a
complete atonement, or a full execution of its penalty ? If
justice be an essential attribute of God, and its claims, in
consequence be as necessary as his existence, the forgive-
ness of an offender, can never be a gratuitous exercise of
mere mercy. From this principle, results an inference,
which is deeply laid at the foundation of the christian reli-
gion ; — the necessity of complete atonement to the violated
law, and vindication of the perfections of God, in the person
of a mediator, perfectly adequate to render this satisfaction,
in order to the exercise of mercy and forgiveness to the hu-
man sinner. The discussion of this question also, belongs
to the second branch of this treatise, and will find its place
under the head of the covenant of grace.

III. OF THE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN DUTV.

In the science of Natural Religion, the first subject of in-
vestigation is the existence and perfections of Almighty
God (he Creator ; whence we may learn the duties of human
nature, as they relate to the various beings with whom we

38

are connected. Virtue is the subject of supreme concern
to mankind. It is the performance of all our duties from
proper principles, and with right affections. The detail of
these duties and affections, as far as nature simply is our
guide, is beautifully pursjied in the two celebrated treatises
of the Roman orator, concerning the divine nature and human
duty.=^ They would be too tedious to be detailed in the
present system. All I shall aim at, in this place, therefore
will be to reduce them under proper classes, in such a manner
as to exhibit a distinct and systematic view of their general
principles, and very briefly to present the ground and rea-
sons of each.

The duties of morality may be divided in different ways,
either, according to the principles from which they spring,
and which govern their exercise, or according to the objects
on which they terminate. The former division was general-
ly adopted by the ancient philosophers, who classed them
imder the heads of justice, prudence, temperance, and for-
titude. The latter is more commonly employed by chris-
tian writers, who arrange them under the heads of the duties
which we owe to God, to our fellow men, and to ourselves.
Under the distribution of the virtues made by the ancients,
all the practical duties of life were embraced with all the
speculative questions, which philosophers have raised on the

^\f. T.[Cicer© de natara deorum,— et de officii*.

39

subject of duty. But the more modern division, introduced
chiefly by christian writers, containing a more obvious, and
convenient distribution, I shall follow in our present disqui-
sition.

OF OUR DUTIES TO GOD.

The duties which we owe to God, and which ought to oc-
cupy our first attention, may be distributed into those which
are external, and those which are internal ; or into those
which are general and those which are particular. Our gen-
eral duties embrace the whole compass of piety and virtue ;
and because they constitute the moral law of the universe,
prescribed by God himself, in the very structure of human
nature, conformity to their dictates is justly regarded as obe-
dience to him- The particular duties terminate immediate-
ly on God as their object, and include both the devout af-
fections of the heart, and all the natural and external ex-
pressions of those affections. — The devout affections from
which, as from their natural source, flow all the streams of
pious obedience to our Creator in this life, are love, rever-
ence, and resignation. And, of such profound and universal
obedience, the active spring is love ; which, to be sincere,
ought to be supreme. It is, perhaps, belter expressed in
the sacred scriptures than in any other writina;s ; Thou
Shalt love the Lord thi/ God with all thy hearty with all thy
9oul^ with all thy strength, and with all thy mind. This

40

affection in the pious mind, has respect to all the attributes of
the De'iiy ; but chiefly to his moral perfections, and especial-
ly, to that infinite goodness on which we, and all things do
constantly depend.

Reverence is less an active, than a restraining principle,
and is calculated to impose a salutary check on the passions
of mankind, surrounded and stimulated, as they constantly
are, by powerful temptations to vice. This affection res-
pects, principally, the infinite greatness, wisdom, power, and
holiness of God. It is a principle essential to the existence
of piety and virtue, in creatures so imperfect and prone to
evil as mankind. From the profound degree in which it
prevails in the pious mind, and ought ever to prevail in the
human soul, it is justly in the sacred scriptures, styled the
fear of God, This virtue was held in peculiar honour in the
early ages of the Roman cojnmonwealth, by that wise peo-
ple. And their most distinguished writers inform us, that
they regarded the fear of the gods, and reverence for the sa-
cred offices of religion, as the basis of the public virtue, and
of the prosperity of the republic. How much more truth
and importance should be attached to this principle in an en-
lightened christian country !

Absolute resignation to the will of God, and the wise ar»
rangements of his providence, I have rneniioned, in the last
place, as belonging to our internal duties. It implies entire

41

confidence in the wisdom, justice, and goodness, of the infinite
Mind ; and a deep conviction of the narrowness of our own
understanding, and the imperfection of our own views, as to
what is good or ill for us. Resignation, resting on these
principles, begets not only a grateful acknowledgment of the
manifold blessings of divine providence, but a submissive ac-
quiescence in the will of Heaven under its most aflflictive
dispensations ; believing, that, although we may not be able
to discern their ultimate relations to any beneficent end,
either to ourselves, or others, yet are they all reasonable and
just, and good ; and necessarily springing out of the all-wise
arrangements of the universal system under the government
of God. This disposition of mind is equally opposed to all
discontent and repining at the course of providence, and to
all vain reliance upon its aids, while we presumptuously neg-
lect our own duties. It tends to produce that placid sereni-
ty of soul, so becoming the character of resigned piety, and
to awaken the active and prudent exertions, which virtue re-
quires of every good man, in dependence on God, to improve
the felicity of his condition, and his honourable standing

in life.

V

OP OUR EXTERNAL DUTIES.

The external duties, which we owe to God, comprise
every decent outward expression of the pious sentiments of
the heart. They are all embraced under the general name

of divme worship, for which, however, natural reason ha«
not prescribed any precise and definite form.

Different nations, and different sects of religion, have each
adopted a peculiar ceremonial. No sanctity ought to be as-
cribed to rites, exclusively of the affections which they are
desicrned to assist ; or any further than they are proper ex-
pressions of the devout dispositions of the soul. But all
rites deserve to be regarded with re^^pect, which custom has
sanctified by their sacred use, among any people, or so asso-
ciated with their religious ideas, as to be to them the most se-
rious, and affecting expression of their devotional exercises.
In considering the general question, of the utility of rites
and forms in religion, and how they may be applied in the
most effectual manner to answer the design of impressing the
heait in divine worship, and aiding its pious emotions, reason
will decide, that the ceremonial ought to be, neither too sim-
ple, nor too multifarious and splendid.. The mass of man-
kind are ao much governed by sensible impressions, as sel-
dom to be able to v^upport, with proper fervency, a religion
which aims to be wholly intellectual, and scorns any alliance
with the senses ; on the other hand, the senses are apt to be
so much amused with a ceremonial too splendid, or multifa-
rious, as, in time, to exclude the heart and understanding
from divine worship, and lo substitute, in its room, only a fri;
volous superstition.

43

The essential parts of a rational worship, in whatever cer-
emonies it is clolhed, are adoration, thanksgiving, confes^jion,
and prayer. Adoration, relates to the infinite perfections of
the Deity, for which we ought, in our devotions, to feel, and
express the highest veneration. Thanksgiving, is employed
in giving utterance to our grateful acknowledgnjents, of those
innumerable mercies, which we continually receive from him.
Confession, respects our manifoUl offences and omissions of
duty. And finally, prayer regards those mercies of which
we have need, and which we ought humbly and submissive-
Jy to ask of him, either for ourselves, or for others.

These duties, being continually explained and inculcated
in the public institutions of religion, will not require any fur-
ther illustration in this place. Two objections, however,
have been so plausibly urged against the duty of divine wor-
ship in general, that they ought not, perhaps, to pass with-
out a particular answer.

It is said, in the first place, to convey an unworthy idea of
the Supreme Deity, to suppose that he derives pleasure from
hearing his perfections repeated, or his praises extolled by
mortals, in acts of adoration, as if, by such adulatory ad-
dresses, his displeasure could be averted, or his mercy brib-
ed.— It is equally unworthy the Divine Majesty, it is alleg-
ed, to believe that humiliating confessions from such imper-
fect beings can be acceptable to him who already knows and

44

pities all their errors ; or that he can requhe of them formal
acknowledgments for the acts of beneficence, which it is
agreeable to his nature to bestow, and for which no acknowl-
edgments can make any requital.

To these unfair representations, it may be replied with
justice, that it is an essential law of our nature, that all high
sentiments, or strong afifections, naturally seek for some
means by which to express themselves. If therefore, we
feel, as virtuous, and pious men ought to feel, towards the
Author of our being, to check this dutiful expression of our
emotions, would be to stifle the most reasonable impulses of
the heart ; and not to feel them, would be the proof of a
cold and corrupted soul.

I add, that the most natural, and laudable afifections, when
they are suppressed, and entirely locked up within the heart,
necessarily languish, and, at length, cease to be perceived.
The strong, and ingenuous emotions of unfeigned piety
will ever seek for some mode of external expression, and the
repeated exp^'^^s'on of them in the acts of a visible worship,
will reciprocally, give strength to the inward temper from
which they flow. An external worship, then, is founded on
principles of the soundest reason, and most conformable to
the laws of our moral nature. It cannot, by any person, who
thinks wisely of the Deity, be supposed to be enjoined for
any gratification which he receives from the praises, or pros-

45

(rations of a being so imperfect as man. It can be demand-
ed only from that infinite wisdom and benevolence which re-
quires our worship for its own essential rectitude, and for its
beneficial influence in cultivating the affections and habits of
pietj, for which it is so admirably fitted. For adoration of
the divine perfections, while it impresses the pious mind
with an awful reverence of the Deity, tends to elevate tlie
tone of its moral feelings, and to assimilate them to the pu-
rity of the object of its worship. — The grateful recollection
of the divine mercies, in the immediate presence of God,
serves to confirm the affectionate purposes of duty, and obe~
dience to him. — On the contrary, the penitent confession of
the sins and errors of life, helps to arm the soul against its
own weakness, and its impure passions. And finally, the
supplications which we address to the Father of mercies for
the blessings which we need, either for the present life, or in
the hope of a future and higher existence, remind us, contin-
ually, of our dependence on him for all things ; and awaken,
by that remembrance, the profoundest sentiments of piety.
Can there be more proper means of cultivating in human
nature the best and noblest affections of the heart?

The second objection, which perhaps, is more plausible,
and seems supported on stronger metaphysical ground, is di-
rected against the efficacy, and consequently the utility of
prayer, employed as a mean of obtaining the divine favour,
either in our public, or private devotions,— The order of

46

the universe, and the eternal train of causes and effects,
have, froQi tne beginning, been fixed b^' intini e wisuom.
And the laws which have been established by divine wis-
dom are as unchangeable as those which have been ascribed
to necessity, or fate. — ^^'hy, then, it is demanded, should
we pray ? If pre-established causes naturally co-operate to
the production of the event, it must take place independent-
ly of our prayers. If otherwise, we pray in vain. The
breath of mortals cannot change the eternal order of things.
— This is the objection placed in the strongest point of light.
— To obviate it, let it be observed that prayer can have on-
ly two ends in view ; either to cultivate the moral qualities
of the heart, and thereby obtain those spiritual blessings
which, in the order of providence are connected with them,
or to procure those external, and temporal goods which we
solicit in prayer. To obtain the former, we have seen that
prayer, with every other part of divine worship, possesses
an obvious and acknowledged influence. The stress of the
objection, therefore, presses on the latter; but admits of this
simple and unconstrained solution. — From the superiority of
intellect to matter, and of the moral to the physical order of
things, there is the highest probability that the latter has
been created wholly in subserviency to the former. If this
principle be admitted, will it not result as a natural conse-
quence that the Creator may have so adjusted the physical
to the moral order of things, that, foreseeing the sincere, and
reasonable desires of good men, who are his children,

4r

the disposilion of causes, anil the train of events shall be
8uch as, at the proper time, and in the way most agrteable
to his inGnite wisdom, to correspond with their prayers, if it
be his will to bestow the blessing ? For so perfect is his fore-
knowledge, that, with regurd lo his infinite view, no event
may be considered as future, but all things are immetliately
present.

If this be regarded as? an hypothetical answer to the ob-
jection, there are, at least, innjiiaerable occasions on which
the same answer, derived from the relation of the two worlds,
appears to be founded on the plain and obvious course of
nature. How often do the events of the world manifestly
depend upon njoral springs ? How often do we see the for-
tunes of imlividuals greatly influenced by their moral charac-
ter ? And the univer;^al voice of history, has ahnost raised it
into a maxim, that the prosperity of nations is intimately link-
ed with their virtue, and their decline as certainly associated
with the corruption of morals, and the disorder of the public
manners. When we reflect, therefore, how much public and
individual manners are affected by the healthful stale of reli-
gion, and how much this is connected with the purity of the
public worship, and the sincerity of private devotion, we can
hardly avoid the conclusion, that on many events, prayers
•ffered up to almighty God, with humility, fervency and per-
leverance, have an influence not less powerful, and often,
much more successful than any other <iecond cause. So that

48

whether we regard the wise and eternal arrangements of pro-
vidence, or fhe known and fixed order of natural and moral
events, the result still recurs that prayer, far from being an
unreasonable and hopeless service, not only has a natural
and important influence on human events, but may have, as
revelation assures us it has, a positive and divine efficacy.
And, indeed, can any institution be more just and equitable
in itself, than that God should make the conferring of the
blessings which we ask in prayer, to depend upon the exist-
ence and growth of those pious dispositions which are best
cultivated by these devotional exercises ?

OP OUR DUTIES TO OUR FELLOW-MEN.

These duties include a greater compass and variety than
those which terminate immediately upon God. They respect
the infinitely various relations which subsist among mankind,
and necessarily occupy much the largest portion of life.
There is scarcely one of our actions which does not affect
some of these relations. From the general information which
prevails in a country like ours, continually enlightened by the
pulpit, on the practical duties of society, it would be wholly
unnecessary to go into an extensive detail of our social offi-
ces. Sufficient, I presume, it will be to suggest a few sub-
divisions under which they may all be classed.

49

The first and most general division of our duties may be
into those which are negative, consisting merely in abstinence
from injury, or the infliction of unnecessary pain — and such
as are positive, being employed chiefly in doing actual good.
Many subordinate classes of practical duty may admit of a
similar division. But when we speak of duty in general, it
seems peculiarly requisite, on account of fhe many and strong
passions in human nature, which so often impel men to mutu-
al injury.

The positive duties which we owe to our fellow-men may
all be comprised under the heads of justice and beneficence.
But though so simple in their principles, they are in prac-
tice, almost infinitely diversified in their details, according
to the relations which we sustain to our country — to our
family — to our vicinity — to our friends — to the objects of
our charity — to those who are invested with authority over
us — or who are subjected to our controul — or, finally, ac-
cording to our philanthropic relations to mankind. On these
duties volumes have been written ; libraries have been fill-
ed ; and still they are subjects which constantly demand our
attention, and on which we can never cease to be active and
to learn.

^#

OS- OUR DUTIES TO OURSELVES.

This class of duties is as real, and in many respects, as im-
porfant, as those which we owe to God, or to our neigh-
bour. On these, as on the last, I shall content myself with
simply enumeraling the sub-divisions, under which all the
particular details may be embraced. They relate to self-
preservation— to self-enjoyment — to self-interest — and to
the general cr.Itivation and improvement of our nature.

Self-preservation includes the care of health, of liberty,
and life. He is culpable who neglects his health, which
ought to be diligently preserved only for the useful and vir-
tuous purposes of living. He is, perhaps, more culpable^
who barters his liberty for any pretended convenience, or
conjpensalion, or who does not strenuously defend, when it
is attacked, this most noble, and precious prerogative of our
nature. And voluntarily to sacrifice life, or unnecessarily to
hazard it, in a cause that is not worthy the rational and moral
nature of man, if it does not flow from insanity, is an evidence
of a mind precipitate, and foolish, and utterly void of virtu-
ous fortitude.

A rational self-enjoyment, in the next place, every good
man is not only permitted, but required, to cultivate, in order
that he may be rendered more grateful to his Creator, and

51

correspond more efTecfually with Lis beneficent design in our
creation, by prudently and temperately using the blessings
of his providence. This is evidently conformable to the
purpose of our Creator, and harmonizes with the apparent
structure and order of our nature. But in using this privi-
lege, peculiar caution is requisite, lest the force of self-love
should urge indulgence beyond that restricted and frugal
boundary, at which prudence and virtue should arrest it.

Self-interest, the cultivation of which belongs io this class
of our duties, relates to necessary provision, and comfortable
accommodation, which no good man, under any pretended
idea cf benevolence, or public spirit, ought to neglect ; and,
in a more extended view, it relates to the fevoiir of God, and
the felicity which reason teaches us to hope ibr in a future
world, which should be the first concern to every truly wise
man in the present.

The general cultivation and improvement of our nature,
which I enumerated last amozig the duties, that we owe to
ourselves, has for its objects, our bodily powers, the facul-
ties of the mind, and the affections of the heart. The most
important trust, which our Almighty Creator has committed
to man as a moral and accountable being, is himself. And
the first obligation, which such a gift imposes, is to carry his
nature to the ultimate perfection of which it is susceptible,
in our circumstances.

58

Such is a very brief analysis of the general system of our
dut 69, but suflScient, pei haps, to present, to a reflecting
mind, a key to its minute and particular details.

I do not say that all men have been able to deduce the sys-
tem of their duties in a regular and scientific train of reason-
ing ; nor that they are not much more clearly discerned, un-
der the bright illumination of the gospel, than they were, by
the wisest men, under the dim twilight of paganism ; but such
they appear to be, when faithfully and dispassionately traced
out, under the guidance simply of a purified reason.

OF NATURAL RELIGION, AS IT RESPECTS, IN THE FOURTH

PLACE, THE MOTIVES OF DUTY, DRAWN FROxM THE

PROBAE^E HOPES OF A FUTURE EXISTENCE.

After stating the general principles of human duty, as it is
prescribed by the religion of nature, it is proper, in the last
place to turn our attention to the motives, from the same
source, by which it is enforced. Those drawn from a ra-
tional consideration of our uiteresfs, pleasure, and happiness,
in the p esent life, wili be the same in natural, as in revealed
religion Revelation presents us with the highest possible
inducenients, which can be derived from the hopes and fears
of futu ity, exhibited in the clearest and the strongest light.
Natural reason, likewise, presents to mankind its motives
drawn fiom the same source, and, though far from being eo

S3

dear and powerful as those which address us from the reveal-
ed word of God, yet well deserving our consideration, as
those alone to which the great majority of mankind can have
recourse ; and which shew ns how far human reason, in its
most cullivafed state, may lead us, in the investigation of
this most important doctrine, unaided by any direct and im-
mediate light from Heaven. For this purpose, F shall propose
to you the chief of those general arguments, on which the phi-
losopher professes to found his belief, or rather his hope of
the immortality of the soul. The authority of the law of vir-
tue would be very feebly felt by the greater part of mankind,
if the expectations, or the apprehensions of existing after this
life, were not shewn to rest on, at least, probable foundations.
We must confess, however, that probability is the utmost
which reason, paying all due deference to its powers, has
been able to attain on this interesting subject. We must
look for that clear and full persuasion, on which the soul can
repose with assurance in the midst of affliction, and at the
approach of death, only in the sacred scriptures. But the
human mind, in its anxious longings after immortality, is in-
clined to make the most of thos^e feeble lights, which reason
holds out to encourage its hopes. And Cicero could only
say, but he says it with the enthusiasm natural to a virtuous
mind, that '* if he were deceived in cherishing the hope of
an immortal existence, he wished not to be awakened from so
agreeable a delusion." And Socrates, in his last conversa-
tion with his friends, just before drinking the fatal hemlock^

64

thus took his leave of them, — *' You go to your ordiuapy oc-
cupations, I to my fate : which of us shall enjoy the happier
lot is known only to the Gods."

The Christian religion has produced such a deep and gen-
eral persuasion of this doctrine, in the minds of its disciples,
as has induced a common belief, that the evidence which
reason yields in its support, is much more direct and clear,
than, on the most fair and candid examination, it will be found
to be. There are, however, such strong and rational prob-
abilifics, drawn both from the physical and moral order of
things, as merit the most serious attention of the philosopher.
Some of the principal moral reasons, which claim the assent
of an enlightened pagan to this truth, I proceed shortly io
lay before you.

In the first place, then, if the present were the only state
of human existence, the designs of the Creator, in the forma-
tion of man, would seem to be in a great measure frustrated ;
at least, they would not be conformable to the usual opera-
tions of his wisdom. We would behold the noblest being
with which we are acquainted, just begin to evolve faculties,
which are never permitted to arrive at their full vigor, or to
display their full beauty. Man is evidently possessed of tal-
ents, which are progressive to an indefinite degree of im-
provement. Yet no individual has ever carried any one tal-
ent, and much less, the whole system of his natural powers,

(o ilie highest perfection of which they are susceptible : and
lesa slill, has the whole race approached near to that ultimate
point in the jcale of being, to which they are manifestly ca-
pable of arriving, and appear, in some period of their pro^
gress, to be destined. To arrest them, then, in the midst,
or rather in the commencement of their career, when they
are only beginning to display those capacities, which they
shall never fully unfold, seems hardly conformable to cur
most reasonable ide^s of divine benevolence and wisdom.
All other things, which come under our cognizance in this
world, have a point of maturity that is the highest of which
their natures are susceptible. Arriving at this, tiiey begin
gradually to decay. Other animals increa'ie to acerlain de-
gree of strength, and sagacity, whii:h is, evidentiV, the ulti-
mate limit within which their natures are bountted. Their
several species appear to be equal in all ages. There is a
point, below which, they hardly ever fall, and above which
they cannot rise. Far otherwise is it with man. The greut-
•est portion of his powers would be lost, and he would ^eeni
to have been made in vain, if there were not another stuff; of
being, in which they may unfold themsehe?, and attain^liat
perfection of which they are capable. Hardly can we con-
ceive it to be consistent with the wisdom and goodness? of
God, to bestow on man so many incipient talents, only to be
checked, or cut o(F, in the very commencement of their pro-
gress— germs which are never suffered to come to their i.:»a-
turit J. Moral and religious sentiments, in particular, do not

56

8CCD1 {0 have any reasonable objecf, if we are <o regard our-
selves, as being only particles of animated dust, destined to
perish almost as soon as we begin to exist ; and have not be-
yond this life, the hope of some nearer approach to the deity,
and the expectation of some reward from him, which shall
depend on the pnrity of our pious affections, and the integri-
ty of our virtuous conduct in this life. The sacrifices of vir-
tue, would be without remuneration ; and the noblest dispo-
sitions of the heart, cultivated with the most devout care,
would be like incense burnt and scattered by the winds, be-
fore a being who regards it not.

Another argument of no inconsiderable weight, in the es-
timation of the rational philosopher, for the doctrine of im-
mortality, is derived from the general belief of mankind.
Such a universal concurrence of opinion, indicates some ori-
ginal principle of nature on which it rests ; and which can be
only the operation of God himself in the human heart. It
has formed an article of belief in all religions. Ii has been
laid at the foundation of all the political institutions of anti-
quity, as well as of modern ages. And no nation has been
discovered so rude, and savage, who has not, along with the
idea of God, united that also, of the future existence of the
soul. — Some philosophers ascribe this interesting phenome-
non to imitation, and the influence of education. W here
principles have already a foundation in nature, education and
imitation readily concur to strengthen their influence. But

57

when they are entirely arbitrary, although one principle may
fake root, and be propagated in one nation, and a different
one in another, yet, when have we seen such uniformity in
education, among all the inhabitants of the globe, if it has not
been employed to cultivate some natural principle ?

It has been boldly asserted, but I conceive with little
plausibility, that the doctrine has been introduced, and ob-
tained credit in the world, by the artifice of priests, in order
to establish their authority over the multitude, by the all
subduing charm of superstition ; or, by the craft of politicians,
and legislators, who found no better way to render their sub-
jects obedient, and to confirm the authority of their laws,
than by the power of religious fear. — In answer to insinua-
tions of this kind, we may well ask, when had a few priests
or politicians more cunning than all the rest of mankind ?
But, if it be true, that the order of human society cannot be
perfectly maintained without the belief of a state of future
retribution, and that, therefore, the whole force of political
power and intrigue has been employed to establish this sen-
timent among the people, this is surely an argument of no in-
considerable weight for the truth of the doctrine. Other-
wise, man must have been formed under the hard necessity
of being continually deceived, in order to promote his best
interests ; a consequence which we ought not to impute to
the infinite wisdom and goodness of the Crrafor.

The universality of this belief, therefore, ought, I presuffie^
to be ascribed to an original sentiment of our nature ; or, at
least, to a conclusion that so necessarily obtrudes itself upon
the mind, from the united reflections of reason and sentiments
of conscience, that it may justly be classed along with our
instinctive feelings.

It is certainly no proper or sufficient objection against the
universality of this opinion, and consequently, the truth of
this principle connected with it, that there have existed phi-^
losophers who have denied il ; or whole nations who have
blended it with many superstitious notions. — A minute phi-
losophy, attempting to plunge too far into the subtleties of
speculation, is, often much less to be depended on as a guide
to truth, than the simplest dictates of the uncultivated under-
standing. It is not surprising then, if a few philosophers, in
the pride of speculation, or the vanity of affected singularity,
should have added to their other contradictions of the com-
mon opinions of mankind, the denial of a future existence and
the immortality of the soul.

The certainty of truth ought not to be questioned, or deni-
ed on account of the errors which either speculation or su-
perstition has mingled with it. Nature, on many subjects^
particularly on those relating to morals and duty, points to
the general principle, or gives the general impression of the
trutfaj but leaves it to reason, experience and reflection, te

give it its perfect shape and form. This each man will da^
with more or less accuracy and precision of idea, according to
the strength of his intellectual faculties, united with his vir-
tue, or the prepossessions of his education.— The argument^,
therefore, for the immortality of the soul, drawn from the
natural feelings and expectations of mankind, remains strong,
notwithstanding the gloomy speculations of sceptical philos-
ophers, and the absurd admixtures of superstitious nation!?.

Another of the moral causes on which natural reason
founds its hope and belief of this doctrine, is the strong desire
of good men, and the apprehensions of the vicious ; which
are commonly found to increase in proportion as they appear
to be approaching to the period of their earthly existence.
The natural desire of immortality is, certainly, one of the
strongest affections of the human heart, at least, till the do-
minion of vicious passions have made it the interest of the
guilty to fear it. It is the most powerful motive of virtue,
and the greatest consolation of good men, under the various
trials of life. And on the violent and criminal passions of
the vicious there is hardly any restraint "'so effectual, as the
apprehension of a future existence, and of the retribution
with which conscience always accompanies that fear. The
hopes and fears of human nature, therefore, both concur to
strengthen the probability of a renewed existence after this
life. If this lively anticipation of a future being, in a happi*
e"r state, be implanted in the hearts of good men, by God

60

himself, can we believe that his infinite benignity hath cre-
ated in them desires onlj to disappoint them, and inspire
them with hopes onl/ to tantalize them ?

The same conchision is confirmed by the apprehensions
of wicked men, especially under the stroke of any great ca-
lamity, or at the approach of death. The conscience of
guilt anticipates a retribution far exceeding any sufferings to
which it can be subjected in the present life. And very few
are the cases in which this salutary fear can be entirely ex-
tinguished by the hardihood of vice, or the perversion of
a misguided education. And, certainly, it would not be
serving the interests of society, or of human nature, to attempt
to remove from the minds of men, those useful restraints
which the wisdom of divine providence hath thought proper
to impose upon the passions, which would, otherwise, be
dangerous to the peace of society, and to the best interests
of virtue. — This argument is not a little strengthened by the
acknowledged eflfect which the disbelief of the immortality
of the soul, and the docii ine of a future life would have up-
on the state of public morals. The good could hardly find
in the general order, and distribution of providence, in the
present state, sufficient motives to sustain them in the con-
tinual conflicts ; or to encourage the incessant efforts of vir-
tue, which are often painful and laborious, and not rarely ex-
posed to extraordinary hazards. If the passions of men
were freed from the salutary restraints of religious fear, and

61

secrecy were, as it then would be, the effectual protection of
crimes, the greatest infelicity and disorder would reign in
society. Some of the most eminent of the Roman writers as-
cribe the extreme corruption of the Roman manners, towards
the period of the republic, and under the empire in its first
ages, to the introduction and prevalence of the epicurean
philosophy, of which the final extinction of the soul at death
was one of the leading principles. If these reflections be
well founded, and the doctrine of immortality, and religious
reverence, which generally accompanies it, be necessary to
the peace and order of human society, and the prosperity
of nations, the truth of the principle is strongly implied in
this salutary eflfect. It is unreasonable to believe that God
has formed human nature in such a manner as to require that
it should be governed by falsehood. We ought to presume,
on the contrary, that all the plans of infinite wisdom do so
correspond, that virtue, and happiness, which appear to be
the end of the whole, must be established by truth alone.

There appears, in the next place, such a promiscuous and
unequal distribution of good and evil in the present state, as
gives strong ground to expect, in some future period of our
existence, a partition of the blessings and inflictions of divine
providence more conformable to our ideas of the goodness
and equity of the Supreme Ruler of the universe. If this
world were designed to exhibit the ultimate plan of his moral
government, it would be a most natural expectation to find

02

Virlue placed in sucb favourable circumstances, that tranquil
Htj, comfort, and honour, should, at least, be within the com-
pass of its reasonable efforts ; and vice be subjected to de-
privations, and inflictions, that should bear some proportion
to the disorders and enormities occasioned by it. Contrary,
however, to that order of things which all our ideas of reason,
and of the goodness and equity of Ihe Deity would suggest,
we often behold virtue suffering under deep and unavoidable
afflictions ; and those afflictions, not unfrequently, induced
immediately by a 6rm and steady adherence to truth and
duty ; while vice triumphs in the rewarels of fraud and treach-
ery. Many writers, professing to put external circumstances
wholly out of the (juestion, have maintained, that happiness,
depending entirely upon the internal state of the mind, is
more equally distributed, according to the virtue and wisdom
of individuals, than appears to be implied in the objection :
and Diogenes, in his tub, it is said, was really no less happy
than Alexander on his throne. This vindication of the per-
fect equity of the present arrangements of providence, sup-
posing them to be final, is rather plausible than just. A few
men by religious enthusiasm, or philosophic speculation, may
reduce, or exalt their feelings to almost any standard. But,
when we speak generally of the happiness of human nature,
it is so much connected with the sensibilities of the body,
and so much with the relations of society, and with ideas re-
sulting from its customs, habits, and opinions, which neces*
earily incorporate themselves with ail our feelings, that the

6,3

eixternal state, anJ visible condition of mea must afford us a
more accurate criterion by which to judge of the equalities,
or inequalities of divine providence, than any interior and in-
visible standard of mental feeling. And by this scale, sure-
ly, we do not perceive the rewards of virtue, or the chastise-
ments of vice bestowed, or inflicted in any equitftble degree
according to the respective characters of men. They fall,
rather according to the ingenuity, vigilance, and perseverance
of individuals, in their various pursuits, or the defect of those
talents ; or, according to some fortunate accident, rather
tiian according to merit.

This mixed and unequal distribution of good and evil, is
probably better adapted to a state of probation, where virtue
is exercised and tried, by being thrown into various circum-
stances of adversity and prosperity, than one which should
indicate a more exact discrimination of character would be.
But it is contrary to all our ideas of the divine beneficence
and wisdom to believe that these probationary sufferings are
to be the 6nal reward of virtue ; or that this mixture of pleaa-
are and pain, in which the pleasure evidently predominates,
is to be the final infliction of divine justice on vice which dis-
arranges the whole order and harmony of the moral world.

Prom these considerations, we have the justest reason to
oonclude, that this mixed condition of human life, and pro-
miscuous distribution of divine providence, indicates, only a

64

preparatory stale of moral discipline, wbich has a reference
to another and higher condition of being. —

And this hope we have seen to be confirmed by the anal-
ogy of nature, which seems inclined not to leave any of
her works luaperfect, and will, therefore, not crush in the
germ, or arrest in their incipient state, so many noble facul-
ties of the human mind, which are evidently capable of at-
taining a degree of perfection which they never arrive at,
and of evolving powers which they never display in the pre«
sent life. — We have seen it confirmed by the general suf*
frage of human nature, resting, it would seem, on an instinct-
ive impression, or intuitive conviction of the mind, expressed
in the religious opinions of all nations. — It is further confirm-
ed by the hopes of virtue, and the fears of guilt, especially
at the approach of death.— -And it is confirmed, finally, by
the unequal distributions of good, and evil, according to the
moral qualities of men in the present life. —

These moral reasons when taken separately, may not be
calculated to produce entire conviction in a mind disposed
to weigh every argument with scrupulous distrust ; yet,
when assembled together under one view, they present such
a group of probabilities, as can hardly fail to cjarry with
them every candid and ingenuous mind ; and must make even
the cold scepticism of infidelity relent. But, I must repeat^
that full, unwavering conviction, on this most interesting sub-

6,>

jcct, can be obtained only from revelation, which, at the
same time; that it assures us of the fact of a future, and im-
mortal state of being, discloses to us, in some measure,
wherein it consists. '

On the nature of our future existence, admitting what
reason I think demonstrates, that it is, in the highest degree
probable, we can form no precise and certain ideas ; that
state being too far removed beyond the range of our present
experience. We can speak of it only in the most general
terms. But, from the analogy of what actually comes under
our observation of the process of nature, we have just ground
to conclude, that the condition of human life, will be greatly
improved above its actual state in the present world, both in
personal form, if, according to the ideas of religion, we look
for a re-union of the body with the soul, and in the powers
of the mind. In those transmutations which pass under our
immediate review in the insect tribes, we never see them pass
from one state, to resume the same appearance in another,
but, iQ each gradation in their progress, they acquire augment-
ed powers, and are invested with new, and more beautiful
forms. It cannot, therefore, be unreasonable to expect a
vast augmentation in the active powers of our nature, both
corporeal, and mental ; in the quickness and vivacity of the
senses, in the beauty and excursive force of the imagination,
and the penetration and energies of the understanding. And

the same analogies incline ub to expect the addition or de-

9

66

feiopement of many new faculties, of which, in the present
state, the imperfection of our reason cannot fori» any con-
ception.

Nor is it improbable that, in an immortal existence, the
renovated faculties of our nature will advance forward in ao
endless progression of improvements, whether reason incline
us more to the idea of one continued but improving form of
existence, or to the pylhagorean principle of successive
transmutations. And in the system of the universe, there
is, undoubtedly, an ample theatre for an interminable progress
both in knowledge and in virtue. Nor can we doubt but that
there, the wisdom, the power, the goodness, and equity of
the divine perfections will be more conspicuously, and illus-
triously displayed, than in the present introductory state of
being.

Such, without giving any unwarranted license to the ex=
cursions of imagination, and judging only from actual analo=
gies presented to our senses, and reason, may we presume
to be a just, as far as it is extended, though most imperfect
outline of that future existence to which virtue ardently as-
pires, and to the hope of which the most cool, and dispas-
sionate examination of reason deliberately affixes its seal.

That these doctrines, which have been proposed as prin-
ciples of the religion of nature, concerning the existence^

67

and perfections of the Supreme Creator, and the duties ot
huraan nature resulting from them, taay not be rejected from
the natural code, as partaking too much, of ideas which arc
exclusively Christian, I will appeal, for their verification, as
dictates simply of reason, bj^ a few references, to some of the,
best writers of heathen antiquity. They exhibit, indeed, the
results of reason in its most cultivated state ; still, however,
they are deduced solely from natural principles. The same
conclusion, likewise, is strongly affirmed by the great apostle
of the Gentiles. For, according to his unquestioned tes-
timony, ** The invisible things of God, from the cre-
ation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the
things which are made, even his eternal power and godhead.
When the Gentiles who 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 written
in their hearts." Accordingly all men possess from nature
many just notions concerning the existence of the Supreme
and Original mind. And those sages of paganism who have
cultivated these primary instincts and ideas, by a refined and
enlightened reason have been able to advance far in framing
adequate conceptions of the glorious attributes of the Deity.
With numerous principles and maxims, in proof of this asser-
tion, extracted from the writings of these authors, I might
easily fill the volume ; but, perhaps, it is eligible to restrict
my appeal to a few examples ; sufficient, however, to furnish
a general idea of the state of human science upon this sub-

68

ject, in those great nations. — Cicero pronounces with assur-
ance, that there is no tribe of the human rare so barbarous,
and savage, as not to acknowledge the being of God. And
this wonderful consent of all people, he adds, is to be esteem-
ed the voice of nature, and an undoubted argument of truth.
Cic. de leg. Do. de nat. Deor. Senec. epist. 1 17. The same
celebrated author exclaims, where is the man so void of
reason, who, when he casts his eyes over the heavens, does
not perceive the evidence of a Deity ? Tusc. quest. 70,
de arusp. resp. }9. And, in his book de divin. and in that
de nat. Deor. 148. 15. 90. he adds ; The beauty of the uni-
verse, the order of the heavens, the revolutions of the sun, the
moon, and all the celestial bodies, sufficiently di^play, at the
first glance of the eye, that they are not the effect of chance ;
but that there exists a superior, and eternal being who claims
the homage, and admiration of mankind. — The better part of
human nature, say both Cicero and Seneca, is the soul ; but
God is all soul ; he is reason simply. He escapes from our
view, and is to be seen only in our thoughts. — Wherever
you turn your view, says the latter of these great writers,
there you have God meeting you ; no place is void of the di-
vine presence ; he fills all his own works.

The great orator and philosopher of Rome, in his treatise
concerning laws, lays it down as an incontrovertible maxim,
that religion is the very basis of a wise legislation. The first
principle of social order, says he, is the persuasion that the

69 .

Gods are the lords, and governors of all things ; and that
whatever does take place in the universe, exists by their dei-
ty and wisdom. They direct human affairs, not only by
general laws, but by laws which reach to every individual per-
son, and to every particular event. De divin. 1 17. Valerius
informs us, that Thales, when asked, whether the actions of
men could ever be concealed from the gods ? replied, no, not
even their thoughts. Lib. 7. c. 2.

The duties which we owe to GoJ, as taught by the reli-
gion of nature, we learn from the same great masters of rea-
son. The noblest worship of the gods, says Seneca, ap.
Lactan. L. 6. is to worship them with a pure, upright, and un-
corrupted mind, for God hath no place upon earth more ac-
ceptable to him than a pure soul. Cicero in his book of du-
ties, pronounces this decision ; Let men ever approach the
gods with chaste, and pure spirits ; for piety and sanctity alone
render them propitious to mortals. L. 2. 11. Sextus, in his
sentences, has this remarkable sentiment ; Love God above
your own soul. For if you are void of supreme love to God,
to him you will never go ; and love him, as you ought, you
Dcver will, unless you have within you somewhat that resem-
bles him. — Let it be our first study, says Plato, to resemble
God, as far as is competent to human nature ; but man be-
comes like to God only by wisdom, justice, and sanctify: in
Theat. A sentiment of the same author approximates his
opinion, in no small degree, to the principles of revelation.

Virtue, he affirms, does not come from nature, nor from edu-
cation, biJt solely from the divine Numen, or Deity. And, in
the same spirit, Bias, who was one of the seven wise men of
Oreece, prononnces, whatever good you have done, be assured
It has been received only from God. Diogen. Laer. in Biarn*
And Marcus Antoninus, under the conviction that all things
depend on God alone, renders thanks to him, in the history
of his lifey that he had frequently given him many excellent,
suggestions, and useful assistances towards forming his mind,
and his conduct aright, and that, both in youth and in advan-
cing life, he had frequentl}^ rescued him from many occasions
of transgressing the lav» s of virtue. He is further grateful for
his having bestowed on him good parents, good preceptors,
and excellent friends. — The great orator of Rome, in his trea-
fise denatnra deorum, asks, if reason, faith, virtue, concord,
exist in human nature, whence could they have descended to
the earth unless from the gods above ?

The religion of nature, not less that that of revelaticHj
though unacquainted with the infinite mercy of the Saviour,
equally requires from us, feeble and dependent creatures, con-
tinual ackowledgments of the goodness and beneficence of the
Infinite, and Divine, Mind. No attribute is so universally felt
and acknowledged by mankind as his goodness. We find in
the eloquent oration for Roscius this fine passage : — The
blessings which we use, the light which we enjoy, the air
which we breathe are granted, and bestowed by the Supreme

Dei/y, The gods pour forth their gifts without intermission.,
by night and by day. Their beneficence is sometimes of-
fered gratuitously ; sometimes it is conferred in consequence
of our prayers. There is no one who has not experienced
these celestial blessings ; not one to whom something has
not flowed from this most benignant fountain.

These few principles of natural religion have been drawn
from the first masters of eloquence and reason, who derived
all their moral and religious maxims simply from the lights of
their own minds ; which course I have pursued that I may
not be charged with the vain and theoretical ambition of as-
cribing more to the powers of nature than christian piety
ought to concede to them. On the subject of our holy re-
ligion, most certainly, we are indebted to revelation exclu-
sively for the peculiar, and distinguishing doctrines of the
Christian system. But the powers of reason which God
hath bestowed on human nature, are competent to enlighten
the mind on the general and practical duties of morality and
virtue. The spirit of inspiration dees, unquestionably, illus-
trate them more clearly, and confer additional evidence and
authority on the prescriptions of conscience, and on all the
motives of duly. But, it is useful, explicitly to understand
by such unquestioned examples, how far we are entitled t©
do honour lo the feeble lights of our natural reason.

EVIDENCES

CHRISTIAN RELIGION

INTHODLCTION. THE NECESSITY OF R2VKLATI0.V.

Before proceeding to the consideration of the doctrines
of our holy religion, it is necessary in the first place to dis-
play its evidenceSf that our faith may not be merely an en-
thusiastic and visionary confidence, but a rational offering to
truth and reason.

And if I should propose little, or even nothing that is iiew
on this subject, I hope to be able to comprise the general
argument in favour of Christianity, in such a narrow compass,
and exhibit it in such an easy and perspicuous order, as not
only to afford conviction, but furnish a concise and ready an-
swer to those popular objections which are most frequently
urged against the holy scriptures.

But before proceeding directly to exhibit the proofs on

which our faith in the Christian system may rationally rest, I

shall, in the first place, offer to you several considerations

which afford a strong presumption of the necessity of some

10

74

divine communication from heaven to instruct mankind in the
knowledge of their dutj, and of the hopes they may lawful-
ly entertain from the divine mercy. For, if revelation be
not necessary, and reason alone be sufficient to lead man to
his Creator, and to furnish him with all the principles, the
motives, and aids of duty which are requisite in his present
state, any examination into the truth of Christianity, is mani-
festly superfluous. But, if we see evils reigning over the
moral world, which reason and philosophy are unable to
cure, our confidence in the benignity of our heavenly Father
will naturally lead us to expect his interposition, in some ex-
traordinary way, in behalf of his erring, and afflicted, though
disobedient children.

The necessity of a revelation may be inferred from the ex-
treme ignorance, and even the monstrous errors with regard
to the being of God, and to the nature of the worship which
he requires, as well as with regard to a future existence,
which prevailed almost universally among mankind at the
period of the birth of Christ ; it may be inferred from the
extreme and universal depravation of morals, which the
lights of nature and the aids of reason had become utterly
impotent to remedy : And, finally, it may be inferred from
the incapacity of the unaided powers of the human mind,
satisfactorily to determine, if mercy will, or can, in consis-
tency with the justice of God, and the purity of the divine
nature, be extended to the guilty.

75

At the period when Christianity first appeared in the
world, (he principles even of natural religion had nearly per-
ished from among men. Instead of those pure and sublime
conceptions which every reasonable and dependent creature
ought to entertain of the supreme and infinite Creator, man-
kind had degraded the objects of their worship below even
the vilest and most profligate of their worshippers. " The
glory of the incorniptible God they had changed into an
image made like, not only to corruptible man, but to four-
footed beasts and creeping things" They deified all the
passions, and served them with all the vices. What were
Saturn and Moloch, and Venus and Bacchus, but cruelty,
and lust, and intemperance personified ? And what were
their altars, their temples, and their groves, but scenes of
the grossest pollution, and often of the most horrid crimes ?
In many countries, and especially in India, in Egypt, and
Syria, they deified the obscenest parts of the human body,
and served these detestable idols wjth a correspondent
worship.

The ideas which they framed, and the hopes which they
conceived of a future state of existence, were so uncertain
and obscure ; and were at best, so gloomy and uncomforta-
ble, as to afford little encouragement and support to the
heart in those painful self-denials, and those arduous conflicts
which it must often undergo in aspiring to an elevated pitch
cf virtue. As little were they calculated to console it at

the af>proach of death, wbicb, to them, was the loss of ev-
ery enjoyment, and of every hope ; and still less to elevate
it above the mere pleasures of sense, and to prepare it here-
after for a spiritual and celestial state of being. Reason, in-
deed, in its highest improvements, however it may accumu-
late probabilities, can afford no secure expectation, of the
immortality of the soul. But, in the hand of vice, it is used
rather as a weapon to destroy this precious hope ; for, im-
mortality can be desirable only to virtue. And when this
expectation is destroyed, the broadest encouragement is laid
open to every sensual and criminal excess. For, if no high-
er and happier condition of being awaits the virtuous ; if the
vicious have no future retribution to apprehend, why should
Uiey impose any restraint upon their present pleasures?
Can any maxim be more natural to the misjudging mass of
mankind, the children of appetite and passion, than that of
the degenerate disciples of Epicurus : Let tis eat and drinkf
for tomorrow we die ?

From these, and other causes connected with them, the de-
pravation of morals had become extreme throughout all the
nations of antiquity before the advent of the Messiah. They
had long abandoned that simplicity of manners which reign-
ed in ihe primitive ages ; and which was, in part at least, to
be ascribed to those just and noble sentiments of the deity
which appear to have been entertained by the patriarchs of
the old world. Sentiments which were probably the re"

77

mains of an original revelation imparted by God to the father
of the human race, and repeated to the second progenitor
of mankind after the deluge, and by him communicated to
the nations immediately springing from him. For, in pro-
portion as men descended farther from this source, and the
traces of this primitive tradition became obscure, and mix-
ed with the errors and fables which time incorporated with
it, we find the deepest ignorance and the grossest idolatry
prevailing, together with a correspondent corruption of mor-
als, which, in a course of ages, arrived, at length, to bid de-
fiance to all restraint and all decency. The apostle Paul,
in the first chapter of his epistle to the Romans,=^ has drawn
a dark and melancholy picture of the moral state of the hea-
then world; and, addressing converted Romans and Greeks,
he implicitly appeals for its verification to their own obser-
vation and experience. And some, even of their own wri-
ters, have given to us the same picture in colours hardly
less dark. No where, perhaps, can we find a portrait of the
moral state of men given in deeper shades than that which
Juvenal has drawn of the manners of Rome in his age. And
though some allowance is to be made for the colourings of
poetry, and especially of satire ; yet satire must be drawn
from real life, and present to us a strong resemblance of char-
acter, otherwise, it loses all its effect.

* Rom. chap. l.v. 24-31.

It may be asked, perhaps, if reason, prudently and dili-
gently applied, might not have produced a reform of this
general corruption? I answer without hesitation that this
was an effect beyond its power. It cannot proraulge its
laws with sufficient clearness and certainty ; and these laws
are destitute of adequate sanctions. That it wants certain'
ty is evident from the eternal doubts, disputes, and contra-s'
dictions of its pretended lawgivers, the philosophers. It
may be still more evident to those observers of human na-
ture who have seen with what facility the heart is able to
bias or tincture every moral dictate of the understanding
when opposed to our self-love. But, in the next place, its
laws are destitute of adequate sanctions. The sanctions of
the law of reason and nature consist only in that self-appro^
bation which springs from the love of truth and the per-
formance of our duty, and those inward reproaches of con-
science which follow an action that we feel and acknowledge
to be wrong. But what is the love of truth or duty in a heart
that is already corrupted ? And how feeble are the reproach-
es of conscience, when not enforced by the belief that we are
accountable to a supreme Judge, and by the expectation of
a future state of retribution ! Its faltering remonstrances are
easily appeased by the flatteries of self-love, or stifled in the
tumults of pleasure. No : a corrupt age, a degenerate world
never can be reformed by the influence of reason alone.
Its lights are too dubious and uncertain ; its sanctions are
too feeble. The mass of mankind are not capable of com-

79

prebending the one, nor of treing rationally governed by (h»
force of the other.

The masters of science among the Greeks, fully persuad-
ed of this truth, never pretended to impart to the people any
of their moral or theological systems ; believing them incom-
petent to comprehend their first principles, and still more in-
capable of pursuing these principles, in a train of regular,
but often complicated deductions, to their legitimate conclu-
sions. Hopeless therefore of their reformation, they aban-
doned them to the powers of superstition, to practise its ab-
surd, and often licentious rites, without attempting to instruct
them. This it was that made Socrates say, as Plato has re-
corded the conversation, " You may resign all hope of re-
forming the manners of men, unless it please God to send
some person to instruct you." And made Plato himself
say, " Whatever is set right, in the present ill state of the
world, can be done only by the interposition of God."^
These maxims of these great philosophers imply that, though
the people may be capable of receiving the most wise and
excellent principles of theology, or of morals, from authority/
which is supposed to be divine; yet, if they were set to
work them out by the efforts of their own understanding, or
by the aid of merely human teachers, the moral state of the
world must be irremediable. Blind and arrogant, or scepti-

'^ Plato's treatise coTicprning; a r^TTibUc ; hof^kvi.

80

lial, must be the (eachers ; dull, and incapable of learning,
or bewildered in fhe doubls of their masters, must be the
scholars.

Such was the necessity, felt and acknowledged by the
wisest men in the heathen world, of some revelation from
heaven to instruct mankind in the knowledge of the truth,
and to give it effectual operation on their hearts and lives.
If the great body, even of the populace, seem now to be
more susceptible of rational ideas on the subject of religion ;
if they entertain sublimer and purer apprehensions of the di-
vine nature, and of that spiritual worship which should be
paid to the supreme Creator ; and if we see the tone of pub-
lic morals raised to a higher pitch, and regulated by a higher
standard ; if every where we behold that very populace^
who were denounced by the philosophers as incapable of a
rational system of religion, thinking more wisely and more
justly on the transcendent subjects of (he divine naturej of
human duty, and the immorlaliti/ of the soul, than those
philosophers themselves, are we not fairly entitled to ascribe
these effects to the influence of our holy religion ; since rea-
son had before tried, in vain, her full force upon the human
mind and the human character ?

But, the impotence of reason to instruct and reform man-
kind, is not to be seen only, or even chiefly, in the ignorance
and vices of the people. It is, perhaps, not less discernible

SI

in the errors, the follie?, and corruptions of the philosophers
themselves, who cultivated it with the greatest assiduilj, and
who boasted having carried it to its highest improvement.
What do we find among them but eternal doubts and con-
tradictions : opinions ever varying, and settled on no certain
basis of truth ; which were, therefore, found utterly incompe-
tent to control the passions, or to regulate the conduct even
of the professed disciples of reason ? The lives of the philo-
sophers, with few exceptions, were not less dissolute than
those of the people whom they despised. And, on the real
nature of religion, and the true principles of duty, the sage,
as will be seen hereafter, was scarcely better informed than
the peasant.

But, lest these reproaches should seem to be the result
merely of the prejudices of religion, let me appeal to Cicero,
the greatest of philosophers, as well as of orators, who de-
nounces them in still stronger language : " Do you thinfc,
says he, that these precepts of morality had any influence,
except in a very few instances, upon the men who speculat-
ed, wrote, and disputed concerning them? No: who is
there of all the philosophers whose mind, life, and manners
were conformed to the dictates of right reason ? Which of
them ever made his philosophy the law and rule of his life,
and not merely an occasion of displaying his own ingenuity ?
Which of them has conformed himself to his own doctrines,
or lived in obedience to his own precepts ? On the contrary,

IT

many of them have been slaves to the vilest iusts, to pride^
to avarice, and to other similar vices.''*

Nor is this surprising to those who consider that the ex-
treme refinements of reason, which arise from the naturad
ambition of human pride, to extend its authority beyond its
proper sphere, always tend to dogmatical error in bold and
ardent minds, or to the cold indifference of scepticism, in
minds of an opposite character. What is really within the
reach of human reason lies near the surface, and is obvious
to a sincere and impartial love of truth. But when we
would penetrate deeper into the causes and the nature of
things, attempting to pass the limits prescribed to human
intellect, we are immediately bewildered in error and doubt.
Hence the existence of a Supreme and Intelligent Cause of
the universe, which to a plain and honest mind seems an in-
tuitive dictate of the understanding, has become doubtful, as
soon as ingenious men have made it a subject of speculation.
They have pretended to doubt of their own existence, of
the existence of the universe, and the reality of their own
sensations. At best, the most important principles of reli-
gion and morals are thrown out merely as subjects of inge-
nious disquisition, intended to exercise and display their wit
There existed accordingly, in the various schools of Greece,
such diversity and contradiction of sentiment, such subtlety

* Tusculan Questions j book ii.

83

and refinement, and often such systematic scepticism, tliat
their theological and moral principles, thrown into the gene-
ral mass of the subtleties of science, about which they wexe
accustomed to dispute, lost all authority over human con*
duct. In a short period after the introduction of philoso-
phy, the greater part of its professors became both vicious
in their lives, and atheistical in their opinions. And these
masters of science, instead of proving the reformers of the
world, only hastened its corruption ; and, by weakening or
destroying the ideas of a Supreme Judge, and a future re-
tribution, opened a wider door to the licentious indulgence
of all the passions.

PROOF OF AN ORIGINAL REVELATION TO MAN. IMPO-
TENCE OF REASON. NECESSITY OF A
NEW REVELATION.

The impotence of reason alone to accomplish the refor-
mation of the world, in the midst of the darkness and cor-
ruption into which it was sunk, is manifest from this addi-
tional fact, that the longer men relied upon it, and cpmmit-
ted themselves to the guidance solely of its lights ; that is,
the farther we descend in history from the beginning of time,
the more absurd do we find the superstitions of the people/
the more atheistical and impious the systems of the philoso-
phers, and the more degenerate the morals of both.

84

Inasmuch, as mankind, at the coming of Christ, had near-
ly lost the knowledge of the true God, and his worship ; and,
as their moral depravity had kept pace with their religious
errors, and none of the ordinary powers of human reason
were found competent to remedy evils so extreme, it seems
consistent with all just ideas of the perfections of God, and
conformable to our reasonable hopes in his wisdom, good*
ness, and compassion, that he should interpose, by some ex-
traordinary communication of himself, to save religion from
utterly perishing, and to recal men to virtue and order by
the knowledge of divine truth. The lights of tradition
which had been gradually growing more dim for ages, were
now nearly extinguished under a mass of the most corrupt and
shameful superstitions that ever oppressed the world, and
degraded human nature. And the wisest sages, bewildered
in eternal doubt, and beholding around them vices in the ha-
bits of mankind which they knew not how to amend, and
mysteries in the order of nature and of providence which
they knew not how to unravel, began to despair of the cause
of truth, and of the reformation of the world. What the
simple and unaided powers of human understanding could
not discern any adequate and certain means of effecting, has
been accomplished by the luminous evidence, and the pow-
erful influence of divine revelation. Doctrines, at least
claiming to be derived from this source, have banished from
the greater portion of the earth the gross idolatry in which
the ancient nations were sunk ; and raised the general mor-

85

als of llie world to a much Ligber and purer standard. No
where do we now behold ahars or consecrated groves, rear-
ed to such divinities as Moloch or Saturn, as Astarte, or the
Cjprian Venus. Every where we find purer and sublimer
ideas of the divine nature, and of that worship of the heart
which ought to be paid to God. Christianity has extended
a salutary influence even among many tribes of the human
race who have not yet embraced her holy doctrines, and
shed some rays of a divine light into the darkness which still
rests upon the pagan nations, which we trust, will gradually
increase, till at length the Sun of Righteousness shall illumi-
nate the whole earth.

The insufficieucy of reason (o correct the moral depravi.
iy of the world will appear with irresistible evidence to those
who duly consider its defect of certainti/, its defect of au-
thority, and its defect of motives. Its defect of cerlainiy.
Reason can proceed but a small distance with any certainty,
in investigating moral and divine truth, beyond those obvi-
ous, simple, and almost intuitive dictates of the mind which
are common to all mankind. And, in a corrupted state of
manners, experience demonstrates that even these plain and
natural dictates may easily be brought into doubt by the so-
phistry of the heart, when they oppose its inclinations and
pleasures. But if the principles and laws of duty, and of
divine truth, were much more clear and precise than they
are, stijl reason is wanting in the necessary authority to en-

86

force them on the hearts of men, and give them effect in prac-
tice. This authority, in order to overcome the powerful
temptations to sinful indulgence which are every moment
acting with a dangerous influence on a heart already yield-
ing to thera, should be nothing less than the acknowledged
command of the supreme Legislator and Judge of the uni-
verse which would preclude cavil and doubt, sanctioned by
a power to which no resistance can be opposed, and direct-
ed by a justice which cannot be turned aside from its sure
and awful course. When a man is accountable only to him-
self, feeble indeed is the voice of conscience, or of reason
on one side, when his self-love, or his passions plead on the
other. And finally, the motives to virtue which reason has
it in her power to propose, the rewards for its self-denials,
the encouragements in its conflicts, the supports under its
various trials and temptations, are weak and inefficient.
Does she propose the pure pleasures of virtue ? But in order
to relish them, you must be already virtuous. Can their
calm and innocent delights be set against the ardent and tur-
bulent enjoyments of vice ? Can reason demonstrate that
virtue would be eventually its own reward even in this
world ? Yet you arrive at this conclusion by such a tedious
circuit, and it is incumbered by so many modifications and
exceptions, that seldom can this refined speculation combat
the force of a present and importunate passion. But if vir-
tue is unfortunate, as it often is, if it must often forego in-
terest, power, favour, in its adherence to duty ; what reward

87

is there (o indemnify it for its sacrifices ? What authority to
overawe, and restrain it from yielding to the profitable temp-
tation ? No : the awful majesty of God, the apprehensions
of his supreme judgment, the eternal retributions of virtue
and of vice in a future state of existence, which religion sets
before the mind, will ever be found necessary, and are no
more than suflScient to combat the corrupt influence of the
heart, and of the world. The impotence of reason, therefore,
to cure the infinite errors of the human mind, the idolatries,
the superstitions, the vices of mankind, appears from every
aspect in which the subject presents itself to our view, and
justifies the conclusion we have inferred from it : the neces-
sity of a new revelation to pestore to the earth the truth
which it had lost, and to redeem it from evils which the or-
dinary poweis of human reason had become unable to correct.

This conclusion ^s justified by another most important and
interesting fact. Man is evidently a guilty being ; he has
violated the moral law of his nature, and incurred the right-
eous displeasure of his Creator, and the infliction of all the
dreadful penalties with which the supreme lawgiver has
thought it necessary to guard his law. These penalties,
which are not arbitrary in their nature, but are the decrees of
infinite wisdom and justice, do not depend merely on the
will of the legislator, probably they do not depend even on
infinite goodness, to inflict or dispense with them si its plea-

88

sure. Every attribute of the deiij is as necessary in its na-
ture and its claims as the divine existence. Eternal justice,
therefore, cannot as far we can judge, forego the punishment
of guilt. This is the ardent and terrible dictate of a
convinced conscience, not less than the calm and deliber-
ate conclusion of reason. But, how shall the claims of infi-
nite justice be reconciled with the claims of infinite mer-
cy? How shall the inviolable justice of the law of
eternal truth and holiness be satisfied, in consistency with
the forgiveness and salvation of the sinner ? In what way
may a sinful mortal reasonably hope to approach his offend-
ed Maker ? How shall the heirs of death regain eternal life ?
These are inquiries to which the weakness of human under-
standing can return no satisfactory answer ; and the dying
sinner, under the guidance of reason only, must be over-
whelmed with the most distressing perplexities and doubts,
or abandoned to the most horrible despair. These are
doubts which God only can resolve; fears which the spirit
of inspiration only can calm, by drawing aside the deep veil
which conceals eternity from our view, and exhibiting to our
faith a complete oblation for the sins of the world. Here we
behold new proofs of the necessity of a divine revelation, new
causes to invite, an^justify the interposition of our heavenly
Father, in behalf of his miserable, though offending children.

And is not the gospel such a remedy as we needed, such
a revelation as is calculated to solve all the doubts, and tran-

CD

quilize all the apprehensions of penitent guilt ? Tn it you be-
hold the divine justice, and the divine mercy harmoniously
combined. In it you behold the divine law magnified and
made honourable, by an all-availing atonement for the offen-
ces of the whole world. In it you behold life and immor-
talily brought to light, and a glorious channel opened in
which the boundless current of divine mercy can freely flow
to mankind. Where reason and philosophy were silent, or
constrained to confess their impotence, we behold revelation
announcing her glad tidings, and triumphing in the happiness
of her children, and of the world.

EVIDENCES OF REVELATIOIT. NECESSITY OF MIRACLES.

MR. Hume's celebrated objection to miracles.

If the necessity of some interposition by heaven, in order
to recal mankind from the monstrous errors of idolatry, io
make known to them the perfect law of their duty, and to
enforce it by adequate sanctions, is so evident, as has been
shown in the preceding reflections, this necessity affords a
presumption in favour of revelation. And if any revelation
be admitted to be either necessary or probable, no doubt can
be entertained of the superior claims of Christianity above
every pretence which has ever been set in opposition io it
This is admitted by its enemies themselves ; and must be
admitted by every candid and reflecting inquirer who con-
siders the purity of its doctrines, the spirituality of its wor-

12

90

sBip, the simplicity and excellence of the principle which it
lays at the foundation of its moral system,* its tendency to
universal happiness, the grandeur of the prospects which it
opens into the eternal world, and the sublime conceptions
which it every where imparts of the divine nature.

But the truth of Christianity does not rest on the absolute
perfection o^ lis doctrines, of which the frailty of human rea^
son is very incompetent to judge ; nor on our conclusions
concerning what ought reasonably to be expected of the in-
finite benignity and goodness of our heavenly Father, in be-
half of his erring and miserable creatures: conclusions in
which we often depart widely from the actual rule of the di-
vine government ; but it rests on such evidences as every
man of a sound mind who honestly applies his understand-
ing to the subject, is capable to judge of; evidences which
propose themselves directly to the senses, or arise out of the
known and immutable laws of human nature.

Accordingly they may be arranged under two heads : the
positive and direct, which are addressed immediately to the
senses ; and the collateral, or presumptive, which arise out
of a just consideration of the laws of human nature relative-
ly to this subject. Of the former kind are miracles and the
fulfihnent of prophecy. Of the latter, are those conclusions

* The love of God and the love of man.

91

which are justly drawn from the excellence and peculiarity
of character of the author of Christianity, from the humility
of the instruments employed to promulgate the gospel to man-
kind, compared with the sublimity and perfection of the
doctrines which they preached ; from its rapid and exten-
sive progress, and the important moral changes which it has
produced in the world ; and from many other similar facts
which cannot be satisfactorily accounted for on the ordinary
principles of human nature, or of human action ; and which,
therefore, imply a divine agency and direction. The for-
mer, when fairly attended to, do, in each particular case,
carry with them entire conviction of the immediate interposi-
tion of God ; for none but God can operate a miracle, or foretell
with minute accuracy, future and distant events. The latter
though, singly taken, they do not aitiount to absolute proof,
yet collectively, produce the highest degree of probability.

By certain writers every pretence to miracles becomes im-
mediately suspected, and is deemed a sufficient reason for
not ei)' "ing farther into an examination of the evidences of
revelation. This is, in effect, declaring it to be impossible
for God to communicate himself by any revelation of his
will to mankind. For if he ever deigns to make such' com-
munication, it can only be made immediately by himself, or
by inspired men, who speak as the organs of his Holy Spi-
rit. If it be made immediately by himself, either by means
of a divine voice from heaven, or by any supernatural im»

92,

presBion on the senses, such a revelation must be itself one
of the greatest of miracles. If holy men speak as they are
inspired by the Holy Ghost, can their testimony be received
with a rational faith, unless it be accompanied by such works,
or such clear predictions of future events, above the power,
and beyond the foresight of man, as will demonstrate that it
is God who speaks by them ? In no other way can a divine
mission be authenticated. I repeat it then, if it is reasona-
ble to expect a revelation from God in any circumstances of
the world ; if a revelation is not impossible, or in the
highest degree, improbable; miracles are not only not in-
credible, but necessary. No revelation can found any just
claim to the belief of mankind, on any other ground in the
first instance, than such supernatural and miraculous opera-
tions as the power of God only can effect ; or such clear
predictions, as none but an omniscient spirit, who foresees
the end from the beginning, and has laid the whole train of
causes and events in the universe, could impart to the hu-
man mind. If then, the christian system contains a real
communication to mankind from the infinite fountain of truth,
it must have been announced under the seal of great and nu-
merous miracles, for prophecy itself is a species of miracle.
On the other hand, if we possess satisfactory evidence that
such miracles were wrought at the promulgation of the gos-
pel, we ought to entertain no doubt of its being the word of
God ; since it comes to as vouched by the seal of God. For
what is a miracle ? A proper understanding of this term

93

should lie iit the foundation of our present inquiry. It is
such an inversion, or suspension of the ordinary laws of na-
ture as can be reasonably ascribed only to bim by whom
those laws were originally ordained. And whenever he con-
descends to work a miracle, the operation of his almighty
power must be regarded, by every rational mind, as the
sanction and seal of truth.

In exhibifing the direct and positive evidence of christi-
anity, I shall, in the first plac454*'eat of the evidence of mi-
racles ; and afterwards of that derived from prophecy.

To the apostles, the miracles of our blessed Lord were
immediate objects of sense : to us, they come through the
medium of human testimony ; but testimony of such a kind,
and confirmed by so many, and such extraordinary circum-
stances accompanying, or following the miracles themselves,
and dependent upon them, that no facts, perhaps, in the his-
tory of the world have ever descended to posterity vouched
by such a weight of moral evidence. They arc attested by
numerous witnesses of the soundest judgment, and the most
unsuspected integrity : by men whose writings evidently de-
monstrate that they were at the greatest distance from that
weakness of mind on the one hand, which would render them
liable to be deceived themselves ; and, on the other, from
that ardent enthusiasm, or that knavery of character, which
would incline them to pass a deception upon others for th^

94

«ake of obtaining credit to their own visions : by men who
without any motives of interest or of honour, and even in
the certain prospect of disgrace and poverty, of arduous and
incessant labours, of continual dangers and persecutions,
and at length of death itself in the most formidable shapes,
devoted themselves to announce this miraculous history to
the v.orld : by men, I add, whose original prepossessions
were all opposed to the character which their Master assum-
ed, and the doctrines which he taught, and who, after a long
time, yielded those prejudices only to the force of convic-
tion operated by repeated miracles ; and, finally, by men
who, in ihe end, conquered the world, and overturned afl
its ancient ideas, manners, institutions, all the pride of
its philosophy, and all the self-sufficiency of human rea-
son, by the power with which they themselves were en-
dued of operating miracles similar to those which had
subdued their own assent. These facts, afford, it seems to
me, the strongest confirmation of the miraculous history of
the gospel, and of the wisdom, the integrity, and credibili-
ty of those holy and chosen witnesses by whom God has
been pleased to convey it down to us.

But we are met at our very entrance upon this subject
with a formidable objection, which it is necessary in the first
place to remove, before the most credible testimony in
favour of the reality of the miracles of our Saviour, will be
admitted by those who have undertaken to deny the authori-

95

ty of revelutiou. The objection may be considered in a
speculative, and in a practical view. In the former, the sum
of it is : that the plans of infinite wisdom are immutable ; for
otherwise, they would not be perfect. God himself, there-
fore, cannot change the order of nature, still less can he allow
a feeble mortal, for any purposes whatever, to change it, in-
asmuch as it has been established by his own most perfect
wisdom. I answer, that the plans of divine intelligence must
be immutable, as long as the reasons on which they were
originally arranged remain the same. But if those reasons
are changed, may they not induce a proportionable change
in the order of providence ? Inasmuch then, as the existence
and the whole system of this world, bear a relation to the
moral state of man, if man has criminally changed his original
state, and although created in innocence, has fallen into sin,
although created immortal has become liable to death, can
we pronounce it unworthy the gooodness, or the wisdom of
God, to afford his creature, humbled and conscious of guilt,
the hope of mercy, and to confirm that precious hope by
such visible interpositions of divine power as leave the peni-
tent sinner no room to doubt but that it is God himself who
is the author of his consolation ?

The second view in which this objection has been present-
ed is less speculative. It is the celebrated argument ascribed
to the ingenuity of Mr. Hume, although, it is probable of
much earlier origin, and which has exercised the talents of

96

several able anJ judicious writers to refute its sophistry.-'^' I
tliinfc I shall weaken nothing of its force by the following
statement; All our knowledge of natural things we derive
solely from experience. And the only rational ground of
our belief of what has ever happened, or what can happen in
the world, is our own experience of the regular and constant
course ef nature. Men may impose upon us by false testi"
mony, or they may be deceived themselves ; but nature never
changes. Inasmuch then, as we have had no experience of
any miraculous changes in the order of the world, it is un-
reasonable to believe that any such have ever taken place,
'whatever may be the number, or the character of the wit-
nesses by whom tJiey have been attested. If the principle
of this objection is found to be false, the whole objection
must fall to the ground with it. If it will not hold in its ap-
plication universally to other subjects, it is contrary to all
just reasoning to admit its validity only against the miracles
of the gospel. Let lis then try its application in other
cases ; let us follow it to its ultimate consequences ; these
will be found suflScient to destroy it. It leads to atheism ;
acted upon in its full extent it would resist all improvements
in science ; it will be found, in opposing the moral to the
physical phenomena of nature, to refute itself. At least the

-^ Particularly Dr. Campbell in his treatise on miracles. Bishop Watson in his
tHird letter to Mr. Gibbon, having introduced the subject, appears to me to have?
'in a few sentences, effectually overturned the principle on which the whole objec-
tion rests.

9?

taoral phenomena will conclude as strongly in favour of the
miracles of the gospel as the physical, admitting the justness
of the principle, would seem to contradict them.

I return back on these ideas. And in the first place, it
leads to atheism. For, if our own experience is the sole
and exclusive ground of judging of whatever is credible in
the physical history of the world, it is unreasonable to be-
lieve that this globe ever had a beginning, or that it will ever
perish. It must always have existed, and must always con-
tinue to exist in the same state in which we now behold it.
There can be no future condition of existence for human na-
ture, no future judgment, no future retribution to the righ-
teous and the wicked. For each of these states implies a
condition of things, such as has never come under our ob-
servation, or been the subject of our experience. There
is, on this supposition, no foundation for religion. The or-
der of the world must be eternal, immutable, necessary ; and
can have no dependence on a creating and intelligent cause.
We must embrace the philosophical absurdity of an eternal
SHccession of mutable and perishing beings ; and are driven
to the impious alternative of believing that there is no God ;
or, that the universe itself is God.*

® This tenet of the Aristotelian philosophy has always beCS regarded^by ebrii-
*iati3 as only a modificatioa of atheism.

13

S8

These consequences are deduced so obviously from the
principle of Mr. Hume, that it is not a little surprising that
they have not been more frequently remarked. Scarcely,
indeed, have they been observed by any writer who has
fallen in my way, except the learned and ingenious Dr. Al-
lix, in his reflections on the books of the sacred scriptures,'^
Yet if they are fairly and legitimately drawn, they must be
decisive against the principle in the opinion of every pious
and virtuous man.

Another consequence of this doctrine, though not charge-
able with impiety like the former, equally demonstrates its ab-
surdity. It would arrest all great improvements in science.
When the effects of the electric or magnetic influence, for
example, were first discovered, how ought all philosophers,
according to this principle, to have treated the history of
their phenomena? Precisely as infidels have treated the
miraculous history of the gospel ; rejected it without exam-
ination, as absurd and impossible, because contrary to their
experience. Do you say, they have it their power to
repeat the experiments by which those new properties in
nature were originally discoverd. But if the principle
which we combat iiB just, what motive could a philosopher

* Tins work of Dr. Allix, a celebrated French refusee, was published in London
in the year 1688, which sufBciently demonstrates that the objection of Mr. Hume
to the miracles of the gospel is not novel ; but has only been set in a new light,
and urged with more plausibility by that ingenious wiiter.

99

have for repeating these experimentf?, since his own past ex-
perieuce of (he course of nature is (he sole ciilerion of what-
ever is credible. And whence should the greater portion
of mankind derive their knowledge who possess neither the
skill, nor the means requisite to make the necessary expeii-
ments, if thej are not to rely for the truth of new facts in
science, and facts the most remote from the analogy of their
own experience, upon the testimony of others? Must not
the progress rf science be arrested almost at its commence-
ment ?

Let us take another example in which no experiment can
possibly be applied to verify the testimony of the narrators
with regard to facts the most certain in nature. The inha-
bitants of a torrid climate never can have (he effects of frost
presented to their senses. Congelation is as great a myste-
ry to them, as any mystery or miracle of the christian reli-
gion. According to this favourite maxim of infide!ity, then,
they ought to refuse all credit to the fact : and the king" of
Siam acted according io the principles of sound wisdom 'ir
punishing the Dutch nayigator for insulting his understand-
ing by incredible stories, who assured him, that, in Holland,
water had became so hard during part of the year, that it bore
horses and carriages upon its surface. If testimony were,
under no circumstances, sufficient to vouch to us facts which
not only are not conformable, but which, in many instances,
are contrary, to all our past experience, science must be

100

circumscribed within a very narrow sphere. This conse^-
qiienre was certainly not adverted to by the ingenious author
who invented, or who gave its present form to the principle
against which we contend. It was aimed solely against the
miracles of the sacred scriptures. But when we are testing
the merit of a principle, if it is not found to hold universally,
or coextensively with the latitude of its terms, it cannot fur-
nish the ground of any certain conclusions. For, by what
rule shall we apply it only to the facts of religion, when it is
false in its application to the facts of science ? Miracles then,
as well as other extraordinary facts in nature, are suscepti-
ble of proof from testimony. The only subject of inquiry is,
the competence and integrity of the witnesses : the sound-
ness of their judgment, the accuracy of their observation,
the fidelity of their narration. In all these respects the dis-
ciples of our blessed Saviour, the witnesses of his miracles
will be found to possess a decided superiority over the wit-
nesses of any other facts recorded in historys Their wri-
tings demonstrate their wisdom ; their long intimacy with
their Master is sufficient to give us confidence in the accu-
racy of their observation ; their labours, their sacrifices,
their deaths, attest their sincerity, and the fidelity of theb
narration.*

I maintain, in the last place, that this celebrated argu-
ment, drawn from our experience of the uniformity of natute

* These topics will hereafter be more amply illustrated.

101

refutes itself. For, if the physical course of nature, oh
which the argument rests, is found to be stable and uniform,
the moral order of things appears to be not less steady and
regular. If the former of these facts opposes, upon Mr.
Hume's principle, our reception of the miraculous history of
the gospel; the latter, upon the same ground, forbids the re-
jection of that history, if, by rejecting it, we must contradict
all the moral phenomena of human nature. Admitting then,
what can hardly be denied by the bitterest enemies of Chris-
tianity, that the apostles and evangelists were men of the
soundest understandings,* and the most upright hearts, it is
contrary to all that we know of the motives of human con-
duct, that, for the sake of propagating a most improbable,
and to them, unprofitable imposture, they should voluntari-
ly submit to incessant toils and extreme sufferings ; they
should abandon all that is usually accounted most dear to the
human heart, and march with intrepidity through perpetual
persecutions to certain death inflicted in the most excruciat-
ing and dreadful forms. Their writings, which are always
rational in their doctrines, simple in their style, and calm and
judicious in their manner of address, exempt them from eve-
ry charge of enthusiasm ; yetj renouncing all the early pre-
judices of their nation, in which they had been educated

* The perfection of that system of piety and morals published by these humble
Mshermen, so far excelling the philosophy of their age, demonstrates that if they
were not inspired from above, they must have possessed a df^jree of wisdom and
•iliderstauding far surpassing whaterer antiquity has produced besides.

