NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES
3 3433 07997998 9
i* ^ElSkAZfii
*■-'*--* •■- ***
Hi M
f
THE
LIBRARY
®Iirfstfau Uttotoletrse
EDITED BY
THE REV. HERMAN HOOKER, M. A.,
AUTHOR OF THE " PORTION OF THE SOUL," &c.
VOL. IV
^i-UJ^i>\
I ) \
RELUCENS.
PHILADELPHIA:
WILLIAM MARSHALL AND COMPANY;
NEW YORK : LEAVITT, LORD & CO.
M DCCC XXXVI.
BURLINGTON, N. J.
J. L. Powell, Printer.
LETTERS,
PRACTICAL AND CONSOLATORY;
DESIGNED TO ILLUSTRATE
THE NATURE AND TENDENCY
OF
THE GOSPEL.
BY THE REV. DAVID RUSSELL, D.D.
AUTHOR OF "A SURVEY OF THE OLD AND NEW COVENANTS," "A VIEW OF THE
ADAMIC AND MEDIATORIAL DISPENSATIONS," &c.
"These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."— 1 John i. 4.
FROM THE FOURTH EDINBURGH EDITION,
WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY
1ST
THE REV. HENRY A. BOARDMAN, PHILADELPHIA.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
PHILADELPHIA :
W. MARSHALL, & CO.
NEW YORK: LEAVITT, LORD AND CO
M DCCC XXXVI.
Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1836, by
W. Marshall & Co. in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of
the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
ADVERTISEMENT.
The same reasons may be given for the publication of this Volume,
which were given for that of the former. As the Letters in both
were occasioned by the particular circumstances and inquiries of the
individuals to whom they were addressed, they were not written ac-
cording to any principle of arrangement. This will account for their
miscellaneous nature, and their particular structure. The object of
the writer was not to enter at large into the subjects introduced, but
to give such views of their scriptural import, as, in the circumstan-
ces of those to whom he was writing, seemed best to exhibit their
practical and consolatory bearings. He commends the work to the
blessing of God, and to the candid reception of the friends of truth.
CONTENTS.
LETTER XVI.
HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD OF INSTRUCTING INQ.UIRERS.
Importance of declaring fully the demands of the Law — Not
necessary to defer stating the Gospel till the mind appear to
be awakened — All instruction to be connected with the doc-
trine of the Cross — Christ the centre of all Divine truth — The
importance of stating correctly the ground of human obli-
gation Page 13
LETTER XVII.
HINTS ON THE EEST METHOD OF INSTRUCTING INQ.UIREHS.
The importance of understanding the way of acceptance — Er-
ror of the Jews on this subject — A similar error still preva-
lent— The happiness of those who are enlightened on this
subject — The manner in which a Christian views sacred
things — Conclusion 31
LETTER XVIII.
ON JUSTIFICATION.
Introductory remarks — The nature of Justification — Improper
nicely to distinguish between the obedience and the sufferings
Vlll CONTENTS.
of Christ — The ground of Justification — The moral meetness
of the plan of redemption 53
LETTER XIX.
ON FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
The nature of faith — Its connexion with Justification — The evil
of discussions about the manner of believing — Importance of
the object of Faith — Hindrances to it — Its influence corres-
ponds with the nature of its object — Is connected with trust
in the Saviour — Has its immediate issue in coming to Christ. 80
LETTER XX.
ON THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY NATURE OF THE GOSPEL.
The nature of Divine Grace — Mistakes in regard to it — No pre-
paratory word necessary to qualify for it — The Invitations of
the Gospel are addressed to all — Remarks on the history of
the brazen serpent — Some improper prayers noticed — Re-
marks on Isaiah lv. — Mistakes in regard to the object of Faith
— The means by which faith is produced — Improper infer-
ence drawn from the necessity of it in order to salvation. . 117
LETTER XXI.
GENERAL REMARKS ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER.
The renovation of the heart the ultimate object of the Gospel —
Dangerous to confine the grace of God to the pardon of sin
— Evil of confining the attention to inward feelings — Impor-
CONTENTS. IX
tance of uniting them with practice — A change of charac-
ter the great promise of the New Covenant — The divine
plan of forgiveness the moral means of sanctification — This
change represented as a being called and chosen out of the
world 138
LETTER XXII.
PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH, AND
OF THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT.
Faith the medium of forgiveness — Connected with salvation, be-
cause it brings under the influence of the truth — The word
of God the instrument by which the Spirit acts — His influen-
ces the fruit of pure Grace — The proper use of the doctrine. 159
LETTER XXIII.
ON THE CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH AND RENOVATION
OF CHARACTER.
The natural fitness of the truth to renovate the mind — Faith a
principle producing action — The truth believed the cure of
the soul — The importance of scriptural sentiments — The
sanctifying influences of the doctrines of the Cross. . . .172
LETTER XXIV.
THOUGHTS ON THE REASONING OF JAMES, ON THE JUSTIFI-
CATION OF ABRAHAM.
Justification used to denote two things in Scripture — Is used by
James to express the means of the renovation of the charac-
X CONTENTS.
ter, and the approbation which follows it — The trial of Abra-
ham's faith exercised and strengthened it — His holy charac-
ter was formed by it, and obtained the Divine approbation —
The same doctrine taught by Paul — The forgiveness of Abra-
ham, the pattern of that of believers — His character, the pat-
tern of that of believers — The reasoning of James respecting
Faith — The happiness of having the Divine approbation —
The duty of imitating the father of the faithful 188
LETTER XXV.
ON THE MAINTENANCE OE CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE.
The doctrine of the gospel, the medicine of the soul — The ne-
cessity of constancy in the faith — The danger of trusting to
past attainments — Mistaken views of faith in some — The
proper manner of treating the dejected — The connexion be-
tween consolation and holiness — The influence of disease on
the mind — Importance of uniting jealousy of ourselves, with
confidence in God — The ground of access to God ever the
same. Remarks on 1 John iii. 21 — The necessity of uniting
the use of means, with simplicity of dependence upon God. 209
LETTER XXVI.
ON THE LORD'S STJPr-EH.
The Lord's Supper a commemorative ordinance — A profession
of faith in the atonement — A communion feast — A profes-
sion of confidence in the Divine promises — A profession of
faith in the second coming of Christ — General remarks —
Conclusion 240
CONTENTS. \1
LETTER XXVIL
ON THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE.
Heaven a seat of worship — Was represented by the figures of
the law — Exhibited in visions to the prophets — Christians
have access to it — The life of Christ a life of office — Impor-
tance of Scriptural views of heavenly worship — Christ the
great object of attraction — The view given to the subject in
the epistle to the Hebrews — The benefit of the frequent con-
sideration of it — The priestly care and sympathy of the Sa-
viour.— Connexion between his relative and personal glory. 269
LETTER XXVIII.
ON THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
Heaven often compared to the keeping of a Sabbath — Design
of this institution — The kingdom of Christ a new creation —
Like the old it is a gradual work — The happiness of the
Saviour in his heavenly rest — The Lord's Day, appointed
in remembrance of his resurrection — What is implied in
keeping it — The superiority of the heavenly Sabbath — The
nature of heavenly bliss — The suitableness of the character
of Christ — Conclusion 291
LETTERS,
PRACTICAL AND CONSOLATORY.
LETTER XVI.
HINTS ON TIIE PROPER METHOD OF INSTRUCTING
INQUIRERS.
Importance of declaring fully the demands of the Law — Not neces-
sary to defer stating the Gospel till the mind appear to be awak-
ened— All instruction to be connected with the doctrine of the
Cross — Christ the centre of all Divine truth — The importance of
stating correctly the ground of human obligation.
Ml DEAR FRIEND,
You will remember the conversation we had on the best
method of introducing the truths of Scripture to an inquirer.
This is a matter of very great importance : and, with a
view to assist you in your endeavors to do good, I shall
now, agreeably to my promise, suggest to you some hints
on the subject. I feel it difficult to descend to minute par-
ticulars on it, because much must depend on the circum-
stances of individuals — on the way in which they have been
accustomed to think on religious subjects, and on the kind
of observations they may make on what is said to them ; I
shall therefore confine myself to general topics.
If we follow, as we ought, the examples of Scripture, we
shall begin our instructions by directing the attention of an
Vol. ii. 2
14 HINTS ON THE TKOrER METHOD
inquirer to those parts of the word of God which trout most
directly of the character of God, the state and character
of man, and the gospel of peace. Men cannot be con-
vinced of sin without some idea of the character and law
of God ; nor of their need of deliverance, without a con-
viction of guilt and a sense of danger ; nor of the impor-
tance of salvation, without a sense of the evil and demerit
of transgression. It is therefore proper to state, at the very
commencement of our instructions, the righteous demands
of the divine law, the condition of man as a sinner, and
the utter impossibility of his being justified by deeds of his
own. Such subjects, even when the inquirer is already
acquainted with them, ought to be pressed on the conscience
with the greatest seriousness ; and the solemn language of
Scripture regarding them ought to be employed, to awaken
to a due sense of their importance.
It is not necessary, however, to refrain from stating the
gospel till such statements as these appear to be clearly
understood, and powerfully felt. The fact is, that scarcely
is there an unbeliever in a country where the gospel has
been preached, who is altogether destitute of a conscious-
ness of guilt, and at all times free from distress of mind.
There are remaining traces of the divine law in every man's
heart, and there is a voice there which witnesses for God.
Men may, and often do, make strong endeavors to oblite-
rate all impressions of sin and of danger, and to silence
the clamors of conscience ; but, in defiance of all their ef-
forts, conscience is not completely quieted, but at times
causes no small concern and distress. Now, in this state
of mind, that gospel which brings the salvation of God
near to the guilty, is, when its glory is discerned, most ac-
ceptable to man. If then such is the experience of men
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 15
in general, it is not necessary to refrain from stating the
gospel to them till a certain preparatory process has been
gone through, subsequent to our admonitions. The apos-
tles did not thus limit themselves. Peter, on the day of
Pentecost, after he had charged his hearers with the guilt
of murdering the promised Messiah, stated the sum of the
gospel before they discovered that they felt the force of the
charge. Acts ii. In the following history, we find him ad-
dressing the people of Israel on their sin in crucifying the
Prince of Life, and, before any discovery had been made
of this having been felt, preaching to them salvation through
Jesus. Acts iii. 12 — 26, and iv. 11, 12. Paul followed the
same course in Antioch in Pisidia. Acts xiii. 25 — 41.
To withhold the invitations of the gospel till we think a
person sufficiently convinced of sin, and then to introduce
them as something to which he is entitled, is to act very
unscripturally. The gospel may be freely declared at all
times; for there is such a connexion between one part of
truth and all other parts of it, that if one part is understood
and embraced, all others which are implied in it, even such
as, in the order of nature, go before it, will follow it.
None, it is true, will believe the gospel without seeing
that they stand in need of it ; for without a conviction of
sin and of danger, that evidence of its truth, which con-
sists in its perfect suitableness to the guilty and ruined cir-
cumstances of man, and to the character and government of
God, cannot be discerned. But it is only in connexion with
the declarations of the gospel, that the law of God pro-
duces genuine penitence. All the agony which a convic-
tion of guilt may occasion, will, while a sinner is unac-
quainted with the gospel, only lead him to despair, or to
some self-righteous course. If he come to Christ under the
16 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD.
notion that his alarm and penitence qualify him for the be-
nefit of the atonement, he is blind to the import and the
glory of the saving truth. Such is the tendency of the
preparatory schemes to which I advert.
It ought to be remembered, that, in the gospel itself, the
guilt and the lost state of sinners are revealed ; so that, if
the more particular statements of these by themselves
should have been without much or any effect, the view
given of them in the gospel may, along with those state-
ments, produce all that is necessary. It is impossible in-
deed to give a just exhibition of the gospel as a scheme of
deliverance without, at the same time, declaring the guilt
and condemnation of man, from which it is designed to
save. On this principle, it is easy to see why Philip began
with preaching Jesus, and why the apostles dwelt in all
cases on the doctrines of Christ and him crucified. Not
that they did so without exhibiting the divine law ; but that
they stated the law and the gospel together. I mean not
that contrition is produced by nothing else than the revela-
tion of mercy ; or that conviction of guilt is not produced
by the law. By the law, certainly, is the knowledge of
sin ; but the death of the beloved Son of God is the strong-
est demonstration that its awful curse cannot be dispensed
with. It deserves particular notice, too, that, till a man
believe the gospel, convictions of sin are forced upon
him. Till then, he is afraid to take the law into close and
proper consideration ; but having seen the glory of the
work of Christ, he says, " Search me, O God, and show
me the errors of my way, and lead me in the way ever-
lasting."
One man is led to see his guilt by a strong view of the
law of God, as was the case with the jailor of Philippi :
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 17
Another, in hearing or reading of the cross of Christ, and
that he died to expiate sin, is, in the first instance, struck
with a conviction that sin must be exceeding sinful; and
that as a sinner, he is exposed to extreme danger. The
former, by comparing his spirit and deportment with the
law, becomes sensible of guilt; and the latter, by ponder-
ing on the death of the Son of God, for the purpose of
making atonement, and of magnifying and making hon-
orable the divine law, becomes persuaded that there is in
sin all that is base and malignant. The former may strug-
gle against his convictions, and endeavor to escape from the
light of the precepts and threatcnings of Scriptures ; but,
if he be under divine teaching, he will find this to be im-
possible: The latter will naturally turn to the law, and on
viewing it in itself, and in connexion with the cross, and on
comparing himself with the delineation of its spirit in the
character of Christ, he will be deeply impressed with a
sense of his contrariety to it, and will humble himself in
the dust. The former individual, should his convictions
and alarm be blessed as the means of leading him to in-
quire after the gospel, and should the truth be perceived by
him, will also be led to the cross ; and there, however
deeply he may have been convinced of sin before, he will
become much more so, and the latter will feel that the at-
tractive power of the love and the compassion of the Sa-
viour increases in proportion as his sense of guilt and of his
natural wretchedness comes to be deepened, though it was
an affecting display of the divine love which, in the first
instance, influenced his heart. It follows that, though every
believer of the gospel sees his need of it, or, in other words,
is convinced that he is a sinner, and that he can be saved
only through Christ; yet it is not necessary that a person
2*
18 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD
should, for a certain period, experience a particular agoniz-
ing process of conviction and alarm, before he can derive
comfort from the atonement. Some have been the sub-
jects of such a process ; but others, who have been as
deeply sensible of sin, have been kept from feeling this
horror of mind, by receiving clearer and more immediate
views of the riches of redeeming grace.
The message of mercy sets before men a finished atone-
ment,— the benefit of which is to be obtained, not in the
way of striving to make ourselves better, but in that of be-
lieving or receiving the testimony of God as true. To this
method of acceptance none are more opposed than those
who deem themselves qualified for divine mercy. Their
fancied qualifications blind their minds to the true glory of
the gospel. What a mercy, when such are enabled from
the heart to say, " What things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ !" When, on looking back, they
are made to see that all their endeavors, and even their re-
ligious services, have been designed to establish what God
has determined to put down, and are led, from a conviction
that there is nothing between them and everlasting perdi-
tion but the work of the Saviour, to cast themselves on him
as their whole hope and confidence.
I would remind you, my dear friend, that some again are
plunged into affliction, and are made to feel that all below
is vanity ; and feeling a want which nothing here can sup-
ply, they are led to inquire into their state. Object after
object has been followed — here, there, and elsewhere, hap-
piness has been sought, but all in vain. In the day of
prosperity, the mind, though not satisfied, was diverted;
but adversity has come, and all is involved in gloom. A
man in such a day of distress comes to himself, as did the
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 19
prodigal son. Finding nothing substantial in the world on
which to rest, he asks if there is any way of relief, and,
if there be, what it is ? In such circumstances, the gospel
when stated to him and blessed of God for the enlighten-
ing of his mind, is found to be all that he needs. There is
a conscience in man which often alarms the stoutest heart ;
but unhappily its voice is frequently stifled : yet when his
forlorn and unprovided state is disclosed, the inability of
the world to meet his necessities is discovered; and when
in the gospel firm footing and the hand of a friend are pre-
sented to him who had neither, the voice of conscience is
readily heard. To the blessed gospel of peace the heart
bows with delight. The mind of the unhappy sufferer is
softened, and he hears with pleasure of the blessedness of
the servants of God, and of his unbounded goodness to all
who return to him through Christ. Here the law, and the
gospel, and the afflictions of life all concur to produce the
effect.
Every opportunity should be embraced of pressing upon
the mind, that the Scriptures address us as already guilty
and condemned — as under the power of sinful principles —
as wretched and helpless — and as altogether unworthy of
the least of the divine mercies. This is to be done, not
merely by stating the general doctrine of human depravity,
but by fully depicting the character of man. We should
employ the actions of the life to prove the state of the heart ;
for the fruit shows the nature of the tree, and the stream
the nature of the fountain. If we confine our attention to
the outward evils of the life, we act in relation to the soul
as a man should do in regard to the body, who was all at-
tention to some external eruption, and unmindful of the in-
ternal state of the system.
20 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD
On the other hand, there is a vague general way of des-
canting on the depravity of the heart, which makes no im-
pression, because there is no delineation given of the work-
ings of sin. Accordingly, it sometimes happens that per-
sons who are loud and constant in their complaints of the
corruptions of their hearts, are exceedingly offended if
charged, however gently, with any particular transgres-
sion. The fact is, that such characters, in some way or
other, consider the corruption of their hearts as an excuse
for the sins of the life ; or else they are the subjects of some
vague and indefinite feelings, which they mistake for a con-
viction of depravity and helplessness.
Let us then bring the truth home to the heart. We shall
be assisted in doing this by the many appeals of Scripture
to the conscience, as to what we are and what we have
done — what we suffer and what we dread — what we desire
and what we need. In a great part of the first three chap-
ters of the epistle to the Romans, the apostle dwells on the
natural character of man; as also in the second chapter of
the epistle to the Ephesians, and in parallel passages.
Much of human nature is seen in the gospel histories, and
particularly in that of John. In the writings of the pro-
phets we often meet with the most pointed descriptions of the
human heart, and the ways of the world : In their writings
there are also given the most striking representations of the
present scene, and corresponding with the inward convic-
tions that are generally felt regarding it. In Scripture his-
tory there is much both of the ways of God, and those of
man, exhibited; and particularly in that part of it which is
biographical. These all furnish matter for instruction, and
serve to produce and to cherish serious impressions in the
mind ; and particularly when that consistent and full view
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 21
which the gospel gives of the divine character is stated
along with them. In this way ought we to take the favor-
able opportunity which affliction presents, of leading the
inquirer to the law of God, with its awful sanctions; and
also to the gospel of peace, with its precious blessings.
Thus will be mingled the law of Heaven, the message of
mercy, and the providence of God ; which all serve to illus-
trate each other. The first serves to awaken the conscience,
the second to engage the affections, and the third, by means
of the ills and sorrows of life to excite and influence the
principle of self-preservation, and the desire of happiness.
Some are, in the first instance, more accessible in one of
these ways, and some in another, and hence that variety
which marks the leadings of God in bringing sinners to
himself. Now the great thing, surely, is to be indeed
brought to him, and not the order in which the work com-
mences.
We ought never, my dear friend, to forget that the great
design of the Scriptures is to testify of Christ. John v. 39,
46. Rev. xix. 10. It is of the first importance to press
upon inquirers the necessity of receiving this testimony,
and the guilt of neglecting it. It will be found to be no
easy thing to convince them of the sin of unbelief. They
may be convinced, by the operation of the law upon the
conscience, that they have neglected many good works,
and have done many positive evil deeds, — in a word, they
have in one way or other broken all the commandments ;
while they have no real conviction of the sin of unbelief.
They may indeed in words allow that they are guilty of it;
but what they mean by unbelief is, not the rejection of the
testimony of the gospel, but the want of certain devotional
22 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD
feelings, and holy dispositions; or perhaps "the difficulty
they have to persuade themselves that they are Christians.
That any particular individual is a child of God, is no part
of that testimony which God hath given in his word : This
a man comes to know only when he has believed that mes-
sage, which is true whether he believes it or not, and the
rejection of which is the sin of unbelief. The Saviour has
told us, that the great work of the Spirit is to convince the
hearers of the gospel of sin; because they believe not in
Him. John xvi. 8, 9. Now this conviction is produced
by his persuading them of the truth of the gospel.
In endeavoring to instruct inquirers, it is then of the first
importance to keep in view, that Christ and him crucified
is the central point in which all the lines of divine truth
meet and are united. This doctrine is that on which the
apostles delighted to expatiate on all occasions, and in all
circumstances. Not that with constant repetition they de-
clared the same thing, but that, in all the many and vari-
ous subjects which their, ministry included, the doctrine of
the cross held a prominent place, and was most closely in-
terwoven with all their instructions. They were not satis-
fied with constant statements of the ground of acceptance,
and of the impossibility of being justified by law ; but dwelt
on the whole of the divine commandments, and on the so-
lemn warnings and denunciations connected with them,
Acts xiv. 15 — 17; xvii. 22 — 31 ; xxiv. 25. Rom. ii. 1 —
6, 17—29. 1 Cor. vi. 7, 10. The medium through which
the Spirit works is not the gospel exclusively, — but the
whole of his word. John iv. 16, 18, 29. 1 Cor. xiv. 24,
25. He, of course, convinces the sinner, not only of the sin
of unbelief, but of all other transgressions. When any part
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 23
of truth is impressed by Him upon the mind, it leads to the
other parts of it ; but a conviction of the guilt of unbelief
does certainly distinguish the subjects of his influence.
With this view of His operations, the place given by the
apostles to the doctrine of the cross is in perfect harmony.
Accordingly there is not a doctrine in Scripture which they
do not represent as having a relation to it ; there is not an
invitation, or promise, or threatening, or encouragement,
that is not built on it ; and there is not a branch of practical
piety that is not enforced by the motives it exhibits. This
is quite a different thing from representing unbelief as it
were the only sin of the unconverted ; or self-righteousness
as almost the only sin of which they are in danger. To
teach only one thing, and to teach all things in connexion
with their proper centre, are quite distinct methods of in-
struction. This latter method will not narrow or cramp
our instructions. There is no danger of unvarying same-
ness, if we keep in view the numberless connexions in
which the Scriptures place the doctrines of God, while they
still keep the work and character of the Saviour in view.
Accordingly, in reading them, there is always a freshness
in the truths they declare — there is always something new
seen; and we find the bearings and the relations of the
same truth to be endless.
In addressing mankind at large, they dwell in particular
on that truth which contains the foundation of hope. The
acceptance of a sinner does not depend upon his being ac-
quainted with the whole of revelation, but upon his belief
of the plain and short proclamation of mercy through
Christ, which is soon stated and easily remembered — which
is level to every capacity — and which commends itself to
the conscience of every man.
24 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD
It is an error to represent divine revelation in general as
the object of justifying faith. The disbelief of any Scrip-
ture truth with which a person is acquainted is doubtless a
sin ; but there is one radical comprehensive truth — namely,
the testimony concerning Christ, the belief of which is the
means of salvation.
The faithful statement of this testimony, and the affec-
tionate statement of the promise of salvation to every one
who believes it, which is implied in the encouraging decla-
ration appended to it, " He that believeth shall be saved,"
ought not to be considered as an improper exhibition of con-
solatory topics. It were certainly highly unscriptural to
address a person as a Christian who has not given evidence
of having received the love of the truth, and to speak to
him in this state as an actual partaker of the blessings of
the gospel ; but it is a very different thing to preach to him,
just as he stands, that blessed message of reconciliation
which was proclaimed to the murderers of Christ, the im-
pure Corinthians, the jailor at Philippi, and such-like cha-
racters. It were wrong to teach such that, immediately on
their receiving the gospel testimony, they shall enjoy all
the high consolations which are enjoyed by the advanced
disciples of the Saviour ; for the exalted joys of the latter
are connected with their matured assurance of faith, and
their growth in grace : It were still worse to teach, that a
recent convert may expect at once to enter on the enjoy-
ment of the rich communications which are connected, as,
for example, in the apostles, with a course of active labor
and heavy persecutions in the cause of God. But still we
may, in perfect consistency with these statements, set be-
fore them the promise of such comfort as was obtained by
the Lthiopian Eunuch, and the jailor at Philippi. This is
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 25
quite a different thing from representing a sinner as called
to appropriate the exalted joys referred to, while he has not
embraced the gospel, or when he first receives it. But yet
every sinner ought to be informed that the blood of Christ
is all-sufficient to declare God to be just in forgiving him,
ungodly as he is ; and that, on believing the gospel, he
shall obtain mercy.
On the testimony concerning the Saviour, with the belief
of which salvation is connected, all our instructions should
turn. Not that every discussion should have Christ for its
immediate object, or that every other subject must be viewed
as legal ; but that every truth should be stated in relation
to his work and character, and in connexion with the gos-
pel, if not as expressly taught, at least as fully implied.
We ought never, I may add, to confound names with
things : It is not, for example, by constantly repeating the
appellations and titles given to the Saviour, not by ringing
changes on the names of his offices, that his doctrines are
taught. His name is his character, and of this all other
things are but illustrations. The histories, predictions, and
figures of the Old Testament have all a reference, in one
form or another, to his atonement, character, and salvation.
Even Adam was a figure of our Lord. Rom. v. 14. The
constitution established with him was introductory to the
establishment of the gospel kingdom.
It is of great moment to guard inquirers against looking
back to the fall as an apology for their sins, and indulging
therefore in the vain dream that they are guiltless. Ezek.
xviii. 2. Let them be called to reflect on this solemn fact,
which is attested by their own conscience, as well as by
Scripture — namely, that we all sin voluntarily, and of
course are criminal. Let them be directed to the many
Vol. ii. 3
£6 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD
good things which they enjoy, and particularly to that gos-
pel which proclaims to them a Saviour, and, through him,
a blessing far surpassing the life lost in Adam. Set before
them that glorious light which shines forth from the dark-
ness that has followed the fall : — in a word, direct them to
the second Adam.*
It is of great importance to show the inquirer that the
Scriptures ascribe the necessity of the Spirit's influence to
the depravity of the heart, and so to exhibit it as to deepen
a sense of responsibility, of guilt, and of unworthiness.
Our aim should be, to produce a feeling of helplessness,
and a conviction that this, instead of excusing him, is the
result of his own wickedness, and thus to induce him to
implore mercy as a lost sinner ; and such prayer, offered
in the name of Jesus, will be heard. Till a sinner despairs
of any help from himself, he will in reality reject the gos-
pel, though in words he may assent to it. But let him be
brought to feel his true situation, and he will fall into the
arms of sovereign mercy, encouraged at once by the atone-
ment of Christ, the invitations of the gospel, and the prom-
ised aid of the Spirit. The helplessness and depravity of
sinners is met by a solemn assurance, that on coming to
God in the name of his Son he will pour out upon them
the influence of his Spirit. Prov. 1. 23. Luke xi. 13.
It is the great work of the Spirit to testify of the person,
character, and work of Christ, and so to lead us to see the
true glory of his righteousness, and to rest our all upon it.
John xvi. 13, 14. Hence the importance of leading an in-
quirer to every part of truth as it bears upon him, and of
directing the anxious soul to seek the aid of this heavenly
* See a compendious view by the author of the Adamic and Me-
diatorial Dispensations. Part II. Section VII.
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 27
teacher. When taught by him, we see all truth in Jesus
as its centre. It is, for example, in the Saviour, that the
character of God is displayed and vindicated. John i. 18.
2 Cor. iv. 4, 6. Col. i. 15. Ileb. i. 3. The fact of a dis-
tinction in the Godhead is never introduced as a matter
of mere speculation, but to throw light on the plan of re-
demption through him. In the scheme of salvation, the
Father appears declaring the displeasure of the Godhead;
but in love sending the Son to make atonement, that he
might be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly; — the
Son as finishing his work on the cross, and then going in-
to heaven, to act as Mediator on the ground of his accepted
sacrifice ; — and the Holy Spirit, as giving effect in the souls
of men to the work of the Redeemer.
The divinity of the Saviour is taught us in connexion
with his incarnation, Isaiah ix. 6. — with his character as a
mighty deliverer, and an affectionate and tender shepherd.
Isa. xl. 10, 11. — and to illustrate his character as a pattern
of love and of condescension. Phil. ii. 5 — 8. The truth
concerning his person as Emmanuel, is taught us in connex-
ion with the different characters in which he appears as
God and as man ; with the cause of his sufferings, with the
guilt of his persecutors, with the atonement he hath made
for sin, with his victory over death and the powers of dark-
ness, with his priestly character, and with his government
of the Church and of all worlds. It is in him that we see
the divine law and government honored, Isa. xlii. 21 : From
him come all the blessings of redemption, 1 Cor. i. 30, 31 ;
his character is the pattern after which we are formed,
Rom. viii. 29 ; 1 John iii. 2 ; the influence of the Spirit
comes to us through him, John xvi. 7 ; and all holy princi-
ples are cherished by abiding in his word. Every privilege
23 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD
is enjoyed through him : — In a word, the river of the water
of life proceedeth " from the throne of God and of the
Lamb ;" and when we reach the full enjoyment of hea-
venly bliss, our song will be, « Worthy is the Lamb to re-
ceive all honor, and power, and glory ; for he hath re-
deemed us to God by his own blood ; and he hath made
us kings and priests unto God, even his Father."
Every duty is to be dischaged " in his name," or under
the influence of his cross, and as the sacred act of a priest
unto God through him. Col. iii. 17. The relative duties
of husbands and wives — those of parents and children —
and those of masters and servants, are enforced by motives
drawn from his character. Eph. v. 22 — 3.3 ; vi. 1 — 9.
Every duty which we owe to our neighbors, and likewise
every personal duty, is enforced by the consideration of
the mercies of God through him ; as is evident from the
commencement of the twelfth chapter of the epistle to the
Romans, which is obviously connected with all the practi-
cal exhortations that follow, whether they relate to the most
common affairs of life, or to the peculiar profession of Chris-
tians. In a word, all our obedience is to be yielded as a
thank-offering and a " spiritual sacrifice," Col. iii. 17. Heb.
xiii. 15, 16, through him. Indeed if the doctrines of the
gospel are not stated, we are endeavoring to build without
a foundation. If, again, they be stated without habitually
insisting on their sanctifying influence, the foundation will
be left alone, and of course utterly useless ; or, rather, we
have not properly laid the foundation at all, for, if it be laid,
the superstructure will in a measure rise.
It is of great moment, my dear friend, to point out the prin-
ciples on which all duties are enforced in Scripture. It is
true, that the peculiar motives of the gospel can only be re-
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 29
garded by those who know it ; but yet every man who has
heard it is bound, by the authority of God, to believe it, and
under its influence, to keep all his commandments. " I
will stretch out mine hand," says God, "and I will cut off
them that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham ;
and them that arc turned back from the Lord, and those
that have not sought the Lord, nor inquired after him."
We are thus taught, that God will not only punish the wor-
shippers of false gods, and those who seek to unite the ser-
vice of God and Mammon, and those that have apostatized
from him, but also those who have not sought him, nor in-
quired after him. What is the duty of one man, then, is
the duty of all men. There is a sense in which it is the du-
ty of all to observe even the peculiar ordinances which were
delivered by our Lord to Christians and to the Churches.
They are not immediately called to keep them ; and it were
sinful in them to partake of them while not believers of
the gospel. Before the observerance of these appointments,
there is a previous duty to be discharged — namely, that of
believing in Christ : for without faith there can be no pro-
per principle of obedience in the mind. Yet still it is their
duty to keep every divine precept, because they are solemn-
ly called upon by God to keep all his commandments, Gal.
iii. 10 ; and are at the same time called to believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ. In believing in him, the heart is turned
towards God, and excited to keep every precept of his law ;
so that the diseased soul is in the gospel presented with a
cure. If men do not believe in him, they are not only
guilty of the sin of unbelief, but are chargeable with all the
evils which result from it. No man, then, ought to bless
himself in this, that as he is not a Christian, he sins not in
neglecting the appointments of the Saviour ; nor ought any
3*
30 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD
to imagine, that, because they make no profession, there-
fore they may do as they incline. It is a dangerous error
to imagine that men are at liberty to assume a profession
of religion, or not, at their pleasure. Not that this is a
duty of prior concern to faith and a change of mind, but
that all are called upon to receive the love of the truth,
and to confess it with the mouth. Will a man deliberately
hold up his face, and say, " I care not for God — I will not
express the least regard for him ; and since 1 feel and act
thus, I am relieved from all obligation ?" Can a man really
persuade himself that his obligation to serve God arises
from his declaring himself his servant 1 Yet this is the
spirit of the conduct pursued by many. It is in vain for
such to say, that many, who profess to be religious, are in-
sincere ; for this will not exculpate them. Every man
shall bear his own burden, and shall give account of him-
self to God. It may be said, that it is more honest to give
up with all pretensions to religion, than to make a hypoc-
ritical profession of it. No doubt it is so ; but fearful in-
deed is that course which derives consistency from sin :
and what terms can express the audacity of the man whose
honesty consists in deliberate and avowed rebellion !
It must, then, be of the first importance to state distinct-
ly the grounds of human obligations, and to expel the sin-
ner from every false refuge.
With this remark I close for the present ; and shall in
my next letter, resume the general subject. — In the mean
time, believe me to be yours, &c.
LETTER XVII.
HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD OF INSRUCTING INQUIRERS.
The importance of understanding the way of acceptance — Error of
the Jews on this subject — A similar error still prevalent — The
happiness of those who are enlightened on this subject — The man-
ner in which a Christian views sacred things — Conclusion.
M
r DEAR FRIEND,
I resume the subject of my last letter by requesting your
attention to the importance of informing inquirers of the na-
ture of the Scripture doctrine of justification. This doc-
trine, you know, is the distinguishing glory of the gospel.
The forgiveness of sin lies at the foundation of all true bless-
edness; and hence the apostles began their instructions
with preaching this blessing to the world. When their tes-
timony was believed, the guilty conscience found peace,
and the troubled heart was filled with joy unutterable and
full of glory.
It is of the utmost importance to have scriptural views
of the ground of acceptance with God. In fact, the proper
knowledge of this forms the key to the Bible. Erroneous
notions in relation to this subject made the Jews to stumble
at the doctrines of the cross. They had laid it down as
an incontrovertible principle, that the great design of the
Scriptures was to inform them what good things they were
required to do in order to obtain everlasting life. They
accordingly read them with this notion firmly fixed in their
minds, and, of course, merely to ascertain what precepts
they were called to obey, that they might finally be happy.
32 HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD
They did not see that the Bible declared them to be already
guilty and condemned ; and that, as the law demands
perfect and perpetual obedience in thought, principle, and
deed, they never could be justified by it. Though they
searched the Scriptures, because they thought that in them
was revealed the way to eternal life, they utlerly misun-
derstood them. They were right in thinking that the way
to eternal life is in them clearly disclosed ; but they erred
in supposing that the way there revealed was that of keep-
ing the precepts and institutions of the law, in order there-
by to merit the Divine favor.
The Old Testament no more teaches that salvation is by
works of law than does the New. Its language is, "Come,
let us reason together : though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crim-
son, they shall be as wool." " Hearken unto me, ye stout-
hearted, that are far from righteousness : I bring near
my righteousness — it shall not be far off, and my salva-
tion shall not tarry." " Look unto me and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth." " In the Lord shall all the
seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." Such pas-
sages, however, did not lead the Jews to turn the eyes of
their minds to the Messiah, and the great work which he
was to finish. There was a vail upon the hearts in read-
ing Moses and the Prophets. The law of their revered
leader was quite perverted. They rested in the law itself,
without looking to him who is the end of it for justification
to every one that believeth. Their minds were blind to the
important fact, that the leading design of the Scriptures
was to testify of the person and sacrifice of Christ : and
to direct them, as guilty and helpless sinners, to his atone-
ment for pardon and acceptance. The consequence was,
OF INSTUCTING INQUIRERS. 33
that when the Saviour appeared, " they would not come to
him that they might have life ;" and when his apostles
preached him as the substance of the typical economy,
" they contradicted and blasphemed." They totally mis-
understood the important lessons taught on the subject
in the passovcr, the daily sacrifice, and the unceasing
flow of blood in the sanctuary. Almost all things were
purged by blood ; and without shedding of blood there
was no remission of sins. These rites were explained by
the promises and prophecies respecting the Messiah. It
was declared that he should make his soul an offering for
sin, and should bear the sin of many ; and that, on these
grounds, he should, by the knowledge of himself, justify
many. It was likewise predicted, that he should finish
transgression, and make an end of sin — make reconcilia-
tion for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness.