102

and all the hopes which they had originally conceived from
a royal and triumphant Messiah, which might have inflam-
ed the zeal of enthusiastic minds, do we not see them, for a
suffering Master, encounter every actual evil, and every
possible hazard ? If then, we should suppose, according to
the spirit of this objection, that the apostles, who expected
no recompense in this world, could have acted from any
other motive than a deep conviction of the miraculous pow-
er, and the divine mission of Jesus Christ, would we not
be involved in contradictions to the moral order of things ;
that is, to all the ordinary principles of conduct among men
which have ever occurred to our experience, not less won-
derful, and out of the course of nature, than were the mira-
cles themselves in the attestation of which these wise and pi-
ous men, the companions and witnesses of his life, made such
astonishing and almost incredible sacrifices ?

Thus does this so much vaunted objection against the mi-
racles of the gospel refute itself; inasmuch as, in its appli-
cation to the moral order of things, it contradicts the conclu-
sion which the enemies of religion have drawn from their
physical order. And this consequence t)ught to be ad-
mitted by those especially who have most earnestly urg-
ed this objection against the evangelic history, since,
according to their philosophic system, they subject the
natural and the moral world equally to the laws of neces-
sity. I repeat, then, that it is not by the nature of the works

103

ascribed to Christ as being conformable, or contrary to our
experience, but by the character and competence of the wit-
nesses, together wilh all (he preparatory and attending cir-
cumstances of these miracles, and their consequences upon
the world, that the question of their truth is to be decided.

THE CREDIBILITY OF THE WITNESSES OF THE MIR.tCLES
AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

Let US then enter a liltle more particularly into the char-
acter of the witnesses of the gospel, the circumstances under
which its miraculous history was published to the world, and
has been transmitted to us, and the wonderful consequences
which followed its publication. A brief review of these to-
pics, while it will confirm ihe answer which has been given
to the objection of Mr. Hume, particularly in the last vie\;r
which we have taken of it, will serve, at the same time, to
strengthen our faith in the evangelic history, both by the
support which we will find it possesses in the clearest and
most unequivocal laws of moral evidence, and by the extra-
ordinary effects which have resulted from it, which plainly
required the power of a divine cause to produce them.

As it has been shewn that there is no insuperable objec-
tion, arising from the nature of miracles, against their exist-
ence, when alleged in favour of a divine revelation ; and
a? they have been demonstrated even to be necessary proof*

104

of a divine mission, if God should ever deign to reveal hk
will in anj extraordinary manner to the world, the credit of
the miracles which are said to have been wrought in confir-
mation of the gospel must depend primarily on the credibili-
ty of the witnesses who have attested them. And, when this
subject is fairly and candidly examined, not only will these
witnesses be found entided to the highest credit, but their
testimony will appear calculated almost irresistibly to com-
mand our assent ; with so many circumstances of authority
and certainty is it attended, which place it far before the
evidence by which any other facts in the compass of univer-
sal history have been vouched.

The witnesses of extraordinary facts ought to be men of
unblemished integrity, and of clear and penetrating discern-
ment ; unbiassed by any motives of interest which might be
liable to blind them to the truth, or to corrupt the purity of
their testimony. And certainly the apostles and evangelists
of 0ur blessed Lord have left us, in their writings, their dis-
courses, and their conduct, the most indubitable proofs of
the soundest understanding, of the sincerest piety, and the
most disinterested devotedness to the best interests of man-
kind, which would render it impossible, in a long course of
intimacy with their Master, to be deceived by any fictitious
demonstrations of a divine power, and should free them from
every suspicion of fabricating a history to impose upon the
world.

105

They were, indeed, plain, unlettered men, called froQi
3ome of the humblest occupations in life to follow Christ
and to be the heralds of his grace to mankind. But this cir-
cumstance, instead of detracting from their merit as 'wilness-
eiB of the miracles of our Lord, will, when rightly consider-
ed, give additional weight to their testimony. For, when
we take into view that admirable and profound wisdom, that
perfect moral code, and that pure and sublime theologyj,
which their writings contain, so far superior to what was to
be expected from their education and rank in life, and ex-
celling whatever has appeared on these subjects in the sys-
tems of the most venerated sages of the pagan world ; may
we not well ask, as the astonished fellow citizens of Jesus
did with respect to him, whence had these men this wisdom^
unless it were given them from above ? If we admit that this
wisdom was imparted to them immediately by God, it de-
cides the question of their divine mission. If we say it was
simply the effect of native genius, it decides their competen-
cy, in point of understanding and judgment, to be the wit-
nesses of the wonderful history of our Lord, and their per-
fect title to our fullest credit, as far as depends on accuracy
of observation, and the judicious discrimination of truth from
ull false pretences to miraculous powers.

But in the next place, their writings exhibit also the

strongest characters of sincerity and integrity. We discern

'"^ ihf^m no appearance of that art which is necessary t*

14

sovi^r the pretences of imposture, but an uodesigning Sins-«
plicity which speaks powerfully to the heart. Hardly ever
can impostors effectually conceal the faults of their own
character behind the disguises of hypocrisy. But in the
New-Testament, we discern only the purest precepts of mo-
rality, and the noblest sentiments of a genuine and rational
piety. If the apostles speak from their hearts, as there is
every appearance that they do, the purity of their doctrines,
as well as the simplicity of the manner in which they are
conveyed to us, are calculated to impress us with a deep con-
viction of their integrity and uprightness, not less than of
their wisdom.

Piety and sincerity have a language peculiar to them-
selves ; simple and unaffected, equally distant from the tor-
tuous art of imposture, and the extravagances of enthusiasm.
There is a naivete' which runs through the whole narration
of the evangelists, and bears all the impressions of truth, in-
finitely remote from the style of an artificial tale made up by
cunning and designing men.

This conviction will be greatly strengthened when we
lake into our view the circumstances under which the follow-
ers of our blessed Lord published the gospel, and its mira-
culous history to the world. Their disinterested labours, suf-
ferings, and sacrifices, demonstrate in the strongest manner
their sincerity, and their profound persuasion of the truth

X 107

and the importance of those holy doctrines which they
taught, and those astonishing facts which they published
to the universe. And the perfect sinceriiy and persuasion
of men, at once so pious and so wise, who were so capable
of discriminating reahty from pretence, and who had so
many opportunities of intimately observing the works whicii
they attest, afford to the candid and serious inquirer, the
most satisfactory grounds of belief.

Let us contemplate the disinterestedness and sufferings of
the first mini^rs of Christianity, and witnesses of the mira-
cles of our Saviour. They speak a powerful language to
the heart, and leave us no room to question the sincerity and
the perfect veracity of these faithful men. It is true that
men, impelled by a bold and ardent ambition, or inflamed by
the hope of fortune, or of glory, may sometimes endure wi(h
fortitude the greatest sufferings, or encounter with firmness
the most formidable dangers. But without the prospects cf
honour or emolument, and in the face of poverty and dis-
grace, of universal obloquy and hatred, of the fiercest perse-
cutions and the mo^ cruel deaths, voluntarily to undertake
to propagate a known and deliberate imposture, merely for
the glory of a Master who had already perished by an igno-
minious death, and from whom, of consequence, no farther
expectations could be entertained ; and, with a patience and
heroism worthy only of the highest virtue and the noblest
ends, to consent io be the ministers of falsehood, deceit and

30$

yillany, is contrary to all the known principles of human ac-
tion, and, in such men as (he apostles, is utterl^r incredible*
Jesus Christ profwised to his disciples no rewards in the exe-
cution of their arduous mission but such as should take place
in a future state of existence ; of which they cpuld have no
other^ assurance than his own miracles. If then they made
such astonishing sacrifices, as it is known they did make,
from no rational motive, with no prospect of recompense, it
was a solitary phenomenon, altogether inexplicable on any of
the ordinary principles of conduct among men. On the oth-
er hand, if they were governed by the hope of future and ce-
lestial rewards, their belief of which could rest only on their
perfect conviclion of the truth of the miracles and resurrec-
tion of the Saviour, what stronger evidence could we demand
of the reality of these facts ?

Their Master not only promised them no rewards, but
forewarned them that they should suffer in his cause every
evil that could be inflicted by the hatred, the malice, and the
power of men. And they were accordingly exposed to
«Tcry form of contumely, pain and death. They were load-
ed with chains, thrust into dungeons, lacerated with scourging,
crucified, sawn asunder, clothed with the skins of wild beasts
and exposed to be hunted by dogs, burnt at the stake, in-
vested with pitched shirts, to which when fire was applied,
they were used as torches in the night to light the barbaroag

U9

;sports of the popu]ace.*= These terrors were sufficient, one
would think, to shake the constancy of integrity itself ; but
certainly, more than sufficient to appal hypocrisy and false-
hood, or even the least doubtfulness of the cause in which Jj
they were embarked. But by no fear of suffering, nor by
any hope of reprieve could these good men be moved to re-
tract, or to mutilate or disguise, any part of the history of
a Master who was dearer to them than their own lives. If
they would only have denied the resurrection of Christ, they
could have delivered themselves out of the most cruel suf-
ferings, which were often such that we can hardly conceive
how human nature could support them. Yet their dying
breath, their last accents were still used to confirm their un-
wavering testimony. And among such numbers, not one
was found to falter. What can mark in the minds of men a
deeper conviction of truth ?

A consideration which gives no small additional weight
to the argument is, that all the original prejudices of their ed-
ucation, and of national pride and glory, were strongly op-

* A variety of passages in the epistles of the apostles, and in the history of their
acts by Saint Luke, gire us this representation of their extreme suflFerings, which
18 confirmed by almost all the Roman writers of that period who have come down
to us J particularly by Suetonius, Pliny, Juvenal, Martial, Epictetus, Marcus
Aurelius, and Tacitus. "Their sufferings at their execution, says Tacitus, were
aggravated by insult and mockery ; for some were disguised in the skius of wild
beasts, and worried to death by dogs ; some were crucified, and others were
wrapt in pitched shirts, and set on fire when the day was closed, that theymi^ht
nerve as lights to illunuQate the aiglit.*'

119

posed to the character in which their Master appeared, andf
to the doctrines which they were afterwards constrained to
preach. They, with the whole nation of Israel, expected

tin the Messiah a mighty temporal prince, invested with the
E'plendonrs of empire, who was to restore the kingdom of
Dra id, and extend its dominion over all the kingdoms of the
world, in which his followers and disciples were to arrive at
the highest honouis and distinctions. When, therefore, they
found all the pre-possessions, in which they had been nurs-
ed, and which had been cherished by their country for ages,
overthrown ; when Jesus informed them that his kingdom
was not of this world, a doctrine wJiich they could hardly
be made to understand, and thus disappointed all their most
flattering hopes ; when, instead of the magnificent prospects
which they Lad pictured to themselves, he set before them
only his own bumble fortunes, and his approaching death ;
only the persecutions to which they should be exposed in
preaching in the name of a despised Master ; what could
have continued to attach them to a cause so diflferent in ev»
ery respect from what they had conceived, and one appa-
rently so desperate, but the manifest proofs of divinity
which attended him, but those wonderful facts before their
eyes, which conquered their prejudices, and compelled their
conviction? They could not believe that he was to die till
they saw him expire ; they neither believed, nor understood
the resurrection of the dead till they saw him restored from
the tomb. Even then, it was long, through the astonisli-

Ill

mcnt of their minds, before they could give full credit 1«
tlieir own senses. They conversed with him, they touched
hiui, they thrust their hands into his wounded side. They
could yield such powerful prejudices, supported by all the
strongest passions of human nature, only to the most sensible
demonstrations. But when their conviction was once con-
quered by the illustrious displays of a divine power, and
nothing but the most illustrious displays of such a power
could have conquered it, in opposition to every interest and
every prejudice hitherto cherished by them with the great-
est fondness, then they, who had before been so reluctant, so
unbelieving, so timid in the cause of a suffering Master, were
ready to encounter every form of danger, of suffering, and of
death, in proclaiming the resurrection, and ihe miraculous
history of their Lord. Such a revolution in their ideas and
their conduct must have proceeded, as they declared it did,
only from the irresistible manifestations of 3. divine power
with which he contirmed his doctrine, and demonstrated his
title to a spiritual and heavenly kingdom.

It may be said that fortitude and patience in enduring suf-
ferings, is no certain proof of the truth of any system of prin-
ciples ; because an enthusiastic mind may be so wound up,
as to dare any danger, or to support any pain, in defence of
its favourite opinions. I confess that voluntary suffering in
any cause, is not an infallible test of truth, but it is a test of
sincerity. It demonstrates the full persuasioa of the soul of

112

ihe truth of the facts for which it suffers. This is all that i^
necessary to command our assent in the present case. The
disciples of our Lord have demonstrated, by this infallible
criterion, their full conviction of the reality of his resurrec-
tion, and of his miraculous operalioHS. These were objectis
of the senses in which they could not be mistaken. They
were men, as appears from their writings, of the soundest un-
derstandings, who could not, therefore, be imposed upon in
cases so palpable. No tincture of enthusiasm, which could
warp their imagination, appears in their conduct, or in that
history which they have left us of the life and actions of
Christ. Men as they were, of sound understandings and of
rational piety, a conviction in our minds of the sincerity of
their declarations is all that is necessary to gain for them full
credence to the miraculous facts which they relate. There
is a wide difference between dying in attestation of a fact;,
and to prove our adherence to an opinion. In our opinions
we may err, and an enthusiastic mind may maintain its er-
rors at the stake with no less ardour than it would adhere to
truth. But in facts, such as those related by the apostles
and disciples of our Lord, subjected as they were to the ex-
amination of all the senses, and for so long a time, it was im-
possible for men so judicious, so honest, and so faithful, to
be deceived. Their sincerity is all that we need to assure
us of the miracles contained in the evangelic history. And
their constant readiness to seal their testimony with their
blood affords the strongest proof that not the smallest doub;

113

mingled itself with their perfect knowledge and belief of the
resurrection, and of all Ihe miraculous works of their Saviour,
on which their faith of his divine mission, and of the doc-
trine of salvation which they proclaimed to the world, was
founded.

If the preceding reflections are just, the miracles of Christ
are coniirmed to us by an evidence which ought to command
our fullest assent. And if his miracles are established, the
divinity of his mission and of his gospel, follows as a neces-
sary consequence.*

Having then, in the first place, demonstrated this princi-
ple, that our experience cf the uniformity of nature does not
afford any solid objection against miracles performed in a
cause worthy of God ; we have seen, in the next place, that
if any supernatural event is capable of being confirmed by
human testimony, there can exist no reasonable doubt with
regard to the reality of the miracles of the gospel. And I
must again repeat, that no facts in the compass of universal
history have come down to us confirmed by such variety,
and such strength of evidence.

* Celsus, the most ingenious and perhaps the bitterest enemy of the christiam
among the philosophers of that age, does not pretend to deny the miracles ascrib-
td to Jesus Christ, but seems disposed to impute ihem to the powers of magic.
The science of modern times will never admit such a solution of niracttioMs pk»-
:iomena.

u

This conclusion will be strengthened when we proceed
to consider the rapid extension of the gospel over the most
enlightened nations of the world, who were, from their pride,
their prejudices, their learning, their civil and religious in-
stitutions, and from all their ideas and habits, most hostile
to the spirit of our holy religion. It will be farther confirm-
ed hereafter, when we proceed to explain the excellence of
the gospel itself, and to show bow worthy it is of the origia
which it claims, and how far superior its doctrines are to any
powers of invention which can reasonably be ascribed to
men, of the education and rank in life of Christ and the
apostles, supposing them not to be inspired, and illuminated
by a divine spirit.

THS RAPID EXTENSION OF THE GOSPEL AN INFALLIBLE
PROOF OF THE REALITY OF ITS MIRACLES.

The sudden and wide diffusion of the christian religion
throughout the principal nations of the world, although it is
usually placed among the collateral and presumptive eviden*
ces of the truth of the gospel history, may reasonably be
considered as furnishing a strong and direct proof of the re-
ality of the miracles of our Saviour, and of the miraculous
powers with which the apostles themselves were endued.
This astonishing, and, indeed, this unparalleled effect was
accomplished by publishing the miraculous history of Christ,
by a few fishermea of Judea, and by pretences, at least, to

the same miraculous powers imparted to tbem by their Mas-
ter. And can it reasonably be believed thaf (he story of
miracles performed in Judea, a remote and : espised corner
of the world, should have been received by the greatesi as
well as the most barbarous nalions, in the circunislances in
which it was received, and followed by the mighty conse-
quences which actually resulted from it, unless the heralds
who published it had been able to confirai their testimony
by the most palpable deriionstrations of a divine power ac-
companying their preaching ? On no other ground do I think
we can propose any rational solution of this great moral phe-
nomenon.

Let us then examine the greatness of the effect, and com-
pare it with the circumstances of the world at that period,
and with the apparent impotence of the instruments by
which it was produced, and, I doubt not, this conviction will
meet us with almost irresistible force.

We learn from the history of the acts of the apostles,
which contains, however, but a very brief and partial narra-
tion of their transactions, and from various intimations either
more direct or incidental, given in the epistles, especially of
Saint Paul, that the gospel had spread, within a very few
years after the death of the Saviour, to all the regions of the
known world, and in every country had made numerous con*
verts. This representation is confirmed by the Roman wri-

116

tcrs Trhen any occasion leads them to mention tbe numbers
of Christians in particular districts of the empire.* Tacitus,
speaking of the cruehies exercised by Nero upon the Chris-
tians, under the pretence of their having set fire to the city,
says, *' at first, those only were apprehended who confessed
themselves to be of that sect, but, through their means, a
vast multitude were afterwards discovered." This imperial
villany took place about the thirtieth year of tbe crucifixion ;
in which short period the gospel had extended from the ex-
tremities to the heart of the Roman empire, and a vast mul-
iitude of lis disciples were alreadj' found in the capital. —
About forty years posterior to this event, Pliny, writing to
the e/nperor Trajan for instiuctions in what manner to treat
the Christians, who had, in time past, been mercilessly drag-
ged before the tribunals, and cruelly puniahed, represents to
liim that so prevalent had Christianity become in his province,
which consisted of Pontus and Bithynia in the Lesser Asia,
that the superstitiont as he calls it, had seized not only the
cities, but the smaller towns, and the open country. The
temples, he adds, were for a time, almost deserted, the sa-
cred solemnities intermitted, and victims had nearly ceased

* It is tme that the early Roman writers do not make frequent or very particu-
lar mention of the affairs of the christians. For Christianity springing up in Ju-
dea, it was natural for foreigners to regard them as a sect of the Jews, on which
account their history, in its origin, would be little understood, and attract small
attention at Rome. But wherever their external circumstances are noticed by
Roman authors, they are found to correspond with the accounts given of them in
christian records.

117

being purchased.* Justin Martyr, who wrote only a few
years af(er Pliny, declares, " there is not a nation either of
Greek, or Barbarian, or any other name, even of those who
wander in tribes and live in tents, among whom prayers and
thanksgivings are not offered to the Father and Creator of
the universe in the name of the crucified Jesus.'* And
Tertullian, who flourished half a century later, after appeal-
ing to the rulers of the Rotuan empire for the diflusion of the
christian religion at that epoch throughout its immense ex-
tent, enumerates many nations beyond its limits, as the
Moors, the Getulians, the Sarmatians, the Dacians, the Ger-
mans, and the vScythians, who had become converts to the
truth. " And, saith he, although we are so great a multitude
that, in almost every city, we form the majority of the in-
habitants, we pass our time modestly and in silence." To
these nations St. Jerom adds the Indians, the Persians, the
Goths and the Egyptians. But, not to multiply quotations,
it is well known that, in less than three centuries, the whole
Roman world had become christian.

Having, in this cursory manner, presented to your view
the wide and rapid extension of the christian doctrine in the
first age, let us, in the next place, compare it with the feeble
instruments employed in this great work, and with the diffi-
tulties which they had to encounter, and, I persuade myself,

* C. Plin. Traj. imp. lib. 10. epist. 97.

118

ii will appear to you to be an effect altogefher ont of the or-
dinary Jaws, and beyond the ordinary powers of human na-
ture.

Our blessed Saviourj in order more clearly to demonstrate
his own immediate agency, and almigh'y power, in ihe hpir-
ituai conqueists achieved by the doctrines of the cross, as well
as to manifest his infinite grace in proclaiming the glad tid'
ings of salvation to the poor, chose for the instruments of so
gueat a work twelve humble fishermen. Circumscribed by
their occupation in the sphere of their ideas, little acquainted
with human nature, ignorant of the arts and manners of culti-
vated society, and destitute of the learning and talents neces-
sary to command the attention and respect of mankind, in an
age so polished and enlightened as that in which they lived,
they seemed the most incompetent of all men to effect such
an Extraordinary revolution in the whole moral state of the
world. Exposed to contempt on account of their original
employment, this was not a little increased by the hatred in
which their country was held. For the Jews were regard-
ed with extreme aversion by the rest of mankind, chiefly for
the abhorrence which they manifested of the customs, reli-
gions, and gods of all other nations. And of all parts of Ju-
dea, the district of Galilee from which they sprung, and the
town of Nazareth esteemed the native place of their Master,
were viewed with the greatest disdain. A Galilean and a
Nazarcne were names of reproach even at Jerusalem. Yet,

119

with such feeble insfrnments, and in so short a period of
time, did the ascended Saviour, jus< after he had exhibited
before the view of mankind the most discouraging proofs of
his own assumed weakness in the death to which he submit-
tal, subdue the wor!d to the obedience of the gospel, over-
turn the altars and the temples of paganism, banish from their
shrines the idols with their priests, change the moral and re-
ligious systems of the universe ; in one word, overthrow, and
utterly eradicate from the hearts of men, whatever the revo-
Jution of ages had rendered most venerable and sacreJ ia
their esteem : whatever had been most firmly incorporated
with their interests and their pleasures, or most deeply in-
trenched among their prejudices. This astonishing revolu-
tion, which not all the wisdom of their sages, combined with
all the power of their princes, could have effected, was the
work of a few Galilean fishermen, aided only by one man of
eloquence and cultivated talents. And how was it effected!
By the most improbable of all means : preaching the mira-
culous history of a crucified man, together with the doctrines
of repentance and self-denial so revolting to the corrupted
tastes of human nature. May I not, then confidently de-
mand if the rapid extension of the religion of Christ under
the agency of such instruments, by the preachinc^ of such
doctrines, through countries so various and distant, and so
opposite in manners, in language, in political interests, in re-
ligious customs and ideas, and in all those distinctive pecu-
)iariti«« which divide aud alienate nations from one another.

120

does not contain, in the greatness and the extraordinary
nature of the effect, a demonstration of the reality of the
miracles by which it was accomplished ? Could obscure
and despised strangers have carried the triumphs of the
humble cross to the ends of the earth, and fixed the
hopes of the world on a dying Saviour, unless they had
borne in their hands the credentials of Heaven, and dis-
played to the senses, and the inmost convictions of mankind,
the seal of their heavenly mission in the constant operations
of a divine and omnipotent power attending their ministry?
Their success could not have flowed from their powers of
persuasion, nor the force of their reasonings ; for they were
not themselves masters of eloquence or of science. But if
they had been instructed in all the wisdom of the schools,
the sages of the pagan world had long since found that the
mass of mankind are incapable of entering into the specula-
tions of philosophy. By philosophic reasoning they had
never been able to do any thing effectual for the reformation
of the world. The apostles simply propounded the moral
maxims, and divine dogmas of their great Teacher, confirm-
ing them by the supernatural evidence of the works which
he enabled them to perform. Thus their doctrines rested
on the same proofs with those principles of natural religion,
which the Creator has inscribed with his own hand, and im-
pressed by his own power on the face of nature, I mean the
characters which it bears of his omnipotence. No other
even plausible account can be given of a phenomenon unpar-

121

alleled in the annals of the world. For, however reluctant
reason may be to admit miracles, no miracle was ever so
great as such a revolution would be, effected by twelve illit-
erate fishermen, without the immediate co-operation and
aids of the Holy Spirit*

If we consider the difficulties and the apparently insur-
mountable obstacles which opposed the success of the apos-
tles, they will furnish strong additional proofs that these hum-
ble ministers of the Redeemer must have been endued with
miraculous powers.

I will not repSat here those impediments which naturally
arose out of the obscurity of their own station ; the hatred or
contempt with which their nation was viewed ; and their ut-
ter destitution of all those talents of learning and eloquencel
which are calculated to command the respect and admiration
of the world. Under all these disadvantages, which were
more than sufficient to ruin the success of men who were not
inspired from Heaven, without patronage, without friends^
without respect for their personal attributes, or influence
from the character of their nation, were they obliged to pass
with the gospel in their hands into the remotest countries,
among unknown people, ever prone to receive strangers with
jealousy, or to look down upon them with contemptuous dis-
dain. In this case, their contempt of these poor and for-
eign 6shermen would be very greatly increased by their

bringing to them what, to their apprehension, would be onl^

16

122

a Eiiraculoiis story of a crucified man. And their indigsa-
lion would be raised to the highest pitch, when they fount^
themselves required, at the recital of such a story, to aban-
don their religion and their gods, all the principles of their
education and their habits of living ; and whatever the usage
of their ancestors, for so many ages, had rendered sacred to
them, and incorporated with their domestic manners, their
religious institutions, and their national customs.

What nation ever willingly changes its gods ? However
contemptible the idols of paganism appear to us, the vulgar
mind w hich seldom reasons, but usually takes all its impres-
sions from education, or from its natural sympathy with pub-
lic opinion, then regarded them with that reverence, and
embraced them with that full belief with which we always
see the ign3rant receive the traditionary fables of their coun-
try. Perhaps the objects of superstition, making their im-
pression in the tenderest period of life, and being therefore,
more perfectly mingled with the earliest habits of feeling,
take a deeper hold upon the minds of the common mass of
mankind, than the principles of a more pure and rational pi-
ety. But if the prejudices of the populace presented almost
insuperable difficulties to the apostles, (be interest of the ru-
lers presented others, perhaps, still more formidable. The
religion of all those nations was incorporated with the policy
of the state. Their magistrates were their priests. Its cer=
^^Qwnies were blended with ail the offices of the civil go

i23

vcrnment. So ihat the gospel was obliged to combat, at the
same time, with the blind superstition and furious bigotry of
the multitude, with the wealth and power of the temples,
and with the pride and jealousy of tyrannical rulers armed
with the sword, who were afraid of nothing so much as of
innovation. We may safely appeal to the common sense o£
mankind if obstacles like these must not have been utterly*
insuperable to such men as the apostles, going out to the
world solely in their own powers of reasoning and persuasion^
without the supernatural aid and the accompanying testimony
of the Holy Spirit of Truth.

The natural diflSculties of this great undertaking were al-
most incalculably increased by the fate of their Master,
whose miraculous history, whose life, death, and resur-
rection they were commanded to publish, and in whose name
(hey were commissioned to preach. Crucifixion was the
most ignominious punishment among the Romans, reserved
only for the most detested criminals. Nothing could shock
the ideas of such a people more than to elevate io the rank
of a divinity a crucified many the native of a remote, depen-
dent, and despised province, who had suffered like a male-
factor and slave for alleged crimes against the dominant state.
This circumstance alone was sufficient, according to the
common apprehensions of the world, to blast entirely their
hopes of success. Of the magnitude of this difficulty we
may frame some conception by putting an analogous case.

124

Suppose that a man of the lowest extraction, and the obscur"
est country of Europe, had, for imputed treasons, been sus*
pended on a gibbet, or hung in chains : and that his accom-
phces, ignorant men, without talents, and without character,
should presume to defj the government by declaring that he
was risen from the dead, and that they were come in his
name, and in contradiction to the civil authority, to over-
turn all the religious institutions, and all the objects of wor-
ship and veneration in the christian world, and such is the
light in which the disciples must have appeared to those
proud nations, and that polished age, with what reception
would they now meet ?

Combining together then, all these reflections, and com-»
puting the result, may I not confidently demand of all rea-
sonable and candid men, who will fairly estimate the magni-
tude and difficulty of (he work of converting a world in the
Bame of a crucified man, who will consider the weakness,
and unpromising character of the instruments by which it
was effected, and unite with both the astonishing rapidity of
their success, if the apostles must not have been aided by a
power infinitely superior to their own ? If they must not have
carried to the hearts and senses of their hearers the strong-
est conviction of the truth of the miracles of Jesus Christ?
and if they must not have supported the wonderful history
of their Master by miracles which they were themselves en-?
abled to perform : miracles of no doubtful aspect, but obTi-?

125

oils and palpable, capable of standing the most rigorous scru-
tiny of envy, of hatred, of interest, of every wounded pre-
judice, and of all the ingenuity which a learned and enlight-
ened age could bring to the investigation. Nothing less can
account for the vast and surprising effect which the simplici-
ty of the christian doctrine, and of the primitive ministers of
Christianity, has been seen to produce. As miracles appear
to be the only power which could have given such a (igpid
extension to the religion of Christ, in that enlightened and
inquisitive period, throughout such various, proud, and hos-
tile nations ; so the rapidity of its extension in the face of
infinite diflficulties, furnishes one of the most irresistible evi^
dences of the reality of the miracles.

In order to account for the rapid propagation of the chris-
tian religion without having recourse to the ass-stance of mira-
cles, some writers have supposed (hat the superior reason-
ablensss of the moral system of the gospel above that of any
of the popular institutions of paganism facilitated the success
of the apostles. For, with all their objections against the
mysteries of Christianity, they are obliged to acknowledge
the excellence of its moral code. On the other hand, I have
no hesitancy in pronouncing that merely the reasonableness
of a religion, or of any moral system, never procured it, in
the first instance, an easy and general reception among the
mass of mankind. If it has not been incorporated by educa-
tion with their earliest habits of thinking, it must claim their

126

obedience and belief on some higher authority than merely
the conclusions of their own reason, in which they can repose
iitlle confidence. Of this all the ancient legislators and re-
formers of nations were so deeply convinced, that, where
they had not visible and real miracles on which to establish
the public religion, or to found those civil institutions by
which they atteoipted to reduce a barbarous people to order,
the^ were obliged to have recourse to a pretended inter-
course with heaven. If reason alone were a competent in«
structor of the people, why had not the genuine principles
of natural religion a more extensive diffusion among the popu-
lace of Greece ? Why did the philosophers pronounce the
people incapable of reasoning T And why were not the doc-
trines of their schools able to extirpate idolatry, or even tc
throw a plausible and decent veil over its absurdities and inde^
cencies T If Christianity prevailed in the first age by the force
of its own reasonableness, why do we not see the same
effects produced by it since miracles have ceased ? Does it
not still possess the same superiority over the dismal idolatry
of Greenland, and the indecent rites of India, which it did
over the gay and licentious superstitions of Greece and Rome ?

Other writers have thought that they have found a reason
of this extraordinary phenomenon in the general discredit in-
to which the objects, and the rites of the pagan worship had
fallen in that age. Their auguries, their oracles, their shame-
ful and immoral deities, it is said, were despised^by their men

127

of learning, and had begun to be a subject of ridicule \o the
common people ; and Christianity only came in to occupy the
room which they had left vacant. A less happy conjecture^
perhaps, could hardly have been framed. Incredulity, sure-
ly, is not a favourable soil for the reception and growth of r,
new religion. On the contrary, when men, in the progress
of a sceptical philosophy, and of the dissolution of the public
morals, come to disbelieve, and hold in contempt the religion
in which Ifaey have been educated, they are then prone to
confound all religions, and, along with their country's godSj
to reject, even without examination, every new doctrine
which pretends to be derived from heaven.

There are authors who think they have made a shrewd
observation on human nature, and the liberal genius of ancient
manners, were they ascribe the easy introduction of chrisll-
ani(y into the Roman empire, to what has been, quaintly
enough, called the sociable spirit of paganism.

The Greeks and Romans believing in the existence o:
local deities who presided over particular districts and re-
gions of (he earth, easily granted to foreigners the privilege
•f introducing their country gods into Alhens and Rome,
and performing towards them their country's rites, because
it was icnagined they would not be pleased with any other.
It was never intended that these stranger gods should sup"
J>lant the native deities of Greece and Italy. It was never

123

conceived that ihe one could interfere with the other. ThiSr'
however, could not be the ground of any favour shown to
Christianity. Its worship was exclusive. It could make no
compromise with idolatry. The doctrine of Christ, where-
ever it came, soon overthrew all the altars and temples of pa-
ganism, and expelled from their shrines all the shameful ob-
jects of an impure and monstrous worship. This, which is
the natural genius, and the necessary tendency of the gospel.
far from opening the way for its reception in those idolatrous
nations, would at once arm against it all the power of the ma-
gistrates, all the interest of the priests, and all the fury of a
bigoted and deluded people.

The causes, therefore, which have been assembled with
so much pains in order to account, on natural principles, fo*:
the superior success of the apostles and first ministers ofchris'
tianity above its modern missionaries, are evidently not suffi-
cient to support the conclusions which have been attempted
to be built upon them. The true cause of their astonishing
Success is, that, while the missionaries can appeal only to the
testimony of history, and the reasonableness and excellence
of the doctrines which they preach, the apostles could appeal
also to their own miracles, to the heavenly powers with which
they were invested, and which spoke so strongly to the senses
of mankind. These are the weapons with which the disci-
ples of the Saviour subdued the earth to the dominion of the
feith. Although destitute of the advantages of science, and

It29

of fbat high and commanding eloquence which attracts the ad-
miration of the world. Although inferior in these respects
to the Nations among whom they travelled preaching Ihe gos-
pel ; and although they derived no influence from the splen*
dour or power of their country, yet every thing yielded be-
fore them. How far superior to them in every human advan-
tage are the present missionaries of our holy religion. Do they
not possess incomparably higher degrees of science than the
people to whom they are sent ? And do they not go under
the patronage of nations regarded in those distant countries
with the greatest veneration for their vast ascendancy over
the rest of mankind in arts, and in arms ? But they ar^ com-
paratively unsuccessful, because they do not carry with
them, like the apostles, the ensigns of heaven, that is, the de-*
monsiralion of the Spirit in his miraculous power.^

Experience then, and reason, both concur to demonstrate
that, without the co-operation of miracles, the christian doc-
trine could not have made such rapid and extensive progress,
as we have seen it do, through nations so various, so distant,
and so opposite in their characters : and this astonishing
progress, as has been before asserted, affords a strong con-
firmation of the reality of the miracles on which Christ found-
ed his claim to be acknowledged as the Son of God, and the

* 1 Cor. ji. 4, 5. For my speech and my preachiog was not with enticing wordfl
f man*s wisdom, but in demonstralion of the Spirit and of power. Thai your faith
nuld not. stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

17

150

tposlles to be received as messengers from heaven. Believe
jne, saith the Saviour, /or the works'* sake. Many of the
most wise and judicious men esfeem the argument drawn
from this fact absolutely decisive of the question concerning
the truth of Christianity ; and the inust incredulous must con-
fess that it creaies a very powerful presumption in favour of
the gospel history.

The writers, who suppose that the progress of Christianity
in the first age may be accounted for from natural causes
alone, affect to compare it with the rapid extension of the
Mahometan imposture. But if we enter into a fair and caii-
did comparison of the two cases, the apparent parellelism be-
tween them will be found no longer to exist. We have al-
ready seen the mild and pacific means by which Christiani-
ty extended her gentle sway over the world. The estab-
lishment of Mahometanism was effected entirely by the pow-
er of the sword ; and its rapid extension and its furious
course is no more surprising than the conquests of Zenghis,
or of Timur, or than any of those sudden and violent revolu-
tions which have so often changed, the face of Asia, in dif-
ferent ages. The progress of Christianity has no parallel in
universal history ; that of the koran has, unfortunately, too
many examples. For it is as easy to carry a new religion
among an ignorant people on the point of the sword, as a
mw code of civil and pohticai legislation^

131

THE PRETENCE OP CREDULITY ALLEGED AGAINST THOBS

WHO E3IBRACED THE GOSPEL. EMBRACKD 8^

THE LEARNED AS WELL AS THE VDLGAR.

IMPOSTORS AMONG THE HEATHEN.

It is often alleged by those who are unfriendly to the
christian revelation, that the credulity of mankind, and their
love of the raarveUous, is suflScient to account for the pro"
gress of the gospel, and the general belief of its miraciea,
" The weakness of illiterate followers, they say, would gree-
dily swallow the pretended wonders of their Master. They
could easily riise the wonder-loving spirit of their hearera,
who would be ready, without inquiry, either to adroit their
own pretences to a miraculous power, or to believe the fa-
bled miracles of Christ." By a few such general sneers
they save themselves the trouble of examining the evidences
of the christian revelation, and cast off from theii' consciences
the irksome authority of the christian law.

It is true the ignorant in all countries are credulous ; and,
in consequence of this tendency of mind, they abound in
narrations of silly wonders. But is there, therefore, nothing
really wonderful in the providence of God over the world,
or in the dispensation of his mercy to mankind ? Certainly,
every candid reader will confess that Jhe miracles of the
gospel ought not to be compared with those ridiculous and
local prodigies recited in every district of every country by

132

the vulgar ; and which are evidently the effecf of siipersti*
tious weakness, or an enthusiastic fervour of mind. The wri-
tings of the evangelists and apostles exhibit no marks of that
imbecility in their mental powers which would render them
liable to be easily imposed upon by lying wonders, and false
appearances. If we do not admit that they were enlightened
by the Spirit of God, in which case no deception could be
suspected, the excellence of their moral system, the sublim-
ity of their theological doctrines, so superior to the philoso-
phy of their age, and the grandeur of the views which they
have opened on the universe, so far above whatever had been
before conceived by the human mind in any age, demon-
strate that they must have been men of the soundest judg-
ments, and the strongest intellectual faculties, on which no
fraud could have been practised, no attempted imposition
could have succeeded.

That they were not parties to any scheme of imposture,
their wisdom, their piety, their self-denials, their arduous la-
bours, their continual sufferings, and, finally, their painful,
various, and voluntary deaths in the cause of Christ, declare
with a conviction which, I think, must be irresistible to a
mind that considers the subject with fairness and im-
partiality.

I observe, in the next place, that their writings exhibit as
few characters of enthusiasm as of weakness. Their histor-

133

ical narrations are given wlfh a dignified simplicity, their mor-
al instructions, in a clear and judicious train of reasoning en-
forced with temperate warmth. We find in them none of
those wild fervours, and riduculous extravagancies which seem
inseparable from the spirit of enthusiasm. They exhibit all
the proofs, which writing and conduct can manifest, of the
most undesigning sincerity ; and speak of the most astonish-
ing displays of divine power in the miracles of their Master,
and their own, in a strain of calm and temperate narration
which surprises us not less than the actions themselves.
They speak like men who were not only witnesses of the
miracles of Jesus, but were conscious of the same powers in
themselves, and were familiar with the works of omnipo-
ience. Neither enthusiasm, then, which deceives itself, nor
imposture, which endeavours to deceive others, nor a weak
facility of believing without evidence, can justly be imputed
to the apostles. Can we then find a more satisfactory rea-
son of the universal belief of the miracles of the gospel in the
credulity of the world ?

The populace are prone to listen with a certain idle curi-
osity, and to circulate with eagerness among themselves
marvellous tales when they produce no other eflfect than
agitating, and giving play to their natural love of wonder.
But, when they are to affect any great interest ; when the
belief of them is conjoined with the sacrifice of their pas-
sions, their pleasures, their national customs, their honour.

134

or their forfiine, the case is entirely reversecl ; then they are
rereived Hith distrust, and scrutinized with rigour. If, in
dark and ignorant ages, (he people are disposed to listen to
fable^ which seem to spring out of the genius of their reli-
gion, and are intended only to stien^^then their favourite su-
perstition, they wo(»ld not surely lend the same easy faith
to prodi;i;ies, real or pretended, which should be alleged
only to overti-irn whatever was held toost sacred a nong them.
Besides, wherever the gospel name, the native superstitions
of the people had pre-occupied their minds. All their cre-
dulity was aheady enlisted in opposition to the doctrine, the
history, and the miracles of Christ. And in proportion to
their ignorance, was the violence with which they were at-
tached to silly and incongruous fables, which were more
adapted to the grossness of their minds than the pure and
spiritual theology and morality of the gospel.

But, whatever declamations men may think proper to
make on the credulity of the vulgar, the belief ot the chris-
tian revelation was not confined to this class of society. It
early numbered aaiong its disciples magistrates, senators, ora-
tors, and philosophers of the highest distinction for learn-
ing and eloquence ; men who examined the claims of the
religion with the most painful diligence, and the most accurate
scrutiny ; men who reluctantly yielded the haughtiness of
office, the vanity of national superiority, the pride of talents
and of learning, to the force of truth, and the demonstrations

135

of a divine power accompanying Christ and his aposllct.
ISot to speak of Joseph of Arimathea, one of the sanhedrioa
of the Jews, on whose history some obscnrify rests, it is cer-
tain that Dionysius, a member of the celebrated Areopagus
of Athena, and Flavins Clemens, a senator of Rome, suffer-
ed martyrdom for Christ in the very fiist age. Arnoblns,
an early historian of the church, assures us that men of the
finest talents and the greatest learning, orators, grammarians,
rhetoricians, lawyers, physicians, philosophers, abandoning
their former opinions, and the systems to which they had
been attached by education, and the habits of a philosophical
life, now reposed their minds only on the truth of the gospel.
The writings, and even the names of great numbers of men
of letters have not come down to us. A few only, out of
multitudes, who, we are assured, were no way inferior to
them, and not inferior to the wisest men of the period in
which they lived, have survived to our age.* And if we
were to select a philosopher of that time, most distinguished
for the splendour of his talents, the acuteness of his genius,
and the vast extent of his erudition, it would be Origen, with

* It will bcsufficIpnttonaTTK^tb? two Dionvsii. one ^f «*hens, the other of Al-
exandria, Quadratus, Aristidrs, Atiieria^o.-if., Ch nifns, Anatnliiis, without men-
tioning thp crowd ol the fathers wlio, redeemrd om pnjani-m and 'he errois of
the heathen philosophy, einhr^.ced the doctrine of Chri?" vrith zeal, a the repose
and hope of their ?ouls Ha ino; the strongest motives to examine in o the fo:in-
dations of that new :ind di'.-ine :«hiln«'\ liv, thf ir neani^s- to the evn - pffo'-ded
In the sacred history afforded them the amplest means of ascertaiaing their troth.

i3S

whom none of the learned men of his time deserves to be
named as a rival.

Is it to be presumed, then, that men of their character, and
attainments in science, enjoying, as they did, the means of
the most minute and accurate inquiry, would receive on
slight evidence, or, indeed, would embrace, without the most
rigorous examination, a new religion which overturned, and
treated as folly all their ancient principles of philosophy ? Is
there a shadow of probability that such men would enlist
themselves as disciples, and champions of this religion, with-
out the most satisfactory evidence of the divine authority^
on which it rested, and the deepest convictiqn of its infinite
importance to mankind, when its first effect was to humble
the pride of human science, on which they had promised
themselves to build their glory ; when instead of being the
proud teachers of a proud philosophy, it turned them back
to be the self-denied pupils of unlearned Jews, and a cruci-
fied Saviour ; and above all, when it exposed them to such
extreme sufferings as no partial conviction, no doubtful faith,
and no hasty and immature opinions, could ever have ena-
bled them to endure ? Not credulity, surely, but conviction
established upon the most solid basis could have sustained
them under the operation of those severe and fiery teats
of their faith to which it was constantly subjected. That I
may place this point in as strong a light as possible, let me

137

quote here a passage from the pious and elegant Addison, in
which it is presented to iis with equal force ot thouglil and
beauty of expression : " I cannot help regarding as a stand-
ing miracle, says he, that amazing, and supernatural cour-
age, or patience, shown by innumerable multitudes of mar-
tyrs in those slow and painful torments that were inflicted on
them. I cannot conceive a man placed in the burning chair
at Lyons, amid the insults and mockeries of a crowded am-
ph. theatre, and still keeping his seat ; or stretched upon a
grate of iron over coals of fire, and breathing out his soul
among the exquisite sufFerings of such a tedions execution,
rather than renounce his religion, or blaspheme his Saviour.
Such trials seem to me above the strength of human nature,
and able to overbear duty, reason, faith, conviction, nay,
and the most absolute certainty of a futu e state. Humani'
ty, unassisted in an extraordinary manner, must have shaken
oflf the present pressure, and delivered itself out of such a
dreadful distress by any means which could have been sug-
gested to it. We can easily imagine that many persons, in
so good a cause might have laid down their lives at the gi6-
bet, the stake, or the block : but, to expire leisurely among
the most exquisite tortures, when they might come out of
them even by a mental reservation, or a hypocrisy which
was not without the possibility of being followed by repen-
tance and forgiveness, has something in it so far beyond the
Xbrce and natural strength of mortals, that one cannot but

18

liiink there was some miraculous power to support the sut*
ferer." Although we should not think with Mr. Addison,
thai any divine aid which might be strictly called miraculous,
was communicated to these pious sufferers, yet must we ad-
mit that nothing short of the clearest and strongest convic-
tion of the truth of the gospel and its miracles ; nothing but
the firmest per&uasion that Christ alone had the words of
eternal life^ could have induced them to expose themselves
to such dangers, or supported them in enduring sach excru-
ciating torments. Is it possible that philosophic men, what-
ever may be supposed of the vulgar class of martyrs, could
bave voluntarily gone to death surrounded with so many ter-
rors, if iheir minds had not been encouraged, animated, and
supported by the most complete conviction, founded on the
strongest and most rational evidence, that the doctrines
which they had embraced, and the miracles which they be-
held, were the wisdom of God, and the power of God f
The least doubtfulness, the smallest apprehension that they
bad not thoroughly examined the proofs of that holy religion,
to which they were about to offer up their lives amidst such
a complication of horrors, must have shaken the constancy
of their souls. But, when we see that no dangers can move
them, and that, in the midst of their sufferings, they preserve
their serenity and firmness unaltered, except when it rises to
exultation and triumph, such matchless and divine heroism
can, surely, never be the result of a weak credulity. Jb

id9

wch tremendous conflicts, integrity and fruth alone can Btis-
tain the heart.

One important consideration in the change of those learn
€d men, who embraced chrislianilj in the primitive age, de-
serves to be particularly remarked : they declare that ii wai
Hot merely the purity and perfection of the christian faith,
which originally produced Iheir conversion from pazai ism
and philosophy, but the miracles which they saw pertonued
by the apostles and apostolic men, which carried with them
Unequivocal deraonstration3 of a divine power attending their
doctrine, and without which they would probably never have
turned their minds to an examination of its excellence.

Some writers have unaccountably pretended that the tes-
timony of the christian fathers to the miracles of the gospel
ought not to be regiirdcd as possessing an>' weight in the
scale of evidence by which we estimate its truth, because it
is the testimony of friends in favour of their own system*
But what made them christians ? What created their attach-
ment to the christian doctrine ? Was it not the miracles
they beheld? They were before ignorant of its true nature;
they were hostile to its spirit, to the name of its Author, and
to his nation. But they sacrificed their prejudices, but they
became disciples of a religion they had hated and despised,
and for the profession of it they exposed themselves to the

140

Most terrible deaths. Their conversion, then, is precise!/
that which gives the greatest force to their tesliaiony.

To support the objection against the reality of miracles,
which is founded on the credulity of mankind, we are re-
ferred to various impostures which, at different periods, have
obtained a temporary credit and success in the world. On
a few of those which have been most con6dently opposed to
the miirhttf works performed by our Saviour and his apos-
tles, J shall, after offering to your consideration two prelimi-
nary reii.arJLS, make several observations with the view of
discriminating them from the real operations of a divine pow-
er. The first remark which I offer is, that, if pretences to
a peculiar intercourse with Heaven have been atlempted to
be maintained by the additional pretence to miraculous pow-
ers, it is, at least, a proof of the general persuasion of man-
kind, that miracles form the proper evidence of a divine
mission. If, therefore, a real messenger from Heaven should
ever appear in the world, it is a most natural and reasonable
expertutiun that he should be invested with an extraordina-
ry control over the cornmon operations of nature as the seal
of his prophetic character. But because there have been
religious iuspostors, are theie, therefore, no true prophets ?
Because there are empirics in every liberal profession, are
there no certain principles of science? This can be the
conclusion only of ignorance or prejudice. Empiricism io

141

religion, or in art, should not make us deny the existence of
truth in both, but only render us more careful and scrupu-
lous in examining the pretensions of those who come to us an
instructors in either.

I remark, in the next place, that, between the miracles
of the holy scriptures, and those mysterious incantations,
and ambiguous wonders, performed by the priests, and ma-
gicians of paganism, which certain writers have affected to
bring into competition with them, there are strong and mark-
ed distinctions which ought to be particularly observed, and
which are sufficient to demonstrate the one to be from Heav-
en, the other to be only the spurious growth of human arti-
fice and corruption.

These pretended prodigies were commonly exhibited io
some sequestered place where the operators had the oppor-
tunity of preparing whatever means of deception were neces-
sary for imposing on the senses. Often they were exhibited
in the recesses of their temples in the midst of glooms ren-
dered awful by superstition, and of fearful images presented
to an imagination aheady almost crazed by terror, which de-
prived the miserable subject of their art of all power of
judging rationally of the scenes before him. Nothing was
done openly and in public, and exposed to the fair and dis-
passionate examination of the senies of all men. Their pro-

142

digics were works of darkness, secluded from the observa-
tion of llie world, performed only on rare occasions, and af-
ter much artful preparation.* The miracles of our blessed
Saviour, on the other hand, were the ordinary and familiar
actions of hia Ufe. Nothing, as he says himself, was done
in secret. But all his wonderful works were performed on
such subjects as no slight of hand, no apparatus for deceiv-
ing the senses could reach : such as healing the sick, open-
ing the eyes of the blind, restoring the paralytic to (heir na-
tural powers, assuaging the winds and the waves, and rais-
ing the dead. Their wonders were employed lo amuse the
popular credulity, and to confirm among the ignorant an old
Buperstilion by the strange narrations which the dupes oJ the
imposture afterwards disseminated among the people. They
were followed by no other consequence. But the works of
Jesus Christ, by powerfully seizing on the human mind, have
been followed by the most important revolution which has
ever taken place in the moral world,

OF SUPPOSITITIOUS SUPERNATURAL POWERS.

The pretended powers which, in various countries, have
been exhibited by magicians, and sorcerers, and other men

* This was the case in several places in Greece, but particularly in the tera-
'pie and cave of Trophonius, An interesting account of somp of the scenes of im-
mature exhibited in that celebrated cavern of superstition will be found in the
travels of Anaeharsis the younger through Greeee, by the AbbS Barthelemy,

143

of ih&t class, have, by (he enemies of the christian revela^
tiuri, liinii) 8e( in oppusiiion to the miracles ot our Saviour^
a« JieiDg eiiiiiied to equal authority. By this arlifice, plac-
ing luipiwture and tnilh on the same ground, they endeav-
our lo weiken, and, at length, to desti oy the influence of
the lalierover ihe human mind. Tiie scriptures, ihey say,
pbce them on an equal footing, by ascribing the works of
borh to supernatural causes; or making both equally the ef-
fects of sojiie siecret art. If they are derived from supernat-
ural influence, by what criterion, let me ask, shall we distin-
guish the demoniacal from the divine ? A just subject of
regret it i^, that many christian writers have given too much
countenance to thi^ species of objection, by attributing to
demons, and malignant spirits, occasionally, certain mijacu-
lous puwers, and the prescient faculty of predicting future
events. In order to remove the foundation of this objection
in which unbelievers have triumphed, I would lay it down
as a maxim necessary, to the support of true religion, that
miracles are exclusively reserved to be the proofs of divine
revelation, and can never be performed by any but the best
of beings, and for the most wise, and beneficent ends. The
ascription of supernatural powers over the established order
of the universe, to infernal or demoniacal agents is equally
contrary to reason, to experience, and to the sacred scrip-
tures, which last, however, have been unhappily misinter-
preted to support thin daogeroua error.

144

This subject I have already treated in another work* to
which 1 beg leave to refer the reader who may think the
question worthy their further investigation. The decision of
our Saviour upon it appears to me definitive when he thus ap-
peals to the evidence of his own divine mission. — The works
which the Father hath given me to finish^ the same works
that I do bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent mc*
If I do not the works of my Fnther, believe me not.

The next source of the direct evidence for our holy rell»
gion is that derived from the fulfilment of prophecy. But,
as I have omitted a discussion concerning demoniacal pow-
ers, and the false miracles supposed to be drawn from that
principle, that I might avoid swelling this volume to too large
a size, I shall, for the same reason, omitting the extensive de-
tails which would naturally arise out of the accomphshment
of all the predictions of the sacred scriptures, confine my-
self only to two subjects, the destruction of the Jewish na-
tion, — and the appearance and character of the Messiah^ the
predictions concerning which are so astonishing, and their ac-
complishment so particular and complete, that they may
reasonably be esteemed in the room of all for producing en-
tire conviction in the inquisitive, candid, and pious mind.

* Lectures on the evidences of religion to the Senior Class in the College of
New-Jersey.

145

Sufl[°er me, then, to direct the attention of the reader, in
the first place, to that most wonderful prediction concerning
the fate and destinies of the nation of Israel, uttered by Mo-
ses, their divine legislator, near the close of his life.

THE PROPHECY OF MOSES CONCERNING THE FINAL DE-
STRUCTION OF THE JEWISH NATION.

At that period when the devout and pious mind often be-
comes prophetic, the illapse of the divine Spirit on him ap-
pears to have been unusually clear and strong. After pro-
posing to this people the highest motives to duty, and mul-
tiplying to them the most gracious promises of prosperity if
they should continue obedient to the laws which God had
given them by him, he carries his view far forward into fu-
ture ages, and, foreseeing the general defection of the nation
from the true spirit of their religion, he denounces the most
fearful judgments of heaven upon their disobedience and im-
piety. And then, tracing their destinies to the end of time,
he delineates them with such clearness and circumstantial ex-
actness, that, if we may judge of the future by the past for
mope than three thousand years, he seems to present a his-
tory rather than a prophecy. So terrible are these denun-
ciations that nothing but the strongest sense of duty, and the
most submissive obedience to the command of God, could
have extorted them from the legislator, and father of his peo^

pie : and so peculiar are these destines that nothing but that
19

14-6

bfinife prescience, which embraces all things, from the be-
ginning to the end, under one view, could have declared
them so many ages before they existed.

The prophecy to which I refer is contained in the twenty-
eighth and thirtieth chapters of the book of Deuteronomy*
I shall recite only such portions of it as are necessary to the
object of the present lecture, which is to point out the final
extinction of the civil government, and national existence of
the Jews ; the miseries which accompanied their political
death ; and their consequent, and confinued dispersion among
all the nations of the world. " The Lord shall bring a na-
tion against thee from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift
as the eagle that ilieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not
understand ; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not
regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young.^
And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high
and fenced walls come down wherein thou trustedst, through-
out all thy land. And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own
body, the flesh of thy sons, and of thy daughters in the siege^
and in the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall distress
thee ; so that the man who is tender among you, and very
delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward
the wife of his bosom, and toward the reninant of the chil-
dren that he shall leave ; so that he shall not give to any of

* &c. Gh. 23. V. 52,

ur

them of the flesli of his children which he shall eat ; because
he shall have nothing left him in the siege, and in the strait*
ness wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy
gates. The tender and delicate woman among you, who
Would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the
.ground for delicafeness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil
toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and
toward her daughter, and toward her young int\»nt, even to-
ward her children which she shall bear : for she shall eat
them for want of all things, secretly, in the siege and strait-
ness wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy
gates.* And it shall come to pass that ye shall be plucked
from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the
Lord shall scatter thee among all people from one end of
the earth, even to tlie otiier. And among these nations shalt
Ihou find no ease ; neither shall the sole of thy foot have
rest.f And it shall come to pass, when all these things are
come upon thee, the blessing, and the curse, which I have
Bet before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all
the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, and
shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice
according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy
children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul ; that
then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and hav«

* Ch. 28. V. 63. ^c. t Cb. 30. v. 1-3,

/

148

(Compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from
all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered
thee.'*

Every thing in this prophecy is astonishing ; and if we
seriously and attentively consider it in all its parts, it carries
with it irrefragable evidence of its having been dictated by
the omniscient Spirit of God. The miniiteGess and accu-
racy of the detail is hardly exceeded by the history of the
events. The events themselves are so singular and unex-
ampled, that a pretended prophet, vending only probable
conjectures, or ambiguous oracles, for prophecy, never
would have conceived, or ventured to utter them. And if
he had been so bold, there are infinite chances against one
that words thrown out in random gii^sses should never coin-
cide with the current of future history. That a nation, in
a course of time, should degenerate from her primitive man-
ners, and, at length, be subjugated by some powerful con-
queror, is an event so much in the order of nature, that it
requires no great portion of political sagacity to predict it
in general terms. But who could foresee at so great a dis-
tance, that the Jews would perish precisely in such a man-
ner; that their sieges would be so dreadful ; that the rem-
nant, who should escape the famine and the sword, should
be dispersed through all nations, where, renewing their num-
bers, they should still continue, a distinct people, and capa-
ble, on their repentance, of being again restored to a national

14«

and independent state in their own land ? This is surelj the
foresight of inspiration.

The people of Israel were under a peculiar providence.
While they continued obedient to the law of God given them
by Moses, they enjoyed distinguished temporal happiness
and prosperity. But their departures from the law of their
God, their idolatries, and their general defection to immoral-
ity and impiety were always punished with marked and severe
chastisements. And it was announced to them that, when
these temporary inflictions should fail to produce the feflfectual
correction and reformation of their manners, the judgments of
heaven should fall upon them with more dreadful severity;
that, after suffering all the most grievous calamities of war, the
miserable remnants of the sword should be exiled from their
desolated country, and scattered as vagabonds over the whole
earth, being subjected to every privation and indignity, till
the appointed period, for the expiation of their sins, should
bring them to repentance, and open the way for their resto-
ration to their own land.

Let us now see how literally these denunciations have been
verified ; especially, at two great epochas, the Babylonish
captivity ; and the destruction of Jerusalem, and dispersion
of the Jews, under the Roman emperor Vespasian. In the
siege which preceded both the one captivity, and the other,
this people suffered almost unheard of calamities. As their

150

privilesfes had been greater than those of other nations, their
iniquities seeru to have risen in the same proportion. Having
rejected with scorn the warnings of those divine messen-
gers sent to them by God, they appear to have been aban-
doned by \um to an infatuated mind, agitated l3y the most fe-
rocious passions. Their miseries, instead of hnn>bling their
pride, or cahning their madness, ren(iered Ihem only more fu-
rious ; and their enemies them elves, in the midst of fire and
•slaughter, sometimes loolied on theui with commiseration and
astonishment as a people marked out for the peculiar ven-
geance of heaven. And (he recital of their sufferings, parti-
cularly in the destruction of their city by the Romans,* which
geeras to have been chiefly in the view of their prophetic
legislator, is perhaps witliout a parallel in the history of hu-
man misery.

And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, continues the
prophecy, until thy high and fenced walls come down
wherein thou tnistedst, througliout all thy land. And it de-
serves to be remarked of the Jewish nation, more, perhaps,
than of any other, that their calamities have been the conse*

* The description of the conquering nation carries in it a striking application
to the Romans. The Lord xhall bring a nation against Oiee from afar, from the
END OF TH e EARTH, OS swift OS ail eugU tkatflieth ; a nation rvhose tongce thou shall
not' UNDERSTAND, &c. The language of Chaldea was not so unintellible to the
Hebrews as that of the Romans j nor was Babylon so distant from Jerusalem as
Rome.

151

qaencf^, not so much of unfortunate conflicts in the open field,
as of desj)eiale and disastrous sieges, in which, the greater
portion of the people, being shut up within their walls, suf-
fercil whatever famine and civil discord, inflamed by the
most furious and fanatical passions, not less than the sword of
the enemy, could inflict upon the most miserable of mankind.
The history of the miseries which they suffered in the re-
spective sieges is calculated to inspire us with horror, and
perfectly accords with the strong painting of the prophecy.
Passing over the destruction of their city, and the captivity
of their nation 1)y Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, I shall
only present you with a brief sketch of their last overthrow,
the most fearful scene of their calamities, in the famous siege
of Jerusalem by Titus, the son, and lieutenant of Vespasian.
The materials of this representation I draw entirely from
Josephus, himself a Jew, and cotemporary with the transac-
tions which he relates, who could have no motive to exagger-
ate the madness, and the atrocious passions of his own coun^-
try men.

In the various towns of Judea besieged and taken by
the Romans during this desolating and exterminating war,
theii furious and exasperated soldiers cut ofT the whole pop-
ulation without respecting either age or sex. They show-
ed themselves, in the words of Moses, to be a nation of a
fierce countenanre, rendered more ferocious by the fury with
which they were opposed, who regarded not the person of

152

the oldy nor showed favour to the young. But it was in the
siege of Jerusalem itself that the uieasure of the calamities of
the Jews became full Pressed from without by all the arts
of war, and cut off entirely from supplies of provisions, it was
difficult to say whether hunger, or the sword destroyed the
greater numbers. Their distresses were doubly aggravated
by their own internal dissentions. Divided into most violent
factions by ambitious or enthusiastic leaders, they often fill-
ed the streets of Jerusalem with mutual slaughter. Often
they only suspended their own conflicts for a short season to
run to their walls to resist the assaults of the common enemy ,
and returned from repulsing them to butcher one another.
It seemed as i^ heaven had smitten the murderers of the Sa-
viour of the world with a desperate phrenzy, and given them
up to the dominion of the most diabolical passions. In the
midst of all these horrors, famine presents us with a spectacle
still more horrible, when we see them, driven by the rage of
hunger, with cannibal appetite, to devour one another, and
the living feeding on those who had died of disease, or of
wounds. Even mothers, quenching all the sentiments of na-
ture, devoured their own children, and grudging to their
husbands, and their other children a share in this dreadful
repast, they endeavoured, after having satisfied the present
cravings of their own hunger, to conceal the remaining frag-
ments from the voracious rapacity of the rest of the family,
reserving them as a precious morsel against another time.
With what fearful accuracy has the prediction of Moses been

153

fulfilled ! " And thou slialt eat the fruit of thine own body,
the flesh of thy sons, and thy daughters, in the siege, and in
the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall distress Ihee ;
so that the man who is tender among you and very delicate,*'
his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife
of his bosom, and toward the remnant of the children that
he shall leave, so that he shall not give to any of tliem of
the flesh of his children which he shall eat. The tender
and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to
set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness, and
tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her
bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, and
toward her young infant, even toward her children that she
shall bear ; for she shall eat them for want of all things, se-
cretly, in the siege."

One example, out of many of the same kind, let me pro-
duce to show the frantic despair with which this devoted
people hastened their own destruction. After the storming
of Jerusalem, a wretched remnant of the citizens sought ref-
uge in the castle of Massada : but being pressed by the Ro-
mans, they, at the instigation of one of their leaders, first
murdered their wives and children : they then chose by lot

* That is, who has been most softly and luxuriously bred, and accustomed to
the choicest viands, he shall now be reduced to these wretched and horrible
meals. And even of these he shall grudge the smallest share to those who were
ince most dear to hitn, when the furious raj^e of hnnjer had not perverted all his
^ertions.

20

154

ten who should murder all the rest ; after which one of the
ten was chosen to murder the other nine ; who, when he had
executed this dreadful oflSce, slabbed himself. In this man-
ner perished nine hundred and sixty persons in this single
fortress.*' And, in the whole war there were destroyed by
the Romans, by famine, and by their own hands, upwards
of twelve hundred thousand persons, besides nearly one hun-
dred thousand who were taken prisoners and sold for slaves,^
Of these prisoners so little care was taken, that eleven thou-
sand was literally starved to death ; and, of the reraaindei-j
the greater portion were sent as slaves to Egypt, agreeably
to another part of the same prophecy : " And the Lord shall
bring thee into Egypt with ships^ and there ye shall be sold
to 3'our enemies for bond men, and band women ; and no
man shall buy you. "J In such numbers shall you be brought
to the market, that purchasers, at length, will no longer be
found.

* Jos. de. bell. Jud. lib. 7. cap. 8, 9.

f Accurately, according to Josephus, the dead were 1,240,490 ; and the prisoa-
ers 99,200.

X Ch. 28. V. 63. The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt nith ships. The people
cf Israel came out of Egypt by the isthmus of Suez, and the desert. And by that
route they usually travelled and traded to that country. But it was more conve-
nient for the Romans to put their numerous slaves on board the ships belonging tc
their fleet, or on board Pheniciau meichant vessel:?, to transport them into Egypt.
As this was a mode of communication rot practised in the time of Moses, and
commerce was in a great measure interdicted to the Israelites by their institutions^,
this circumstance renders this part of the propecy tlie more surprising, and worthy
c\ir attention .- that tkey should come, into Egypt in ihips.

155

So conformable was this disastrous termination of the
Jewish state, and destruction of the holy city, to the pre-
dictions both of Moses, and of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ : For, then, there shall be great tribulation, saith
Christ, " such as was not from the beginning of the world to
(his time, no nor ever shall be ; and except those days should
be shortened, there should no flesh be saved,"*

Let us pursue the prophecy farther : " And it shall come
to pass that ye shall be plucked from off the land whither
thou goest to possess it. And the Lord shall scatter thee
among all people, from one end of the earth even to the
other. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease,
neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest. Here is a new
series of wonders. That a nation should be conquered,
that it should be reduced to subjection, that it should be
wholly exterminated by some barbarous conqueror, would
Bot be so extraordinary ; because the history of the world
affords numerous examples of similar events. But, that a
whole people should be plucked from off their land, should
be dispersed in broken fragments through all the nations of
the world, and yet neither be blended with those nations,
iwr become extinct, is a catastrophe so singular, a state so
unprecedented, that a prophet who was not uttering a pre-

* Mat. xxu- 21 , 22. See the pradiction of our Saviour beautifully illuBtrated hp
fcisbop Porieas in his lecture upon this chapter.

lott

diction dictated by the divine Spirit, an historian who
should have been only hazarding a conjecture or a random
oracle, never would have thought of one which no fact in
history ever could have suggested, which no experience of
the revolutions of nations ever could have warranted. If, in
the infinite combinations of the operations of providence, an
oracle, in a long course of time, might accidentally hit upon
one corresponding event, is it within the compass of possi-
bility that either random conjecture, or the most sagacious
buman foresight, should be able to foretel, and accurately to
point out, such a united series of facts, continued down
through such a long succession of ages ? The man, who can
receive this as either probable or possible, must have a great
facility of believing indeed. Do we not, then, see the Jew-
ish nation plucked from off their own land ? Do we not see
them scattered among all people from one end of the earth
even unto the other .^ And is it not true that, among all these
nations they find no ease ; neither is there rest for the sole
of their foot ? Perpetually they have been persecuted, in-
sulted, pillaged, and refused all the common privileges of
citizenship. In every country we have seen them alter-
nately banished and recalled ; and recalled only to be pillag-
ed, or banished again. The whole history of that afflicted
people since their dispersion confirms the words of their
great prophet : that they should become an astonishment^
a proverb, and a byeword among all nations J'^' Thai their

^ Deut xxviii. 37.

157

plagues should he wonderful, even great j)?a^i/£.s' and of
long continuance.'^

A circumstance not a little singular, which has contribut-
ed more than all others both to their dispersion, and to the
injuries which they have suffered, is that, in almost all coun-
tries, thej have been denied the privilege of holding landed
property. This has induced a necessity, contrary to the
original habits of the nation, to turn their attention to com-
merce, and to the discount, and exchange of money in differ-
ent forms. Hence has resulted the further necessity of dis-
tributing them as traders, and brokers or bankers, into vari-
ous nations. Their wealth, accumulated by these means,
excited both the envy of the people, and the avarice of their
rulers, and pointed tliem out as an easy prey to violent and
arbitrary princes, whenever the public coffers were empty.
The extreme uncertainty of their state tempted them to de-
mand usurious interest in their contracts for money lending.
Hence the public hatred, in every country was inflamed
against them, and justified, in the public esteem, the rapaci-
ty and violence of the princes who oppressed them. A thou-
sand wicked and malicious tales were fabricated against
them. A thousand crimes were imputed to them ; and
they were often given up to the fanatical rage of the popu-
lace. Thus has their character been in a great measure for-
med by their state, and their persecutions have often sprung

* Deut. Y. 69,

158

out of iheir character. This, together with the barbarous su-
perstitions and the barbarous forms of civil government which,
for many ages disgraced Europe, completed their misery.

On a review of this history, may I not justly demand
r^^'ain, who could have foreseen national characteristics, and
situations so uncommon, so singular : circuaistances so vari-
ous and complicated, destined to take place in snch remote
ages, but the Spirit of God alone ? In order to evade the al-
most irresistible evidence of this conclusion, we have seen
infidel writers resort lo the ridiculous subterfuge of saying
(hat the verification of the prediction is (o be ascribed to the
christians who have ingeniously contrived to give authentici-
ty to their o.vn scriptures, by promoting the fulfilment of
their prophecies. But have not these prophecies been ful-
filled under the dominion of pagan and mahometan nations,
as well as of the christian ? If the allegation, however, were
well founded, whence could Moses have foreseen the exis-
tence of the christian religion, and the interest which the
christians, as a sect, would have in giving effect to his own
prophecy ? Whence could he have foreseen those commer-
cial, polilical, moral, and religious institutions, which, by
their influence on the character of the nations who should
embrace Christianity, would thus cruelly affect the condition
of the Jews ? Surely, if men were not blinded by their pre-
judices, they would see that the wonder here, is not in the
least diminished by this absurd suppositiono

159

With equal folly and ignorance it has been alleged that
this prediction was composed by Ezra, or some of his coun-
trymen, after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish
captivity ; that it has a relation solely to that event ; and
that hence alone we must account for the very circumsfan*
tial narration of several particulars during the siege, and the
exact dehneation of the consequent state of the action.

Men who undertake to write and pronounce upon the sub-
ject of religion, without the trouble of candidly inquiring in-
to its truth, seem to think themselves entitled to make, with-
out shame or compunction, the most extravagant and improb-
able assertions. This allegation is demonstrated to be utter-
ly impossible by reference only to the Samaritan copy of the
pentateuch.* This ancient book, which contains the whole

* Ten tribes of the people of Israel withdrew themselves from the govern-
ment of the house of Solomon under the reign of Rehoboam In their sepa-
ration they still professed to adhere to the law of Moses, which had been
common to the whole nation. The five books, therefore, which were written
by him, and which contained his wliole law, they preserved with no less veo-
cration than did the Jews. When tlie ten tribes were led into captivity by
the kings of Babylon, they were replaced by a new and mixed race called
Samaritans, from the name of their capital city Samaria. These people re-
Bidint; in the land of Israel, and mixing with the remnant of it^ former in-
habitants, still received the law of Moses as Uicir civil and reli ious code;
but admitted none of the writings of the Jewish prophets. Perpetual hatreds,
and a most hostile spirit, always existed between the revolted trib s first, and
afterwards the Samaritans, and the people of the Jews. Both nations pre-
served the law of Moses with the same sacredness. The langiiage is the same.
But the Jewish copy of the law is written in the Clialdee character, which
became familiar to the Jews during their captivity at Babylon ; the Samaritan
i? written in the old Hebrew, or Pheuician letter, which was comuion to ibt.

160

law of Moses, was continually read in the religions assem-
blies of that people, so hostile to the Jews, during a period
of four hundred jears anterior to the capture of Jerusalem
by the king of Babylon, and still longer before the age of
Ezra, and the copy of the scriptures collected by that emi-
nent scribe. Here, then, is a copy of the iMosaic Law, re-
tained in the hands of rivals and of enemies, which renders
it of the more unsuspected credit, that demonstrates the ex-
istence of the prophecy several centuries before the era of
the Babylonish captivity. But the prophecy contains the
evidence within itself that its principal reference is to the Ro-
man conquest, and to the state of the Jews since that period,
it is a miracle, then, continually presented to your eyes : it
is a prophecy every day fulfilling in your sight after a lapse
of more than three thousand years.

PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE MESSIAH.

No evidence for the truth of the Christian revelation, de-
rived from the predictions of the holy scriptures, appears to
me more clear and strong than that which results from that
stream of prophecy concerning a future Messiah ; which.

ahole nation before the captivity. This is that which is called the Samari-
♦aa pentateuch. And this old letter, in which the law is preserved by them,
is another proof of the antiquity of the Samaritan copy. It is doubtless the
letter which Moses himself used, and communicated to the people of Israel.
And the Jews changed it, in their copies of the law after the captivity, for
the Chaldee, only because the latter, by a long residence in Babylon, had
become more familiar to them.

161

eoramencing with the earliest pencils of time, terminates, at
length, in Jesus Christ. We trace it from Adam, in that
mystical promise, the seed of the woman shall bruise the set'
penVs heady down through the line of patriarchs and prophets
to the time o( Christ himself, in whom all the prophecies, and
types of the ancient dispensations have been completed, and
the expectations of the whole world fulfilled. For, it is a
circumstance particularly deserving your attention, that there
was no ci\ilized nation of antiquity, in which were not found
traditions concerning a divine personage who should appear
upon earth to teach men the true knowledge of God, their
duties, and their hopes, and to restore the reign of righteous-
ness and peace to the world afflicted with miseries and
crimes. This was a natural consequence of the piety and
prophetic character of the father of the race after the deluge.
Instructing his children, who were destined to be the found-
ers of the future nations of the world, in the principles of
piety and virtue, he would be especially solicitous to instil
into their minds this sublime and blessed hope, which was
given by God as the consolation of man in the depth of hi3
affliction after the fall. If the Mosaic history of the world
be true, if Adam, after his fall, received this consolatory
promise ; and if Noah were a good man, and a prophet ;*

*" From t^ie pious and prophetic character ascrihod to Noah in the sacrod writ*
ings, we ought to expect among his nsar descendants, the founderf; of the variow
nations of the world, many good men, well instructed in the principles of religion
3.S far as they were kaown to bim, aud io those traditionary jpredictious wbi<A

31

16 J

then ought we to expect to find this original prediction and
promise, wilh more or less clearness, among the traditions of
all the primitive nations of mankind ; and, finding it among
all nations, as we do, it may justly be considered as an abso-
lute verification of the account of Moses, and of the existence
of this prophecy from the beginning ; for we can hardly con-
ceive of any other mode in which it could have been so uni-
rersally diffused. It received further elucidation and exten-
sion, in the progress of time, by succeeding patriarchs and
prophets. The knowledge of it became more definite by
the dispersion of the Jewish nation, who carried their sacred
writings wrth them in all their wanderings. At length the
precise period, at which the Messiah should appear, became
fixed and settled in prophecy. And, at the moment that his
birth was announced, the world was waiting for the exeni
with anxious and universal expectation. The harmonious

had been imparted either to himself, or to antecedent patriarchs and prophets^
These, of course, would be transmitted to their posterity, and, for several gene-
rations, perhaps, in a considerable degree of purity. But, at length, becoming
corrupted, and blended wi-thraany fables, and having descended i^oiarfrom their
source that tlreir true origin was in a great measure forgotten, or in danger of be-
ing so, it is reasonable to beliei'ethat some good men, in different nations, in or-
der to prevent them from utterly falling into oblivion ; or some cunning and am-
bitious men, that they might themselves pa?s for prophets, or be acknowledged as
lawgivers divinely instructed, would commit them to writing, mixing with theiu
other matter connected with civil policy, or religion, and giving them a form ac-
cording to the genius and views of the authors. Hence, perhaps, the origin of the
sibylline verses, or oracles at Rome, and of other similar works to which a sacred
veneration was paid in various countries of antiquity. And hence the resemblance
of these traditions in many respects to one another, and to the sacred scriptures.
It is Dot improbable that these traditions might have afterwards received greater
clearness and precision from the sacred writings, which were dispersed, along witfe

163

aause of Virgil has presented to us the character of the cv
pected Prince and Saviour, drawn from tradition, and has ex-
hibited the general hope and solicitude of the nations for his
appearance at tftat time,* in an exquisite poem, and almost
in prophetic numbers. f " The last age, says he, is at lenjj^th
arrived, predicfed by the prophetess of Cumse. The mighty
order of ages begins to circle anew. Justice returns to the
earth, and (he happy reign of Saturn ; and from heaven de-
scends a new, and divine offspring. Soon shall the great
months begin to revolve ; and every vestige of our former
ctimes shall be effaced : thus shall the earth be redeemed
from (he distressing causes of perpetual fear. He shall par-

tVe people of Israel and Judea, after their respective captivities, tlircuc^h all the
nations of the East. To tfie lioly records tiie name of Daniel would naturally
give great authority, wlio, during many years, directed all the principal operations
of the vast empires of Babylon, and Persia, which extended over the greater part
of the Asiatic continent.

* T!ip time at which this great poet wrote was but a few years before the
birth of Christ.

f Ultima Cumaei venit jam carminis aetas;

Magnus abintegro seclorum na^citur ordo.

Jem redit et V^irgoj redeunt Saturnia regna; ^

Jam nova progenies ccelo dimittitur alto.

Incipient ma2;ni procedere menses,

Te duce, siqui maneut sceleris vestigia nostri,
Irrita perpetua solvent formidine terras.

Ille deum vitara accipiet,

Pacatumque reget patriis virtutibus orbera.
Aggredere O magnos, aderit jam tempus honoree,
Cara deQm soholes ! magnum Jovis incrementum !

The whole eclouge is well known to have been intended as a complimeiit
to PoUio'^ son, but it ig equally well known to be borrowed from a prevalent opin-
. on or tradition.

164

take of the life of gods. And he shall rule the peaceful world
with his Father's virtues. The time is now at hand. Enter
on thy mighty honours, dear offspring of the gods ! O son
of supreme Jove !'* What a resemblance do we perceive in
these strains of the Roman poet, to those of a Hebrew pro-
phet ! In the same spirit proceeds the whole of this admi-
rable poem, which might be esteemed an almost Jiteral trans-
lation of many of the most beautiful passages in the prophet
Isaiah. And it is, indeed, far from being improbable that
Virgil was acquainted with the prophetic scriptures, as they
had, long before this period, been translated into the polite
and universal language of the Greeks. Thus much, at least,
appears to be certain, that an acquaintance with the writings
of the Jews, seems to have excited, or renewed the attention
of mankind to this great event as being near at hand, a vague
expectation of which had been long nourished by the ancient
traditions of their respective countries. Suetonius and Taci-
tus, whose historical accuracy and judgment have placed
them in the very first rank of historians, both inform us, " that
there prevailed over the whole East, an ancient and fixed
opinion, that there should, at that time, arise a person out of
Judea, who should obtain the dominion of the world."* They

* Neither the Pagans, nor the great body even of the Jewish nation, could
easily form just conceptions of the nature of that spiritual kingdom which the
Son of God was coining to establish among men; they therefore interpreted
the figurative language in which it was described in their traditions, and pro-
phecies, and by their respective poets, of such temporal power, glory, and

165

say, indeed, that popular flallery, or credulity, applied these
traditionary oracles to the Roman emperor Vespasian, who
had been raised to the euipire by the eastern legions, about
the time that he engaged in the Jewish wars. But common
sense must convince every thinking man, that expectations so
universal, founded on predictions which had been transmit-
ted down through ages, always pointing to the same period,
and to a divine personage of the most sublime character, who
should appear upon earth for the destruction of vice, and the
establishment of righteousness, must have had a different ori-
gin from an accidental rumour generated, one knows not how,
and passing away with the events of the day ; and a very
different object from Vespasian, who had nothing to distin-
guish him from so many other soldiers of fortune who had
been raised from the ranks to the imperial purple.

Recent researches into the history and antiquities of most
of the eastern nations, and particularly of Persia, India, and
China, have proved that similar traditions, to those which
Virgil has shown us to have prevailed in the Roman empire,
have existed among them from immemorial time.

In these facts we have an extraordinary moral phenome-
non presented to our reflections, which carries in itself no

empire, as were adapted to the grossness of their imaginations. The imagery,
however, which they employed, ought to have led their minds to purer aod
sublimer views.

166

Stnail degree of evidence, that the traditions relative to a fu*
tyre divine teacher, and legislator to come info the wo: Id
were founded in original prophecj ; and that all the prophe-
cies of the holy scriptures relating to this object were actual
inspirations from Heaven, and had their full completion in our
Lord Jesus Christ. For before the birth of Christ all na-
tions had their traditions, and their predictions concerning
such a divine messenger as the scriptures have described,
and held out to the hopes of mankind, through all the line of
their patriarchs and prophets, from the beginning of the
world. These prophecies, and these traditions all pointed
nearly to the same country, and to the same period. Accord-
ingly at that period, and in that country, when expectation,
nursed by the belief of ages, was all alive, arose a man claim-
ing his birth from Heaven, who united in himself all the char-
acters ascribed in ancient prophecy to the future Messiah.
He has^ taught mankind the purest, and sublimest notions of
*God ; he has established among his disciples the most holy
and rational worship of the Supreme Being, instead of those
grovelling and corrupted superstitions which had before en-
slaved the greater portion of the world ; he has proclaimed
to the universe the most perfect law of morals ; he has
brought life and immortality to light, confirming it by his own
resurrection, after having submitted to death, as he declared,
for the sins of the world : and, certainly, his doctrines have
produced the greatest and happiest revolution which has
ever taken place in the moral ideas, and the manners of man-

167

kind. And, since his appearance, we see that those expec-
tations, which before were so ardent and so universal, have
every where ceased ; for, to believers, they have been com-
pletely realized, and, to all others, if Jesus Christ is not the
divine messenger and prince who was to come, there is no
longer any foundation on which they could be supported.
Here then is a mighfy stream of prophecy commencing with
the history of the world itself, and continued down through
sccessive ages tQ the era of Christ, which carries in its
commencement, its extent, its progress, and its termination,
shall 1 not say, infallible signatures of divine truth. Here
we behold an emanation of prophetic light darting its distant
rays upon this glorious object from the beginning of time.
At first, indeed, it appears faint and feeble like the dawn
when it begins to break upon the darkness of the night ; but,
as the sun of righteousness approaches to his rising, we see
it continually becoming more luminous and distinct. At
length, we behold this spiritual sun appearing in all his glory in
the heavens, and divine truth beaming in its full lustre on the
nations.

The holy prophets have not only announced a future Mes-
siah to the world, who should derive his birth immediately
from Heaven, but, in the progress of that illuminatirn which
gradually arose with increasing brightness upon the ancient
church, they were enabled at last to delineate his character,
as well as to foretel the time of his appearance upon the

168

earth, with such exactness, and with such dlsllnguishing
traits, as necessarilj to add great, not to saj invincible au-
thority to their predictions. It is not my design to trace out
the progressive stages of prophetic light, under the ancient
dispensations of grace, in the figurative promise given to
Adam ; in the symbolic and practical revelation made to
Abraham in the command to sacrifice his son on Mount Mo-
riah ; or in the analogy by which Moses instructed the
church of Israel : A prophet shall the Lord your God raise
up to you, like unto me ; him shall ye hear. These, and a
thousand other gradual developments of his character, and
offices, I shall pass over, to come at once to that ultimate de-
gree of illumination which God was pleased to afiford the an-
cient church, when the Mosaic dispensation was approaching
towards a close. Then we find, especially in the prophet
Isaiah, such striking delineations of the mediatorial character
of Christ, so extraordinary, and yet so accurate and just, as
must affect with mingled wonder and devotion, every reflect-
ing, and candid inquirer after truth. In the Messiah, as he
appears exhibited by the Spirit which animated the prophets,
are united such opposite extremes of grandeur and humility,
of omnipotence and weakness, of celestial perfection and hu-
man infirmity, as men, writing from the impulse merely of
their own minds, whether we suppose them inflamed with en-
thusiasm, or acting under the direction of the cold and calcu-
lating genius of imposture, would never have brought togeth-
er. A heavenly messenger sent on the most important er-

169

rand to mortala, a prince claiming his descent from Heaven
who was to extend the empire of peace, and rishteousnes*,
over the universe, to compose its disorders, and put an end
to its crimes, if the picture were drawn merely from the ima-
gination of the writer, would be invested only with those no-
ble and divine attributes which would become his relation to
God. It never would have entered into a reasonable mind,
judging on the common principles of human nature, to com-
bine with these celestial properties and powers, poverty and
weakness, insult and disgrace, humiliation and suffering.
But God, who was preparing, at once, an instructor and a
sacrifice, a king and a victim, for a fallen, and redeemed
race, and who, for this end, united in the same person the
most distant extremes of heavenly glory and of human infir-
mity, so overruled the miuds of the pr phets that they
have drawn a character which they themselves could not
comprehend, or explain ; which, left to themselves, they
never would have conceived, and which could be under-
stood only by the coming of the great Archetype himself.

Let us contemplate the various, and apparently contradic-
tory lights in which he is represented to us by the spirit of
prophecy. Unto us saith the prophet Isaiah, a child is
horn ; unto us a son is given ; and the government shall
be upon his shoulders ; and his name shall be called Won*
derftdy Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Fa-

ther, the Prince of Peace. And of the increase of his gov-

22

U9

eminent and peace there shall be no end.^^ And in othes
j)^r(s of that sublime and wonderful book, he is exhibited in
such circumstances of humiliation and affliction that it would
be difficult, without the guidance of that divine Spirit who
ins i red the prophet, to conceive how they should be appli-
ed to the same person. " He is despised," says he, " and
rejected of men ; a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief. Surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows: yei we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God,
and atfiicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions ;
he was bruised for our iniquities ; and the Lord hath laid up-
on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he
was afflicted : he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and,
as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not
his mouth. ' He was taken off by an oppressive judgment :'f
and who shall declare his generation ? It pleased the Lord
to bruise him : he hath put him to grief. When thou shalt
make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he
shall prolong his days ; and the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hands." J The actual coming of the Saviour
alone has been able to reconcile all these apparent prophetic
contradictions, and to vindicate the inspiration of the holy
prophets, fn his birth announced by angels, and his death
amon'^ malefactors ; in the miraculous and omnipotent pow-

* Isaiah ix. 6tb, 7th. f Bishop Lowtli'a translation, v. 8,

\ Isaiah liii. 3d~10th.

171

era by which he atfesfed his Heavenly miasion, and the
weakness which subjected him to the power of sinful men ;
in his yielding <o dealli in its most ignominious form, and his
resurrection and triumph over it; in his descent from Heav-
en to invest himself with the infirmities of human nature, and
again, in his ascension to his primitive glory which he had
with his Father before the world wa?, we see extremes
which God only could unite ; we behold a character wiiich
the Spirit of God alone could have suggested to the minds of
the prophets ; we discern the justitieation of the prop?;ets,
and their truth triumphantly confirmed : and, in the confir-
mation of their truth, we see the infallible verification of our
holy religion. For the Messiah, as he appears in the strains
of the prophets, and Jesus Christ, as he appears in the gos-
pel, are characters so entirely out of nature, so utterly be-
yond human conception and contrivance, that tie corres*
pondence of the prophecy to the history, and of the history,
to the prophecy, ought to be regarded as an irrefragable de-
monstration of the truth of both.

Having pointed out to you llie early prophecy of a Mes-
siah in the first promise made to man after his fall ; the grad-
ual and increasing light which was shed on this primary pre-
diction, in the progressive dispensations of divine provi-
dence ; the universal expectation which was entertained of
the appearance of such a divine personage upon earth, found-
•ed probably on an original revriation made to the father of

172

the race, and revived, and rendered more definite and clear
by Ihe dispersion of the Jewish nation, and the Jewish scrip-
tures, into the various regions of the East.

The patriarch Jacob, just before his death, taking, under
the influence of the Spirit of God, a prospective view of the
destinies of his respective chikhen, and their posterity, de-
livers to Judah, his oldest son, this remarkable prediction,
•with regard to the permanence cf his dominion, and the de-
scent of the Messiah from him. " The sceptre shall not de-
part from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his ieei, un-
til Shiloh come, and to him shall the gathering of the peo-
ple be.*

The most accurate and learned criticism applied to the
terms in this passage translated sceptre and lawgiver leaves
little room to doubt but that they imply the powers of civil
government in the Jewish nation. And the interpretation
universally given by the ancient Jewish church, and by the
whole nation of Israel, to the name o^ Shiloh, (for they con-
stantly interpreted it of the Messiah who was to come) is a
proof that our application of it to the ever blessed Saviour,

* Dcut. xxviii. 57th. The term Shiloh, according to the root from -R-hichit is
derived, may signify either the prepared, the sent, or Vie giver of peace, any or
all of which, evidently referring to the cbaracter and oflSce of the expected Mes-
siah Till his coming, the tribe of Judah should enjoy hereditary and sovereign
poNver within itself; tlje plirase/roTu bcttveenkis feet, being a modest Hebraism,
for a natural descendant of his family.

our Lord Jesus Christ, is not, according to the assertions, or
insiniiations of many infidels, merely a recent, and conveni-
ent adaptation of a dubious term by christian writers to the
purposes of their faith. No term has had a more precise,
and less doubtful signification given to it by the uniforQi voice
of all antiquity.

The import of this prediction, therefore, is, that the tribe
of Judah should preserve a national existence, and continue
to exercise the essential powers of civil government, till the
advent of that great deliverer expected from the beginning
of the world. This peculiar distinction of Judah, arising
from the possession and exercise of the powers of govern-
ment, seems indirectly to imply that this prerogative should
be lost by the other tribes before the coming of the Mes-
siah. And has not this prophecy, both in its direct, and its
implied meaning, been completely fulfilled ? All the tribes of
Israel except that of Judah had lost their national existence,
and even the distinction of their tribes, long before the birth
of Christ ; having been either blended with the tribe of Ju-
dah, or dispersed and lost among the various nations compo-
sing the Babylonian empire.^ Judah retained both the

* Some colonies of people possessing the law of Moses, and professing to gov-
ern themselves bj' its moral and religious rites and institutions, as far as their
present situation will permit, have been discovered in the interior of India, and
on tlie borders of China, who are evidently descendants of the ten trihes who
were carried away into captivity by the kings of Babylon, before the destruction
of Jerusalem in the reign of Zedekiah, and the captivity of the tribe of Judah.

174

gcepfre of execuf Ive power, and the prerogative of internret-
ing, and administering their own kw till Ihe advent ot the
Saviour. Christ was born in the reign of Herod, the last
prince who swayed the sceptre of Jiidah, and but a lew
years before the final extinction of the supreme judical, le-
gislative, and religious authority of the nation ; and even of
the nation itself as a distinct civil community. For, after
Herod, the government of the Jews was for a short tiuie di-
vided among several petty princes, who possessed only the
semblance of authority, under the supreme power of the Ro-
mans ; and, on the destruction of Jerusalem, which followed
in a few years, the miserable remnants of that people, whom
a foreign sword, and the most frightful civil discord, had
spared, were dispersed into all nations under heaven. And
in this state of dispersion they remain, the visible monuments
of the divine judgments, to this day.

Let me, then, express the spirit of this prophecy in the
following reflections. The typical church and kingdom of
the Messiah shall exist, till his advent, in the nation of Israel,
and particularly in the tribe of Judah ; in which tribe shall be
vested and continued, for this purpose, all the powers of go-

They possess none of the prophetic writings after the age of David. And their
copies of the pentateuch are plainly of the most remote antiquity ; as appears
from the kind of skins on which tliey arc written, and from the circumstance of
the letters, in many places, not being distinguishable, except by traces left in
the skins, which have been made by the corrosion of the liquid with which they
were originally traced.

ir5

Vernment both civil and religious. But when the Messiaib
sbali have couie, Uie reusuns, for which this people is chosen
by Goiljund.aepaiatecl as a church to himself from all the
Cihernatious of the earth, shall cease; and then shall termi-
nate their national, and typical existence. The spirilual em-
piiC of the Redeemer shall, after this period, embrace all na-
tions without distinction, or preference ; and to him sliLtll the
gathering of I he people^ be. With v/hat wonderful exact-
ucMSj then, have we seen this venerable patriarch and pro-
phet detern)ine the era of this great event ; trace out the
destinies of his several sons, and restrict to Judah, the pecu-
liar benediction of Abraham, which consisted in this promise :
in thy seed shall all thejamilies of the earth be blessed.

About the period of the birth of Christ, the visible de-
cline of the Jewish state, and its rapid tendency to dissolu-
tion, indicated, by manifest and unequivocal symptoms, to ob-
serving and reflecting minds, the approach of the great era
fixed for the coming of the Messiah. Therefore Simeon,
and many other pious Jews, were rvaiting, at this time, with
anxious expectation, /o?- the hope of Israel. But the body
of that nalion, now become worldly, and sensual in their
minds, and ambitious in their views, mistook the true charaC'
ter of their deliverer, and the spiritual nature of his kingdom.
They, therefore, did not recognize him when he stood in the

* The people, in this placp, as in numeroBg ©tUer pasiagci ©f the facred wrilingi
evidently relen to liie Gentile mti«ns.

176

midst of theui ; baf, ungratified in their vain hopes, they put
him to death in the rag;e of disappointment, and thereby ac-
complished another, and not the least glorious part of the
prophecies concerning him. While flattering themselves
with the illusion of a martial and victorious prince who should
extend the empire of Jerusalem over the whole earth, their
impatience of foreign domination daily increased, and precip-
itated them into disorders and revolts, which only hastened
their destruction, and gave them the last fatal proof that the
Messiah was already come, and that they had doneunto him
whatsoever they listed,^

And now, in the conclusion, let me ask, have we not seen
a most extraordinary person appear in Judea according to
the predictions of the sacred scriptures ? And has he not
appeared at the precise time which they had marked out^
and when, in consequence, he was expected, not by the Jews
only, but by almost all nations ? Since his coming, have not
expectations, which before were so constant and universal;,
entirely ceased ? Has not the Jewish nation, according to
the prophecy, rejected him who came to them as the Mes-
siah ? And have not the gentiles gathered themselves under
his wings, while the guilty Jews have been exiled from their
country and scattered through all nations under heaven?
Have we not seen the greatest moral revolution effected by

*Mat. xvii. I2th.

177

fais doctrines which has ever taken place in the world ? And
are not all these astonishing events evidently connected as
parts of a vast plan which takes its beginning with time it-
self, which we have seen gradually unfolding in the sacred
oracles for a long series of ages, and to the consummation of
which when they ceased to speak, they still continue to con*
duct us by the lights of prophecy ?

What, then, is the conclusion to which candid and impar-
tial reason must lead us from all these premises? Is it not,
that the prophecies have been inspired by God ? that the
plan which they develop is the work of God ? and that it
has been conducted to its wonderful issue by his own imme-
diate hand ?

I have here presented to you a very partial review of the
evidence for our holy religion which may be derived fromi
prophecy. It is an ample field ; I have led you to contem-
plate only a single angle of it. Yet, I trust, I have opened
to you enough to convince every serious and ingenuous mind
that is solicitous to obtain full satisfaction on a subject so in-
teresting to the happiness, the duty, and the hopes of man,
of the importance of exploring it more extensively. The ar-
gument, however, as far as we have pursued it, appears t»

me satisfactory and conclusive.

23

COLLATERAL OR PRESUMPTIVE PROOFS OP CHRISTIAKlTt.
OF THE SUBLIMITY OF THE SCRIPTURES.

Having presented to you a concise view of the direct evi-
dences of the (ruth of our holy religion, I proceed to exhi-
bif some collateral and presumptive considerations which
■will be found of importance in giving strength to the general
argument. Of this species of evidence it is the character,
that the various presumptions, or probabilities, taken sepa-
rately, do not carry to the mind that complete conviction on
which it can entirely rest independently of other proof; but
the whole viewed together forms an accumulation of evidence
which is not easy to resist ; and they greatly strengthen
the impression of those proofs which are more immediate
and positive.

These presumptions arise, in the first place, out of the
scriptures themselves : their sublimily, their purity, their
plainness, their efficacy on the hearts of men, and their con*
sistency with the state of the world, and with themselves,
though penned by writers of such various characters, and so
far removed from one another in point of time, through a long
series of ages : in the next place, out of the character of the
Saviour, and of those humble instruments which he employ-
ed to promulgate his doctrines ; and lastly, out of the conse-
quences which have flowed from the promulgation of the
gospeL

179

One of the first of the internal characters of the scriptures
which strikes us, is the grandeur both of sentiment and lan-
guage which pervades the poelic and prophetic parts of them
in general, and especially that astonishing sublimity into
which they rise whenever they speak of the Deity, who is,
indeed, their principal subject. They frequently present to
us very noble views of the actions and sentiments of illustri-
ous men, as well as magnificent descriptions of natural scenes;
but whenever they speak of the perfection, or the operations
of the Supreme Being, as if full of God, they seem rapt
above themselves. They break out into strains to which
there is no parallel, the enemies of Christianity themselves
being judges in the productions of ancient or modern genius.
This was to be expected of men writing, or speaking under
the influence of genuine inspiration ; and the existence of the
fact, that they have thus spoken and written, affords a pre-
sumption, of no inconsiderable force, that they were truly
the subjects of that divine inspiration to which they laid
claim. Whence, if not from this cause, was it that a few
devout men in an obscure nation, and in a remote age, far
beyond the birth of arts in Greece or Rome, formed such
sublime, or rather, such divine conceptions of Deity, and
have conveyed them in such elevated strains as there is no-
thing to equal in the noblest works of those celebrated nations
even in the most refined periods of their improvement. Let
me select only one example of the appearance of the Al-
mighty. Then the earth shook and trembled. He bowed

180

the heavens also and came down, and darkness was under
his feet. And he rode upon a cherub and did fly ; yea, he
did fly upon the wings of the wind. The Lord thundered
in the heavens: then were the beds of the ocean laid bare ;
mid the foundations of the world were disclosed.^ But
where shall we find an idea so sublime and expressed in such
a noble simplicity of language, as thai of the creation, as it
is represented by Moses : In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth ; and God said, let light be, and
the light was.-f Perhaps words cannot better express the
facility with which omnipotence gave existence to the uni-
verse.

Even the name by which the Supreme Being was pleas-
ed to reveal himself to Moses, exceeds in grandeur and sub-
limity whatever the religion or philosophy of paganism ever
taught on the subject of God. It comprehends ideas more
elevated, and worthy the divine nature than had ever be-
fore entered the conception of man. All the pagan nations,
even those who had made the greatest advances in science,
if they did not adopt an atheistical philosophy, had, too near-
ly, approximated the divine to the human nature. We find
worthy ideas of the Creator only in the sacred scriptures.

* Psal. I8th.

T Gen. i. I. This passage has been quoted as a noble example of sublimity
and simplicity onited, by that illustrious critic Longinus ; and the quotation has
beea repeated after him by almost every critic eince his age.

181

Jehovah, which is interpreted / am expresses essential life,
eternal existence, universal presence. It implies that all
things existing in him, and by him, and depending absolute-
ly on his will for the origin of their Being, and their continu-
ed existence, are to be regarded as nothing in comparison with
him, and that he is all in all. He is the only proper being ;
the universe is full of him alone ; the rest are passing shades.
Where, then, among all the nations of the ancient world, ex-
cept in this circumscribed corner of the earth, favoured with
the peculiar illapses of the divine Spirit, to keep alive the
perpetual fire of truth, till the rising ot the sun of righteous-
9iess, do we 6nd such exalted and sublime notions of God ?
When this is fairly considered, may we not justly say, fa-
voured with the peculiar illapses of the divine Spirit, with-
out assuming for granted a principle not yet proved ? For
whence, but from this source, could arise those transcendent
discoveries which illuminated the mind of a Jewish prophet
concerning the divine nature ? that burst of inspiration,
whenever Jehovah is their subject, which so far excels the
pretended inspiration of all other poets? On any of the
ordinary principles or causes which assist to develop, and
bring to perfection the genius of nations, or to promote the
progress of science among them, this, surely, was not to
have been expected in the nation of Israel. In poetry noth-
ing has ever equalled the strains of the Hebrew prophets.*

* To be convinced of this, the reader of taste need only consult the translation
of Isaiah by bishop Lowth, with his critical notes and explanations, and bis dis-
sertation OQ the Hebrew poetry.

m

Fom (hem Milton has assisted the noblest flights of his
muse. When thej introduce the majesty of God, the pious
mind is overwhelmed by the torrent and grandeur of iheir
thoughts, and struggles to expand itself to conceptions which
it can never embrace. This is the true effect of the reli-
gious sublime. In theology, Plato obtained the title of the
sublime philospher of Greece, only for approaching those
ideas of Deity which every where pervade the holy scrip-
tures. And his principles, he confessed he did not draw
from the resources of his own mind, or create by the efforts
of his own genius, but acquired by travelling and conversing
with the priests and literary men in those countries in which
the scriptures were best known, and in which were found
the purest remains of that original revelation, which I have
before proved to have been transmitted by the second father
of the race, after the deluge, to those nations in (he East
that immediately sprang from him.

To those sublime conceptions of the Deity which distin-
guish the sacred writings we may add the views which they
present to us of the government of divine providence over
every part of nature, from the highest sphere in the heavens,
to the atom which seems casually to float in the atmosphere ;
froQi an angel to an insect ; and if we add the doctrines which
they teach of the creation and dissolution of the universe,
and of the final judgment and everlasting destinies of man-
kind ; where, besides, in all the volumes of human wisdom do

13S
We find ideag so grand, and so worthy of God ? We can
liat*ll) resist the conclusion, therefore, that they have been
inspiced l)y that divine and infinite Spirit whose nature, and
whose truth they profess to reveal to men.

It has been made a question whether or not the style of the
sacred scriptures be proporfionably elevated with the senti-
ments ; or whether, in the structure and composition of their
language, they are supported throughout according to the
principles and rules of true taste. Eminent writers have ap-
peared on both sides of this question ; some contending foe
the affirmative, and endeavouring to maintain their opinion by
a minute comparison of the diction of »he scriptur with that
of the classic writers of Greece and Rome * others assert-
ing that there is no standard of taste which can be fairly ap-
plied to the writings of all ages, and of all countries. f Hu-
man nature, they say, undergoes very material changes, not
only in external form and appearance, but in the faculties of
the mind, and the habits of thinking, from climate, from the
state of society, from the form of government, from the physi-
cal character ut the country, from the progress of arts, and
from various other causes, which contribute, at the same
time, to create a correspondent variety in the ideas of beauty

* A, remarkable example of this mode of conducting the argument we hare ia
SlackweWs Sacred Classics.

+ Of this opinion the celebrated WarburtoB is the princiBal d«fcader ia hii Di-
vine Legation of Moges.

184

and taste wbich prevail in different nations. Hence, in all
ages, a lofty and enigmatical manner of writing has obtained
in Asia, which, in Europe, is considered as swoln and bom-
bastic ; and, on the other hand, the correct precision of the
Attic style, which is admired in Europe, is regarded in Asia
as low and frigid. We are not, therefore, to look, say these
critics, for any standard of excellence and perfection in writ-
ing, which is invariably to govern the decisions of mankind
with regard to the merit of works of genius and taste.

Such contrariety of opinion between men of perhaps near-
ly equal daims to learning and critical judgment, is one proof,
among nf^y others, that the question is not of great import-
ance. J^^^ 3bi«*r* ^^ divine revelation is to teach men di"
vine truths under the inspiration of the holy Spirit, leaving
the expression of it to each writer, according to his own gen-
ius and taste, formed and modelled, as it will be in some de-
gree, by the genius and taste of the age in which he lives.
If these should not always be exactly conformed to the reign-
ing taste of the period in which we live, this will not form any
reasonable objection to the style of the holy scriptures, as
not properly expressing the majesty and sublimity which
ought to be expected in the word of God.

Every man of true taste feels and acknowledges the sub-
limity of Shakespeare's genius, although we perceive in his
strains many harsh and unharmonious numbers, and some de-

185

partures from the rigorous exactness of critical rules. These
are in some instances to be ascribed to the character of the
age in which he Hved. But frequently the noble flights of
his muse bear him above all rule, and give him a complete
empire over the mind, and over the critic's art. So the sub-
limity of inspiration may sometimes disdain to be measured
by the little niceties of artificial rules. But I make no apolo-
gy for the prophets. Elevated and transported with the
grandeur of their subject, whenever they speak of God, oi'
his works, or rapt with the fervour of their own devout feel-
ings beyond the ordinary limits of human nature, they always
express themselves nobly, and often with a transcendent
glow and majesty of diction.

But in treating of the sublimity of the holy scriptures, and
applying to them the rules of a just criticism, it is necessary
to use the same fairness and candour in judging of them, as of
all other works of genius. The design of the writer should
be kept in view as well as the nature of his subject, that we
may not look for the high ornaments of style in simple chro-
nicles, nor for the sublime of poetry or eloquence in didactic
precepts. Every part even of holy writ is not to be judged
by the same rule.

Besides, as inspiration was designed only, or principally,

to discover truth, but does not seem in any other way to have

controled the faculties of the human mind, except by the ar-

24

186

dour mih which it seized them and the strong impressioDS
which it made upon them, a variety of style is to be expect-
ed among the sacred writers, arising from diversity of nat-
ural talents, and acquired improvements, or from the manners
and genius of the respective ages in which they lived.

In estimating the true character of the scripture style we
ought to be able to have recourse to the original. Great al-
lowances ought to be made for the impertections of a literal
translation in prose, such as ours is, of compositions, many of
them written in the highest spirit of poetry. Take the finest
passages of the most admired classics of Greece or Rome,
and render them in a translation equally simple and literal ;
take, for example, the translation of Virgil by Watson, and
compare it with our English version of the scriptures, and
you must be forcibly struck with the superior majesty of the
prophets and psalmists of Israel, above that of the prince of
Ro:iian poets, when exhibited before you in the same dress.
The scriptures of the Old Testament, then, read with these
views, and under these precautions, will, I doubt not, fully
support their claim to a divine original, not only by the sub=
lirnity of their sentiments, but by the nobleness of their
diction.

The New Testament, indeed, is written with the utmost
siniplicitj^^ of tiie narrative and epistolary style ; but it con-
tains the sublimesl system of theology and of morals ever of-

isr

fered to the faith, or the reason of mankuid. Here we be-
hold the threefold existence of the Deity without destroying
the perfect simpHcity of the divine essence. Here we be-
hold the astonishing assumption of the human nature into an
intimate union with the divine. Here all the types and cere-
monies of the ancient dispensation are seen to terminate in the
Messiah ; all its altars are extinguished, and their innumera-
ble victims are comprised, and forever end, in one divine ob-
lation for the sins of the whole world. Here we are taught
lo look forward to the dissolution of the universe, and the re-
surrection of the dead ; and all nations of men from the be-
ginning to the end of time are presented to our view assem-
bled before the tribunal of God. Here are decided the eter-
nal destinies of men and angels. And after the great catas-
trophe of nature, we are taught to expect new heavens and a
new earth, with the introduction of a new and everlasting or-
der of ages. Whether the truth of Christianity be admitted
to be demonstrated or not, surely infidelity itself must be con-
strained to confess, that these are the most grand and sublime
ideas which have ever entered the human mind. And most
worthy they appear to be of that infinite wisdom, and holi-
ness, and benignity, and power, to which they are ascribed.

188

OF THE MORALITY, AND EFFICACY OP THE SCRIPTURES

AS A PRINCIPLE OF VIRTUE AND A HOLY LIFE. OF

ITS PRINCIPLE, JTS EXTENT, AND ITS AIDS.

The purity and excellence of the moral doctrines of the
holy scriptures, and especially of those immediately taught
by our Saviour himself, and the blessed apostles, afford a pre-
sumptive argument, of no inconsiderable weight, for their di-
vine authority. The principles of morals, and the rules of
virtue, have always been subjects of the most diligent and
curious inquiry among the sages of the ancient world, ever
since civil society was first established under the influence
of regular laws, or philosophy began to be cultivated. But
no where else do we find such a pure, and excellent, and
perfect system of morals as in the sacred writings. And this
has been acknowledged by many of the most ingenious and
candid enemies of the christian religion, while they ascribe
it, however, to a cause which we can by no means admit ;
the natural progress of science, and the gradual advances
which have been made in the improvement of the human
mind by adding the experience of following ages, to the wis-
dom of the past. No such superior improvements in moral
science were found, at the commencement of the christian
era, in the doctrines of the schools ;* and it is inconceivable

* Of this every classic reader may easily be convinced by consulting Cicero
dc nalura deorum.

189

Ihat they should have first taken their origin among the fish-
erraen and mechanics of Judea. The argument would have
had more plausibility applied to the learned men of modern
ages, if we had not the most certain evidence that the superi-
ority of their moral and theological doctrines to those of the
ancient schools, ought to be ascribed solely to the illumina*
tion shed by the scriptures on the christian world.*

True it is, that any pretence to revelation must come re-
commended by some general system of good morals, other-
wise it will soon fall to the ground. But when an impostor
has set up a fictitious claim to inspiration, we may ever ex-
pect to find some traits of human weakness and depravity
mingled with his religious doctrines. It is almost impossible
that an impious, or immoral man should not transfuse, in
some degree, the colour of his own character into his work.
Hence, amidst the general precepts of justice, temperance,
and chastity, w^ithout which civil society cannot exist, and
which enter into all the religions of the world, still we find,
in the temples of paganism, free permission given to the in-
dulgence of the most licentious passions of the heart. It is
in the koran itself, in the vicious license which it grants its
disciples, and the sensual paradise which it confers on its
military saints, that we might learn the lust, and violence of

* Whatever is excellent in the theological and moral principles of the koran of
Mahomet, we have likewise reason to believe was drawn from the knowledge
which that impostor had both of the writings of the Old and the New Testament.

190

its author if we were not acquainted with the history of his
life. But, in the holy scriptures, you not only discern a
general system of good morals, many excellent precepts of
piety and virtue, but you have presented to you a perfect
body of doctrine in which the most faithful and candid scru-
tiny can find nothing of an opposite character or tendency.
In them you perceive the principles and examples of the
purest devotion, equally removed from the injudicious fer-
vors of enthusiasm, and the cold and burdensome ceremonial
of superstition : in them you see personal puriiy carried to
the highest degree of perfection ; and those virtues which
most effectually promote the harmony, and the happiness of
society placed on their only true and stable foundation ; char-
ity which loves our neighbour as ourselves; meekness
which is not prompt to revenge an injury ; forgiveness
which is ready to forget it ; the whole animated by the love
of God, and guarded against the disorders of the injurious
passions by the holy influence of his fear.

On this subject the following considerations particularly
merit your attention : the spirit of the morality of the gospel :
its extent : the principles which it lays down as the summa-
ry, and the only true and efficient spring of all our duties :
and finally, the discriminating test which it proposes of the
sincerity of our obedience.

191

It has been justly remarked by Dr. Paley, after the ceie
biated Soaiiie Jeiuiyns, fhat ihe spirit of the moralify taught
by our blessed Saviour is entirely opposed to those splendid
and ostentatious qualities which too generally pass in the
world for virtues of a superior order, and which history so
often ambitiously displays to decorate her style, and to cap-
tivate the unthinking admiration of mankind for her principal
heroes. The gospel gives no praise to that pride which ex-
alts itself over our fellow men, and is easily provoked at in-
juries real or imaginary ; it has no indulgence for that jealous
honour which is ever ready to suspect, and revenge insults,
or that lofty ambition of power and command, which the mis-
take of the world is apt to extol as a pioof of elevation and
nobleness of mind. On the other hand, next to the love and
fear of God, it bestows all its approbation on meekness of
spirit, on candour, on humility, on charity and kindness of
heart, in a word, on those mild, innocent, unassuming, and
benevolent dispositions, which give birth to the sweetest in-
tercourse among mankind, and form the strongest and happi-
est cement of society. This is a morality entirely different
in its genius from that which would be dictated by the spirit
of the world. It is peculiar to the gospel. And allhough,
at the first view, it may seem, to those who have received
their education in the world, to be tame and pusillanimous,
it will be found, on a fair and just examination, to discover a
more profound estimate of moral worth than was ever betore

192

made ; either in the schools of philosophy, or in that of the
world.

It is judiciously observed by both the distinguished wri-
ters to whom I have referred, that the heroic virtues, as they
are called, are calculated only to disturb the peace and hap-
piness of human society, and have, indeed, been the chief
sources of the disorders, the wars, and revolutions which, in
every period of time, have afflicted all nations. On the con-
trary, if all men were governed by the christian virtues of
humility, of meekness, of candour, of forgiveness, of charity,
the earth, which has hitherto been the theatre of violent,
conflicting, and cruel passions, would become the residence
of tranquillity and peace.

Do you ask if the general prevalence of these meek and
pacific principles in a nation would not expose it to insults
and injustice from its powerful neighbours, and render it, at
length, an easy prey to their ambition ? I answer that the
maxims of the gospel do not oppose the natural duties which
every citizen owes to his country for its defence. It is
among the prioiary obligations which the gospel imposes on
its disciples, to honour and obey the magistrate^ as well as
to fear God. And the supreme magistracy of a state owes
duties to the nation under its protection very different from
those which subsist between man and man in society. It is
the latter, chiefly, which the evangelic rules of meekness.

193

humility, charity, and forgiveness are intended to reguiait.
And they promote peace and union by cultivating the spirit
of mutual love ; they prevent discords, by extinguishing, or
correcting the passions which are the principles of contention
and division. The civil laws of most countries aim at the
same end ; but feebly,, because they impose their restraints
only on the outward actions ; whereas the gospel enters into
the heart to correct the evil in its source. It is folly there-
fore to accuse of taraeness and pusillanimity, that spirit which,
by changing the dispositions of the heart, promotes the
peace of society in the most perfect manner ; an object
which it is the supreme end of a wise legislation even imper-
fectly to attain, by operating with its compulsory power on
the external conduct. It is the error of the world to bestow
its admiration on that bold and ardent character of mind
which is quick in its sensibilities to injury, violent in its re-
sentments, jealous of its honour, proud of its darings, and
ever ready, in order to avenge itself of real or imaginary
wrongs, to break through both the prescriptions of law, and
the dictates of justice. Such is commonly the heroic char-
acter whose achievements blazon the pages of history. Far
different are the virtues of the gospel. Silent, yielding, and
benevolent, they contribute to promote and seciuc the hap-
piness of mankind, which the former tend to destroy.

"When we consider, then, the perfect and unmixed purity

^f the morality of the gospel, and the indications which it

25

[

1»4

exhffaita of a most holy and spotless mind in its author ; when
we consider with what admirable wisdom he rejects the false
and imposing virtues which have chiefly commanded the ap-
plause of the world, and even the approbation of the sage,
and placed virtue, which is the mean of promoting human
happiness, upon its true and only solid basis ; when we re-
flect, further, how peculiar these excellencies are to the gos-
pel of Christ, and how far they are above the wisdom, how
contrary to the spirit of the world, we might well be sur-
prised if any of the sages of Greece, rising above the genius
and improvements of their age, bad been the authors of such
a system ; but when we take into view the country, the edu-
cation, and rank in life, of Christ, and his apostlea, we must
be astonished at the wisdom with which they have spoken*
Considering them as mere men, bred up amidst the tools of
the mechanic, or the nets of the fishermen, it must be utter-
ly incredible. Surely, exclaims Dr. Paley, Jesus must
have been like no other carpenter, the apostles like no other
fishermen I Read the discourses, the parables, the history
of the transactions of our blessed Saviour ; read the mural
precepts with which the epistles of the apostles every where
abound, and I confess they appear to me to bear the evident
and deep inscriptions of divine wisdom. The mission of the
Saviour, and the doctrines of the gospel were confirmed by
great and numerous miracles ; but, in my esteem, the greatest
of all miracles would be the gospel itself, if we could suppose
such a traBscendent systemof theology and morals, so sublime.

195

so pure, so superior to the wisdom of the age, to have beejLi
the uninspired work of the unlettered fishermen of Judea.

The excellence oC^the christian morality may be estimat-
ed, in the next place, from its extent. The gospel does not
limit its views to regulating the external conduct and inter-
course of mankind with one another, to which civil laws are
obliged to bound their influence. It goes to rectify the
thoughts and desires of the heart, and thereby to purify the
fountains of conduct : it places its restraints upon the first
movements and springs of action. This is a point of the ut-
most importance in considering the true value of the morality
of the gospel, which sets it far above the influence of civil
laws, or the discipline of the schools. For, however regu-
lar the exterior deportment may be, if the imagination, and
the affections remain impure, the soul must be unfit to ap-
pear in the immediate presence of God most holy, or to be
joined to the society of perfect spirits in heaven ; and there
is no security for the rectitude of the conduct whenever
temptation invites, and opportunity favours indulgence. Fan-
cy, if it is permitted without restraint to amUse itself with
the plans, or to enjoy the pleasures of avarice, revenge, or #
lust ; if it is allowed to present images of impurity to the
mind, and range at will through ideal scenes of voluptuous
enjoyment, taints the purity, while it inflames the passions,
of the heart, and corrupts it no less eff*ectually in its princi-
ples of action, than could be done by grosser gratifies^

196

lions.* The great Teacher, who shows in all his precepts
how perfectlj he understands human nature, as well as the
eternal principles of right and wrong, lays the check of every
sinful propensity, and every vicious actiop on the only spring
on which it can be laid with effect : on the thoughts, on the
fancy, on the heart. Out of the heart, saith he, proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adidteries, ^c. and these are the things
which defile a man.^ And he who sees the end and con-
summation of the act in X\\q principle from which it springs,
and regards as already done whatever is completed in the
desire, purpose, and determination of the soul, condemns ev-
ery one who even looks on the sex with a lustful eye.X What
impostor, conscious of his own imperfections, would be wil-
ling to create so high and severe a standard of morals by
which he must be judged himself ? What crafty founder of
a sect would not be more complaisant to the tastes, or the
frailties of those v/hom he wished to allure to the party of
his followers ?11

* This is a rrraark founded on the strictest principles of reason, as well as of the
gospel, which strongly condemns the readers, as well as writers of licentious poe-
try; and universally, all those who encourage, by their presence, any licentious
exhibitions, or by purchasing any licentious productions of tlie arts,

f Mat. XV. 19.

iMat.v, 23.

II I am aware that retreat from the world, abstemiousness and rigid penances of-
ten have an air of sanctity in the eyes, of a superstitious people ; and these morti-
fications have been introduced, as among the pharisees, tlie Roman Catholics, and
the Mahometans, to gain a certain degree of popular respect for their respective
systems. But in such impostures you always find, at the same time, some facili-
ties permitted to the wealthy and the powerful to evade the rigors of penance j or
«orQe indulgences granted in other articles to compensate these privations.

i9r

The summary of duty, In the next place laid down in the.
holy scriptures, as comprehending the whole spirit and sub-
stance of the morality of the gospel, serves to demonstrate
its excellence and perfection.

All our duties may be divided into two great classes :
those TThich we owe immediately to God : those which ter-
minate directly on our fellow men. And of both these clas-
ses our blessed Saviour has, after Moses, who received it
from God himself to be prefixed to the tables of the ten com-
mandments, given the moat admirable and perfect epitome :
" thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind ; this is the first and
great commandment ; and the second is like unto if, thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."^ By this concise view
of the great and commanding principles of morals, we see
that the gospel, which places the restraint of all vicious and
sinful actions in a renewed heart, the only efficient point in
which it can be fixed, places there also the true spring of all
duty. And, is it not evident that the worship of God in
spirit and in truth, veneration for his holy name, resignation
to the dispositions of his providence, and universal obedience
to whatever bears the stamp of his authority, will flow from
supreme love to him as from its native fountain ? And, on
the other hand, is it not equally evident that justice, bene-

*^Mat.xiii. 35, 40.

198

Volence, candour, sincerity, meekness, forgiveness, and all
those virtues which fulfil the multiplied relations which we
bear to our fellow men, will be the natural and necessary con-
sequence of sincere and undissembled love ? But do you ask>
if these principles are peculiar to the gospel ? If we do not
also find them inculcated by heathen moralists? We find
reverence, and thankfulness to the gods frequently recom-
men'Jed by some of the philosophers ; but in none of their
writings do we see the supreme love of God stated as the
fundamental principle of virtue and duty. In none, is the
"will of God stated as the sole, creating, preserving, and regu-
lating power of the universe, to which, therefore, our most
profound veneration and submission, our most constant
and fervent gratitude are due. Indeed, they had ex-
tremely imperfect, or rather no just views at all either of
creation or of providence. And in the catalogue of virtues
which connect us with mankind, although some of their
schools require justice, truth, chastity, and recommend
friendship, gratitude, and beneficence ; yet we find not in
any of them, the love of enemies, the forgiveness of injuries,
nor any thing which may properly be called charity, as it is
understood by christians, and inculcated in the gospel.

I am warranted, then, by the concurrent sentiments of the

wisest, most candid, and pious christian writers, in pronounc-

/ ing that never has a basis of duty, equally clear, compre-

bensive, and complete, been laid in the works of any of the

sages of paganism, as that wliicb has been laid in the gospel
of Chiist ; and never has such a moral superstructure been
reared on any basis ; so admirable, for its purity, for its sim-
plicity, for its adaptation to every grade of human under-
standing, for its fulness, and its applicalion to every case
which can arise to a fair and candid mind in the conduct of
life. If, then, these principles, and this system which ap-
pear so perfect, would have been wonderful, proceeding from
the genius and the pen of a Plato, or a Marcus Antoninus ; if,
indeed, we see nothing parallel in the schools of Greece or
Rome ; how much more wonderful are they if we consider
them merely as the productions of unlettered peasants be-
longing to a country which Greek and Roman pride regard-
ed as barbarian ?

Having been nursed and educated amidst that light whicli
the gospel diffuses wherever it is received, we are apt to re-
gard its moral doctrines as containing only the simple and ob-
vious dictates of natural reason ; because they have entered
into our earliest education, they have mingled with our first
ideas, and been incorporated from iij^ncy with all our habits
of thinking. But to be justly impressed with the full force
of the claiai which it possesses to a divine original, we should
return back to the periods which preceded the christian era,
and to those countries which did not enjoy the light of reve-
lation, and see what the wisdom of the wisest men has dis-
covered upon the subject ©f duty and morals. This will af-

'260

ford an argument founded on fact and experience, the onijT
ground on which we can rest a just and satisfactory conclu-
sion on this subject. And when we see what the sages of
the most enlightened nations have not done, and, on the oth-
er hand, what has been done by the simple fishermen of Ju-
dea, under the instructions of a master as little indebted as
themselves to human science, will it not afford a strong, and
almost irresistible presumption of the reality of that divine
inspiration from which they professed to have derived this
extraordinary wisdom ? We know not how men in that agCj
in that country, and in their station of life could have attained
to such superior knowledge on these sublime subjects, unless
they had been divinely assisted. And, surely, if inspiration
has ever spoken to the v/orld, we cannot conceive of any
thing more pure, more excellent, more perfect, which could
have been dictated by heaven itself.

Another characteristic of the evangelic morality is the un-
mixed purity of the principle which it requires in order to
constitute any action good, and acceptable to God. Take
hecdj says our blessed Saviour, " that ye do not your alms
before men to be seen of them. When Ihou prayest, enter
into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to
thy Father who is in secret. When thou doest alms, let
not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth."* Of

^JMat. vl. ;=

201

wLich precepts the evident import is, that we ought to o5ec
our devotions to our heavenly Father, not as a mere form,
not through ostentation, but purely for the love of God ; and
that we should fulfil every office of benevolence and cuiiity
to our fellow men siinply from the love of doing good. No
regard merely to our own credit and reputation among men,
and no considerations of honour or interest arising from the
publicity of our good deeds, ought exclusively to influence
us in their performance : they ought ever to be the natural
and spontaneous effusions of the pious and virtuous disposi-
tions of the heart.

Many very amiable and benevolent persons have greatly
mistaken the meaning of these precepts, as if they implied
that the chief merit of charitable deeds consists in their being
entirely withdrawn from the knowledge and observation of
the world. So far is this from being true that, not unfre-
quently^ their publicity may form part of their good desert,
by the encouragement which it will afford to the alms of oth-
ers. It is not the mode of doing a benevolent action that
our Saviour designed to regulate, but the principles from
which it should spring. In this view, what an amiable proof
do these precepts contain of the excellence of the evangelic
doctrine, and the celestial purity of its spirit !

Another character of the sacred scriptures which has gen-
erally been relied on as affording a presumptive indication of

26

202

their being derived from God is their simplicity and plainness,
notwithstanding the sublimity of the subjects of which they
treat, and the extent of the system of truth and morals which
they embrace. Any religion, which comes from God, must,
from its very design, be adapted for the instruction of the
mass of mankind. And it was the glory of the gosjiel, in its
commencement, that it was preached to the poor. In ful-
filling this great and necessary end of popular edification,
therefore, nothing would have been more preposterous than
to propose to them abstruse and speculative principles of sci-
ence, or to discuss before them such abstract questions as
were agitated by the philosophers in the presence of their
disciples. It was requisite that religion should propound
the objects, the laws, and the motives of duty, in the most
plain and intelligible form, that they might be easily compre-
hended by the most unimproved understanding, while they
should afford high matter to employ the sublimest, and most
cultivated reason. Most remarkably do we see these char-
acters meet in the gospel. And perhaps no fact can better
demonstrate how admirably it is fitted to be the instructor of
the people, than the clear and general knowledge which we
now find among all ranks of men, on the subjects of our mor-
al duties, and our religious hopes. A common labourer, in-
structed, as the church requires for the poorest of her sons,
would have been esteemed a philosopher among philosophers
themselves, judging only from the reasonableness and excel-
lence of his moral and theological doctrines. But, if they

295

were to enter with him into such disquisitions on the princi-
ples of these doctrines as were common in iheir schools ; if
they were to endeavour to trace them to their primary ele-
ments, and again to pursue them through regular deductions
to their ultimate conclusions, guarding against objections and
doubts at every step, and parrying, or sol\ iug a thousand
knotty questions in their progress, would not this plain man
be confounded ? He would be lost in the intricacy of their
speculations, and would not be able at last to recognise his
own principles. Such reflections add no small value to the
plainness of the gospel; and may, perhaps, justly be said to
afford a presumption of the divinity of that system which has
thus been able to bring down the sublimest subjects to the
level of ordinary minds.

I subjoin here, that the efficacy of the holy scriptures, by
which is meant their tendency, and powerful influence to pro-
duce holiness of life in those who truly believe them, is otten
adduced by pious writers as an internal character, and pre-
sumptive argument of their divine original. This argument
is supported partly from reason and partly from experience.
In the former view, we should consider the motives and as-
sistances of duty afforded by the gospel, and the awful and
commanding authority by which it is enjoined. The mo-
tives presented to the view, and urged upon the conscience
of a believer in the gospel, are of so transcendent and inter-
esting a nature, as evidently to give it an operation, and ef-

204

feet upon the hearf, which can never be perceived from any
system of mere reason and philosophy. Feeble are the mo-
tives of reason alone to combat the force of the passions. Bat
the gospel, by bringing life and immortality to lighty by
proposing to mankind the glorious and awful retributions of
eternity, by the doctrine of a divine providence, of a univer-
sal wilness and judge of human actions, and even of the
thoughts of the heart, has given a force and effect to the laws-
of duty and holiness, which couid not be derived from any
representations of the present convenience and satisfactions
of a virtuous life, however eloquently they might be depict-
ed in the discourses of the learned, but which the heart is so
often able to set aside, or to render doubtful in the moments
of temptation and of action.

Consider, in the next place, the authority with which the
gospel speaks to the heart of a true believer, who receives
it as the immediate and infallible word of God. Reason,
when it would prescribe a law of duty to mankind, must often
speak in the breast with a very faint and doubtful voice
amidst the prejudices and prepossessions of self-love, and the
importunities of appetite and passion, and amidst the dubious
and circuitous deductions by which it is obliged to arrive at
its conclusions. And it can never prescribe to the people a
rule which, in this uncertainty, can clearly reach to every
case in the practice of life. But the authority of God gives
to his law a clearness which cannot be mistaken, and a power

i!05

and conlrol which come home to every thought and purpose
of the son!. Before the majesty of his authority, the turbu-
lence of appetite, and the deceilfulness of the heart are over-
awed, and brought to submission. And the authority of God
is exhibited in the gospel as possessing claims to our obedi-
ence, and a power to command it, which reason alone cannot
exert. He enforces his law by all the rights of creation ; by
all the obligations of his love in the redemption of the world ;
and by all the terrors of his justice, which shall, at last, de-
cide, by this law, the eternal destinies of mankind.

Among the most effectual means of holiness, pious writers
have ever considered the promised aids of the Holy Spirit :
they are, therefore, to be classed under that head of presump-
tive proof of which I am now treating : the efficacy of the
scriptures.

To a nature corrupted as ours is, the difficulty of conquer-
ing its sinful tendencies and habits, and turning its whole
force and activity into an habitual love of virtue, of holiness,
and of God, that is, of regenerating and new creating it, might
justly be regarded as insuperable without supernatural, and
divine assistance. At least, convinced sinners who feel only
the diflficuities of religion, and who, in repeated efforts per-
fectly to obey the law of God, and to overcome the power
of sin in their hearts, must be sensible only of their o«vn
weakness, would be ready to sink into despondency, or re-

Q06

bpse into tbeir natural indolence, and love of indulgence, UD»
less they could find some hope in the promised aid of the
holy Spirit. If, then, in maintaining the efficacy of the gos-
pel, to promote holiness of life, against unbelievers, we should
not be at liberty to assume the reality of the influence of the
Spirit, which would completely decide the question; yet
the promise, and hope of his gracious and effectual assistance
is calculated to encourage the perseverance, and reanimate
the diligent and faithful endeavours of every believer, and
may, therefore, be justly reckoned among the efficient means
which the gospel possesses of promoting true holiness, and
reproducing on the heart of man the image of his Creator.

Finally, this argument is supported by experience. I
might here mention, in the first place, the great and manifest
effect which the gospel has ever had in producing holiness.
of life wherever it has been received with a sincere faith —
But I have chiefly in view that proof of its divinity which it
carries to the heart of every real christian by his own expe-
rience of its sanctifying influence. This is a proof indeed
that is entirely personal, and does not belong to the general
evidences of the truth of Christianity. Yet, to a sincere be-
liever, who has experienced this holy and renovating power,
and thus may be said to have the testimony in himself, and
this is the principal view in which the pious writers I have
mentioned propose this argument, there is, perhaps, no other
proof which cones home with such life, and force, and per^

307

auasion to his heart. The argument, however, which I take
to be in its nature very solid and just, is calculated, and in-
tended rather for the confirmation of the faith of the believer,
than the conviction of the unbeliever.

OF THE CONSISTENCV OF THE SCRIPTURES WITH THEM-
SELVES, AND WITH THE STATE OF THE WORLD.

Another internal character of the sacred scriptures, which
affords a presumptive argument of their truth, is their COU'
sisiency. This may be considered under two views : their
consistency with themselves, and their consistency with the
state of the world.

That any work, the production of one author, and embrac-
ing a code of legislation, or system of morals, how extensive
soever, founded on his peculiar opinions, should be regularly
deduced from definite principles, should aim at one end, and
be found coherent in all its parts, would have in it nothing
surprising. It woiiM be a natural consequence of genius, and
sound judgment in the writer. But, in the scriptures we per-
ceive, not the work of one author, nor of one age, but the
gradual development of a grand scheme of providence, and
of divine grace towards mankind, commencing with the ori-
gin, and carried on through the whole series of time, till the
close of the canon of the New Testament, in the accomplish-
went and illustration of which animaiense number of person*;

20 ii

must have co-operated throughout successive ages, not con-
nected with one another, and not acting, as far as appears to
human view, under any common direction. One dispensa-
tion follows and is built upon another. The same spirit, the
same principles of thei>Iogy, of pielj, and morals pervade the
whole ; the same spiritual promises and hopes are gradually
unfolded through thousands of years, and conducted to their
ultimate accomplishment. Here is a vast concatenation of
events intimately linked together, and depending upon one
another ; here is a unity of plan in this great system contin-
ued down through different dispensations of the mercy of God
lo the world, tending to fulfil one great design, the salvation
of mankind through a Redeemer ; of the astonishing deve-
lopment of which design, continued through such a long pe-
riod, no reasonable account can be given, unless we suppose
the whole to be under the immediate guidance and direction
of heaven. Plans laid by human contrivance are not so per-
manent, and, if I may use the term so continuous. There is
no example, in human affairs, of successive generations tak-
ing up one design, unfolding it by degre^ in a long course of
ages, and carrying it, at length, to its ultimate completion.
From the character and state of human nature, its limited,
and discordant views, this is perhaps impossible. We do
not perceive the various schools of philosophy concurring
long in the same systems of physics, or of morals. One lead-
er of a sect differs from another ; the disciple differs from his
master ; the principles on which their respective theories are

built are continually changing. But in the holy scripiures
we find one uniform consistent design pursued from genera-
tion to generation. Amidst all the variations which in a long
succession of ages must have occurred in the state of society,
in the manners of men, in their habits of thinking, and in the
external forms and usages of the church itself, we still per-
ceive the same doctrines concerning the nature of God, and
the duties of man ; wc still discern the same principles of mo-
rals, the same worship of the heart required in true religion,
the same high and eternal motives of duty urged upon the
Conscience, the same promised Saviour exhibited to our faith,
the same plan of divine grace, distinguished only by the ad-
ditional lights from time to time thrown upon it as it aj)proacli-
ed its final accomplishment. In this consistency, then, we
behold a moral phenomenon so different from whatever takes
place, in the plans and designs of men, as to afford no slight
presumption that the whole, from its commencement to its
consummation, has been under the wise and gracious direc-
tion of the Spirit of God. The same Spirit seems to have
inspired the holy patriarchs, the great legislator of Israel, the
long succession of the Hebrew prophets, and the evangelists
and apostles of our blessed Lord.

There is another light in which the consistency of the
scriptures may be considered, which merits a more extended
illustration : it is their conformity with the actual state of the
world. Truth is always consistent with itself, and with all

21C

other truths. Error, though it may be disguised, and to su=
perficial observation, may seem to bear a semblance of truth ;
yet in such a wide field of moral, historical, and natural sci>-
ence, as is embraced in the holy scriptures, it is extremely
improbable that any scheme of falsehood and imposture, fab-
ricated especially in such an early age, should not contain
many discrepancies with the actual system, moral or physi-
cal, of the world, which would be made more and more man-
ifest by the improvements of science. But improvements in
genuine science have hitherto only more clearly elucidated
and confirmed the doctrines of the scriptures, and especially
the facts of the sacred history. Here we see the depravity
of human nature, the existence of which is demonstrated by
a most melancholy experience, not only asserted, but ac-
counted for, and referred to a most natural source. Here we
ssee a remedy provided for this universal corruption, confor-
mable to the hopes of virlue, adequate to the fears of guilt,
agreeing with the soundest principles of reason, yet such as
reason could never have discovered. Here you trace the
orii2;in of nations in the immediate descendants of the great
postdiluvian father of the race ; and here the different my-
thologies of so many people, and their varying traditions, re-
ceive a reasonable interpretation, and are reunited as in a
cooimoa centre.

$11

THE CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR OP OUR RELIGION: THE
INSTRUMENTS HE EMPLOYED TO PROMOTE IT: THE
BENEFICIAL CONSEQUENCES WHICH HAVE RE-
SULTED FROM ITS PUBLICATION AND
RECEPTION IN THE WORLD.

Among the presumptive evidences of tlie truth of the
christian religion, none perhaps, are stronger than that which
arises from the character of its blessed Author. No other
man has ever existed, who, in his intercourse with the world,
was so blameless, so amiable, and, in every attribute which
deserves the esteem of mankind, so worthy our veneration
and love. Such a character would very ill accord with the
duplicity and hypocrisy of imposture. As the union of ihe
divine with the human nature in the person of the Redeemer
is a doctrine purely of revelation, we are not at liberty, while
only establishing the proofs of the gospel, to assume that prin-
ciple in order to exalt the virtues and perfections of Jesus
Christ. We must consider him merely as he appeared to
the view of men, claiming to be the founder of a new religion
derived immediately from God, that we may judge how far
his character corresponded with his high pretensions, and
bow far these pretensions were supported by such eminent
virtues, and such freedom from error and imperfection in con-
duct, as ought to be expected in a messenger of iieaven, the
<2xample and instructor of mankind. That he appeared, in

212

the eyes of Lis disciplea, after their long and intimate inter-
couise with him, and their dailj observation of his life and
manners, worthy of their highest love and veneration, and
worthy of the heavenly original which he claimed, is strongly
expressed in the following declaration of Saint John : And
the Word was made fleshy and dwelt among us ; and we be-
held his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth.^ This whole passage, I presume,
refers, not to his transfiguration, nor to any of those appear-
ances in which he exhibited himself to his disciples immedi-
ately before his ascension, but to that beaidy of holiness,
that glorious display of virtue and perfection which shone
through hia whole life, and which, in every part of it, was/wO
of grace and truth : that is, conspicuously distinguished by
the most amiable condescension, and benignity of disposition
and manners,! ^"^ ^Y *^^ '^^^* undissembled and inviolable
sincerity.

Among the most distinguishing, as well as the most vene-
rable characteristics of Jesus Christ, was his piety towards
God. The universal government of divine providence he
devoutly acknowledged in every event of his life. And, in
the immediate prospect of his most painful death, and, after-
wards in the midst of those excruciating sufTerings, so studi-

* John i. 14.

f This is frequently the meaning of the original term /C^pii, and, perhaps,
always when applied, as it is here, in tbedescriptioaof character.

21S

ouslj" aggravafed by the ingenuity and malice of wicked men,
you perceive no other emotions but those of compassion, and
forgiveness to his enemies, but the most perfect meekness,
submission, and resignation to the will of God. Often you
see him retire apart from the admiration, or the curiosity of
(he multitude, and the company of his disciples, for the pur-
poses of secret devotion, and, on the sabbath day, he is care-
ful to exhibit an instructive example of devout attendance on
the pubhc institutions of religion in the assemblies of the syn-
agogue. Ever warm, humble, and affectionate in his devo-
tional exercises, you perceive in them, however, nothing of
those ecstacies, nor of those bold familiarities with heaven,
which distinguish the spirit of enthusiasm. And in that
model of prayer which he gave his disciples, which, for com-
prehension of thought, for a just selection of the objects of
prayer, and for the true spirit of devotion has never been
equalled, you find the genuine fervours of piety united with
the most calm, dignified, and rational expression of the de-
vout feelings of the heart.

When we descend to that part of his character, which was
exhibited in his intercourse with mankind, it is, in the high-
est degree amiable and interesting, and worthy our admira-
tion and imitation. The spirit of meekness and humility
breathed through his whole life and manners ; and his be-
nevolence and charity knew no bounds. Always engaged
in instructing the ignorant and comforting the afflicted, you

214

bebold liim continually surrounded with multitudes of poor,
of maimed, of blind, of diseased, listening to his instructions
and consolations, and seeking relief from that benevolent
power which he was ever ready to exercise in their behalf.
His love of sincerity and Iriilh would never suffer him to dis-
guise his designs, even wiien he knew that his enemies were
only waiting for his declaration to wreak upon him their most
cruel and murderous rage. Yet, it was in the midsl of the
Bufferings inflicted by their cruelly and rage that the united
virtues of his character shone with the brightest lustre ; sub-
mission to the will of God ; zeal for the happiness and salva-
tion of mankind, the great object for which he laboured up-
on earth ; the unruffled meekness of his nature under the in-
juries and indignilies of his persecutors ; compassion and
forgiveness towards his enemies in the midst of the tortures
which he endured from their hands ; (he dutiful affection and
care of a son towards a destitute and afl9icted mother stand-
ing at the foot of his cross, which no bodily torment could
suspend in his heart for a moment ; the whole crowned by
that last fervent act of benevolence and devotion, in which
he expired ; Father forgive them, for tftet/ know not what
they do. How unlike an impostor ! How far superior to
the life, and the death of heroes, or philosophers ! Rous-
seau in lone of those moments of warm and generous admira-
tion of virtue which he sometimes felt, comparing the death
of Jesus Christ with that of Socrates, gives to the founder of
Christianity an infinite preference to the Athenian sage.

215

This character of Jesus Christ, indeed, is drawn froth the
memoirs of his life written by disciples, who may be aiip«
posed to have coloured it with a pencil tinctured by their
partiality for a beloved master. But let it be remembered
that the gospels, were evidently not written with any direct
view of Qiaking the eulogy of Christ, but merely to present
to us a narrative of liis actions and discourses, which is done
with the most undesigning simplicity. The character we de-
rive from the facts as they have presented them.

To draw a uniform, consistent, and noble character, from
imagination, which shall be entirely new in its principal fea-
tures, is one of the most difficult works of genius, and not
to be expected from men in that spiiere of life in which the
disciples moved. But it is still more difficult to invent a
consistent, yet diversified series of actions from which the
character, strongly and dislinclly marked, shall naturally
arise to the view of the reader. Besides, we have four se-
parate, memoirs, evidently written without any concert of
their authors, which still, however, present to us the same
picture of life and manners. "^ A biographical picture, thus

* JVritten without any concert of their authors ; • for although they present to ua
nearly the same transactions, and discourse.", yet it is not done with Mia» it'entity
either in the suhstance of tlie narration, or the order of time which would indi-
cate preconcert, or design. On the other hand, we perceive such differences as
would naturally occur in the narratives of intelligent and hone.^t men <:ivin:, af-
ter 1 certain interval of time, the history of tlie smin « vent*;, without an\ know-
ledge of each other's testimony, or any study to make thcw accord j and yet mi\\

216

depicleJ sitaply by actions, drawn by iiiea whose plain and
sound understandings enabled them only to exhibit without
embellishment what they actually saw and heard, but who
vrere utterly incapable of dramatic fiction, carries in itself
the strongest claims to be received as genuine. It is, be-
sides, so peculiar, so utterly unlike whatever had before
been exhibited among men either in the history of real life,
or in fiction, that it can never be conceived to be the mere
creation of writers who were wholly incompetent to such es-
says of genius and fancy. In every view, it bears the irre-
sistible impressions of truth and nature. A character, how-
worthy the messenger of peace, and salvation to mankind,
who claimed the high and holy relation of being the Son of
God !

One peculiarity in the life of Jesus Christ especially mer-
its our most serious consideration, as it demonstrates that he
could not have acted on any suggestions of human policy or
wisdom. In order to place it in its just light, it is necessary
again to carry back our view to the state of public opinion in
the Jewish nation at that period. The belief that the com-
ing of the Messiah was just at hand was then strong and uni-
versal. The Jews, proud of their exclusive relation to God as

such uniformit}' , and such consistency in the whole character, even when one in-
troduces new facts, of which the others have not spoken, as clearly demonstrates
that they are drawing from life, and that they all hare the same original before
them.

217

his chosen people, and impallentof (he yoke which haJ lali
ly been imposed upon (heoi by Ihe Romans, expected In
iheir Messiah a martial prince and a conqueror, wlio should
deliver (hem from (lie power of (heir enemies, and enable
(hem (o conquer in (heir (urn. In such a state of (he public
sentiment and feeling, impatient, agita(ed, anxious, momen(-
Ij waiting for (he appearance of some grea( deliverer, many
daring spiri(s would naturally arise (o offer themselves as lead-
ers in (he honourable and popular en(erprise of rescuing (he
na(ion from ita abjec( humilladon, and raising i( (o (ha( splen-
dor and glory bo eagerly an(!cipa(ed by every Jew. Minds
of a fanadcal and enthusiastic turn, inflamed to a degree of
insanity by sympathy with (he general fervor, would imagine
Ihonselvcs to be the ins(rument3 destined by heaven (o ac-
complish (his glorious purpose. Whereas others, of a cold
impiety, but of a bold and resolu(e temper, calculating on
(he possibility of (urning the nadonal ardor (o (heir own ag-
grandizement, would cherish the daring ambition of usurping
the government by force of arms, and placing themselves oa
the throne of Judea. But, whether actuated by a spirit of
fanaticism, or imposture, and under one or other of these
classes all pretenders must be ranged, they would equally
move under the impulse of the public sentiment, and be dl-
lected by it in their choice of the means to accomnllsli (heir
end. They would, (herefore, always appear at (he head of
armed bands. And such was the fact, according to (he tcstl-
mony of the cotemporary historian .Tosephui?. For, of all

2J8

the nimieroiis imposfors, who sprung up in Jndea prefend»
iug to be Messiah, a liille before fhe ministry of our SaviouFy
and, from that period, till the final destruction of Jerusaleaij
Ihere was not one who did not attempt to support his claim
by arms. Not so the Lord Jesus Christ. He deviated en-
iiiely from this course, which nature and human policy would
Lave pointed out to him, and chose one in every respect op-
posite. The vain and proud expectations of the Jews he
refused to gratify. He openly declared that his kingdom is
not of this world. Instead of affecting the splendour of roy-
ally, or the authority of command, he renounced all worldly
pomp and grandeur. Instead of the weapons of force and
compulsion, he employed only the meekness of instruction
and persuasion. Instead of conciliating the favour of the
Jewish nation by courting their prejudices, he boldly and
openly declared to them (bat their national policy, and even
their national exislence as the peculiar people of God, should
goon come to a period. Be did not allure his disciples to
liis party by the prospects of honour, emolument, or com-
mand, but by inculcating humility and self-denial, and pro-
posing to them, in his service, only arduous trials, incessant
persecutions, and unrewarded kbours. This is a course
which not only nature, and human wisdom would not have
pointed out, in the circumstances in which he chose it, but
which judging on all the acknowledged principles of proba-
bility, could only have tended to ruin his hopes. The bum-
ble, peaceful, patient, and self-denied character which he as-

219

fsiimcd, so \vide1y different from that to whlcb the spirit of
that age and nation would have urged him, aifords ample proof
that he was not governed by any maxims of worldly policy.
And his success, notwithstanding the entire detect of all the
measures, or precautions which human wisdom would liave
prescribed, and in opposition to the contempt, the indignation,
and power of a whole nation, whose wounded prid€, and dis-
appointed hopes, had inQamed their passions to a degree of fu-
ry which threatened to crush him, and all his designs in an in-
stant, supplies the strongest presumption that tue work was
not of men but of God, who, with a silent, but irresistible op-
eration, often confounds the counsels of the wise, and defeats
the power of the mighty, and conducts the designs of his own
providence, by secret, and inscrutable springs, to the most
wonderful and unexpected issues.

Conformable to the character which the Saviour assumed
were the instruments which he employed to propagate his re-
ligion. He chose men from the humblest walks of life, w ith-
out power, without influence, without science, without elo-
quence; and yet, strictly forbidding every attempt to extend
his doctrines by compulsion and force, he commanded them
to rely for success in their mission simply on their plain un-
varnished exposition of the truth, under the guidance of that
divine Spirit which he promised them to co-operate with
iheir preaching. What could be expected, on every ground
of human calculation, from the choice of such instruments for

a vroik of this peculiar nature, and of such infinite magnitude
and difficulty, but failure and disgrace ? Could men in their
rank of life, and possessing only their talents, have raised their
minds to such a mighty enterprise as that of changing the moral
state of the whole world ? If they had been bold enough to ad-
mit the thought, was there any example in the history of human
events which could have encourged the smallest hope of suc-
cess ? Yet, we have seen them, in obedience to the command of
their master, although with reluctance at first, under the con-
sciousness of their impotence, enter on this astonishing en-
terprise ; and we have seen it, contrary to every principle of
probable reasoning, gloriously accomplished in their hands.
Well may we ask, then, if the choice of such instruments is
not a new proof that our blessed Saviour did not take counr
sel of human wisdom, nor act on any plan that the cunning
spirit of imposture would have dictated ? And, when we con-
template the wonderful revolution which they have effected,
does not the conclusion, almost irresistibly, force itself upon
the mind, that they must have acted under a divine direc-
tion r

But, omitting all other arguments of the presumptive class,
I shall only further offer to your consideration that strong
presumption which arises from the effects which the christian
religion has had on the interests, and happiness, the religious
opinions, morals and manners of society. That the publica-
tion of the gospel has produced an important revolution in

221

the moral and religious state of the woiUl, is obvious to all
who have sufficient acquaintance with the history of nations,
and of human nature, to be able to compare the past with tin-
present : and that this revolution has, upon the whole, been
salutary, and has contributed, in no small degree, to the hap-
piness of mankind, can hardly be denied by any well inform-
ed, and candid unbeliever.

The beneficial elTects of the christian revelation may be
considered under two views ; the great and visible improve-
Qient of the world in religious and divine knowledge in conse-
quence of the prevalence of Christianity ; and the practical
improvement, especially of the christian nations, in morals
and manners.

Much has been said already, on the great superiority of
the theological and moral system of the sacred scriptures,
above all that philosophy ever taught among the disciples of
human wisdom, or superstition ever substituted for religion
among the vulgar. But the beneficial influence of the gos-
pel is not to be looked for chiefly among men of science, who
form but a small portion of any nation, nor to be measured
principally by the excellence of its doctrines compared with
the institutions of philosophy, but by the illumination which
it has shed through the great mass of the people. In this
class, who were once thought to be incapable of any rational
consideration of those sublims subjects, do we not now find

truer notions of God, purer conceptions of the worship due
(o hira, juster principles of duty, a more perfect system of
the rules of moral conduct, and higher and nobler motives to
enforce those rules in practice, than were ever known even
to the few sages who appeared here and there like stars ia
the dark night of paganism ? This is certainly the greatest
and sublimest effect which has ever been produced by naoral
instruction. No where do we now behold such objects of
woi-shipas Jupiter or Juno, as Mars or Apollo, whose Tices
would have been an additional stain on the reputation of the
most immoral of their worshippers. Still less do we see tem-
ples erected to such deities as Bacchus or Venus ; or such
ridiculous, lewd, and beastly sprites as Fauns and Satyrs, as
Priapus and Pan. We no longer witness the revels of a holi-
day substituted for the pure worship of Almighty God,
vhich should consist in solemn acts of homage and venera-
.tion : in penitent acknowledgments of our sins, in devout med-
itations on the works and perfections of the Creator, in grate-
ful recollections of his innumerable mercies, and in the pious
anticipation of those heavenly and immortal hopes which of-
fer the most powerful motives to the true believer to live vir-
tuously, and form his best preparation to die peacefully.
The offices of religion, that were performed in the pagan
temples did not, in any country, embrace the moral instruc-
tion of the people. The functions of the priesthood were all
fulBlled in the regular discharge of a ritual of unmeaning, or
fantastic ceremonies. Piety or good morals were not eS"

223

teemed requisite even to the sacerdotal character. How
different are those pious offices which are performed in our
christian temples ! What a school are they become to the
people of that knowledge most important to the interests and
happiness of mankind ! With what advantages in the church,
that is, under the immediate inspection and authority of Al-
mighty God, are they initiated in that most perfect discipline
which embraces the whole compass of their duties to God
and man, and provides most certainly for the happiness both
of their present, and their future being ! Idolatry, with its
impious and immoral train, has been banished from all its an-
cient seats in the civilized world. For Christianity has in
this, and in many other respects, extended a salutary influ-
ence far beyond the nations embraced within its actual pale.