To him, in a word, gave all the prophets witness, that
through his name whoever believed in him should receive
remission of sins. To all these precious statements, in
which were written, in legible characters, the divine plan
of justification through a propitiation, the pride and self-
righteousness of their hearts had completely blinded them.
The Gentiles, who had not the benefit of the written
revelation of the will of God, and who pursued not after
the blessing of justification, but were living in a state of
utter carelessness about it, when they heard the gospel,
were not influenced towards it as the Jews were. No doubt
the principle of self-righteousness, which is deeply rooted
in the hearts of all men, was in them as well as in the Is-
raelites ; but it had not been cherished by them in rela-
tion to the Scriptures, as it had been by the Jews. The
latter imagined that they already understood them, and had
34 HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD
the blessings which they unfold ; but this the former could
not for a moment suppose. The result was, that when the
Gentiles heard the gospel, they were not so prejudiced in
relation to this subject as were the chosen people ; and, by
the blessing of God, " they attained justification, even the
justification which is by faith." On the other hand, the
Jews, who were busy in pursuing after the law, or the rule
of principle according to which justification was to be ob-
tained, did not attain to the knowledge of that principle,
and, of course, did not attain to the blessing itself. Rom.
ix. 30, 31. The very natural question, How did the Is-
raelites fail of obtaining the knowledge of the divine plan
of justification, seeing they had in their hands the revela-
tion of Heaven upon the subject, and were employed in the
study of it? is thus satisfactorily answered. In searching
this revelation, the)' did not examine it with a mind unfet-
tered by prejudice, and open to whatever it might teach. On
the contrary, they read the Scriptures with a firm convic-
tion that they were designed to answer the question, "What
shall I do that I my obtain life everlasting?" They accord-
ingly sought the knowledge of the divine method of justifica-
tion not by looking simply to the testimony of God, but by
converting every part of Scripture into a system of directions
how best to merit the favor of Heaven. They of course
" sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the
law;" and so stumbled at the doctrine of salvation through
faith in the finished work of the Redeemer.
The Scriptures, it is true, are designed to inform us of
the whole of our duty, both to God and to man. They
set before us the extent and obligation of the Divine law,
and declare that every instance of transgression exposes to
its curse. They do so for the purpose of vindicating the
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 35
character and government of God, — to convince us of sin,
— to persuade us of our need of a Saviour, — and to teach
us the nature of salvation. They exhibit our state as a
state of disease, in order to show the suitableness of the
remedy which they reveal. They do not tell us, then, that
we arc diseased, and call upon us to be well, without set-
ting before us the means of recovery. What are exhorta-
tions to duty without exhibiting scriptural motives to obe-
dience, but doin<r this foolish thino;'? Had the Jews under-
stood this, they would not have viewed the Bible as a system
of directions to obedience, by which, without regard to the
Redeemer, they were to " enter into life." The more
clearly they saw, as they imagined, the directions in ques-
tion, the better did they deem themselves acquainted with
the plan of justification ; and the more that ihey followed
their fancied instructions, the nearer did they think them-
selves to the blessing of which they were in quest. No
wonder that such characters stumbled at the doctrine of the
cross. Such was the character of Paul when a Pharisee,
and such was the character of those who, as he says, had
a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Being ig-
norant of the divine plan of justification, they went about
to establish their own self-righteous plan, and would not
submit to that of God.
Not that their object was purely religious, f )V they mixed
with it the pursuit of earthly things. We wonder at the
gross absurdity of the idolater, whom the prophet represents
as taking a tree, and employing one part to kindle a fire,
and of another part of it making a god, and falling down
and worshipping it. But what better or wiser were the
Jews, who observed the same ordinances of religion, partly
to establish their reputation among men and to promote
36 HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD
their worldly interests, and partly to establish a ground of
confidence before God 1 What better or wiser are men
still, when they attend to the forms of religion from a re-
gard to reputation, or to promote some worldly and selfish
design ; and yet will trust to the very observances which
spring from such motives as a ground of hope for eternity?
It is not for such to smile at the sottish conduct of the man
who makes a god of the very tree with which he had made
a fire to warm himself, and to roast flesh for food. Truly,
there is nothing new under the sun ; we see but different
modifications of the same principles.
Many, alas ! are still in the same error as that of the
Jews. They come to the Scriptures under the persuasion
that it is their great design to tell them by what deeds and
sacrifices of their own they may procure the favor of God,
and eternal life. This pernicious sentiment blinds their
minds to what is there said of the character of Christ, as
the only medium of access to Jehovah, — the sole founda-
tion of hope to a sinner, — and the only medium through
which the blessing of redemption can be communicated to
man.
Sometimes the error I now speak of is defended, by a
reference to the case of the young man in the gospel. On
this I have to remark, that the young man imagined that
our Lord had come to teach men some new rules, by obe-
dience to which life was to be obtained. Our Lord, in re-
ply, spoke to him on his own principles ; and the spirit of
his reply is, "If life is to be had by obedience, there is no
need that I should give any new commandments, — those al-
ready given are quite sufficient ; for they include love to
God and our neighbor which is the sum of all that can
be required." The young man answered, that he had
OFINSTRUCTINO INQUIRERS. 37
kept them all ; and asked what he had lacked ? The Sa-
viour then called him to give all he had to the poor. Now,
had the young man really loved God, he would have been
ready to do so, when called to it hy divine authority. The
call was therefore fitted to bring his fancied obedience fully
to the test. The covetousness of his heart was thus detect-
ed, and consequently his want of that love which is the
fulfilling of the law. But while the Saviour endeavored to
convince him of the real state of his heart, he at the same
time called him to come to him, and to follow him bearing
the cross. The call to come to. him, was a call to believe
in him ; and the call to sell his all and follow him in the
path of tribulation, was a call to confess him with the mouth,
— to love him supremely, — and, like the soldier at the word
of his commander, to be ready to renounce, without de-
lay or reluctance, even what he might love most, and cheer-
fully to endure the most painful afflictions. The command
to sell all and give to the poor was not meant for a general
rule, but was given to try the character of this individual.
The spirit of the precept is, that our will must implicitly
bow to the will of our God. This case, then, exhibits no
warrant for the notion I now speak of.
They who hold this sentiment read the preceptive parts
of the word of God with this idea in their mind, "These
are revealed to me that, by doing what they enjoin, 1 may
obtain the favor of God, and at last be delivered from woe,
and be called to eternal bliss." They read with the same
view the command to believe in Christ, and the calls of
Scripture to come to him for life. These they join with
the commandments which forbid murder or theft, and in-
deed with all the commandments which regard either God
or man ; and they consider faith and coming to Christ as
Vol. ii. 4
38 HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD
just two of the many duties which they are called to per-
form, in order that by this means they may entitle them-
selves to the favor of Heaven. They speak as if they had
a certain quantity of actions to do, and a certain quantity
of doctrines to believe. Faith in Christ is viewed as a
work which must be performed as well as others, and which
serves for little more than to make up the full tale of re-
quired duties. If they do raise it a little higher, it is only
to exhibit eternal life as a kind of premium for believing.
To the absurdity of calling on men to believe for believing's
sake, as it were, they seem utterly blind. They see not the
nature of the truth to be believed, nor the display which it
affords of the true character of man, and the rich grace of
God ; and are strangers to the hallowing influence which
it exerts upon the heart. They do not consider that in all
that they do they are influenced by some sentiment, that
faith is, of course, a principle of action, and not something
abstract, of which the duties of obedience to the law are
quite independent. If in every department, even of com-
mon life, faith in something or other must precede every
voluntary step, why should it be thought strange that this
should hold in religion ?
That this is thought strange in regard to religion, is evi-
dent from the contempt often expressed for religious mat-
ters of belief. This is often done from a professed regard
to what is rational ; but do not the very persons who thus
speak endeavor to make men change their conduct in
worldly matters, by endeavoring to change their views and
sentiments regarding them ; and would they not think it ir-
rational to act otherwise with those whom they wish to guide
with reason, and not by blind force. Whether then is it
more rational to expect a change of conduct without a
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 39
change of sentiment, or by means of it ? I need not an-
swer the question. Where there is a change of sentiment,
there is of course a change in the belief or persuasion of
the mind ; and is not this just what the Scriptures teach in
regard to religion 1 Some, however, who act on the prin-
ciple I oppose, do not in words contemn faith, for they
speak respectfully of it. This, however, is merely because
the word often occurs in the Bible, and not from under-
standing. Hence they often say that it is right to believe
as well as to act, evidently just because the two are joined
in Scripture, without at all perceiving that it is by the be-
lief of the medicinal truths of the gospel that proper princi-
ples of obedience arc implanted ; and that without it there
can be no acceptable service rendered unto God.
When they read such passages of Scripture as treat of
the atonement of Christ, and of the way of justification
through him, they do so with the conviction that the thing
taught in them is that the deficiencies in their obedience
will be supplied by his merits. Still, then, the principle
adverted to is in full operation, and governing their hearts.
They act precisely as did the Jews in relation to the sacri-
fices of their ritual, which were viewed by them, not as acts
of obedience, which ought to flow from love, and still less
as figurative of the work of the Messiah, but as a kind of
compensation for the defects which doubtless they would
at times admit to be in their services. In a similar light is
the sacrifice of Christ now considered by many ; and I
may add that Christian institutions are not seldom observed
with the same views. It thus happens that the same use
is now made of the one offering of the Saviour, that was
formerly made of the many offerings that prefigured it ;
and that the appointments of the new covenant are perver-
ted, as were those of the old dispensation.
40 HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD
On this principle, it is not. difficult to account for the suc-
cess of the Judaizing teachers, of whom so much is said in
the epistle to the Galatians and other apostolic epistles. It
is a great mistake to suppose that these teachers discarded
Christ, and the doctrine that salvation is hy grace from
their system. We find Paul saying to their disciples, " Be-
hold if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing :
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that
he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no
effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law :
ye are fallen from grace." Now, it is evident that the
apostle is reasoning with them on their own principles ;
and that he takes for granted they still professed to look
for salvation by grace through Christ. Their teachers had
artfully mixed truth and error together. They admitted
that Jesus died for sin, and that faith in his work was ne-
cessary to acceptance with God ; but they overturned all
this by teaching at the same time, that obedience to the law
of Moses was also necessary. The same place was in
this way given to the observance of the law and to the
atonement of Christ. The pride of man was, of course,
nearly as much gratified as when the work of the Redeem-
er was not introduced at all.
The apostle, in opposition to such doctrines, declares,
that if justification come by the law, Christ is dead in vain.
Now, his meaning must be, that if in any sense justifica-
tion come by law, shou Id it be only in part or along with
the Redeemer's work, the essence of the gospel is over-
turned ; for these men did not teach that it came wholly
by law, but only in part. It appears, indeed, from their
spirit and conduct, that to allow only that obedience to the
law qualified for mercy, would have suited their scheme.
Now, it is vain for men to imagine that because they do not
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 41
contend for Jewish rites, tli^y therefore are not of the same
principles with those pervertcrs of the gospel of whom we
so often read in the apostolic epistles. Surely if the sacri-
fice of Christ hold a similar place in modern schemes, as did
the sacrifices of the Jews in the system of the early cor-
rupters of the truth, the principles of both must at bottom
be the same. If acceptance with God be expected on the
ground of obedience to Christian appointments, — is not this
the very principle which led the others to rely on Mosaic
institutions ? The Scriptures are in wisdom so written, as
that, while they expose existing errors, they also expose
the spirit from which they flow, and the radical principles
on which they proceed ; and so are applicable to the vari
ous perversions of the truth which appear in the world
whatever form they may assume.
It must, then, be of the very first moment for an inqui
rer to compare one part of Scripture with another, and care
fully to examine the scope and connexion of every book
and of every passage, and of the connexion of the whole
with the Saviour.
In examining such passages as treat of corruptions of
the truth, it will be found useful to observe the strong lan-
guage employed respecting every false view of the way of
acceptance with God. Of all corruptions of the gospel,
that is the most dangerous which, while it seems to bring
the divine righteousness very near to sinners, in reality sets
it at as great a distance as if, in order to reach it, perfection
of obedience to the law is necessary. The teachers whom
Paul opposes in the epistle to the Galatians could say much
on the glory of the Saviour, and on the necessity of his
death to take away sin ; but what did this avail when the
acceptance of a sinner was made to depend on certain qual-
4*
42 HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD
ifications? Such were the characters respecting whom he
speaks as enemies of the cross of Christ, and as preachers
of another gospel. In like manner, men may now say
much concerning the dignity of the person and the glory
of the work of Christ, and yet deprive what is said of all
its use by insisting on the necessity of something being
done on the part of the sinner, to qualify him for obtaining
acceptance through Christ. Thus the inquirer is led to
look to himself rather than to the atonement.
When the mind is at first awakened to a sense of want
and of danger, the Bible is often resorted to for relief. The
inquirer, in reading such parts of it as treat of the divine
law and the institutions of Christ, is apt to view them by
themselves, and not as connected with those parts of the
Scriptures which treat of the present character of man, and
of the way of acceptance with God. He may remain a
stranger to the connexion and harmony of the doctrines of
revelation, in consequcne of overlooking the motives, taken
from the gospel to enforce every duty ; which motives are
often interwoven with the preceptive parts of Scripture,
and which arc always to be understood as implied in them.
Not seldom are such characters led to commence a course
of reformation in their conduct, and even a struggle with
the evils of their hearts, in the hope of, by this means, ob-
taining the divine favor. They may reform — they may
pay great attention to the ordinances of religion, and in all
their endeavors maybe very earnest and deeply serious ;
but they are laboring to establish their own righteousness.
Instead of looking to the cross of Christ for pardon and
peace, they view what is said of it as either unintelligible,
or as meant to give weight to their sorrows and obedience.
It sometimes happens that such inquirers, when they
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 43
read of the necessity of faith in order to salvation, imagine
that they are not warranted to come to Christ immediately,
because they do not find it in them : When they read of
the necessity of being born again in order to be meet for
the exercises and enjoyments of the kingdom of. Christ,
both here and in the heavenly world, and find that they are
strangers to this change of heart, they conclude that until
they are sensible of being the subjects of it, they ought not
to believe in the Saviour, or to come to the gospel for peace
to their perplexed souls. Sometimes, on reading what is
said of the influence of the Holy Spirit, they deem it their
present duty to do nothing, but to wait till he shall be pleased
by some insensible impulse or impression, separate from
the truth, to act upon their hearts. At other times, when
they read of the effects and tokens of faith — as, for exam-
ple, of love to the disciples of Christ — they think that, till
they feel the effect of the truth, they need not look to the
gospel for relief. I may add, that not seldom do they stum-
ble at what is said of the divine purposes, and of the design
of the Saviour in the work of redemption by his death.
Precious to a man in such circumstances is the benefit
of a Christian friend who can guide him in his researches,
and correct his mistakes, — who can prove to him from the
divine word, properly examined and applied, that he errs
in searching the Scriptures for the mere purpose of know-
ing what he is to do to obtain life, by showing him that all
are already guilty and condemned, — that, as even but one
transgression exposes to the curse of the law, we never can
be justified by it, — that, while we were in this helpless con-
dition, God sent his Son into the world to suffer and to die
for sinners, — and that through his obedience unto death Je-
hovah appears at once just and merciful in forgiving sin,
44 HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD
and receiving the guilty into favor. The question, " What
good things shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" is
not that which the Bible was intended to answer. It indeed
answers this question, but by showing that in order to ob-
tain life in this way, perfect and perpetual obedience in
heart and in conduct is necessary. The answer, of course,
excludes all hope of justification by law in the case of every
transgressor ; and shuts up the way of salvation exhibited
in the cross of the Saviour. The unutterably important
question, " How can a sinner be pardoned and obtain ever-
lasting life?" is that which is answered in the gospel, and
to answer it is one great design of revelation.
The inquirer will be much favored, if he has a friend
who can, besides this, show him from the Scriptures that
the faith with which salvation is connected is the belief of
the free and unrestricted proclamation of mercy through
the atonement of Christ ; and that therefore it cannot be
an obstruction to the freeness of divine grace, but is rather
a belief of it, — that we become new creatures in believing
the gospel, and that therefore a consciousness of being re-
generated is not by any means necessary to warrant us to
go to the Saviour for mercy, — that no impulse or impression,
coming from the Holy Spirit, can be necessary to warrant
us to receive the testimony and promise of the God of truth,
and that to wait for any thing of the kind, is to disobey the
command given to all, to repent and believe the gospel ; and
is to expect, in addition to the revelation of God in his word,
some new revelation by his Spirit, who never acts but by
means of what is already revealed. It will be well if he
be made to see that the effects and tokens of faith must ne-
cessarily follow and cannot exist before it ; so that to look
for them previously is at once unscriptural and absurd.
Or INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 45
Love to Christians, for instance, is the fruit of faith in Christ;
it is, in fact, loving him in them.
It will be of great moment to show him that he ought
not to pry into the purposes of God, or the secrets of the
Saviour, as if he wished to ascend into heaven to see that
his name is written there ; but rather to look at once to the
gospel, in which he is most assuredly called upon and be-
sought to come to the Redeemer for life. The general as-
pect of love to the human race, which is borne in the gos-
pel, testifying the all-sufficiency of the atonement, as the
foundation of the unrestricted invitations, by which all are
alike welcome to participate in its virtue, is such that every
individual is warranted to consider it a sufficient ground
for his coming to the feast of mercy, and taking the enjoy-
ment of all which is there provided. Since all are bidden,
there is no necessity why one in particular should have a
more special warrant than another to make his way clear.
It is on this principle that the gospel directs us to the atoning
sacrifice of Christ, and proclaims the free forgiveness of sin
to all who confide in it as the sole foundation of their hope.
The message announcing this is well denominated " the
gospel," or "good news." It testifies, in particular, that
Immanucl appeared on earth to take away sin, — that he
bare our sins (i. c. the punishment they deserved) in his
own body on the accursed tree, — that he had made full
atonement for sin, — and that in what he hath done God
rests well pleased. There is now no room for the anxious
inquiry of the troubled mind, "Where withal shall I come
before the Lord'?" lie hath showed us in his word what
is good, even that in which he is well pleased, and in this
he calls us to rest. And what does he require of us as an
expression of gratitude, love, and veneration, but that we
46 HINTS ON THE BEST METHOD
do justly, in imitation of his love to righteousness, — that we
love mercy, as an imitation of that which we have receiv-
ed : and that, under a sense of his holiness and goodness,
we walk humbly with him. Thus he has performed that
good thing which he promised to the fathers : and hath
given us that which comprises all good. In vain, then,
does any unbeliever of this endeavor to work out something
in himself to be a ground of peace before God, whether
that something be called faith, a principle of grace in the
heart, humility, sincerity, repentance, or in a word any
thing whatsoever, though expressed in Scripture language.
It is not even the work of the Spirit in vs, but the ivork
of Christ without us, that is the foundation of pardon,
and of the gift of eternal life. The work of the Spirit
consists in his opening the mind to the glory of the finished
righteousness of the Saviour, and inclining the heart to rest
exclusively upon it. The testimony of the gospel is, " that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."
To give does not always mean to put in actual possession
of a thing, but often means to exhibit or proclaim it as free
for use. Those to whom the bread of life is, in John vi.
32, said to be given were unbelievers and so had not eter-
nal life abiding in them. To them it was given in the sense
of its being exhibited as free for their reception. And thus
our Lord explains himself, when, in verse 50, he says, that
this bread came down from heaven, that any may eat there-
of, and not die. There is thus laid a sufficient ground for
our personal confidence in the grace of God, and for our
appropriating the blessings of redemption to our own par-
ticular benefit.
What saith the method of justification which is by faith?
" The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 47
heart, that is the word of faith which the apostles preach ;
that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved." When the import of
this message is stated, the principle in man which leads him
to seek acceptance by something done by himself, is deci-
dedly met, and by the blessing of God may be overthrown.
When the sinner, who has been laboring as in the fire
to establish his own righteousness, comes to sec that the
word, which alone can give his soul rest, has been all the
while in his hands — that it is the very word he was search-
ing and professed to believe, but which he had perverted
and misunderstood — he is struck with his blindness, and
exults in the riches of the grace of God. He sees that he
was encased in a work as difficult as to climb the heavens,
or to penetrate into the secrets of the invisible world, — in
a work which implied either that Christ had not come into
the world, or that he had not finished his undertaking in be-
half of sinners. In the resurrection of the surety, he per-
ceives the most decisive evidence of the dignity of his per-
son, the perfection of his sacrifice, and the divine compla-
cency in his character and work. In the testimony and
promises of the gospel, he sees this work brought nigh
to him, and he in consequence commits his all to it with
confidence.
Thus he, who was before engaged in the tormenting and
perplexing course of fighting in his own strength against
the evil principles and propensities of his heart, in order to
obtain the benefit of the work of Christ, and was happy or
wretched according to his ideas of success or failure, is
now convinced that the work finished by the Saviour is of
itself perfect, and fully sufficient to save sinners. He sees
48 HINTS ON Till] EE3T METIIOD
that all his attempts to add to it were vain, — that they were
most criminal in the sight of God, and highly dishonora-
ble to the Redeemer. His guilty soul in confiding in this
work finds rest, — the tormenting fcar and perplexing anx-
iety which agitated his heart give placo to tranquillity and
joy, — and the love of God is implanted in his heart.
If Jesus is not seen to be able to save to the uttermost,
pitiable must the state of that man be who is alarmed by
a sense of guilt ! In proportion to the strength of his con-
victions of sin must be his distraction of mind in the pros-
pect of dissolution. He may look to the right and to the
left, — he may try many unscriptural expedients to obtain
rest to his conscience : but it will be an unspeakable mercy
if all of them fail to quiet his alarm. Blessed will he be
if he finds that all of them are ineffectual, and comes to be
persuaded that it is not by any thing he can do or can be
brought to do, but by hearing with faith of what has been
done by the Saviour, that he can ever enjoy well grounded
rest in his soul. When a man is brought not to do, but
" to hear that his soul may live," he enters into rest. When
the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ, and shows
them with the evidence and glory to his mind, conscience
is pacified. Though in fact his convictions of guilt become
stronger than before, they are deprived of the horror which
formerly accompanied them, arising from the tormenting
dread of punishment.
The sinner can now contemplate God as a father and a
friend ; and he finds his happiness in serving him and in
being conformed to his will. Obedience to God is now
viewed not merely as a duty in a subject to his government,
but as itself ihe blessedness of the soul. The different
parts of the divine word are seen as they bear on the cha-
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 49
racter of Christ. Precepts and promises, doctrines and
privileges, in a word, all the parts of revelation, are con-
templated as they stand related to the Sun of the system.
The heart enters into the views of the sacred writers who
dwell on the character of the Redeemer, as the centre and
the life of the whole, and in whose hands every part of
truth becomes in a high degree, animating and enlivening.
" The Scriptures," then, " are able to make us wise unto
salvation" in no other way than " through faith in Christ
Jesus." He is thus all and in all. In the epistle to the
Hebrews the subject is discussed at great length. There
we have a key to the ancient history of Israel as an instruc-
tive exhibition of the character of Christ, and of that of
mankind. There the Redeemer appears as infinitely supe-
rior to all the messengers of God, — as the true expiatory
sacrifice — the great High Priest of the House of God — the
King of the Church — the end of all the figurative rites —
and the Lord of all worlds.
In a word, a Christian views all in connexion with the
Saviour. If he thinks of God, it is as he is manifested in
Immanucl, — if of the law of heaven, he views it as magni-
fied and made honorable by his obedience unto death, — if
of sin, he looks to it in the light of the cross, where its evil
nature and its awful issue are wonderously displayed, —
if he considers his duty, he feels it to be most powerfully en-
forced by the voice of him who from Calvary, beseeches
him in accents of infinite love to flee from sin and to follow
holiness and to abandon the vain hope of uniting disobe-
dience and genuine enjoyment. When he forms his esti-
mate of the world, it is by contemplating the character of
him who, for the sake of sinners, became poor, and stooped
to be a man of sorrows. In this he sees the light in which
Vol.ii. 5
50 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD
God in our nature viewed the glories of the present scene.
At the cross of his Lord the world is stripped of its delu-
sive charms, and there he leaves it of choice. If he think
of that misery which awaits the worshippers of present
things, he turns to the bitterness of his heart who was the
afflicted one, and from it he learns what the curse of the
law includes : If he meditate on death, he looks to the
death and the resurrection of his Lord ; and on his finished
work he rests his hope : If he anticipate the judgment, he
remembers that he who shall fill the throne is he who made
atonement for sin ; and from the tribunal of judgment he
turns to Calvary. There, though conscious of much guilt
and great unworthiness,he confides in Him as his friend, his
benefactor, and his brother ; and his emotions are at once
peaceful, joyful, and solemn. If his mind dwell, as often it
must, on the scenes of eternity, he rests on him who is the
resurrection and the life, — who liveth for evermore as a
Priest upon his throne in the house of God, and over that
kingdom which cannot be moved. When in this vale of
tears, he anticipates the bliss of heaven, his eye fixes on
the glory of his Lord, and he exults in the hope of being
at last altogether like him.
Time would fail me were I to attempt to show you how
every thing in Scripture, and in true religion, connects it-
self with the Saviour. Let these desultory hints suffice.
When the mind of an inquirer is divinely taught to perceive
the harmony of Scripture and its reference throughout to
the character of Christ, he finds that all the parts of reve-
lation open upon his understanding, and are felt in their
due influence, in proportion as he becomes increasingly ac-
quainted with the works and excellencies of the Friend of
sinners. He is led from conviction to count all things but
OF INSTRUCTING INQUIRERS. 51
loss for the knowledge of the glories of his Lord ; and he
studies to grow in acquaintance with an object, at once so
excellent in itself and so interesting to him.
It is however by no means necessary, as I have already
hinted, that every thing in Scripture should be considered
as directly and immediately referring to him. Far from it.
Plain historical narratives ought not to be converted into alle-
gories, in order to introduce him ; nor should types be over-
strained and forced to speak in a far-fetched or an unnatu-
ral way. Much harm has been done by this manner of
treating the word of God. The rule is, to keep by the in-
terpretations of the Old Testament which we find in the
New, and by the general principles of interpretation which
are there established. If we do this, and are guided by the
application of those examples and principles by sound judg-
ment, and not by mere fancy, — and if we accompany all
our inquiries with fervent and devout prayer to God for
the constant guidance of his Holy Spirit, we shall not
greatly err.
I have endeavored throughout, my dear friend, to keep
general principles in view. It really is not by mere rules
and directions minutely laid down that the Scriptures will
be read with profit. General principles admit of many
modifications, adapted to the varied and ever-varying cir-
cumstances of mankind. The great thing is to understand
the way of a sinner's acceptance with God, and the nature
of Christian obedience and enjoyment, as flowing from the
knowledge and faith of that simple and yet majestic truth
"which saves and sets the sinner free." We are very apt
to think of labored discussions and complex directions ;
and so to overlook the important and the encouraging fact,
that the sum of all that is necessary to be believed in order
52 HINTS ON THE PROPER METHOD, ETC.
to salvation, is often in Scripture expressed in a single short
and plain sentence, so that the weakest capacity may un-
derstand it.
The way of salvation is beautifully illustrated in our
Lord's discourse with Nicodemus, by an allusion to the
mode in which the Israelites were cured when bitten by ser-
pents— namely, by looking to the serpents of brass. We
have a simple exhibition of the same gospel in the words
immediately following this allusion. There is another com-
prehensive and simple declaration of it in the passage where
Paul denominates himself a ringleader among sinners, and
exults in the thought that to save even such, Christ came
into the world. In many other short sentences we have
the substance of the gospel. This great truth has not sel-
dom been understood and believed by very young chil-
dren ; and it has imparted unutterable consolation to many
a mind, which, through infirmity and disease, was incapa-
ble of dwelling long with steadiness on any subject, far
less of following a long train of argument. The substance
of it was understood by Timothy while a child ; and must
have been understood by Samuel, David, Josiah, and other
pious children, of whom mention is made in Scripture. In
fact, the truth must be received in the spirit of a child. If
a man will be wise, he must submit to be reckoned a fool
by the men of this world. It is the glory of the gospel that
it is adapted to man as such, whether barbarous or refined,
learned or illiterate. If the individual has previously been
ignorant of divine truth, yet when the nature of the gospel
is once perceived, and its power is felt, knowledge will be
easily gained ; or, if he has had a previous knowledge of
the Scriptures, it will soon be applied as it ought. Thus
the entrance of the gospel giveth light to the soul. There
JUSTIFICATION. 53
is in the gospel, considered as a whole, that which can oc-
cupy the powers of the most exalted angel, and that which,
though despised by the wise of this world, can make even
a child wise unto salvation.
I remain, &c.
LETTER XVIII.
ON JUSTIFICATION.
Introductory remarks — The nature of Justification — Improper nicely
to distinguish between the obedience and the sufferings of Christ
— The ground of Justification — The moral meetness of the plan
of redemption.
M
T DEAR Fiur.xn,
I have been requested by your correspondent here to write
you some general thoughts on the Scripture doctrine of re-
demption, with a particular view to the subjects of justifi-
cation, the renovation of the character, and the way in
which the Scriptures introduce the divine purposes. With
this request I cheerfully comply; and shall endeavor to
meet your questions in a plain and simple manner.
The Scriptures unequivocally declare, that all mankind
have lost both the favor and the moral image of God. By
the loss of his favor we are all legally excluded from his
family, and consequently can have no interest in its privi-
leges. Since this loss has been incurred by guilt, it is ne-
cessary to its removal that our sins be pardoned, and our
persons accepted as righteous. This is a change of state ;
54 JUSTIFICATION.
but, as we have lost the image of God as well as his favor
it is also necessary to our salvation, that we be conformed
to the divine character by a change of mind. Could we
suppose a sinner to be pardoned and admitted into the fam-
ily of God while no change was affected on his character,
he could derive scarcely any benefit from his pardon ; be-
cause he could have no relish for the holy and spiritual ser-
vices and enjoyments of the house of God. Were he even
admitted into heaven, its hallowed society and its sacred
glories would to him be intolerable ; for happiness does not
result from situation, but from an agreement between facul-
ties and objects, desires and enjoyments. No change can
take place in the divine mind, and of course a change must
take place in ours ; for happiness cannot be enjoyed while
our desires and pleasures, our habits, principles, and pur-
suits, are all opposed to the character and will of God, and
to the exercises and enjoyments of his temple. Were a
prince to elevate a slave to a station of eminence, while all
the habits of a state of slavery remained, this change of
condition, without a change of views, feelings and disposi-
tions, would embarrass and encumber. There is a suita-
bleness between circumstances and character, which is es-
sential to ease and enjoyment ; and it is the glory of the
gospel, that, while it elevates to the family of God, it im-
plants and cherishes a spirit becoming it. Christians are
accordingly reminded of the high dignity of their calling,
in order to induce them to act in character. This proceeds
on a principle similar to that on which princes are reminded
of their birth, connexions, and prospects, in order to elevate
their minds above every thing unworthy of their rank.
Christians are called to enter into the views and the man-
JUSTIFICATION. 55
ners of the family into which they are brought : and in pro-
portion as they act in character, they become assimilated
to the heavenly world.
This subject will be better illustrated by considering man
as diseased, as well as condemned, — in both which lights
he is represented in Scripture. Should a man be impri-
soned and condemned to death for a breach of the laws,
and should he, while in this state, be seized with the jail
fever to such a degree as to insure his death by the disease,
independently of a public execution according to his sen-
tence, and were he in this state to receive a pardon from
his prince, — of what use would it be to him ? His prison
doors are set open, but the diseased man cannot leave pri-
son : his life is spared by his prince, but it falls a victim to
his disorder — a disorder, too, occasioned by his crime ; so
that the benefit of his pardon he cannot enjoy, further than
this — that he escapes the shame of a public execution. But
if his prince, at the time he pardoned him, could rebuke
his disorder, and restore him to health, then, and only then,
could the benefits of the pardon be enjoyed. The same is
the case with mankind. We are under a judicial sentence
of condemnation ; but we are, at the same time, under the
power of the disease of sin, — we are depraved in heart,
alienated from God, hostile to his true character and will,
and utterly averse from the holy and spiritual blessings
and pleasures of his family. Though we cannot but seek
happiness, we naturally seek it not in God, but in the crea-
ture. The favor of God in his true character is not the ob-
ject of desire, — the thought of immediate fellowship with
him rather pains than attracts us ; and a life beyond the
grave, in a state of separation from the objects of sense, is
56 JUSTIFICATION.
considered the ruin of our happiness rather than its perfec-
tion. This temper of the heart, as well as the dread con-
sequent on a sense of guilt, causes us to shun all serious
thoughts of death and of eternity.
If, then, we are not delivered from this moral malady,
of what use could forgiveness be to us 1 We should still
be miserable ; for sin and wretchedness are inseparable,
being, in the very nature of things, connected together by
a law as steady and invariable as that which regulates the
planets. The misery consequent upon sin does not arise
from the arbitrary frown of Heaven, or from the positive
infliction of superior power, as if the cause of it were that
Omnipotence directs its severe pressure by mere will against
the worms of the dust. Far from us be every such thought.
When the divine law denounces the infliction of punish-
ment, it declares what will, in the very nature of things,
be the effect of sin to the transgressor ; it adds its sanction
to the constitution of nature. Heaven and hell are chiefly
to be considered as the names of opposite characters ; the
former of which is connected with happy effects and conse-
quences, and the latter with all that is wretched and miser-
able. Not that either the idea of place or that of the di-
rect and judicial interposition of Jehovah is excluded ; but
that his power is to be viewed as employed in placing the
impenitent in such circumstances as shall fully allow their
unhallowed principles to produce their natural and bitter
fruits. They shall be removed from all earthly enjoy-
ments, and also brought into close contact with their Judge;
the consequence of which must be the most acute misery.
God is consuming fire ; and as it is the nature of fire to
burn and to consume whatever is combustible when in con-
tact with it, so, in like manner, such is the nature of the
JUSTIFICATION. 57
God of purity and holiness, and such his relation to his ra-
tional creatures, that wherever beings of a character oppo-
site to his are brought near him, they are, in the very na-
ture of things, rendered unhappy. This must be awfully
experienced in that state where, separated from all objects
of sense, and in the immediate presence of God, they shall
feel the natural effects consequent on sin. In this world
there are many things to divert the attention, and to occupy
the heart ; but in the invisible state the mind will be left to
itself. Think it must ; and think of God, and of its own
character and condition it must ; and being obliged to turn
to itself, it will become its own tormentor. Of course,
there can be no deliverance from misery, but by a change
of the mind from sin to holiness. Till spiritual health is
restored, or, in other words, till we are conformed to the
character of God, we cannot be happy. If it is the design
of God to make us blessed, he must, in order to this, make
us holy ; for even the Almighty, with reverence be it said,
cannot otherwise make us truly happy. Hence our Lord
has said, " Except a man be born of water — even of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." He
does not ascribe this to the mere will of God, but traces it
to the very nature of things. He does not say he shall
not enter, but " he cannot enter into the kingdom of God ;"
and this is true in relation to this life, as well as that which
is to come.
Sin, then, is the disease and the bane of our souls : and
be where we may, we cannot be happy if its poison is left
to rage in our hearts. To complete our salvation, the
Redeemer therefore died not only to expiate our guilt, but
to sanctify and cleanse us by the washing of regeneration,
even the renewing of the Holy Ghost, that he might pre-
58 JUSTIFICATION.
sent us to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or
wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that we should be holy
and without blemish.
These two blessings — restoration to the family of God,
and restoration to spiritual health — though in themselves
distinct, are communicated together. The former is ob-
tained by the death of Christ, as a medium of forgiveness
every way worthy of God ; the latter is obtained by the
knowledge of ihis fact, and of the truths illustrated by the
revelation of it. Pardon is connected with faith in the gos-
pel of Christ, and the guilty of every class are called upon
to believe it, in order to their justification before God.
Having made these general remarks, allow me, my dear
friend, to call your attention more particularly to the ground
of a sinner's acceptance before God, — the consideration of
which will naturally lead to the study of other branches of
the doctrine of redemption. It is of the first importance
to have scriptural views of the doctrine of justification ;
" for it spreads itself through the whole system of divine
truth; and according as it is either fully established, or su-
perficially touched — clearly understood, or imperfectly ap-
prehended— will the whole of religion rise in genuine glory
as a solid structure, or totter to its base."