If Christianity has introduced into the great mass of socie-
ty a more perfect knowledge, than they enjoyed before, of
those moral and divine principles most useful and important (o
the practical understanding and discharge of all their duties^
it has, in the same proportion, opened the true sources of
enjoy Qient to all who sincerely embrace and believe its doc-
trines. Their happy influence will be perceived by a good
man in every situation wherein he can be placed, in the com-
posure of his spirit, in the sense of the continual presence,
favour, and protection of Almighty God, in that 6!lal affec-
tion and trust with which he confides in the divine mercy,
and that security with which the spirit of faith reposes on

224

the friie foundation of our eternal hopes. Bui tlie gracious
and beneficent power of the gospel, and the precioiisness of
its consolations, will be pcculiarlj felt under the various af-
flictions which God hath found it necessary or useful to in-
troduce into the discipline of our present state of probation*
There are comforts in religion which can enable the pious
heart to throw oflf the pressure of all its sorrows. But, that
I may not enter too far into disquisitions which would bet-
ter become the pulpit, I will confine myself briefly to point
out the consolation and support it affords the soul at the ap-
proach of death. The weakness of human nature, if it is
not supported by religious hope, commonly meets this awful
term of our earthly existence with extreme solicitude. And
the consciousness of guilt, which is apt to be awakened in the
heart when we are approaching the presence of the Supreme
Judge, and when all the illusions of the passions and the
world, which had diverted reflection, are passed away,
greatly aggravates to most men the distress of dying. Their
utter ignorance of all that is beyond this life, and the fearful
apprehensions natural to weakness and guilt, of what may
take place hereafter, must often agitate with terror, or hang
with peculiar heaviness, on the departing spirit which is not
enlightened by revelation. The polite and learned nations
of antiquity, although they had some notions of the existence of
the soul after the dissolution of the body, and some appre-
hensions of a future retribution to virtue, and to vice, yet had
framed no clear and satisfactory ideas on these subjects on

225

which reason could rely: all their representations of the
state of departed souls, therefore, were melancholy and
gloomy in the extreme. What ineffable consolation, then,
has the gospel brought to countless millions of the human
race ? What comfort has it shed upon the hour of death ?
what illumination on the darkness of the tomb, by bring-
ing life and immortalily to light ! It has pointed out,
through Jesus Christ, the way, at once, to a happy death,
and to the certain hope of a blessed and eternal existence.
To the real christian, who believes its promises, and confides
in its hopes, the comforts which it sheds on this most inter-
esting crisis of our being are beyond every estimate which
can be formed of their value, and must greatly strengthen in
his heart that faith which has been created and nourished
there by its holy doctrines.

Suffer me now to conclude these evidences with an obser-
Talion which is of great importance in order to a just view of
the influence of the christian system on the general happiness
of the world. Although the knowledge of its divine truths
has not been actually communicated to all nations ; yet it
teaches us to believe that the whole human race do, in a very
great degree, participate in its blessings. From the moment
of the fall of our original parent, and the merciful promise of
that heavenly seed who, from the beginning was destined to
repair the evils of his transgression, tiie world has been placed

under an administration of grace in tin hands of ('-' ^^ ■ 'v

29

326

lor, siiiled \o its degenerate condition. And now, in conse-
quence of Ihe atonement made by the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the worlds and of the assistance of the holy-
Spirit, which through the one oblation offered on the cross,
has been imparted to all men to direct and strengthen the dic-
tates of conscience in their breasts, salvation has been render-
ed possible to sincere repentance, and regeneration of heart
in every age, and in every nation, even where the name of
Jesus Christ has not been explicitly revealed.* For the ho-
ly apostle Peter hath taught us, what a heavenly vision re-
vealed to him ; that, through the death and mediation of the
ever blessed Saviour, in every nation, he that feareth God,

* The pious nien in the patriarchal ages, and generally in the ancient world^
could have had no definite, and evangelical apprehensions of t!ie character of the
Saviour, notwithstanding it was through the efficacy of his atonement that they
had access to God, and by his Spirit they were sanctified. The same Spirit is im-
partid, in a degree, to the heathen world, ia every age, who, applying with a di-
vine efficacy the law of nature to the consciences of men, becomes, to many among
them a principle of sincere repentance and regeneration of heart.

The Rev. Mr. Braiuerd in the journal of his mission among the Indians, relates
a striking anecdote, very much to the present point, of an aged man whom he met
with, who, in his original state of healhenism, had gained, from his own reflec-
tions, and the exercises of his own heart, under the influence of that divine Spirit
which he acknowledged, an acquaintance witli the most important practical princi-
ples of real piety, as far, probably, as, without the explicit knowledge of the Me-
idiator, and the atonement, they were generally attained even by the best men in
the ancient and patriarchal world. Mr, Brainerd, after free and repeated con-
versations with liim on the most practical subjects of religion, declares that if he
thou;iht it possible for a heathen to be a truly pious man, without the direct know-
ledge of Jesus Christ, he would have concluded this Indian to be such. In this
remark, indeed, we perceive a certain illiberality of opinion, which, considering
the powerful effect, on many minds, of (he prejudices of education, is, perhaps,
rather to be lamented than severely censured. This pious missionary forgot the
reasoning of Saint Paul in the third chapter of his eiiistle lo the Roman?,

22r

and ivorketh righfeoiisnesSf is accepted with him. This h
the foundation of our hope with regard to the pious men of
the ancient world: and on the same grounds may we still
build a reasonable hope, that thQ3e distant corners of the
earth, which seem covered with the profoundest darkness^
preserve, at all times, many of the chosen vessels of mercy.
And, although the sun of righteousness has not yet lifted hia
beams on all nations, we have reason to believe that he is in
his glorious progress ; and that as the plans of divine provi-
dence are hastening to their full development, the gospel will
shortly be extended along with the improvements of civili-
zation and science, over the whole earth, and involve all na-

Will it be asked, what advantages then, If the principle which has bacn statcf^
above be just, iiavc the christian nations over those who enjoy only the faint glini-
merings of the light of nature? I answer, tliat, although noen, who enjoy only the
imperfect lights of nature, together witli those gleams of original truth whicii
have been preserved by a tradition that is not yet entirely extinct among any
people, may, through repentance and saoctification of the Spirit, be saved by a
Redeemer whom they have not distinctly known, yet mast they be subject, through
life, to many, and distressing doubts and anxieties which the native weakness of
human reason is unable to resolve. Besides the nations who enjoy the blessed
light of the gospel possess much clearer and more ample means of knowledge and
of grace, more efficient motives of duty, more consoling hopes, than those who are
left to the obscure teachings of reason unenlightened by revelation. And, it
such means and motives have in their own nature, and independently on the more
abundant influences of the divine Spirit, which accompany them under the chris-
tian dispensation, a powerful tendency to promote the spirit, and to advance th?
interests of piety and virtue, how greatly must the numbers of pious men be mul-
tiplied under the full illumination of the Sun of righteousness ?

To these reflections it may be added, that if higher degrees of purity, and sanc-
tity of heart and life be the natural result of the clearer lights, and nobler privi-
leges of the gospel, a principle most reasonable in itself, will it not follow likewise,
that prOi)Ortionably richer and more glorious rewards siiall crown the obedience-
ci" the sincere christian in the everlasting presence of his Redeerncrp

228

lions in (he splendour of his rays. When this blessed era
shall arrive, shall we not find an abundant compensation for
the partial darkness, or the feeble dawn, which has so long
overspread the world, not only in the superior duration, but
in the superior glory of that period, when, to use the beautiful
and expressive figure of the prophet, the light of the moon
ihall be as the ligrht of the sun. and the light of the sun shall
he sevenfold, as the light of seven days.

THE TRINITY

OR

THREEFOLD EXISTENCE OF THE DEITY«

In enlering on the investigation of the peculiar doctrines of
revelation, the first object which meets our attention is the
Trinity, or Threefold Existence of the Deity.

The existence of God is equally the foundation of natu-
ral and revealed Religion. But in the sacred scriptures
it assumes an aspect new and peculiar. The Holy Spirit
has revealed in them a modification of the divine essence un-
known to tlie lights of nature. Its unity indeed, is not im-
paired ; but we are taught to believe in the coexistence of
three infinite, eternal and equal natures or persons in one
most holy and undivided Godhead. As this is a doctrine
entirely beyond the discoveries of human reason, it is our du-
ty to receive it simply as a revealed /ad, without attempting
too curiously to pry into the inscrutable mode of this~^ divine
union, which must transcend the comprehension of our
minds. Perhaps, however, it is not farther bej ond our intel-
lectual capacities to form distinct conceptions of a Trinity in
tmioD, than it is clearly to conceive of God himself as pre-

230

sented to our thoughts by natural religion. Each of his per-
fections offers to the mind impenetrable difficulties, and, in
many of their circumstances, apparent contradictions. The
christian system embraces three infinite subsistences, or per-
sons, equally the objects of divine worship ; and all included
in one self-existent and eternal essence, only sustaining dif-
ferent relations to mankind. This doctrine justly excites
our wonder, and confounds the imbecility of our minds.
But we are not without an analogy in our own nature to facil-
itate our conception of the possibility of the fad. 1 he un-
derstanding, the will, and the affections, often enter equally
into the acts of the soul ; yet, so that we do not discern ia
each operation of the intellect, volition, or affection only a
third part of its force ; but we perceive that the whole soul is
exerted in the act, and the power of each principle is as the
entire energy of the soul. It would, indeed, be impious to
imagine that the human mind affords any adequate type of
the Supreme and Infinite Spirit, but it certainly yields an
analogy by which our conceptions may be aided of three
distinct and equal powers in one simple and undivided es-
sence in which the energy of the whole is exerted in the
operations of each.

Those who are unfriendly to the evangelic system often
reproach believers on this subject, as receiving a doctrme
that is unreasonable only because it is above the investiga-
tion of reason. This is a distinction which cannot fail to

i#

231

meet the thinking mind in the contemplation of innurnerablt;
subjects in nature. We see tlie fact, but we cannot under-
stand the manner of its existence, nor free it from inexplica-
ble difficulties which equally embarrass the wise and the ig-
norant. Who can explain the ubiquity of God, without ex-
tension or division of parts ? Who can reconcile his immu-
tability, and the steadfastness of nature with the promises of
his protection to good men ? Or who render free from the
most embarrassing perplexities two of the most evident
truths, the perfect liberty of human action, and the infallible
foreknowledge, and preordination of events, the one, the
most obvious dictate of experience, the other, among the
most certain principles of science ? In any revelation from
God concerning himself, have we not the justest grounds to
expect many discoveries which would otherwise, have far
transcended the discoveries, and, perhaps, the distinct con-
ceptions of our reason. We must judge with infinite imper-
fection or absurdity of the divine nature, if we receive no
revelation concerning it but what we can measure by the fee-
ble powers of the human intellect. — On such transcendant
subjects when convinced that God has spoken, it is the first
duty of a christian to receive implicitly the declarations of
his holy word, without any attempt to bring them down to the
level of our own minds.

It is a natural inquiry, which has been often made, whence
can arise any moral benefit from the revelation of a TnV

232

ity, when it is confessed that human reason is incapable of
conceiving the mode of the divine existence ? I answer that
the utility of this revelation is precisely similar to that which
is derived from the knowledge of the being of God. The
belief presents to our ideas a Legislator and a Judge, an ob-
ject of worship and of holy fear, a law of duty, and the most
powerful sanction of that law. For, although we cannot dis-
tinctly conceive of the divine nature, nor expand the mind to
the comprehension of infinite perfection ; yet as far as is
competent to all the purposes of piety and virtue, we are
able to understand the relations of his justice, his power, his
wisdom, and his goodness, to us as moral beings. In like
manner, although the threefold existence of the Deity is most
mysterious and inscrutable, yet the belief of this doctrine, as
it is revealed, offers God to the understanding and the heart,
in the threefold relation of our Creator, our Saviour, and the
Illuminator and Banctifier of our nature ; — in one word, as the
Moral Governor of the world in reference to our redemption.
These relations can be clearly understood by man, and arc
infinitely important to him, as an offending creature, to be
known. In them lies all his consolation, and the foundatioa
of his hope for eternal life.

232

VESTIGES OF THIS DOCTRINE HANDED DOWN BI

TRADITION AMONG ALL THE CIVILIZED

NATIONS OF ANTI'viOITY^.

When God had formed the father of our race with rational
and moral powers which filled hiii) to be tlic iiintnictor and
governor of tlie world, it is a reasonable presumption thai lie
should, at Ihe same time, impart such a knowledge of hiaiself
as should be requisite to the discharge of every duty which
he owed to Heaven. And certain it is, that, as a pious parent,
he would affectionately and zealously communicate the pre-
cious treasure to his immediate offspring. For the same reason,
information so important to religion, and to society, would be
disseminated by the great ancestor of luii' kind after the del-
uge among Ihe various nations springing from him; the know-
ledge, indeed, communicated by tradition, however important
it may be to human happiness or duly, loses, in the lapse of
time, much of its precision and accuracy, and becomes mixed
with fable. Yet in the multiplied changes of mankljid, if the
principle, which has just been stated, be well founded, we
may expect to find many traces of a doctrine so infimatel/
blended with the first principles of piety ; especially in those
countries whose moral history reaches nearest to the era of
the deluge. — And we do accordingly discern, in the records
of ancient learning, vestiges of this doctrine which are sur-
prisingly clear, and more uiifum among people so remotely

30

234

dispersed from each other, than could have been derived
from any other source, than the common parent of the race.
Orpheus, whose name is apt to be mingled, in our ideas, only
trith fat)le8, but who was a great legislator, and the oldest of
the Grecian poets, as well as the civilizer of all the north of
Greece, speaks agreeably to the accurate researches of the
Chevalier Ramsay, of the highest of all beings under the de-
nominations of light, understanding, and life, which were said
to express the powers of the same Deity, the Maker of all.
And Cudworth, quoting Timotheus, informs us, [Intellect.
Sjyst. ch. 4.] that Orpheus denominated the three powers of
the divine nature Ouranos, Ciuonos, and Phanes, the two for-
mer names of Greek origin, the latter an Egyptian word signi-
fying Love ; and the whole not widely diflfering in the force
of the terms from those already j,roduced from the Chevalier
Ramsay. Pythagoras is known by all acquainted with Grecian
lileralure, to have mainlained a Trhiity of divine persons.
His philosophy he derived from Egypt, Chaldea, Persia and
India, where similar doctrines prevailed. And we learn from
Moderatus, who was a disciple of his school, that a fundamen-
tal maxim of his theology was " that God is one, and from
him proceed two infinite beings :" which maxim he explains
and expands in the following words—" Thejirst one is above
all beings, the Second contains all ideas, tlie Third, which
he call- ;fc;v5cv or Soul, parlaketh of both." Jamblichus, the
%mous aiiitt^oaist of the christians says ** that, like thewy there

were three Gods praised by (he Pythas^oreans. And one*
of the philosophers of this school denoininales the second of
these deiries " Ihe Heavenly and Sensible God." — The
Trinity of Plato is slill better known, the different persons of
which he styled ''ro Agathon or Heno Nous or Logos and
He Psuche or Hevos, interprete(J, the Good or the One — the
Mind or Reason, and the Soul or Love.

Fro/n the philosopher, already quoted, we learn that the
traditions of the ancient Egyptians acknowledge Eineph as
the author of truth, and creator of the world ; but before
Eineph they place the first Intelligent and Intelligible Being,
who can be adored only in silence, denominated Eiklon; but
after both is Ptha, or that Spirit which animates all things by
its vivifying flame. Eusebius remarks, that the hieroglyphic
of the Deity in that nation was a winged globe, with a serpent
emerging from its orb. Of which symbol Sanchoniatho, \tt
the fragments preserved by that author, gives the following
explanation; — "The globe signifies the first self-existent
Being, without beginning, and without end ; — The serpent is
the einblem of divine wisdom and creative power ; and the
wings, of that active spirit which animates the universe." la
corroboration of this tradition, it was the received interpreta-
tion of their priests that the triangular obelisks erected at the
entrance of all their temples were symbols of the divine
nature.

♦ HicrocIcFi

236

P^«5!^ino" to o^her nations, Plutarch lias preserved a fracli-
lion ol ihe Peibian theology, that their supreme Deity Oro-
ma «les thrice augiriented himself; and he records a ceiebra-
te.l festival of the Magian priests in honor of the threefold
Mvthras; the names of whom were Oromasdes, Mythras,
and Mythra. Since the presidency of Sir William Jones in
India the exislence of a supreme Trinity in the Mythology
of the Braniins is plainly discerned in the midst of their in-
numerable Gods, and symbols, the belief of which has been
preserved among them from the most remote antiquity.
And the European missionaries to China have discovered
Tisible traces of the sanie doctrine existing among that an-
cient peofile. — Such a striking coincidence in this important
principle of religion among various nations, so remotely sit-
uated from each other, ce tainly points to some common ori-
gin, which can hardly be presumed to be any other than that
which has already been suggested.

These reflections will be considered, I presume, to derive
no inconsiderable countenance and support from similar ones
made by that eminent divine and scholar, Dr. Horsley,
Bi?*hop of St. Asaph, in a charge to the clergy of the arch-
deaconry of St. Albans. Speaking of the similitude, in ma-
ny points, of the Trinity of the platonic school to the chris-
tian doctrine : The resemblance, says he, may seem indeed
a wonderful fact, which may justly draw the attention of the
serious and inquisitive; and it becomes more importantj

when it is discovered that these notions were by no means
pecuhar lo the pbioiiic school ; that the platonists preiend-
ed to be no more (han the expositors of a more ancient doc-
trine, which is traced from Plato to Parriienides ; froin Par-
menides to his masters of the Pythagorean sect ; from ihe
Pythagoreans lo Orpheus, (he earhest of the Grecian Mya-
tagogues; from Orpheus to the secret lore of the Egyptian
priests, in which the foundafions of the Orphic theology-
were laid. Similar notions of a triple principle pievailed in
the Persian and Chaldean theology ; and vestiges even of the
worship of a Trinity, were discernible in the Roman super-
stition io a very late age. This worship the Romans re-
ceived from their Trojan ancestors ; for the Tiojans brought
it with them into Ilaly from Phrygia. In Phrygia it
Was introduced by Dardanus so early as the ninth Centu
ry after Noah's flood. Dardanus carried it with him
from Samothrace ; where the personages that were the
objects of it were worshipped under the Blebrew name
of Cabirim. Who these Cabirim might be, has been
matter of unsuccessful inquiry to many learned men. The
Utmost that is known with certainty is, that they were ori-
ginally three, and were called by way of eminence the Great
or Mighty ones ; for that is the import of the Hebrew name*
And of the like import is their latin appellation PenateSy &c.
Thus the joint worship of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, the
Triad of the Roman Capitol, is traced to that of the Three
Mifrhty Ones in Samothrace ; which was established in that
island, at what precipe time it is ioipossibie to determine, but

Qariier, if Euscbiua is (o be credited, than the days of
Abraham.

The notion, therefore, of a Trinity more or less removed
from the purity of the christian faith, is found to be a leading
principle in all the ancient schools of philosophy, and in ihe
reliscions of almost all nations ; and traces of an early popular
belief of it appear even in the abominable rites of idolatrous
worship. If reason was insufficient for this great discovery,
what could be the means of information, but what the pla-
tonists themselves assign, ^sonet^ccSoIci esoXoyia — A theology
delivered from the Gods, i e. a revelation. This is the
account which the platonists, who were no christians, have
given of the origin of their master's doctrine. But from
wh it revelation could they derive their infor nation, who lir*
ed before the christian, and had no light from the mosaic ?
For, whatever some of the early fathers may have imagined,
there is no evidence that Plato or Pythagoras were at all ac-
quainted with the mosaic writings: not io insist, that the
worship of a Trinity is traced to an earlier age than that of
Plato or Pythagoras, or even of Moses. Their information
could only be drawn from traditions founded upon earlier
revelations ; from scattered fragments of the ancient patriar-
chal creed ; that creed which was universal before the de-
fection of the first idolaters ; which the corruptions of idola-
try, gross and enormous as they were, could never totally ob-
fiterate* Thus the doctrine of the Trinity h rather cojf*

239

firmed than discredifetl by the suffrage of the heathen sages;
sinre the resemblance of the Christian faiih, and ihc Pagan
philosophy in tlii? article, when fairly infrrpteted, appears to
be nothing less than the consent of the earliest, and the latest
revelations.

An objection has been raised against this presumptive evi-
dence, as it may be called in favour of the doctrine, and not
without much appearance of plausibility, arising from the
supposed silence of the scriptures of the Old Testauient.
This silence, however, is more apparent than real, as will ea-
sily be discerned by the attentive reader, in the revelations
made to the ancient patriarchs. That celebrated and ingen*
ious critic who has been already quoted more than once, but
who perhaps has pushed this opinion beyond the truth of
fact, thinks he discovers the different persons of the adorable
Trinity as distinctly designated in Ihe writings of Moses as
in those of the apostles. Of the living and true God this great
legislator of Israel speaks under the peculiar appellation of Je-
hovah; but he exhibits him to that nation under the thieetold
denoininations of Jehovah — Ab, — the self-existent Father;
Jehovah — El, — the self existent Teacher or IIlumin;itor ; and
Jehovah-^ Ruach, or the self-existent Spirit. And Elohira^
tinder which denomination the Eternal is so often spoken of,
by Moses, is the plural of Eloah, and indicates plurality of ex-
istence. You cannot serve Jehovah, says the author of the
book of Joshua, for he is the holy Elohim ; which literally

246

translated if?, you cannot serve the Self- Existent, for he is
the holy Gods* And this is only one example out of many
throughout the sacred writings. Hence the Jews, as ap«
pears, by the oldest commentators on their law, seem at all
periods io have entertained this principle. And in the time of
our Saviour, they were evidently not offended at his doctrine
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; but at the pre-
sumption, as they supposed, of his making himself the Son
ef God ; thereby, making himself equal with God,

Such have been the doctrines, or traditions concerning the
divine existence cherished in the most distinguished nations of
the ancient world. And it is far from being an improbable
conjecture that they contributed in no small degree, to prepare
the minds of mankind for the favourable reception of the true
doctrine on this subject, when it was revealed by our blessed
Saviour.

But so various is the human mind in the strength of its
powers, and the diversity of its fancies, or prepossessions, that
it tioon became divided into different systems in interpreting
the sacred standard transmitted to us by Christ, and his
apostles. Many crude notions seemed to rise and fall almost
at the same moment, in the primitive church, being only the
transient ebullitions of a fanatical fancy, arising from the
fermentation of ancient opinions with the new principles im-
perfectly understood. A multitude of these errors are en-

241

uumerafed by ail the ecclesiastical historians, who merely re-
cord Iheir existence ami their extinction. But not having
been embraced by any permanent sect in the church, they
merit httle rec;ard ; and are hardly entitled even to be men-
tioned in a system like the present. A few only ol" (hose
whose leaders have been moie distinguished by their talents,
or have made more extended divisions ansong the body of
christians I will recall to the notice of my readers, merely
stating their peculiar and discriminating ideas upon this sub-
ject, with such conciseness as the brevity of this work re-
quires.

The Sabellians, who take their denomination from a mail
respectable for his learning and talents, maintain the unity of
God in the strictest sense ; and interpret ilie titles of the Fa-
ther, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as expressive only of the
different relations of Creator, Redeemer, and Moral Govera-
or, which he sustains to mankind in the economy of their re-
demption. Considering the extreme obscurity of our ideas
upon this infinite subject, their error, acknowledging as they
do, the Deity of our Saviour, cannot be regarded as one that
deeply affects the system of our hol^ religion. The Tri-
theists, conceiving that they would do gi eater honour to the
respective persons of the Trinity, by adopting a contrary
opinion, have assigned to each a separate, equal, and inde-
pendent existence, making their union in one Supreme God-
head consist, not in any natuml and neceasaiy participation

31

242

of the same essence, but in a perfect concurrence of wiily
and co-operation of action in all their designs. — The Arians,
on the other hand, borrowing their title from the celebrated
presbyter of Alexandria, maintain that Christ is not proper-
ly God, but only the first and highest of all creatures, who
has been taken into the most intimate union with the Deity,
that he might thereby become the Saviour of the world ;
conjoining the merit arising from the grandeur of this divine
relation, with that of the obedient and suffering condition of
human nature in him. Out of these, another class has arisen^
who most nearly approach the orthodox principle, making
Christ, not properly a creature, nor in the high and indepen-
dent sense of the Father, God. The most noted of the mo-
dern Arians appear to have adopted the ideas of the celebra-
ted Samuel Clark, who stands among the first metaphysicians
of any age, that the Filial is an eternal, and necessary ema-
nation from the Paternal Deity ; which may be illustrated,
if such an infinite subject be capable of any illustration from
created nature, by the procession of light from the body of
the sun, coexistent, and of the same essence with the body
from which it proceeds ; yety being derived, though a ne-
cessary effect from a necessary cause, it is to be regarded
as dependent. Such does this great man suppose to be the
dependence of the Son upon the Father. — Opposed to all
these forms of Trinitarian existence are the Pelagians or Soci-
nians, who, notwithstanding their rejection of the fundamen-
tal principle of the atonement, and its related doctrines, still

243

elaim the title of christians, because they enibraced the raor
ral code of Jesus Christ. Their distinguishing tenet is, (hat
Christ is simply a man, and in no other way connected with
the vSupreme Deity, than as being inspired by him, and sent
by him into the world to be the chief of the prophets and ii>
atructors of mankind. — This sect is hardly entitled to the
honour of the name which they assume.

On this great and essential doctrine of Christianity, the
opinions which have now been briefly stated are the chief
which deserve to be mentioned, exclusive of that which only
we conceive to be warranted by a just interpretalion of the
holy scriptures. This presents to the mind the Falher, the
Son, and (he Holy Spirit, as being equal in power and glory ;
— equally necessary and independent in (heir existence ; —
perfectly one in their essence, but different in personality ; —
The objects of equal, and undivided worship. In the econ-
omy of human redemption, however, the Paternal Deity, is to
be considered as actually exercising the rights of divine au-
thority.— The Filial Deity as being the immediate minister
of the divine mercy by his atonement aill in'crcession ; — and
the Holy Spirit as applying the revelation of the divine mercy
for the sanctification of the heart, and qualifying the disciples
of the faith, by his gracious influence for the possession and
enjoyment of eternal life. In all acts of worship it is the
principle of Christianity, that we address the Father, through
the Son, by the agency of the Holy Spirit.

244

PROOF OF THE TRINITY.

Having stated, as concisely and distinctly as possible,
the christian principle upon this subject, I proceed to estab-
lish the evidence of the doctrine solely frona the sacred scrip-
tures. And, being, by every party, acknowledged to be a
doctrine purely of revelation, I reject every modification of
human reason on a subject on which reason is utterly incom-
petent to judge, and could, therefore, only mislead. 1 equal-
ly reject from this demonstration, every part of the sacred
text on which any doubt can be raised of the genuineness of
the copy, the scriptures being full and abundant on the sub-
ject, after every deduction that the most scrupulous enemy
can require. And this concession is made, not from any
hesitancy which can justly be enteriained concerning the au-
thenticity of those few disputed passages, which have been
selected for objection, out of our commonly acknowledged
version, but that, in an elementary treatise intended for the
youngest divines and for the comfort, instruction, and estab-
lishment of the common Ci ristian, no proof may be presented
to them but what shall be seen to rest only on the most se-
cure foundation. And no discussions introduced concerning
the subject, the result merely of human reason, but the naked
language of scripture.

245 I

These proofs may be arrans^ed into such as are general,
relating equally to the whole Godhead, and such as are par-
ticular, establishing Ihe Deity of each person. The former
are presented to us in the forms of baptism, and of benedic-
tion, both which are administered in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and shew us that the object of
worship", and of trust to the whole church, can be perfectly
exhibited to our faith, only under these three united titles.
And they are so united that equal power, honour, blessing,
and homage is ascribed to each. To that divine Trinity
equally we are consecrated on our entrance into the church ;
from that Trinity equally all the blessings of the gospel de-
scend to the faithful.

In examining the divinity of the respective persons of the
Godhead, it is requisite chiefly to attend to those proofs which
establish the proper Deity of the Son ; for, when this point
is once admitted there is no further objection to the full ac-
knowledgment of the doctrine. The declaration usually
quoted from St. Paul in the second chapter of the epistle to
the Philippians^ I omit, for the reasons already assigned,
and rely, at present, on two positive and explicit attestations
contained in the first chapter of the gospel of the apostle
John, and the fifth chapter of his first epistle. — " In the be-
Slinning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the

Phil. il. 6.

246

Word was God. — And we know that the Son of God is come,
and hath given U9 an understanding, that we may know him
that is true, and we are in him that is true, in his Son Jesus
Christ, — this is the true God, and eternal life." If it had
been the purpose of our Hearenly Father to teach this doc-
trine to the world so that no mistake or error could be com-
mitted with respect to it, we cannot easily conceive how it
coiild be taught in stronger and more explicit lang!iage. Con-
1 inced of this, as one would think that every man of candour
and fairness must be, we see those who deny the principle
obliged io take refuge in the utmost ingenuity, and even so-
phistry of crilicism, to elude the force of the evidence which
arises from the obvious construction of the sacred writings.
If these terms are explained to a different and more circuitous
meaning, all certainty is taken from the scriptures, and human
ingenuity may equally bend them to the support of the most
opposite opinions.

This argument ib, m no small degree, confirmed by the
frequent and pointed references made by the apostles to the
prophetic and mosaic writings, in which Christ is spoken of as
the Angelof the covenant, and addressed as Jehovah, that glo-
rious being to whom the highest characters of divinity belong,
and for whom the profoundest worship of mankind is claim-
ed. By comparing the New Testament with the Old, it be-
Gomes evident that the Son was God, adored by the patri-
archs, and is the Author and Subject of all those divine ap«

247

pearances exhibltetl to these eniinent Sainta recorded in the
ancient scriptures. It strengthens the proof already pro-
duced of this doctrine being always acknowledged by the He-
brew nation, and the primitive church, from the beginning ol"
the worhj. It renders probable likewise the opinion of those
great men, equally conspicuous for learning and piety, who
believe that this world was created principally to illustrate the
glory of God in the redemption of man ; and that it was, for
that pKfpose, from the beginning, put under the immediate
dominion and administration of the Son of God. These
ideas must forcibly impress the pious inquirer who candidly
studies the sacred writings, and compares the christian ers
with the most ancient periods of the mosaic economy. The
declaration of the apostle in the seventh chapter of the Acts;
" This is he who was in the church in the wilderness, with
the angel who spoke to him in the mount Sina, and with our
fathers," most evidently refers to the history of the Exodus
in the third chapter. " And the Angel ofthe Lord appeared
to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and he
looked, and behold the bush burned with fire ; and the bush
was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside
and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And
when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God
called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said Moaes,
Moses. And he said, here am I. And be said, draw not
nijih hitherto : put off thy shoes from off thy feei ; for the place
whereon thou standest is holy ground. Mweover, he said I

248

am the God of ihy father, ihe God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac and the God of Jacob." Behold then, Jesus Christ
presiding as Jehovah in the ancient church, and acknowl-
edged to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. — Many
passages contribute to shew that Christ was the supreme
Ruler and Guide of Israel in their progress through the wilder-
ness to the land of promise. And for the perfect Deity of
Jesus Christ acknowledged in both branches of the church,
a proof more precise and strong can hardly be adduced, than
that of the apostle in the beginning of his epistle to the He-
brews, quoting the forty fifth Psalm, where the prophet un-
der the full spirit of inspiration, saith of the Son, thy throne
O God is forever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the
sceptre of thy kingdom. And the evangelist John, in the
twelfth chapter of his gospel, applies to Christ one of the most
sublime descriptions of Jehovah recorded in the sacred writ-
ings ; " In the year, that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord
sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, above it stood the Ser-
aphim ; each one had six wings ; with twain he covered his
feet, with twain he covered his face, and with twain he did
fly ; and one cried to another and said ; holy, holy, holy, is
the Lord of hosts ; the whole earth is full of his glory," Is. vi.
1. These things, adds the evangelist, said Esaias, when
he saw his glory, that is, the glory of Christ, of whom he
was at that time writing, and spake of him.

249

Another proof, perhaps not less forcible, of the Deity of
the Son, is (he frequent ascription to him of all ihe peculiar
and incommunicable attribute;^ of the Godhead ; eternity, irri-
miitability, omniscience, omnipresence, and creation.—'* And
thou Befhlehem Ephralah (hough thou be liKle among (he
thousands of Judah, jet, out of thee shall he come forth un-
to me that is to be ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have
been of old, from everlasting;" saith the very explicit pre-
diction of the prophet Micah. Jesus himself declares,—
" before Abraham was, 1 am." And by his Spirit he an-
nounces to his favourite disciple John,-—** I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending, which is, whi».b wag,
and which is to come, the Alaiighfy." Listen to the strong
and unequivocal language of the epistle to the Hebrews.—
" To the Son he saith, thou Lord in the ' eginning hast laid
the foundation of the earth, and (he heavens are the work of
thy hands ; they shall perish, but thou remainest ; they shall
wax old as doth a garment ; but thou art the same, and thy
years shall not fail." The s^rae author in the following sen-
tence unites, in the most positive terms, the eternity and im-
mutability of the Saviour, *' Jesus Christ the same yester-
day, to day, and forever." And he himself testifies his owa
omnipreserice — ** where two or three are gathered together
in my name, there am I in the midst of them, IVlat. 1 8. And
io ! I am with you always to the en»l of Ihe world," iMat. 28.
1 add, in the last place, that all divine altribnresare embraced
in the work of creation, wbich is explicitly ascribed to the

250

Son : " for by him, all things were created, that are in hear-
en, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions or principalities, or powers: all
things were created by him and for him, and be is before all
things; and by him all things consist:" Col. 1. 16. Crea'
tion forms the supreme relation between the Creator and the
creature. It is the true foundation of worship, and consti^
tutes exclusively that perfect right claimed by the Eternal
to our duty and obedience. All things were made by him,
saith the evangelist John : and therefore the Father hath
committed all judsment^ that is, the entire government of
this world, to the Son, that all men should honour the Son
even as they lionour the Father.

These proofs, although consisting of a very small number
selected out of the great mass of the scriptures proportioned
to the brevity which I contemplate, afford ample confirma-
tion of the true and proper Deity of the Son ; and, in that,
they establish beyond reasonable doubt the doctrine of the
Trinity. No small degree of strength arises to the argument
from the constrained reasonings by which its enemies study
to combat the force of this evidence. Some of the highest
titles of divinity, it is alleged, are not bestowed on the Son,
which are ascribed to the Father, such as the Almighty, the
Most-High. Can any objection more obviously demonstrate
the weakness of the cause which is obliged to have recourse
tb such evasion!, when other titles, equally characteristic cf

251

the divine nature, are, wllh greater frequency, applietl to
hini ? Be'sides, a part of those titles which are supposed to
be exclusively appropriated to the Almighty Father, arc,
niosl obviously, used, not as marking any superiority of na-
ture, but, along with others, as distinctive characters of the
different persons of the Trinity. To give only one exam-
ple ; There is one God the Fathevy of rvlium are all things,
and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom arc all thin<rs.
Will it not require some peculiar deplli of understanding to
assign the superiority oi of to bi/, and in the act of creation,
to say which is expressive of the greater power, or the great-
er dignity ?

The objectors presume, that the terms expressive of the
highest powers of divinity are applied to Christ, as belong-
ing to him only in an inferior degree. And presuming io-
deed it is, to attempt to graduate the divine perfections, or
his creative operations, by our limited standard. What
measure have the scriptures given us to fix the import of
these phrases except the olnious meaning and connexion of
the terms? What gradations can be fixed in the powers of
creation, omnipotence, and omnipresence ? Such objections
never could be suggested but by a fallacious reason which
presumes to measure the divine nature by its own narrow
views; and under the powerful influence of a prejudice
which, having fixed its philosophico theological system inde-
pendently of that sacred regard to the simple dictates of the

252

word of God which ought lo govern the ideas of every chris-^
tiai), studies (o bend the rule of faith to its preconceived
opinions.

The force of the argument derived from the powers of
creation ascribed to Christ these writers think to weaken by
changing in some instances the import of the word translated
worlds. By whom also, saith the apostle to the Hebrews,
he made the worlds ; which phraseology they render ; by
whom also he constituted the ages ; meaning the different
dispensations of the church, the patriarchal, the mosaic, and
the christian. Litlle advantage, however, can be gained to
their cause by this change, when the full import of the terms
is fairly considered. Less they cannot imply, if we give
them any meaning worthy the solemnity of the divine ora-
cles, than that the whole moral order of the universe has been
originally constitued, and, at all times, arranged and govern-
ed exclusively by the providence of the Son. — But is this
less the property of divine power, or less the work of divine
wisdom than is the physical constitution and order of the
universe ? — The most ingenious evasions, therefore, or
colourings of the strong language of scripture, leave en-
tire the evidence of the full and perfect Godhead of the
Son.

The particular proofs of the Deity of the Holy Spirit in
the next place, demand our attention ; in which it is necesss-

253

iy, first, to egtabllsb bis dislinct personalify, and tbat he ii
not spoken of merely as a quality, expressive of the holiness
of the divine nature. Tlie import of the word spirit is un-
derstood as far as the term can be explained, only by the ac-
tion of our own minds. What is most obscure and difficult
in our conceptions, when tre attempt to apply it to the Eter-
nal Spirit, arises from the infinity of the subject. Here we
must rest contented and submissive from the consciousness
of our onn imperfection. But that the Holy Ghost is spoken
of as a distinct person, no less than the Father and the Son,
is evident from the forms of benediction and of baptism, as
well as from other passages in which the expression adnaits of
no ambiguity. — " i will pray the Father, and he shall give
you another comforter, that may abide with you forever ;
even the Spirit of truth,'* John xiv. 16, \7, " When he the
Spirit of truth is come, he shall guide you into all truth,"
John xvi. 13. " There are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit," 1 Cor. 12.

When the personality of the Holy Spirit is established,
little is requisite for the proof of his Deity. The evidence
of the one is involved in that of the other. We see, in the
holy scriptures, the same divine attributes ascribed to him as
to the other persons of the ever blessed Trinity. We have,
indeed, no further controversy on this important doctrine.

254
No queslion now remains, which merila, in any tlegree;
the attention of the student of theology, except that which,
for a long time, imprudently agitated the eastern and the
western christians, concerning the procession of the Son and
Holy Spirit, and that chiefly as a subject of history. A
question on this high and inscrutable doctrine it is which is
impossible to be clearly and intelligibly decided ; nor do we
perceive any important moral consequence that could result
from the decision. The Greek church maintained that both
(he Son and the Holy Ghost proceed from the Father only.
The Latin church contended that the Son proceeds from
(he Father, but the Holy Spirit equally from the Father and
the Son. — On a controversy of this nature we ought to speak
with extreme reservCj and to assert with posiliveness nothing
but what is clearly warranted by the scriptures them-
selves ; permitting no modification of the language or ideas
to our own fancy. When we listed solely to the sacred writ-
ers, the evangelist John declares that the Spirit proceedeih
from the Father f^ but he is also called by the apostle Paul,
writing to the Romans and other churches, the Spirit of the
Son.f When we would conceive or explain this doctrine
farther than the strict terms of revelation import, the mind
is immediately lost in an attempt entirely beyond the powers
of the human intellect. And although the terms of scrip-

^ JchR XV. 26. f Romaas viii. 9. Sal. xir. 8. Phil. 5. 19

253

ture, and the opinion of the highest christian antiquity ap-
pear to favour the doctrine of the Roman church, yet the
violence of the disputes which appear, in the progress of thia
controversy, between them and their Grecian brethren is a
i^eep reproach t*> b^th parties.

OF THE

DECREES OF GOD,

Having treated of the being of God, and of that idea of
the divine nature and perfectioa presented to us in Holy
Scripture, the subject which next occurs to our considera-
tion is his immediate agency and control over all the works
of his hand, usually styled, in our theological systems, his
Decrees* By this term is intended the sovereign and holy
will of Gdd concerning all things that exist, not only in their
being, but in all their changes and acti' ns from the greatest
to the most minute. They embrace the entire system of the
universe, both physical, and moral, corporeal and spiritual,
and, in the language of philosophy, constitute the universal
laws both of matter and of mind ; which are so ordained, in,
their original structure, as, by their natural operation, to at-
tain every purpose of the all-wise Creator. But divines with
justice, perhaps, entertaining a suspicion of the language of
philosophy, as if it kept the immediate agency of God too
much out of view, by interposing the natural law between
him and the event, and willing to present him always to the
mind, in all the changes of the universe, have chosen to em-
ploy the terms ordination, and predestination as exhibiting

33

2UB

the ultimate cause of whatever takes place in heaven or ou
earth. No event can happen but in consequence of the laws
which he has established, and estabhshed with a full, imme-
diate and present view of every result which should spring
from them. And as the whole creation was, at all times, pre-
sent before him, from the beginning, and nothing, strictly
speaking, can be considered as either past, or to come in the
view of omniscience, his preordination or decree is justly re-
regarded as embracing every event, and all events are seen
as being immediately obvious to his view, and arising natural-
ly out of the train of causes which he has ordained.

This term, as it has been adopted by theologians, h
merely technical, and has an appropriate meaning, being
used to signify the divine purposes with respect to the whole
order of nature, but chiefly with respect to the moral states
and destinies of mankind. It is evidently borrowed from an
analogy supposed to exist between the divine and human
governments, and is consequently employed to express the
will of Almighty God as the supreme legislator and gover»
nor of the universe.

Few words, in the Old Testament, hfive been translated
by this term, and m every place where they are employed
they might, with equal propriety, have been rendered by
the terms statute, law,* or purpose. In the version of the
New Testament it is no where found, although {he equiva-

259

lent terms coiinselt purpose, foreknowledge, predtstinatiortf
frequently occur; which language, especially when it relate!
to (he moral states, and conditions of men, evidently imply all
that is intended by decree, as it has been introduced hilo the
systems of theology.

To many, who appear not to have justly reflected on the
subject, this term carries in it somewhat gloomy and austere,
as implying that all the actions, and the final states of man-
kind have been fixed by an arbitrary will, and that theif
whole moral government turns on principles of necessityj
equally with (hose which govern the material world. But
when we identify his decrees with the laivs of universal be-
ing, producing their effects, with certainty, indeed, but free-
ly or necessarily, according to the nature of each subject, this
apparent harshness ceases to exist. No reasonable doubt can
be entertained by any reflecting man, but that all things, from
the beginning have been determined by the Creator in a cer-
tain order, which order must arise out of the laws of their re-
spective natures, and the combinations of each subject with
all other things. And these all having been framed by their
glorious Author with the most perfect foresight, their infinitelj-
various results must have been present from the beginning, to
his all comprehensive view. On the most obvious principles
of reason, therefore, the divine foreknowledge of events, must
have been founded on the divine will in framing the universal
structure of things, and impressing upon them respectively

260

the laws of their action. The results being, in consequence,
peiiei ly foreknown, the whole must have been conceived in
one consecutive and consistent plan according to the designs
of his infinite wisdom ; physical events arising out of the ne-
cessary laws of matter and motion, and moral consequences
springing from the free laws of motive and volition.

These consequences so clearly deduced from the princi-
ples of reason, are conformable to the whole strain of the sa-
cred writings, in which is asserted, in the most explicit and
unequivocal terms, the universal preordination of events,
however minutely they descend to the most trivial circum-
stan« es, or however strongly they imply the merit, or the
guih of individual acts. Let me appeal to a single exam-
ple which may be in the room of niany. Him, saith the
apostle speaking of Christ, being delivered by the deter^
minate counsel^ and forekn> rvledire of God^ ye have taken,
and by wicked hands, have crucified and slain. \\ hen we
assign (o this declaration of the sacred writer its full extent ;
couhl the delerfiiination of this great event take place, with-
out iiivohinu; in it the pie etermination of all the acts by
Tvhich it was gradually, prepared, and finally accomplished ?
Yet, 'vas no! every purpose so connected with the nature of
man, and the freedoai of human action, that, in this impious
deed, though predelerfuined, the agents were justly subject
to the lijihteoijs condemnation of Hea\en. But it were un-
necessary, I presume, lo refer you singly to the muUiplied

261

evidences of this truth which speak in every pa8;e of the holy
scriptures. Of those who sincerely lo\e God the uposlle
speaks as bein^ "called according to his purpose ; for whom
he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be confornaed to
the image of his Son." And the whole of this ninth chap-
ter of his epistle to the Romans appears to have been writ-
ten with the most palpable intention to remove all ambiguity
from this subject. Suffer me to quote only the eleventh
verse : " The children, being not yet born, neither having
done any good, or evil, that the purpose of God, according
to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that call-
eth, it was said, the greater shall serve the younger ; as it is
written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."

Can words proclaim, with more decisive evidence, the
preordination of events, and of those events particularly, I
mean the moral states of mankind, which have given rise to
the most formidable objections to the truth on this interesting
question. Attend to the pointed language of the sacred wri'
ter—- the election of one to honour is not made of any antece-
dent view of his cood works ; for il is not of workSy but of
him that calleth, founded only on reasons in his own infinite
and inscrutable wisdom. Not that any one is chosen with-
out, or wholly independent of his good works, but his works
are themselves the object of the decree, and are embraced
in ilie same act with the election of the believer; and this
without the smallest infringement on the perfect freedom of

262

iiie individual agent. For as has before been observed, the
laws of the moral world have been so framed as, by their na-
tural and free developmenf, to attain all the purposes of the
divine wisdom, in full consistency with human liberty, with
as great certainly as can arise from the laws of the physical
creation.

It is in vain to attempt to evade the force of this conclusion
by the hypothesis, that the election or reprobation of Jacob
or of Esau, regarded only the national interests and preroga-
tives of the people respectively descended from these patri-
archs. For in the election of a nation to temporal or to spi-
ritual privileges, are there not innumerable moral results inti-
mately involved in the^act? In the preference given to Ja-
cob, was it not the election of the whole ancient church to
mercies, privileges, graces, resting only in the gift of Hea-
ven, with all the sanctifying consequences growing out of
them to great numbers in that chosen nation ?

If then the preordination of events is established by the
clearest decisions of the holy scriptures, as it has already
been shown to be, by the plainest conclusions of reason, and
in that point which has been thought to form the principal ob-
jection against the doctrine, we see, in this conseqiience, one
of the strongest arguments for the universality of the divine
decrees.

263

The conclusion, Iicwever, has been opposed by some spe-
cious reasonings, an explicit answer to which will serve to
add strength to the general argument. They arise chiefly
from moral considerations. For the government of the na-
tural world is resigned by these writers, without controver-
sy, to the dominion of fixed, necessary, and immutable laws.
The doctrine of preordination, they affirm, stands in direct
contradiction (o the moral liberty of man ; and to the essen-
tia! benignity of the divine nature. — Of each let ns take 3
very brief review.

The former inference evidently springs out of those false
metaphysics which confound the voluntary and moral action
of the mind, with the physical and mechanical laws of body.
A confusion which has been greatly promoted by the com-
mon error of recurring, in all our reasonings concerning the
one, to analogies and illustrations borrowed from the other;
as if the suasion of motive bore a perfect analogy to the im.»
pulsive force of matter, which is always followed by a ne-
cessary effect, that can be calculated with mathematical pre-
cision, when the acting force is known, and the direction
given in which it is impressed. For the influence of motive,
on the other hand, no sure and general measure can be form-
ed, its power of excitement depending on the nature of the
motive as relative to the character and temperament of the
individual, varied as it may be by education, custom, the
influence of general opinion, and innumerable rirrumstanceR

264

which arc reducible to no certain rule. Where necessily
acts there is no room for deliberation and choice ; but where
the influence of suasion only operates, addressed to the mo-
ral principles of our nature, we are conscious of a power with-
in ourselves of voluntarily comparing and balancing motives,
and, according to our pleasure, yielding to one or another.

If we attend to the operations of our own minds, uninflu-
enced by any theory, we perceive a total difference in their
nature and action respectively, between matter and mind.
In the moral actions of the latter, especially, except when
under the control of some pernicibus habit, wbith has be-
come inveterately fixed, we are conscious of perfect liberty.
A sensation which may be clearly understood by every per-
son who distinctly reflects upon himself, and analyzes the ac-
tions of his mind, but is difficult to be defined on account of
the simplicity of the ideas. And on these subjects, let it be
borne in mind, our own sensations form the only proper tests
of truth and nature.

In the strongest exciieraent to act, for example, we are
sensible of the power of resistance, and of being able, at any
moment, to arrest the action, though not always, and imme-
diately of a power to act in a contrary direction ; for this
may depend on education, and the moral and religious culti-
vation of the mind. This liberty in acting, however, such
are the laws of the spiritual world, is perfectly consistent

with the most absolute certainty in the event, which, indet;*],
is the only foundation of foreknowledge in God himself.
And in the Divine Mind, foreknowledge and preordinaliott
are the same ; for it rests on the certain laws v.hich he has
ordained for all being, in both the great departments of the
universe. Therefore, are they often promiscuously used in
the sacred scriptures. To illustrate these reflections by au
humble example drawn from our own experience Even
with our imperfect knowledge of mankind, and of the usual
relations which subsist between motive and conduct, how of-
ten can we predict with assurance the tenor of a man's ac-
tions, in given circumstances, and frame upon them our own
plans, without any hazard of mistake ? How often may a pa-
rent who has long observed the influence of his Instructions
upon a child, predict, with the utmost assurance, at the same
time, without the smallest apprehension of the existence of
any necessary influence in the case, the act of his son in any
definite situation ? If the human intellect can proceed with
safety thus far, cannot the all-creating and omniscient Power,
who is fully possessed of the characters, temperamer.t, incli-
nations, habitudes, and the ten thousand minute views and
interests which go to influence the actions of individuals,
foreknow, and, therefore, if he please ordain and decree the
part which each shall bear in the most complicated moral
system, and in the whole drama of life, t\'ithout the smallest
infringement on the liberty of the mind in her volilions ?

The pbilosoplicrs and divines of the necessarian school,
who confound moral with physical action, sec infinite diffi-
culties in reconciling the certain influence of motive with the
freedom of volition: on the other hand, they find equal dif-
ficulty in conceiving the certainty of events, if, at the same
time, those events are to depend on the will of Jree agents.
Embarrassed by the contending difficulties, they have de-
termined, against all experience, to maintain that moral causes
act with the same kind of absolute and irresistible necessi-
ty as physical. Many writers have erred as far on the op-
posite extreme ; and, for the sake of preserving the liberti/
of man, have thought it requisite utterly to deny the certain-
ty of events, depending, in any degree, on the purposes of
free minds. Freedom, in their opinion, implies absolute
contingency in its effects. Theologians, as well as philoso-
phers of this class, are absurd enough (o deny prescience, as
well as preordination. The connexion of motive with cer-
tainty, so as, on the one hand, to exclude necessity, and, on
the other, contingency, is a subject of feeling. And, to a
man who is capable of observing the motions of his own
mind, the perceptions which this feeling affords are as clear
as any principles of science. Science rests on no other
foundation, for its axioms, than internal feeling or sensation :
which are therefore justly denominated its first irntks.

On this subject we distinctly perceive the following facts,
that motives, according to the infinite diversities of human

26r

character, possess a perceptible iDiluence on action's—that this
influence, in most instances at least, is not irresistible ; but
that, in acting, we are perfectly free ; and this sensation is
not a delusive feeling, but carries with it complete conviction
of its truth, which ought never to be overthrown by any
hypothetical speculation. Yet such connexion between mo-
tives and actions exists, according to the states and charac-
ters of men, that, where these, in all their relations and cir-
cumstances are completely known, certainty accompanies
moral as well as natural causes and effects. By the Al-
mighty and Omniscient Creator, then, all the thoughts and
purposes of mankind, all the circumstances and motives
which can in any way influence their actions, were, from
eternity most distinctly known. Yet his foreknowledge does,
in no way, ne(;e3sitate the events connected with it, although
it proves his preordination ; that is, their certain existence,
according to, and resulting from the order of nature, whether
physical or moral, established by him.

That the moral liberty of man and the preordination of
God, do not militate against one another, is susceptible of
demonstration even on the principles of those who most
strenuously oppose our doctrine. Let us suppose, for the
sake of the argument, the present state of human nature to be
a state of moral liberty, as perfect as the greatest enemies of
divine preordination can imagine ; suppose that there is no
preordination in the system of the universe, but that all things

268

bappen wiliiont any purpose, on the part of the Creator,
yet inist these philosuphers conless that they take place hi a
cerlan train of caui^es and effer's; or if, with Mi. Hume,
they expunge from the vocabulary of nature the name of
cause, and only say that all things happen in a certain tle-
lerminate concatenation ol preceding and consequent events ;
suppose, further, this train of causes, or succession of events,
accompanied with the existing state of virtue and of vice,
and that it could by any means be foreseen by the Infinite
]>lind, then merely creating those powers of nature, and es-
tablishing those relations of thing?, which in their ordinary
course, and by their mutual action, should produce precisely
the same moral condition of the world, ought not to be con-
sidered as subjecting ihe whole to the laws of mechanical
necessity. And, I add, tha< creating them with design that
this natural succession shouid take place — that effects, just
as we see ihem exist, should arise out of the established or-
der of (he universe, this desi^cn, and this order would not sure-
ly constitute a systeai of fatality.

If, (hen, freedom of mor 1 action can, by any possibility,
exist in ti,e rational system — if all things, even the Deity
hifiiself, be not snbjer.ted in an inflexible fate, it has been ren-
dered evident, I presume, that the most universal preordi-
na'ion miy be consistent with the n)ost complete liberty of
the mind in all her actions. The objection, therefore, which
has been just staled, is futile, in a high degree, and argues an

260

Inconshlerate, or most prejiuiiced disregard of the genuine
structure and operations of our moral nature.

OF MISERY AND VICE, AS OBJECTS OF THE DIVINE DE-
CREES.

The existence of vice and misery in the works of God,
is esteemed by those who deny the divine preordination of
all events, to form an insuperable objection, equally with the
former, against the admission of the doctrine, involving, as
they conceive it does, the deepest imputation on his good-
ness and his holiness. Small reflection, it should seem,
would be requisite to demonstrate, that a cavil of this kind
could never be resorted to, where the subject had been duly
considered. The very existence of these evils forms an
irrefutable answer to the objection ; or we must embrace a
principle most unworthy the divine wisdom and power. I
have no hesitation to admit that their existence, by whatever
means they were introduced, or for whatever end they were
permitted, entered originally into the designs of heaven, for
the administration of this world. Their being is as great a
mystery (o reason as their being ofdained. To say that they
have been merely permitted^ without any interference, or
concern of Almighty God in the actions of men, is only at-
tempting, by the illu'^ion of a word, to throw the difficulty
out of si'xht, not to solve it. If he has permitted the intro-
duction of evil, has it not arisen out of the constitution of his

MO

own work f oi' in other words, had its birth in those very
laws of our physical and moral nature which he has establish*
ed in the universal system of things ? Let the friends of this
phraseology reconcile the event to the divine perfections, and
the friends of the doctrine of universal preordination will be
able, on the same grounds, to demonstrate the consistency of
these perfections, with the decree by which sin freely exists
through the perverted will of the creature, and its punishment
necessarily follows. That this may be accomplished without
any infringement on the rational liberty of the mind, our own
experience suiSciently attests. If it be esteemed more diffi-
cult to reconcile the misery and guilt of our nature with the
benignant perfections of the Deity, this difficulty is at least
equal on all systems.

In examining the principles of Natural Religion, I have
already endeavoured to vindicate the goodness of God in the
existence of the manifold evils of human life, either as cor-
rectors of its errors, and assistants towards regaining its ori-
ginal perfection, or laying the foundation, ultimately for its
social and intellectual improvement and happiness. Here-
after, I shall contemplate them in the light of revelation, and
shew how the infinite benignity and wisdom of the Eternal is
justified and illustrated in the sacred writings, in all the mise-
ries which have overwhelmed this his greatest and best work.

2n

©F THE OBJECTS, THE ORDER, AND THE CHARA€TRR9 OF
THE DIVINE DECREES.

In the eliicitladon of Ihc general subject of the decrees,
several important questions have been offered to our consid-
eration by theological writers of different sects, which merit
our attentive reflection. They respect chiefly, the objects
of the decrees — the order in which they have been arranged
— the characters ascribed to them in the holy scriptures.

1. The objects of the decrees and purposes of God our
Creator are strictly the universe of things, with all their con-
ditions and changes ; and in moral agents particularly, their
thoughts, affections, and their whole conduct ; the advan-
tages and disadvantages of their situation, their virtues and
their vices. From eternity, these were all in the purview of
the Divine Mind, and, in time, embraced within the designSj
and subjected to the order of his i^rovidence, which is only
the operation of the Supreme Creator in the execution of hi?
eternal purposes.

2. The greater part of those writers who are friendly to
the system of divine decrees, afraid, at the same time, of seem-
ing to detract from the holiness of God, have, in order to
avoid this impioHS censequencCj thought it useful to conceive

272

of the divine purposes in a certain order, which has, there-
fore, been styled the order of tke decrees. E\ery scheme,
however, for arranging them, labours under the same essential
defect ; that of seeming to represent a succession in the Di-
vine Mind, similar to what must necessarily take place in the
designs and plans of men. In the purposes of God there can
be no succession. The entire system of nature, wi(h all iis
changes, is at once present to his view, and the purpose of
giving them existence is one act, and co eternal with his be-
ing. He sees the end in the means, and the means in the end.
So that any order applied to his eternal counsels is only an
error in our own conceptions. An order, indeed, must be ob-
served in their execution. And this perhaps it is, which has
been attempted to be marked in this expression by the au-
thors of the various systems, though by some inaccuracy of
language, transferred to the decrees themselves. As this tech-
nical phraseology, however, has been adopted by many emi-
nent divines of diiierent sentiments, and modified according
to their respective systems, in order to obviate, or evade the
difficulties arising out of the introduction of sin into the works
of God, I shall briefly stale the manner in which the subject
has been attempted to be explained, by the three prim ipal
sects; the Socinians, the Arminians, and the Calvinists. If
we should not perfectl}^ accord with any one of these great
parties in religion, and utterly reject many of the principles
of others, still it is useful for the theological studeni, and the
judicious christian, to be informed of the peculiar tenets of

each, with as much precision as such a compendious sjstem
will adaiit.

1. The followers of Socinus deny the decrees of God as
they'impiy, ultima<ely, anj eternal purpose of illustrating the
glorj of his mercy, or his justice, in the salvation, or the con-
demnation of men. Their general principle upon this sub-
* ject may be expressed in the following summarj.^ — The Su-
preme Creator decreeing, from the beginning, to form man a
moral agent, capable equally of virtue, or of vice, determined
to commit him solely to Ihe direction of his own powers, sub-
ject only to those rewards of virtue, or chastisements of vice,
which naturally arise out of the regular and fixed course of
divine providence. The penalties, or remunerations, of the
one or of the oiher, are, according to thoT ideas, those only
which are caused by the wiisdom, or folly, the discretion or
improvidence of men themselves. But in this, and in all
things else, the ordination and immediate agency of God in
giving effect to his own laws in the system of nature, are. In
a great measure, overlooked, and left, it is to be feared,
equally out of their scheme of doctrine, and the minds of
their disciples.

But they object, especially, against considering either the

fall or the recovery of mankind, as forming any object of the

divine decrees, farther than the general purpose of sending

a prophet to enlighten and instruct the world. As meiu

?,5

2^4

however, arc free agents, their virtue, or Iheir vice, their pi-
ous use, or their unholy rejection of bis revelation, cannot
properly be regarded, even as subjects of foreknowledge, and
StiJl less of any divine decree. The general purpose, there-
fore, of Ihe Eternal, to punish or reward them, according to
iheir deserts, is suspended solely on the actual existence, in
time, of the contingent facts which constitute their merit, or
demerit. This system appears in a worse form in many of
its recent disciples than it did in the founder of the sect. As
it has been embraced by a great portion of them, it can
hardly be regarded in any other light than as a modified the-
ory of Natural Religion.

2. The Arminians admitting, in general terms, the decrees
of God, study to arrange them in such order as shall be most
favourable to their peculiar system, fixing a few principal
points of christian doctrine, but omitting, at every step in
their progress, some portion of the entire chain which con-
nects the beginning with the end. The outlines of their the-
ory may be traced out in the following proposilious. — God,
in his wise decrees, originally determined to create man in
perfect innocence, but fallible — foreseeing his fall, but with-
out any regard to the mode of its accomplishment in their
decree or to that train of seductions which led to the fatal
catastrophe. — The next object of the decree, was, consider-
ing man as fallen, to send a Saviour into the world as the
Tnedium of his restoration and recovery— for this purpose, he

^7$

defermined lo impart (o all men sufficient grace, if properly
improved, (o bring the sinner to repentance, and to assist
the penifent to fulfil all righteousness ; but without clearlj
marking the distinction between, what is called sufficient
grace, and that which is effectual ; or ratlier tnaking no dis«
tinction between them, exce;)t the superior means, and op-
portunities enjoyed by one above another — finally, it wai
decreed, that those who improve their means and opportuni-
ties to bincere repentance, shall be brought to eternal salva-
tion, whereas those who wilfully continue in their sins, shall
be consigned to just perdition. 6ut here those innumerable
open, or secret, and often indiscernible causes which con-
duce, in different minds, to sincere repentance, are wholly
left out of the purview of the decree. And in all the sy steal
of these good men, neither the fall of man, nor the repent-
ance of any of his posterity, nor, in one word, any act of a
free agent, is admitted to be a proper object of divine de-
cree.

Here we see only a few points fixed in the purposes of
Heaven ; and, in the wide intervals between them, which
embrace the greater portion of human life, we see not the
actions of the mind, and ihe immense circumference of mo-
tives, occasions, and means which are combined for the pro-
duction of any event, and particularly, for bringing the sin-
ner to repentance, at all contemplated in the decrees of God.

27 f;

By the iacguage employed by the writers of this clasa these
causes seem to be thrown entirely without the control of his
providence.

The creation of man in innocence, is the first point fixed
in this system. Afterwards we find nothing in which the
state of human nature, and the general plan of redemption is
concerned, before the promise of the Saviour. The Fall,
and all the great events on which the present moral condi-
tion of the world depeads, enter not, in their view, for any
place in the divine counsels; because any decree on those
subjects, would involve the voluntary actions of men. — Could
then, let me ask ; could the loss of human innocence, and
the corruption of the whole human race be an event
that might, or might not have come to pass, having no founda-
tion of certainty in the constitution of things, but thrown by
the principles of these writers, among the mass of doubtful
actions, or the caprices of accident ? Or could the Om-
niscient have foreseen the transgression of man, without the
foreknowledge of all the means which led to the unhappy
event, and by which it was effected ? Could those means have
existed by chance? or have they not arisen in the natural
operation of the laws established by God himself in the mor-
al world ? And must not all these events, even to the min-
utest circumstances attending them, have been in the pur-
view of the Diviae Mind, in the original constitution of things.

27?

AjLid what further can be intended m the decrees of God, by
*fae warmest friends of this phraseology ?

Almigbly God, in sending a Saviour, has further gra-
ciously decreed, according to tlieir system, to impart to all
men grace siifficienr, if wisely improved, for all the purposes
of repentance and nev! obedience ; but the improvement of
that grace, they add, forms no object of the decree, but is
resigned simply and entirely to the will of man himself.—
But these principles will naturally fall to be more particular-
ly considered, hereafter, in treating of the Covenant of
Grace.

3. Calvinists, on this subject, are thrown into two great
divisions of Supralapsarians, and Sublapsarians, taking their
denominations from that point on which they are found prin-
cipally to difter. The latter, although they do not hesitate
to apply the decrees of God universally to the present states
and actions of men, whether good, or bad, yet, like the Ar-
minians, study to exclude the Fall from the counsels, and
purposes of Jehovah, and commence their decretal system,
only after man has already become mortal, and involved in
sin. Before that period, their language, at least, appears to
represent the Deity, the benignant parent of the universe, in
a kind of inactive state, waiting till man himself, by his own
independent and sinful act, fix the unhappy destinies of his
race. The cautious timidity with which these writers ap-

proach this snbjecf, betrays their secret apprehenaion that
the decrees of God, to which, on other occasions, they free-
ly appeal, have, in the production of sin, some sinister influ-
ence on the moral hberty of man. If these apprehensions
were well founded, they ought to abandon their system al-
together. They do not appear to reflect that the freedom
of the moral agent is no more impaired by the fall of the sin-
ner, than by the regeneration of the believer ; which last,
however, they strenuously maintain to be an object of divine
decree. The one is descending from a state of innocence,
into a state of sin, the other is precisely the reverse, return-
ing from sin to holiness. The latter easily comports with
their general theory ; from the former they inconsistently
shrink, as revolting their moral feelings. Their view of the
decrees applies to mankind only since the Fall ; and is confin-
ed, almost solely, to those who are chosen, out of the mass
of the human race, to eternal life ; the rest being left to per-
ish in the corruption of their natural state. — In all other parts
of their scheme it coincides with that of their Supralapsari-
an brethren.

On this subject, which has been rendered difficult, princi-
pally by an unguarded, and perhaps by an inadequately de-
fined use of the term decree ; for it is merely the will of God
operatins: in the laws of nature to the accomplishrdent of their
proper ends, whether in the catural or moral world, the Sa-

279

pralapsarians hold, at least, the most consistent Ianp;uae:e. To
the order of Ihe decress, Ihey argue that the end proposed to
be attained must, as in every wise system, have had the pri-
ority in the contemplation of its author. After that the means
conducing to its accomplishment will, with propriety follow.
These principles may appear more distinctly in the outline
of thi3 scheme which is exhibited in the folloninc; series of
propositions. — Almighty God having purposed in the econ-
omy of this world, io illustrate the union of his mercy, and
his justice, and in the prosecution of this end, to display the
glory of his Son, decreed to create man holy, but free— and
in the progress of his ultimate design, he decreed the fall of
our first parents ; that is, that the state in which they should
be placed, and the whole combination of motives operating on
the natural principles of action, should most freely lead to
the accomplishment of that event, so distressing in itself, but
so necessary to the illustration of the glory of his grace — he
decreed in consequence, to send the Saviour, with whom he
deposited the whole economy of this merciful dispensation,
placing it under his immediate administration. He decreed,
moreover, the salvation of a rhosen number of the human
race, preparing those means which would certainly lead, un-
der the direction of the Holy Spirit, to the fulfilment of his
gracious purpose; leaving in the same act, those who should
be disobedient and unholy, to the guilt and infelicity of their
natural state. The intention of the divines who employ this
language, is simply to assert the universal agency of God, In

280

both the moral and physical systems of nature ; at the same
time, to preserve entire the freedom of the human mind, and
to free Almighty God, most holy, just, and good, from the
blasphemous imputation of being the author of sin.

Are not the universal laws of nature so ordained as to at-
tain, by their natural operation, every end for \vhich they
were evidently designed by the Creator ? It is the inquiry
of a Supralapsarian — Can any event spring into existence
but in exact conformity with those laws, the nature and the
ends of which have been designed by God ? Admitting this
conclusion, what are denominated his decrees can be nothing
more than the development of the laws of nature both moral
and physical, according to his will, and to the constitution of
the agent, and the subject of their action ; free where morals
and accountability are concerned ; necessary where the ma-
teriality of the subject requires it — and certain in all. For
to an omniscient Being, who is perfectly acquainted with the
nature and influence of every motive, its combination, and co-
action, with all other means, and with the peculiar tempera-
ment of each Individual agent, moral efifects are as certain, in
their order, as the results of any physical causes whatever.
Apply these reflections to the fall ; though it has taken place
in conformity with the divine decree, it was as much the free
effect of motive on an intelligent being capable of being sway-
ed by his apetites and passions, as an} of the ordinary ac-
tions of human life. It is true, the agency of the serpent is

281

represented as the medium through which the fatal choice
was produced. But as no miraculous power is alleged in (he
case, it was entirely effected bv the suasion of motives freely
addressed to the natural and yet uncorrupted principles of
the soul. If, then, we can suppose circumstances to exist,
in the correspondence of the dispositions, still innocent of
human nature, with the temptations, addressed to them,
which, by their free and natural action, would be followed by
a dereliction of duty, would the will of God giving existence
to these circumstances, in conformity to his ultimate designs,
call it decree, or by whatever less offensive name you please,
impose any fatal necessity upon the act, or render the divine
agency in the existence of those circumstances, in the smal-
lest degree more arbitrary or unjust, than their existence by
any other cause? This justification of the principles of the
Supralapsarian, who takes it as an acknowledged fact, that
the decrees of God embrace the whole system of the uni-
verse, appears perfectly conformable to the dictates of the
soundest reason.

If his antagonists demand, do not these ideas impute the
sin of man to his Creator, as being, if not immediately, yet
ultimately and indirectly its author? He confidently replies,
not more than those of the most strenuous defenders of our
moral liberty. For it has formerly been shewn, that we al-
ways act with the most perfect consciousness of freedom ic

every choice, and the most entire control over our own ac-

36

285

tions. If again they demand, does not this language exhibit
a hard and cruel representation of the Supreme Being? he
frankly answers, not more than the principles of those who ad-
mit that the Almighty and Omniscient Being, who created
all things, must have foreseen, yet permitted the evil which
he could have prevented, and formed a sjstem out of which
it would, freely indeed, but infallibly spring ; nay, which was
necessary to. accomplish the ultimate designs of his goodness
and mercy. If he is farther pressed with the difficulty of
accounting for the fact, that a wise and benevolent Deity
should give existence to a world subject, by his decree, to
sin and its consequent miseries, though intended, ultimately,
as a conspicuous theatre of his benignity ;— he calmly rests
upon the justness of this principle, that, what might or might
not have been done by God infinitely powerful and wise, is
not within the range of human intellect to decide. With sub-
mission therefore, to the Divine Wisdom, he resolves the
whole into the sovereigntif, that is, the unsearchable counsel
of Heaven ; comprising designs, and ends, and means, utter-
ly beyond the comprehension of minds so limited as oura.
And this is a solution to which every sect in religion, or phi-
losophy, must ultiuiately have recourse, in their reasonings
concerning the introduction of shi into the works of God

28^

THE CHARACTERS OF THE DECREES ASCRIBED TO THEJjl
IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

Some distinguishing characters of the divine decrees, either
directlj, or by obvious implication, ascribed to them in the
hoi J scriptures, will contribute to elucidate the general sub-
ject, and assist in the explanation of many important ques-
tions connected with them. Those which chiefly merit the
attention of the metaphysician, or the divine, are, their eter-
nity, their freedom, their sovereignty, their wisdom, their
holiness, their absoluteness, and immutability.

1. That which primarily merits our consideration is* their
eternify. Nothing which implies succession, or change, is
to be imputed to the Infinite Mind ; so that all his purposes
are coeternal with himself. Therefore the apostle charac-
terizes his decree, as his eternal jmrpose ; and speaking of
believers, he says, they have been chosen in Christ before
the foundation of the world ; for all is eternity which is art*
tecedent to the commencement of time.

A metaphysical, and probably improper question, as cer-
lainly it is useless, has been raised upon this subject by a
i^ain curiosity — Whether the existence of the Sovereign
Mind ought to be considered as antecedent to his decrees!
Obvious it ig, that, in contemplating, or speaking of theq?,

284

there must be a precedence of order in their arrangement ;
but in their existence, Ihere can be no priority of time : a?,
in contemplating the sun, we regard the body, before Ihe
light which issues from it, although, in strictness of concep-
tion, the effect is simultaneous with the cause. Perhaps we
may say of this, as of many other metaphysical questions ;
that it is a vain and fruitless effort of the mind, and uselessly
wasting its strength, to attempt to frame ideas on subjects
that are too fine and subtle to be embraced by the human in-
tellect. Every thing in our ideas, relating to duration, is unit-
ed with succession. Eternity, in its proper nature, tran-
scends the ingenuity of the mind to conceive. And disqui-
sitions on questions of such extreme subtlety, generally indi-
cate only feeble and unsatisfactory efforts to apply the nar-
rowness of our understanding to subjects which, from their
nature must forever baffle its inquiries. Subjects so sub-
lime and so far exalted above our reach, tend, in our endeav-
ours to embrace them, only to humble and overwhelm the
soul. But as far as our conceptions can comprehend the
subject, we may pronounce, that the decrees of God, which
are the purposes and prescriptions of his infinite wisdom, are
coeternal with his existence.

2. The next characteristic of the decrees which we have
remarked, is their freedom. An obvious consequence of the
perfect moral freedom of the Divine Being in all his coun-
sels ; which excludes the idea of any necessity in his acts

285

resembling that under which the physical world is helil. It
is declared in all Ihe symbols of the o Ihoaox ietci;i eil
churches, that God, from eiernity^ did most wisely, moM
justly, and most Jreely, decree whatsoever comes tu pass. —
The only objection which has been plausibly urged against
(his principle, is (hat wliich has been uiainl-iined by the fa-
mous German philosopher Leibnitz, in his Theodice', in so
superior a manner, that he may justly be esteemed (he father
of it. His maxim is, that infinite perfection implies necessity
in all its acts. And the Eternal, being infinitely wise and
good, must, from the unchangeable rectitude of his nature,
choose on all subjects, only and necessarily that which is
best. The conclusion which he infers from this principle is,
that the system which God hath created, and the order of
things which he hath established in it, must, of all possible
systems be thebest ; that is, in its nature, order, and arrange*
ments, be the most perfect. This doctrine, on a transient
inspection, is captivating to a speculative mind ; yet wlien
closely examined, will be seen to be liable to unanswerable
objections. It proceeds on the supposition that there are
ideas of good, and of best antecedent, in the order of con-
ception, to the idea of God, and independent of him, out of
which he might make a selection, according to his pleasure,
in organizing a created system, as an artist may select out of
forms already existing, such as may best correspond with his
present designs. Whereas nothing can exist without, or in-
dependent of God. He formed the ideas of the things, with

I

286

Ihe fhings themselves. Nothing is better or best in nature
but as he halh created it, and fixed its relations. Besides,
these are deiinile terms of comparison among things, of the
same kind actually existing. Bui, with regard to plans pos-
sible to infinite wisdom, it is, perhaps, an error in our concep-
tions, (o suppose that there is any one which can be pro-
nounced the best. To a finite subject it were absurd to as-
cribe this superlative quality. And if the subject be infinite,
must not the possible combinations in an infinite system, be
infinite and endless ?*'

I must further observe on the idea of the best possible sys-
tem, and the necessary nature of the divine decrees which,
as a natural consequence, has been deduced from it, that it
is pressed with two difficulties which have never yet been sa-
tisfactorily resolved ; in the first place, the unreasonableness
of presuming that Almighty God should have exhausted
himself in the production of the universe, or should ever
have exerted any ultimate effort of omnipotence ; in the next
place, the proximity of this idea to the fate of the Stoics ;
to which certainly it is, in language at least, too nearly allied,
which svas maintained by them, to be antecedent, and supe-
rior to the Deity. — The conclusion, therefore, still remains,
that the decrees of God are most free, and that they are not
either arrested or controled by the laws of necessity,

* Witherspoon's Lectures.

287

3. Their Wisdom, and their Sovereignty in the next
place, are usually joined together, by divines, in order to limit
the conclusions on each side, which men are prone rashly
to frame concerning them. God, as sovereign of the uni-
verse, has the most perfect right to ordain whatever seemeth
good to him. And though all his acts are ever most just and
equitable, yet, often, wrapped, as they are, in the profound
depths of his wisdom, they appear, to our feeble vision, to
be covered with clouds and darkness. His rights, as an in-
finite sovereign, ought, at all times, to command our unmur-
muring obedience ; and our conviction that all his commands
are founded in equity and wisdom, are sufficient to engage
our submissive acquiescence, although the reasons on which
they move, are often concealed from our view. In the whole
order of nature, and of providence, what we cannot explain,
we resolve into the sovereignty of God. Not that any or-
der, or arrangement of his may ever be esteemed arbitrary,
and without reason ; but, when we cannot fathom its wisdom,
his authority, which is only another term by which to ex-
press his sovereign will, and his rightful dominion, ought
ever to be deemed a sufficient reason for the obedience and
duty of children to their heavenly Father. Frequently, the
feebleness of the human mind is called to submission on this
ground, arising from innumerable events occurring to our ob-
servation and experience, which baffle reason to account for
them, which elude conjecture, and in many instances, seem
even to contradict our ideas of divine goodness and justice.

i>8S

In every event, it is a sufficient reason to a pious man that the
Lord hath done it. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right ? There are divines who extend much farther their
ideas ot the sovereignty of God. Nothing, they say, is either
good or wise in itself j but only as it is made so by the
divine wilL According to this principle the will of God is
the sole reason why one action is superior in goodness and
excellence, to another, and, in one word, why virtue is pre-
ferable to vice. Perhaps these writers have a better meaning
than, to us, their terms seem to convey ; but, apparently,
they destroy the very foundation of the moral attributes of
the Deity, and resolve the whole of his perfection into pow-
er and will.