The term justification is generally used in a forensic
sense, and refers to the proceedings in a court of judica-
ture. It is with this, however, as with most cases in which
the ways of God allude to the proceedings of men; for
although there are points of resemblance, there are also
points of dissimilarity between the one and the other. In
ordinary cases among men, the ground of justification is
in the actual personal character of the accused. He is
found innocent, and is therefore honorably acquitted. In an
JUSTIFICATION. 59
earthly court, indeed, a prisoner may be acquitted for want
of evidence, when there is scarcely any doubt of his guilt;
but though he escapes the direct punishment of law, he is
not fully justified, because, being a suspected character, he
is not confided in, and does not regain his former standing
in society. In so far, therefore, as his justification is incom-
plete, the reason is that his character is not fully cleared.
But the only ground of the justification of a sinner before
God is the atonement of Christ. This blessing does not
consist in making a person righteous by infusing into him
righteous principles or dispositions, and so changing his
character, but in absolving him from the guilt of his sins,
and receiving him into favor, and so changing his state in
relation to God as his offended Judge. It is the deed of
God as a judge ; and it stands opposed to a sentence of con-
demnation. Accordingly it is said that " the judgment was
by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offen-
ces unto justification." " It is God that justifieth," saith
the apostle, " who is he that condemneth '/" Among men
a person who is condemned may be pardoned, but cannot
be justified ; for justification in its original and proper sense
is incompatible with pardon ; it declares the charges brought
against the prisoner to be false, and that he is fully entitled
to all the privileges of a good citizen. Such is the original
and proper sense of the term, and accordingly it is often
used in Scripture to signify approbation or a public vindi-
cation of the character and conduct of those who are said
to be justified. The justification of a sinner, however, ac-
cording to the gospel, signifies his being discharged from
the condemnatory sentence of the law by a free pardon of
all his sins, and the acceptance of him into a state of favor
as though he were righteous. In this deed of the Judge he
60 JUSTIFICATION.
is treated as though his character were righteous, for the
sake of the perfect work of the Redeemer.
Pardon and justification are therefore substantially the
same blessing, so far as the removal of the penal conse-
quences of guilt is concerned. The latter accordingly is
opposed, as I have already mentioned, to condemnation;
and we are said to be justified from sin. The term pardon
taken by itself expresses the nature of the fundamental
part of the blessing, and the judicial term justification refers
to the medium through which it is bestowed. Pardon re-
spects man as a sinner, and God as gracious in bestowing
the favor ; but justification considers man as a believer in
the propitiation of Christ, and God as righteous governor
discharging him from condemnation through the expiatory
work of the Mediator, and accepting him as righteous for
the sake of the righteousness of his surety. Accordingly
the term righteousness is frequently used to signify the
blessing of justification. "If righteousness, (that is justi-
fication,) come by law, then Christ is dead in vain." Gal.
ii. 21. " To him that worketh not, but believeth on him
that justifielh the ungodly, his faith is counted to him unto
righteousness — that is, unto justification." Rom. iv. 5.
I would in connexion with this subject remind you, that
the term righteousness is sometimes used to signify the
whole salvation of the gospel ; but it is because it is be-
stowed in the way of righteousness, and because it chiefly
consists in righteousness. Thus the prayer, " Let thy
priests be clothed in righteousness," is answered by saying,
"I will clothe her priests with salvation." Sometimes it is
used in the sense of benignity or mercy ; Psalm xxxvi. 10 :
ciii. 17., but it is because the loving kindness of God flows
to sinners in a channel honorable to the divine rectitude
JUSTIFICATION. 61
and government. "Deliver me," says the Psalmist, "and
my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness." Psal.
li. 14. Now, by righteousness he means mercy or loving-
kindness, as is evident from the first verse of the Psalm ;
but not mere mercy, for he expects the blessing through
what was signified by the cleansing of the unclean with a
bunch of hyssop dipt in the water of purification ; and
this we learn from the New Testament was the blood of
Christ. Psal. li. 7, compared with Heb. ix. 13, 14, and
Num. xix. 17, 18. Wherever, therefore, it denotes that
mercy or goodness which is the origin of redemption, it
also refers to the righteous and holy medium through which
it is bestowed.
The ground on which a sinner is constituted righteous in
the eye of the law, or, in other words, is treated as though
he were righteous, is the righteousness of Christ ; and hence
the term justification is employed to express the nature and
medium of his forgiveness. Pardon, indeed, is frequently
used among men to signify merely the discharge of the
guilty from the direct punishment of the law, and not the
restoration to favor and its consequent advantages ; and
hence a subject whose life and estate had both been for-
feited is said to be pardoned when his life is spared, though
his estate should not be restored, and though his former in-
tercourse with his Prince should not be allowed, even when
every moral as well as every legal barrier is removed, but
the forgiveness that is with God includes deliverance from
the whole desert of transgression. The penalty of the law
includes the deprivation of the divine favor and the suffer-
ing of the divine vengeance ; both which are comprehend-
ed in the final sentence of the wicked, " Depart from me,
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
Vol. ii. 6
62 JUSTIFICATION.
his angels." Neither of these singly, but both of them to-
gether, constitute the curse of the law ; and therefore, if a
sinner is not delivered from both, he is not fully pardoned.
When pardon is distinguished from a restoration to a state
of favor and acceptance, it is used in the common signifi-
cation of deliverance from the direct and positive infliction
of punishment, and in distinction from that high state of
favor into which we are brought through the mediation of
Christ. — When used in the full sense of the blessing com-
prehended in justification, it includes not only forgiveness
in this restricted sense, but the blessing of restoration to the
divine favor, as though the individual were righteous.
This view of the subject is confirmed by the reasoning of
the apostle on the meaning of the Psalmist, when he says,
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin
is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord im-
puteth not iniquity." This passage is quoted as a descrip-
tion of the blessedness of the man " to whom God imputeth
righteousness without works," Rom. iv. 6 — 8. It follows,
therefore, that the forgiveness of transgression, the cover-
ing of iniquity, and the non-imputation of sin, are all ex-
pressions amounting in effect to the same with the imputa-
tion of righteousness. It is also evident from the connex-
ion that the imputation of righteousness is the same with
justification ; and that justification is the same with for-
giveness, or at least that they are so inexpressibly connected
as to be used interchangeably. Not to impute sin is not to
lay it to the charge of the guilty person to his condemna-
tion ; and not treating him as a sinner, is of the same
amount with treating him as righteous, or, in other words,
justifying him.
I need not say, that though forgiveness, in the full sense
JUSTIFICATION. 63
of the favor, restores to a state of acceptance with God, it
can, strictly speaking, go no farther than to a restoration
of what was lost by transgression. It follows, therefore,
that it docs not necessarily include a title to that new par-
adise, and that exalted bliss, which shall be enjoyed in hea-
ven, and an earnest of which is enjoyed on earth. The
Scriptures, however, represent these blessings as insepara-
bly connected. They who receive the abundance of grace,
and of the gifts of righteousness, or justification, shall reign
in life by one Jesus Christ ; and as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so doth grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Such is the glory of
the work of Christ, that God hath promised that all who
believe in it, and so are treated as righteous for the sake of
it, shall become members of a new and glorious communi-
ty under him as the head, and shall, as adopted children,
reign in the possession of that eternal life which is the re-
ward of the Redeemer's work. We are accordingly said
to become the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ;
for to as many as believe in him, the Saviour gives the pri-
vilege of adoption into the family of his Father. In for-
giving sin God acts as a Sovereign Benefactor; but, at the
same time, as the Supreme Ruler, pardoning offences
against his government, so that pardon is a public, and
not merely a personal act. And while he thus forgives
sin, he grants us a place in his family, and a title to the
heavenly kingdom. Pardon then is connected with that
judicial act, by which we are graciously treated as one with
the Saviour, and being so, become joint heirs with him of
the celestial inheritance.
That these blessings are inseparably connected is evident
from this, that when the apostle Paul is reasoning on the
64 JUSTIFICATION.
ground of a sinner's justification, he represents an interest
in the heavenly inheritance as the privilege of all who are
justified, and as their privilege considered as children of
God, and consequently heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ. Reasoning on this subject, he says, " If they which
are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise
made of none effect ;" and again, " If the inheritance be of
the law, it is no more of promise ; but God gave it to Abra-
ham by promise." He closes his reasoning on justification
by saying, " If ye be Christ's, then ye are Abraham's seed,
and heirs according to the promise ;" and by applying the
circumstances of the difference between a child and heir
under age, and one who has reached maturity, to the dif-
ference of the circumstances of the people of God under
the Old and New Testaments. Having stated, in his epis-
tle to Titus, the spring and means of our salvation, he adds,
" That being justified by his grace, we should be made
heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Such then is
the glory of the work of Christ, that when treated as though
righteous for the sake of it, we are not only pardoned and
restored to the divine favor, but called to participate in the
glory of Him in whom Jehovah is well pleased. Believing
in Christ, we are viewed as one with him, and being so,
we are treated by God as though his work were ours — that
is, we are treated as though we were righteous for the sake
of His righteousness. Rom. v. 19. 1 Cor. i. 30. Rom. viii. 1.
Do not, my dear friend, attempt nicely to distinguish be-
tween what has been called the active and the passive
righteousness of the Saviour : You will gain no advantage
by distinctions which ascribe our deliverance from wrath
to the latter, and our possession of eternal life to the for-
mer. We are said, in Rom. v. 9, to be justified by his
JUSTIFICATION. 65
blood; and, in verso 19, wc arc said to be constituted right-
eous by his obedience. Now, in the former verse, his blood
does not exclude his obedience; and, in the latter, his obe-
dience does not exclude his blood. In consequence, in-
deed, of the nature of our faculties, we must in some re-
spects distinguish between his obedience and his sufferings,
in order that we may the more easily understand the whole
glories of his character: But it is quite a different thing to
make nice distinctions between them the ground of bestow-
ing separate blessings and of separate exercises of faith, in
order to our receiving them. The fact is, that he suffered
when he obeyed, and he obeyed when he suffered. His
obedience, indeed, eminently consisted in his laying down
his life, for the sheep ; and hence, speaking of this mani-
festation of love he says, " This commandment have I re-
ceived of my Father." It was in offering up the body
which had been prepared him as a sacrifice for sin that ho
did the will of his Father. His sufferings and death are ex-
pressed by active terms, such as that he gave himself for
our sins, — gave himself for us as an offering and a sacri-
fice to God, — gave himself a ransom, — laid down his life,
— and offered up himself to God. It is by his being made
sin — that is, a sin-offering for us, that we are made the
righteousness of God in Him — that is, we are justified fully
before God by Him. Having said that " It is God that
justifieth," the apostle adds, " it is Christ that died, yea
rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us." It is, there-
fore, by the death of Christ as a sacrifice for sin, together
with his priestly mediation in the heavenly sanctuary, that
the whole blessings of redemption are obtained. When
the ground or reason of his exaltation is stated, it is accord-
6*
66 JUSTIFICATION.
ingly declared to be his having humbled himself and be-
come obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philip, ii. 6—11.
In fact his giving up his life is eminently that one right-
eousness by which we are justified. All that preceded his
death must be considered as leading to it, and as having its
end in it. The redeemed, when in the enjoyment, not only
of deliverance from wrath, but of all the blessings of eter-
nal life, express their gratitude by ascribing the whole of
their salvation and blessedness to his love in having re-
deemed them by his blood, and called them through it to
be kings and priests unto God, even his Father. I do not
mean by this reasoning that to the death of Christ, exclu-
sive of what preceded it, our redemption is to be ascribed,
for this were in substance to do what I have blamed. I
mean that as the whole bliss of heaven, as well as deliver-
ance from wrath, is traced to his death, it is wrong to re-
present it as the fruit only of what is called his active right-
eousness. It is improper, therefore, to divide his work
into parts, and to ascribe one blessing to the virtue of this
part, and another to the virtue of that. It ought rather to
be viewed as one grand whole, by which " the law is mag-
nified and made honorable," the claims of justice are satis-
fied, and the divine righteousness fully declared, both in
the forgiveness of sin and in the bestowment of eternal life.
The simplicity of the truth is thus made more apparent,
and the mind will the less readily lose sight of that glori-
ous work exhibited in the wondrous history of the Man of
Sorrows.
. Perhaps some have been led to the improper use of, the
division of the righteousness of Christ of which I now
speak, by confining their attention to the pain endured in
JUSTIFICATION. 67
his sufferings ; and not sufficiently considering the hallowed
principles, motives, and views which actuated him. The
latter, it is true, ought never to be considered apart from
the former ; but neither should the former exclude the latter,
for both of them arc connected with the full vindication of
the government of heaven. To the principles, views, and
motives of the sufferer of God obviously refers, when, ex-
pressing his complacency in his work, he says " Thou
hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity : therefore
God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of glad-
ness above thy fellows." Indeed we can have no proper
view of the sufferings of Christ, if we do not deeply con-
sider the exalted and sacred principles which they called
forth and displayed ; and, on the other hand, we cannot
understand the glory of these principles aright unless we
ponder on the awful nature and severity of his sufferings.
If either of them be viewed apart from the other, the full
nature, design, and influence of both cannot be perceived
or felt. All that preceded his death was connected with it,
and leading to it : By it was his work finished ; and hence
the attention is in Scripture particularly directed to it; but
still it is when viewed as a grand whole that the glory of
his righteousness is best understood. In like manner it is
by tracing the whole blessings of the gospel to it as one
great work that its stupendous result is most distinctly
discerned.
Consider, for a little, more particularly the ground of
our justification. We are told that God hath made him to
be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God. I need not say that he could not be
made sin itself, for sin is an action and not a person. Neither
68 JUSTIFICATION.
did God really account him a sinner, for His judgment is
always according to truth ; and he well knew that he had
no sin. On the contrary, he delighted in him as distin-
guished by every excellence, even at the very time that he
bruised him and put him to grief. You must be sensible
that the sinfulness and moral pollution of our sins could
not by any constitution ever become his : It is in the high-
est degree absurd to suppose for a moment, that the act,
the criminality, or the moral turpitude of sin can be trans-
ferred from the actual sinner to one who is innocent. In
direct opposition to such an idea, the Scriptures invariably
speak of the sin for which the Redeemer suffered as not his
but ours : " He was wounded for our transgressions and
bruised for our iniquities. The Lord hath laid on him the
iniquities of us all. For the transgressions of my people"
says God, " was he stricken." " Christ died for our sins,
according to the Scriptures." " He bore our sins in his
own body on the tree."
The Scriptures employ the word sin not only to denote
an action morally evil, but also the guilt of the offender and
the punishment which the law has denounced against it.
Thus, when a man is pardoned, his sin is said to be taken
away. Now, as it is impossible that a deed which has
been done can be taken away, the expression must refer to
the guilt or the punishment legally attached to sin. Thus
they who suffered for sin are said to bear their iniquity.
Lev. v. 1. xxiv. 15, and Ezek. xliv. 10, 12. This mode of
speech naturally arose from the offering of sacrifices to
which the guilt of the people had been typically transfer-
red. It was thus taught that the bad act might be done by
one person, and the punishment be inflicted on another.
JUSTIFICATION. 69
The later indeed only endured suffering, for not being him-
self the criminal, he was not, strictly speaking, punished,
but he endured that which was the punishment of the sin
of another.
You will perceive then, my dear friend, that when the
apostle says that the Saviour was made sin for us, he means
that he was made a sin-offering for us. This is agreeable
to the language of the Old Testament, where the term sin
is often used to signify a sin-offering. Thus, in Leviticus
iv. 3, the word that signifies sin is rendered sin-offering, —
the word "offering" being supplied, though not distinguish-
ed in the usual way by Italics. The same remark applies
to what is said of the law of the sin-offering, Lev. vi. 25; and
accordingly to make a beast a sin-offering is expressed by
making it sin. Num. vi. 11; viii. 12. Nor is this peculiar
to the Old Testament, for the same use is made of the term
in several places of the New. Rom. viii. 3. Heb. ix. 28 ;
x. 6, 8; xiii. 11. God therefore made him who knew no
sin to be a sin-offering, by constituting him with his own
voluntary consent the representative and substitute of sin-
ners, and by inflicting on him in this character the full de-
sert of transgression. Could we for a moment suppose
that he had really been made the transgressor, and that
the culpability of sin had been transferred, what need had
there been for repentence, or a change of mind in the sin-
ner ? or what room would there have been for the forgive-
ness of iniquity ? The Redeemer in the most voluntary
manner took the place of transgressors, and became an-
swerable for them. Our sins indeed never could become
his — they still are and ever must be ours; but their effects
were transferred to him.
It is unscriptural, however, to represent the union be-
70 JUSTIFICATION.
tween him and his people as of such a nature as renders
them one person, in consequence of which they may de-
mand salvation and eternal life as their right. The Sa-
viour has an equitable claim for the bestowment of these
blessings on believers, but to them they are matters of un-
deserved favor. The Scriptures accordingly invariably re-
present the hopes of the most eminent characters as en-
tirely built on the riches of divine mercy, flowing to them
through the work of the Mediator. By a divine constitu-
tion, he voluntarily stood in the sinner's place, as though
he had himself been the transgressor; just as the sin-offer-
ings under the law was in mercy reckoned to have the sins
of the people put upon his head. In the latter case all was
figurative, for sin could not be expiated by the blood of
bulls and of goats : but the sacrifice of Christ really took
away sin. The Saviour, in consequence of having taken
the place of the guilty, speaks of the sins of his people as
if they were his own. Psalm xl. 12; lxix. 5. Not that
they were his own, for that was impossible, since the turpi-
tude and criminality of sin are inseparable from the act,
and must belong to the sinner : but that he had become as
really answerable for them, as though they were his own.
He accordingly suffered their desert, being treated as though
he had been the actual transgressor. This is a very dif-
ferent thing from his becoming a sinner, as if our sins had
actually become his. That they could ever by any deed
of his, or of another, become his sins, is in the very nature
of things impossible ; for though the actions of one person
may and often do affect others, they never can become ac-
tually theirs. Though Jesus suffered for sin, he died the
just for the unjust. We ought most carefully to distinguish
between his personal innocence and excellence, and the re-
JUSTIFICATION. 71
lative responsibility for the sins of his people, which of his
own accord he took upon himself. We ought likewise to
distinguish between the judicial consequences of sin, and its
polluting influence. It were therefore extremely wrong to
speak of him as a sinner ; for the effects of sin only were
transferred to him, and nothing more could be transferred
to him.