The holy scriptures are full of the most explicit testimo-
nies, both to the wisdom and sovereignty of the divine de-
crees. *' O the depth of the riches iunh of the wisdom
and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judg-
ments, and hi?; ways past finding oat ! Even so. Father !
for so it seemed good in thy sight !" But, with the most po-
etic and striking imagery is the sovereignty of the divine
government, in the dominion of providence, represented in the
close of the book of Job. That sublirne composiiiun is ac-
knowledged, by the best writers, to contain a dramatic ex-
hibition of the difficulties arising to reason from the atH'.c*ioas
of good men, and the pro.-^perity of the wir'-.c;;l in the world.
After the friends of Job had wearied themselYes with vain

289

discussions on this embarrassing subject ; when the Almigh-
ty is introduced, speaking out of the whirlwind to decide the
question, instead of reasoning on the wisdom and equity of
his proceedings, he simply displays the majesty of his pow-
er in the works of nature. The humiliating inference from
which was, — your intellects are too feeble to comprehend
the wisdom of the principles on which my government moves.
Vain it is, to attempt to unfold them to your darkened minds.
I display before your senses the majesty of ray power, that
it may arrest your cavils against my inscrutable purposes,
and leave on your hearts the deep conviction, that all the
dispensations of the omnipotent Jehovah must be e(juitable
and just.

Submission to the sovereignty of the divine administra-
tion, or the habitual acknowledgment of this principle, in
all the events that befall ourselves, is deeply humbling to the
self-confidence of human vanity. The mind is apt to revolt
at a doctrine asserting even divine power in a tone apparent-
ly so arbitrary, and at acts the reasons of which lie far
above its comprehension. It is only after repeated trials of
its own powers in vain reasonings, and abortive conjectures,
to explain the ways of God, that, lost in the complicatiooj
and depth of its inquiries, it is constrained at length to con-
fess its Impotence, and to acquiesce in the appointments of
Heaven, simply sajing it is the Lord, let him do what seem-

eth him good. — In its first struggles with the ideas of the

ST

230

sovereignty, and the uusearchable counsels of God, it resem'
bles a realive steed chaffing and fretting himself with his own
spirit, before he has learned to yield to the control of the
bit. But when he has been trained to proceed submissive-
ly along his prescribed path, he moves with ease and satisfac-
tion to himself, guided by the wisdom of the mind that di-
rects him. So, when the christian, humbled by many fruit-
less and disappointed efforts, to push his inquiries on these
obscure subjects beyond the powers of the human mind, has
learned, at length, justly to estimate his own force, he per-
ceives an unspeakable tranquillity of heart, in piously sub-
mitting, on all those questions which he cannot explain, to
the will and the wisdom of Almighty God. The difficulties,
however, which have embarrassed this subject to certain
writers, have arisen, chiefly, from the falsity of theii own
conceptions, and improperly confounding the ideas of sove-
reigniy, and of arhxirary will. None of the acts of the di-
vine go\ ernment are ever arbitrary in their principle, or take
place without the most perfect reason ; but the reasons on
which they move are often far removed beyond the ken and
elude the penetration of our minds. And this is all that is
intended by a wise man in speaking of the sovereignty of th?
divine counsels.

From a similar error in conception proceeds the offence
which some, otherwise worthy and good men, have conceiv-
ed against the doctrine of divine preordination applied to the

201

tverlasling states of the human race, as if it ioipiied that
some sinners are chosen (o the inheritance of eternal life, by
an unreasonable predilection. This is never the meaning of
any writer who thinks respectfully of the divine economy.
Let us compare the preordinations of Heaven with regard
lo the present, and the future world. There is, in many
respects, a manifest analogy between them. And the same
reasonings which demonstrate the divine decrees with rela-
tion to the various conditions of the present life to exist with-
out any infringement on the moral liberty of man, or impiach-
ment of the justice of God, apply equally to the destinations
of eternity. The states and conditions of men to which
they are severally appointed in this world, are never sepa-
rated in (he decr€e of God, from the industry, the pru-
dence, the talents, and all the means which, in the order of
nature, contribute lo the effect. And it is equally true that,
wherever those means are properly applied, it is the usual
course of providence that they accomplish their end ; they
gain and fix that state in life for the individual which is the
will of God. — Let us transfer this analogy to the future state
of each man. This state cannot be presumed to be the ob-
ject of the divine decree, independent of the moral qualifi-
cations which prepare him for its possession, nor those quali-
fications independent of the means of divine culture which
he enjoys, and the pious improvement which he makes of
them. And, let it be remembered, that the aids which we
possess of enlarging our knowledge in divine truth, and cul-

29:2

tivating in the heart a divine taste, are as certain in their ope-
ration, and, under the guidance and influence of the Holy
Spirir, as effectual to their end, according to their extent,
and application, as any train of causes in the natural world.
Included in the decree of election, therefore, are all those
means of instruction, and motives of holiness essentially con-
nected with salvation, — those opportunities of divine infor-
mation, those advantages of situation, — of example — of ex-
ternal circumstances — of providential dispensations — and all
those infinite, and almost imperceptible aids, and motives
tvhich under the influences of that divine teacher, are calcu-
lated to enlighten the understanding, to touch, and trans-
form, and mould the heart. — The sovereignty of the de-
cree, therefore, respects not more the end, or the eternal
life of the elected sinner, than the various means of moral cul-
ture, which have the effect, under the teaching of the Di-
vine Spirit, to prepare the soul for her final destination.
For, in the view of God, the means, and the end, are essen-
tially, and most intimately conjoined, and both embraced in
the same act.

In this consideration of the subject, individual election is*
analogous to the elevation of particular nations, as of Israel,
to a state of peculiar favour with God : a species of election
"with which all parties profess to be perfectly reconciled.
Analogous I say ; for the obvious effect of this preference^
is the enjoyment of special privilege)?, instructions, and re-

293

ligious orilinances, designed to form the understanding and
the heart, to the love and obedience of di\iiu; :iuih, by
which we have seen the ancient church cherished in the bo-
som of that favoured nation, not so much by any direct and
miraculous operation on the hearts of the people, as by the
excellence of her sacred instifntions. So likewise is (ormed
the believer, nnder the grace of the gospel, by the due im-
provement of his spiritual and precious privileges, accompa-
nied by the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

Against the sovereignty of the divine decrees, in the elec-
tion of nations, communities, families, and even individuals
to peculiar means of moral cultivation, leading to the ultimate
ends of religion, in the sanctificallon of the heart, the great-
est assertors of human liberty, or revilers of divine decrees,
find nothing to object ; for the fact is before their eyes.
And in the formation of a believer into the image of Christ,
there is nothing different in the means, or motives employed,
from those which operate in the whole church ; unless that in
particular instances, they may be applied, by the blessed Spi-
rit, with greater energy, or a finer adaptation to the charac-
ter and state of different minds. For the lights, and instruc-
tions, and motives to conversion, given to the church at large,
are those only which operate on each individual, and are
abundant for all the purposes of piety, in the hands of that
omniscient, and all-potverful spirit, who knows how to reach
the heart, through them, with the finest insinuation, to move

294

it by the moat affecting touches, and to form it ultimately
ioto the image of his own holiness, by continual, and almost
insensible impressions.

We behold here the sovereignty of the divine decrees
placed upon an intelligible and liberal footing. We behold
likewise the perfect correspondence of human liberty, and
the natural relation of means and end, with the powerful will,
and all-presiding wisdom of Almighty Goc*.

4. The holiness and justice of the decrees have created
KO controversy among those who acknowledge their exist-
ence ; nor can there remain a doubt concerning them in the
minds of any who believe in the being of God most holy and
most wise.

5. Much more disputation has been awakened with regard
to the attributes of absoluteness and immidahilityy ascribed
to them by the orthodox. And certainly no subjects seem
more to have embarrassed metaphysicians, and divines, or to
have excited among them a greater variety of absurd specu-
lations. Some writers you have seen maintaining the posi-
tion, that there can be no certainty in free actions antece-
dent to their existence. And, to preserve the consistency
of their principles, they are obliged to deny the prescience
of God ; or, with the ancient Stoics, and a great portion of
modern philosophers, to subject the whole universe io the

29.')

cheerless laws of necessity. Others, constrained by their
reason to a(iQiit the universal foreknowledge of God, have, in
order to account for the divine prescience, had recourse to
an absurd principle of the school-men, called by them sci-
entia mediae which implies an antecedent apprehension of all
things in the Divine Mind, in their proper nature, time, and
place, resemblini; fhe immediate vision of all objects as in
perspective ; as if present ; but abstracted from all consid-
eration of their mutual relations as cause and effect, whence
any rational inference could be formed concerning their ex-
istence. It is the contemplation of the universe throughout
its whole duration and extent as a present object ; it is the
knowledge simply of the facts, independent of every other
consideration, by a mysterious power in the divine nature,
DO similitude to which has ever been imparted to any of his
creatures. It is, I presume, a mere absurdity in ocir concep-
tions.

But the opinion which many pious and worthy men have
embraced, of a necessity in our actions, which does not re-
move their guilt, deserves a more particular consideration. —
It is said to be a necessity arising out of the natural inclina-
tions of the mind, and, as the action entirely concurs with our
will, it creates a feeling of liberty in pursuing our own pleas-
ure, while governing our conduct with a force not only cer-
tain in the event, but irresistible in its cause. I am willing
to believe that these good men, many of whom are distin-

296

guiahed by their pious and excellent writings, mean no more
by this phraseology, than I have studied to express by that
eertainty which I have shewn may, and to the Divine Mind,
does ever accompany moral, as well as physical causes. But
1 conceive their language to be exceplionable, and liable to
dangerous abuse. Their reasonings in many of their princi-
ples, too evidently coincide with the doctrines of the Hobbe-
sian school.

The certainly of all the purposes of God, is the chief
ground on which these writers maintain the doctrine of neces-
sily. The one they presume to be involved in <he other.
On the contrary, I conceive, that there is a clear and intelli-
gible distinction between the ideas of necessity and of cer-
tainty, which as happens in many clher moral and intellect-
ual truths, can be more easily conceived, or understood, by
an internal feeling, than explained in precise and definite
terms, which must convey ideas too fine and simple to be
analyzed in language. All men can easily understand the
difference between a thing certainly done by a free cause,
and the same thing accomplished by an internal but unper-
ceived force, so that it could not be otherwise than it is.

3Iany excellent men who profess to be the patrons of this
system of necessity, but whose language, I am persuaded, is
more in error than their hearts, lay it down as an axiom in
their metaphysics, that the will is irresistibly determined by

297

the strongest motive at the time before the minJ, and can-
not act otherwise than it does ; not sufficienlly attending to
the entire difference between the nature and movements of
mind and of matter, of motive, and of physical impulse. How
can it be known that it is the strongest motive which, in every
instance, governs our choice ? Do you say, as is commonly
done, because it does govern ? This circle is obviously beg-
ging the principle in question — it governs our choice because
it is the strongest motive ; and it is the strongest motive be-
cause it governs our choice. In opposition to this pretended
maxim, the soundest metaphysicians, and the most accurate
observers of the operations of the mind, agree with the learn-
ed and profound Dr. Reid of Glasgow, that we often act ac-
cording to the direction of a weaker motive ; and sometimes
act without any perceptible motive at all.

Although the mind seldom acts without motive ; yet it is
not motive which exclusively determines its volitions ; or is
the sole cause of action. This would be reducing action to
a mechanical operation, and justify those material analogies,
in explaining its nature, which I have before condemned.-*-
The proper effect of motive is to solicit and excite the mind,
and to put it into a state of action. But I have a power with-
in me which determines my choice, ou a view more deliberate,
or more rapid, of the motives before it. If you asli aie to
explain that power — I feel it — I am senijible that I exercise
it — and, in the feeling and exercise I understand the act.

•298

Every man may, in the same manner, feel and understand ll
by attending to the operations of his own mind. But I an>
no more capable of explaining it in terms, than I can explain
the sensation of seeing. The perception is too simple. It
IS understood by Ihe mind, only in the act of perceiving, or
exerting its power of volition. This does not lessen the
clearness and certainty of the idea. It is, perhaps, the rea-
son why this idea is peculiarly clear. It is among the pri-
mary sensations of our nature. And in no other way, than
these original sensations, are those ideas that are emphatically
and happily called first truths, or axioms in science, which
» are the elements, and clearest materials of all our knowledge,
conveyed to the intellect. They are the impressions of the
Land of God upon the mind ; convictions resulting from the
very constitution of our nature. Thus am I conscious of
my liberty, or power over my own acts, in the acts them-
selves.

Upon the whole view of this subject, the result is, that I
act with the most perfect freedom. Motive, though it influ-
ences, does not necessarily determine my choice. Yet such
certainty there is in the actions of rational and moral beings,
according to their dispositions, education, habits, and the
whole atmosphere of motives which encompasses them, as
lays as a foundation, among men themselves, in their social
relations, for the most useful general knowledge of one an-..
other, and in God for the most perfect foreknowledge of all

209

the actions of life, he having formed the various tempera-
ment of individuals, and disposed, in his providence, the whole
train of motives, to the most minute, and often imperceptible,
which continual!/ operate upon all the springs and principles
of action ; both which, the temperament of the individual,
and the succession and combination of motives he has con-
stituted, and ordained, and governs, in such a manner, in his
church, under the all-wise direction of his Holy Spirit, as
most effectually, yei most freely, to accomplish ail his most
wise and holy purposes.

Thus have I unfolded the ideas involved in the technical
and systematic phrase — the Decrees of God ; which, being
interpreted by the obvious and philosophic language of the
Laws of Nature, or its various powers and tendencies of ac-
tion, from which proceed, under God, as his organs of opera-
tion, all events, whether natural or moral in the universe,
these decrees, which appear, to certain writers, with such a
formidable aspect, stand on plain and intelligible ground, ac-
knowledged, when rightly understood, by all the best friends
of science and religion.

From the whole of these reflections it results, that the de-
crees of God are eternal, like his will and purposes in the laws
of nature ; — they are most certain in their consequences,
that is, they are absolutely ordained, a term equivalent to the
former, except that it seems to carry in it more of the author^

301)

ity on which ail depends ; and, finally, like the same lawg,
Ihev are immutable. This is, obviously, the amount of the
proposition in our confession, and catechisms, that the de-
crees of God are ahsolutd and unchangeable, which to some
sects of christians, has given great, and, I presume, unneces-
sarj offence.

From the interpretation which has been given to this im-
portant proposition, we perceive the coincidence of reason,
with religion ; and the support which science, justly explain
ed, may often render to revelation.

OF THE

COVENANT OF WORKf«i

AND THE

FALL OF MAN.

I PROCEED, in the next place, to the consideration of the
Covenant of Works, and the fall of Man. This Covenant,
as it is contemplated in our systems, is the transaction repre-
sented to have taken place between man and his Creator at
his first foroiation, wherein a law of' duty was prescribed to
him, under the explicit threatening of death, in case of trans-
gression, and the implied promise of life, on the condition of
obedience. His whole duty, however, in this covenant, was
collected in a single prohibition as its test. It is proper to
observe, that the term covenant is not employed in the his-
tory of this transaction by the sacred writer. But it is not
the object of the holy scriptures to arrange for us systems,
with scientific precision and method. They simply express
things in a free and narrative order, so as to be most easily
conceived, and applied to use by the plainest readers ; and
this diffusive style has been collected, by divines, into spe-
cia* propositions, and disposed, according to the order and
dependence of ideas, into a scientific form, which, for the con-

302

venieace of arrangement, and conciseness of expression, re-
quires, frequently, a peculiar and technical phraseology. Of
this we have an example in this term. In the strictness of
meaning usually annexed to it, a covenant could not take
place between the Supreme Jehovah, and the insect man.
For it properly signifies a stipulation between persons who
are, in some degree, equal and free. Yet, as far as such an
agreement can be supposed to exist between parties of such
infinite disparity as (he Creator and the creature, it will be
found to be contained in this precept to Adam. In it a duty
is to be performed — a reward is proposed for obedience— and
a penalty denounced in case of transgression. For, although
the reward is not explicitly stated in terms, it is manifestly
involved in the threatening. If death was the forfeiture for
disobedience, the necessary implication was, that'life was the
alternative for obedience.

Having justified the technical denomination which this
transaction has received among divines, it is only necessary,
fiarther, to suggest that it is spoken of, in our systems, under
two different appellations, being sometimes styled, from its
condition, the Covenant of Works, and sometimes, from its
implied reward, the Covenant of Life.

Various circumstances in the constitution, administration,
and appendages of the covenant, demand our most serious in-
quiries. 1. In the first place, the peculiar selection of a com-

"803

xnand or prohibition for the trial of Adam's obedience. 2. In
the second place, the full implication of the promise and the
threatening. 3. Thirdly, the representative character of our
first father in this transaction. 4. And lastly, the significa-
tion of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and of the
tree of life.

1. on the selection of an object for the trial of
man's obedience.

When we consider the natural imbecility of the human
mind, and the limited sphere to which the range of its ideas
is confined, it cannot be surprising, if, in the revelation of tho
divine will, in the holy scriptures, as well as in that natural
revelation inscribed on the face of the universe, we should
find many facts which it is difficult, and some which tran-
scend the utmost powers of reason to explain. The enemies
of revealed religion examine, with scrupulous ingenuity, eve-
ry part of that sacred volume which contains its history ; and
if its friends are not able to solve to the satisfaction of a cap-
tious philosophy, all the questions which, either the obliquity
of ignorance, or the peiversity of genius can raise upon it,
they are inclined to reject the whole as a fable. No part of
the whole system, perhaps, has been exposed to bolder in-
quiries than the Mosaic account of the fall of man, or been
treated with more indecent levity than the test of his obe-
dience proposed by divine wisdom in the fruit of the for-
bidden tree.

304

From the earliest dawn of science, the speculations of phi-
losophy have been employed, without being able to arrive at
any satisfactory conclusions on the subject, to account for
the introduction of evil into the works of an all-powerful,
wise, and benevolent Deity. Revelation has proposed only
a few simple facts relative to it, without explicitly unfolding
the inscrutable relations which it holds to the purity and ho-
liness of the divine nature ; or pointing out the operations of
the human mind in its progress from innocence to guilt. The
first parents of the human race, had, already, the law of na-
ture written on their hearts. It pleased the Creator, how-
ever to make proof of their constancy and perseverance in
practical holiness, by an appeal to the great principle of all
duty, which consists in obedience simply to the will o( God,
For this purpose it was requisite to impose upon the con-
science some positive injunction ; that is, one to which no
natural morality, or immorality is attached, but the obligation
to which rested solely upon the divine command ; without
any other moral consideration. From an action naturally
immoral, a holy nature would instinctively shrink ; so that no
temptation from that quarter could be made to reach it. But
the act being originally indifferent, the mind could approach
it near enough to contemplate it on every side whence an in-
sidious suggestion could be thrown in to induce, for a mo-
ment, an oblivion of the authority of Heaven. Here would
be opened a field in which the tempter, the great enemy of

305

God and man, might please himself with the hope of operat-
ing, not wholly without success.

x^ccordingly, the subject which Divine Wisdom selected
for this probation, was the fruit of a single tree, of specious
appearance, which alone was prohibited to man, of all the en-
joyments furnished by the whole range of nature, and with
this solitary exception, freely indulged to his use. This se-
lection has afforded abundant matter of objection to igno-
rance, and of sarcasm to wit. Why was the proof of human
virtue, it is asked, and, with it, the most important conse-
quence to the whole family of mankind suspended on an ac-
tion so trivial, if not contemptible, to use their own phrase,
as the eating of an apple ? Why was it not rested on some
prominent precept, at least, of the moral code 1 To these
inquiries let me answer, that we cannot, in all cases, and that
we can, perhaps, in very {^y^^ enter into the reasons of the
divine conduct, either in the structure, or the government of
the nniverse. In the present instance, however, we have it
in our power to propose some plausible conjectures, which
may furnish sufficient grounds for the vindication, if not the
perfect explanation of this portion of the divine economy, so
little capable of illustration by any analogies drawn from the
dflfairs of men.

This subject requires that we should not pass over it with

a slight attention, inasmuch as every answer which can be

39

306

clearly given (o the minutest, as well as the more important
objections of unbelievers, is shedding some light on the cause
of divine truth, and giving additional stability to its founda-
tions.

In the first place, I hope to demonstrate, that the prohibi-
tion made to the parents of the human race, for the probation
of their innocence, instead of being, in the language of the
objection, of a mean and trivial nature, was drawn from a sub-
ject which, in that age, held the highest place in the econ-
omy of human life.

In the next place, I shall shew that, at that time, a subject
on which to rest this trial could hardly have been taken from
a different class of objects.

Those who affect to be very wise, or very witty, are pleas-
ed to say, with all the contemptuousness which the terms, in
the present age, obviously imply, that Moses, by his narra-
tion, has suspended the destinies of the whole human race
upon the eating of an apple. Let us seriously examine the
truth of this sneering allegation, and inquire into the nature
of that act by which Adam forfeited his primitive condition
of happiness in Paradise.

It is uncertain what was the kind of this fruit, or the nature
of the tree which bore it. It is probable that it was a tree

3or

entirely singular in its nature, bearing a fruit of exquisite
Leautj to the eye, antl of delightful fragrance and flavour to
the taste and smell. It received its denomination of the tree
of knowledge of good and evil, only to indicate the conse-
quences of tasting its fruit ; that, as the first pair had hitherto
known only good, they would, by that act, become practi-
cally acquainted with evil. But, in order to a proper con-
sideration of this action, it is necessary to understand that the
only sustenance of human life, in the beginning, was derived
from the spontaneous fruits of the garden, and its principal re-
freshments from their cooling and enlivening juices. The
culture of grain was not yet practised, nor were sacrifices, at
that period, drawn from the fold. The virtue of temperance
then, which constituted the chief of the practical virtues of
that state, must have had respect only to the quantity, or the
kinds of the fruits which were then permitted, and used for
nourishment ; particularly, as there might have been, in the
collections of that primitive garden, some species possessing
highly exhilarating qualities, requiring caution in their use.—
And it is far from being an improbable supposition, that the
interdicted tree contained a liquor of intoxicating strength,
calculated to throw all the fluids of the human body into un-
natural tumults, immediately inciting to vice, and awaking im-
pure and indecent passions ; as we learn from the shame
which affected our great ancestors, as soon as the influence of
the first draught had somewhat subsided. And it is no less
probable that it possessed properties of a most deleterious

nature, vliich infused into the veins an insidious poison, in-
ducing that mortal tendency to corruption in the whole franae,
to which it fell at length an irremediable victim.

In these reflections we may perceive, I presume, a founda-
tion laid for making a just estimate of the importance of the
subject which was chosen as the original test of man's obedi-
ence. The fruits of the garden furnished the whole subsist-
ence of human life. In them were found all the means of tem-
perate enjoyment ; and, in the forbidden tree, at least, we dis-
cern what was equivalent to the most pernicious viands of lux-
ury and intemperance. No subject could exist, at that pe-
riod, of greater moment, for the trial of man's integrity and
perseverance in the principle of all duly ; which consists, as
has before been said, in obedience simply to the will of God.

I proposed, in the next place, to shew the probability that
divine wisdom could hardly have selected a subject from a
different class of objects, on which this trial could have been
rested. It has already been suggested, that any act which
should have involved direct impiety of aim, or indicated
impurity of disposition, would have been so immediately re-
volting to a holy mind, that a temptation to the commission
of it, could hardly, for a single moment, have entered the
mind, or been entertained there with favour. And, it is ob-
vious, that none of the precepts of the decalogue, could have
afforded any grounds for being made, at this time, a test of

309

this sublime duty. None of the moral relations of social v
which we now see established among mankind, could Iheji
have yielded any possible occasion to transgression. — Let u:-
examine them singly. Could man, for example, have deni-
ed the existence of God, or have profaned his holy name, or
debased his nature by any of the images of idolatry, who
daily held delightful commerce wi(h him in the gardens of
Paradise, and whose works were shining in all the freshness
of their glory before his eyes, in the recent creation ? Could
the duty of children to their parents be violated by him who
had no parent but God ? How could murder, adultery, or
falsehood in rendering testimony exist, where no subjects
were found, on which these crimes could be practised ? Or
how should he covet, or trespass on the property of another,
who was already lord of the whole creation ? — It is evident,
from these inquiries, that none of the moral precepts of the
law could have been selected for this peculiar trial. It
must be found only in some object addressing,, exclusive-
ly the corporeal appetites, the indulgence of which, not in-
volving any transgression of the laws of nature, would not
of course, awaken any suspicion, or call up any extraordi
nary vigilance, or guard against the access of temptation ^
The restraint, of consequence, which this comjaand imposed
upon Adam, and his watchfulness against its approach, and
the whole virtue of this act, was obedience simply to the di-
vine rvill. — The prohibition, therefore, could aflect onh
certain fruits of the garden. Within the compass of thia

310

were included all the objects R-hich could minister any temp"-
fation to man's sensual appetite?. From it alone could be
drawn any trial of his virtue, in the circumstances in which
he was placed. And among all its fruits, it is manifest that
none was more proper than that which applied so strongly to
the principle of curiosity as well as of tasle, and promised,
at the same time, to open to their mistaken imaginations, a
new and boundless field of knowledge. A new field it was,
both various and extensive, to those who had hitherto known
only good : but, ah ! how miserable when their fond fancies
came to be blasted by the fatal experiment !

Of these circumstances, the great enemy of God, and of .
liuman happiness made his advantage to accomplish his evil
designs, and, by insidious steps, to approach the innocent
mind of our first mother. Direct guilt could not touch her
imtainted soul. The tempter, therefore, artfully covered
the crime in the apparent indifference of the object ; and by
his specious, reasonings, and his dangerous example, in eat-
ing before her eyes of the same fruit without injury, led her
confused and conflicting thoughts to the utmost verge of in-
iiocence. At last, her ardent thirst of knowledge, when she
recollected that it was a fruit to be desired to make one wise,
urged her, in the tumults of her mind, to yield herself up to
the wiles of the tempter, and, in an unhappy moment, to pass
the now imperceptible limit between her and vice. She was
wsurprised by the artful snares which bad been laid for her ;

311

and, without being conscious of her sfate at first, she fell. —
Intoxicated by the imaginary success of her experiment;,
and, at the same time perhaps, by the powerful juice of the
fruit which she had just eaten, she brought a portion of it io
her husband, and adding the irresistible force of her persua-
sions to the fascinating charms of her person, he yielded to
the multiplied temptation, and befell with her.

Will it be said that, if this picture should have any cre-
dence attached to it, our first parents appear to have been
the victims of inadvertence rather than of guilt ; their vigi-
lance was surprized, and it would be a hard measure in the
Creator to involve them in such fatal consequences for the
inadvertence of a moment ? Let it be remembered, that no
inadvertence, or surprize can form a just apology for violat-
ing the positive command of God. Let us further reflect,
that it is the certain and awful order of the moral world, that
an imprudence, an intermission of our virtuous vigilance, an
act of inconsiderate folly, is often the cause of irreparable
calamities. Perhaps, men more frequently precipitate them-
selves into ruin, by what may be deemed imprudence, in
the beginning, than by open crime, and hardened impiety.

The great ancestors of our race, inexperienced in the wiles
of sin, had now arrived at the consummation of that fatal
act which involved themselves and their whole race in irre-
trievable perdition. And, when the delirium, created by

ai2

that mortal juice, had subsided, they became conscious, for
the first time, that they had forever lost the favour of God
their Heavenly Father. They dreaded the approach of
him whom ihey had so often met with confidence and joy,
pouring at bis feet the gratefdl homage of their hearts.
When thej^ heard the accustomed sign of his drawing near,
they fled trembling from his presence, vainly thinking to con-
ceal themselves among the trees of the garden. In the view
of one another, as well as before the divine majesty they
perceived that shame which is the disgraceful effect of sin,
and in their confusion, they attempted to cover themselves
with fig leaves. — This remarkable fact merits particular at-
tention, as conveying a striking indication of the moral state
of their minds, and perhaps also of the phj^sical influence of
the fruit which they had eaten.

The nakedness of their persons, which, in the period of
their innocence, had never affected Ihem with any emotions
but such as were pure, now began to cover them with con-
scious blushes. Was it that the glow of beauty, and, per-
haps, of a celestial radiance, which surrounded the priftii-
tive body of man, was now lost, and the deformity of a fal-
len nature began to appear ? Or, was it that, formerly, the
sentiments of devotion, of friendship, of a virtuous tender-
ness, of a sublime sympathy, of a high, noble, and intelligi-
gent conversation which reigned between them, so occupied
their whole souls when together, that every pleasure of the

313

ssnseg gave only a gentle heightening lo the most pure and
refined feelings of the mind ; but now, the tumults of a gross
passion alone filled their hearts, always shameful, and, in
their situation, incapable of being concealed, or subjected
to the control of reason. Perhaps both these causes con-
curred to produce this singular incident in the history of the
Fall. Their nature which had made a near approach to the
angelic, was now sunk into a near resemblance of the brutal ;
and as yet no Saviour had been announced to them, to trai-
quilize the tumults of their frame, or to correct the violence
of their passions.

2. THE IMPORT OF THE THREATENING.

I am, in the next place, to consider the full implication of
the threatening ; — In Ihe day thou eaiest thereof thou shalt
surely die ; whence we may deduce, by the most legitimate
inference, the Life which, by contrast is involved in the con-
dition of obedience.

This denunciation may justly be supposed to pronounce
the immediate dissolution of the transgressor. And this is
the meaning, perhaps, which most obviously obtrudes itself
upon the mind of the reader. But it may express, merely,
the sentence of the law, pronounced by the judge, in con-
sequence of which the criminal is considered as dead to so-
ciety, and thenceforth, held in rigorous custody till the pp-

10

314

liod of execution appointed by the supreme authority, arrive;
If the latter be the interpretation of this awful sentence,
which is supposed by the greater number of divines, still
such a change must have immediately passed upon the bo-
dies of the condemned, that the powers of immortal life be-
came instantly extinguished, and the seeds of death began
to work in their living members. And the corporeal princi-
ples, among which are those powerful agents, the appetites
aiid passions, must, from the intimate alliance which sub-
sists between the diflferent parts of our nature, have extend-
ed their taint through the whole system, mental as well as
bodily. The terms of this sentence, therefore, include the
moral death of the soul, which, without the provision of the
gospel, must adhere to it while its being endures. In these
reflections we recognize the extent of that death temporal,
spiritual, and eternal, which, according to our standards, was
included in the denunciation on our first parents.

OF THE ORIGINAL IMMORTALITV OF OUR FIRST PARENTS*

The opinion of those who would subject Adam to imme-
diate death, in consequence of his transgression, I will pre-
sent to you, after having taken a view of his representative
character. In the mean time, it is obvious to remark, that
this denunciation must imply that, in a contrary event, man
would have existed forever in a state of holiness and happi-
ness, nor have been liable to the corruptions of a mortal bo-

315

dy, and the pains of dissolution. A question has arisen, in
consequence, among divines ; whether man would have con-
tinued his immortal being upon the earth, or have been trans-
lated, without pain, and, perhaps, with some high improve-
ment of his nature, (o a superior state of existence ? But, 93
God has not been pleased lo make any revelation of his will
upon this subject, the inquiry would be fruitless; and, to
propose any conjectures concerning it would indicate an un-
licensed boldness of fancy, equally arrogant and vain. The
enemies of revelation, indeed, have denied the possibility of
the fact, that man should be immortal. The human consti-
tution is said necessarily to tend to decay. The nerves by
their very structure, although no disease should attack them,
become rigid by age, and lose that elasticity which is requi-
site to carry on the functions of animal life. — This is judg-
ing of man before the fall, by the ruins of his nature since
that fatal event. There are diflferent species of organized
matter, which seem calculated to endure forever, if not at-
tacked by extraneous violence ; to instance only in the dia-
mond;— And why might not the substance of the human
frame have been so modified as to be fitted for eternal dura-
tion, or that its changes should lead only to still increasing
perfection? Some great and essential change has evidently
taken place, not only in man, but in all animals, and in the
whole system of nature, intended, to demonstrate the dis-
pleasure of Almighty God at that sin which has spread \U
baleful effects over the entire face of the world. The beastji

316

wliicb at first, only innocently cropped the green herbage,
became, in raanj cases, the devourers of one aiiother.
And the soil, which, in the beginning was fertile and beauti-
ful, and yielded a copious harvest of fruits to an easy and
delightful culture, became sterile and deformed, and hardly
afforded a scanty subsistence to the sweat and labour of itn
guilty possessor.

OF THE REPRESENTATIVE CHARACTER OF ADAM.

Upon this history a natural, and important inquiry arises,
whether the trial imposed upon Adam, respected his own
Stability in this holy state exclusively, according to the opin-
ion of some writers, or whether, according to the better
opinion of the great majority of christians, his posterity were
involved with him in its consequences ; and whether we do
not see, in his defection, the true source, not only of the
mortality, but of all the calamities which have overwhelmed
human nature? On this subject the sacred scriptures in-
struct us in the most explicit terms. "In Adam all die.
By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin ;
so dp.ith passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." In
this last expression there seems to be a small inaccuracy in
the translation, which is calculated to lead the incautious
reader mlo the opinion that death is the penal consequence of
the individual act of every sinner ; thereby transferring the
cause of our mortality, contrary to the doctrine of the scrip-

sir

tures, from the crime of the Covenant-Head of the race to
each man's personal transgression. The immediate and
proxioiate canse of this fatal and universal catastrophe to
Adaw, and all his descendants, was the depravation of Lie
nature, by the first act of sin, thereby impairing, and tend-
ing finally to destroy all the principles of life. This order
of things is essentially connected with the established, and
imniuJable laws of the universe, in consequence of which a
depraved and perishing offspring necessarily springs from a
corrupted stock. The version of this passage, therefore,
would be better amended, — " so death passed upon all men,
because that all in him have become subject to the effects of
Lis sin ;" that is, to that depravation of nature which renders
them liable to death, and utterly incapable of eternal life ;
except through the Second Adam, who, by his death, Lag
opened to the transgressor the way for repentance, and the
obedience of a New-Covenant.

OF THE JUSTICE OF THIS INSTITUTIOPT-

If the enemies of our holy religion demand the justice of
this order which subjects a rational, and moral being to an
hereditary depravity ? I answer, that this is not an objection
which peculiarly affects revelation. It is a diflSculty equal-
ly in the religion of nature, and the philosophy of the uni-
verse. We cannot be fairly required to explain the secret
operations of the laws of nature, which are known only to

318

God, and to account for their wisdom, and their equity-
Thus far the fact is open to our inspection ; that man, who
has become mortal, can transmit only a mortal constitution
to his offspring. By the same laws, if his appetites, and
passions have become disordered by sin, the same tenden-
cies exhibit themselves in all those who spring from his loins.
The corporeal temperament of the parent, and, frequently,
the faculties of his mind, we see renewed in his posterity.
It is in vain to remonstrate against the injustice of this order.
The fact exists. And shall not the Judge of all the earth
do right ? In reasoning from facts we must confess that the
corruption of human nature must infallibly grow out of the
established laws for the propagation of animal existence.
No impeachruent, therefore, can justly be moved against the
holy scriptures which, having exhibited the transaclion with
our primitive parent under the form of a covenant, have plac-
ed him at the head of his race, as their natural and moral
representative. For, according to this eternal constitution ,
conformably with his virtue, or his vice, that is, his standings
or his fall, must have been the consequences on his posteri^
iy. " By one man sin entered into the world, and death
by sin ; so death passed upon all men, because in him ali
have sinned," and become subject to his depraved, and mor-
tal nature.

819

OF THE IJENIGNITT OF THIS ORDINANCE.

Those who are unfriendly to our doctrine demand, where
would be the benignity of the Creator, in calling into exis-
tence a whole race of beings, and, at the same time, sub-
jecting their eternal destiny to the voluntary act of a frail,
though innocent creature? And an appearance of severity
it certainly would have, if it had not been his most merciful
purpose, annulling the condition of the first covenant, now
rendered impracticable by the Fall, to dispose the humbled
and lost father of the race, and his whole oflfepring, immedi-
ately under the protection and grace of the Second Adam,
and the blessings of a new covenant, established on better
promises, enriched with more glorious hopes, and resting on
a more perfect security in the righteousness of Christ. And
it is not an improbable opinion of many wise and good men,
that the condition of the human family, under this dispensa-
tion, is much to be preferred to that which would have ex-
isted under the most favourable operation of the first. The
displays of the divine nature have been more glorious, the
riches and consolations of the divine mercy have been more
precious, the joys of eternal life more exalted, and trium-
phant. Yet, to this illustrious exhibition of divine grace
the fall of human nature, in the unsearchab!'^ > -sdom of God,
became the necessary introduction. Its richest glory arises
out of its deepest humiliation.

OF THE Ol'INION THAT DEATH WAS DENOUNCE© TO TAKE
PLACE ON THE DAY OF THE FALL.

Another interpretation of this awful sanction, — In the day
thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die, which is more lite-
ral than the former, and which limits the execution of the sen-
tence to the day of the transgression, merits our particular
consideration, at once, from its simplicity, and its obvious
conformity to the letter of the law. On this interpretation,
Adam, under his original covenant, could not possibly have
had posterity. Nor is it probable that, if he had been per-
mitted to live for a season, he could,^ without a new covenant^
giving him the hope of life, have had any offspring, while
precariously existing under the momentary, and overwhelm-
ing apprehensions of death. But the whole scene was chang-
ed by the promise of a Saviour, in these mysterious words,
the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head, which
hold out to our afflicted father the final destruction of the
power of evil, and offer to his hopes the most illustrious dis-
plays of divine mercy and grace. Immediately we perceive
the first fruits of this gracious promise upon our first pa-
rents; and Adam, in the hope of a numerous progeny,
which was extinguished with the loss of his own existence,
-called the name of his wife, in the moment of his exulta-
tion, Evcy in the Hebrew language, Chavah ; because
now he was assured that she was to become the mother of

321

a livings race. — Though raised to better hopes, yet pos-
sessing only a depraved and fallen nature, he could im-
part no other to bi;3 oflTspring. All, therefore, are born under
sin. But inasmuch as, without a IMediator, and a new cove-
nant, none would have received existence, all who now are
permitted to come into the world, enter it under the protec-
tion of this glorious Saviour ; and, accordingly we see them
in the seals of this gracious covenant, in the church, met
with the offered blessings of the righteousness of faith .^
Hence life and immortality are proposed to alL not, as un-
der the original covenant with Adam, to perfect obedience ;
but, through a Mediator, to sincere repentance, and evange-
lic obedience.

OF THE IMPORT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, AND
THE TREE OF LIFE.

The last inquiry, proposed under this head, was to ascer-
tain the purpose and meaning of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, and the tree of life. Of the former, little
question can exist. The fruit of that tree was designed to
form the teat of the obedience of man. And its denomination
was manifestly derived from its destination : for, Adam, who,
at first, had been acquainted only with goody became, from
tasting its fruit, most fatally sensible of evil. The act in-

Sec this principk more explicitly statPtl under the article of baptism.
41

322

troduced into his soul the afflicting consciousness ot guiit,
and the fatal daring of disobedience, once become familiar,
perverted all his powers, and emboldened his sinful passions
to farther transgressions. It threw the principles of duty
headlong from their throne, and raised to the forsaken seat,
all the irregular affections, and violent impulses of a deprav-
ed nature. This moral death of the soul was, at the same
time, conjoined with the decay of all the powers of the bo-
dy, and the corruption of the principles of animal life. On
the other hand, it is by no means an improbable conjecture,
that the tree of life possessed a health giving, and renovating
quality, which added a vital stimulus to the corporeal powers ;
but that the forbidden fruit, besides its intoxicating power,
which has before been suggested, contained, likewise, a dele-
terious spirit which instantly diffused a slow consuming poison
through all the veins, and introduced the principles of disease
and death into the human frame.

Many respectable writers have believed that this life giv-
ing tree was placed in the garden as the symbol of immor-
tality to this innocent pair, as long as they should persevere
in their duty ; and probably a sacramental sign of the stead-
fastness of the covepant, to be ever before their eyes, to en-
courage their joyful hopes, and to awaken their ardent de-
votion.

323

OF THE INTRODUCTION OF SIN INTO THE WORKS OF »0D.

Before I proceed to treat of the consequences of the Fall,
either upon the parents, or the entire family of the human
race, it will not, I hope, be deemed improper to introduce
a speculative question which, has been found to occupy
with much solicitude, the minds of men ; and is often, by
the enemies of revelation, made the occasion of casting re-
proach upon its doctrines. I introduce it, however, not with
the presumption of being able satisfactorily to resolve to the
minds of all, the difficulties with which it is embarrassed ;
but with the humbler hope of inducing unmurmuring sub-
mission to the will of God, whose decrees transcend the in-
vestigations of reason. — Why did the fnfinite Creator, whose
power and wisdom, can accomplish all his will, without en-
croaching on the peculiar prerogatives of human nature, per-
mit the introduction of sin into his works ? Why should
moral and natural evil form a part of the system, conceived
by the Infinite Mind, for the administration of this world?
Or how could sin exist in the universe, in which we confess
that all things depend solely upon his will, without imputing
to him such an agency in the event as to palliate, at least, if
not entirely excuse the transgression of the sinner ? — It is
doubtless gross impiety to ascribe iniquity to God, as its au-
thor, or to impute any indirect influence over the hr.man
mind to the Most Holy, inconsistent with the purity of his

3U

nature. For, througiioiit the holy scriptures, his extreme
abhorrence of sin, and his inflexible detennination to punish
it, is expressed in the strongest terms ; but candour must
compel every wise man to confess the difficulty of account-
ing for its permission ; and above all, for its entering for so
Iar;!;e a portion into the plans of the Sovereign Wisdom.

-Some writers maintain the principle, that the existence of
sin is a necessary consequence of the freedom of action. The
Principle is at least incautiously expressed. No inevitable
connexion surely exists between liberty smd criminality ^
otherwise, our freedom would be a pernicious gift.: — It would
be a more certain proposition, but would contribute httle to^
satisfy the inquisitive^ mind, that the possibility of crime
must be connected wi|h perfect freedom of vohtion and ac-
tion : it is not, therefore, surprising that, in any one instance
'i' ' :>'>

the possibility should be converted into fact. A solution

this which is abundantly sufficient to those who deny the
decrees of God ; but to those who believe that the decrees
extend to every part of nature, and embrace the minutest
actions of the mind, silence and submission is the truest
wisdom.

OP THE OPINION OF LEIBNITZ.

Some German metaphysicians, especially the disciples of
the, school of Leibnitz, have adopted a theory peculiar to

325

themselves ; that evil is necessary to the perfection of the
universe; as necessary, to use their pwn similitude, as
shades to the beauty of a picture. This fine maxim of the
imagination, is certainly dependent on a theory of very que8.
tionable truth ; or rather is contradicted by the soundest dic-
tates of .Reason. — Their great dozipa, which solves to them
all diiScultieSj'in physics,, and in morals, is, that all the good
which can possibly exist in the universe, and the whole per-
fection, in both orders of being, which can possibly proceed
from the wisdom and the power of the Omnipotent is to be
seen in his works. What does not exist is impossible. — >
This principle is bringing back the absurd Fate of the Sto-
ics, and subjecting the Deity himself to the chains of ne-
cessity.— I must be permitted to observe on this whole ques-
tion, that it presents to our reason one of those inscrutable
subjects, on which it is wise, in the present state, to repose
submissively on the wisdom of God; resolving what we can-
not explain, into Jiis sovereign will, and the unsearchable
counsels of his understanding. Revelation, however, in-
forms us that he will turn this disastrous event to subserve
the noblest ends in the universe, — -the illustration of his good-
ness, his mercy, and his justice, in the exaltation of his Son,
so as to render the new creation more glorious than Eden.

326^

OF THE SERPENT AND THE TEMPTATION.

Of the duration of the state of innocence, no facts are pre-
sented to us from which any certain estimate can be formed.
Nor have we anj means of judging in what manner the temp-
tation was addressed by the serpent, to our primitive mother.
Many frivolous fancies have been uttered concerning the
species of serpent, whose form the tempter assumed ; all of
them, probably, without sufficiently adverting to the effects
of the curse on the whole creation, and on the change, par-
ticularly, which must have passed on the forms and qualities
of the animal tribes.

That the whole history of this most important of human
transactions, is according to the opinion of some respectable
writers, a mere allegorical fable, depicting in figure this truth,
that the fascinations of vice deceived and seduced our first
parents, appears to have no support in the language in which
the narration is conveyed to us. The images of hieroglyphic,
out of which this divine fable is supposed to be constructed,
could originally have been drawn only from actual types,
that is, from historical facts. And the serpentine hiero-
glyphic of eloquence, wit, and cunning, used at first, by the
Egyptian priests, and supposed to be here employed, has
every appearance of being itself borrowed from the fact which
took place in Paradise. From the same fact, the prince of

327

evil spirits, has received, in the holy scriptures, his figura.
live denomination of the Old Serpent ; and, among the hea-
then, the emblematic wand of Mercury seems to have had a
similar origin. The denunciation pronounced upon that rep-
tile, upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat,
has, obviously, a reference to some transmutation passed up«
on his form, and his manner of moving and subsistence, de-
signed by God to be emblematic of the humiliation, and the
degraded state into which his arts had reduced the parents,
and the whole race of man.

FRAGMENTS OP THIS HISTORY FOUND IN THE TRADITIONS
AND FABLES OP ALL THE EARLIEST NA-
TIONS OF ANTIQUITY.

It is an inquiry which will naturally suggest itself both to
the friends, and the enemies of revelation — have any vestiges
of a fact so unspeakably important to human kind, been
found among the historical or mythological monuments of the
most ancient pagan nations ? If true, would not some tradi-
tion of it have naturally been preserved in the fables of every
people so lately descended from the common head of the
race ? And several eminent and learned writers have be-
stowed no small pains in comparing the traditions and my-
thological fables of antiquity with the mosaic history, whence
they have been thought to have derived a testimony of no
inconsiderable authority to the authenticity and truth of the

328

sacred record. All who are in the least conversant with an-
cient learning, are familiar with the fables of the golxien and
the iron age, which are nothinj^ raore than the allegorical dress
in which the poets have chosen to clothe the earliest history
of mankind. The doctrine of the primitive innocence, and
fall of man, the travellers, and philosophers of Greece, receiv-
ed from Egypt, and the East, along with their arts and scien-
ces almost with the first existence of the nation. In the
Egyptian mythology, particularly, we recognize the original
innocence of man in the happy reign of Osiris over the
world. His fall is depicted in the ravages of Typhon, their
great and wicked Demon, or principle of Evil. And, last-
ly, we discover the promise of a Saviour, in the prediction
of the resurrection and eternal life of Osiris, when he will
triumph over the power of evil, and restore universal peace
and happiness to the world.^^

The Magians of Persia believed in their enigmatical sys-
tem of the egg of the world, which, at first, was shining and
transparent, till broken by Ahriman, the Power of Evil,
when happiness became every where confounded with mise-
ry. I have formerly spoken of the doctrine of the ancient
Bramins of India, and its striking similarity, in this particular,
to the history of Moses. I have there also referred to the
representations of the catholic missionaries, so long resident

* The travels of Cyrus, by the Chevalier Ramsay.

8^9

in the empire of China.* And it merits particular observa-
tion, that the traditions of the most ancient nations, the high-
er they go up towards the origin of time, bear the stronger
resemblance to the facia of the sacred history. Nor ought
this to appear surprising, since all nations, as the scriptures
assure us, have sprung from one common parent after the
deluge. The nearer, therefore, they carry their history to
its source, the more ought we to expect, what we actually
find, some coincidence in its facts with those recorded in
Moses. And those holy writings evidently lead us to the
genuine fountain whence all their mythological streams
have flowed, more or less pure or adulterated, in proportion
as they approach, or recede from, the beginning of time.
And so many striking, and undesigned resemblances afford a
testimony of no slight value to the authenticity of the divine
Listojiian.

THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF THE FALL ON OUR FIRST
PARENTS.

Before concluding this article, it will be requisite to con-
sider the immediate effects of the Fall upon our first parents,
as well as its consequent influence upon their whole posteri-
ty. On the former, it is manifest, from the testimony of the

' On the evidences of religion. The coincldetices of the IraditiOTlt! of fUfl aa-
cicnt nations ^vith the sacred history.

42

380

holy scilptures, ihdt the judgments of God became almost
iustantaneously visible. They lost the image of God in
which they had been created. — In their persons they suffer-
ed a lamentable change, by which their native beauty was
deformed ; and their nature, which had been constituted im-
mortal, became liable to pain, disease, and the gradual ap-
proaches of death. They were condemned to leave the gar-
den of their original pleasures, in which they had so happi-
ly lived on the spontaneous fruits of the soil, and to labour
in the earth rendered hard and sterile by the curse. — For the
first time, they perceived the fears, and compunctions of a
guilty conscience ; and, instead of the pure and tranquil de^
lights of virtue and piety, they became sensible only of the
turbulence of sinful passions. One example of these pre-
sents to us a picture of some singularity. " The eyes of
them both,*' it is said, " were opened, and they kne w that
they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and
made themselves aprons." From these facts it appears-i that
they were then first sensible of that shame which naturally
arises in the mind conscious of improper and corrupt eaio-
tions, in viewing the nakedness of the person. Perhaps i n
the change which passed upon them, they perceived a de-
formity in their bodies which before had never struck their
eyes, which probably, in their original condition, had not ex-
isted. Bat this sudden and mortifying sentiment of shame,
as I have before suggested, may have taken its origin chiefly
from their beina; then first conscious of the emotions of Imt

.^.

331

aLiid being in such a state, that they could not, at all time?;
conceal the disgraceful effect, except by such an artifice as
that to which they now had recourse. The sense of shame,
in consequence of lustful emotion, where it is not utterly ex-
tinguished by the violence of desire, or the force of deprav-
ed habit, involuntarily arises at all the visible indications of
this gross passion, and at every object, exciting to it, pre-
sented to the senses, or the fancy. And in this, as in other
subjects, we recognise the force of nature in the new fallen
. pair.

OF THE REPENTANCE OF OUR FIRST PAREIfTfi.

Of the repentance of this unhappy pair after their lamen-
table fall, nothing is distinctly transmitted to us in the con-
cise narration of Moses. Bat there is the strongest reason
to presume that their penitence followed the promise given
by God to console them in their affliction ; that the seed of
the woman should bruise the serpent^ s headj and thus destroy
the Power of Evil ; delivering her offspring by this act,
from the dominion of sin, and death. And, in the highest
degree probable it is, that the God, and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who, in the midst of his righteous judg-
ments on their transgression, still bestowed on them the most
gracious and paternal care, in his provisions for their tempo-
ral comfort, and who, in their humbled state, still deigned
to them his heavenly communication in the field, or at the

332

altar, would uot be deaf to the cries of their misery, and
their penitential sorrows.

Hardly, however, do these gloomy writers, who have dar-
ed to presume that these afflicted parents, in the midst of
the wreck, and the rescue of their race, themselves perish-
ed without the mercy of that Saviour who had been recent-
ly promised to them, merit even this notice of an uncharita-
ble opinion, which is not supported by any authority from
the holy scriptures.

OF THE EFFECTS OF THE FALL ON THE WHOLE
POSTERITY OF ADAM.

The plain and explicit testimony of the sacred writings
teaches, that the state of sinfulness and misery, in which it
is visible that human nature exists, is at once the fruit, and
the punishment of the transgression of the great head, and
representative of the human family. No testimony can be
more clear and decisive on the subject than the declaration
of the apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans. — " By one
man, sin entered into the world ; and death by sin, so death
passed upon all men, inasmuch as all in him have partaken
of the same depraved and sinful nature." The principal
evil, and the source of all the other evils which result io
mankind from the original transgression of our father is, not
only the tendency of our bodies to decay, but the " moral

333

corruption with which all men are now born into the world."
— The existence of a depraved nature in man has been made
the subject of ardent, and too often acrimonious controver-
sies in the christian church. The Socinians and even the
Arminians, probably mistaking the true meaning and extent
of the proposition which asserts the original sinfulness and
depravity of human nature, deny that we inherit from Adara
any evil except that of pain and death. These writers, in-
deed, confess the tendency of mankind to mnrnl wrong in
many of their earliest acts. Yet, they refuse to admit the
federal, or representative character of our primitive parent
in the covenant of works. But all the orthodox symbols
and confessions, from the first ages, maintain that ** the co-
venant was made with him, not only for himself, but for all
his posterity, who, consequenllv, sinned in him, and fell
with him in his first transgression."* I must remark here,
that those who believe that the penalty of the covenant was
ordained to be inflicted on the day of the Fall, must use a
language somewhat different, but the consequence becomes
eventually the same, the inheritance by his offspring, after
the promise, of a constitution corrupted by the principles of
death and sin. For this, as we have before seen, is an uni-
versal law of nature affecting the descent of posterity ; — the
8cion must partake of the stock.

* Every thing deserving attention on this subject, will be found in President
Edwards on Original Sin, and his antagonist Dr. Taylor.

Jk ■*- "'ii

a34

To mea who have wot a favourite theory lo support, de-
rived from an erring reason, rather than the word of God,
the holy scriptures teach, in the most unequivocal language,
the doctrine of original sin ; that is, that, by derivation
from an unholy original, we are born prone to sin, and ali-
enated from the " life of God, through the ignorance that is
in us, because of the blindness of our hearts." " Behold, I
was shapen in iniquity," saith the psalmist, " and in sin did
my mother conceive me." " That which is born of the flesh,"
saith our Saviour, " is flesh. Marvel not that I said unto
you, you must be born again." And the apostle, in the
strongest terms, declares, — " The carnal mind is enmity
against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither, in-
deed, can be." But the scriptures arc replete with testimo-
nies to the same efiect, which, to those who habitually, and
devoutly read them, it would be superfluous to recite.

THE GOSPEL UNITED WITH THE LAW, IN THE MOMENT
OF THE FALL.

Here we may contemplate for a moment, the benignity of
the gospel, grafted upon the severity of the law, in the first
moments of the calamity of our great ancestors, and its un-
speakable mercy consoling them, and covering to them, and
their posterity, the evils of the Fall. By our union with
our natural head and representative, we inherit tbe depravity
of his nature, both in body and in mind : but the Saviour be-

335

ing revealed to Adam, he, with his whole race were, at that
instant, placed under the dispensation of mediatorial grace.
And now, every infant is introduced into being, not on the
terms which our degenerate father had forfeited, of hfe to the
perfect ; but of pardon and grace to the penitent, bestowed
though the Mediator. And, inasmuch as (he most merciful
Redeemer, immediately, on the promise being made to
Adam, took the world under his protection and government,
the gracious aids of his Holy Spirit, are now in various de-
grees, extended to all men ; but more especially to his chosen
people of old, and since to his church, under both which dis-
pensations, the precious seal of his covenant is appointed to
be administered to all their infant seed, to assure tbora of
this great salvation, promised through the atonement of the
ever blessed Redeemer.*

This, however, does not present to us the whole blessing
of that form of the New Covenant confirmed to Adam in the
mysterious promise, The Seed of the woman shall bjuise
the SerpenVs heady shall destroy his power, and defeof his
machinations. To our imperfect nature, it has converted
the curse, as far as relates to the evils of this life, its labours
and its pains, into a merciful dispensation; a corrector of its
calamities, still more than their punishment. The aches, the
pains, and diseases incurred by the Fall, become salutary
monitors of our guilty original, and serve to lead the soul to

* Se<? Ihis principU farther illn-.trateil . under tlie lip^.t^ of tlifi scaU of the covennni.

336

the pious contemplation of its end. Tiie industry, and in«
genuity which, in a state of innocence, might have been drawn
forth, by virtuous principle, to the improvement of the arts',
the ornaments, and comforts of life, are now stimulated by its
multiplied wants ; the necessity of labor is productive of the
greatest blessings of society. The dependence, the re-
straints, the corrections, the painful application of childhood,
and lyouth, are requisite for the early cultivation of the rea-
son and virtue of mankind. Children, amidst all their imbe-
cilities, are first protected, and then made wise for their own
protection, by the wisdom of their parents. By the labours
of the mind, and of the body, human nature is carried for-
ward towards its highest improvement ; and the world itself
is created anew in beauty, and rendered subservient, in ten
thousand ways, to the use of man. The curse denounced on
the woman, that in pain she should bring forth her children,
and be the party chiefly subjected to the anxieties and toils of
nursing and rearing them, is made, under this grace, the chief
source of the endearments of domestic life. If children,
from their earliest infancy, were, like the young of many
other animals, independent of the protection, and the nurtur-
ing care of their parents ; if labor, and vigilance, and mutual
assistance, were not generally requisite for the support, res-
pectability, and comfort of families, the principal ties of paren-
tal affection, and filial duty would be dissolved. The habits
would be destroyed, or never formed, which in the highest
degree contribute to the happiness, increase, and beneficial

337

intercourse and improvement of nalions. Every pain which
the child suffers, every risk to whicii it is exposed, endears,
it more (o the parent ; evejy anxiefy, expense, and sacrifice
devoted to its interest, more attaches the parciit. Parents
themselves, from these causes, become more tenderly united
to one another ; the mother by her pains, her sicknesses, her
constant need of some kind support ; the father by the man*
}y protection and superior assiduities which he is able to af-
ford to her delicate weaknesses. The mutual wants of indi-
viduals and of families, teach them to sympathise with one
another, and aid their easy transition into national sympathies,
and the coalescing of mankind into great communities.

Under the Saviour, therefore, who has taken the world
under his protection and grace, the curse of the Fall, how-
ever much to be lamented in its original cause, has been ren-
dered, in many respects, a blessing to our fallen and imper-
fect nature.

f HE GENERAL STRAIN OF THE SACRED WRITINGS, A STRONG-
ER PROOF OF THE DEPRAVITY OF HUMAN NATURE,
THAN SINGLE AND DETACHED PASSAGES.

The sinfulness of human nature, is depicted in the strong-
est colours, in many positive declarations throughout the sa-
cred scriptures ; but in addition to the direct and unequivo-
cal evidence of many detached and particular passages^ ppr-

43 '

338

haps a more couYincIng proof of this important doctrine, so
humbling to tiie pride t)f man, results from the general strain
of fhc whole system of revealed truth. It is a fundamental
point in the entire fabric, and is involved in all its principal
doctrines. If a Saviour has been sent into the world, is it
not to deliver mankind fallen and perishing^ from their state
of sinfuhiesSy and its consequent miseries ? Is it not to the
unholy that the purchased Spirit is given to assist their re-
pentance ? Was it not to those whose reason had been ob-
scured by the power of sin, that the light of divine truth
had become necessary ? Was not this also the language of
the sacrifices of atonement under the ancient dispensation ?
Is not this the interpretation of the doctrines of repentance,
of sanctifi^cation, of the renovation of the heart under the
new ? Are not the seals -of the covenant, under both dis-
pensations, emblems of 'd necessary purification.^ And do
not the whole furnish such an accumulation of evidence on
this subject, as can hardly fail to carry with it, to the candid
mind, complete conviction that man is a fallen and sinful
being ?

THE TESTIMONY OF EXPERIENCE.

If any evidence of this unhappy fact could be added to
the clear and uniform testimony of the sacred writings, we
might derive it from the whole history and experience of man«
^ind. Do we not observe the malevolent passions of humas

S39

nature displaying an unhappy force from the earliest years
of childhood and infancy ? Have we not, from our most re-
mote remembrance, perceived within our hearts, the working
of many impure desires and unhallowed passions ? Is not
ihe history of man, in a great measure, the history of his
crimes ? Does not the world present to us rather a prisou
destined for the punishment of the guilty, than a paradise,
the delightful habitation of innocence ? Does not the infant
feel the pangs, and utter the cries of pain, from the moment
of its birth ? Do not pain and disease, though now sanctified
to the penitent by the Redeemer, still pursue him, till they
lay him in the grave? Do all these calamities indicate the
etate of an innocent being, under the government of a most
merciful Creator ? Or does not a strong impression again
result from the whole, that man is fallen and guilty ?

OF THE EXTENT OP ORIGINAL SIN, AND THE MODE OF ITS
TRANSMISSION.

Two questions yet remain upon this subject, which merit
the attention of the theological student. In the lirst place,
to what extent is human nature corrupted ?

Secondly, how is that sinful nature communicated, so as
not to subject God most holy, to the impious charge of being
the author of sin ?

ti40

1. On Ihe first, it is the decision of the word of God, and
of the church, that the depravity of human nature pervades
it in its whole extent. Its rational powers are perverse in
their application, or rendered impotent through sinful ten-
dency ; and all its moral faculties, in their habitual action,
have become criminal, by excess in their pursuits, by de-
fect in their principles, or their motives, or by misapplication
in their objects. The first moments of existence are cer-
tainly *not chargeable with actual crimes, but with such per-
version of nature from its original rectitude, that its earliest
propensities, emotions, and affections, are directed to wrong
ends, or to those that are lawful in a vicious degree. And,
however the conduct of mankind may, in many parts of it,
be beneficial to their fellow men, and, in so far, worthy of ap-
probation, yet, in the sight of God, all acts are unholy in
which the supreme desire of the soul in pursuing, and its su-
preme end in performing Ihem, is not to render obedience,
and glory to him from whom all existence is derived.

2. With regard to the second question, if we mean to ask
bow an impure and depraved nature may be imparted to the
posterity of Adam without involving a deep reproach on the
Author of our being? It is sufficient to answer, as the suc-
cession of all animals is continued. The whole nature of the
parent is imparted to the offspring. But in whajt manner this,
or any of the works of creation is produced, is utterly beyond
our knowledge. The tnodiis operandi is the secret of God.

341

But to say, as some ^eak men have done, in the hope of
avoiding rhe iaipiety of making God the auttior of a dinful
act, that God formed (he soul pure, but uniting it to a sinful,
disordered, or merely animal body, it has, by this junction,
become necessarily infected with sin, is certainly an errant
absurdity of pious folly. As if it were less contrary to the
purity of the divine nature to form a being innocent, and im-
mediately subject it to a state of necessary infection, than to
suffer the laws of the universe freely to operate, by which an
impure effect must proceed from an impure cause — a sinful
progeny from sinful parents. Of much more moment is it to
us, saith Saint Augustine, to understand how we are <!eliv-
ered from sin by Jesus Christ, than to be able to explain in '
what manner we have derived it from Adam.

OF THE

COVENANT OF GRACE,

1. OP VICARIOUS SUBSTITUTION, AlfD ATONEMENT.

From the declarations of holy scripture it appears that,
immediately after the Fall, our condemned and unhappy pa-
rent, together with his whole race were, in the infinite mercy
of God, transferrecl from the Covenant of Works, now brok-
fen, and cancelled as the condition of life, and placed under
the protection of the Covenant of Grace, organized and ad-
ministered under a Mediator, through whom their repentance
might be accepted with their heavenly Father, and the Ho-
ly Spirit imparted to sanctify and restore their fallen nature.
In treating of this covenant to which I now proceed, the first
consideration which requires our attention, and that, indeed,
which is fundamental to its existence, is the necessity of full
and complete satisfaction for the sin of man. On no other
condition could the holiness and justice of God receive the
repentance of the sinner, and admit him to a new probation,
on a new covenant, for eternal life. In discussing this sub-
ject, three preliminary questions present themselves to our
inquiry. 1. In the first place, was satisfaction, or atone-
ment for the sin of man indispensable to the existence of any

344

new covenant in his favour ? 2. As man is utterly unable to
offe^ an atonement adequate to the demerit of sin, is vica-
rious satisfaction, in the person of another, either possible,
or just in itself, or useful in the administration of the divine
government over mankind ? 3. Could satisfaction oflfered by
any being less than a divine person, be accepted in the room
of the sinner ?

OF THE NECESSITY OF ATONEMENT.

There are writers who affirm that Almighty God might
by an act of sovereignty, have mercifully dispensed with
an J satisfaction for sin, and freely forgiven the offender, on
his sincere repentance. — What God might, in sovereignty,
have done, or could not, in consistency with the laws of eter-
nal justice, do, seems impossible to be wisely and safely de-
termined by us, and cannot be decided without presumption.
We are infinitely more concerned to understand what God
hath actually done, and, from the fact, to pronounce upoQ
its justice, and utility. I may, however, be permitted to ob-
serve, that this opinion seems to be founded on very inade-
quate apprehensions of the necessary nature, and the inflexi-
ble claims of his holiness. And there are many important
considerations which render it reasonable to believe that the
punishment of the sinner, or a vicarious satisfaction to the
justice of the law, in the person of a mediator, in all res-
pects coiupeteot to this offering, was an indispensable require*

A.:

345

ioacnt in the government of God. Indeed the fact, tLat it
has been made, 13 decisive proof that it is holi/i just, and
good. The apostle, in contemplating this subject, devout-
ly exclaims ; — '« O the depth of the riches both of the wis-
dom and knowledge of God ! How unsearchable is his wis-
dom I and his ways past finding out !" Now " to principal-
ities and powers in heaVenly places, is known by the church
the manifold wisdom ofiGod." All iLe moral attributes ot the
Eternal are represented, in the holy scriptures, as havino"
their most harmonious, and illustrious display in the death of
Christ. In no other way, it is reasonable to believe, could
the holiness, the purity, the justice, and the mercy of the
divine nature have been demonstrated to mankind with such
profound and impressive effect. The accumulated testimo-
ny of his holy word leads to the conclusion, that, in consis-
tency with his perfections " he can by no means clear the
guilty. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. Ami
he cannot look upon sin but with abhorrence."

When we bring this subject to the rigorous test of reasoa,
reason pronounces the holiness and justice of the divine na-
ture to be not less essential to his being, and his glory, than
goodness and mercy. The requisitions of justice, therefore,
must be acknowledged to be equally necessary in their nature
with the demands of his most benevolent attributes. Many
writers, indeed, we have seen contend for this principle that

justice differs from other divine perfections, in this respect,

44

ihat its lights may al;vaj3 be lelinquisheil without wrong-
Admitting this maxim to be true in matters of private right
between man and man ; yet, even in human transactions, it
does not hold with regard to its exercise in persons invested
with a public character, and in cases in which the public
good is essutiallj concerned. The rnagistralc cannot dis-
pense with the execution of the law.

OF THE JUSTICE AND CTILITT OF VICARIOUS SATISFACTION,

As man is incapable, by his obedience, or his sufferings,
of rendering complete satisfaction to the violated law, the jus-
tice and propriety of vicarious substitution has grown up in
{he church into an occasion of warm and uncharitable con-
troversy. The Socinians strenuously deny the equity of
substituting the innocent in the room of the guilty, and the
utility of accepting the obedience, or the sufferings of one in-
stead of those of another. This objection could not easily be
answered if the substitute were obtruded, by any constraint, in
the room of the sufferer, or, if, from any deficiency of power,
or of dignity, he were incompetent to the high and arduous
duty. To form a fair and equitable decision on this subject,
It would be requisite to be well informed concerning the fol-
lowing facts :— in the first place, whether the substitution be
perfectly voluntary in him who assumes the part of the suf-
ferer ; in the next place, whether he be free and independent^
and have the entire right to dispose of his own life, without

34r

being accountable to any superior ; likewise, whether he be
perfeclly coaipetent to the undertaking, so that, from the in-
trinsic merit and dignify of his act, it may subserve all the
wise and benevolent purposes of the law ; whether, also, ia
assuming this part, he be not lost to the universal interests
of society, so that no gain to the great public of nature accrue
from the substitution ; and, finally, whether the party, chiefly
offended, be pleased and willing to accept the substitute in
the room of the original offender.*

If all these facts are fullj' ascertained, and these conditions
strictly exacted, vicarious satisfaction appears to be entirely-
consistent with the principles of the soundest reason. If the
substitute be free to dispose of his own person, and willing
lo undertake this benevolent office, the rights of justice can-
not be impaired, nor the general interest injured by the ex-
change. Perhaps the sanction of the law appears more awful,
and is rendered more effectual, when the penalty ig, without
abatement, exacted of the surety, than when claimed of the
principal hiaiself. An example in ancient history has been
often appealed to, as illustrating this point with particular
force. The legislator of the Locrlans had enacted a law that
any man convicted of adultery, should be punished with the
loss of both his eyes. His own son happened to be ihe first
criniiaal condemned on this statute. The father, mingling

■■ Pr. Witlierepoon^s Lectures on the Covecant of Grace.

34a

the righteous severity of the judge with the compassion of
the jtarent, decreed that his son should lose one of hie eyes,
and hat, for the other which justice required, he himself
would lose one, in order perfectly to satisfy the requisition
of the law. Every man, who is acquainted with the feelings
of a parent, and the self-love of human nature, must pronounce
this act the strongest proof that could be given to the nation,
of the inexorable justice of the legislator. It is obvious that
such a vicarious substitution must have had a mere useful in-
fluence on the public morals, than the suffering of the full
penalty by the culprit in his own person. On the same clear
and acknowledged sentiment in the human breast, the substi-
tution of the Son of God, in the room of our sinful nature,
was the most effectual sanction of the divine law which could
have been exhibited to the universe.

Besides the obvinns consistency of this doctrine with the
principles of reason and of public justice, it is explicitly de-
clared throughout the sacred scriptures, in the strongest and
most unequivocal terms, to be, at once, the truth of God, and
the only hope of man. The term satisfactiont indeed, is
technical, and employed chiefly by modern divines, for the
convenience of their systematic arrangements. But every
idea included in the full and most comprehensive meaning of
the word, is taught in the scriptures in the plainest language,
and illustrated by the most affecting images. Under the an-
cient institution, on the great day of atonement, and ercD at

m

^49

the dally sacrifices, certain mpii were appointed to represent
the people of Israel, and to lay their hands upon the head of
(he victim, confessing the sins of the nation. This grave
and serious action can have no reasonable interpretation but
as a vicarious substitution of the sacrifice in the room of the
offender, and a typical transfer of guilt from him to the vic-
tim. The same idea is connected with that office of religion
wherein the priests of Israel sprinkled the blood of the sacri*
fice upon the horns of the altar, sanctifying, by that act, both
the sacrifice and the altar ; in allusion to which holy rite the
blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling, purifying
all things covered by its sacred efficacy. The language of
the prophet is peculiarly forcible. " He was wounded for
our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The
chastisement of our peace was upon him ; a^d with his stripes
we are healed. When he shall give his soul an offering for
ain, he shall see his seed — he shall prolong his days — and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. If,
however, there were any obscurity in the type, and the fig-
ured language of the prophecy, the same truth is taught un-
der the simplicity of the evangelic dispensation, in a style
that can hardly leave any doubt in a fair and candid mind.
Let me appeal to a few passages only, as an example of a
great part of the sacred volume. Of the church, and of eve-
ry individual believer, it is said, " they have been bought
with a price. Redeemed not with corruptible things, such
as silver, and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ,

359

" This is my blood," saith Christ of himself, " slied for many,
for the remission of sins. He gave himself a ransom for all.'*
And the triumphant ascription of the whole church is, " unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood !" The arts of criticism have been employed, with
great industry, to give these and similar expressions a remote,
and feeble, and circuitous interpretation. But every reader
must be sensible of the efibrt that appears to accommodate
the language to a favourite theory, and Ihe little resemblance
which, under this disguise, it bears to the plainness and sim-
plicity of the gospel. The obvious meaning of the terms, on
the other hand, presents to the mind, on their first impression^
the doctrine of the atonement. From the preceding illustra-
tions and reflections, we evidently perceive the principle of
vicarious satisfaction established by the explicit and unequiv-
ocal testimony of the word of God, as it had before been vin-
dicated by the clear decisions of reason.

THAT IT IS REQUISITE THAT SATISFACTION BE MADE BY
A DIVINE PERSON.

A third question still remains upon this subject, which,
from its nature, and its consequences, is of the highest im-
portance : — Could any satisfaction for the sin of human na-
ture, less than that offered by a divine person, be accepted by
the justice of God ? From the whole tenor of the sacred

writiugs, it appears that an atoniDg sacrifice of infinite value is
the indispensable requisition of eternal justice.

But there is something so awful, and so profoundly hum-
bling to the soul in this consideration, that various evasions
have been resorted to for the purpose of weakening its im-
pression. It is asked whether some superior order of created
spirits may not be so far exalted above human nature, as to
be able by obedience and suflTering to offer ample satisfaction
to the righteousness of (he offended law. To this inquiry it
may most justly be replied, that no created being can be so
far raised in nature as to make the smallest approximation to
Deity ; or to be capable of offering an atonement for sin that
shall cover, in any degree, the demerit of its guilt. Any
finite being must, for this purpose, be liable to the suffering
of eternal pains ; a sacrifice that could contribute nothing to
4hc illustration of the mercy of our heavenly Father. Be-
sides, is not every created being under the highest natural
obligations to do, or suffer whatever he shall understand the
glory of God, and the general interests of charity and benevo-
lence require ; and if it were possible that the most exalted
creature could have redeemed mankind, and glorified God,
by any temporary sufferings, this sacrifice would, in the na-
ture of things have been an original and indispensable duty ;
and the antecedent obligation would have deprived the offer-
ing of all imputable merit, which can reside only in the act
of a free and independent being. But the fact of the appoint

^1^

55-2

meat of the Son of God to this propitiatory office, whose na-
ture has before been proved to be divine, is itself demonstra-
tion that no inferior victim could have been accepted. For,
is it possible to believe that the eternal Jehovah would have
made such a useless expenditure, if I may speak so, of divine
perfection, when the same end might have been attained by
means so far inferior ?

It has been urged with a triumph in the force of the objec-
tion, and with a confidence far from being warranted by the
strength of the argument, that the supposition of satisfaction
being exhibited by a person, in his nature divine, involves the
absurdity of the Supreme Being making satisfaction to him-
self. To repel this suggestion, let it be recollected, that sin
is not so much an offence against Almighty God, personally
considered, if it is lawful to use this form of expression with
regard to the Deity, as a violation of the principles of eternal
justice, and, if we may speak so, of the public law of the uni-
verse. And there are not wanting many examples wherein a
magistrate may so far lay aside his public character as, in his
own person, to satisfy the requisitions of the law,

OP THE COVENANT OP GRACE*

The Covenant of Grace is defined by many eminent and
pious divines to be a stipulation or agreement between God,
and the believing sinner, to bestow on him freely, through

25^

Christ, the forgiveness of sins that are jjctstj iQipaitlng, at the
same time, the spirit of sanctification to renew and periect his
nature, and finally, to bring him to the possession of elernal
life ; which mercies the believer accepting wilh an humble
and sincere faith, that purifies the heart, the act assumes the
character and form of a covenant. But as there is an infinite
distance between God most holy, and a sinful worm of the
dust ; and as the whole transaction is a free gift, entirely
gratuitous on the part of God, to style it a covenant is the
language of divine condescension. Yet this is the gracious
form of words employed by God himself. In the sacred
scriptures it is denominated a covenant of peace ; and mer-
cifully announced as a new covenant, to distinguish it from
the covenant of works, and the covenant of Sinai. And,
finally, it is declared to be an everlasting covenant, as the
characteristic distinction between it and every temporary in-
stitution establfshed by God with his people.