In like manner his righteousness cannot in point of fact
be actually that of his people; but they are treated as though
it were theirs, and accordingly they reap the benefit of it.
When sinners arc blessed with redemption solely for the
sake of his righteousness, it is accounted as theirs, just as
when he suffered for their sins they were accounted as his.
Still his work is his own, and never can be ours ; but the
effects of it are enjoyed by us as much as though it were
ours. We receive the benefit of his work as a covenanted
reward to Him, though to us it is the gift of pure unmerited
favor ; just as He suffered the desert of our sins as an ex-
pression of the divine displeasure against us, though per-
sonally considered he continued the object of the divine
complacency. This is all that is meant by our sins hav-
ing been reckoned as his, and his righteousness being reck-
oned as ours. There is no reference to a transfusion of
qualities, but to a transference of fruits and consequences.
When, for instance, we are told that the design of Christ's
being made sin for us was in order that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him, the meaning is not that
we are made righteous and holy as God himself is : We
are no more by this means made holy as God is holy, than
Christ is made sinful as we are. Righteousness here stands
opposed to condemnation ; and to be made the righteous-
ness of God, is but another expression for our being com-
72 JUSTIFICATION.
pletely justified. Justification is accordingly expressed by
our being made, or constituted righteous. Rom. v. 19.
By our being made the righteousness of God in the Saviour,
we are to understand his fully pandoning our sins, and free-
ing us completely from the guilt and punishment due to
them, for the sake of the sufferings of the surety in our
stead. The apostle, when treating of the way in which
sinners are justified, calls it the righteousness of God ; and
says that the law and the prophets bear witness to it. Justi-
fication is called His righteousness, then, because it is God
that justifieth. His plan of justification is by faith in the
propitiatory work of his Son, for the sake of whom the
blessing is bestowed. This is analogous to the common
practice among men, who not seldom, in showing kindness
to unworthy characters, do it for the sake of one who is
worthy. The worthiness, however, of the character for
whose sake the kindness is expressed does not render it a
matter of debt ; for it is nevertheless a matter of free fa-
vor to the receiver.
You may relieve the prodigal son of an esteemed friend
from regard to departed worth, while at the same time you
tell the unworthy youth that you do it not for his sake, but
that of his father. This were a manifestation at once of a
due regard to the memory of the dead, and of free favor
to the living. The son is treated as though the excellence
of the father were his ; but his being so is as much a mat-
ter of favor as if it had been quite irrespective of the cha-
racter of another. For the sake of the work of Christ, in
like manner, God justifieth the ungodly on their believing
the gospel.
You will observe, my friend, that I am speaking at pre-
sent of a change in the sinner's state, by which he passes
JUSTIFICATION. 73
from a state of condemnation to a state of forgiveness and
acceptance ; and not of a change of character. But it ought
never to be for a moment forgotten, that he who is made of
God unto us righteousness, or justification, is also made
unto us sanctification ; and that the latter is the ultimate
object of the former. The method employed to reconcile
the exercise of mercy with the claims of justice, is the moral
means of effecting a change in our principles and spirit, by
which we come to resemble the Saviour. There is accord-
ingly a moral meetness in the mode of communicating
mercy through the atonement of Christ. Our offended
Judge had love enough in his heart to have saved the guilty
without an atonement, had this been consistent with the
honor of his perfection, the claims of his law, the good
of the intelligent universe, and the highest good even of the
pardoned themselves. But as such a proceeding must have
dishonored his government, and have held up an encou-
ragement to rebellion, his love was manifested in a way
which, by the union of mercy and truth — of righteousness
and peace, sheds the most exhilarating light on the sanc-
tions of his law, and the justice of his government.
The atonement, therefore, was necessary, not in conse-
quence of any thing like implacability, or a stern, unrelent-
ing character in God, nor even because of a reluctance in
him, however small, to the exercise of mercy ; but from the
necessity there was that the triumphs of mercy should be
in full accordance with the claims of justice. From pure
and self-moved love he delivered up his own Son to be a
sacrifice for sin ; and through the honorable medium of his
mediation he now pours forth the fulness of his goodness.
The atonement of Christ, then, is not the price, but the
fruit of his love. To represent his love as purchased is to
Vol. n. 7
74 JUSTIFICATION.
dishonor his name, and to eclipse the glory of the gospel.
The love of Jehovah is self-moved, and there is a richness
and a freeness in it altogether worthy of him. It was with
him as with a righteous governor, who, whatever personal
kindness he may bear to an offender, and however keenly
he may feel for and pity him, cannot as a magistrate pass
by the offence without some public and adequate expression
of his displeasure against it, that, while mercy is exercised,
justice and the general good may not be sacrificed. Now,
in the atonement of Christ, there is an adequate expression
of the divine displeasure against sin, in consequence of the
infinite value of his blood. By the value of the Saviour's
obedience unto death is to be understood its tendency to
accomplish the end designed by it. If so, it is easy to see
how the dignity of his person gives value to his sufferings,
because it affords such a remarkable display of the justice
of the divine law, and of the holiness of the divine charac-
ter, as to maintain the honor of Jehovah, and to secure
the stability of his government in the dispensation of mercy.
A law would destroy itself if delivered in these terms. —
"You are commanded to obey, but you shall be pardoned
if you transgress." How different the manner in which
God hath manifested his love, and how dignified as well as
tender does his mercy appear !
This view of the subject ought not, my dear friend, to be
considered as a limitation of the divine power. When you
say of a good man that he could not commit murder, you
do not question his strength, but you deny that he would
use it in an improper way. This surely is not to dishonor
him : it is on the contrary to commend him. The appli-
cation of this to God is easily made. If a judge allow a
criminal to escape from justice in consequence of some un-
JUSTIFICATION. 75
principled compromise, or for the sake of a bribe, though
the love of life would excite a momentary gratitude in the
breast of the favored culprit, yet never could he respect
the unprincipled character even of the man who had thus
saved his life. I need not say that the gratitude of the for-
mer of these must be of a selfish and base description, and
the kindness of the latter unworth}^ of the name.
Mercy dispensed in any other way than that exhibited
in the gospel were cruelty to the community at large.
The execution of a just penalty as much belongs to a good
and gracious governor, as the prescribing of good and equi-
table laws : They are, indeed, one and the same thing
when viewed in relation to the collective system. The
grace of God is, indeed, absolutely sovereign and free;
but it is exercised through a medium which exhibits it as
in strict accordance with infinite wisdom, and with the un-
bending equity of the divine government. Mercy and grace,
if dispensed contrary to law and justice, were in fact also
contrary to goodness, because opposed to the general inter-
est of the intelligent creation. The sufferings of the Re-
deemer became the soil out of which every excellence grew
to infinite perfection : They were the means of exciting
and manifesting all the righteousness that human nature
in union with Deity could exhibit ; and thus they at once
glorified God, and benefited his creatures. While they ex-
piated sin, they so manifested the divine character as to be
the great means of furnishing a remedy for the moral mala-
dies of man, and at the same time the strongest preserva-
tive of all holy intelligences from the commission of sin.
The Scriptures, accordingly, represent the work of the
Redeemer as the cause of heartfelt joy to the whole of the
heavenly hosts. What a different view had been given of
76 JUSTIFICATION.
God if sin had been pardoned without a proper expression
of the divine displeasure against it ; and who can calculate
the evil effects which in that case had been produced on
the moral system ! Had his grace been manifested in this
way after all that his law had said, how could he have
been revered? Such is not the grace of Jehovah, but the
foolish fondness of weak compassion, which even men
when possessed of magnanimity are above. Even in the
brightest displays of his goodness, he is not exhibited as a
Being who is all mercy and fond indulgence, but as a God
of justice and unsullied holiness, while at the same time he
appears as the God of love. His grace did not prevent
the condemnation of sinners, but delivers them from it : It
does not induce him to dispense with the high claims of his
law, but to magnify and to make it honorable in the means
of forgiveness. If it is said that because God is love, we
may therefore expect him to save sinners without an atone-
ment, it may be replied that he is also just, and that there-
fore we need not expect him to show mercy at all. The
latter argument is as good as the former, because his jus-
tice is equal to his mercy. An offence committed against
the king as a man, or as a private individual, he may for-
give without any public satisfaction ; but an offence com-
mitted against him as a king, and of course against the
state through him, is a crime which cannot thus be passed
over without betraying his trust, and invading both law
and justice. The royal prerogative in pardoning offences,
it is presumed, will ever be exercised according to the de-
sign and spirit of the law, and not to its dishonor and the
consequent injury of society.
Whence is it that men plead for the divine mercy at the
expense of the divine justice, but from an unwillingness to
JUSTIFICATION. 77
admit what is implied in the Scripture doctrine of redemp-
tion 1 Often is there a vague, or even a confident, reliance
on the divine mercy thus viewed apart from justice, at the
very time when the gospel displays the most delightful har-
mony between it and the high claims of the divine righte-
ousness. From this display the mind turns away ; and
pertinaciously clings to a kind of mercy which is nothing
but pitiful weakness, or an unprincipled indifference to all
that is just and venerable. It is doubtless true that Jeho-
vah delighteth in mercy ; but to suppose that he exercises
it at the expense of righteousness, and consequently to the
ruin of his creatures, is to impeach his character, and to
contradict the whole tenor of the gospel. An error on this
subject is fearfully dangerous. The most important and
interesting question that can possibly engage our attention
is — How shall a sinful and polluted creature find accept-
ance with the God of truth and of holiness ? we need a rev-
elation which can support the mind in the clearest view of
the divine character, the most enlarged view of the divine
law, and the fullest view of our own guilt and pollution, —
a revelation which can with these views furnish a ground
of hope in the hour of dissolution, and in the immediate
prospect of standing before Him whose eyes are as a flame
of fire.
Now, the Redeemer, by his obedience unto death, hath
vindicated and glorified the perfection of God, and satisfied
the claims of his law : He hath displayed his justice and
holiness, by exhibiting the evil of sin, its awful consequen-
ces, and the divine abhorrence of it. In this wonderful
transaction the riches of his grace and the rectitude of his
character are made manifest in perfect harmony ; and his
infinite knowledge and wisdom are laid open in this combi-
78 JUSTIFICATION.
nation of righteousness and mercy. The law of God is
thus magnified and made honorable : so that the Saviour
might well say, " Then restored I that which I took not
away." Psalm Ixix. 4. The justice of Heaven, which in
connexion with the law appeared to be an insuperable bar
to the salvation of sinners, is more illustriously glorified in
their redemption than it could have been in their universal
condemnation. This is a revelation of the divine charac-
ter, in which there is such a combination of mercy and jus-
tice— such a display of God as at once a kind Father and
a righteous Judge — and such a suitableness to the circum-
stances of a sinner ready to perish, as is admirably calcu-
lated to relieve the mind of the most guilty of men, in the
most deplorable circumstances in which he can possibly
find himself in this world of woe.
It is refreshing to dwell on this plan of salvation, and to
observe the progress of the new creation as it advances
from its commencement to its consummation. There is an
unspeakable happiness in tracing the marks of that love
which moved the Saviour to engage in this work. To his
blessed cross all must be ascribed. Through his work
God hath become propitious to sinners ; and hence it is
said that his anger is turned away : Not that there is in
him a change from hatred to love ; for the propitiation of
Christ respects not the production of love, but its consistent
and righteous manifestation. Anger in man is often a tur-
bulent passion prompting to revenge ; but when applied to
God, it must be separated from every thing that implies
mutability, imperfection, or evil : It expresses his decided
abhorrence of sin, and his determination to punish it : It is
not the sudden effervescence of passion, but the wise, calm,
and dignified expression of his high regard for truth, recti-
JUSTIFICATION. 79
tude, and goodness, and his benevolent zeal for the moral
order and happiness of the universe. He is to be consid-
ered in the light of a public ruler, vindicating, for public
and not for private purposes, his government from con-
tempt. In reference to mankind there are two aspects in
which he ought to be regarded. He is the common fa-
ther ; he is also the righteous governor. And it is in the
latter character that wrath is ascribed to him. It is neces-
sary in the administration of the moral kingdom which he
has established, that he maintain the honor of his govern-
ment. But this is not in the least inconsistent with the be-
nevolence of personal feeling towards offenders, for his
wrath is of a judicial character. In civil society, punish-
ments are necessary ; and the magistrate who inflicts them
is said to be an avenger to execute wrath upon him that
doeth evil. This by no means implies that he punishes
with passion or personal hatred : On the contrary, every
thing like this in a judge is reprobated in all civilized coun-
tries ; and the most severe judgments are pronounced and
executed, not only with calmness, solemnity, and dig-
nity, but often with deep and tender sympathy and com-
miseration. You will see, then, that when God is said to
turn from his anger, the meaning is, that as the grounds
on which he had, in his just displeasure, separated sinners
from his fellowship are honorably removed, he can now, in
the harmonious exercise of all his perfections, reverse the
sentence of condemnation, and embrace them as his chil-
dren.
The way in which sinners come to be partakers of the
benefits of redemption, I shall consider in my next letter.
— In the mean time,
I remain, &c.
LETTER XIX.
ON FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
The nature of faith — Its connexion with Justification — The evil of
discussions about the manner of believing — Importance of the ob-
ject of Faith — Hindrances to it — Its influence corresponds with
the nature of its object — Is connected with trust in the Saviour —
Has its immediate issue in coming to Christ.
Mx DEAR FRIEND,
In my former letter I considered the nature and the ground
of Justification : Allow me now to direct your attention to
the medium through which this blessing is obtained.
I need not tell you that Faith is this medium. Sinners
become partakers of the blessings that flow from the atone-
ment by believing the gospel. In regard to the nature of
faith. I have only to remind you that it is giving credit to a
report. Like every other simple operation of mind, it does
not admit of strict definition : yet every person may easily
understand what it is. The general nature of it must in all
cases be the same, however different may be its objects,
degrees, or effects. The Scriptures accordingly use the
term faith in the same sense in which it is employed in
common life. When applied to the gospel it means giving
full credit to the divine testimony concerning the person,
character, and atonement of Christ, and to the promise,
that whosoever believeth on him shall have everlasting life.
A prejudice has been contracted by some against this view
of it, in consequence of their having confounded the mere
profession of faith with faith itself. Many, indeed, pro-
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 81
fess to believe in Christ who are evidently strangers to re-
ligion : but the Scriptures refute the pretensions of such,
not by giving labored descriptions of faith, but by distinctly
stating the truth to be believed, and as distinctly stating
what are the natural effects of believing it ; they declare
that the salvation of Christ is a present and not merely a
future salvation. If a man then profess to believe the gos-
pel while he lives in the indulgence of sin, he must either
be making a hypocritical profession, or deceiving himself by
believing that to be the gospel which is altogether different
from it. If this is not allowed, then the declarations of
Scripture respecting the sanctifying influence of the truth
are falsified. "But let God be true, and every man a
liar." To the law and to the testimony let the appeal
ever be made. In the word of God, the conduct of Chris-
tians is frequently appealed to as demonstrating the excel-
lence of their principles ; and these principles are always
represented as flowing from the natural influence of the ob-
ject of their faith. In religion there are no useless truths
— no harmless errors.
The apostles invariably direct men to the testimony which
they are called to believe, and to the evidence of its truth
which accompanies and is contained in it; and in this way
endeavor to produce faith in it. Their aim in preaching
the gospel was to convince men of its being true ; and, tak-
ing it for granted that all knew what it was to believe a
trath, they never perplexed their hearers by bewildering
distinctions about faith itself. The difference between be-
lieving man and believing God arises from the unutterably
high importance of the testimony of the gospel above every
human report, and the full credit due to God, who neither
deceives nor can be deceived ; and accordingly faith in Him
82 FAITH AS TIIE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
is illustrated by faith in man. 1 John v. 9. Many, how-
ever, are deeply perplexed in consequence of overlooking
the truth to be believed, and of an anxious desire to dis-
cover in what manner they ought to believe. They view
faith as some difficult condition which must be performed,
in order to entitle them to the salvation of Christ. They
do not see how a persuasion of the truth of the divine tes-
timony can save the guilty and give peace to the conscience,
because they discern not the freeness of the grace of God,
and have mistaken views of the nature of his salvation :
In a word, they look on faith as an arduous and compli-
cated work, which must be done by them in a particular
way ; and they expect to be justified by it as a work. This
is in fact seeking to be justified by works of law, under the
name of faith ; and is but a refined way of perverting the
gospel. Faith is indeed the intelligent, voluntary exercise
of the mind ; but it is an exercise of the mind to which we
never in common life attach any idea of merit ; — and hence
the reasoning of Scripture on the difference between justi-
fication by faith and by works. Who ever supposes that
the exercise of the malefactor's mind, when he believes that
the pardon sent him has the royal signature, merits that
blessing? And what more merit can there be in a sinner's
believing the message of reconciliation, which declares that
" God was by Christ reconciling the world to himself, not
imputing their trespasses to them ?" As well might a man
imagine that there is a merit in his believing that the sun
shines, when it is before him in its meridian lustre. The
common sense of mankind tells them that there can be no
merit whatsoever in believing the report of a credible wit-
ness. Accordingly, such as oppose the doctrine of salvation
by grace, and yet are unwilling directly to teach that it is
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 83
obtained by works, contend that faith in Scripture is to be
understood in an unusual sense, and not in its ordinary
meaning; They include in it most, if not all, of its effects
—-even every pious and benevolent disposition of heart,
which is in fact to identify it with the complete fulfilment
of the law. According to this scheme, salvation is of faith
that it might be by merit. I need not say that this is di-
rectly to contradict the doctrine of Scripture.
The apostle says, that to him that worketh not, but be-
Heveth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is count-
ed for, or unto, righteousness — or justification, as the word
righteousness here means. Rom. v. 5. Gal. ii. 21. We
are here taught that, on believing the gospel testimony con-
cerning the work of Christ, a sinner is treated as though
he were righteous for the sake of that work. This is the
simple meaning of the expression, "His faith is counted
unto justification." A Christian, of course, does not work
out his justification by believing : but on the contrary, he
believes unto it, or he thus comes to obtain it as a gift of
God through the work of Christ. Rom. x. 5 — 10. The
apostle uses the expression " counted unto" when explain-
ing the language employed concerning Abraham in Genesis
xv. G ; but he means the same thing as when he in his
usual manner, says that we are justified by faith. This
expression, it has been observed, may be explained by what
is said of the faith of such as were miraculously cured.