On the preceding considerations, I prefer another defini-
tion, warranted by the best writers, more appropriate and
descriptive of the genuine nature of this covenant. It is that
of a free and gratuitous promise from the Father of Mercies,
to all who receive the blessing with penitent faith, of the par-
don of sin through the atonement of the Redeemer, accom-
panied with the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit, to
lead them by the grace of holy living, to life and immortaU

i/?/, all which merciful propositions the belierer sincerely ac-'

45

^5i

cepting, it is lliereby constituted an actual and formal cove-
nant. This definition is conformable to the language of the
sacred word, in which this gracious transaction is called
the pro7nise, and the promise made of old unto the fathers^
And, indeed, when this whole system of grace is atten-
tivelj considered, it is to be regarded chiefly as a pro-
mise made to sinners through Christ, to invite them to re-
pentance and ncjv obedience by the blessed and glorious
hopes of the gospel ; when it assumes the form of that spe-
cies of covenant distinguished in our moral and civil codes
by the title of gratuitous.

Every covenant, however, is, from its nature, invested with
certain conditions which give it an air of reciprocity. The
condition of acceptance^ at least, is indispensable in the most
gi^atuitous promise; and although salvation is an effect of
the freest grace, yet, in order to the application of the merits
of the Lord Jesus Christfor this ernif faith, as it has already
been explained, may be regarded as a pre-requisite condi-
tion ; and holiness of heart, which is necessary to the actual
possession of the final reward of the covenant ; eternal life,
may be considered as an xdterior condition. But these con-
ditions are not to be viewed as constituting the meritorious
causes of the blessing, or forming a real reciprocity in the
covenant, but simply as terms of qualification necessary to
prepare the believer, by the renovation of his nature, and of
all his moral tastes, for the enjoyment of his heavenly inhecit?

Ance. The vrhole phrase, however, of the covenant ofgraci,
though amply justified by the language of scripture, is tech-
nical, and invented, as many others have been, for the cott-
venience of systematic arrangement.

A MISTAKEN VIEW OF THE COVENANT OP GRACE*

From the imbecility of the human mind, and the different
conceptions often entertained by men of the same subject, we
are frequently, and unhappily met by controversy in theolo-
gy, as well as in other sciences. Those writers who, from their
disinclination to considering the observance of the moral law
as forming any condition of the covenant of our salvation,
are stiled Antinomians, maintain this peculiar opinion, that
the Covenant of Grace is not made with believers through
the mediation of Christ ; but has been established, from eter-
nity, with Christ in the name of all believers. The paternal
Deity, before the foundation of the world, entered into cove-
nant with the Son, to give him a certain number out of the
fallen human race, to be called, sanctified and saved by him,
upon his consenting to assume human nature, and make
atonement for their sins by his death. Founded on this sup-
posed transaction between the eternal persons of the God-
head, they affirm the sole condition of the Covenant of Grace
to be, not the obedience and faith of the believer, but the
righteousness of Christ, making the believer a mere passive
subject of mercy, and not responsible for any of hi^ sins past,

356

or lo come. Chrisf, the sole agent and representative of his
people in this e!crnal transaction has, according to their prin-
cip; s, assumed all responsibility upon himself with regard
to this chosen number, leaving the rest of mankind, without
an> provision lor their salvation, to perish among those hope-
less spirits who kept not their first estate. — Good men, I
doubt not, have embraced this extravagant system as there is
Ko absurdity of which the human mind, on some occasions,
is not susceptible. But to me it appears fraught with pre-
sumption in pretending to unfold the transactions of the De-
ity with himself; and with extreme folly, leading to the
most immoral consequences among enthusiastic men. This
imaginary transaction has been called the Covenant of Re-
demfitimii and although so fanciful, has, under certain modi-
fications, been embraced by some grave and profound calvi-
nislic writers. In its unmodified extent, it presents to us ma-
ny dogmas which, in their obvious import, must shock the
common sense of mankind. To justify the severity of this
aniniadversion, the following examples will be more than suf-
ficient. Believers^ they say, are justified from all eternity.
^^In thetn God sees no sin for Christ^ s sake, — I'he merits
of the Second Adam are as certainly and essentially
transferredy from their birth, to his elect seedy as the default
of the first Adam to his naluraUoff spring. — The elect cannot
throw themselves out of the covenants but their justification
tqvcdly remains rvhether ihcy fulfil the law of righteousness,
or, through the fraiity of their nature, fall into any st?i.

357

Christ having assumed all responsibility ^ and perfectly sai-
isfed the law for them- Many other absuidilies, not less
gross and palpable, nakirally growing out of their principles,
are found in their writings, which some ingenious men have
thought they find means of explaining in consistency with
good morals. For this bold irreverence of the imagination
some expressions of the sacred writings have given a very
slender pretence indeed. *' I have set ray king,'* saith the
Psalmist, " upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the
decree : the Lord said unto me, thou art my Son, this day
have I begotten thee. Ask of me and I will give thee the
heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession, Ps. ii. 6. sacrifice and offering thou
didst not desire. Then said I, lo ! I come ;. in the volume
of the book it is written of aie; I delight to do thy will, O
my God," Ps. xl. 6. And Isaiah, in a fine poetic rhapsody,
has sung in the following strains ; — " Behold my servant
whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth ! I
have put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judg-
ment to the Gentiles. 1 the Lord have called thee in right-
eousness ; I will hold thine hand, and keep thee, and give
thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles
— to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the
prison, and those that sit in darkness out of the prison house."
Surely a man must have strong attachments to a system, and
a most oblique facility of interpreting the scriptures, who can
6nd the Covenant of Redemption in such poetical and

^58

dramatic representations as these of the counsels, and de-
sif^ns of Heaven, which exhibit Christ as the Illuminator of
the world, and that Great Prophet destined to extend his
church to the remotest ends of the earth. But when these
writers can interpret, in this manner, a political convention—
The counsel of peace shall be between them both — Zech. vi.
13. it assumes an appearance little less than ludicrous. I per-
fectly accord with the opinion expressed on this subject, by
Dr. Witherspoon. " For my own part," says he, " 1 fear
to attempt to explain what is called the Covenant of Redemp-
tion, or to admit its existence. I fear it is humanizing too
much our ideas of the divine nature, and presuming too far on
our understanding the nature of the Trinity, and the trans-
actions between its persons, if I may use that human phrase
thus to give form to their counsels, thus to apply to them
what, perhaps can only be proper when applied to the aflfairs
of men. Besides, if we give scope to our fancy, and endeav-
our to embarrass with such technical forms of expression, the
science of divine things, we might find a covenant in almost
every act of God. But the being of God is unsearchable :
and I apprehend, there is more of presumption and folly, than
of piety and wisdom in a worm of dust attempting to modify
his eternal counsels with himself."*

* Taken down verbatim by the, author from a discourse delivered by Dr. W.
before his Theological class.

359

OF THE CONSTlTUTIOff OP THE COVENANT OF GRACE 1>
ITS PROMISES AND CONDITIONS.

In the constidition of the Covenant of Grace the primary
and essential principle which distinguishes it from the abroga-
ted covenant with Adam is, that all its blessings are the
effects of the free and unmerited mercy of fleaven. Man,
having incurred, from the justice of his offended Creator, ab-
solute and eteriial condemnation, the whole plan of his re-
covery— his present mercies, and his eternal hopes are sim-
ply and entirely of grace ; not the effect of obedience to the
prescriptions of a law, but the result of the mere favour of
God. For this end the system of redemption was instituted
by Jehovah liimself, through the mediation of Jesus Christ,
who should, by his obedience, satisfy the holy requisitions of
his law, and by his sufferings, vindicate the righteous claims
of his justice. On this foundation of obedience and suffer-
ing, Christ becomes the author of eternal life to all who be-
lieve in his name. And the whole redemption of mankind is
exhibited to us in the sacred writings, as the fruit of the freest
mercy, and the effect simply of the benignity of God most ho-
ly, to the offending race of man. ft is of faiths saith Are apos-
tle, </iaft7 might be of grace, Rom. iv. 16. And the Evangel-
ist affirms that God so loved the world, that he gave hisonli^
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not
perish, but have everlasting life. — This covenant is establish-

360

ed, not with man innocent as was that with our original parent,
but with man fallen and guilty, through a Mediator ; so that
now, every blessing is derived to believers through Jesus
Christ, who, ofGody is made unto us tvisdonit and righteous-
ness, and sand ijicat ion, and redemption.

One definition of the Covenant of Grace, already presented
to the reader, styles it siuiply a proldse, and states it to con-
sist of a system of gracious promises given as the consola-
tion of human nature in its fallen and unhappy condition.
These promises have been arranged, in different orders, but
all embracing, in the result, the same comprehensive field. In
order to their more distinct illustration, and omitting, for the
sake of brevity, the detailed exhibition made of them by ma-
ny writers, I shall dispose them in tte following series, as be-
ing most accommodated for convenience and use in preaching
the gospel. I. In the first place, the promises .of a Saviwir.
— II. Next, as the free pardon of sin through him. — III.
Thirdly, of the Spirit of sanctification. — IV. In the fourth
place, of the favour of God, and all its happy fruits in the
present state.^ — V. And finally, of everlasting life in a future
world.*

* The analysis of the covenaDt considered in this vie^r, by Dr. W. presented
lo his class.

361

1. OF THE PROMISE OF A SAVIOUR.

In the arrangement of the blessings of the covenant, the
promise of a Saviour justly stands in the first place ; because
it was the first made to our afflicted father, after his fatal de-
linquency. It is likewise that primary gift on which all the
rest depend. And it aff^jrds the first ray of consolation and
Lope to a soul under the conviction of sin. This distinguish-
ed and leading promise, therefore, embraces the complete
atonement of sin by the sacrifice of Christ. It points to
Christ as the fountain of every mercy to mankind, and the
channel through which they are conveyed to his people.
He is the great and comprehensive promise made of God mi*
to thefalherSf embracing all the blessings of the gospel. He
is the hope which the ancient church of Israel waited for ;
and, a still more glorious distinction — He is the desire of all
nations ; for his propitiatory sacrifice, even when unknown,
is the foundation of acceptance to every true penitent among
the Gentiles, as it was to the saints anterior to the age of the
patriarch Abraham. He is, in one word, the salvation of God.

2. OF THE FREE AND FULL PARDON OF BIN.

The second promise of the covenant, as they have been

just arranged, is the free and full pardon of sin to those who

humbly and penitently seek this mercy through Jesuf'
4R

362

Christ. It is consolatorj to mankind, under the view of
their sins, lo perceive, in the benevolent purposes of God a
Saviour ordained for the sincere penitent. But frequently,
beneath tlic deep and overwhelming compunctions of gailt,
the humbled spirit of the sinner trembles at the thought of dar-
ing to appropriate the merits of that Saviour, the blessings of
that promise, to itself. It requires the most clear and explicit
assurance of the gospel for its encouragement in making this
particular application of the general offer of divine mercy. A
consideration which renders the free and gracious promise of
pardon through the Redeemer so precious to the convinced
soul. The fears of guilt require the supporting hand of divine
grace to save it from utterly despairing. For this reason, the
Holy Spirit in his sacred oracles, pitying the infirmity of our
nature, crushed under the terrors of the law, seems to have
exhausted the powers of language for consolations and en-
couragements to the repentant sinner. Ho ! every one that
ihhsteth, come ye to the waters ; and he that hath no money !
come; buy wine and milkj without money ^ and without
mice. It was the special command of Christ to his disci-
ples, to 'preach thejorgiveness of sins to all nations, begin-
7iing at Jenisaltm. And, that no penitent may be discour-
aged on the consideration of his personal unworthiness, or the
aggravations of his former sins, the invitation is extended to
all men, in terms the most universal. — Come unto me, all ye
who labor and are heavy laden, and, I will give you rest, —
Him that cometh to me I will, in no wlscj cast out.

M»

On this subject an injudicious controversy has been raised
on the following question, as men, like gladiators, to shew their
intellectual siiill, are often prone to contention on the slightest
occasion of difference ; whether Christ has died for all men?
or only for an elected number ? Those who arrange them-
selves in the ranks of the latter insist that, if, on the princi-
ples of their antagonists, we say that Christ has died/orall
men, we make his death in vain to the greater number of
those for whom it was offered. The former, with, perhaps,
greater justice, affirm, that, if he hath died only for a select-
ed number, the rest of mankind are necessarily excluded
from the possibility of salvation, and, therefore the offer of
the gospel to them is impiously imputing to God a duplicity
in his transactions with the weakness of human nature, so
much the more unworthy of his infinite goodness that it would
be insulting the miserable, with ostensible but fallacious offers
of mercy. Neither of these parties intend the consequences
imputed to them by their rivals, and which their own terms
literally taken, seem to imply. The forms of expression, on
both sides, are imperfectly calculated to convey accurate con-
ceptions of their respective principles. And it would be more
consistent with the spirit of the gospel, and wilh common
sense, and, probably, with their own intentions to say, that
the death of Christ was designed generally to make atone-
ment/or sin to the justice of God, so that God might be jusfy
and the justifier of him that believeih, and that an indiscrimi-
sate offer of pardon to sinners might be fairly and ingenuously

founded upon bis death. — And fhis mode of expression is

Ihe more reasonable, because the same merit in the sacrifice
whic . is sufficient for the expiation of one ofifence, is suffi-
cient for the offences of the whole race. And the secret
counsels of God, which are inscrutable, ought, in no case, to
influence the duty of men.

3. OF THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT OF SANCTIFICATION.

The forgiveness of sin lays a foundation for access to God,
and communion with him by the spirit of devotion. Under
the dispensation of the New Covenant, the whole system of
nature, and of providence is subjected to the directing power
of Ihe Holy Spirit by Jesus Christ, in subserviency to the
great ends of the moral, and spiritual world. And that celes-
tial influence which was first employed to convince the soul
ofsiUf of righleousnesSy and of jiidgmentf is now imparted
to the believer to assist the renovation of his nature — to con-
firm and increase his habits of holiness— to enable him to
discharge all his duties with a proper temper of mind— and
to ripen his qualifications for the kingdom of Heaven* Al-
most innumerable are the particular promises to this effect,
included under the general title of the Covenant in the sacred
writings. "Behold, ihe days come, saith the Lord, that I
will 'make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and the
house of Judah. And this is the covenant that I wifl make;
I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their

365

hearts ; and I will be tbeir God, and they shall be my peo-
ple," Jer. xxxi. 31, 33. And in Ezek. xxxvi. 25. 2r, *' Then
will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean.
From all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse
you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will
I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart out
of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." But,
it is the constant testimony of the holy scriptures, not only
that repentance and laith, but that every pious disposition in
the believer proceeds from the operation of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore it is, that all the graces of the christian life are de-
nominated the fruits of the Spirit*

The chief question which remains on this part of the sub-
ject, and which, indeed, affects the whole doctrine of the
agency of the Spirit, is, whether at any time he operates by
immediate influx on the heart, as in creation, independently
of the divine word, the ordinances of the church, or those
means continually occurring in the course of providence, or
in the transient reflexions, and glancings of the mind, calculat-
ed to awaken pious thought, to inflame holy desire, or
touch the devout sensibilities of the soul .' or whether he
does not always, and exclusivel}^, operate by those scriptural,
rational, natural, or appointed means of instruction and grace,
or those secret suggestions arising out of them, which are fit-
ted to inform the reason, and aflect the heart ? I am dis-
posed to believe that he always works by natural means, and

366

never, in the ordinary exercises of the christian life, by im-
mediate impulse, or direct influx, without them. The doc-
trine, or fancy of immediate and direct or independent influx
is liable to great abuse ; especially in men of a vivid imagina-
tion, and morbid sensibility, or of a gloomy complexion of
soul, who are subject, in consequence, to frequent, strong,
and irregular impressions. And when ignorance, or inatten-
tion cannot trace the origin of their thoughts, or assign the
causes often secret or forgotten, of their sudden emotions,
they are prone» on one hand, to ascribe them to the influences
of the Holy Spirit, or, on the other, to the suggestions of in-
fernal agency. Hence we see naen often disturbed by super-
stitious terrors, or enthusiastic visions. One of the most
common and injurious effects of this tendency of mind in per-
son:- f weak judgments, and warm sensibilities, is a prone-
ness to decide on their spiritual state entirely by momentary
feelings, instead of the general tenor of their aflfections, and
their lives, compared with the only standard of truth in the
word of God. " To the law, and to the testimony, if they speak
not according to these, it is because there is no light in
them." On the subject, on which 1 have been speaking, there
is a strong analogy between the natural, and the spiritual
world. — In the former, all its movements, the case of mira-
cles only excepted, proceed, uniformly, according to the es-
tablished laws of nature ; in the latter, its laws operate with
equal certainty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
There arc no devious movements, no eccentric impulses

3«r

which start aside from this order, according to the dreams of
enthusiasts ; and although we cannot always trace the fine
relations of actions with their motives, of ends with the means
which lead to them, yety in every case the moral means are
intimately conjoined with their proper end. And, in no in-
stance, does the Holy Spirit, more than the Sovereign Au-
thor of nature, act upon the human mind, or produce any ef-
fect independently of the means naturally connected wilh it,
and fitted in the moral structure of the universe to influence
its movements.

4. OF THE PROMISE OF THE FAVOUR OF GOD, AND ITS
HAPPY FRUITS IN THIS LIFE.

In the series of promises entering into this gracious trans-
action, I have mentioned, in the next place, the favour of
God, with all its happy fruits in the present life ; including
the constant protection and care of his holy providence over
those who place their undivided trust in him, and his bene-
diction upon them as his children and people in covenant. I
shall not proceed to particular details under this promise •
they will be obvious to those immediately concerned in its
accomplishment ; it will be sufficient to refer the serious mind
to the general grounds of the believer's confidence. " Where-
fore, come out from among them and be ye separate; and I
will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daugh-
ters, saith the Lord Almighty," — 2 Cor. vi. 17. Here is the
sure foundation of their support under the various afflictions

368

of lil'e ana the stedfast ground of (heir hope that, in the issue,
all their trials will be rendered blessings to them, and be sanc-
tified to their use. " All things shall work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called, accord-
ing to his purpose. For all things arc yours, whether Paul,
or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or
things present or things to come ; all are your's, and you arc
Christ's, and Christ is God's."

5. OF THE FINAL BLESSING AND PROMISE OF THE
COVENANT.

The conclusion and consummation of all the gracious pur-
poses of God, secured by the New Covenant, to his believ-
ing and obedient children, is eternal life. It is the peculiar
glory of the gospel that, in it, life and iwmortaliiy are
brought to light to those who, by their relation to their ori-
ginal parent, were the hopeless heirs of death. It is impos-
sible to know what would have been the felicity of life, or the
perfection to which human nature would have attained in it,
in consequence of the obedience of Adam. But it is justly
to be presumed that the immortality obtained by Christ, for
all who are redeemed from the earth by his blood, exalts the
believer to a m^ch higher degree of glory and of happiness.
For, "when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is ; this corruptible shall put on incorrup-
lion, and this mortal shall put on immortality,"

^69

Having thus shortly unfolded this comprehensive concate-
nation of promises constituting the Covenant of Grace, it may
perhaps be demanded, if it be useful in the public instruc-
tions of the church, to observe this order of arrangement ?«—
I regard it, certainly as not without its bene6t, for the clear-
er illustration of the gracious system of the gospel ; and for
communicating precision and distinctness to the conceptions
of the christian in contemplating that institution of mercy un-
der which we now exist. It is that order in which its bles-
sings naturally offer themselves to the heart of the believer
for the encouragement and consolation of his faith, and to the
mind of the convinced sinner, to invite his confidence in sup-
plicating the throne of grace for the pardon of sin ; and to
confirm his trust in building his eternal hopes on the foundaw
tion of Christ. Under the deep sense of his misery, and of
the utter impotence of nature to impart any relief to his trou-
bled mind, the promise of the Saviour must yield his first
consolation, and offer his first refuge. Under the convic-
tions of guilt, and of the just displeasure of Almighty God
the promise of the free and full forgiveness of sin, nnist first
administer peace to his anxious thoughts. And when per-
suaded to embrace the gospel in faith, he will experience the
necessity of having continual recourse to the promises and
aids of the Holy Spirit, for the sanctification of his nature,
and his growth in grace. Without this precious resource,
he would find himself too weak to contend against the cor-
ruptions of his heart, and the seductions of the world. In

4r

370

ihe progress of the divine life be will experience the benefit
of continiially resorting to the promises of the covenant for
his encouragement in duty, his comfort in trials, and, at
length, his support in the great conflict of death. Finally,
in the promise of eternal life we behold the glorious reward
of his faithful labours, and the blessed consummation of all
his- pious hopes. In this order, therefore, a sincere belifever
will most reasonably be led to contemplate the precious pro-
mises of the new covenant.

OF THE CONDITION OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE.

Having treated of the constituent promises of the cove-
jiant, it falls next in order to state its conditions. Those who
confound the Covenant of Grace, and the Covenant of Re-
demption, pronounce the righteousness of Christ to be its sole
and exclusive condition. And if we inquire after the meri-
torious tiile of the redeemed sinner to eternal life, it is, be-
yond all questicn, to be found only in the Redeemer's right-
eousness. Those, on the other hand, who adopt the princi-
ple— that the covenant is made with the believer through
Christ, affirm that /ai7/i is its proper condition ; — th^t is, hk
explicit acceptance of the gracious propositions of the cove-
nant, with full understanding and heaKy acquiescence in their
terms. This sincere, intelligent, and affectionate act of the
soul, gives him, according to the promise, an interest in the
merits of the Redeemer, and lays the foundation of that holi^

371

iiess of heart which introduces hioi to the possession, and
qualifies him for the enjoyment of eternal life.

A proper decision on this subject depends, in a great de-
gree, on the implication of the term condition. If it intend
any act of obedience on the merit of- which the blessing is
bestowed, it is evident that the believer possessing no such
merit in himself, and the covenant, in relation to him,
being wholly of grace, it must, in this view of it, be without
any condition, there can be no covenant with the believer.
But if, by this term, be intended the qualifications which
prepare the soul to receive and enjoy the ultimate blessings
of this most gracious institution, and in consequence of which
the blessing is received through Christ ; it comprehends all
the virtues and graces of the divine life, springing from faith
as their root. With strict propriety, indeed, they cannot be
denominated conditions of the covenant ; but ought justly
to be ranked among its promised blessings. They are the
gifts of God through the Spirit.

Ih order to give to this subject as much simplicity and
plainness as possible, agreeably to the system hitherto pur-
sued, it is necessary to bear in mind, what has been before
suggested, that the new covenant is to be ranged under that
species of contracts whieh are denominated gratuitous. In
this class the condition requires only the explicit acceptance
of the favour, with proper dispositions, and a hearty acqui-

3/2

escence in the object, and concurrence in the designs of tlie
benefactor.

«
The dispositions, then, with which we ought to receive
the blessings of the covenant arise out of a just sense of the
wants, imperfections and miseries of our natural state, for
which the covenant is designed to provide a gracious reme-
dy, and a due appreciation of the inGoite mercy of God,
through Christ. A profound conviction of sin serves to ex-
alt the condescension, and grace of God in this great salva-
tion. And a pious, and believing estimate of the freeness, the
richness, and completeness of the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, must have (he effect to awaken the gratitude of the
saint, to inflame his love, and to produce a fervent devotion of
heart to the service of God. Such are the fruits of a cordial
reception of the covenant ; and they are the natural offspring
of a sincere belief in the gospel. Faith in Christ may, there-
fore, with propriety, be esteemed the condition of this cove-
nant. It prepares the believer to accept its blessings with
proper and humble dispositions. And this is the testimony
of the evangelists, and of all the apostles — *' thy faith hath
saved thee, — by grace ye are saved, through faith, and that
not of } ourselves, it is the gift of God." The mercy of
God requires only a willing mind, and a well disposed reci-
pient to bestow on it all the plenitude of his grace, through
Ihe merits of the ever blessed Redeemer.

373

Another requisite in compacts of this kind, is a hearty ac-
quiescence in the object, and views of the benefactor. Of
this whole dispensation of grace then the acknowledged ob-
ject i3 the restoration of human nature (o its lost holiness, as
the only way to perfect happiness, and to immortal life. In
the desire of happiness all men will earnestly concur, but
not all, of a happiness through sanctification of their nature ;
the acquiescence of the heart in this object, implies the love
of universal holiness. Of this affection, the eflacient princi-
ple is a cordial belief in the gospel of our salvation, and in
Jesus Christ, the great sum of the gospel. Therefore, in this
view also, faith is to be regarded as the condition of the cove-
nant. But it must ever be remembered that it is a condition
simply of qualification, not of merit. Merit in man would de-
stroy the idea of mercy in God. How, indeed, can our be-
lief of the most pure and excellent truths, although ultimately
preparing the soul for her heavenly inheritance, be the
ground on which we can meritoriously claim the possession of
the blessing ? Faith, therefore, is only the gracious condi-
tion of a most gracious covenant.

OV

SANCTIFICATION

The principle which next claims our attention is the saiic-
lification of our fallen nature, and its continual advancement
In the habits of the divine life. Sanctification is an effect of
the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, enlightening the
mind in the knowledge of divine truth, and deeply affecting
the heart with the perception, and love of divine things. It
is begun in regeneration, and advances constantly and often
almost imperceptibly, in the stsdfastness of italirliious prin-
ciples, and the strength of its holy afTeclions, till it attains
at length the consummation of holiness in the kingdom of
heaven.

The principal questions arising on this subject respect —
the nature of the change effected in regeneration- — the agen-
cy of the Holy Spirit in producing this change — the means
of cultivating genuine sanctity of heart — and lastly, the obli-
gation of practical holiness, which is not superseded but \n-
"-^reased by the doctrine of salvation by free grace.

'^TQ

Ob' REGENERATION.

Regeneration is a term entirely of figurative meaning, and
ba3 respect to the new principles of life and action introduc-
ed into the soul by the faith of the gospel. The same term
was anciently employed by the schools of philosophy, to in-
dicate the change produced on ignorance, and vice in their
pupils by the force of instruction, and the well conducted
influence of education. The man becomes, in a great mea-
sure, a new man, through the illumination of his understand-
ing, the correction of his passions, the regulation of his af-
fections, and the amelioration of all his principles of action.
In the school of Christ it assumes a purer and sublimer mean-
ing, and designates that new and spiritual state of life to
which the believer is introduced by the doctrines, and the
spirit of his Saviour. It is distinguished by new feelings,
new ideas, new dispositions, tendencies, and habits of the
soul. The heart, which had existed like the embryo be-
fore birth, in a state of darkness and blindness, only feebly
warmed with the principles of life, now emerges into light.
The world presents to it a new face — the heavens disclose
wonders of creating power which it had never discerned — it
feels itself a new being. This change, in its immediate effects,
consists in a just discernment of the moral glories and per-
fections of the supreme, self existent, and omnipresent Je-
hovah ; in a profound abhorrence of sin ; in a strong and

S77
lively perception of the beauty of holiness; In an ardent tie
votion and obedience (o its laws; in an overwhelming sense
of gratitude for the mercies of redemption ; and, under the
deep and atTecting impressions of the whole, in a warm, ex-
tended, and increasing benevolence to mankind.

J^ THE AUTHOR OF REGENERATIOrf.

The holy scriptures in speaking of this blessed change^
ever represent the Holy Spirit as its immediate Author, by
his illuminating influence on the understanding, and the heart.
A peculiar clearness of perception, is imparted to the be-
liever's apprehension of divine things, and all the moral sen-
sations of the soul, if this language may be employed, are
exalted to a much higher tone of sensibilily. In this under-
standing the mind is enlightened, not so much through the
intellect, as the heart ; but in the whole there is an ineffa-
ble perception of divine truth, in proportion to the natu-
ral vigour of the mind, combined with a warmth and glow
of devout affection unknown to the natural man. They
mutually communicate their light and heat, till the whole sou!
is dissolved in an enlightened and holy love. Human culti-
vation is capable of accomplishing much in the amelioration
of the manners and dispositions of the young ; so that every
good man, beholding them with the eyes with which our
Saviour regarded the amiable youth in the gospel, shall love
them ; but it is utterly incompetent to producing that mighty

3T8

moral change implied in rcgeneralion. The most ingenious
powers ot huaian nature, raised to their highest refinement
by the force of the most judicious culture, still fall far short
of the genuine charily of the gospel. " That which is born
of the flesh, saith our Saviour, "is flesh; but that which
is born of llie spirit is spirit. Marvel not that 1 said unto
you, you must be born again." And the apostle Peter pro-
nounces believers "elect, according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, and sanctification of the Spirit." St.
Paul also uses the following impressive language — " but ye
are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." The Spirit of God
is indeed the primary and effectual agent in the regeneration
of the soul ; not properly by a creative act, or any immediate
operation exerted upon it independent of the appointed
means of grace, as the language of some writers would lead
us to conceive ; but by means, which, under his influence
and direction, are peculiarly adapted to the end ; especially
by his holy word, and the instituted ordinances of his grace.
The Holy Spirit, in the ordinary government of the church,
never works, except by the instrumentality and co-action of
instructions, or providential dispensations which are natural-
ly calculated, in the moral structure of our nature, to inform
the reason, and to touch the heart. For this purpose, he
has instituted the reading and preaching of his word, the ad-
ministration of his most holy sacraments, and the habitual
use of humble and fervent prayer to the Father of all mercy
a;ij grace ; and, in subserviency to the same design, he di-

3r9

rects Ihe movements of his almigbty providence over the
world.

TWO ERRORS ON THIS SUBJECT.

Two errors exist on this subject, equally distant from the
truth ; one which ascribes the regeneration, or rather as they
would say the moral cultivation of the heart, and the whole
progress of our improvement in virtue and sanctity of life,
merely to the reasonings and reflections of our own minds,
aided, perhaps, by the word of Godo And supposes the
moral eiTects which, in iioly scripture, are ascribed to the
Divine Spirit, to be attributed to him, solely, because he
has illuminated the understandings of the sacred writers, and
dictated to them those truths intended to enlighten, and re-
form the world. Whence, by a natural and common figure
of speech, the Author is substituted in the place of his
work.

The other is to impute so much to the immediate, and ex-
clusive operation of the Holy Spirit, that the instrumentali-
ty of the word, or, indeed, of any of the ordinary means
of grace, seems to be, in a great measure, superseded*
Their language conveys this idea, that the change upon the
soul is strictly an act of creation, which is necessary to pass
upon the state and dispositions of the heart, before the mo-
tives of the gospel can have any operative and sanctifying

^8(1

iotiliience upon it. To support this principle they mainfaio
that the p^aciiciii motives of duty arising out of the system
of divine trutli cannot be discerned in their proper nature,
and their spiritual beauty, and must consequently remain in-
operative, till the heart is assimilated by the power of God,
to the spirit of the gospel. For motives drawn from the
beauty of holiness cannot touch (he soul till its native dark-
ness, and defect of a divine taste be removed. Can an eye
whicli is obscured by a film, they demand, discern the light
which shines around it, till the cause which obstructs its vi-
sion be taken out of the way ? Can the heart perceive the
truths of the gospel in their holy nature, and feel them in their
divine effiacy, till its inherent depravity be changed ? — Illus-
trations drawn from material analogies seldom apply wilh en-
tire accuracy to spiritual subjects ; and then, by pursuing the
resemblance too minutely, they tend only to mislead. In the
present instance, the effect is, obviously, made to precede
the cause. In the moral changes of the heart, the blindness
which hinders its discernment of the light of divine truth is
cured by the light itself. As in cultivating a taste for the
beauties of science and the arts, or the moral tastes of virtue,
the mind, however obscured by ignorance or error at first, is
gradually improved and approaches ultimately intellectual
perfection by presenting to it the most beautiful objects in
the arts, and suggesting continually only the justest maxims
of scientific truth. The analogy in this case is infinitely more
exact than in the former. Spiritual darkness is cured by the

881

spiritual light, as addressed to the soul by that heavenly
teacher, the Holy Spirit of truth. Powers still reside in reason
and conscience, notwithstanding the deep corruption of the fall,
capable of discerning in a degree, though it were as the twilight
before the dawn, the illumination of divine truth shining around
them in the word of God, which may be perceived by every
diligent inquirer through the concurrent aids of the Holy Spir-
it, which are now, by the grace of Christ, universally diflfus-
ed in the church. For as miracles exist, at present, in the
spiritual more than in the natural order of things. The sparks
of light will, at first indeed, be small and feeble, but each ad-
vance renders them susceptible of still farther increase, til!
they become the principle of a new life.

What is the peculiar nature of the agency of the divine
Spirit, distinct from, and superior to the ordinary influence
of education ; or what is his internal operation on the mind
must, like all the works of God, be inscrutable. But the re-
ality of his concurrent influence in illuminating the under-
standing, in rectifying the action of the will, in regenerating
and sanctifying the heart, are truths most explicitly taught
in the holy scriptures. The agency of this divine principle
in the moral world, bears a resemblance to the operations of
providential agency in the system of nature : being in all
things, perfectly concurrent with the established laws of ma-
terial action in the universe. The movements of the Spirit
of God, where no miracle ia intended, arc ever conducted

a82

according to the laws of tbe ralional system, the laws of hu-
man liberty, and the moral laws of the heart. In accom-
plishing the regeneration of the believer, the blessed Spirit is
able, bj the finest lights, imperceptibly to instruct the intel-
lect in divine things— by the finest insinuations, secretly to
touch the heart ; but there is, in no instance, any violation of
the laws of the moral world. Nor is there any end accom-
plished, even in the regeneration and sanctification of the
soul, except by means which, under his most wise and holy
direction, naturally contribute to produce the effect. In
moral effects, the means are instruction, and correction ; in-
struction by the word of God, and correction by the power
of conscience, assisted by the dispensations of divine provi-
dence. And one office of the Holy Spirit seems to be to
assemble and combine those various means in the way best
adapted to subserve the gracious and sovereign designs of
Heaven, with regard to the spiritual and eternal state of each
{fldiyidual.

SANCTIFICATION IN THIS LIFE IN A STATE OF PROGRES-
SIVE IMPROVEMENT.

The sanctification of the believer commences in regenera-
tion ; but, through the whole of the present life, is continued
in a condition of gradual approximation towards a state of per-
fect holiness. Some christians use a language upon this sub-
ject, which, I must ^charitably presume, does not express

383

their cenuine sentiments ; as if the behever may attain a
state of perfect holiness, while residing in this world of ne-
cessary imperfection. The principles of corruption are so
deeply rooted in our nature, that they never can be com-
pletely eradicated. While we remain in the garden of God
upon earth, a corrupted stock must still send forth degenerate
scions. Giadually to be subduing them without arriving''
at complete victory over their luxuriant growth, is the ut-
most that the humble christian can hope. And the condi-
tion of the real disciple in the present life, is only a condi-
tion of constant and progressive improvement. Grow in,
grace, sailh the apostle, and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. That there are always many
defects mixed with the virtues and graces of the most emi-
nent saints, is manifest from the whole tenor of the sacred
writings ; and appears continually in the confessions, and
records of the experience of the saints. " There is not a just
man upon earth, that doelh good and sinneth not. In many
things, we all offend." And the most devout and affection-
ale of the whole college of the disciples pronounces — If we
say we have no sin^ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us.

At the first view, this idea seems to contradict the language
of our symbols which assert that the believer is renewed in
the whole man^ after the ima^e of God. But between these
propositions, when righlly explamed, there is no opposition.

384

This symbolic language, far from signifying (he holy perfec-
tion of the believer, simply implies that the predominant ac-
tion of the powers of human nature in him is habitually di-
rected by the principles of the gospel ; and the supreme aim
of all his affeclions is, to fulSl the will of his Creator, and to
advance the interests, and the glory of his Redeemer's king-
dom. The flesh may lust against the spirit ; and, in some
critical circumstances of temptation, the principle of grace
may find it difficult to preserve its ascendency against the
sinful propensities of corrupted nature. But wherever the
character truly exists, there will be found also the predomi-
nance of the habits of holiness. Every principle of nature,
every tendency of the heart, all the actions of the life, will,
in its general tenor be subject to the commanding influence
of the spirit of divine grace. But, according to the temper-
ament of different natures, it may appear in some in a highefy
and in others in a lower tone of fervent piety. It is the ha-
bitual ascendency of the principles of duty which character-
izes that state of holiness which may be called the renovation
of the whole man*

THE HOLINESS OF THE BELIEVER IMPERFECT IN THIS LIFE,

Some christians have injudiciously boasted of having arriv-
ed at a state of perfect holiness. And a few expressions in
the sacred scriptures are appealed to as justifying this arro-
gant claim. Noah is said to have been " a just man, and

3,85

p€rfect in bis generation." " Be ye perfect," saith Chrisf, " as
your Father who is in heaven is perfect. Whom we preach,"
saith the apostle, " that we may present every man perfect in
Clifist Jesus." " Whosoever is born of God," sailh John,
" doth not commit sin, for his seed reraaineth in him, and he
cannot sin, because he is born of God," — John iii. 9. Many
expressions there are which speak a similar language. But it
obviously appears from their whole strain, and the connexions
in which they stand, that the perfection which the scriptures
ascribe to believers, implies something very different from that
state of holiness which is exempted from all sin, error, and
frailty. — This term in our language, as well as the correspond-
ing terms in the Greek and Hebrew, has obtained a figurative
signification, even in common usage, by which it is made to ex-
press that state of objects in which they possess all the ne-
cessary parts, and the usual properties of the species to which
they belong. We say of a child which is complete in all its
limbs and organs, that it is a perfect child. And of one who
Las rendered himself competently master of all the requisite
branches of liberal art to qualify himself for public life, that
his education is perfect. The same term is familiarly appli-
ed to plants and animals, and generally, as already indicated^
to all objects which possess the genuine properties of their
species. — If, then, we suppose the dispositions, affections, and
principles, which distinguish sincere believers, to form the
characteristics of a moral species, that state of the soul which
'^Tnbraces all these properties, may justly be styled a state Cf

386

christian perfection. Tiiia perhaps, is simply the idea aa-
nexed to that form of expression by the sacred writers.
The christians were sometimes pronounced perfect by the
apostles, when, with unshaken firmness they endured labours,
and sufferings in the cause of Christ, in allusion to the athletiS
among the Greeks, from whom these holy writers borrow ma-
ny images, and who were said to have attained perfection
TeMiohlu, in their discipline, not only when they were well
practised in the tactics of their art ; but, especially, when
they could endure fatigue, and pain without shrinking, oc
complaint. Let patience, says St. James, have her perfect
work, that ye may he perfect and entire.

That expressions which, in their literal import, signify
perfection, are applied to diflferent degrees of maturity in the
divine life, and, therefore, cannot be intended to mark it3
consummation in the present world, is rendered evident by
the language of St. Paul himself: for that great apostle pro-
nounces concerning his own state and experience*— "not that
I have already apprehended, either am already perfect ; but
I follow after, that I may apprehend that for which also I am
apprehended by Christ Jesus." This declaration by St.
Paul must be the annihilation of any claim to absolute per-
fection in other believers. And I unhesitatingly add, that
the experience of all sincere christians contradicts this proud
idea; and the professions of a few weak enthusiasts to the
cenlrary, who are little capable of forming a judgment of

ihcir own liearts, can hardly be regarded as an exception (c
the general conclusion.

OF THE ORDINARY MEANS OF SANCTIFICATION.

The Holy Spirit is acknowledged by all devout and ra-
tional disciples to be the supreme efficient agent in the re*
generation and sanctification of Lis people : but as he acts
only through means instituted by God himself, it is a prac-
tical question of no small importance to every christian, io
what way he may best promote the holy culture of the heart,
and advance in the habits of the divine life. These subjects
are so constantly illustrated in the instructions of the pulpit,
and enter so largely into the scheme of all the practical wri-
ters on religion, that, in a general system of theological doc-
trine, they require only to be briefly suggested. They may
be embraced under the following heads : — the diligent study
of the holy scriptures, and of the writings of wise and pious
men, designed to illustrate and enforce their sacred truths*—
fervent prayer to the Father of Spirits ; frequent and pro-
found meditation on divine things ; pious association, and
conference with judicious christians; faithful attendance on
all the public and private institutions of religion ; and strength-
ening, by constant exercise, the habits of a holy life.

a$&

THE NECESSITr OF GOOD WORKS COK81STENT WITH THfii
DOCTRINE OF SALVATION BY FREE GRACE.

Those who are unfrlendlj to this principle demand — why
fihould good works be required of the believer, if it be
indeed the doctrine of the holy scriptures that salvation is of
grace, without the works of the law ? In order to answer
this inquiry satisfaclorilj, it is to be remembered that our
salvation consists not oi>lj of deliverance from the curse of
the violated law, which is effected through Christ, paying
the forfeit, or bearing the punishment of our sins, and is ac*
linowledged to be purely the fruit of the unmerited mercy
and love of God ; but of the restoration of the holiness and
perfection, and consequently, the happiness of our fallen na-
tCire. The latter must, in a nature degenerate and corrupted
like that of man, be equally with the former, the fruit of di-
vine favour. For without the merciful aids of the Holy
Spirit, an iaipure nature cannot be restored ; nor without
the grace of holy living, can either its perfection, or its hap-
piness be rendered complete. The sanctity of the life,
therefore, manifested by its good works, is indispensably
requisite in the christian, not, indeed, as the cause, in any
degree, of his salvation, but as the certain indication of
his nature being renewed, sanctified, and restored to its
original moral principles, and to the power of enjoying its
original happiness. This is the proper idea of Balvation,

add

Heaven consists less in local silualiop, tban in the diBpos]-
tions of the soul which qualify it for the enjoyment of God,
and of that supreme felicity which is to be possessed only
in his immediate presence. And these dispositions are,
above all things, to be cultivated upon earth in the acts and
habits of a holy life, in the prospect of our future, and eter-
nal existence.

OF THE nOLINEBS ANP PERFECTION OF A MORAL AND BE-
LIGIOCS ACT.

It is, in this place, perhaps, proper to inquire what con-
stitutes the rectitude of a moral act, and procures it accep*
(ance with God ? Every morally perfect act proceeds ia
the first place, from a good motive ; that is, from the desire
of glorifying God, or of promoting the happiness of man, and
from both these intentions, where they can be combined ia
the same action. One ruling and habitual principle governs
the whole conduct, and presides in each individual act of a
believer's life ; — I mean the profound sentiment of obedience
to God, and of Gratitude to the Redeemer of the world,
which strengthens and animates the principle of every par*
ticular duty. The next requisite is, that the substance of
the act in itself be good ; that is, calculated to promote some
proper, useful, or benevolent end ; embracing, within the
range of these objects, the glory of God, and the felicity of
human nature. Which condition excludes, of consequence,

390

all the acts of a fanatical zeal, or a gloomy superstition, which
is equally the sacrifice of human happiness, and of the rights
of human nature, to a mistaken rage for the pretended honour
of the Deity, or glory of the most merciful Saviour. An-
other requisite to constitute an action good, is, that the form
and manner of it be also right. If there be any mode pre-
scribed by the laws of society for fulfilling human duties, or
of God for fulfilling those that are divine, it becomes a chris-
tian most scrupulously to conform to the instituted rite.—
There is some fault attached even to the worship of God, if
in any material act, it contradicts, or departs from the rules
or exaciples of holy writ. And, above all, if it either omits,
or adds to the forms prescribed by the sacred writers, as far
as they are explicitly defined, or we can, by the faithful ex-
ercise of our own reason, discern them. If there be no form
prescribed, the mode which we adopt should be such as we
conscientiously believe will best subserve every valuable pur-
pose of piety ; leaving to our fellow christians the equal right
of judging for themselves. The last requisite is, that it should
stand in its proper place, and be performed in its proper time,
so as to be consistent with the whole system of our duties,
and with all the laws of prudence and propriety. If an ac-
tion be defective in any of these particulars, it is in the same
proportion removed from perfection as an act of virtue.

Many other questions, connected with this subject, but of
a speculative rather than practical nature, have been agitated

by different writers, which it would be unnecessarily tedious
to discuss in this place, and the disquisition of which is of the
less importance, as they will often occur in the course of your
reading. I proceed, therefore, to the consideration of the
last blessing usually enumerated by Calvinistic writers as
flowing, in this life, from the Covenant of Grace, which is

THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS.

The idea annexed to this principle is, that those who have
once been regenerated, and sanctified by the Spirit of God^
shall never lose the seed effectually implanted by that Di-
vine Teacher, but be able always to preserve it, and perse-
vere in the discharge of every duty to eternal life, amid&t
partial fluctuations, however, arising from the imbecility ct
human nature. Many writers of distinguished naaie in the
church deny this doctrine entirely. For, not acknowledging
the predestinating decrees of God, and ascribing little to the
extraordinary influences of the Holy Spirit, they pronounce
that the sanctity of the believer, like every moral quality in
man, must partake of the mutability of human nature. To
render the perseverance of the believer certain, they affirm,
requires the operation of some necessary cause incompatible
with the moral freedom of the mind. This objection has alrea-
ready been considered, and obviated, when treating of the de-
crees of God ; when it was, I hope, clearly shewn that the
iflfluence of the Divine Spirit over human actions may be ex-

Si92

erted, so us to attain the most infallible effects, without im-
pairing, in the smalleBt degree, their moral freedom.

The follotFing, therefore, is the only question on this sub-
ject, which requires your careful investigation, and which,
with regard to the doctrine, must be decisive. Has God
given to the believer, in his holy word, such direct and ex-
plicit promises, as to be a Sufficient ground of trust, that he
will always grant him such a measure of grace, and of his
holy influence, as will dispose and enable him to continue
faithful till death ? A few, even of Calvinistic writers, be-
lieve that the holy scriptures do not contain such promises,
but that the grace which he hath bestowed at his pleasure, he
may, at his pleasure, or when the precious gift is negligently
improved, withhold. The great majority of these writers,
however, think it reasonable to believe that Almighty God
doth never bestow his grace in vain, but that the seed
tvhich he hath once implanted he will cherish to perfection.
Besides the apparent reasonableness of this opinion, they
support the principle by many proofs of holy writ which,
they suppose, do either directly, or by necessary implication,
assert it. And this, indeed, is the only foundation on which
it can safely be rested. All other reasoning is mere the-
ory, and must depend on the accuracy with which principles
are laid down, and conclusions legitimately drawn, concern-
ing which the minds of men are seldom in perfect accord,-*^
The fallowing are a few of the passages which always have

393

been quoted on this occasion ; and which I repeat wllhouf
comment, as being more than sufficient, I presume, to sup-
port the general truth, in the mind of every candid interpreter
of scripture. " And there shall arise false Christs, and false
prophets, and shall do great signs and wonders, so as to draw
away, if it were possible, even the elect,** — 31atL xxiv. 24.
" This is the will of my Father who hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me I should lose none ; but I shall raise
it up at the last day," — John vi. 39. " And I give to them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
pluck them out of my hands. My Father who gave them to
me is greater than all, and none shall pluck them oat of my
Father's hand,"— Jo/ui x. 23, 29. *' For we know that to
those who love God, all things work together for good, to
those who are the called according to his purpose. For
whom he did foreknow, those he foreordained to be con-
formed to the image of his Son, that he should be the first
born among many brethren. For whom he did foreknow,
those he also called ; and whom he called those he also jus-
tified, and whom he justified those he also glorified," — John
viii. 28.. ..30. « Now he that establisheth us with you in
Christ, and hath anointed us is God : who also hath sealed
us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts," —
2 Cor, i. 21, 22. "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God
whereby ye have been sealed unto the day of redemption," —
Eph, iv. 30. " For us who are kept by the power of God

through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last

-in

394

time," — 1 Pet, I. 5. These declarallons seem evidently in-
tended, and certainly are abundantly forcible, to support the
conclusion, that those who have once been brought to sin-
cere repentance, and to true obedience, shall never lose the
habits of grace, so as, in the language of the sj stems, finally
and totally to fall away,

OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS DOCTRINE.

If it be demanded, of what utility can the belief of this
doctrine prove to a sincere christian ? This is an inquiry to
be answered only by the experience of the saints. And ma-
ny of the most pious christians have given to it their humble
and fervent testimony, that it has contributed to preserve
them continually mindful of their entire dependance on the
gracious aids of the Spirit of God, the true source of their
ability for every duty. And the doctrine may afford a live-
ly consolation to the believer in those moments when his
faith is strong, and his holy aflfections are most animated, and
fervent, to be assured by the promise of God, of being at all
times sustained against the weakness of human nature, and
rendered secure of the ultimate possession of eternal life.
Yet, confessed it must be, that it can afford small consolation
to the most experienced saint when his graces are feeble and
languishing, and his mind, in consequence, often in a state of
perplexity and doubt. Its enemies stigmatize it with being
an indolent docti ine, as if the security of happiness, whatever

a95

effect it might have upon the hypocrite, would ever dispose
a pious and generous mind to the neglect of any duty ; and
would not rather stimulate it to augmented diligence in the di-
vine life, by the powerful excitement of gratitude. This ob-
jection must arise from inattention to the genuine principles
of human nature; and to the scriptural grounds on which the
doctrine rests. As to the first, the assurance of possessing
a felicity which we greatly value, and have long earnestly-
sought to acquire, often redoubles our exertions, and always,
in a generous mind, raises its powers to a higher tone of ac-
tion. With regard to the second, the grounds on which this
doctrine rests in the holy scriptures is, the merciful constitu-
tion of the Covenant of Grace, and the promised influences of
the Holy Spirit. These principles, as they have been al-
ready explained, far from nourishing an indolent temper, are
connected with the highest exertions of the human faculties
and the most faithful use of all the appointed means of sanc-
tification. Upon the whole, however, this doctrine, in the
discussions it has undergone, and the manner in which it
has often been treated, has unhappily been connected
more with the truth of speculation, and contended for more
earnestly on that ground, than for its influence on practical
holiness. Speculative truth, however, is intimately con-
joined with practical utility. But many of the truths in-
volved in the disquisitions which have taken place on this
subject, rest upon principles so sublime, or of so refined a
aature, as hardly to be obvious to the greater part of those

3pd

for whom the gospel was chiefly designed, and are found, in
experience, easily liable, in ignorant minds, to mistake and
perversion.

The Calvinistic writers appear to me generally to form
their conclusions on grounds of the soundest reason, and most
according to the spirit of the sacred writings. But, from mu-
tual prejudice, and mistake, the discussions on this, and seve-
ral related subjects, have been managed, on all sides, with
kss temper and forbearance than become the professors of a
mild and humble religion. Consequences have been mu-
tually imputed which no party would acknowledge. Differ-
ences have been studiously magnified. And a writer is lia-
ble to incur the censure of all, for presuming to judge can-
didly between them. But let me entreat you to rcmembci>
that, into the pulpit, speculations too abstruse, and passions
too warm, should never enter. All these doctrines, so ne-
cessary for preserving the unity and harmony of the system
of christian theology, may, by a meek and charitable mind,
be treated without acrimony, and with a calmness and benev-
olence of discussion which (he humility of true piety re-
quires, and which, indeed, is best adapted to general edifica-
tion.

It ought ever io be remembered, however, that the most
pious and judicious assertors of this doctrine do never repose
themselves in indolent security upon their faith in the final

/

39?

stability, and safety of their spiritual state. None are gen-
crally more assiduous to make their calling and election sure>
They rest their hope, it is true, on the faithfulness of a di-
vine promise, but, like all the promises in the word of God,
it is intimately connected with the co-action of the believer's
mind, which is always and equally embraced in the divine
purpose. Their stedfastness in holiness here, or in happi-
ness hereafter, is not the consequence of any physical neces
sity of nature imposed by the decrees of God ; but is effect
ed entirely by practical motives adapted to the rational and
moral principles of a holy and sanctified mind. The decrees
of Heaven cannot be certainly known, but, whatever they
are, they are the concern only of the Supreme and Infinite
Mind. They are not designed to affect the duties of human
J^ature, which are regulated wholly by another law.

OP

JUSTIFICATION

JrsTiFiCATioN 19 the immediate consequence, on the
part of God, of a sincere faith ; and is defined, in the ortho-
dox symbols, to be an act of God's free grace, by which the
penitent and believing sinner is acquitted from the guilt and
condemnation of his sins, and accepted, and treated as right-
eous, only for the sake of the merits of Jesus Christ ; receiv-
ed by faith, and imputed to him, according to the tenor of the
New Covenant. Justification is a forensic term taken from
a process in law, in which the criminal is acquitted of the
charges exhibited against him, so as to be absolved from the
penalties pronounced by the law, and he restored, and again
entitled to the privileges of citizenship. This is a peculiar
case in which the criminal, though culpable with respect io
every charge, is absolved through the mediation of another,
who has satisfied the demands of justice and the law in his
room. The reasonableness and equity of vicarious substitu-
tion, and consequently, of the imputation of the merits of one
to another in certain cases, has been already considered, im-
der the Covenant of Grace,

400

Justiticalion is iiot a grace of the heart, but solely an act oi
God's free mercy, absolving the penitent sinner from the pen-
ahy due to his transgressions, and entitling him, according to
the promise of the covenant, to the inheritance of eternal
life. I need hardly appeal to particular passages in support
of these ideas, they are so uniformly borne on the face of the
'.vhole scriptures, and, especially, of the writings of the great
apostle of the Gentiles.

Some writers conceive an opposition, amounting almost to
contradiction, between the ideas of free grace, and the impu-
tation of the perfect righteousness of the Redeemer. If the
law is completely satisfied, they ask, what can be demanded
more of the penitent believer ? In this objection they must
certainly forget, or their prejudices must be unwilling to ad-
mit, that it is the effect merely of divine mercy, that such a
satisfaction has been made for offending man ; and, when
made, it is equally of free grace, in consequence of the mer-
ciful constitution of the covenant, that it is applied to the be-
liever. " For it is not through works of righteousness which
we have done, but by grace we are saved through faith ; and
that, not of ourselves, it is the gift of God." It is the quali-
iication of faith alone which prepares and enables the believer
to receive and enjoy the blessings of salvation.

LOi

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE APOSTLES ST. PAUL ANi
ST. JAMES ON THIS SUBJECT.

It is frequenllj objected to us, that the apostle James as-
cribes the justification of the believer, not to his faith, but to
his good works. To understand St. James, in this place,
it is necessary carefully to attend to his object in writing this
epistle. He wished to turn the attention of the church to
that criterion by which the disciples of Christ should most
effectually demonstrate the sincerity of their faith, and their
attachment to their Redeemer. There were in that age, as
there are in every period, many who presumed to recommend
themselves to their fellow-christians by a boastful ostentation
of religious zeal, while they were destitute of those works of
piety and virtue which alone could adorn their holy profes-
sion, in the esteem of mankind. Such false and hollow pre-
tences occasioned great reproach to the nascent cause of
Christianity. The apostle, therefore, was solicitous to purge
the church of these blots on the Christian name ; and c6 con-
vince the world that the faith of Christ, instead of being a
cover for indolence and vice, is the most effectual principle of
good morals and sanctity of life. In his epistle, therefore,
he earnestly teaches that, in the actual circumstances of the
church, it was of primary importance, that the disciples of
Christ should exhibit, in their example, the virtuous and holy
influence of their doctrine. And, as faith was publicly knowri

402
to be the fundamental principle of their practical system, he
was anxious to redeem it from the aiisrepresentation and re-
proach of infidelity, as partaking only of the spirit of a weak
credulity, without any of the useful energies of viitue and
charity, which would render it a blessing to the world.
Hence he was so much concerned that the gentiles should be
impressed with the conviction that the disciples had not made
a vain boast of the efficacy of the vital principle of their re-
ligion; but, that before the world, they should justify by
their good works, the sanctifying power of that faith which
they had so highly extolled. This would bring real glory to
the gospel of Christ. Therefore, whatever false disciples
may pretend about a visionary, unproductive faith, to the dis-
credit of their Saviour, a sincere believer will always be stu-
dious to demonstrate his faith by his works of charity and
righteousness. So that the design of the blessed apostle ap-
pears to be, not to make the justification of the sinner before
God to depend upon his good works ; but to make the good
works of the believer to be the justification of the sincerity
of hiaf.!aith before the church, and before the world. Thus
was Abraham's fctith J justified by his works. For, as the
body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is
dead also.

By some divines of respectable name, this is called a second
justification ; thereby meaning a justification to ourselves, to
the church, and to the world, of the integrity of our profej-

403

sion of the name of Christ, and of the purify of that holy
principle of faith which governs in the heart of a true
disciple. And this practical manifestation of a pure and sin-
cere faith, is, indeed, the genuine source of the pious conso-
lation of a believer, and the only stable ground on which he
can apply to himself the gracious promises of the New Cov-
enant. For, although the integrity of his faith is known to
the Omniscient Jehovah, in the first moments of its existence,
as well as at any future period ; and his justification passes
immediately with God, before any practical proofs exhibited
to men of its pious and charitable works ; yet, by its fruits
alone can we certainly demonstrate our title to rejoice in our
Interest in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

THE BELIEVER, NOTWITHSTANDING HIS JUSTIFICATION,
STILL SUBJECT TO THE CALAMITIES OF THIS LIFE.

The believer, notwithstanding his deliverance from the do-
minion of sin, and his being made an heir of eternal life by
the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, must continue,
in this world, subject to the manifold evils resulting from the
frailties of a mortal body, and frequently from a disordered
mind. By the introduction of the New Covenant, establish-
ed in the power and grace of the Mediator, provision is made
for his ultimate redemption from eternal death, when he shall
have laid in the grave the corruptions of the flesh. In the
mean time, the moral depravation of the soul is gradually de^

404

iU'oyed by the spirit of sanctification, and all his temporal
evil Ihoiigh not removed, while the body remains, are,
throiigh the covenant, converted into blessings, and become
a salutary discipline, under the direction of the Holy Spirit,
to cultirate the heart for heaven. And highly useful they
are to elevate the soul above all undue attachments to the
present world, and to break vrithin it the strength and power
of sin. It is among the laws of our nature that, in our edu-
cation for eternity, no less than in our education for dis-
charging usefully and honourably the offices of this life, we
ahould grow wise by our errors, and that correction should
often be necessary to preserve the mind attentive io its duties.

The Romish cliurcb taught the extraordinary and unscrip-
iural doctrine, that the sufferings of our blessed Saviour did
aot accomplish a complete atonement for the sins of man-
kind ; but that the afflictions imposed on believers in the ar-
rangements of providence, arc to be regarded as part of the
Tienalty of the divine law ; and if the destined measure of
their pains should not be entirely inflicted in the present life,
they are to be fulfilled in a future and purgatorial state. On
the sauic ground they have built the still more absurd doc-
trine, of the efficacy of voluntary mortifications to complete
the requisite proportion of the sufferings of Christ in them,
and to deliver them from a correspondent part of the pains of
purgatory. But the doctrine most obnoxious to common
sense, and fartliest removed from the humble spirit of the

405

gospel, is, that eminent saints, for whom the demands of the
law have been aheady satisfied by the sufferings of Christ,
together with their own, may, by voluntary and extraordinary
duties, inflictions, and sacrifices, lay up a store of merit, to
be imputed, along with that of the Saviour, to believers less
advanced in (he road of perfection. On this wretched foun-
dation was built that shameful trafic of indulgences, and
purgatorial exemptions, which grew to such enormity, as to
become, at length, one of the principal causes of the reforma-
tion in the sixteenth century. A single passage in the epistle
to the Collossians, and that grossly misinterpreted, by the
knavery of the Popes, and the ignorance of the jVIonks, was
the sole support of this monstrous fabric. It is contained in *
the following words : — Who now rejoice in my sufferings for
yoUy and Jill up that which is behind of the afflictions of
Christ, in my flesh, for his body^s sake, which is the churchy
— ch. i. ver. 24. The expression my sufferings for you
evidently refers to the pains which he endured in their ser-
vice ; and that which follows, on which the principal stress
is laid, the afflictions of Christ 6xi^m ^e^m, is a Grecism
which signifies the afflictions borne by him for the sake of
Christ ; and is similar, in the structure of the phrase, to other
expressions, TrccOfii^xIcc m Xptin — vc^cp&crtT Kvpia iijc-s — ovu^to-fMi
ra Xfi^a, the import of which has never created any diflScul-
ty, because there is no sinister purpose to be answered by
a false interpretation. The full force of these phrases may
be given in the following words : Who now rejoice in the

406

mjferings that I hear for youy 7vhich are necessary to fill up
that measure of afflictions in the service of Christ which pro-
vidence has still destined for me in my assiduous endeavours
to promote the interest of his church.

Before dismissing these brief remarks on the justification
of the sinner, through faith in the righteousness of the ever
blessed Redeemer, it deserves our particular notice that this
doctrine, contrary to the misrepresentations of its enemies,
far from being unfriendly to morals, is peculiarly favourable
to the interests of practical virtue and piety. And as far as
human observation extends, it has ever been found that the
•friends of this system of truth have been distinguished as the
warmest advocates, and the most eminent examples of sanc-
tity of life. It is particularly worthy the attention of the de-
vout and rational christian, that, not only is this true as an
historical fact, but it is the natural result of the principle.
Resting, as it does, on the full and perfect atonement accom-
plished by the Lord Jesus Christ, instead of affording any
indulgence or protection in sin, it is the most eflfectual mean
of destroying its power in the life, and utterly exterminating
its root from (he heart. To establish this truth on the sur-
est foundations, let us consider the whole structure of the
gospel of our salvation, whence the consequence will arise
with conspicuous evidence to our view. Its foundation it
deeply lays in the humiliating doctrine of the entire depravi-
ty of human nature, and our consequent subjection to the

40 r

righteous condemnation of eternal death. From this fearful
sentence the humbled soul finds no relief, but in the rich re-
demption that is In Jesus Christ, by faith in his name. A
profound persuasion of these interesting facts, attested
equally by the gospel and his own aj91)|||ip| experience, ren-
ders the salvation of the cross so indispensably necessary to
the peace, and so infinitely precious to the hopes of
the guilty offender. But, in the astonishing humiliation
of the Son of God, on which this system ^f divine grace is built,
and his sufferings, under the imputed guilt of human nature,
the believing penitent is led to discern, and strongly to feel
how obnoxious he is to the righteous displeasure of Almighty
God. Hence naturally arises in his heart an overwhelming
sentiment of the evil of his sins, and a profound and fixed ab-
horrence of their defilement and their power. These princi-
ples are intimately involved in one another, and almost ne •
eessarily spring from the united view of himself as a sinner,
and of Christ as his Redeemer.

With them are essentially conjoined an ulterior discovery
and most intimate persuasion of the impossibility of the for-
giveness of sin, without a complete atonement for the viola-
tion of the divine law, the grandeur of which, while it dis-
plays the malignity of our offences, exhibits, at the same
time, and in the same hi£;h colours, the inBnite compassions
and love of the Redeemer to the human sinner ; a sublime

403

idea, which recipiocaiiy tends to exalt the love of the belier
er to him who is the glorious author of all mercy and grace.

When all these views are taken in at once, as they must
be by those who^«j*erely receive this self-abasing but con-
solatory doctrine, what a profound and sanctifying effect is it
fiited to produce on the heart ! What an efficient principle
does it become of the purest morals and virtue in the life ! I
do not say, indeed, tjiat these happy consequences will arise
from any speculative conviction of these principles, however
clearly they may be conceived by the understanding ; but to
the warm and affectionate believer, they spring almost neces-
sarily out of the united views of the justice and the mercy
of Jehovah our Saviour.

This doctrine of justification by grace through the atone-
ment of a divine Redeemer, by presenting to the mind the
most sublime discoveries of the holiness of the divine naturCj
suggests by a reflex act, the perfect purity of soul which
should reign in all our approaches to the Deity, in his holy
ordinances, in his church on earth, and should pervade the
entire intercourse of mankind with one another. That is, in
one word, which should regulate the whole system of their
moral conduct, both with regard to Almighty God their Cre-
ator, and to the great fraternity of their brethren ; — Their
piety, their justice, their truth, their amiable charity, and UDi-
Tersal beneroleHce.

409

I add; that it contributes, in no inferior degree, to promote
the practical holiness of the believer, by the powerful motive
of gratitude for the redeeming mercy of Heaven. For, no
where else can the condescension of Almighty God to the
imperfection of the creature, and his grace to the un worthi-
ness of the sinner, be discerned in so resplendent and im-
pressive a light ; no where else, do the perfections, and love
of the Creator, and Redeemer of mankind, shine with such
conspicuous evidence, and calculated to raise the devout af-
fections of Qie soul to so transcendent an elevation. Here in-
finite justice is contemplated as combined with infinite mercy?
and mercy appears more glorious, when it is seen emerging,
for the salvation of the sinner, from beneath the heavy clouds
of a consuming justice. No view of the mercy of God most
holy, and of the infinite love of the Redeemer is fitted so
completely to absorb all the powers of the soul. We love
him tecause he first loved its.

Let us now consider the aspect which the love of God, so

powerfully promoted by this doctrine bears on the general

morals of Christianity, It is the supreme principle of all

genuine religion, whether it be the religion of nature, or of

revelation. Wherein, then, does it consist? Not, surely, in

the love, or even the conception of his essential nature.

For of that no idea can be framed by the human intellect.

It is the love only of his perfections, by which alone he can

be conceived of by ns; and espcci^Uy of his moral :iff:''

52

410

bules, his holiness, his justice, his boundless goodness, his
universal love, so illustriously displayed in the salvation of
the sinner through the cross of Christ.

* Here, then, O Christian ! we discern the genuine root of
a holy life, in the supreme love of perfections which form
the most efficient principles of christian morals ; and which,
operating on all the springs of action in the soul, create the
nearest resemblance on earth, to the image of God, which is
the perfection of holiness and virtue.

OF ADOPTION.

In the order of systematic arrangement. Adoption is usu-
ally considered as immediately following, and intimately con-
nected with the doctrine of justification. Few words are
necessary for stating or explaining this subject, it being ra'
Iher expressive of that external relation, in which it pleases
God to place the believer to himself, than descriptive of the
moral state of the mind. The spirit of adoptioUy indeed,
spoken of by the apostle, embraces all those dutiful senti-
ments, and pious dispositions, which become so great a mer-
cy and so intimate a relation : b^it adoption simply is expres-
sive of the relation itself which the justified believer holds to
his Heavenly Father. It is a forensic term taken from the
modes prescribed in the laws of most nations, by which a
child, not born in a certain family, is legally received into >t^

411

and becomes entitled to its privileges, honours, and inheritan-
ces. As applied to believers it is a figure which designates,
with no small propriety and force, the blessings to which
Ihey are advanced in consequence of their justification.
They are assimilated to the image of their heavenly Father
« — they partake of ]iis paternal protection and care — and,
according to his gracious promise, and the constitution of
the New Testament confirmed in the blood of Christ, they
are made heirs of an eternal inheritance. Taken from
a state of hostile estrangement, they are introduced into his
family-

This figure was peculiarly expressive and obvious, at the
time when the evangelists and apostles wrote, and within the
limits of the Roman empire ; because the necessity and the
practice of adoption, was in that nation, and in that age,
more prevalent than at any other period of history, or in
any other portion of the globe. There are many passages in
the sacred writings which justify the introduction of this
term into our systems to express this relation of the believ-
er to God under the Covenant of Grace. " As many as re-
ceived him," saith the evangelist John, "to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
sn his name." And the apostle Paul; "As many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God, for ye
liave not received the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye
Jliave received the spirit of adoption, by which we cry Ab-

4lii

ba ! Father ! The Spirit itself testifieth with our spirit that
we ?re the sons of God ; and, if sons, then heirs— heirs of
God, and joint heirs with Christ," — Rom. viii. 14... .17.
To the Ephesians he writes ; " Having foreordained us unto
adoption through Jesus Christ, unto himself, according io
the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his
grace," — Eph. i. 5, 6.

Adoption is an act of the free grace of God towards the
onworlhy, and the guilty ; and, along with justification is the
immediate effect of faith, and one of the promised blessings
of the covenant of grace.

Before concluding this article, I will briefly, and in a single
word, state the happy consequences of this blessed relation
to his Creator and Redeemer into which the believer is tak-
en. In the first place, peace with God, through our Lord
Jesus Christ, the cause of his displeasure being removed,
and there being no longer any obstruction to that intimacy of
union which should connect the soul with God, and that full-
ness and freedom of affection which should fill the heart of a
dutiful son towards his Heavenly Father. — In the next place,
peace of conscience, which is asiongst the sweetest enjoy-
ments of which the renewed soul, formed after the image of
God, is capable. — Thirdly, the profound and delightfnl sen-
timent of the Love of God for his unspeakable mercy, in^
spiring the continual desire of acting worthy of that high re-

413

lation into wkich the believer is received by the spirit of
Adoption. — And, finally, habitual and increasing sanctifica-
tion of heart and life, and growing preparation for that " in-
heritance uncornipted, undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for those, who"^ are kept by the power of
God, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in
the last lime," I Pet. I 4,5,

OF THE

JVATURE OF FAITH ;

ITS EFFICACr AJTD EXCELLENCE A3 A PRACTICAL PRINCI.
PLE OF HOLINESS, AND CONSEQ.UENTLY THE REASON-
ABLENESS OF ITS POSSESSING SUCH A DISTIN-
GUISHED PLACE IN THE CHRIS/-
T5AN SYSTEM*

Having already pronounced faith to be the condition of
the Covenant of Grace, and briefly spoken of the justifica-
tion, adoption, and sanctification of the believer, as among the
precious fruits of this covenant, I have, however, thought it
necessary, on account of the high importance of the doctrines
of faith in the christian system, to treat of it with somewhat
greater extent and precision. As it is the fundamental arti-
cle of the gospel, it has accordingly been attacked by the ene-
mies of Christianity with peculiar virulence, and with the
most disingenuous sarcasm ; insultingly presuming that
the gospel needs the support of faith, only in proportion
as it is destitute of reason. The evidences on which
our faith is sustained have been already discussed, as far as
this compendious system would admit. And, on the most
rigouroua investigation, it will be found to. rest on secure

416

and solid foundations. Its enemies, taking advantage of as
obvious prejudice against the name of faith, find an occasion,
either through ignorance or enmity, to impeach the whole
system as an appeal to the credulity of mankind. On the
contrary, this doctrine, when calmly and dispassionately con-
sidered, will be found, notwithstanding the objecfions of its
enemies, not less conformable to the principles of reason, than
it isto the prescriptions of Christ. For it is equally true of
every moral institution, as of the gospel, that its doctrines^
its laws, its sanctions, and the authority on which the whole
depends, must* be clearly comprehended, and heartily be-
lieved, before they can acquire an influence on manners and
conduct. Had Christianity been simply a philosophic insti-
tute, intended to regulate morals, and to persuade mankind to
a virtuous life, yet must its doctrines have been received as
truth, with a proper understanding of their nature, worth, and
importance, (and what else is faith?) before they could have
exerted any practical effect on the heart and affections. — -
Thus does the principle of faith become, not only a neces-
sary, but a most rational basisof the gospel, whether we con-
slder it as a code of doctrine addressed to the intellect, or a
system of precepts regulating the practice. And, inasmuch
as the mass of mankind are incapable of deducing the system
cf their duties from the fountains of reason alone ; still less
are the wisest of their sages capable of entering into (he un-
searchable counsels of God, so as explain to us en. what
terms the repentance of a sinner may be acoepted of him, in

41?

order to bis reconciliation ; or of penetrating the darkness
which hangs over the everlasting destinies of mankind ; and
since truth, and comfortable hope, on these subjects, must be
purely the effect of revelation, faith is, with still more pro-
priety, made the fundamental principle of the christian sys-
tem. It is confessed that the peculiar and discriminating
doctrines of Christianity cannot rest on the discoveries of hu-
man reason. They must be received, if they are rationally
received at all, upon the evidence of those omnipotent works
performed by Jesus Christ, which identify him with the Au-
thor of all truth. We believe, not because he hath taught
like the leader of a philosophic sect, in a chain of the most
accurate and conclusive reasoning; but because he halh
made it evident, that, in hh words, God himseir, the Authoi:
of all truth, hath spoken. For, we can have no doubt of the
presence of God in the midst of those astonishing displays of
divine power, with wlilch the Saviour hath invited the atten-
tion of the world ; nor of the veracity of that testimony, the
truth of which the Almighty has deigned to confirm with his
own seal. As it is the privilege of children to receive the
lessons of duty and wisdom from the mouth of a wise parent,
which they ought to admit with implicit reverence, before
their minds are sufficiently mature to discern their founda-
tions in the eternal principles of reason, so the disciple of
Christ humbly learns, by faith, at the feet of his Redeemer,
those truths which he could not otherwise receive, till the

soul, ripened by the instructions of his grace and Spirit, shall

63

4ia

be enabled to contemplate them, in Ibe light of heaven with
an angel's reason. — I proceed, therefore, to exhibit the na-
ture of Faith, which is our best reason, till the period arrive
of immediate vision.

DEFINITION OF EVANGELIC FAITH.

Evangelic Faith, in its most general import, consists in re-
ceiving the holy scriptures, with clear understanding, and
with inward and profound conviction of their truth, as con-
taining the infallible word of God ; and in embracing Jesus
Christ, who is the principal subject of them, as the Son of
God, and the Saviour of the world. Apostles, and prophets,
and inspired men are his organs to declare his will to man-
kind ; but, to the believer, it is God himself who speaks in
them.

On this definition several guards and explanations are to
be made, in order to the more distinct understanding of the
subject. The holy scriptures, besides the revelation of Je-
sus Christ, and of eternal life through him, contain a wide
compass of miscellaneous information, more or less directly
connected with their principal end, the publication of the
glad tidings of peace, to a guilty world. Faith, therefore,
besides- receiving these miscellanies as truths which highly
concern the church, respects the holy sciptures chiefly as
revealing a system of mercy to fallen man. And, amidst

419

their various contents, those subjects are more peculiarly in-
corporated in the object of faith, which are most essentially
conjoined with this idea of divine mercy: For example;
the fallen and guiUy state of human nature ; the perfect
atonement for sin made by our Lord Jesus Christ ; the infi-
nite greatness, holiness, justice, goodness, sovereignty, and
truth of God; the beauty and excellence of the law of ho-
liness ; and the promise of eternal life to the penitent. On
other subjects opinions may be more various, ideas may be
more indefinite and obscure : but on these, belief ought to
be precise, clear, strong.

In stating the nature of faith, however, a distinction is to
be made between that belief which has a reference merely to
the integrity and veracity of the prophet, the apostle, or (he
messenger of Heaven, and that which respects also the na-
ture, importance, and excellence of the doctrines which
these divine instructors communicate. Let me illustrate my
meaning by a familiar example. We may possess perfect
confidence in the wisdom of an eminent moralist, or admire
the talents of a fine writer, who points out, with all the truth
of criticism, the beauties of any classic work ; but for want
of having the reason properly cultivated by education, we
may not perceive the soundness of his remarks, or the accu-
racy of his reflections ; or, through deficiency of taste, may
not be able to discern the beauty of his examples, nor the
delicacy of his illustrations. The principles and doctrines

420

of the one, or Ihe delicate beauties of the other, cannot be
strict y said to be objects of our belief; because the former
are not justly apprehended, nor are the latter truly discern-
ed, requiring for this purpose, the delicacy of a refined
taste, and cultivated understanding. To apply these re-
marks. A genuine, practical, and operative faith in the gos-
pel, which is that alone after which we seek, consists, not
merely, in acknowledging the scriptures to be the word of
God, or in confessing the divine authority, and heavenly
mission of the apostles, the prophets, or of Christ himself,
all which may be nothing more than an hereditary opinion,
or pious prejudice derived from education : but it implies, as
still more essential to it, a clear perception of the spiritual
nature and discernment of the divine excellence and beau-
ty of the doctrines which they teach, especially as they re-
gard the glory of God, the system of our redemption, and
the duties and immortal hopes of man ; and I must add, still
further, a profound persuasion, which is a necessary conse-
quence of the former, not only of their truth, but of their
infinite importance to our everlasting peace and happiness.
These doctrines, therefore, are not received with genuine
faith, but in proportion as their true nature, as far as they
are within the comprehension of the human mind, is clearly
understood ; and clearly understood they cannot be but in
proportion as the heart discerns their spiritual excellence,
and, with a holy and divine taste, relishes their spiritual
lieau'y ; fo? the excellence of virtue, the beauty of holi-

421

ness, IB part of its idea. Here then we begin to perceive
the moral and sanctifying influence of a sincere faith ; for
what the heart thus understands and loves, discerning its su-
preme excellence, must govern the practice. The believer
perceiving, by this gracious principle, the 'perfection of these
doctrines, or, in the language of the scriptures, the becmly
of holiness, is led, by the sweet attraction of a renewed
taste, to delight in the law of God after the inward man,

THE DEPENDENCE OF SAVING FAITH ON THE GOOD
DISPOSITIONS OF THE HEART.

Here also we discern, which is my next observation, the
dependence of faith upon, or its necessary connexion with
the good dispositions of the heart. — By the understanding we
judge of speculative truth. And many writers have main-
tained that this power of the mind alone is employed in a ra-
tional and consistent faith. But it ought always to be re-
membered that the convictions of the understanding are
greatly influenced, on all moral subjects, by the state of the
aflfections. It is the heart alone, profoundly touched by the
Spirit of grace, which creates those lively and affecting con-
ceptions of the beauty and excellence of divine things,
which together with the conclusions of reason, form the es-
sence of a practical faith the active and operative principle
of a holy life. Hence the apostle hath said ; " with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness." And Philip repli-

422

ed to one asking the condition of baptism. — If thou believest
with all thy heart, thou mayest.

Will it be asked if we do not, by this representation, re-
quire the regeneration of the heart, or the formation m the
soul of a divine and holy taste of truth, as a prerequisite to
faith, of which, change, however, faith is acknowledged to be
the only genuine principle ? By no means. Degenerate as
human nature is, it so far possesses ideas of moral excellence,
and consents to the taw of God that it is good, as under the
gracious influences of the Divine Spirit, co-operating with
Lis holy word, to present to that heavenly Teacher a suffi-
cient foundation for an understanding faith in its incipient
state. And when once this holy illumination, this divine
taste exists in the weakest degree, it prepares the soul, un-
der the culture of the same word, and the continued influ-
ence of the same Spirit, to receive every doctrine of the
gospel with a fuller conviction, to perceive increasing beau-
ties in the isystem of grace, and to feel, with augmented
force the obligation of the whole law of holiness. There
exists a strong analogy between the progress, and effects of
education whether moral or scientific, and the influence of
this divine culture on the mind, under the teachings of the
Holy Spirit. The mind begins her course blind to the beau-
ties of truth, and averse to the constraints of a necessary
discipline ; but the light which is gradually shed into the
mtnd improves, both the judgment, and the taste, and con-

42;^

tributes, by a fine and almost impercepllble influence, to
ameiioi-afe the heart. We cannot pronounce that a happy
and formed taste must precede the power of perceiving the
beauty or the light of virtue, or of science in their incipient
state : nor can we say, on the other hand, that the percep-
tion of the beauty of virtue must precede the formation of a
virtuous taste. They are simultaneously cultivated, and, by
a mutual Influence, produce their effects on each other by
an insensible reciprocation of ideas and feelings, which is too
fine to be marked in language ; but does not fail to be per-
ceived by all who are accustomed to attend with precision
to the operations of their own minds.

THE RETRIBUTIONS OF ETERNITY INCLUDED IN THE IDEA
OF AN OPERATIVE AND EFt IflENT FAITH.

In speaking of faith as an efficient principle of sanctifies-
tion, it is requisite, besides the spiritual understanding of
the doctrines of the gospel, and the divine taste of their ex-
cellence and beauty which it implies, to include also in its
idea, those powerful motives of holiness and obedience
which it derives from celestial and eternal things. In the
language of the apostle, " it is the substance of things hop-
ed for, and the evidence of things not seen." It penetrates
the veil which conceals them from mortal eyes, and presents
them to the devout mind, as far as the human faculties are
sasceptible of these sublime ideas, with a transcendent, and

424

ineffable seusallon. Among these heavenly objects we dis-
cern especially the glory of God, the infinite love of the Re-
deemer, the final judgment of the^universe, and the ever-
lasting retributions of the righteous, and the wicked ; — con-
siderations which add a mighty and practical force to the
delightful attractions of redeeming love.

ASSEMBLAGE OF THE PRECEEDING PRINCIPLES.

Let US review the principles which I have hitherto laid
down upon this subject. Faith consists in the first place,
and in its most general idea, in receiving the sacred scrip-
tures as containing the gracious revelation of the will of God
for our instruction in righteousness, and our eternal salvation.
' — It consists in the next place, not only in the belief of the
divine authority and direction under which the scriptures
have been communicated to the world, but in a clear and
spiritual understanding of the nature, and a divine percep-
tion of the excellence and perfection of their holy doctrines,
— Thirdly, in a strong impression on the heart of those high
motives to practical piety and virtue, which religion has
drawn from the glory of God, from the redemption of the
cross, and the retributions of eternity. And, finally, in a
profound persuasion of the personal, and everlasting concern
which we have in those precious, those glorious, and those
awful truths.

425

THE EFFICACr OF FAITH.

We conclude, therefore, with the justest reason, that no
moral system, or institute of religion, has ever laid such a
foundation for purity of heart, and sanctity of life, as the
christian economy, resting, as it does, on the doctrine of a
sincere faith in the Redeemer of the world. If we assemble
all the objects of faith in one view, and receive them as the
infallible truths of God, not with a vague, unmeaning assent,
the fruit merely of custom and example, but with a profound
conviction, ai'ising from reflection, from examination, from
the holy influence of prayer, aided by the concurrent illu-
mination of the Eternal Spirit, I may ask, with confidence,
what motives drawn from any other source, can be compared
with those derived from the gospel, for the purity of their
influence, and their persuasive power on the heart ?

THE EXCELLENCE OF THIS PRINCIPLE AB A PRACTICAI.
BASIS OF RELIGION.

The enemies of the gospel profess to be offended at its
resting so much on the doctrine of faith ; insinuating that the
whole is merely an address to the credulity of mankind, in
which believing its pretensions is made a substitute for piety
and morality. The evidences of our holy religion, propos-
ed in the introduction of this trealiie, are a sufficient reply

54

42B

to the former insio nation. The gospel, instead of decliuicg
any fair scrutiny, requires of its disciples the most rigorous
investigation. And the illustration which has just been giv-
en of the doctrine, as a practical principle of morals, will
rescue it from the obloquy of the latter ; and will vindicate
the reasonableness of building the whole evangelic system
upon this foundation. The ground on which the sacred wri-
-ters extol this grace is, not that its merit is sufficient to sup-
ply the defect of every other virtue : but, that it is the prop-
er spring of all true virtue, and the most efficient principle
of a holy' life. Let us pursue this reflection a moment.
We may lay it down as an infallible maxim in morals, that
right principles truly understood, and firmly believed, will
ever be followed by right conduct, and that false principles,
on the other hand, tend to vitiate the fountains of virtue
and piety in the heart, and lead to many pernicious errors in
the habits of life. What then is evangelic faith, but em-
bracing on the authority of a divine and infallible teacher,
and on the renewed taste of a mind enlightened by the in-
spiration of truth, the purest principles of practical virtue,
the holiest law of universal duty, which has ever been pre-
scribed to mankind. It is subjecting the soul to the influence
of the most sublime and powerful motives of holiness which
the wisdom of God has ever published fo? the regeneratioyi
of the world. The laws of morals, as they have been pre-
scribed in the systems of the wisest men who have not drawn
them from the fountains of inspiration, are susceptible of

t

42r

JK) much disputation, and are liable, in their application, to
30 many exceptions and modifications, in favour of each
man's inclinations or interests, that they form a most uncer-
tain and fallacious rule of duty. It is, besides, a rule as
feeble in its authority, as it is defective in its prescriptions,
being liable to be changed, or set aside, by every caprice of
self-love, or impulse of misguided passion. But every thing
in the discipline of Christ, is clear and luminous as the eter-
nal laws of truth from which it emanates. Here are no en-
feebling doubts, no uncertain reasonings which make the law
too often speak the language of a corrupted heart. Where,
then, can be found, in all the systems of human wisdom,
such a basis of morality as in that faith which is the practi-
cal principle of the gospel of Christ ? Has any philosophy,
the candid unbeliever himself being judge, ever taught so
pure and excellent a doctrine, derived it from so sublime a
source, enjoined it by sanctions so weighty and important,
or added to it the force of obligations, and the persuasion of
motives, so transcendent in their nature, and fitted to interest
all the best powers of the soul? — Such are the moral effects
of a genuine faith in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which, in the esteem of every candid and pious mind, will
repel all the contemptuous sneers of infidelity, and vindicate
the high place which it holds in the christian dispensation.
It works by love, and purifies the heart. It is the com-
mencement of that pure and heavenly spirit, which, unfold-

428

ed and cherished in (he regions of immortal love, will be the
consummation of that grace wherein we now stand.

OTHER DEFINITIONS OF FAITH.

Before dismissing this branch of the subject, let me take
notice of some defini(ions, or representations of this grace,
confessedly just, but the coincidence of which with the views
hitherto presented to you, may not immediately appear.
Sometimes it is characterised in the holy scriptures by
one of its principal acts. Abraham is said to have be-
lieved God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
This consequence could have flowed only from his having
trusted implicitly in the divine promise, in opposition to the
most untoward events, and to appearances that might have
discouraged the strongest hopes. Such confidence in the
covenanted promise of God could have existed only in a
heart prepared to receive, with submissive duty, every part
of his declared will.

Sometimes it is designated by one of its principal objects ;
as in the command of the apoille to the jailor, Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ. In another circumstance, the same
great founder of the christian faith, descending to an idea
still more particular, says ; " If thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God bath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved,'^

fS^

9

429

The doctrine of the resurrection of Christ is so intimately
involved with the accomplishnient of the atonement, and
with the truth of all the promises and hopes of Christianity,
that sincerely to receive this glorious truth in all its relations
and consequences, is to embrace the whole gospel.

On the other hand, the pious and learned compilers
of the confession and catechism of the presbyterian church
have chosen to describe it by one of its essential and insepa-
rable consequences ; receiving and resting upon Christ
alone for salvation. Desiring to give some single criterion of
this grace which would be least liable to be mistaken by a be-
liever himself in judging of his own spiritual state, they have
fixed on this self-renunciation, and this absolute dependence
of the penitent sinner on the grace and merits of the Saviour,
as one that is most certain, because one to whicii the pride,
and self-complacency of man most reluctantly submits : one
to which he never does submit, till the sense of his own un-
worthiness and guilt, — of the purity, holiness, and justice of
the divine law,— of the grace of the Redeemer, and the
all-suflScieucy of his righteousness for the satisfaction of the
violated law, — in a word, till the whole gospel has taken full
possession of his soul.

430

OF FALSE RESEMBLANCES OP FAITH.

Systematic writers on the subject of faith present to us
different counterfeit resemblances of this grace, which it is of
importance, in practice, to discriminate from the genuine
principle. Among them, those which chiefly require our no-
tice, have been called an historical faith, and a temporary
faith. By the former is intended that assent which is yield-
ed to the truth of the holy scriptures merely through custom,
education, and sympathy with general opinion and example.
Or it may embrace that which arises from the convictions of
the understanding yielded to a rational examination of the ev-
idences of our religion, but without producing that discern-
ment of the spiritual beauty, and that heartfelt perception of
the excellence of its moral and divine doctrines, which cre-
ates a fervent love of the truth, and begets a deep and per-
sonal application of it to the heart, for its sanctification and
instruction in righteousness. This is tha-t faith, if it deserve
the name, which fills our churches with formal, indeed, but
cold professors, destitute of the life and power of godliness.
Which occupies the garden of God with fair and sightly trees
that put forth leaves and flowers, but bring none of the gen-
uine fruits of holiness to perfection. The history of our Sa-
viour is, to them, like other credible narrations of ancient, or
of distant events, and generally creates as little interest in
the heart.

$

431

On tlie other hand, that which is improperly calleil a /«m-
porari/ failliy is usually nothing more than an occasional, and
sometimes constitutional susceptibility of heart on religious
subjects, excited by a variety of concurrent circumstances ;
and, like other transient emotions, passing away without fruit,
or any radical change of character. In those moments of
religious feeling, the gospel is regarded rather as a system of
beneficence to (he creature, than of mercy and grace to the
sinner. The sinner is prone to rejoice in the ideas of the di-
vine benignity ; and often aielts with the sympathetic recol-
tions of the Saviour's sufferings and love, without entering
deeply into the depravity of our nature, and, from the heart,
abhorring its corruptions. He perceives the triumphs, not
the humility of religion. The consequence is, that, not duly
sensible of the evil of sin, and penetrated with the sentiments
of repentance, be does not properly regard the righteousness
of Christ as forming the sole meritorious title of our accept-
ance with God. When the passions and temptations of sin
are from any cause suspended in their actions, mistaking this
temporary quiet for the change of heart required in the gospel,
he may perceive an elevated joy in the hopes of eternal life
and happinesss ; but, having no root of holiness in himself,
when persecution, or shame, or the sacrifice of interest or of
pleasure is to be encountered for the sake of the word, bye
and bi/e he is offended ; or, when the transient fit of religious
sensibility has passed off, it leaves nothing behind it but the
passions of the world.

432

This great and practical principle of duly is aUempletl, by
different writers, to be analyzed into various acts concurring
to constitute its essence ; such as repentance for sin — a de-
sire to glorify God through Jesus Christ— a love of divine
things— hungering and thirsting after righteousness — receiv-
ing and resting upon Christ for justification, sanctification,
and complete redemption. These acts form an injudicious
analysis of the grace of faith. They are natural consequen-
ces resulting from the devout and humble state of the mind
in the exercise of faith ; but are not more peculiarly allied to
this grace than to other principles of the divine life. There
is, however, a discrimination in this act, according to its de-
grees of clearness and strength, into a weak faith diud a strong
faith, which has a real foundation in the experience of good
men. And the holy apostle evidently justifies the distinc-
tion, speaking of some of his converts as being yet only
babes in Christ. And, in his second epistle to the Thessa-
lonians, exulting in the faith of that church as growing ex-
ceedingly; by which language he strongly marks a progres-
sion in this grace. His followers at Rome he exhorts " not to
think more highly of themselves than they ought to think,
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every
every man the measure of faith."

4dd

IW THE FIRST PLACE, OF A WEAK FAITH.

This title implies a certain feebleness in the impressions
which divine truth makes upon the mind, so that it does not
habitually yield that clear apprehension of its nature, and firm
persuasion of its glorious reality, which raises the believer,
at all times, above the seductive influence of the world, and
gives him that lively sense of his interest in the atonement
and intercession of Christ which contributes, in the highest
degree, to his comfort in the divine hfe, and to the most use-
ful discharge of his various duties. This feeble habit of re-
ligious feeling, may arise from tlifferent causes, which will
naturally display themselves in proportionally ditlerent ef-
fects upon the character and manners. Sometimes it springs
from a natural imbecility of mind in conceiving its ideas ; and,
at other times, from possessing only narrow views, and very
limited opportunities of information. The consequence of
which, usually, is an unhappy mixture of low and super-
stitious ideas and practices with the better principles of re-
ligion. Not unfrequently, it is derived from certain errors in
principle, which occasion the forms, and the external dutie3
of religion to be too much, or too little regarded ; either ab-
sorbing the heart in its ceremonial, or, by a pretended supe-
riority to outward form, withdrawing from the weakness of
human nature the aids which have always been found neces-
sary for preserving alive the warmth and vigour of pious af-

4«i4

tectiou. By suflfering certain habits of conformity to the
world to grow up in the heart unobserved, we soraelimes see
a state of manners gradually introduced, unfriendly to the
cultivation of the divine life, and of that strictness of walk,
and purity of conversation before God, which is most edi-
fying to the church, and becoming the gravity of the chris-
tian profession. Too often a weak faith may be occasioned
by peculiar temptations, against which a christian has not
been sufficiently on his guard ; or it may grow out of cei>
tain habitual situations in life wherein so many worldly en-
gagements and avocations press upon his attention, as un-
happily to occupy a great portion of that time which ought
to be devoted to the studies, meditations, and duties of piety.
The strength of his faith will, in this case, often be little su-
perior to the inSuence of the world, and will be a feeble prin-
ciple either of comfort to his own soul, or of advancement in
the habits of holy living. On particular occasions, sin may
have surprised the vigilance of the most sincere and humble
believer, and so distressed his conscience, that he cannot
discern in himself any satisfactory evidences of his peculiar
relation to Christ. In other instances, a constitutional glooms
iness of mind inclines some good men habitually to contem-
plate the spiritual state of their own souls in an unfavourable
light. They entertain no doubt, indeed, of the truths of the
gospel. They may regard them with the highest veneratioa
and affection. Firmly believing the general principle of the
power and grace of God, they cannot, however, in the afflicting

435

darkness of their minds, discern their own privilege to ap-
propriate the gracious promise of the covenant to themselves.
It is not of the mercy, or the promise of God, that they en-
tertain any doubt ; but of themselves. They lose the coal-
forts of a composed and settled state of piety and devotion 5
and that time is often spent in gloomy retreat, and anxious
conflicts with their own hearts, which would be better em-
ployed in active duty. Active duty is the best mean of re-
moving the doubts of humble piety, by giving to the true be-
liever the best evidences of a regenerate and sanctified prin-
ciple of action. In retirement, the mind often broods over
its own evils, and increases the gloom which induces it to
court seclusion from the world. There are two acts, how-
ever, by which the sincerity of the weakesmiith may be de-
monstrated. The one is humility, under a deep sense of the
evil of sin, and of the imperfection of our own righteousness,
producing unceasing desire of an interest in the redemption
purchased by Christ Jesus. The other is an earnest en-
deavour to render that interest clear to the heart, by the faith-
ful discharge of every duty, and a constant study to glorify
God by holiness of living, and universal obedience to his
will. Where these characters exist in sincerity, faith, al-
though it may be feeble, is still genuine, and the believer
may be truly an heir of eternal life ; although, dubious and
uncertain of his relation to Christ, his mind may be often
covered with darkness and perplexity.

436

OF A STRONG FAITH.

This exercise of the soul implies such a clear, deep, and
habitual persuasion of divine truth as easily overcomes the
undue and seductive influence of worldly things. And the
habitual warmth of its devotion, and its zeal in promoting, as
far as its power extends, the interests of the Redeemer's
kingdom, impart such internal evidence of sincerity, as leaves
no doubt or hesitancy, in the most humble believer, in ap-
propriating the free and gracious provisions of the gospel.
Confiding in the amplitude and riches of divine grace, and the
faithfulness of the divine promise, he enjoys such a serene
and stedfast assurance of faith, as frequently enables him, in
the language of the apostle, to rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory. This calm and settled confidence in the
security of his spiritual state, and interest in the covenanted
mercy of God, forms one of the distinguishing characters of a
strong faith, and enables the believer to discharge his duty
with the greater comfort, and to fulfil its labours, and endure
its trials, with the greater constancy and fortitude. Job pre-
sents an interesting example of this faith, in his devout and fer-
vent exclamation, / know that my Redeemer liveth, and
though^ after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet, in my
flesh, I shall see God, This also is that degree of faith
testified by the apostle Paul in the following language : Iknom
in whom I have trusted, and am persuaded that fie is able

43?

to keep that which I have committed to him against that day
It is the same which, in another place, he calls iliefuU as-
surance of faith. To it, likewise, the prophet Isaiah seems
to allude, in an expression that deserves to be explained—
Let liim take hold of my strength that he may make peace
Tvith me ,- alluding evidently to the privilege which certain
criminals enjoyed of fleeing, and taking hold of the horns,
which were the strength of the altar, in order to escape the
stroke of vengeance or of justice. The obvious interpreta-
tion of which language is — let him, with confidence, trust my
power to save, and therein enjoy the security of my protec-
tion.

There is, indeed, a confidence of salvation, and a joy aris-
ing out of this assurance which the hypocrite may taste as
well as the believer, and, sometimes, in a higher degree.
But these affections may be discriminated from each other,
by considering the necessary effects, and certain fruits, of a
genuine faith. Believing the entire corruption of our nature,
it produces the deepest humiliation before God. The joy
of the hypocrite, on the other hand, begets an exultation of
heart, in which little of the true humility of repentance is to
be found. To the believer, the goodness and mercy of God,
to a sinner so unworthy, occasions the profoundest self-abase-
ment ; in the hypocrite it creates an unreasonable estimation
of himself, and a pharisaic self-complacency in the idea that
fa€ is better than others. The one, although his own happi-

438

ness contributes greatly to heighten his joy of faith, rejoices
chiefly in the beauty of holiness ; to the other, his own feli-
city is the principal consideration in those triumphs which
at some times occupy and elevate his soul. The one loves
God supremely for the holiness of his nature ; the other is
soothed by a flattering self-complacency, in being distinguish-
ed as a peculiar object of divine favour.

Br WHAT VIRTUE IN FAITH IS IT THAT IT CONFERS A
BIGHT TO THE BLESSINGS OF THE COVENANT.

Having before pointed faith out as the condition of the
covenant of grace, I will noW- consider a question which aris-
es in consequence, and is often asked, by what virtue in
that grace is it that all the rich and unmerited blessings of
the covenant are freely conferred on the unworthiness of the
believing sinner? — Several figurative expressions found in
the holy scriptures, or employed on this subject by various
divines, have been resorted to as suggesting the proper an*
swer. But all this kind of imagery, serves rather to amuse
the imagination, than to afford satisfaction to the judgment.
Faith has been said, for example, to act as the hand which,
by accepting the mercies freely proffered to the believing
sinner, constitutes, according to the tenor of the covenant,
his lawful title of possession. Other figures exhibit the be-
liever as taking refuge in Jesus Christ, as a harrassed pil-
grim, beneath a secure covert from the tempest, or a defence-

439

less man, behind his shield, from the dart of an enemy.
These may term agreeable images in eloquent discourse, but
do not explain the subject to the understanding. The effi-
cacy of faith does not arise from any natura), or necessary
virtue in this act of the mind to merit, or procure the bless-
ing, but from the good pleasure of God, and the merciful
constitution of the covenant of grace. — To render the sub-
ject more obvious, I lay down the following proposilions.
God infinitely merciful delights not in the misei-y of the of-,
fender. ^ His supreme felicity consists in imparting happi-
ness to all who can be made to enjoy it in consistency with
the holy perfections of his nature, or, in other words, with
the eternal and necessary laws of the moral universe. Hav-
ing been pleased that the indispensible claims of his justice
should be satisfied by the sacrifice of the cross, he now on-
ly wants a fit subject of his mercy, most freely to bestow it.
Faith possesses this virtue, that, by the belief of the gra-
cious truths, and promises of the gospel, it becomes, the
most efficient principle of the regeneration and sanctification
of our nature. The proper efficacy of faith then is, that it
prepares the aoul to be a fit recipient of those blessings
which the infinite benevolence of the Deity is ever willing to
confer on those who know how to value them, and are quali-
fied to enjoy them. All the mercies of the gospel are
transferred to the believer through Jesus Christ, through
whom il has become just in God to justify the sinner.
Such being the constitution of the covenant of grace.

440

faith hath been made the principle of a moral and legal union
with Christ, so that all his merits are imputed to the believ-
er, and become his title with divine justice, as if he were
one with the Redeemer. This union is represented in the
holy scriptures under different images which indicate it to be
of the most intimate kind. It is the union of the members
with the head — the connexion of the branches with the vine
•—the junction of the whole building with the corner stone
upon which it rests. Expressions which convey, in lively-
figures, the relation of believers to Christ through, faith, and
the intimacy of union which subsists between them. — Such
is the virtue of the grace of faith, on which it becomes a ra-
tional, as it is acknowledged to be the scriptural ground of
bestowing on the believer all the blessings of the New Cove-
nant.

OF THE

EXTERNAL SEALS

OF THE

COVENANT OF GRACE

As God has been pleased to exhibit his grace to the world
iinder the idea of a covenant which he condescends to enter
Into with the penitent and believing sinner, and provisionally
offers to all who, by the gospel, are called from among our
fallen and corrupted race, to seek the inheritance of eternal
life, v»'e have just ground to expect that every ordinary form;
which usage has annexed to a transaction of this kind among
men, will be preserved in this appointment of God. There-
fore, to the gracious protnise of the covenant, which, as has
before been shewn, constitutes its essence, he has annexed
his seal, in order to add greater authenticity to this object
of our faith, and give it a more affecting impression on the
heart.

COVENANT OF GRACE.

A seal is usually, any emblemal.c symbol employed in

consequence of the agreemeni oi parties, or appomled by

56

442

public authorily, to be a sign, and memorial of consent in
covenants, or an aulhenlic testimonial, that any transaction
into which we have entered, is our own act. For the same
purpose, in the early and rude ages, parties forming a 8ol«
emn compact frequently erected a pillar as a permanent me-
morial of the fact, or, more solemnly, built an altar, con6rm»
ing their paction by an act of religion. Often they gave a
small portion of the soil which was transferred by the con- ,
tract, a penny of the sum which was to be paid, or some I
earnest or pledge of possession or fulfilment of the covenant. |
All these acts were of the nature of seals. In ages more re-
fined instead of these rude devices, some hieroglyphic or
symbolic representation was added to written contracts for
the same purpose. In the church God has instituted sym-
bolical actions, by which the Covenant of Grace is visibly
ratified, when he offers it to the acceptance of believers and
their offspring, as in the ordinance of baptism ; or by Avhich
they solemnly declare their acceptance of its terms, as in the
Lord's Supper. Baptism may be called the hieroglyphic,
or symbol of regeneration ; as the Lord's Supper is of the
sacrifice of our redemption, and of the charity which should
unite believers in love to their common Lord, and to one an*
other. These actions, therefore from their nature, and from
the uses to which they are applied, partake of the essence
of seals.

■■:^%

443

Their being appointed by Almighty God to be employed
as seals of the Covenant of Grace, may be further establish-
ed, from the express words of the apostle, by whom cir-
cumcision is styled, a seal of the righteousness which is by
faith ; Rom. iv. 1 1 : and from the analogy which subsists
between the ordinances of baptism and circumcision. Both
are emblems of purification ; bo(h administered on the con-
dition of believing the promise of God in the Messiah ; both
are the external sign and confirmation of this failh ; and both
are applied, as shall be shewn, hereafter, for attaining all the
gracious purposes of the covenant to believers, and to
their infant seed. And this style has been used, with respect
to baptism in particular, by the earliest writers in the chris-
tian church ; and by those who were cotemporary with, or
who immediately succeeded the apostles.

OTHER DENOMINATIONS APPLIED TO THEM*

Besides the denominations which these ordinances have
respectively received, arising from circumstances peculiar
(o each ; such as the regeneration of water applied to bap-
tism, and the eucharist, and communion applied to the Lord's
Supper, they have, from the earliest ages, been entitled
mysteries and sacraments. The former term was borrowed
from the pagan worship, and cherished by the converts from
that superstition, through a natural attachment to ancient
forms and usages, from which cause it was early introduced

444

into the temples of Christianity. The sublime principles of
natural religion which were discovered by the philosophers,
or had been handed down by tradition from the remotest anti-
quity, and preserved in their temples by their priests, who
had mingled them, however, with the grossest superstitions
of the vulgar, were considered as too elevated for the popu-
lar understanding. They were separated, therefore, from the
common mass of pagan doctrines, and reserved to be commu-
nicated only to a few men whose rank gave them superior
means of information, or who had rendered themselves wort(hy
the distinctroQ by eminent virtue and prudence. When
men of this character offered themselves to the college which
presided over the public religion, they were, with great so-
lemnity introduced into the recesses of their temples, and
there instructed in those theological principles which it was
supposed the body of the people were not capable of under-
standing, or were not worthy to receive. Those who were
thus instructed were called the initiated^ and the rites ac-
companying these instructions, were named mysteries, from
a Greek term implying silence, because they respected doc-
trines which were not to be communicated to the people.
And the initiated were laid under the most sacred obligations
not to reveal aught, which passed on those occasions, within
their temples. Since the sacraments of the christian church
were designed, in like manner, to discriminate the faithful from
the profane, and were not to be imparted promiscuously, but
reserved for those only who had attained a spiritual, and sub-*

limer knowledge of its principles, which the world did not
enjoj, they were, in allusion to the mysteries of their an-
cient temples, which had acquired their early reverence,
and were held in great veneration throughout the Roman
empire, called by the same name.

The denomination of sacrament has a different origin. It
was the military oath among the Romans, by which the sol-
diers plighted their allegiance to their general, or to the em-
peror. And as the christian life has been styled a warfare,
in which the believer contends not only against spiritual ene-
mies, but often, especially in that early age, was exposed
to the most formidable dangers, he is justly said to pledge
himself, in these ordinances, to the Lord Jesus Christ, as
the captain of his salvation ; to fight under his banner ;
to endure, in his service, every trial ; and to expose him-
self, if necessary, to danger, and to death. And the primi-
live christians, in the immediate prospect of great conflicts,
and of persecution, often renewed, by these holy rites, their
vows of fidelity to their Lord, and reanimated their courage
in suffering ; especially by the sacrament of the Lord's sup-
per. The term sacrament is not found among the writers of
the New Testament ; it was, however, very early adopted
by the first christians. The apostles having represented
the service of the cross under allusions borrowed from a state
of warfare, and their followers finding, in painful experience,
^-he perils and sufferings they were compelled to endure, soon

•Ik

446

applied to (he vows by which they devoted themselves to
their Redeemer, a title so familiar to them in the military life.

THE DESIGN OF THE EXTERNAL SEALS OF THE COVENANT.

It is of importance to every christian distinctly to understand
Uie import of his public use of the seals of the Covenant, and
of the obligations which he imposes on his soul by this solemn
act. Annexing our seal to the Covenant of Grace, or using
the seal which God has appointed, necessarily implies our full
belief of the precious doctrines involved in that covenant, and
a hearty acquiescence in all its conditions. It implies, at the
same time, a vow of consecration, by which he renews his
self-devotion to the service of God through Jesus Christ.
And, lastly, it implies, with regard to the believer himself,
a personal ratification of the Covenant, on his part, by a sen-
sible symbol calculated more strongly to authenticate the
transaction— to assist faith by the co-operation of sense — to
fix a deeper impression on the heart, thereby confirming the
purposes of duty, and leaving a more awful testimony for
God, if he should afterwards prove unfaithful to this most sa-
cred of our duties in the church,

THE DIFFERENT IMPORT OF THE TWO SEALS.

The ordinances of baptism, and the Lord's supper, being
both regarded as the seals of the Covenant of Grace, it is

^47

accessary, with particular care, to attend to the proper dk-
tinciion existing between them. The former may be regard-
ed chiefly as the seal annexed immediately by God, through
his publir. servants in the church, to this covenant, to give it
authenticity, and to ratify it on his part to his people. The
latter may be considered principally as the seal annexed by
the believer to the same covenant, confirming his acceptance
of its terms, and laying his soul, by that act, under the most
sacred obligations of obedience. A covenant, being a mutual
stipulation, requires, in order to its completion, the seals of
the respective parties. God, by the ministry of his servants,
who are officers in his church, annexes his own seal in
baptism ; and in the communion of the body and blood of the
Lord, the believer personally affixes his seal to the same in-
strument. The veracity of God, indeed, needs no such ad-
ventitious confirmation. But as he has been pleased so far
to adapt himself to the weakness of human nature, which is
ever strongly moved by sensible impressions, he has not only
offered his grace to the world in the form which takes place
in covenant transactions among men, but confirmed it, accord-
ing to the same customs, by the legal and authoritative sanc-
tion of a seal. That baptism is to be viewed chiefly as the
seal of God affixed to his own covenant, may be concluded,
not only from the ordinary forms of this instrument, but from
its analogy to circumcision, in the room of which rite it has
manifestly been substituted. The apostle declares that Abra-
ham received, frooa God, circumcision, « seal of the right

44g

eousness which is by faith; that is, a sign and assurance that,
through the Redeeoier, he would accept the righteousness of
faith instead of the perfect obedience of the original law of
works. You observe the style of the expression : — The
seal of circumcision he received from God confirming this
gracious privilege to the believing patriarch. It is not said
that he gave this rite or seal as a pledge of his own obedience.

The intention of the rite is justly argued from its being ap-
plied to the infant offspring of Abraham as it is now admin-
istered to the children of christian parents who are (he spir-
itual seed of Abraham. Infants, of this tender age, are not
capable of any covenant transaction by themselves, and in
their own name ; but they are susceptible of provisional and
covenanted blessings through their parents from the infinite
Author of all mercy and grace. And surely it is a blessing;
and an act of grace of the first magnitude, in God, to meet
us who were heirs of death, at our entrance into the world,
by the provisional propositions of salvation through Jesus
Christ, visibly ratified under the seal of that covenant which
cancels the condemnation of the violated law, and places us
by this act, publicly and solemnly under the dispensation of
mercy in the New Covenant established with the second
Adam.

I add, that, although baptism is to be regarded chiefly as
the seal of God, which he visibly and publicly annexes by

449

the cliurcb, to his own proHTers of mercy ; yet^ as (he rites of
religion may, freqiienlly, be taken in a double sense, this or-
dinance as it respects the act of the parent, maV be viewed
also as liis own seal, by which he declares his belief, and ac-
ceptance of the covenant, i(s promises, conditions and duties
on his own behalf — his choice of its blessings as the portion
of his child — and his consecration of hiu.self, and his prC"
cious offspring, to the glory and service of Almighty God.

1. Baptism is our christian circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness which is by faith. But that we may have a
clearer view of the nature and importance of this ordinance,
we must go back to the origin of its type in the ancient
church. When religious truth was likely to perish from the
world, which, in a few ages after the deluge, was overwhelm-
ed in idolatry, and sunk in extreme dissolution of manners,
it pleased God, nearly in the beginning of that general dark-
ness and corruption, to establish a church in which he might
preserve the knowledge of his name, and deposit his holy
oracles with the future hopes of the universe. This church
consisted, in the beginning, of the single family of Abraham,
with whom he entered into a gracious covenant, accepting,
as his title to eternal life, the righteousness of faith in the fu-
ture Saviour,* who was to spring from his own loins ; engag-

■*This is fr^Irly inferred from the expression of the apostle, \\ ho styles the ?rt1
of the Abraharaic Covenant the aeal of the rigkttffusness which is by/aith,
. 57

450

iDg that " be would be a God to biai, and to bis seed aflcr
hiiii ;" and promising fbat, fmallj, in bim all the families of
the earth should be blessed by the Advent of tbe Messiah.
T bat this grace might be rendered the more sure, and that the
faith of this chosen friend of God might have the firmer
ground on which to rest, he added to bis promise his sacra-
mental seal or oath, that, by iivo immiUablc things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, Abraham^ and all Trho fol-
low the faith of Abraham, might have strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before
them. For, saith the apostle, Abraham received circum'
cision a seal of the righteousness, that is, of the means of
justification and acceptance with God, rvhich is by faith. —
This covenant, with all its appendages of rites and forms, of
types and symbols, of prophets and priests, of altars and vic-
tims, with all its doctrines, its precepts, and its promises, was
placed in the keeping of the church, for its consolation, for
its instruction in righteousness, and for the quickening and
direction in the divine life of all true believers. If we ask,
then, with the apostle, what proBt is there of circumcision ?
the answer will yield some useful lights on this subject. It
is the seal which God has been pleased to annex to the pro-
positions of his mercy, by which anciently he confirmed to
the church the great charter of her spiritual privileges, and
whicTi, being impressed on every Israelite, continually re-
minded him of his obligations — continually placed before him
his duties, and his immortal hopes— -assured him of the gra-

451

cious protection of Almighty God, anil designatet] bim as a
memJjer of that chosen community to whose pious custody
were committed his holy oracles, those precious treasures of
divine truth. While other nations were left to the obscure
teacJiings. of nature, and the errors of a depraved reason, ibis
Bealed nation were made the depositaries of clearer lights,
and the heirs of sublimer hopes. The emblems which were
engraven, if I may speak so, on that seal, I mean the blood
of circumcision, corresponding with the water of baptism,
pointed to that purity of heart which is the end of all true
religion ; and to that precious blood, which is, at once, the
purchase of our salvation, and the tbuntain in which all our
sins are cleansed. Such was the benefit of this ancient rite
to the church founded in Abraham, and afterwards embracing
all the posterity of Israel : to them were committed the ora-
cles of God with ail their lights, their hopes, their graces, their
means of holiness and of eternal life.

These brief expositions will afford some principles by
which to explain the nature and the benefits of that baptismal
rite which Christ has substituted in the room of the Abra-
hamic and Mosaic symbol of the promise. Baptism is our
christian circumcision ; the seal of a more pure and luminous
dispensation of the covenant than that either of Moses, or of
Abraham. And it is with the view of proposing, as far as I
am able, some precise and definite ideas on this initiating in*
stitution of the christian church, that I have made these pre-

452

hiory observations ou the corresponding rite of the preced-
ing dispeusalion.

That I may give as much perypicuity and precision as pos-
sible to our ideas concerning this holy ordinance^ it will be
necessary to go into some details concerning its original in-
stitution and design, and its proper subjects ; because with
these its benefits are intimately connected, and from them its
duties and obligations immediately result.

1. The nature and design of baptism may be rendered ob-
vious from two sources of illustration ; one is the use and ap-
plication of a similar rite which was frequent in the ancient
Jewish and Greek nations, whence, probably, it was trans-
feri*ed into the christian church ; the other is the denomina-
tion, borrowed from the Abrahamic dispensation of the cove-
nant, which, from the very first ages, it has received among
christians, of a seed of the Covenant of Grace.

Many of the great and distinguished teachers, and founders
of sects among the Jews, applied baptism as a right of initia-
tion into their respective schools. It was a symbol of disci-
pleship, and regarded as an emblem of that purify of mind^
;and that virtuous simplicity of manners, which spring from
the love of truth, and are expected in all those who are en-
gaged in the pursuit of wisdom. Such was, probably, the
Cleaning of the baptism of John, the great forerunner of the

453

;Vlessiah.* He taught a new and more rigorous diaclpline
of repentance than was known to the Jews of that age. And
the disciples who followed him, ad^iiring the sanctity of his
doctrine and the abstemious purify of his manners, he ini-
tiated by baptism,t preparing them, in this manner, for that
still more pure and perfect discipline which was shortly to be
introduced by the Saviour of the world. It was, besides, re-
quired by the customs of that nation, that all proselytes from
among the Gentiles should be initiated into the church of Is-
rael and make their profession of the doctrines of Moses, and
the prophets, by baptism.

The ordinance of baptism, therefore, considered simply in
the view which has just been presented to you, contains a
pledge of our discipleship — a public avowal of Christ as our
great Master and Teacher — an explicit profession of our
faith in the doctrines taught by his Spirit in those holy ora-
cles committed to the custody of his church for its illumina-
tion and sanctification.

* The same rite of initiation into their sciiools, and with the same meaning, waj
frequently used by the philosophers of Greece, as well as of. many eastern nations,
from whom the Greeks borrowed it.

f This fact serves to explain a passage in the Acts of the Apostles. Paul meet-
ing with certain disciples in Asia who were very imperfectly instructed in the prin-
ciples of the gospel, demanded of them unto what they had been bapiiscd ? that is,
to what system of doctrines;' They answered, unto John'' 3 baptism. The}t were
disciples of John, and had embraced only the doctrine of repentance wl.iph he
had taught. This custom explains the meaning of St. Paul -when he t/ianlcs God
that he had baptised none of them but Cri.pus and Ciaius, lest any should say he
had bapti'sid in his onn nam*", the;eby putting himself at the head of a new sect;

464:

Although a man, at the age of reason, may justly make
this profession for himself, it may be asked, perhaps, if a oa-
rent can rightfully make it in the name of his infant, so that
when that infant shall have arrived at maturity, it shall be le-
gally considered as his act ? Whatever dififerences of opin-
ion may exist with regard to this question, according to the
various lights in which the subject of it may be viewed, all
Trill agree in the following principle, that it is both the right,
and the duty of a parent to place his beloved offspring un-
der the best means to enlighten and cultivate their minds, to
form their hearts, to regulate their lives, and to prepare
them, if possible, for the highest happiness, both in this
world, and the world to come ; in one word, to initiate them
In the school of Christ.* This school is the church : these
means of education are the ordinances, the instructions, the
discipline, the watchful care, and prayers of the church.
And it is one, and not the least of the spiritual blessings re-
sulting from baptism in infancy, that, thereby, parents, in
addition to the tender constraints of natural duty, impose up-
on themselves the most solemn voluntary obligations to train

* Ujjon this Eubject, one would think that there could not exist any diversity
of opinion. It seems to be a manifest principle of justice, that a parent has a
right to enter into contract, or to make any engagement in the name of his child,
for his benefit, which it is the privilege of his child, when he arrives at mature
age, to accept ; although he is at liberty also, to his own detriment, to reject ;
and which, if it involves his duty, as well as his interest, as in the present case,
he ig under sacred obligations to fulfil. Such engagement is not imposing on our
nosterlty a hnrdtn, but gainiog for them a htwfit.

455

Up their children in the nurture and admonHion of llir
Lord ; and that cliililien enjoy sflll further advantages by
being^ placed under the immediate and special care of that ho
ly community to whom are committed the oracles of God.

2. But there is another and more interesting h"ght in which
this ordinance is to be viewed. It is the seal by which God
has condescended visibly to confirm to the church the bles-
sings of the New Covenant which he has graciously estab-
lished in Christ for the redemption of the world. This was
the import of the correspondent rite of the church of Israel.
God gave to Abraham circumcision a seal of the righteous-'
ness which is by faith. "^ And this is one of the principal
denominations by which baptism has been designated io the
christian church from the earliest ages. But here it is ne-
cessary to remark and correct an error upon this subject
which has unhappily disturbed the ideas of many good and
excellent men. Baptism has been regarded by them as the

* A seal of the righteousness of the faith nhich he had, being zincircumcised.
This expression cannot reasonably be supposed to mean, as has been asserted by
?orae writers, merely a declaration of the sincerity of Abraham's faith j for this
seal was administered to the cfTspring of Abraham at an age in which no such de-
claration could be expected from them. Besides the apostle, in the place is
ppeaking of circumcision, not merely as a sign given to Abraham in particular,
but as an ordinance of the church. In this general view it was desi{;ned as a seal
of the righteousness of faith ; that is, of that gracious covenant wbicli lias substi-
tuted the righteousncs" nhich comes by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the room
of the perfect and personal obedience required by the first covenant, and which
has DOW become impracticable to the frailty and corniplion of honnan watnrf. Vie
iBg possible only through a Mediator, and Surety.

456

seal of the believing parent given, botli in his own name, and
in that of his child, as its natural proxj, testifying his entire
acquiescence in the tonditions of the covenant ; and, by the
same act, laying the child under an obligation of acquiescing
in them, and fulfilling them, as soon as it shall attain the age
of reason. And undoubtedly, the act of the parent, in of-
fering his child to receive the seal of baptism is, on his part,
a formal acknowledgment of the covenant and profession of
faith in- its gracious promises. It has, likewise, been admit-
ted, and has been before asserted, that a parent possesses
from nature, and fr^m religion, a right to enter into any right-
eous covenant in the name of his child, when the objects of
that covenant are only blessings, and privileges ; and espe-
cially when its conditlens or terms are antecedent duties.

Baptism, however, in the just and scriptural view of it. Is
chiefly to be considered as the outward and visible seal which
God has been pleased to annex to his own promise ; a pro-
mise which he has graciously given to the church under
the form of a covenant engagement ; by this seal ratifying,
and confirming to' her, and to all who are taken into her care,
the propositions of his grace and mercy, through Jesus
Christ. Abraham did not give to God the seal of circumcis-
ion as a pledge of his duty and obedience ; but the scrip-
ture declares, he received it from God for himself and his
offspring, in order to confirm that gracious covenant, or pro-

457

mise which he had made to the father of the faithful ; I iviU
be a God to yon, and your seed after you.^

Do you ask if it is not doing dishonour to the faithfulness of
Jehovah to suppose that his promise requires to be confirmed
by symbols and sacraments, by oaths and seals ? Is not his
word alone the firm, and immutable foundation of every believ-^
er's trust and hope ? It is true the veracity of God needs no
support from outward forms ; and it is not for his sake, but for
ours, that he is sonietimes pleased to employ them, in order to
give the deeper impression to divine truth upon the heart.
Frail as we are, and receiving all our impressions through the
medium of the senses, ideas, merely intellectual, arc neither

* If we refer to the whole strain of the kietoiy, in the 17 th chapter of Genesis
which records the transactions of God with Abraham, Ihia interpretation will be
confirmed. It was a covenant entirely of Xh^'^ratuitom kind, on the part of God,
engaging b7*an expresiion of the most comprehensive meaoinj — [I will be a God to
yoii, ^c] to bestow the mo»t ainple spiiitual blessings on his chosen servant, and
on his posterity. In every covenant of this nature the forms of ratification are
used by him only, and are intended to oblige only him who bestows the favour.
The beneficiary simply receives the prumiie, or charter which, when confirmed by
the requisite legal forms, and ratified hy the seal of the benefactor, becomes his
title of inheritance, or possession, on the performance of whatever condition it
c6ntaiu3.

It was not an unusual thing for Almighty God thus to confirm his promises and
•covenants to patriarchs, and holy meo, by some external sign, or token. His pro-
mise to Noah he confirmed by his bow in the clouds. To Gideon he gave a sign,
or seal of his commission to be the deliverer of Israel, by consuming his sacrifice
upon the rock. To .ibraham he gave the sign of Circumcision. And, on another
occasion, he caused a burning lamp to pass between the parts of his sacrifice. To
Hczekiah the sign of the shadow reiurniug back upon the dial was added to the
promise of his recovery. And to the hou>t, of David, and of Israel, he give by
fhe prophet Isaiah, this onviiterioui sign, u, virgin shall conniviand btar a S9n.

58

4d8

so clearly conceived, nor take such Grrn possession of the soul';
as when they are embodied, if I may speak so, and conveyed
to us under sensible images. It is not, therefore, unworthy
of the glory and wisdom of God ; ort the other hand, it is a
proof of his infinite benignity and condescension, to confirm
to us the everlasting truth of his word, by such impressive
and external symbols as will unite the influence of sense with
(hat of intellect and faith, in giving the doctrine of his grace
their full effect upon the mind. Hence God has been pleas-
ed to exhibit the promises of his mercy to mankind through
Jesus Christ, under the gracious title of a covenant ; and, a&
ter the manner of such conventions among men ; and in or-
der more perfectly to adapt himself to that susceptibility of
sensible impressions which belongs to our nature, he has
condescended to confirm his truth in that transaction by pub-
licly and visibly annexing to it his own seal. Let me illus-
trate this idea by an analogy borrowed from civil transactions.
As charters conveying special privileges to corporations, or
to individuals are scaled, and authenticated by public offi-
cers duly appointed and commissioned for that purpose by
the sovereign power ; in like manner, is this precious char-
ter of our spiritual and immortal privileges, confirmed to us
by the seal of the Great Head of the church affixed to it, m
the name of God, by ministers solemnly set apart for this
end according to the order which he has established in his
spiritual kingdom ; so that whatever is rightfully performed
by them may be justly said to be done by him. Baptism,*

459

Ibereforc, is the seal of God applied to his own covenant,
thereby con6rraing to those, to whom it is administered, ihe
propositions of his mercy through Jesus Christ, and visibly
testifying that they are taken from under the curse of the ori-
ginal and broken covenant, which admitted only of perfect
ohediencey and condemned the transgressor to eternal death,
and placed under the new dispensation of grace, which con-
fers forgiveness on repentance, and salvation on tiie obedi-
ence of faith.

As every public seal contains emblems expressive of the
nature, and security of the blessings it confers, we see in like
manner, this christian seal distinguished by emblems, the
most simple, indeed, but the most impressive and august.
We see in it the symbol of that precious blood which was
shed for our redemption, and of the Holy Spirit by whose
gracious influences the principles of a divine life are infused
into the soul, and cherished to perfection ; and, finally, the
symbol of that heavenly purity which should adorn and dis-
tinguish the disciples of Jesus Christ.

Thus have I presented to you this ordinance in its double
signification : as the rite by which we are initiated into the
school of Christ ; and as the seal by which God continually
repeats and confirms the gracious propositions and promises
of his covenant to the seed of the church.

460

2. 1 shall, in the next place, proceed to point out the pro
per subjects of this ordinance. For on the right of our
chil iren to receive the seal of the covenant depends, in my
view, its principal benefits. This right, then, is demonstrat-
ed from analogy ; from scripture example ; and from thn
whole stream of the history of the primitive church.

1. From analogy, in the first place.-— If the father of the
faithful received from God the seal of the righteousness which
is by faith ; that is, of the covenant of grace, in which that
faith which unites us to Christ, making us partakers of his
merits, and acting as the principle of a holy life, is*" accepted
instead of the perfect righteousness of the law ; and if he was
permitted, as a precious privilege, to impress it on all his
oflfspring ; does not this right belong, with still stronger rea-
son to believing parents, under the dispensation of the gos-
pel ? For the coming of the Messiah, far from having abridg-
ed, has greatly extended ihe privileges of the faithful.

2. Let us hear in the next place, the clear and strong lan-
guage of the apostle Paul. " The promise," saith he, " was
not to Abraham or his seed through the law, but through the
righteousness of faith. And it is of faith that it might be by
grace ;" that is, of free favour, and not purchased by any
meritorious works of man, " to (he end, that the promise
might be sure to all \\\e seed, not to that only which is of the
law," or his natural ppsterily, composing the Jewish church.

461

but to that also which Is of the faith of Abraham,— i?o>n. iv.
13 — 16 : meaning the believing Gcntilea who should be called
to a participation of his privileges. What, then, is ih^it pro-
mise made sure, by the seal of the covenant, to all the seed,
both under the law, and under the gospel ? If we look bacii
to the institution of this covenant with Abraham, and of the
holy seal by which it was confirmed, we there find the pro-
mise ; / 7vitl be a God to thee and to thy seed after thee. This
is what was emphatically called the promise by the ancient
Jewish writers ; and was, as I have formerly shewn, another
denomination for the covenant of grace. Under the same
denomination it is frequently referred to in the writings of the
apostles. And whenever this holy transaction is mentioned
by the sacred writers, under this form, it is manifest that they
intend the peculiar promise of the gospel, which is salvation
by Christ through the righteousness of faith, comprehending
all that is implied in the covenant of grace. Of this no other
proof need be adduced than its being so often put by thetn in
contrast with the law.* To receive the seal of this promise

* See particularly the Ep. to Gal. ch. iii. v. IG, 17, 18,— 21— 29.— 18, If tlic
Inheritance be by works of the law, it i:^ no more of promise. 2J, Is thf law,
then against the promise of God. 24—29, The law is our schoolmaster to bring u«
to Christ. If we he CkrisPs, then are we Jbraham^s seed, and heirs according to
the promise. 16, 17, Now to Abraham and hia seed were the promises made.
And this I say that the co\-enant, plainly implying the covenant contained in the
promises, which was conGrmed before of God in Christ, the law whicli was four
h.undred and thirty yearg after, cannot di.'^anmil, that it should make the promise
of none effect. The promise here is evidently equivalent to the covenant made
with Abraham: and what could that covenant hfr which rWMCon/injied e/'Gwfjn
Chr'^f, but the covenant of grace P

4a2

was the precious privilege of the seed oF Abraham ; it uras
the privilege of his children's children to the remotest genera-
tions. And on the same ground, pursuing the apostle's rea-
soning, it is the privilege of the children of his faith, /or thei)
who are of faith are the children of Abraham. If ye be
Christ^ Sy then are ye Abraham^ s seed, and heirs according
to the fromise; the promise given to Abraham at the institu-
tion of the covenant — I will he a God to thee, and to thy seed
after thee. To confirm this conchision, no language can oe
stronger or more unequivocal than that of the apostle Peter
addressed to the vast assembly at Jerusalem touched by his
powerful discourse. " Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the
promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are
afar offj even as many as the Lord our God shall call." As
soon as he enjoins it upon them to be baptized, he reminds
them of an ulterior duty, to have this holy rite administered
io their children, and their household after the example of
Abraham : quoting to them that covenanted promise with
which every Israelite was so well acquainted, and to which
every believer, as well as the patriarch Abraham, is entitled ;
— the promise of forgiveness, and acceptance with God

It deserves here to be remarked, that the very language which is used, the cov^-
7iGnt confirmed of God, corroborates, and places almost beyond doubt, the princi-
ple, that circumcision, under the ancient dispensation, and baptism under the
new, is the seal of God by which it was confirmed, and was added to strenglhen
our faith, and to give it deeper impression on the heart of the believeV.

468

through the righteousness of faith. He adds, and not to yoil
only and to your children, who are naturally descendants of
Abraham, but to the Gentiles also, who are frequently desig-
nated in holy scripture by those who are afar off. Called
by Christ into the church, which was so long confined to the
posterity of Israel, they are now equally with Jews, entitled
to all its blessings, and its privileges, and among others, to
this precious seal of the covenant for themselves, and their
oflfspring.

It is in vain to allege, as has been done by certain writers,
that the promise here refers to the prediction of the prophet
Joel, who foretold that in the last days God tvoidd pour out
his Spirit upon all flesh. For what connexion has this proph-
ecy with the command to be baptised ? The apostle is answer-
ing the anxious inquiry of his hearers, who were pricked in
their heart ; men and brethren) what shall we do/* And in
his answer, directs them to the proper source of peace, and
consolation ; repent and be bapti::ed, and you shall receive
the Holy Ghost in his sanctifying power, and his comforting
influence : for the promise, through Christ whom I preach, is,
according to the tenor of the covenant with your father Abra-
ham, to you and to your children ; and not to you only, but to
the Gentiles, also, to those who are afar off, who, by faith shall
become children of Abraham, and heirs of his blessings.

Such is the clear and obvious conclusion resulting from the
apostle's words, The same consequence arises, with no

464

less certainty, from the advice addressed by St. Pani td
a believing husband or wife, not to separate from the unbe-
lieving wife or husband with whom they may be respective-
ly connected. For, saith he, the unbeliever is sanctified by
the believer, else were your children unclean, but now are
they holy. What is the proper import of this term!
Throughout the sacred scriptures, it is applied only to such
persons or things as are peculiarly set apart, and consecrat-
ed to God. In the connexion in which it stands in this pas-
sage, it can imply nothing less than that children are quuiifi-
ed, by the profession of faith, or the church membership of
one of their parents, to be solemnly set apart from the world,
and devoted to God — a rite which can visibly take place only
in the ordinance of baptism.^

If the right of infants to the ordinance of baptism evident-
ly results, as, by the preceding illustrations, it appears to
do, from the analogy of the christian with the Abrahamic,
seal of the covenant, it is still farther confirmed by the prac-
tice of the apostles. The passage to which reference has

* It is a prostitution of language, in this place to confound, as has been done by
one sect of christians, holiness with legitimacy of birth. The whole train of the
apostle's observations, and reasoning, translated according to this meaning of the
term, would be absurd or ridiculous. — For the unbelieving mft is sancHJied, that
is, made a legitimate subject of marriage, by the believing husbund, and the im-
beliering husband is sanctijiedt that is, made a legitimate subject of marriage, by
Ike believing nnfe, therefore, their marriage was lawful; else were your children
illegitimate, but now are they lawlully begotten. Besides other absurdities, this
would be proving the lawfulness of the marriage by the legitimacy of the children j
t'.nd again the legitimacy of the children by the lawfulness of the marriage.

465

just been made, affords no slight attestation to the practice of
St. Paul. In addition to this, when Lydia declared her faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, the i5ame apostle, along with her,
hapthed her household. With Jarius also, he baptized alt
who were in his house* It has been objected to the evi-
dence which he would derive from these facts, that those
who are referred to, by the sacred historian, in the house of
Jarius, and the hotisehold of Lydia, were only the adults
of the respective families, who were themselves believers.
What will not the prepossessions of party, or the pride of
theory maintain and defend ? For this pretence certainly,
the history affords no ground. It assigns no other reason for
baptizing these families than simply the faith of Lydia ancl
of jarius.*

3. I add that, if any apostolic usage can derive confirma-
tion from the uniform practice, and tradition of the church,
to modern, and very recent times, it is that of infant baptism.
It is attested by Justin Martyr, who lived only forty years

* This was perfectly conformable to the example of the Jewish church in recci\--
ing proselytes either by circumcision, or by baptism, from the Gentile nations.
The pagan convert who professed his faith in the great legislator of Israel, and
the promises made to the fathers, at once incorporated his whole family along with
himself, into the body cf that cliosen people.

It ia eaid, indeed, by the writers who differ from us Ui)0n this subject, that, ii>
the history of the New Testament, baptism is never administered except to a per-
sonal profession of faith. But, let it be remembered that this history records on-
ly examples of proselytes from unbelieving nations. In a similar case, a pei-sonal
pnolession of faith fvould be required by the warmest friends of infant baptism.
In the few instances in which families have been mentioned, wp n^.e tbatth'^v a^
■"aj-s follow the faith rf the hcnd.

aftcF the age of the apostles. And the evidences of (he
fact are conveyed down in a continued, and unsuspected
stream of history, to the time of St. Augustine, and Pela-
gius, who, though antagonists in the controversies which
were raised in that age, on some of the most important doc-
trines of religion, and both of them among the greatest scho-
lars, and most eloquent writers of the period in which they
lived, declare, " that they had never heard, that they had
never read of any, even the most heretical churches, who
denied the baptism of infants."^

* But few of the writers of the earliest age of the church have escaped the rari-
ges of lime, anrl rome rlown to us entirp And no controversy existing at that pe-
riod, on the subject of baptism, few occasions occur of directly introducing any
precise opinions concerning it, or of explicitly stating the practice of the apostles,
and their immediate successors. But wherever this ordinance is mentioned, ei-
ther more or less directly, the testimony of the primitive writers is uniformly io
favour of tlie baptism of infants. In the second, and especially in the third and
following centuries, circumstances having more frequently called for explicit opin-
ions on questions relative to this subject, the practice of the primitive church be-
comes, from this time more and more evident. Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus, who
lived from forty to sixty seven years after the apostles, both speak of those " who
were made disciples, and regenerated to God in infancy," a figurative mode of ex-
pression familiar in that age, to signify baptism the symbol of discipleship and
regeneration Just. Mar. apol. 11. Iren, adv. haeres. lib. 3 chap. 39.

In the second century some doubts having arisen in the church concerning ori-
ginal sin, and the nature and degree of guilt which adheres to infants, we find in
the discussions which arose on these subjects, more frequent mention made of the
baptism of infants than in the former period. The illustrious Origan, who flour-
ished in the very beginning of the second century after the apostles, maintaining
tlie original corruption of human nature, derives one of his principal arguments-
from the universal practice of the church, of administering baptism to the young-
est children;—" If infants, says he, are not liable to original sin, why are they
then baptised*"' Homil. 8. in lev. chap. 12.

St. Gyprian bishop of Carthage, who wrote about one hundred and fifty years
after the apostolic age, establishes the general usage of infailt baptism by a qioat
convincing fact. He informs us that a council of sixty six bishops being assembled
at Carthage, a doubt was proposed by one of them, whose name was Fidus, whs-

4:67

Having established the right of christian parents to have
their otfspring placed under the guardianship and care of the
church, in the ordinance of baptism, let ur examine, in the
next place, what privileges and blessings are conferred by
this act.

Whether we consider baptism ag the rite by which our
children are initiated into the church as the school of Christ,
er as the seal which God has been pleased to annex to his
covenant, in order to ratify, and more effectually, to con-
firm to our faith the promises of his grace, its privileges and
blessings, rightly understood, are manifold and great. For
t<5 Abraham and his seed, to the church, and the seed of the
church, are committed the oracles of God, with all their
lights, their comforts, their precious promises, their immor-
tal hopes. In order to give, at once, force and illustration io

ther baptism ought to be administered to infants before the eighth day after their
birth ; doubting whether or not the custom of the Jews in tliis respect ought to be
followed. The council unanimously decreed that baptism ought not to be post-
poned till the eighth day. After stating the grounds of their decree, they con-
clude in these words; — 'MVherefore dearly beloved, it is our opinion, that
from baptism and the grace of God who is benignant to all, none ought to be pnv
hibited by us ; and, as this is to be observed with regard to all, so especially is it
to be observed with respect to infants who are just born, and deserve our help,
and the divine mercy." — Cyp. ep. ad. FiJum, chap. C3.

Let me subjoin the very pertinent remark of a judicious writer ; *' Origcn was
born about eighty tive years after the apostolic age. His father and grandfather
were both christians, and as there can be no doubt of his being baptized in infan-
cy, from the manner in which he speaks of infant baptism, this fact verifies the
practice of the apostles ; and so carries up (he universal usage of the cliurcli to
vithin a very few years of those blessed companion? of our liOrd."

468

ihis reflection, let us imagine our children born where the dis-
pensation of grace is not known, and to have been iefl under
the darkness of paganism, to the feeble glimmerings of na-
ture, to lead them to a knowledge of their Creator, their
Redeemer, and their duty ; imagine them, under all the ca-
lamities of life, to have been forsaken of the comforts of re-
ligious hope ; and, after their most anxious endeavours to
look into futurity, and to appease the forebodings of con-
science, unable to penetrate beyond this dark sphere, or to
discern any certain means of access to the holy and right-
eous Judge of the universe, and, at length, abandoned to
the cruel despair which, without the light of revelation, rests
upon the shadows of the> grave ; imagine all this, and then
judge of the inestimable value of that blessed sacrament
which, agreeably to the command of Christ, places us, from
the beginning of life, in the bosom of the church, where a
divine illumination continually shines ; where life and immor-
tality are brought to light ; where the veil which covers the-
eternal world is drawn aside ; where the way of peace is
clearly revealed to sinful and perishing men ; where the care
of parents, and the fidelity of the ministers of religion are
engaged under the most solemn obligations, for the discipline,
and instruction of the infant mind ; where the influences of
the Holy Spirit are promised to assist the effect of these in-
structions ; and where all the means and aids are enjoyed
which it has seemed good to infinite wisdom to afford to man-
kind, for the attainment of their everlastina; salvation.

469

Such are the blessings connected with baptism, consider-
ed merely as an initialing symbol introducing us into the
church of Christ. We are placed by it under the happiest,
and most elTectual cultivation for Heaven. *

Let us now contemplate this symbol in another light, as
the seal which God has annexed to his covenant for the so-
lemn confirmation of his promises, and we shall discover in
(his view of it, a new treasure of spiritual blessings.

Every child of Adam, by his error, and fall, and by the
rigorous tenor of the violated covenant, has become an heir
of death. But God, in his infinite mercy, at the moment of
transgression, placed the frailty of man under a dispensation
of grace in Jesus Christ. Of this most benignant and mer-
ciful dispensation, which obviates, or remedies, the evils of
the broken law, circumcision anciently, and now baptism, is
the gracious assurance and seal. In the symbol of baptism,
therefore, you behold the visible pledge, and annunciation,
on the part of God, that the baptized infant is taken from un-
der the impracticable conditions, and the curse of the first
covenant, and placed under the grace of the second,* Yon
behold that precious infant, on its first entrance into exist-

* It is not intended by this to pay, that the act of baptism transfers us from the
one covenant to the other. That was done by the promise of the Suvmir imme-
diately after the Fall. But it is the solemn authentication of this truth on the
part of God, and the declaratory seal of this grace.

4ro

ence, met with the covenant of peace, and the promises of
eternal life sealed in the blood of the Redeemer.

Is baptism, then, a certain title to eternal life ? I say not
that ; but it is a solemn and authentic proposition of the
covenant of grace, with all its privileges, blessings, and con-
ditions under the seal of God. It is, therefore, a visible and
sacramental confirmation of the provisional title of the bap*
tized to life and immortality on the terms of the gospel ;
that is, on sincere repentance, and a true faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ. Let me illustrate this principle by a familiar
example. By charter from the government of your country,
or bequest from a dying parent, you may become entitled to
ample privileges, or rich possessions, on the performance of
certain conditions. The seal annexed to that charter, or
that testament, by the proper authority, is the declaration of
the will of your parent, or your country, and consequently,
the formal authentication, and security of your title the mo-
ment the condition shall be fulfilled. This condition is, to
all who have grown to such mature age as to be capable of
actual sin, not perfect obedience, according to the tenor of
the first, and broken covenant, but according to the constitu-
tion of the covenant of grace, repentance towards God, and
faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, which, however, leads
to perfection, and plants in the heart the seeds of holiness,
and of eternal life. But to every infant dying in infancy, it
is an unconditional assurance, of a glorious inheritance in the

471

kingdom of heaven. The infant being placed under the
grace of the second covenant, is delivered from the curse of
the firsl, so far, that, being united by a new and blessed rela-
tion to the Secocd Adam, its original taint and impurity, de-
rived from its relation to the first, is covered by the blood of
the atonement. It is, therefore, through the mercy of Gpd
in Christ, made an heir of eternal life. Of these precious
truths baptism is the sacramental pledge, and seal of assurance
given by God. What a consolation does this view present
to the christian parent, who weeps over the dear remains of
the infant snatched untimely from his embrace ! What a
comfortable and extended prospect does it exhibit of the
grace of the gospel.^

Having offered to your consideration, in a few plain and
obvious principles, the right of infants born within the church,
to the seal of the covenant, and pointed out the blessings of
which they become partakers by it ; I will next endeavour
to designate, more particularly, the limits of the visible
church, and exhibit the nature and extent of that profession
of the name of Christ which entitles a parent to offer, and the

* Ver>' far would I be from insiauatiug that tUose who die without bap-
tism do, therefore, fail of salvation. But between the baptized and unbaptized
infant dying in infancy, there is this difference— that, to the one, the inherit-
ance of eternal life is conveyed by covenant from God, under his appointed
seal ; ^he other is left to the free, indeed, but anauthenticated pledge of his mer-
cv in this ordinance.

4?2

cbur ch to receive hi* infant offspring to a participation o!
this holy ordinance.

The principal question which has been raised upon Ihi?
subject, turns on this single point, whether the church on
earth, consists only of those who are truly regenerated, and
hare added sincere and new obedience to their open profes-
sion of the name of their Redeemer ; or, on the other hand,
embraces ail those who have been baptized, and continuing
to profess the doctrines of the Saviour, submit themselves to
the counsels, admonitions, reproofs, and to the whole disci-
pline of that spiritual body whose head is Christ.

The constitution of the Jewish church, the type and coun-
terpart of the Christian, will assist us to determine this ques-
lion. All who believed in Moses, the great prophet of God,
and submitted to his law, were embraced in the external
bonds, and received tlie distinguishing seal of the covenant..
But, thzy were not all Israel, who were of Israel. A dis-
tinction existed among them, which, must always exist upon
earth, among the professing disciples of Christ, between the
visible, and the invisible church. The latter is composed of
those only, who, by sincere piety, and an entire renovation
of heart, bear the inward image of their Lord and Master.
The former embraces all who are united together under the
profession of the same system of doctrines, who enjoy the
?ame ordinances, and who submit to the same discipline for

473

regulating the exterior order and manners of its members*
To the church of Israel, comprehending the entire iiution,
were the oracles of God committed. And the seal of that
gracious covenant, which was contained, and explained in
these oracles, and exhibited \o the ancient church under a
thousand typical rites, was impressed on all their offspring,
and on all who were born in their houses, and trained up ia
the knowledge of divine truth under their care. Analogy,
then, will lead us to extend the application of the christian
seal to the households^ and especially, to the children of all
who are members of the visible church ; that is, who have
been baptised themselves, who acknowledge the Lord Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Saviour, who profess to embrace
the huly scriptures as containing the only certain rule of du-
ty, and the only foundation of their immortal hopes, who
submit themselves and their households to the discipline and
instruction of the church, and who promise to concur with
her in the pious education and government of all those whom
nature hath given to their affection, or providence subjected
to their authority.

To the invisible church baptism cannot be confined, be-
cause men have no certain rule by which to discriminate it
from the mass of visible professors. Let me ask those who
suppose that somewhat more is necessary in the recipient to
the validity of this ordinance than regular morals, an open
profession of the faith, and submission to the discipline of the

474

church, Is it because they esteem the actual sanctification
of the parent essential to the rightful administration of bap-
tism to the child ? Who, then, can know, with certainty,
that he is baptized ? Do they say that it is, at least, neces-
sary, that in the judgment of charity, a parent should be a
sincere believer ? Where is the scripture rule which rests
the benefit of baptism on our judgment of the internal state of
a man's heart? or makes it the standard by which we are to
admit his infant to the external privileges of the covenant of
grace ? Will not those judgments of charity vary in different
churches ? Will tbey not vary, perhaps, in diflferent pastors
in the same Church ? Too earnestly he cannot be admon-
ished, indeed, that vital and universal holiness of heart and
life is essential to salvation, and essential, likewise, to the
faithful and acceptable discharge of this, and of every duty
in the sight of God ; yet it cannot be essential to the validi-
ty of this ordinance, and its spiritual benefit to his infant
oJSspring.

Let us recur again to the proper meaning and design of
this ordinance, and this conclusion will not fail to strike us
with additional force. It is, in the first place, the rite of our
initiation into the school of Christ, in which we receive those
lessons of divine wisdom, which cannot be taught to man by
the wisdom of the world ; and in which we enjoy the happi-
est means of promoting our virtue and holiness, and the most
eflfectual aids for the attainment of our salvation.

475

it is, in the next place, the seal which God hath annexed
to the external dispensation of his covenant, in order that he
might, by a rite, so solemn, though so simple, confirm the
propositions of his mercy to fallen man, through the atone-
ment and mediation of the ever blessed Redeemer. ThC
church openly annexes this seal to the covenant, in the name
and by the authority of God himself. The church takes the
infant under her protection and instruction. Most desirable
it is to have the co-operation and assistance of the parents
in this sacred and important duty : and they they are bound,
by every obligation, of nature and religion to afford it. But
it is still more the duty of the church to enlighten and direct
the infant's opening reason, to imbue it with holy and heav-
enly principles, to illustrate, to inculcate, to press upon it the
precious privileges, the gracious promises, the glorious hopes
of which she has given it the seal. The church when she
is faithful to her trust, adopts every infant, whom she re-
ceives by baptism, within the pale of her privileges. It is
her faith, her fidelity which is to be regarded in this ordi-
nance even more than that of the parent.

It is with the view chiefly to the pious education of the
seed of the church that this ordinance is administered to in-
fants. / know him, saith God of the father of the faithful,
at the institution of this rite, that he will train tip his chiU
dreUy and his household after him, to keep the way of the
Lord, In the primitive ages, when many parents were in-

476

Capable themselves of fulfilling these holy duties, benevolent
and pious sponsors offered themselves to discharge theifl
in their VooDi. But the church was considered as sponsor for
all her children, and she is, certainly, the best, and most
faithful sponsor, when she considers her duty aright, for eve-
ry infant whom she receives to her protection and care by
this ordinance. On this ground it was that she required ex-
posed children, and children of whatever parents, with the
care of whose pious education she charged herself, to re-
ceive, under her direction, the holy rite of baptism.

ON THE FORM OF BAPTISM.

If the mode of administering this ordinance had been es-
sential to its validity we slionld justly have expected to see
it prescribed with as much particularity as any of the Leviti-
cal ceremonies. On the other hand, there is no de6nite
prescription on this subject, farther than that water is to be
applied as a symbol of that regeneration and purification of
our nature which all men need, and which a sincere faith in
the gospel is intended, and fitted to produce. Any applica-
tion, therefore, of this cleansing element, which is a natural
emblem of spiritual purity, especially, if it be justified by the
usage of the church, and the import of the terms employed
by the sacred writers, is iis proper and legitimate form. In
warm climates where daily bathing is the customary mode of
cleansing the person^ immersion may be used with the high-

477

est propriety ; in other regions, where it is seldom necessary
for this purpose, to wash dailj^ more than a part of the body,
a partial appHcation of water may be made with equal rea-
son. An action of our Saviour recorded in the thirteenth
chapter of (he gospel of John, is full of instruction on this
subject. It was usual with (he Jews, before eating, to wash
their feet, a practice which had become necessary, both
from the fashion of their dress, and their manner of reclin-
ing upon couches at their meals. Christ, in order to give
his disciples a lesson, at once, of humillly, and purity, con-
descended himself to wash their (eet When Peter under-
stood the meaning of (his action, and that it was intended
as a symbol of his purification, and acceptance with his
Lord, he exclaimed in the fervour of his zeal, Lord ! not
my fed only, but also my handSi and my head. But, as
the action of the Saviour was merely symbolical, cleansing
that part of the body which it was customary to wash at that
time, was sufficient to answer the design ; therefore, he re-
pUes to Peter, he that is washed, needeth not save to wash
his feet y but it is every whit clean.

Having made these preliminary remarks, I observe that
the terra baptism, in the sacred writings, is applied indiffer-
ently, to signify either partial, or entire washing — either
sprinkling, or immersion, according to the situation of the
agent, or the object of the action. It is unnecessary to cite
all the passages in which this is demonstrated. To one or

4r8

two only I shall refer. When Jesus went to eat with a cer*
tain pharisee, Ihe pharisee wondered that he had not first
washed ; referring to the Jewish custom of washing their
hands before meat. In the original it is, he wondered that
he had not first baptised. Many other things there be,
saifh the evangelist Mark, which they have received to hold,
as the washing (in the original, the baptism) of cups, of
pots, of brazen vesselsy and of tables. As the sacred wri-
ter is probably referring to the instruments of the temple ser-
vice, or to those domestic utensils which were religiously
purine d, according to the same forms, the whole Levitical
ritual proves that these purifications were effected by va-
rious sprinklings, or aspersions. As the term baptism, and
all those derived from the same root are employed to signify
sprinkling, and partial washing, no less than immersion, so it
is well known that the primitive church used indifferently,
and according to present convenience, the one, or the oiher
of these forms, in administering the baptismal rite ; particu-
larly in the case of clinici, or the sick, and those of great
delicacy of constitution, or of health. And in forming our
judgment of the validity of the mode by aspersion, it de-
serves to be particularly remarked, that sprinkling is, through-
out the sacred writings, used as one of the most common
and significant emblems of purity, of cleansing, of repent-
ance, of every thing that is implied in the waters of baptism.
Not to speak of the innumerable aspersions used, for this

4T9

purpose, under the Levitical law, the blood of Ihe atonement
is expreh."ily called the blood of sprinkling. Isaiah, in an-
nouncing the oflice, and grace of l>lessiah, declares he shall
sprinkle many nations. The prophet Ezekiel, in proclaim-
ing the sanctifying influence of the gospel, does it by this
figure ; Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and.
you shall be clean. And when the apostle would express,
in the strongest terms, (hat purity of mind which, in our ap-
proaches to God, we ought to bring with us to the throne
of grace, he says ; Let us come to him, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil cojiscience. — But I forbear to multi-
ply proofs. These are sufficient to demonstrate that either
mode, by immersion, or by sprinkling, will answer the whole
intention of the ordinance, as an emblem of that purity of
life which becomes a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The principal evidence on which the advocates for immer-
sion, as essential to the rightful administration of this ordi-
nance, rest their opinion, is an expression used by the apos-
tle m his epistle to the Romans, and in that to the Collos-
sians ; buried with him by baptism. Whether this allu-
sion be made to the practice of immersion, borrowed from
the custom of bathing in warm clitnates, or not, it establish-
es no exclusive form for this ordinance. It is an expression
highly figurative ; and no argument can be safely rested on
a figure of speech. It affords, at the ntmost, only a collat-

480

era!, and indirect support to other argumenfs, by its suppos-
ed reference to an existing custom. But, admitting that re-
ference to be real, in the present case ; and the inference es-
tablishing the existence of the custom to be ever so justly
drawn, still it could not impose immersion on the church as
the indispensable, and exclusive form of baptism. For, if
the custom were to create a rule which could not be depart-
ed from, that custom should be entirely and completely ad-
hered to. But I presume baptism with the person naked,
which was the practice, where plunging was used in those
warm climates, in imitation of bathing, would not now be de-
sired, or tolerated by any christian sect. The habits,
modes, and customary ideas of that age, took away that sense
of impropriety which would justly shock the delicacy of our
modern sentiments. Even on the ground, then, of this figure
containing a reference to an existing custom, that custom
would not infallibly bind men in every age, and in every
climate or state of society.