Our Lord said, " Thy faith hath made thee whole." "Ac-
cording to your faith be it unto you." It was the power of
Christ that cured them, yet they were cured by it only when
they believed he had it, and consequently came to him for
the benefit of it ; So it is the work of Christ by which a
sinner is justified : but he is justified by it only when he be-
84 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
lieves in bis sufficiency to justify him, and in the confi-
dence of this, commits his all into his hands : "As to him
that worketh not for his cure, but believed on him that
healed the diseased, his faith was counted unto healing; so
to him that worketh not for his justification, but believeth
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted unto
justification." To count, or impute, signifies in this con-
nexion to reckon to one what does not properly belong to
him, in consequence of which he is treated as though it did
belong to him. Thus it was said to the Levites, "And this
your heave-offering shall be reckoned (or counted) unto you
as though it were the corn of the threshing-floor, and as
the fulness of the wine-press," Num. xviii. 27, that is, they
should be treated as though they had offered that which
they did not offer. Paul, speaking to Philemon of Onesi-
mus, says, " If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought,
put that on mine account," that is, treat me as though I
were the debtor. Speaking of the Gentiles, he says, "If
the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall
not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision." Now
when it is said that his uncircumcision shall be counted un-
to him for circumcision, the meaning cannot be that it is
actually counted to him ; for it is a merely negative thing,
and therefore cannot properly be reckoned to him : the
meaning must be, that he shall be treated as though he
were circumcised, by having granted all the blessings of
the separated people of God, of whose separation to Jeho-
vah circumcision in its highest sense was a sign. In like
manner, when God is said to have counted faith unto Abra-
ham unto his justification, the meaning is, that when he be-
lieved in the promise of the Messiah, he was treated as a
righteous person for the sake of him in whom he believed.
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. H.r»
When God is said to count faith unto justification, the
meaning is, that lie justifies us through the medium of that
which in fact is nothing — that is, nothing in us, nothing
that can from its nature be in any sense or degree the mer-
itorious cause of our acceptance before him. It therefore
amounts simply to this, that he justifies, or treats us as
though we were righteous, of pure free favor, or without
any meritorious cause in us, for the sake of that righteous-
ness on which our faith terminates, which is reckoned to
us as though it were our own, in order to our enjoying its
reward in our justification. To have faith counted unto
righteousness is the same thing then with being "justified
by faith."
To impute sin is to lay it to the charge of the offender,
in order to his condemnation; and what is this but to treat
him as a guilty person 1 Not to impute sin, therefore, can-
not mean that the offended person actually comes to think
that the offender has committed no offence, but simply that
he treats him as though he had not. To suppose, for ex-
ample, that when Shimci begged of David not to impute
iniquity to him, he meant to ask that the king would actu-
ally deem him innocent, were perfectly absurd. At the
very moment that the request was presented, Shimei said,
"For thy servant doth know that 1 have sinned." All he
intended was to express his earnest desire that David would
not treat him as an offender by punishing him as his of-
fence deserved. In like manner, when God justifies a sin-
ner through faith in the atonement, the meaning is not that
lie looks to him through a false medium, and deems him to
be what he is not, for God must ever judge of him as he
really is ; but that for the sake of that sacrifice in which
he believes he treats him as though he were righteous.
Vol.ii. 8
96 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
Faith justifies, as it credits the full sufficiency of the atone-
ment to justify us, guilty as we stand, before God, and as
it has its immediate issue in submitting to the righteousness
of God, or to the divine plan of acceptance through Christ.
The confidence in the Saviour which is thus produced unites
the believer to Him, who thus comes to be treated as one
with Him. But it were as improper to say that faith itself
is the ground of confidence, as to say that the weary man
rests on his act of resting, and not on the thing he bears
upon, which would be quite absurd. The whole efficacy
of faith in the matter of justification arises from its object ;
it is but the medium through which the blessings of re-
demption are communicated, and not the cause of their
communication.
Faith ought not to be considered as the condition of the
new covenant. It is necessary that a man eat bread be-
fore it can nourish him, — not however as a condition, but
because, from the very nature of the thing, bread cannot
otherwise be of service : so it is with the faith of the gos-
pel. The whole efficacy of faith in the matter of justifica-
tion arises from its object, in which is contained the real
ground of our acceptance with God. Accordingly, it is not
by the belief of any or every thing whatever that God has
testified, without regard to its nature, that we are justified,
but by the belief of the particular testimony which he hath
given concerning Christ, in which is revealed the sole
ground of forgiveness — namely, the perfect righteousness
of the Saviour. Rom. iv. 23—25 ; v. 18, 19. The work
completely finished by him is the only foundation of accept-
ance ; and the benefit of that work is conveyed to sinners
by means of the divine testimony or report concerning it.
There is a wide difference between doing a thing ourselves,
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 87
and believing that it is already done by another. The for-
mer is labor — the latter is not ; and hence the reasoning of
Scripture on the difference between being justified before
God by works of law and by faith in Christ. Rom. iv.
3, 4, 5. Gal. iii. 2, 12. Even a child may understand the
difference between being justified by what we do, and being
justified by or according to what we believe.
Great is the perplexity in which many are involved in
consequence of analyzing the operations of their minds,
without keeping the gospel itself steadily in view. When
we believe any faithful testimony, the declaration believed
affects us agreeably to its nature ; and we arc no farther
sensible of doing so than as it thus impresses us. Faith is
built upon evidence ; and when the evidence of the truth of
any testimony impresses the mind, we instantly give it
credit. If a person of veracity testify to us any thing of
importance, and give such evidence of its truth as the case
may require, do we not instantly believe him without rea-
soning on the manner of doing so ? Were a person told
good news respecting his affairs and his family, his mind
would at once fix on the intelligence communicated ; and,
if satisfied of its truth, he would rejoice and immediately
take the necessary consequent measures. It would never
occur to him to spend his time in inquiring whether the ex-
ercise of his mind in believing the tidings was of the right
kind. When we contemplate an object, our minds are not
employed in thinking of the manner of seeing it ; we think
only of the thing seen. If, when looking on any painting,
or on any interesting piece of scenery, we begin to reason
on the laws of optics, and get into a discussion relative to
the way in which the power of vision is produced, we in-
83 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
stantly forget the object before us. In like manner, in be-
lieving the gospel, we are not directly thinking of any ex-
ercise of our minds, but only of the thing believed, and its
relation to our eternal interest. Keep then the object of
faith in view ; for it is by hearing of it, and not by any
abstruse reasoning, that the belief of the heart cometh*
Rom. x. 17. It is not by analyzing the workings of our
minds when believing in Christ that the heart is purified.
When we ruminate and reason on the manner of believing,
we forget the great truth to be believed. In this state of
mind, though the object of faith were in some respects be-
fore us, yet the heart, being occupied with its'own opera-
tions, must be kept from discerning the glory and feeling
the influence of the doctrines of the cross.
These remarks apply not only to the case of those who
are kept from the truth by perplexed views of the nature
of faith, but also to those whose views of it are just; for
while the former are held from the great object of faith by
their confused notions of faith in it, the latter are some-
times so much occupied with what they deem their clear
views of this subject, that they forget the truth to be be-
lieved as much as the others. The more scriptural our
views of the truth really are, the more shall we live out of
ourselves, the more humbly shall we glory in the cross of
Christ, and the less shall we feel disposed to boast of any
real or fancied difference between us and others. The hu-
man heart is deceitful, and there are dangers on all hands.
The remedy is to dwell on the word of the living God, and
to beware of being turned from it by the inconsistencies of
any who, by their self-complacency and contempt of others,
make it manifest that, with all their professions of humility
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 89
and of confidence in the divine mercy, they belong to the
same class with him who said, " God, I thank thee that I
am not as other men are."
The doctrine of salvation through the work of Christ is
in itself most encouraging and gladdening ; and the effect
of believing it is peace of conscience before God, and a de-
gree of enjoyment proportioned to the sense we have of the
divine favor through the atonement. But if we have mis-
taken the nature of the gospel, or doubt its truth, or have
the mind drawn olfto something else which, though called
the gospel, and believed to be it, is in reality distinct from
it, or opposed to it, we cannot of course enjoy what the
truth, when discerned in its true import and glory, is fitted
to impart. The great question respecting faith is — What
is the thing believed? Is it the truth of God, or is it not?
Most carefully ought we to examine what we believe, and
try it by the word of God. That which many believe is
not the gospel, but something falsely so called. They be-
lieve this something firmly ; but what of that ? Salvation
is not connected with the belief of whatever we may think
is the gospel, but with the belief of what in reality is the
gospel.
When we consider the many erroneous systems which
have been sincerely believed to be the gospel, we must be
satisfied that a man may be really convinced by external
evidence, and even by parts of internal evidence, that the
Scriptures are a revelation from God ; while by misunder-
standing what this revelation is, he may be believing
another gospel. To constitute a man a Christian, the be-
lief of Christianity itself is necessary, and not merely that
the Bible is divine. In other cases, we always act on a
similar principle ; for we should never think of calling a
8*
90 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
man a follower of the philosopher Bacon, merely because
he believed that the writings bearing his name were writ-
ten by him, if he denied the principles which they teach.
I need not say then that the mere consciousness of believ-
ing something which is deemed to be the gospel cannot be
an evidence that we believe the truth. The question is,
what is it that we lake to be the gospel? Is it really the
testimony of God? This demands the most careful atten-
tion, and an answer must be sought in the divine record it-
self. Not a few have long studied the Scriptures, and in
many things have been useful to Christians, who have
manifested total ignorance of the true character of Christ,
and of the way of salvation through him. Now we can-
not, properly speaking, believe what we do not understand
in the meaning of the reporter. Not to understand him is
really to disbelieve him ; for not only do we credit what is
untrue, but from this are necessarily led to disbelieve the
real truth of the testimony. A person therefore who be-
lieves that Jesus is a Saviour in a different sense from that
intended in the Bible, believes an untruth, and disbelieves
the genuine gospel of peace : but all the while he may, on
the ground I have mentioned, be persuaded that the Scrip-
tures aie divine. Thus Agrippa is said to have believed
the Prophets, because he believed that they were inspired :
but, as he mistook their contents, he did not in the full and
proper sense believe them ; for to do this was to believe
what they meant, and this, I need not say, could only pro-
ceed from a right understanding of their meaning. Though
we should be persuaded of a person's veracity, yet if we
misunderstand what he says, we may believe the very op-
posite of what he has declared ; and therefore, though in
one sense we believe him, in another we do not : That is,
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 91
wc believe him to be a man of truth, but the thing he has
declared we do not perceive, and of course do not credit.
I am far from meaning that unbelief is owing to simple ig-
norance, or merely to a false perception : it is not so. The
erroneous views which men, with the Bible in their hands,
form of the gospel of Christ, are owing to their aversion to
its holy and humbling doctrines. All I mean at present is
to show the unutterable importance of the question, " What
do I believe to be the gospel of Christ? " You cannot fail
to sec its importance, if you consider, that not only is for-
giveness connected with the belief of the truth, but the
change of the mind and progressive sanctification are af-
fected by its means. James i. 18. 1 Peter i. 2, 3 ; ii. 2.
Error, you know, cannot renew or sanctify the heart, but
must rather corrupt it; so that the mind gets more and
more diseased by it, and may ultimately come short of the
salvation of God ; and hence the many warnings of Scrip-
ture against corruptions of the truth.
Some have discarded self-examination, so far as the sub-
ject of faith is concerned, because, say they, when a man
believes, he must be conscious of it, and therefore self-
examination is unnecessary. Now, it is true, that when a
man believes a report, he is immediately conscious that he
believes it, even as he is conscious that he hears, sees, and
feels, otherwise he could not, like the first Christian, profess
his faith, and say in sincerity, " I believe." But it ought to
be remembered that consciousness respects only, what is
passing in the mind, and does not of itself determime its
truth or falsehood. The question then is, "Of what am I
conscious of believing, and how does it accord wkh Scrip-
ture ? " A person, as I have already slated to you, may
be really convinced by external and even by certain parts
92 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
of internal evidence, that the Scriptures contain a revela-
tion from God, while, by misunderstanding what the sub-
ject of this revelation is, he may be believing another gos-
pel. Here, therefore, there is room for self-examination.
On the same principle, when a professing Christian exam-
ines his state by the Scriptures as the test of it, he of course
takes it for granted that they are true. When he brings
his creed to this standard, he is not inquiring if the Scrip-
tures are divine, but whether he rightly understands the
testimony of God; and when he brings his spirit and con-
duct to this test, he is simply examining how far they ac-
cord with what are there declared to be the natural effects
of faith in its genuine import. Now, as no fruits can be
tokens of faith but such as we know to proceed from it,
this latter examination ultimately resolves itself into the
same thing with the former. The Jews were as conscious
that they believed Moses as any can be that they be-
lieve in Christ ; and they might perhaps say, as has been
done by some, that they had no more authority for believ-
ing that his writings were true than they had to believe
the sentiments which they ascribed to him ; but say what
they might, his writings were true, but the conclusions
which they drew from them were false. So is it with
many in relation to the gospel. The gospel itself is infal-
libly true ; but what they think is the gospel is in reality
something very different indeed.
The Scriptures, accordingly, are full of warnings against
false doctrines, and perversions of the truth. They call
upon men to bring every thing to the law and to the testi-
mony,— to prove all things, — to try the spirits whether
they are of God, to cease to hear the instructions that
causeth to err, — and to hold fast that which is good. The
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 93
apostles manifest the greatest care to instruct men in what
they arc called to believe. Their great object was to hold
up to the view of perishing sinners " the word of the truth
of the gospel," — to impress them with a sense of its impor-
tance and excellence, — to illustrate its nature, — and to ex-
hibit that divine evidence by which it is fully confirmed.
They urged men to believe it by every argument which rea-
son, conscience, and revelation could suggest. The same
method ought still to be employed, for men now, as well as
then, may believe that to be the gospel which is contrary
to it. Often, alas ! they do not seriously study it, but take
their views on trust ; and when they receive not the love
of the truth, whether they are altogether careless about, or
examine it with a dishonest heart, they are permitted to
embrace strong delusions and to believe a lie.
This may be illustrated by the case of the Jews in the
days of our Lord's ministry. They believed that a deliv-
erer was promised in the Scriptures, and firmly did they
believe this : but they expected him to be a temporal Sa-
viour, which it never was designed that he should be. Of
course they did not believe what the prophets had said and
meant, but a false interpretation of their language. This
was not believing the truth, but a falsehood ; and hence
our Lord said unto them, " Had ye believed Moses, ye
would have believed me, for he wrote of me." To believe
Moses was not merely to believe that he was sent of God,
but to believe what was meant in his prophecies and law.
The belief of what was different from or contrary to this,
was not believing, but disbelieving him. Some, according-
ly, are said to have believed in Christ, to whom he would
not commit himself, because he knew that though his mir-
acles had convinced them that he was the Messiah, they
94 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
did not believe him to be so in the Scripture sense. John
i. 23 — 25. The people on one occasion intended to take
our Lord and make him a king. John vi. 14. They be-
lieved that a prophet was to come, and that Jesus was he ;
but they did not understand, and so did not believe, what
was prophesied of his character and the design of his com-
ing. Their faith, then, was the belief of a lie ; for it was
a persuasion that he should be an earthly prince, and a de-
liverer from the Roman yoke. To believe in the great
Prophet, was to credit what was intended in the Scriptures
which spake of him : In like manner, to believe the gospel,
is to believe what the Scriptures mean by it, and not mere-
ly something so called, but which is not really it.
Many delude themselves by imagining that the gospel is
but a new law, requiring only sincere though imperfect
obedience. Now, the design of the gospel is to train us up
to perfect obedience by gradually delivering us from the
dominion of sin, and at last perfecting our likeness to God
in the heavenly world. It is thus that it blesses us with
perfect hajjjriness ; for true enjoyment springs from con-
formity to God, and is proportioned to the degree of this
conformity. We are restored at once to holiness and hap-
piness by the revelation of the divine character in the man-
ner of our redemption through Christ. It is foolish to re-
present sincere obedience as peculiar to a certain class, for
all men yield that degree of obedience which the heart is
inclined to, and which they find convenient ; Matth. xxiii.
23 — 26, and beyond this what is called sincere obedience
is never carried by the very people who trust in it.
Multitudes in this country imagine that they believe the
gospel because they never directly called the divinity of it
in question, but have admitted its truth through life : but
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 95
the fact is, they have never seriously examined it. They
have been taught from infancy that it is the word of God,
and have never taken the trouble to inquire into it, because
never properly impressed by it. It is with it as with ten thou-
sand things which men may have heard, and never thought
of questioning, because they felt no particular interest in
them. Such things, however, they cannot be said to believe.
If " faith is the confident persuasion of the truth and certain-
ty of the divine promises which exhibit things hoped for,
and the conviction upon evidence of the reality of things
not seen," it is of course neither unfounded presumption nor
absurd credulity. Heb. xi. 1. That traditional admission
of the truth of revelation to which I refer, is not belief upon
evidence, but is a careless assent to the general declaration
that the Scriptures are divine, without the knowledge of the
great truth which they testify. Many, for example, imag-
ine they believe the gospel when they believe that they
shall be justified partly by their own works, and partly by
the sacrifice of Christ. His work is thus viewed as de-
signed to supply the deficiency of human merit; and the
benefit of it is considered as the reward of diligent exertion.
It may seem strange that such should look to the merits of
the Saviour at all ; but the fact is, even they wish to retain
his merits as it were in reserve, that, in case the scale of
their sins should outweigh that of their fancied good quali-
ties, they may have something additional to trust to. Now
this is not believing the gospel, which is a proclamation of
free mercy to the chief of sinners, and which declares that
" no other foundation than that of the work of Christ can
be laid," and that " if salvation be of grace, it is no more
of work, otherwise grace is no more free favor ; and if it be
of work, it is no more of grace, otherwise work is no more
96 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
■work." We are thus explicitly taught that we must be
justified, either wholly by works of our own, or wholly by
free grace through the work of Christ. The former we
cannot be ; to the latter, then, we are shut up, and if we
reject this plan of acceptance, we must perish. Gal. v. 1 —
6; vi. 14.