But, let us carry on this argument from figure into the
following verses, and see how it will operate ; For, saith the
apostle, " if we have been planted in the likeness of his death,
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection ; knowing
this (hat our old man is crucified with him." Here then are
three figurative expressions, all referring to the same object,
the ordinance of baptism, and its symbolic signification of a
death unto sin ; viz. " buried with him by baptism unto death;

481

planted in the likeness of his deadi ; and crucifying with him
our old man." According (o this reasoning, therefoic, bap-
tisra shouhl contain something in the mode of its administra-
tion corresponding to all these figures : so that, if the first
figure necessarily implies the justification of the mode of
baptizing exclusively by immersion : the last will, on the
same ground, justify, and require the form of the church of
Rome in baptizing with the sign of the cross. But as the
friends of immersion do not admit of the latter consequence,
those who conform to the practice of baptizing by sprink-
ling, with equal reason, do not think themselves bound by
the former.

Upon the whole view of this subject, I conclude, and, I
think, from the fairest reasoning, that the mode of adminis-
tering baptism, whether by sprinkling, or immersion, is not
essential to the validity of the ordinance, which requires only
that the emblem of its cleansmg and purifying virtue be sig-
nificantly preserved-

61

OF THE

EXTERNAL SEALS

OF THE

COVENANT OF GRACE.

The second seal attached to the covenant of grace, or the
second sacrament of the New Testament, is the Lord's sup-
per. This ordinance was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ,
immediately before his final sufferings, in which he appoint-
ed bread and wine to be used as memorials of his death for
the sins of the world, and symbols of the union of his people to
him, and to one another. The apostle Paul, in his first
epistle to the Corinthians, ch. ii. v. 23 — 26 : has stated
the origin of this festival, and the manner in which it was
celebrated by our Lord himself, with his disciples, as an ex-
ample for the imitation of his church in all ages. Corres-
ponding with this exhibition, is the account recorded by the
evangelists Matthew and Luke. And, from the whole, it is
evident, that the broken bread was employed as an emblem
of the body of the Saviour broken in the room of sinners,
and the wine in like manner, was used as an emblein of his

484

blood shed lor the remission of sins. These simple, but
lively images were ordained to call up to the memory of the
believer, the death and sufiferings of his Redeemer, with
greater vivacity and force than can be done by the preach-
ing of the gospel in our ordinary assemblies. — Do this, said
our Lord, while he broke the bread, and distributed the cup,
in remembrance of me. But the ordinance, as I have said,
Las another and secondary object, which is to represent the
union of believers with their great Head by faith and love,
and among themselves, by the spirit of charity. " The cup
of blessing which we bless," saith the apostle, " is it not
the communion of the blood of Christ ? and the bread
which we break, is it no' the communion of the body of
Christ ? For, we, being many, are one bread, and one bo-
dy ; for we are all partakers of that one bread."

The different ends which a christian may have in view in
this ordinance, have been marked in the various denomina-
tions which it has received in the primitive church, the chief
of which are continued down to the present age. The
hordes supper) and the table of the Lord^ are denomina-
tions nearly equivalent ; the one taken from the time in which
it was celebrated ; the other taken from the manner in which
It was eaten, wherein it resembled an ordinary meal. It has
been a practice in all countries to commemorate great, and
interesting events, and to testify mutual joy, and a&ectlon
r>n such occasions, by feasting together. These denomina-

485

tions, therefore, imply, Ihat this ordinance is to be viewed as
a ieslival of coramemoralion, in which (he faithful meet at
the same table, to testify their common interest in the great
sacrifice of the cross, and their common faith, and hope, in
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus their Lord.

In reference to these objects, chiefly, it is, that these de*
votional acts have been styled the communion, the eucha-
rist, or the cup of blessings not only from the act of thanks-
giving by which it is consecrated, or blessed for the use of
the communicant, but from the praise and gratitude which
should fill the heart of the humble believer in this holy ser-
vice, and which is usually expressed with ardour by the
voice, while occupied in celebrating this memorial of (he in-
finite goodness and m6rcy of Almighty God, through our
Lord Jesus Christ. It is denominated, likewise, by the
apostle, the breaking of bread; and, to mention no more,
out of the many titles which it afterwards received in the
church, it is, in the holy scriptures, called our passover ; be-
cause it was, under the new economy, evidently instituted in
the room of that ancient sacrament under the antecedent dis-
pensation. There existed indeed, an obvious analogy between
the two ordinances. The paschal lamb was a type of Ch/iat,
That victim was oflfered in commemoration of the great deliv-
erance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, which had a typi-
cal allusion to the infinitely greater salvation of the cross, in
which were consummated all the types of the altar. The

4H6

principal difference between these ordinances, wliicli serves^
however, to illustrate their analogy, is, that the one was the
memorial of a temporal, the other of an eternal salvation—
the one consisted of a bloody victim which prefigured the
great sacrifice of the gospel ; the other is the bloodless me-
morial of the last of victims, which hath finished our salva-
tion and accomplished an everlasting righteousness. — The
ceremonies of the one, were also borrowed from those of the
other. For, the victim apart, which can no longer be offer-
ed under the gospel, the bread was used in imitation of the
unleavened bread of the passover, which the Jews ate, af-
ter being blessed or consecrated by prayer and thanksgiving.
The cup, likewise, formed a considerable part of the paschal
festival, which they always blessed, before receiving it, by
a form of prayer, and action of thanks ; and the last cup,
which concluded the whole service, was succeeded by an
hymn ; which hymn, their learned men inform us, consisted
of the following psalms, 113 — 118; and is supposed, by
many writers, to have been the same which Christ, with his
disciples, sung at the conclusion of his last supper.

OF THE CEREMONIES WITH WHICH THE ADMINISTRATIOIJ
OF THIS ORDINANCE OUGHT TO BE ACCOMPANIED.

As the dispensation of the gospel entirely rejects the cum-
brous ritual of the law, and rejoices only in the simplicity and
purity of its spirit, the administration ef thia ordinance, al-

48r

though the most solemn which is known, under the new co*
venanf, ought to be accompanied only with those simple cct-
emonies recorded by the evangelists in its original institution,
and recited by St. Paul in its repetition. They consist
merely in prayer and thanksgiving, by an administrator pro-
perly authorized to consecrate the elements, and separate
them from an ordinary to a sacred use — in the breaking of
the bread, and distribution of the cup, in the presence of
the communicants — in a declaration of the nature and design
of the ordinance, by the officiating priest, and of the proper
qualifications of those who may be admitted to partake of its
grace — in receiving it in both kinds in the usual posture of
feasting which obtains in each country — and, finally, conclud-
ing the whole with some proper form of thanksgiving, and
some devout hymn of praise. Our Saviour employed un-
leavened bread in this holy office, because no other was eat-
en at Jerusalem in the season of the passover ; — his posture
was, reclining on a couch, which, in that age, was the only
one in use at public feasts, and generally, also at private
meals. But, as there is no precept enjoining the use of un-
leavened bread, as in the Jewish festival, christians may use
their liberty as to the kind ; though the church of Rome^
which is negligent of other parts of the divine example, is
scrupulous in using bread, or wafers without leaven. The
same church, as well as some of the protestant communion,
receive this sacrament in the posture of adoration, instead of
the ordinary attitude of feasting, which was used by out

48a

Lord, and his disciples. But in determining what ceremo-
nies ought to be employed in conformity with the great ex-
ample which is to direct our conduct, and what punctilios
may be varied or dispensed with, it is necessary to bear in
mind the end of the institution, and the circumstances attend-
ing the time of its original celebration. Its double end, as
we have seen, was to be a memorial of the death of our
Lord, and a sj^mbol of the union of his people ; both which
were attained by the institution of a solemn festival. It is
conformable to reason, therefore, that the posture of feasting,
as it prevails in each country, ought to be preserved in this
religious act. But the species of bread, used in this ordi-
nance, or the time of the day devoted to it, at its original
administration, being intimately connected with the customs
of the Jewish passover, do not impose upon the christian
church any obligation of conformity in these respects.

The posture of adoration, and the denial of the cup to the
laity, having sprung, in the church of Rome, from supersti-
tious views of the ordinance, and false ideas of the miracu-
lous conversion of the bread and wine into the real body and
blood of Christ, ought to be rejected along with the supersti-
tious service.

The ceremonies accompanying this christian rite, appear
to have been copied, in general, from those which obtamed
in the Jewish passover. Among that people, the adminis-

4a9

Orator alw^ays blessed the elements, or pronounced a prayer
of benediction and thanksgiving over them, and especially
over the cup, distributing it afterwards to all who were pre-
sent at the table. In r'eference to this act of de vol ion the
psalmist exclaims, Iivlll take the cup of salvation j and will
call upon the name of the Lord. And, in the christian
church the cup was given to the laity, as well as to the cler-
gy, till, a short time after the commencement of the thirteenth
century, a different custom began to prevail among the La-
tins. And, finally, in the council of Constance, in the year
1414, the laity were entirely prohibited from receiving the
cup, as if it actually contained the blood of (he Son of God.
" It would be impious," said those blind and superstitions
priests, "if any of the divine and heavenly drops should,
by any accident among the communicants, be spilled upon
the ground." For the same reason, those ignorant men or-
dered the bread to be formed into a wafer, and put into the
mouth of each communicant, least any crumb should be
lost, and that each might receive the whole hosty as it was
called, a superstitious term derived froai the Latin, and signi-
fying the sacrifice, or victim. The original custom, howev-
er, still prevailed throughout all (he East, among the Greeks,
the Russians, the Armenians, the Abyssinians, the Copts^
and even the Nestorians, and Jacobins ; and has been re-
ceived in all the reformed churche3.

490

Pure wine, wherever it can be obtained, ought to be em-
ployed not only because it is the best emblem of that pre-
cious blood which gives life and strength to those who use it,
but because it is strictly conformable to the example of the
Saviour in its original institution. Where wine cannot be
obtained, or where it remarkably disagrees with the stomachy
reason dictates that it must, or that it ought to be omitted.
But they are to be blamed who, like the hydroparastatae,
substitute water, or any other liquor in the room of wine.
The custom of substituting weaker liquors, void of spirit in
the room of wine, which was practised by certain small sects,
was, probably, introduced originally, by some weak, but pi-
ous men, as a preventative against intoxication, too many in-
stances of which, as we learn from the apostle, had taken
place, to the great reproach of their holy profession, in con-
sequence of too liberal a use of that strong liquor. For, in
that age, they literally feasted upon bread and wine, a diet
to which they had been accustomed from its plenty, and did
not use it in that sparing manner which has since been prac-
tised in our christian assemblies— 1 Cor, xi. 21.

A declaration of the nature, and design of the ordinance,
and of the requisite qualifications of those who may be ad-
mitted, by the officers of the church to receive it, along with
the faithful, is evidently a custom of great propriety, in or-
der to recal to mind, more forcibly, the import and solemni-
ty of that sacred transaclion, and to assist the ignorant in ex-

491

amining themselves ; a serious duly which is incumbent up-
on all before they adventure to cat of that bread, anddrini:
of that ctq) — 1 Cor xi. 28. *

The only circumstance farther, which it is of importance
to remark in the administration of this ordinance, is, that, in
all ordinary cases, it ought to be performed only by a per-
son properly qualified, and ordained to the pastoral office
by the government of the church. It was, in the first in-
stance, dispensed by our Lord himself. Afterwards it fell
to be administered by the apostles, and those whom the}'
had set apart to preach the word, and dispense the sacra-
ments. And, generally, it is requisite, for the sake of or-
der, and common utility, that this holy office should be con-
fined to those, who are the regular successors of the apos-
tles, and ordained according to that form which the gospel
has prescribed, or the church esteems best calculated for
preserving purity of doctrine, and of manners. — Yet, where
any society of christians is, from the nature of their circum-
stances, deprived of those aids, perhaps they ought to as-
semble for the worship of God, and may, without violence
to the institutions of Christ, appoint men of prudence and
piety, from among themselves, to lead in their devotions,
and to preside in these sacred festivals of love. This is a
liberty, however, which ought always to be used with the
most profound caution, and only after the most serious cor.
^iction of its absolute necessity.

491

OP THE USE OF CEREMONIES, OR EXTERNAL SYMBOLS.

Since the gospel is a dispensation, and requires a worship
of the most pure and spiritual kind, it may well be made a
question, why any material elements, or symbols like these
should be employed in its religious services ? And 1 would
answer, that it appears to arise simply from a gracious con-
descension in Almighty God, and accommodation to the im-
perfection of our nature. While we remain in the body, we
are necessarily and strongly affected by certain striking and
sensible signs, on serious and interesting occasions. The
bloody robe of Cfesar displayed to the populace of Rome
was more eloquent than all the harangues of the assertors of
her liberty. On this principle of our nature, statues, and
altars have been erected, and festivals instituted to the me-
mory of great men by the gratitude of nationS; or employed
Id the celebration of illustrious events. On the same princi-
ple, we love ta wear some relic, or to adopt some symbol
of mourning, io recal the idea of our departed friends. On
the two gceatest occasioDSj herefore, in our christian course,
our initiation into the church of Christ, and giving our pub-
lic and explicit assent to our christian covenant, if appears to
he wise and good to require these solemn and interesting acts
tp be ronfirmed by upt, and significant symbols which are
calculated deeply to impress the inind by affecting the sen-
ses. On the other hand, it is equally good and wise in him^,

493

Hot to have loaded bis worship with an unmeaning multitude
of ceremonies. For, it is not more certain, that, on all just,
and great occasions, sensible emblems properly cliosen, have
a powerful and useful eflfect, than that too great a multiplica-
tion of ceremonies, strongly inclines (he mind to a frivolous
superstition, substituting rites, and external forms in the
room of true devotion and holiness of life.

OF TRANSUBSTANTIATION.

In different parts of the church, some errors have been in-
troduced into this holy rite, but since the light which has so
abundantly been shed upon it by the protestant writers, they
are no longer in danger of producing any pernicious effect,
and the palpable absurdity of Transubstantiation, in partic-
ular, hardly requires a serious refutation. — By this term^
which, for a long time, misled, with almost magical effect,
the church of Rome, was intended, the transmutation sup-
posed to pass on the elements of bread and wine, into the
reaj body and blood of Christ : an opinion, most evidently,
contrary to reason, and common sense; and which has no
support in the language of scripture, or the usages of the
primitive ages. This doctrine contradicts the evidence of
all our senses, by wtich alone we can form an accurate judg-
ment on the qualities of material subjects. If our senses
could'be so far misled that the essences of flesh and blood
could be covered under the sensible qualities of bread and

4^4

wine, we could bave no criterion left by which to judge of
any miracle ; the whole rational evidence of religion would
be annihilated by this single position. Besides, it involves
the most palpable contradiction, which it is scarcely worthy
your time to point out, that the same body should be entire
in heaven, and upon earth ; in ten thousand pieces of bread,
or drops of wine ; and in ten thousand different places at the
same time. And a man, according to this monstrous absurdi-
ty, by living on the sacramental elements, might become
transmuted, vile as he is, into the real body of our blessed
Saviour. The follies of this doctrine were strongly combat-
ted by the protestant writers of the last age ; for, having re-
cently emerged from the bosom of popery, they were every
where mingled with numerous adherents to that superstition.
But in our age, and country, little need be said to guard pi-
ous men against such an irrational dogma. The disciples of
popery allege, in support of this strange opinion, the words
of our Lord himself; — This is my body which is broken for
you ; making him to be alive, and breaking, and distributing
his dead body at the same time. The expression which follows
might have cured, or prevented this mistake — do this in re-
membrance of me, as a standing memorial of my death. It
is a plain, and obvious figure of speech, familiar in the lan-
guage of all nations. A sentence of Cicero, which seems
as if written with a view to this occasion, might have been a
sufficient refutation of the absurd interpretation of this lan-
guage.—" Dum fruges Cererem, vinom Liber um dicimus^

495

genere no9 quidem serraonis utiraur usltato, setl ecquen tam
amentera esse putas, qui Illiid, quo vescalur Dcum credat es.
se V Cic. de nat. Deor. lib. 3. chap. IG. §. 41.

Transnbstantiation is a doctrine of which we find nolhinc
in the writers who flourished in the four, or five first centu-
ries of the church. In the sixth century, the elevation of
the host, as it began then figuratively to be called, was first
introduced ; not, however, for the purpose of adoration, but
that all might see it, and that it might the better represent
the elevation of Christ upon the cross. It was not, until the
extreme ignorance of the twelfth, and thirteenth centuries^
that this idolatrous opinion and practice generally prevailed.

The consequences, and abuses of this doctrine we have
seen in the denial of the cup to the laity — the idolatrous ado-
ration of the host — sending it to the absent — keeping it in
their houses, and about their persons, as a charm — carrying
it through the streets on occasions of great public calamity-
giving it to the dead, by laying it on their breasts, especially
if they were priests, and evgn burying it with them as a pass-
port to heaven.

OF CON3UBSTANTIATIOX,

It is so difficult entirely to divest the mind of its prejudi-
ces, and to cast oflf errors which h-wn incorporafed fhem'

499

selves deeply with our habits of thinking, that Luther, and
his followers, although convinced of the error and absurdity
of transubstanliation, were attracted, by the power of preju-
dice, into some unintelligible resemblance of their ancient
principle. They condemned the absurdity, if" not impietyj
of the actual transmutation of the bread and wine into the
real body and blood of the Son of God ; but, in a language
not much more clear and comprehensible, maintained that
this, precious sacrifice was wholly received in, with, and
tinder, the elements in the supper. I do not profess to ex-
plain these mysterious terms ; but, if they have any definite
meaning, they embrace one of the principal absurdities which
embarrass the other doctrine.- — They represent the same
body as present in many different places at the same time.
The great refgrmer impressed, by his education, with a su-
perstitious veneration for the symbols jised in this ordinance,
wished equally to avoid the error into which the Catholics
had been led, and to favour his own prejudices, and there-
fore embraced a form of expression, which imposed upon him-
self, while it was destitute of any clear and definite meaning,

OF THE REQUISITE QUALIFICATIONS IN THOSE WHO

WOULD WORTHILY PARTAKE OF THE

lord's SUPPER.

Many writers have alleged, and of these not a few in the
very first ages, that the constitution of the christian and vish

hie church requires, that those who have been initiated by
baptism, should be introduced also to the participation of its
ultimate sacrament in the Lord's Supper. This opinion ari«
ses from a misconception of the nature and design of (he two
ordinances ; which may be learned from a small attention to
the origin of the church. Baptism was designed to make a
visible and public proposition of salvation on the terms of the
New Covenant, to those who, otherwise, were the heirs of
death, through the condemnation of the original covenant.
To every baptized infant this proposition of salvation is pro-
visionally made, on the conditions of repentance and faith in
our Lord Jesus Christ. So far, then, the infant is the pas-
sive subject, or recipient of the divine mercy in this ordi-
nance. And it is his visible warrant to embrace these gra-
cious terms of our redemption. The Lord's Supper, on the
other hand, is an active service; and contains an active
pledge of our having embraced the covenant, and of our
fidelity to all its conditions. This places a material diflfer-
ence between the two ordinances, and requires in particular,
of those who would worthily partake of the Lord's Supper,
" that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern
the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their re-
pentance, love, and new obedience." A condition which
cannot reasonably be required of infants. — Without a just
knowledge of the nature and design of the ordinance, we can-
not offer a rational, and acceptable service in it to Almighty
God. Faith is requisite to give importance to the ob|ect^of

fir?

^

498

cur worship, and a proper interest in the duty. While we
celebrate the dying love of our Redeemer, it becomes us,
with profound humility, and repentance, to recollect the sins
for which he endured such sufferings, and with the most
lively gratitude and love, to recal him to mind who laid
down his life that nx might live.

I add, farther, that, as this ordinance is a feast of charity
and love, it is most highly requisite, that all who would wor-
thily partake of it should be in perfect peace with their breth-
ren ; be ever ready to forgive their enemies, and cherish no
hatred against any man. Charity among our fellow men is
the truest image of God our Heavenly Father. But in the
exercise of the discipline of (he rhnrr.h, we ran only examine
into the knowledge of the communicant ; receive the pro-
fession of his faith ; and see that his external deportment is
consistent with the doctrine and example of his Saviour.

OF THE BENEFITS OF A SERIOUS AND PIOUS USE OF THIg
HOLY ORDINANCE, AND THE DANGERS OF ITS ABUSE.

Before concluding these observations on the Lord's Sup-
per, suffer me very shortly to remark the benefits resulting
from a devout attendance on this holy ordinance ; and the
dangers of its abuse. Its evident tendency is to confirm our
resolutions of duty, and to awaken and strengthen all the gra-
ces of the christian life. But as every act of religion per-

499

formed- in an irreverent manner, contributes to harden the
heart, and alienate it more from real and vital holiness, these
consequences, in a much higher degree, attend, or follow the
abuse of an institution so sacred and solemn. In the first age
of the church, raanj insincere disciples, only partially re-
claimed from paganism, misled by the ideas and habils ex-
isting in the festivals of the heathen gods, introduced a licen-
tiousness in i(s celebration, highly unbecoming the sanctity,
and purity of the christian church. In that miraculous pe-
riod, the disorder was consequently, followed by visible and
frequently instantaneous judgments from Almighty God.
For this cause, saith the apostle, many are weak and sick-
ly among yon, and many sleep. And, probably, to these
effects chiefly, the same aposlle had reference when he utters
the following denunciation — " He that eateth, and driuketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not
discerning the Lord's body."

These terrible examples of divine displeasure, thus mira-
culously inflicted, seem to have contributed to throw the
christians of the following age into the opposite extreme of
excessive fear, and superstitious veneration of this holy ordi-
nance. Since miracles have ceased, the judgments which
follow the abuse of the Lord's Supper, appear to be rather
of a spiritual, than a temporal nature — lukewarmness in eve-
ry pious feeling, and hardness of heart, which gradually leads
to the total dereliction of the oflices of piety. This fearful

DUO

state of abandonment by God, is, perhaps, more hastened by
an iii. proper use of this holy rife, than by all other deficien-
cies in religious duty, and, almost, by all other vices.

Other pretended sacraments, added to the ritual of the
holy scriptures by the church of Rome,^ it is unnecessary
to take up your time either to explain or refute. I proceed,
therefore, to a brief consideration of our future state of exis-
tence.

* Confirmation, Penance, Ordination, Marriage, Ejitreme Unction.

ON

A FUTURE STATE.

The last doctrine of revelation which remains to be con-
sidered, is that of our future stale of being. The hope of ex-
isting after the present life was not utterly lost from among
mankind, even amidst the darkness and corruptions of pagan-
ism. But, to the vulgar mass, the prospect was so obscure,
and the hope so uncertain, that it could afford but small ex-
citement to duty in life, and to the timid, and miserable, but
little consolation in their last moments. It was so blended
with the melancholy phantoms of a superstitious imagination,
it served rather to oppress than shed any comfort on the hour
of death. We have seen in our disquisitions on natural reli-
gion, and its ultimate motives to virtue, that many of their
sages were able to create to themselves more reasonable, but
still dubious expectations of existing hereafter. But it is on-
ly in the word of God, and, especially, in the gospel of our
blessed Saviour, that the trembling hopes of nature are ren-
dered fixed and certain, and the obscurities of reason, are
enlightened. And to the doctrine of the immortality of the
soul it has added a principle which the human mind had nev-
er before dared to conceive -, I mean the resurrection of the

body, and its future and eternal union with the soul, as res-
pects the pious, in a happy state of existence ; but the im-
pious in a state of misery.

This doctrine is peculiarly a doctrine of revelation. On
this authority simply our credence, or faith ought to be found-
ed. It is one of the chief glories of Christ, our Redeemer,
that he hath brought life andr immortality to light ; and so
hath rescued it from the blindness of sense, and the doubtful-
ness of reason. But in the sacred scriptures, the doctrine
of our future existence is so intimately blended with that of
the resnrreciion of the body, that we can hardly consider
them apart ; and it is this which renders the whole revela-
tion of this doctrine peculiarly precious to man, as it brings
our future being more within the comprehension of the mind,
and gives it a stronger interest in the heart which knows no
other condition of human existence but this compound state
of being. The immortahty of the soul would have been ea-
sily received by both the Jews and the Greeks. It already
formed part of the popular belief. It was the resurrection
which created among these people so much astonishment, and
was received wilh so much incredulity. To combat this in-
fidelity, and place our immortal life upon its true foundation,
the apostle sets himself in this part of his epistle to the Corin-
thians, where he informs us that " this corruptible shall put
on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality."

iiQ3

That we shall continue lo exist from the moment of death,
till the final introduction of our immortal state, the scriptures
give us no reason to entertain a doubt, but wherein that inter-
mediate condition shall consist, as thej have not condescend-
ed to inform us, it would be presumptuous in us to frame an
opinion. On the subject of the resurrection, and of our in:\-
mortal life, they are as explicit as, perhaps, it is competent
to our present state of frailty, and mortality to comprehend.

Let us, therefore, with the sacred writer, employ a few
moments in contemplating the certainty and importance of
this doctrine, its practical uses, and its spiritual consola-
tions. — Its certainty can, to the christian, rest only on the
express declaration of the word of God ; although, when thus
communicated, many facts and analogies, drawn from the
course of nature, concur to facilitate our conceptions, and
strengthen our confidence in this precious hope. " The
time is coming," saith the infallible Spirit of truth, " when
all they who are in their graves shall hear the voice of the
Son of Man, and shall come forth, they that have done well
to the resurrection of life, and tliey that have done evil to
the resurrection of damnation." It has always been a sub-
ject of anxious inquiry to human reason ; with what bodies
do they come ? C ui these corporeal systems, after they
have been long dissolved into their original elements, and va-
riously dispersed in a thousand different directions, and af-
ter they have snccessively passed, perhaps, into a thou'^and

504

other an'iDiated systems, be again collected and reorganized iti
the same body which perished at death ? If it were possi-
ble, would it be a reasonable object of desire in that spirit-
ual and immortal state, that the soul should be again united to
a sluggish mass which might be regarded as its former prison,
which impaired its active powers, and was perhaps the seat
of all the errors of reason, and of all the disorders of the
passions ?

The same objections have ever been presented as insolva-
ble difficulties to reason. But what christian can entertain a
doubt concerning the Almighty power, and the omniscient
wisdom of God, which is equally able to accomplish the re-
surrection, as the creation of human nature ? The apostl^
meets the difficulty by a beautiful image taken from the grain
"which the husbandman casts into the earth. It seems to pe-
rish. It becomes a mass of putrefaction. But there is a
delicate, and almost imperceptible germ which survives, and
presently assumes a new, and much more beautiful form.
Can we doubt but that the whole vegetable, with all its appa-
ratus of fruits and flowers, was included in that minute and
invisible particle which receives a new life in the midst of
death ? On the resurrection another lesson is suggested to
as from the numerous transmutations of the insect tribes
which daily pass under our review. A deformed and slug-
?54sh grub weaves a tomb for itself. It seems to become ex^

505

lincf. But, in a little time, we sec it mount into the air in a
new form, and adorned with the most beautiful colojiring.

Of spiritual and celestial objects, which are so far above
the reach of our present faculties, frequently, we are left to
collect our judgments only from analogy. And although
such analogies can never convey adequate images of things
which eye hath not seen, and of which it hath not entered in-
fo the heart of man to conceive, yet they seem to throw-
some feeble rays of light upon them, and to offer some foun-
dation on which the mind, exhausted by its own efforts, can
rest. In casting our view around, then, nature teaches us
important lessons, and presents to us many impressive ima-
ges of the future resurrection of the body. Some resem
blance of it we see in the new creation which every vernal
season produces, when all the glories of the year are seen
to spring, if I may speak so, from the tomb of Winter-
These images, indeed, are only imperfect representations,
adapted to the weakness of our nature, of that great object of
our faith. The only solid and immovable foundation of a
christian's hope, as I have already said, is the word of
God, but now is Christ risen, and become the first fruits of
them that steep.

Another objection against the doctrine of a resurrection is
drawn, from the ills and inconveniencies resulting to the soul
from its iVnion with the body iti the present life. This slug-

gish and unwieldy mass of matter is supposed to be rather tlid
prison than the helpful companion of the soul ; to have a ten-
dency to cloud, and darken the clearness of its perceptionSj
and to oppress and enchain the activity of its powers. — Al-
though these evils should be justly objected to the present
gross and disordered bodies which we inhabit, yet such is
the nature and order of human spirits that it is only by being
united to some corporeal system that they can receive any
ideas at all. And, at the resurrection of the just, all that is
gross, all that is disordered, all that is impure, we are assur-
ed from revelation, shall be for ever separated from the bo-
dies of the saints raised in immortal life ; and, we are farther
taught to believe, that their powers, their activity, and glory
shall correspond with the exalted rank which the soul shall
hold in the scale of being in her celestial state. — If it be ask-
ed, whether these, can be the saoiC bodies that we inhabited
here, which shall assume such diflferent properties, and pre-
sent so much more glorious an appearance ? — Certainly this
cannot be incredible to a christian, or a philosopher, when
we are continually beholding the same elements receiving
from the hand of nature the most various forms. Do not the
same elements compose the unsightly clay which we trample
under our feet, and the resplendent diamond which imitates
the sun in the crowns of princes ? The lightning which, ia
its destructive course, rends oaks, and rocks to pieces, and
the mild and glorious rays of the orb that gives life, and
health, and beauty to the whole universe. Accordingly the

apostle hath said, that all flesh is not the same iu its outvrard
for/n, and visible appearance ; but " there is one flesh of
men, and another of beasts," though nourished by the same
herbage ; " there is one giory of the sun, and anotLer glory
of the moon, and another of the stars ;" though all proceed-
ing from the same light. Not less difference may we expect
to find, between our present tenements of clay, which, at
death, return to their original dust, and those celestial tem-
ples, io which the glorified spirit shall dwell forever. Rais-
ed to heaven by the power and love of the Redeemer, to in-
habit the worlds of light above, this corporeal system will be
conform*»d in beauty and perfection to its imcnortal habitation.
— •** This mortal shall put on iiumortality. Sown in weak-
ness, it shall be raised in power ; sown in dishonour, it shall
be raised in glory ; sown a natural," that is, a gross and ani-
mal *' body, it shall be raised a spiritual body" — a body, in-
conceivably refined, and purified from the dregs of matter,
and possessing, at once, the rapid energy, and the imperish-
able nature of spirit. It shall be invested with new forms,
and be fitted with new organs, adapted to its celestial state ;
and having attained its highest perfection, we have the same
authority to declare that it shall for ever shine with undecay-
iog lustre in the kingdom of God.

In addition to the christian doctrine of the immortality of
the soul, which contains the most glorious hope of human
nature, the resurrection of the body and its hnmortal exis*

508

tence in reunion with the soul, is peculiarly precious to man
hy the very constitution of his nature, meets, in the best
possible manner, his ideas, and hopes of happiness.

Spirits there may be of a superior order which have no
connexion with any material sjstem, and are not depen*
dent, for their knowledge, or their enjoyments on any sensi-
ble organs. But of their modes of existence, and their sour-
ces pf happiness, we can frame no conception. All our
ideas, and ali oar pleasures come to us through the medium
of sense. And our spirits are of such an order, as has been
before remarked, that their knowledge, their felicity, their per-
fection, depend on their connexion, in some way, with a corpo-
real system. Every thing connects us with the body, every
thing attaches us to the body. Hence the apostle has said ;
-f" We, who are iu this tabernacle, do groan, being burdened,
not that we would be unclolhed ;" not, that it is the object of
these anxious wishes to be disembodied, " but that we may
be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven ;" with
that celestial, and regenerated body which shall be freed
from all the pains and imperfections of this mortal flesh, and
which is only our present nature exalted to its ultimate per-
fection and glory. " The earnest expectation of the creature,"
continues the same apostle, " waiteth for the manifestation of
the sons of God," at the resurrection of the just. " The
whole creation groanetb, even those who have received the
gifts of the Spiiit, groan within themselves, waiting for the

X

509

It'^deniptiou of the body." — What, indeed, would be the
pleasure of existence to the soul, if we conld suppose it con-
scious of existence, deprived of the action, and ai'is of (he
senses, which are, at present, the only inlets of its know-
ledge, and Ihe chief sources of its enjoyments?

As the christian, and scriptural doctrine of the resurrection
corresponds, in this manner, wilh the dearest hopes, and
wishes of the human heart, it contributes likewise, to assist
the perceptions of faith. We are not left in total darkness
concerning the nature of our future being. Some ideas we
may frame with relation to this obscure subject, without the
hazard of being entirely lost in the unsubstantial regions of
fancy. The state of our future existence presents to us, no
longer an inscrutable mystery. Although it offers to our
hopes a condition of existence inconceivably improved and
raised above the present, still we can discern between them
some points of resemblance, which present to us ideas on
that subject, at once intelligible to our reason, and infinitely
precious to the heart. — In a future life, we have reason to
believe, our faculties will be employed, in some measure, as
here, but with an activity and vigour inconceivably augment-
ed, in searching into the wonderful works of God, io admir-
ing the order, the beauty, and harmony of the universal sya-
tem ; in adoring, and, with th? angel?, endeavouring to pen-
etrate the astonishing mysteries of divine grace to man.
Blessed, and eternal sources of knowledge, and felicity!

r

The faculties which we now feebly exert, in the search of
truth, and in the service of our Creator and Redeemer,
will be new created in celestial vigour, and raised in a state of
undescribable perfection. All the obstacles to our advance-
ment in knowledge, at present, arising from the narrowness
of this corporeal sphere, the imperfection of these mortal
powers, the inactivity, and sluggishness of these gross and
earthly organs will be removed. That carnal and disorder-
ed mass which now renders the body the seat of impure pas-
sions, and impedes the holy aspirations of the soul, will be
refined and purified. A body of r.elestial light ; a spiritual
body, as it is styled by the apostle ; that is, a body active
and unembarrassed in its movements like spirit, rapid as im-
agination and thought, will,' in heaven, be the fit instrument
of the glorified scul, in its sublime, and blissful employments.

From the doctrine of the resurrection of the same person
results a consoling anticipation arising from the knowledge
of our pious friends with whom we have been connected up-
on earth ; the reunion, in the highest felicity, of the same
hearts which have been united here in the tenderest affections.
What ravishing pictures may imagination frame, without
being liable to the charge of a fallacious enthusiasm, of friend-
ships renewed in heaven ; of the mutual joys of pious friends
who meet on that happy and eternal shore, escaped from all
the ills and dangers of life ; of their sweet intercourse, puri-
fi^ed from all the passions, and weaknesses of the flesbj

5U

iFhich diatiirb the harmony of (his world ; of the range tlie/
may be peruaitted to enjoy, in society with one another, amid
the glories of the heavenly world, to nourish their celestial
devotions, and diversify their holy enjoyments ; of those
flights which Ihey may be allowed to take together into dis-
tant provinces of the universal empire of God to collect
knowledge, and to admire and adore him in the astonishing
operations of his hands ; or of the raptures with which every
ray of the Sun of righteousness will penetrate their hearts,
when they turn their faces towards the heavenly Zion, the
more immediate residence of the divine glory, to raise their
common ascriptions of praise to the Father of the universe,
and to recognize, at the foot of his throne, their boundless
obligations to redeeming love. — But restraining all unlicensed
excursions of fancy, exquisite, and now InetTable must be the
felicity, springing from a thousand different sources, that
shall arise froom meeting in those blissful habitations, the
friends who have been most tenderly and affectionately loved
upon earth. Oh ! how is the religion of our blessed Saviour
adapted to the finest feelings, and fitted to cherish the no-
blest sympathies of the human heart I — Away with that cold
philosophy, which, at death, would devote our existence to
eternal oblivion, and hopelessly rend asunder those delightfal
unions which form the dearest portion of ourselves ; the
chief joy of our being. — Jesus! Saviour! who art the first
fruit of the resurrection of the dead! who art thyself the
resurrection and the life I we adore and blnss thee who hast

given this cousoladoii to suffering hunianitj .' What Sublim^;
and glorious prospects does our holy religion present to the
imaginafion ! what blessed hopes to the heart ! — But who
Can speak, as they deserve, of those scenes of everlasting
peace ; of those mansions ilhiminated by the eternal splen-
dours of the Sun of righteousness : those bodies of light ;
those souls of fire ! " t^ye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard,
neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the
things which God hath prepared for those who love him."

OF THE FUTURE AITD ETERNAL PUNISHMENT OF THE
WICKED.

The doctrine of the resurrection, and of an eternal exists
ence beyond the grave relates to the whole race of man,
and embraces equally the righteous, and the wicked. For,
as the former shall rise to glory and immortality, the latter
also shall be raised to shame and everlasting contempt.
Under the Second Adam human nature recovers its immor-
tality, and it is, under his administration, ptit into a new-
state of trial. The whole doctrine of a future state, how-
ever, and of the manner of our existence there, not being (he
subject of sense, and being entirely beyond the range of hu-
man experience, all knowledge concerning it must be deriv-
ed solely from revelation. Reason can pronounce nothing
with certainty, on the subject. We must take it simply as
H is stated in the word of God. And here we find the ever-

^

hsting punishmcDt of the wicked asserted in terras as expli-
cit and strong as the life, and felicity of the pious ; it ig,
Iherefore, equally entitled to our assciif, and most imperious-
ly commands our belief. Of the I'nrighleous it is said,
" they shall be cast into the lake that burneth with Ore and
brimstone ;" and it is added, " that the smoke of their tor-
ments ascendeth for ever and ever." In the final judgment
of the world, we are assured that the Judge shall pronounce
upon them this irrevocable senfence, dqmrt ye cursed into
everlasting fire jireparcd for the Devil and his angels.
These are strong figurative expressions intended (o convey
the certainty, and the fearful nature of the future sufferings
of guilt ; fire being employed as the hyeroglyphic emblem of
extreme torments of the body, or the mind ; and their eternal
duration is indicated in the strongest ter s that language can
use. Objections are brought against this conclusion so in-
teresting to human sympathy, not from scripture, as they
ought to be, if they were well founded, but from a pretended
reason, where reason is, and forever must be utterly silent.

Eternal punishments are pronounced to be contrary to the
natural perfection of the Deity which consists in universal
goodness. — It is said to be contrary to the design of his mo-
ral government, which is intended for reformation rather than
punishment; and aims finally, at theperpei'':y of happiness
to all virtuous minds. — In the Inst place it is strenuously ar-
gued, that eternal pains are tlisproportioncd to the frailty of

65

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ji4

offending man, and to the shorlnessof himiaa lite, in whicb
only otfences can be commit fed. — A simple an,d very brief
answer muat suffice on each of these topics ; for as we are
most incompetent judges of the infinite counsels of the Sove-
reign Mind, our supreme duty on these high questions is
silence and submission.

1 . When we say that the everlasting punishment of the
ivicked, is contrary to the natural and essential perfection of
Ood, which consists in universal goodness, and the love of
all being — this plea being introduced on the present occa-
sion, as a defence of the crimes of wicked men from the ri-
gours of the divine law, is treating the infinite benignity of Je-
Lovah, as consisting merely in an indulgent regard to the
frailties, appetites, and passions of mankind. These sins
must necessarily be the subjects of divine animadversion ;
and the essential perfection of the Deity, which includes
justice in its idea, requires the punishment of crime, not less
than his benignity embraces innocence with lo\e. And each
in strict conformity with the divine peifection, infinite in its
mature and operations. Justice therefore pursues crime with
punishment, as long as the subject in which it inheres exists,
— In the next place, if the essential perfection of the Deity-
be affirmed to consist in goodness, let us inquire wherein that
goodness consists. Is it not in the love of being ; and, ia
rational and moral beings, in virtue as essential to their high-
est happiness ? Every affisctioHp the higher and purer it is.

515

implies its contrast. Opposite characters anil qualities, be-
come the objects of opposite purposes and feehngs. In pro-
portion to the love of goodness and virtue, must be llic ah-
liorrence of ini(juily, and crime. And these must be as per-
manent as their subjects on the one side, and on the other •
that is, they must be eternal.

2. When again, it is affirmed that eternal suffering, in any
part of the works of God, is contrary to tlie design and end
of his universal government, which is reformation, rather
than extermination, or the perpetual pains of any portion of
his creatures — Who, then, is competent to embrace in his
mind the boundless extent of the divine government ; its ob-
jects, its ends, or the measures of its administration? Or how
shall a worm of dust pronounce on questions so high, and ut-
terly beyond the ken of our limited faculties ? Take a sin-
gle example of the possible benefits which may result to the
righteous in their everlasting career of happy existence,
from the continual view of the painful and unceasing suffer-
ings inflicted upon hardened vice. The perpetuity of their
virtue may be greatly assisted, and consequently their sta-
bility in happiness be not a little promoted by occasional dis-
coveries of the issue of the most fortunate state of sin,
presented to them as most alHictive, hopeless, remediless.
We have the faithful promise of Almighty God for the cer-
tain preservation of the redeemed from falling. But surely
this stability in virtue and happiness is not the result of any

516

physical necessKy of nature. It must be effected by prac-
tical motives adapted to the ratlozial and morui principles of a
TJrtuous and holy mind ; in the everlasting career of sanctifi-
cation and blessedness, the saints in glory will be moved, ex-
cited, reslrained, or stimulated by the same principles, and
motives, but highly exalted, and improved, which govern
the most holy souls in the present life. The final persever-
ance of the redeemed, though most securely fixed in the
promise of God, is for ever influenced by moral principles,
and motives. Who then can say that, in the universal gov-
ernment of God, this awful and eternal example of suffering
may not be useful, or even necessary to subserve the ends of
his infinite wisdom? But as this is a subject on which rea-
son cannot pronounce, being lost in the infinitude of the uni-
verse, and of the divine nature, it ceases to instruct, and re-
fers us to the simple declarations of the word of God. Here
must we resr, assured that as the righteous are received
into life eternal, so the wicked shOfll go away into ever-
lasting punishment.

The enemies of this doctrine, in the last place, rely, for
the support of their opinion, on the frailty of human nature,
which cannot with justice, -hey say, be subjected to eternal
sufferings : and to the shortness of human life, which cannot
have formed inveterate habits, or contracted a degree of
gtiilt in any proportion to such pains. 1 reply, that these
awiul denunciations affectmg our future existence, are not

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517

made against the errors merely of frailty, but against obslp
nale and determined guilt, shewn, since the annunciation of
a Saviour, by the rejection of his grace. If the ^-in-* of man-
kind are the ofTences of a frail and feeble nature, their sufTer-
ings will, undoubtedly, be proportioned to the imbecility of
\i>Q offender ; but their sinfulness, inhering in their nature it-
self, their guilt must co-exist with their being ; and its pen-
alties, of consequence have the same duration. — To the se-
cond part of (his objection, respecting the shortness of life,
it is reasonable to reply, that eternity has no reference to
the length of this probatory slate, but to the inherent virtue
or vice of the subject of trial; for, if it were protracted ten
thousand times, it could not bear the smallest proportion to
our interminable existence. The wiidom of God has adapt-
ed the continuance of life, together with all its means of in-
struction, and grace, to our moral culture, and preparation
for our eternal being ; if, then, they fail of their proper object,
the cultivation of our nature, and the sinner continues in his
course of impiety, it can only be ascribed to the perversity
of his nature, which, having exhausted the day of grace and
mercy, leaves him thereafter, only to suffer the ri-*titeou3
retributions of eternity. Of these the duration must be ex-
clusively learned from the written word. No reason can be
assigned for the cessation of future punishment, unless it could
be shewn, contrary to all probability, that the actual inflic-
tion of extreme pains would produce a reformation which the
apprehension of them, aided by all the means of grace, un-

/

518

der the direction of the Holy Spirit, aud the powerful assis-
tances of future hopes and fears, had been unable to effect.
The great and learned Origen believed that the actual en-
durance of punishment in the next life, will produce moral
effects to which the apprehensions of it only in the present
state, had been insufficient, and that it might terminate, af-
ter a long course of ages, in the reformation of the most
abandoned sinner. But, says the equally learned, and emi-
nent bishop Horsely ; "the principle that the effect is pos-
sible, that the heart may be reclaimed by force, is, at best,
precarious, and the only safe principle of human conduct is
the belief that unrepented sin will suffer endless punishment
hereafter."

In the conclusion of this interesting subject, let me ask -of
the professed disciples of our blessed Lord and Saviour ;
have you through Christ, the assured hope of thus glo-
riously rising to immortal life ? Let it prove to you the most
powerful motive to cultivate in your hearts those affections of
piety, and in your lives those habits of holiness, which will
prepare you for your eternal being in the heavens. — By tem-
perance, by purity, by the exercise of virtue, endeavour
moie and more to assimilate these perishing bodies, to that
pure and celestial nature in which you shall hereafter behold
the glory of God. Remember that the hope of rising again
to everlasting life, strips death of its greatest terrors. Death
is no longer what it appears to be, the destruction of our be-

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^19

ing. It yields to the grave only the grosser parts of these
mortal bodies. The temporary dissolution of ihe body, and
the soul causes no intermission in the consciousness of hap-
py exisfence. Even if the soul itself, according to the opin-
ion of some good men, should sleep till the revivification of
universal nature, there is no peiception of lime in Ihe insen-
sibility of this mortal sleep. The moment of disi.olution
touches upon the moment of our restoration to life. The
grave, sanctified by the death, and triumphed over by the
resurrection of our blessed Saviour, is made to all his disciples
only the gate to a new, a glorious, and immortal existence.
"This corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall put on immortality. O death! where is thy sting ?
O grave ! wl:ere is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin 3
but fhanks be to God who giveth us the victory through Je-
sus Christ our Lord !'^

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\

A HEUiMO\,

i^uEACHED AT THE OPKNING OF TUlO GENERAL ASSKMIU »
OF THE PKESBYTERIAN CHURCH ; I\ THE VEAR 1 oOJ».

EpisHe 0/ Jndr, 3rfrcr.v»',— That you should contend earnestly for the fnilji
once delivered to the Hair.ts,

The physical order t>flhings i3 evidently intended by the
Creator to be subservient to (he benefit of the moral world.
And divine wisdom itself, in the arrangements of nature, and
the dispositions of providence, seems to be employed an-
premely in promoting the ends of divine goodness. In con-
formity with this order established in the universal system,
God has connected the knowledge of truth, with the prac-
tice of duty, and the duties with the happiness of human na-
ture. The connexion of truth with practical utility, is ac-
knowledged universally in science. In religion alone it has
been doubted, or denied, so far as to become even a fashion-
able maxim, — that it is of little importance to piety, or virtue,
what opinions, upon these subjects, are maintained by man-
kind, provided their conduct in society be peaceable and
honest. There are natural sentiments of right and wrong im-
planted in the human breast ; and, to whatever errors in ^pe•
culation the weakness of reason, or the preju»liccs of educa-
tion, may have given birth, the moral instincts of oitr nature.

i

522

it is prcsumetl, in all ordinary cases, will correct their prac-
tical evils. Hence has resulted an unhappy indifference to
religious truth in those who embrace this maxim ; and, with
it an indifference to all the institutions of religion.

The apostle Jude, in this epistle, apparently from a deep
conviction, that erroneous principles in morals, are ever pro-
portionally connected with a lax virtue, condemns in a fer-
vent and indif^nant style, the efforts which were made, in that
early age, to corrupt the purity and simplicity of the gospel
oi Christ. In opposition to the insidious arts of these pre-
tended disciples, who studied to turn the grace of God into
lasciviousness, he exhorts his christian brethren to contend
earnestly for the faith, zealously to maintain the truth as it is
in Christ, which alone is able to redeem men from all ini-
quity, and make them wise to eternal life»

This injunction of the sacred writer rests for its foundation
on the inseparable union between sound principles in religion
and morals, and a pure and virtuous tenor of life. It strong-
ly implies, therefore, that every real christian, and especially
that every minister of Christ, is under sacred and indispen-
sable obligations to search for the truth in religion, with
faithfulness, to embrace it with sincerity, to maintain it with
firmness, and to promote it with zeaL

A

523

If, indeed, evangelic truth had no peculiar lelalioii to
Sanctity of life, but any principles were equal to the ends of
religion, the knowledge of it would not merit either Ihe
labour bestowed on its acquisition, or the praise ascribed to
its possession ; Christianity itself would be deprived of its
chief glory ; and it would be indifferent to every purpose of
piety, or virtue, whether we were christians or pagans, be-
lievers or infidels.

In the following discourse, I purpose, under the divine
blessing,

I. In the first place, to illustrate the connexion that exists
between duty, and evangelic truth; or generally between
principles and conduct.

IF. And in the next place, to urge the exhortation of the
apostle, to contend earnestly for thefaithy the fountain, and
comprehensive sum of all good principles in religion.

I. Permit me, then, in the first pbce, to illustrate the cou-
ncxion that exists between duty, and evangelic truth, and in
general, between principles and conduct.

As the great springs of human action lie in the passions
and appetites, the desires and wants of men, so the contro!
and direction of these springs is to be found only in an un-

-^

tiers tanding, and a conscience enlightened by divine truth.
An it is a fact confirmed bj the general experience of the
church that, if the mind be early imbued with the principles
of piety and virtue, cultivated under a regular and prudent
dii5cipline, it usually ripens into a fixed and steady character
of virtue, and by the co-opctation of the Spirit of divine
grace, into habits of sincere and fational pletj^. On the oth-
er hand, if youth, at this early and forming period of life, are
sufifered to grow up without moral culture, and left to form
their principles under the influenoe of vicious companions,
among whom they are taught to vindicate the indulgence of
the passions, by the corrupt maxims of the world, there is
hardly any point of profligacy in thpir manners, at which we
should be surprised eventually to sey them arrive. The sys-
tem of truth, indeed, and the law of duly, have the same
common source in the perfections and the will of God. The
more perfectly therefore we can separate it from every im-
pure mixture, the more powerful are the motives which we
enjoy to universal holiness of living.

On the other band, is it not one of the plainest, and most
obvious conclusions of reason, that, if men embrace princi-
ples which favour the passions, and remove from the mind
the restraints of religion ; if they deny, for example, the ex-
istence, or the providence of Almiglljy God ; if they frame
false or imperfect conceptions of the divine attributes ; if
they invent maxims which, in a state of dissolute manners is

>

iJ'lJ

always done, <o palliate iDsinceiHy, fraud, intemperance, or
lust, the ties of moral obli-j^alion arc thereby necessarily re-
laxed ? Could yon, on great and critical occasions, rely on
the integrity of a man who should avow such [)rinciple3 ?
Would vou be wilh'ng to entrust to hiiri the honour and virtue
of your families, where he could violate them with secrecy,
or with impunity ? Would not his passions, his interests, his
pleasures be thenceforward the supreme law of his conduct?

But does not dissoliition of manners frequently precede,
and itself become the cause of the general corruption of
principle, in individuals, and in nations ? It does. — And this
fact places the truth of*the proposition which I have assum-
ed to illustrate, in a new light. For so powerful is the force
of truth upon the heart, that men cannot preserve the peace
of their own bosoms, amidst the conflict of their prin< iples,
with their actions. They are obliged, therefore, if they do
act reject the law of Christ, to set themselves to corrupt and
modify it if possible, to the standard of their inclinations. If
the laiv of Christ has not been able effectually to constrain
their obedience, they must shut their eyes against its light,
or study, by every subtil artifice, to pervert its spirit.

The efficacy of divine truth early instilled into the mind,
and received with a ^ile temper, is conspicu-us, to a can-
did observer, in the excellent fruits which commonly pro-
ceed from a virtuous and pious education, conUucted with

r

prudeoce, and persevered in with steady and consistent
trisdom.

Remark the youth who have been sedulously and pru-
dently instrocted in the principles of religion: compare
their sobriety, their temperance, their regular and exemplary
manners, with the character and conduct of such as have
grown up, like neglected weeds, without culture. Is it not
usually, among these that the church finds her future sup-
ports, and her future ornaments ? If, in the course of life,
they should be exposed to temptations which give too strong
an action to their passions, how long will their early princi-
ples resist the corrupting current? How often will con-
science, roused by that secret voice which they awaken in
the breast, recal them to their duty ? Or when, .for a season,
like David, or the young Solomon, they have been drawn
aside from its path, how often are these secret monitors, re-
covering force, by some interesting dispensation of divine
providence, made the means of bringing them back to their
duty, and to God, with humiliation and repentance ? Here
let me notice, only to condemn, the injustice of a frequent
remark, that the most serious and pious education is com-
monly followed by the greatest dissolution of manners. So
far is this from being verified by the fact, that it is, on the
other hand, the comparative rarity ol'^the example, and its
striking incongruity with our most reasonable expectations,
which has occasioned its being so much noticed, in a few in-

527

slances, that the frequency of the reproach has been uiiatu
ken for the commonness of the effect. And the fact, where
it does exist, may usually be traced to some gross defect of
prudence, or of skill, in the conduct of their education.

I acknowledge, indeed, and it is only a confirmation of our
doctrine, that those who have finally broken through the re-
straints of a pious discipline, like those who have burst Ihe
bounds of modest and of decent manners, are usually more
profligate than other sinners ; harrassed in their evil courses
by their early principles, they are often tempted to run to
greater excesses than others, that they may, at once, if pos^
sible, extinguish the distressing light of truth, and drown the
reproaches of their own consciences.

Against the preceding reasonings an objection has been
raised from two interesting facts — one that we not unfrequent-
ly see men of vicious manners professing the best principles *,
another, that we find good men among all sects of christians.
True it is, that orthodox opinions in religion may be osten-
sibly avowed by men of very exceptionable morals. They
may be merely modes of speaking received by inheritance,
or adopted as the distinction of a party ; while, at the same
time, they have not entered deeply into the convictions of
reason, nor taken possessiaaof the sentiments of the heart.

f

The second fact I do not deny, but rather rejoice in its
existence, that there arc found pious men, who are ornaments
of their holy profession, among all denominations of chris-
tians. But does this prove that there is no distinction in
their moral effects between truth and falsehood ? or that all
principles are equally favourable,,* or indifferent to true reli-
gion, and sanctity of manners ? No, it is an interesting
proof, to the benevolent and candid mind, that every de-
nomination of christians embraces, in its system, an important
portion of evangelical truth. The great and central doctrines
of our salvation, from which all the practical principles of
piety and morals naturally radiate, are so clearly borne uposs
the whole face of the sacred scriptures, that they are receiv-
ed under one form of expression, or another, in the symbols,
confessions, and creeds of almost all who assume to wear the
name of christian. Yet, along witk* them, the frailty of the
human understanding, or some latent bias of the human heart,
has frequently mingled more or less of error, which propor-
tionally impairs their sanctifying influence. As every truth
is connected with some right disposition of the heart, and
contributes to promote it ; so every error, in a similar de-
gree, tends to strengthen some sinful propensity, or to weak-
en the obligation of some duty. Hence particular sections
of the church, according to the purity and extent in which
they embrace the truth as it is in Christ, are distinguished
above others, for the general sanctity of their manners; for
a zeal in religion, at once rational and fervent ; and for the

529

numbers who adorn, by their practice, the 'locfrine of God
their Saviour. But among the truly pious of all ilenomina-
tions, there is a greater harmony of sentiment, and of faith,
than they themselves, in the jealousy of party, in the pride
of disputation, and even in the delicate apprehensions for the
truth, which some gooi! men, who have moulded all their
feelings in religion to certain set forms of words, arc willing
to allow. In terms they differ more than in spirit.

Unhappily, indeed, there are in our age, a« there were
in the age of the apostles, those who wear, and who glo-
ry in the christian name, who yet remove the basis of
Christianity, by denying the only Lord God, even our
Lord Jesus Christ. But as then they were, they still
are, known by the coldness of their piety, and the lax-
ness of their moral sysleai. Spots are they in the church,
in which should exist only the continual feast of christian
love ; unfructifying clouds without rain, borne about by the
winds o( human passions. It would be more honour to the
cause of Christ, or rather less dishonour, if they would re-
ijounce the name which they abuse.

Having thus far endeavoured to illustrate the connexion
between truth and duty ; that is, between faith, or the genu-
ine doctrines of the gospel, and holiness of living—

t)7

530

II. I proceed, moie directly, to urge fhe exhortation of the
aposile, to contend earnestly for the faith, the fountain and
the sum of all good principles in religion.

If moral truth were of no importance, or if it were not es-
sentially connected with our duty, with our salvation, and
with the best interests of human nature, this exhortation
would be without reason. But related as they are by the
immutable constitution of heaven, this union imposes on us
inviolable obligations, to seek for the truth in religion with
fidelity, to maintain it with firmness, and to promote it with
zeal. The duty is incumbent on every christian, in propor-
tion to his means of information, and his opportunities of do-
ing good. It is, above all, incumbent on the church as a
community, the depositary of the oracles of the living God ;
and on those, in a peculiar manner, who are appointed to be
her watchmen, her instructors, her guardians, and examples.

Where, then, is to be found that precious truth which we
are required to maintain in the face of every open enemy, or
insidious friend, and earnestly to promote with a zeal worthy
of its high importance. In this, all sects concur with one
voice, that the pure evangelical truth is to be discerned only
in the holy scriptures. But when we attempt to collect it
from the loose style of parable and narrative, in which it is
frequently conveyed, or to divest it of that oratorical, or po-
etic dress in which the sacred writers have often clothed it,
and reduce it to plain and simple propositions, here, I con-

\

531

feas, is some room for uncertainty and doubt. Here it is
that men introducing their own speculations, and mingling
their own philosophic systems with the word of God, have
corrupted its simplicity, and made the christian church, like
the schools of Greece, a theatre for the conflict of contend-
ing opinions. Are the divii^ scriptures, then, of doubtful in-
terpretation ? Or do they afford any ground for this gladia-
torial play of intellect ? No, they are full of light ; hut like
all the manifestations of the will of God, in the works both of
creation and providence, they are liable to be misinterpreted
by ignorance, or perverted by some dishonesty of the heart,
>Dr by some mistaken bias of education. They are a fountain
of truth to thof=e who submit themselves with humilitv to the
wisdom of God, and who, with genuine simplicity of spirit,
have no other aim but to discern in them their own duty,
and no concern but to understand the will of their heavenly
Father, in order to obey it. If, with these dispositions, we
approach the siiudy of thd'holy scriptures, although some un-
avoidable errors should still adhere to the frailty of the hu-
man understanding, wq cannot materially swerve from that
system of truth whicl^as disciples of Christ, we are called
to defend. And in tha| field of human infirmity in w Inch we
may be permitted to err, we shall find ground for the mutual
exercise of charity with our fellow-christiana.

Are, then, all portions of scripture, all the tenets which
enter into the body of our creed, equally the objects of that
holy zeal required by the apostle ic tIelcLce of il.e faith

532

Every ti'uth of the gospel is precious to a real believeh
Bu peculiarly precious are (hose fundamental doctrines on
wh.ch the whole fabric of Christianity rests. If I may be
permitted to make this selection, they are the doctrines of
the atonement — of the ageticjf of the Holy Spirit — of the re-
generation of the hear- — of the free grace of God in the sal-
vation of the world — of the final judgment— of the resurrec-
tion of the body — and the life everlasting. They are to
him, in the language of a great reformer, articiilce stantis nut
cadentis ecclesicp., articles by which ihe church must stand
or fall. ^

To truth, a pure mind atlachess itself with a powerful at-
traction. It is the image of the divine wisdom. It is the
glory of God that he is the fountain ©f truth. To declare
the truth to the world the Saviour became incarnate. To
give it efficacy on the hearts of men, the Holy Spirit has
been shed upon his church. The pursuit and discovery of
(ruth, with wider and still wider eKtent, will be among the
most delightful employments of the redeemed in heaven.
With the progress of evangelic truth i^on earth, is connected
the glory of God, the honour of the Redeemer, the highest
and best interests of mankind, objects peculiarly dear to
every sincere disciple of Jesus Christ.- With fervour, there-
fore will he embrace it from the heart, and with unceasing
??eal will he study to promote It

533

A superior duty is imposed upon the ministers of religion
tvho are appointed as watchmen upon the walls of Ziun, and
as heralds to the world of the glad tidings of salvation.
They are sety in the language of the apostle, /or </ie defence
of the gospel. Among their first cares, it ought to be, as far
as possible, (o preserve the church from corruption of prin-
ciple, and to cultivate within it that unity of sentiment, and
harmony in interpreting the great doctrines of religion, so
necessary to the peace and order of the body oj Christ.
When conflicting doctrines are preached in the same church,
the principles of the people become unsettled. To tempo-
rary scepticism, succeeds indifference (o truth ; a state of
mind not much less dangerous than error itself.
/

I fear not to be charged with illiberality, though I assert
that, if among those who are otherwise agreed in the distin-
guishing doctrines of Christianity, there are such differences
of opinion, even upon minor points, as would disturb iho har-
mony of their devotions, let them worship God in separate
communions. The existence of various denominations may
even be attended wi^ some advantages ; and where their
members are found walking agreeably to the commandment
of Christ, they may embrace one another in the spirit of chris-
tian charity. But union in the same body ought sacredly to
be preserved. Division on the other hand, and on the other
that extreme of charity, which indicates an inditlereuce to
truth, are, in the iiigbest degree, pernicious. " iie of one

634

mmi\. Endeavour to keep the umiy of the spirit, in the bond
of peace."

But the injunction of the sacred writer, in this passage, imr
plies an obligation not only to maintain the purity of the faithj
and, as far as possible, its unity ; but to defend it against
every enemy, and to promote with all our powers of persua-
sion and reason, its holy influence over the hearts of men.

The humble and benevolent religion of Jesus Christ, al-
ways obnoxious to the corruptions of the human heart, is
obliged incessantly to combat with open, or insidious enemies,
and to meet them in their ever new, ^nd ever varying modes
of attack. It is assailed by inveterate foes from without, or
betrayed by false and pretended frieniis within the bosom of
the church itself. In no age have enemies more numerous,
or more subtil, erected themselves against the standard of the
cross. Not, indeed, armed with power, and foUotred by
flames, as in ages past ; but more tol»e dreaded, perhaps, by
pure and undefiled religion, they come armed with all the
subtilty of a false and ostentatious sci^ce, and supported by
the dissolution of the public manners.

The press is often a good criterion of the state of the pub-
lic morals, and the public taste. Look over the list of new.
publications in Europe. Examine thp catalogues of those
writings which obtain the favour of the most numerous class
cf readers, both therC; and in our own country. What do

you see in these writers but continual incentives thrown out
to «onMjpt the imagination, and inflame the passions of the
young ? What but a shameless sophistry designeil to eman-
cipate every hist of the heart from the remaining restraints of
religion ? VVh;»t but continual efforts to undermine the foun-
dations of the gospel, and boldly to tear down the walls and
the ramparts of our christian Zion ? Kvcn the lencei of
nalural religion are attempted to be overthrown. The ex-
istence of God has been called in question by a delirious phi-
losophy ; his providence over the world has been resolved
into contingency, or fate ; the appreliensions of futurity have
been derided as childish fears ; and human nature robbed of
its most precious treasure in the hopes of a happy and immor-
tal existence, only that religion may not derive from them any
efFectual control o\ er the consciences of men. All the pow-
ers of learning, wit, and perverted genius, have been assem-
bled against the glory of the Saviour. A kind of traditionary
respect, indeed, is still pretended to be paid to the name of
virtue : but a name it is, and nothing more. It does not pre-
vent the outrage of almost every duty which a creature owes
to his Creator. It does not impede the indulgence of the
most atrocious passions under the abused name of honour;
nor the violation of the most sacred ties of society, of friend-
ship, of humanity u^der the pretence of an innocent pursuit
of pleasure. A deluge of infidelity in the old world is sweep-
ing before it principles and morals, and has, long since, be-
gun to roll its fearful tide to the new. Along with ancient
corruptions in governoaent and religion, it threatens to d^

536

sfroy religion and government themselves ; and to over-
whelm, in undistinguishing ruin, whatever is rendered ven-
erable by time, and sacred by its relations to God, and the
felicity of human society. And the new clouds which are
gathering in our horizon at this moment, look dark and dis-
mal. In this day of trouble, of rebuke, and blasphemy,
what is the duty of the watchmen on the walls of Zion ? Arc
they not called to increasing diligence, to higher efforts of
faith and constancy, to more fervent zeal, to greater sacrifi-
ces in the cause of the Redeemer, more earnestly than ever
to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints ? Truth,
indeed, which is eternal, although it may seem, for a season,
to be vanquished by the powers of darkness, will eventually
prevail over all the variable forms of error ; but its weapons
require to be wielded by skilful, and by honest hands.

In order to fulfd the requisition of the text, therefore,
the ministry of the gospel, ought to possess both talents,
which will enable them to meet the foe upon equal ground ;
zud fidelity, which will never shrink from any labour, or any
danger, which it may be necessary to encounter in the Re-
deemer's cause.

Will it not then be esteemed reasonable to assert, that the
ministers of religion ought always to stand in the foremost
ranks of literature and science in their country. And it is
a fact which will hardly be disputed, that, hitherto, the
world has owed more to its religious orders for the cultivation,

.r

537

and progress of letters, than to all other classes of sociely.
This is a general proposition which extends beyond the chria
tian church, to those in every nation who are supremely oc-
cupied in the studies and concerns of religion. The Ma-
gians and the Bramins, the priests of India and of Persia
were the scholars, and instructors of those great nations.
The schools of Ihe prophets were the seminaries of litera-
ture among the people of Israel. The sacerdotal colleges
of Egypt were the schools of Greece, whicii afterwards be-
came the school of the universe. After the overthrow of
the Roman empire by the northern tribes, nothing contrib-
uted so much to extend among those ignorant and rude bar-
barians, the influence of Christianity, and by degrees to ame-
liorate their savage planners, as the superior knowledge, as
well as piety of the great body of the ciiriatian clergy. In
the churches and monasteries, to whatever objections the
latter afterwards became liable, were preserved those sparks
of ancient learning wlfich served to re-kindle the flame of
modern science. To the clergy, almost exclusively, we
owe the brilliant resurrection of letters in the fifteenth, and
sixteenth centuries. And in their hands, ever since, baa
been deservedly placed the direction of learning ; and with
them it is likely to remain. Is this a language which ought to
create offence to anjy order of men T No ; it ought only to
awaken a generous emulation among the real friends of reli-
gion and learning of all professions. And I am willing to
urge this point the farther, at present, for the sake of so ma-

538

uj young men who are here before you, with the view of dis
voting themselves to the holy ministry.

To (hem permit me to say, that true piety is first, and
above all things necessary in a minister of Christ. But,
next to this, and not much less important, is sound science,
and general literature, that he may be able to confirm the
truth, and convince gainsayers, and that, in delivering and
defending the gospel, he may be able to bring from his
treasures things new and old ; and acquire that ascendency
over the minds of men, which acknowledged virtue, a lumin-
ous eloquence, and extensive information alone can give.
That on trite subjects, he may be always new. That, hav-
ing fixed himself in the hearts of his people, by faithfulness
in every duty of the pastoral office, he may take possession of
their understandings also, by his ability to teach. Lamenta-
ble is the falling oflf when a young pastor, who has at first
been well received, exhausts his \\\\\e fund, in a few of his
early discourses. The repetition of the same truths, how-
ever important, in nearly the same language becomes insipid
even to a pious audience. To every candidate for this holy
oflSce, therefore, let me insist, that his preparations for ap-
pearing in it with dignify and usefulness, should be neither
superficial, nor hasty ; and to e\ery minister, may I be per-
mitted to add, that his studies never should end but with
his life.

539

If those who publish the gospel to mankind ou{;ht to be
(Scribes well insiructed in (he law of Christ, for the edifica-
tion of the church, not less re*t[ui8ite is it that Ihey be fur-
nished with all the resources of human science, in order to
repel those enemies of the faith, who, by an abuse of learn-
ing, and a shameful misapplication of llie talents which God
has given them, are endeavouring to overturn, to their foun-
dations, his glorious city, and temple. The philosophers
arc setting themselves against the ministers of religion, the
schools against the altars. But wielding as you do, in this
spiritual conC-ict, the mighty force of truth, your encour-
agement is, that, you must prevail, if you are not reproach-
fully delinquent to the king of Zion. I am aware that fnany
pious men regard all considerations of this nature as pai tak-
ing too much of the spirit and poh'cy of the world. They
profess to place all their reliance, not on any human means^
but solely on the omnipotence of divine grace ; and strangely
seek a refuge for their own indolence in the abused doctrine
of the operations of the Holy Spirit. Almighty God has es-
tablished, in the constitution of nature, a certain connexion
between the means and the end ; and never does Jie depart
from this order, which is his will, except where the occasion
demands a miracle. Shall we then faithlessly suffer the
temple of the LivmgGod to be levelled to the dust, by the
attacks of so many insidious adversaries as assail it on every
side, while we look on with a lazy and indifferent gaze, under
pretence of doing honour to the sovereignty of divine grace ?
Or since the church shall last while the Bun and the moon en-

540

tjure, will not God wrest her interests out of our hands, and
commit ibem to hands more worthy to defend them?

Will it be said, what learning can do, has been done al-
ready ? That the learned and pious divines of the last, and
preceding century have furnished the churcb xrith the ablest
defences of revelation, with the most admirable elucidations
of the sacked writings, with the most victorious refutations of
the principles of infidelity ? It is true,- — and the praise of
these wise and holy men is in all th6 churches. But if we
have not ourselves skill and force for the combat, how shall
we be able to wield the armour of Saul? God most justly ex-
pects, that we should bring to the service of his altar every
human aid, as well as every divine g^ace. Be ye wise as
serpents, saith the Saviour, and liarmhss as doves. And
what doth the apostle, who possessed all the arts of Grfeece,
and all the divine learning of Israel, intend by these injunc-
tions to his son Timothy ; " Till 1 come, give attendance to
reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift
that is in thee. Meditate upon these things. Give thyself
wholly to them, that thy piofiting may appear unto all !*' Can
the divine author intend, according to the views of some weak
and enthusiastic sects, that, in devoutly reading the sacred
writings, God imparts some extraordinary influx of the Ho-
ly Spirit, to render their meaning clear ; thus making one in-
spiration necessary originally to communicate the scriptures
to the apostles and prophets of old, and another to the
church in the present day, to enable it to understand them?

541

With prayer and pious meditation, indeed, every clirislian
ought devoutl/ to study them. The more nearly we can
laise (he soul to the tone of pioii5 fervour, and sublime devo-
tion, in which the prophets and apostles composed their sa-
cred hymns, their divine histories, and epistles, the more we
shall perceive the spiritual beauties of the word of God ;
the more clear, and impressive will its heavenly truths be to
the heart. But let all who are preparing to enter into this
holy office be assured that there is hardly an art, or branch
of knowledge, in the whole circle of science, or of literature,
from which some useful illustration of the sacred writings
may not be drawn.

Id earnestly contending for the failhy in the next place,
talents alone are not sufficient to acquit your high and holy
duties to God and the church. Fidelity in the discharge of
all the functions of the sacred ministry is not less necessary.
That is, plainness and integrity in declaring the whole coun-
sel of God, a spirit of warm and unaffected devotion, and un-
wearied diligence in the offices of your holy calling, arising
from a deep conviction of the value of immortal souls, and the
infinite importance of the sacred cause in which you are en-
gaged. Without genuine piety, and holy zeal, the labour of
preaching the gospel must be both unpleasant and unfruit-
ful. With what comfort, or etfect can a cold, fof;nal> or
worldly minded man preach the doctrines of repentan<e, of
self-denial, of purity of heart, of sanctity of life ? B:;^ di\ ine
truth illustrated with clearness, declared with iaiiaiuiness.

542

anc! flowing from a heart deeply affected with the eternal ia-
tei'tJsJs of mankind, possesses a majesty and force, that sub-
due thef mind, an illumination and conviction <hat penetrate
the soul, a tenderness and persuasion that touch and move all
the springs of action in the heart. " It commends itself to
every man's conscience in the sight of God."

As there is every thing in the subject to awaken the zeal
of a sincere christian, and especially, of a faithful minister of
Jesus Christ, in publishing the glad tidings of salvation to a
guilty world, and carrying the standard of the cross through
the ranks of opposing enemies, so there is every thing in the
circumstances of the present time, to raise that zeal to an un-
usual fervor.— Impiety has broken in like a Sood upon the
nations, and is carrying before it, not the young and inexpe-
rienced alone or those who have made it their interest, by
Qnholy living, to embrace the principles of infidelity ; but we
see borne on the tide philosophers, legislators, magistrates,
those who should be the instructors of mankind, who should
be the guardians of the public morals, who, seated in the
throne of the laws, should be examples of virtue and obedi-
cnce to the people. It already threatens to bear with it
the mass of society, if Almighty God, to whose throne we
daily send our supplications to defend us from this calamity,
do not interpose to arrest the overwhelming flood, saying to
its rage " hitherto shalt thou come, and no farther ; and here
shall thy proud waves be stayed." From the prevalence of
corrupted manners, I see a fatal evil invade the church it-

M

^43

self, ''Because iniquily abounds tlie love of many waxa»
cold." The wise and even the waUhtnen on the walls of
Zion, seem to be asleep along with the secure and unappre-
heosive crowd oi foolish virgins. The present seems to b«
the reign of evil ova- a great part of the world which ralla it-
self christian. And Christ may now say as he ilid to his
persecutors and murderers, "this is your hour, aiid the pow-
er of darkness."

If we see the blessed gospel openly and almost triumphant-
ly insulted by powerful enemies, is it not also in many parts
of the church, insidiously corrupted by false friends ? Where
it is still preached with a degree of evangelic purity, does it
not seem to fall powerless from the lips of those who are ap-
pointed to proclaim its grace to the world ? For many yeara
we have seen the columns of civil society, and the temples
of religion falling together. We have heard the horrible
crash at a distance. We have sometimes felt the earth trem-
ble under our feet, to warn us of our approaching danger.
Roused for a moment, we hav^ only sunk down again into
asleep like the sleep of death. — Can occasions more loudly
call, shall I say, on the ministers of religion ? Shall I not say
on all christians? 1 was going to say on all good citizens, ear-
nestly to contend for the faith, for the purity of those prin-
cif le- of morahty and piety, for the blessedness ot those im-
mortal hopes, once delivered to the saints? To stem the in-
creasing torrent of impiety— to arre-^t the di^solllll..n of the
public morali — to promote the designs of divine mercy to

r

544

aiankind — to recal the departing glory to our churches — to
exalt the grace of the ever blessed Redeemer — to reanimate
the ahnost extinguished love of his disciples to him, and to
one another. My brethren in the holy ministry ! who is
sutlicient for these things ? Although we might justly trem-
ble when we contemplate the weakness of the human i«»atru-
ment, be encouraged, holy brethren ! by the example of the
apostle, who hath said through Christ we can do all things.

The political, the moral, and religious horizon looks dark
and gloomy. The tempest, which has shaken half the world,
threatens, as we have long foreseen, to extend its fury to us.
Yet, in the gathering cloud, I seem to see some luminous
spots which invite us not to despair. In every event, how-
ever, which may chequer the mysterious aspect of divine
providence, one truth is certain, one truth should console
you, my dear brethren, " be you faithful unto death, and
you shall receive a crown of life."

Now to the Father, to the >S^> f^^^d to the Holy Ghost,
be glory, as it ivas in the beginning, is now, and ever shall
be world without end ! — AMEN !

THE END- M

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DEC 2 1 1954