The glory and suitableness of this truth constitute the
grand evidence of its divinity, so that while these are not
perceived, the gospel is not at all understood, and cannot
be believed, This is the case even with persons who can
speak scripturally of the truth, if they do not live under its
influence. We may not be able to express in words the
exact nature of the defect which there must be in the views
of such : but still there is some essential deficiency and er-
ror in their ideas which, while subsisting in their minds,
must keep them from really discerning the intrinsic beauty,
excellence, and glory of the gospel. With all their verbal
orthodoxy, there is some essential quality in the truth
which is not properly perceived, and some error inconsist-
ent with the faith of it retained, in consequence of which it
is made to them another gospel.
It is not enough that such characters are sincere in their
profession. Sincerity is unquestionably essential to true
religion ; but a man may sincerely believe error as well as
truth, and may sincerely think that things are pleasing to
God, which are really an abomination in his sight. Saul
of Tarsus was conscientious in persecuting Christians, yet
he afterwards reckoned himself a ringleader among sin-
ners for so doing ; and our Lord told his disciples that
some who killed them would think they did God service.
These examples show us the high importance of having
the conscience instructed and formed by the word of God.
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. \)1
It is true that we must act as we think right ; but since
we have the means of knowing the truth, it is our bounden
duty and true interest to compare our views and senti-
ments with the word of God, under the conviction that we
are very apt to think well of what we are inclined to, and
that in this case the error of the conscience, instead of ex-
cusing evil, is itself criminal. John iii. 19 — 21. John xv. 24.
Unbelief does not arise from mere ignorance, and is not
an error of the understanding only. It springs from aver-
sion of heart to the holy and humbling nature of the truth ;
and hence unbelievers are represented as hating the light
and shutting their eyes lest they should see it. Whatever
qualities in the truth are perceived by them, they do not
appear excellent in their eyes, but, on the contrary, call
forth their dislike. Indeed, were not the gospel in some
measure known, men could not hate it, nor could they dis-
believe or reject it. A proper discernment of it is however
inseparably connected with the belief of it, and with the
love and approbation of the heart towards it. The man
who is taught of God sees a beauty, a grandeur, and a
glory in it which charm and purify the soul. The mea-
sure known by unbelievers of that which constitutes the
excellence of it, occasions to them pain, because it disturbs
their peace; and the principle of dislike works secretly
perhaps, but powerfully in their hearts, so as to keep them
from discerning its true glory. So far are they from be-
ing excusable, that, on the contrary, it requires the most
criminal exertions on their part to shut out from them that
marvellous light which shines around them in the gospel.
What they do see in it is so opposite to some one or other
of their beloved principles and pursuits, that they feel un-
willing to follow up their inquiries, and shut their minds
Vol. ii. 9
98 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
to its light. Often do they speak as if the evidence of
sense were necessary, and excuse themselves by affecting
to lament the want of this kind of evidence, which, in mat-
ters of pure faith, it is absurd to expect. They have seen
as much of the truth as convinces them, that, if they fol-
low it, they must abandon their present course ; and feel-
ing the uneasiness already caused by its discoveries, they
strive to forget it, and endeavor to enjoy themselves in their
unhallowed indulgences. 1 John iii. 20.
The perception of the evidence of holy truth must very
materially depend on the state of the heart; for were it
otherwise, the same evidence presented to minds capable of
understanding it, would invariably produce the same im-
pression and conviction. In regard to matters purely in-
tellectual, or which involve nothing connected with our in-
terests or pursuits, the state of the heart is of little conse-
quence; but it is not so with declarations concerning mat-
ters that regard our affections, and the reception of which
involves the abandonment of present favorite pursuits, the
sacrifice of much that is dear to us, and the most impor-
tant practical consequences. You will perceive, then, that
though in cases in which the heart has no concern, faith
will always correspond with the evidence presented, it is
otherwise with a testimony concerning things which thwart
our inclination ; which require a total relinquishment of a
beloved system ; and which, while they are unseen and at
a considerable distance, will expose us to the present re-
proach of the multitude by whom they are despised. It
follows, therefore, that as faith does not always correspond
with actual evidence, but with evidence only as it strikes
the mind, there is a fearful meaning in such expressions
as these : "Their eyes have they closed." — " They say
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 99
unto God, depart from us ; for we desire not the know-
ledge of thy ways." — " Why do ye not understand my
speech 1 Even because ye cannot bear my word." — " The
ignorance that is in them because of the blindness," or
rather " the hardness, obduracy, or callousness of their
heart."
There is a wide defference between natural, or physical,
and moral inability. The former consists in a defect or
want of capacity in a man's mind or body, by which he is
rendered incapable of knowing or doing any thing, though
he be ever so desirous of doing so. Natural inability,
therefore, as it arises from some object without the will, is
quite unconnected with responsibility, and so cannot be
criminal. Moral inability consists in a disinclination, or
opposition, of the will itself to any thing, so great that the
mind, though acting freely — that is choosing without any
external compulsion or restraint — invariably follows the
opposite. The former, morally considered, is neither good
nor evil : the latter is blameable when it is a disinclination
to good, and praiseworthy when it is a disinclination to evil.
The brethren of Joseph, we are told, " could not speak
peaceably to him." And why so ? Not surely because
they were under a natural, that is, a physical inability, to
speak kindly to him ; for no external power guided their
tongues ; but entirely because they were under the govern-
ment of envy and hatred. Gen. xxxvii. 4. If a dutiful and
affectionate son had been waiting on Benhadad in HazaeFs
stead, he could not have smothered him as did Hazael ; 2
Kings viii. 15 ; and why not? but because of his sense of
duty and his filial affection. Now the greater this moral
inability to do evil is, the more excellent is that being in
whom it resides ; and hence the moral glory of God who
100 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
cannot lie, and cannot deny himself. On the other hand,
the greater the moral inability to do good, the more de-
praved, guilty, and odious, is the subject of it.
Mistakes on this subject have sometimes arisen from the
sense often put on the word cannot in regard to it. The
word is employed in two senses. It sometimes denotes
that which is literally impossible, as when we say, man
cannot overthrow the work of God, the blind cannot see,
and we cannot, by taking thought, add one cubit to our
stature. But it is often used to express the mere want
of will or inclination. Some have eyes full of adultery,
and cannot cease from sin. The man who had retired to
rest with his family, said to his neighbor, " I cannot rise
and give thee." We every day hear people, when asked
to do a thing which they dislike to do, say, I cannot do it ;
really, 1 cannot. Now we quite understand them to mean,
that they are strongly averse, or unwilling to do the thing.
And why then do we not understand the Scriptures, when,
in similar language, they express the unwillingness of sin-
ners to return to God 1
These distinctions are not far-fetched, or matters of mere
speculation. What man is there who, if charged with
neglecting the duty of his place, could say in truth that he
was unable to do it at the time, however much he was in-
clined to do it, would fail to adduce this fact in his defence ?
Now if this distinction is practically made by all when any
present interest is concerned, and is never questioned but
in reference to religion, is it not evident that the cause of
this difference lies in the blinding influence of sin 1 Perfect
freedom consists in a man's acting agreeably to his own
inclination, without any compulsion or restraint. Freedom
arising from a man's motives being in a state of equi-
FAITII AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 101
librium were a power to act without reason — a power,
if it may be so called, certainly far from being desira-
ble, it being only that of a madman. As a free agent,
man will act agreeably to his own mind ; and, of course,
as divine things are in their very nature disagreeable
to him, he freely chooses the contrary, because they ac-
cord with the desires of his heart. There is as great a
connexion between men's voluntary actions and their in-
ternal principles, as between the nature of a tree and that
of its fruit. This, however, is never in other cases held to
be an excuse for what is wrong ; and why should it be so
with regard to religion 1 Were a thief upon his trial to as-
sert that such was his propensity to steal, that he could not
keep his hands from the goods of his neighbor — or were
a murderer to affirm that such was the hatred which he
bore to the deceased, that, when an opportunity offered,
he could not but imbrue his hands in his blood — what
judge or jury would listen to such a plea ? Both of these
declarations might in certain respects be true ; but this, in-
stead of being a reason why the parties should be acquit-
ted, would be the strongest reason why they should be
condemned. Were it otherwise, moral government would
be overturned, law would be at an end, and the prince of
darkness himself were least deserving of punishment. But
this cannot be. Such is the enmity of the heart against
God, that it cannot seek his glory ; but is not this the very
ground of condemnation 1 There is nothing to hinder men
from believing the gospel but their own sinful disposition.
" Their ear," says the prophet, " is uncircumcised, and
they cannot hearken." But why ? The answer is added,
11 behold the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach —
9*
102 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
they have no delight in it." And can it for a moment be
supposed that this spirit is blameless ?
Every day men believe many things as true, of which
there is far less evidence than is given them of the truth of
the gospel ; and the reason is, they have no dislike to the
things of this world, but hate the things that are of God.
John v. 43. 1 John v. 9, 10. John viii. 47. Rom. viii. 7.
There are truths also which command the faith of the
mind, whether willing or unwilling : But there are truths,
on the other hand, the evidence of which may be resisted
by a mind full of prejudice, pride, and self-conceit, and
governed by vicious propensities. Such a character does
not seriously, calmly, and candidly, examine the state-
ments laid before him ; the love of sin, and an unwilling-
ness to follow where truth might lead him, make him wish
that he may find the arguments by which they are sup-
ported unsatisfactory ; and he listens most eagerly to every
objection that is made to them, and retains most firmly all
that can prepossess him against them. That such persons
should remain unbelievers need cause no surprise : But is
it not evident that it is their own fault that they are not
convinced? For their unbelief is not owing to dulness or
incapacity, but to the depravity of their heart. The Sa-
viour has explicitly declared, that, if any man will do his
will, or, in other words, is really determined to follow truth
wherever it may lead him, he shall know of the doctrine
whether it be of God. John vii. 17.
The influence of faith arises from the nature of the
thing believed. If we credit good news we rejoice, and it
bad news we are grieved : If we believe a threatening, and
are unable to avoid the impending evil, we are afraid : If
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 103
we believe the promise of a trifle we are little affected, but
if we credit that of an invaluable gift, we are quite elated,
— we rely on him who made it, and we expect the prom-
ised good according to his word. Thus it is the nature of
the thing believed, and the concern we have in it, from
which the influence of faith springs. There is an exact
correspondence between the former and the latter of these,
whatever be the object of belief.
If, then, it is the nature of the thing believed which af-
fects us, faith must be a belief of the character and quali-
ties, as well as the existence and truth of its object. The
faith of the gospel is not merely a belief that Jesus died,
but that he died for sin, and that he hath made atonement
for it ; — not only that he rose from the dead, but that he
did so in a public character, on account of the justification
of the ungodly, and as a token of the perfection of his sa-
crifice,— not only that he suffered on earth and is now
blessed in heaven, but a belief of the character of God as
thus exhibited, and the manifestation of which is the glory
of the gospel. When thus understood, the plan of salva-
tion is perceived to be every way worthy of God, full of
his excellence, and highly illustrative of all his perfections.
It is also perceived to be in all respects suited to the state
and the wants of sinners, and divinely rich and free in the
bestowment of salvation. If the gospel is not discerned in
this light, then it is not believed to be what it really is.
All the glory and excellency of the gospel is in itself,
and therefore ought not to be distinguished from it. The
truth, then, cannot be said to be believed unless its glory
and importance be so. It is as truths or realities that the
doctrines of the gospel are the objects of faith, but the be-
lief of them includes a belief of their qualities or proper-
104 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
ties. The gospel is not only a true saying, but a saying
divinely excellent in itself, and supremely interesting to us ;
and if it is not perceived in this light, then it is not believed
to be what it is. In other words, the truth is not believed.
The faith of the gospel is not merely the belief of certain
facts, but also, and chiefly, of the import of these facts.
The Jewish rulers believed a bare fact, when they were
persuaded that Jesus had risen from the dead, while they
did not believe the truths which are connected with and
arise out of that fact. Though faith be the belief of the
testimony of a credible witness, it is very wrong to say
that the faith of the gospel is a belief of the bare facts only
of which it testifies, apart from their import. The differ-
ence between believers and others lies in the different ap-
prehensions which they have of the same object. In the
eyes of one, the gospel in its true nature appears to be
foolishness ; in the eyes of the other it appears to be full
of heavenly wisdom and glory. The reason why the for-
mer deems it foolishness, is that he is governed by sin,
while the latter is brought by divine teaching to have a just
apprehension of the character of God as revealed in Christ.
That system with which the carnal mind is delighted can-
not be the truth in its genuine purity and excellence, but a
system congenial with some or other of the evil principles
of the heart. 1 Cor. ii. 14. To such a mind the true glory
of the truth does not appear, and error is embraced in its
stead. The faith of the gospel is of course a conviction
of its truth, arising from a spiritual discernment of such a
glory, wisdom, and excellence in it as satisfies the mind
that a scheme at once so glorious in itself, and so adapted
to the relations both of God and of man, could have none
but Jehovah for its author.
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 105
The degree of our faith, then, will be in proportion to
the degree in which the truth is thus perceived by us. Our
faith rests on the import the gospel itself as the great evi-
dence of its divinity, and of course flows from the know-
ledge of it. Hence we read of the full assurance of under-
standing, and hence too knowledge and faith are used to
express the same idea. Psalm lxxxix. 14, 15. Isaiah liii.
11. It may be said, that as a man must either believe or
disbelieve a report, there can be no degrees of faith. But
let it be remembered, that though even at first, the gospel
is believed in as far as it is discerned, yet as it is often very
imperfectly understood, the faith of it is but weak, so that
it is only when the individual's views of it are enlarged,
that his faith acquires maturity, inasmuch as it not only then
embraces more of the truth, and thus increases in extent,
but also because every new discovery, which is made of
any of its parts, throws greater light on those which are
already known, and on the glorious connexion and har-
mony of the whole, so that faith grows more intense, not
merely in regard to the discoveries newly vouchsafed, but
also in regard to those which were previously possessed.
If any one put the question — Am I a believer 1 let him
be asked, not in what manner, but what thing he has be-
lieved ; and let him also be directed to the fruits of the Spi-
rit as described in Scripture. If a man say he has faith,
and has not works, the Scriptures do not for a moment
argue the matter with him, whether his faith has or wants
this or the other ingredient, but they at once pronounce it
dead, or a mere profession, and not a reality. James ii.
26. We are in the habit of saying a dead man, though
the body is only destitute of life, because we see only the
body : in like manner, a profession of faith, unaccompanied
106 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
with the power of godliness, is called a dead faith, because
we know the existence of faith only by a consistent pro-
fession of it. We in like manner read of loving in word
and in tongue as distinguished from loving in deed and
truth ; but we never infer from this that the former is really
love, but of a different nature from the latter : We con-
sider the former as a mere profession, or a nonentity, and
not as a reality. Compare James ii. 15, 16, with 1 John
iii. 17, 18, and James ii. 26.
I do not mean that, where the gospel is believed, the
truth will in every individual produce exactly the same
effects in every respect. To persons of different abilities,
of different dispositions, and in different circumstances, the
same truths will appear in somewhat different lights. Take
a number of persons, some of whom are quick and others
slow of understanding, — some naturally distinguished by
warmth of feeling and ardor of affection, and others na-
turally cold and stoical, — some very timid, and others al-
most strangers to fear, — some constitutionally inclined to
melancholy, and others who have a constant flow of high
spirits, and you will find that the same things will affect
them differently, even when all of them receive the truth.
Different degrees of faith will therefore be found among
Christians, and shades of difference too in its result, even
where it may be said to be equally strong. Still greater
varieties will be found in the effects where there are differ-
ent degrees of faith, and hence the strong are called to
bear with the weak, and to imitate the kindness of the great
and good Shepherd who guides his flock with the utmost
tenderness and care, and with a wise and affectionate re-
gard to their strength, and the nature of their circumstances.
The belief of the gospel is necessarily connected with
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 107
trust in the work of the Saviour. This arises from the
nature of the thing believed, which is good news, respect-
ing the work and character of Christ, and includes promises
the most interesting to us. The belief of bad news cannot
produce trust, and neither can a report in which we have
no interest. David believed that Absalom was dead, but
he could not be said to trust that he was so. Jacob, on
the other hand, when he believed the declaration that Jo-
seph was alive and in prosperity, also trusted in it, and left
all behind him on the ground of it. A belief in the hateful
character of another will not produce trust, but a belief in
the excellence of his character will. Bad news will, ac-
cording to their nature, produce, when believed, grief, fear,
or aversion : good news alone will cause joy, confidence,
and love.
Now, so glorious, suitable, and interesting are the de-
clarations and blessings of the gospel, — such is the charac-
ter of God there unfolded, — and such the glory of the Sa-
viour's work of which it testifies, that the belief of it must
be accompanied with the relinquishment of every false
ground of confidence, and with trust in the atonement for
the present and final blessedness of the soul. Heb. vi. 18.
1 Peter ii. 4 — 6. Persuaded of the truth that salvation is
to be had through Christ, the sinner comes to him, or trusts
the salvation of his soul in his hands. Jer. iii. 22, 23.
John vi. 68. Isaiah lv. 5. The one perfect offering of
the Son of God thus becomes the sole ground on which the
mind rests its hope of mercy. "Behold," says God, "I
lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a pre-
cious corner stone: He that believeth shall not make
haste." Believing in Christ, he is as it were bonded into
Him, the living rock and partaker of his life and his sta-
108 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
bility. And being treated as one with the Saviour, the work
of the surety is reckoned to him as though it were his own.
Rom. vi. 1 — 14. In proportion then, to the strength of
his faith will be his feeling of security. If a man dreads
that that on which he is standing is about to give way, he
is in haste to be gone. The agitation of his mind excites
him to flee. Thus the people of Israel felt when the earth
opened to swallow up Dathan and Abiram. But he who
believes in the atonement of Christ will trust in it with un-
suspicious confidence. Never shall he find the ground on
which he rests crumbling beneath his feet. While he holds
fast the testimony of God he shall not feel the trembling
agitation of that man's mind who is resting his eternity on
any thing short of the perfect work of the Redeemer. Piti-
able, indeed, is the state of a sinner who, even on the
confines of the grave, is busied with the inquiry, "Have
I done enough to procure for me the favor of God?"
Blessed truly is the Christian who, believing in the atone-
ment of Christ, is freed from the torment of a misgiving
conscience by Scriptural confidence in God as just, and yet
the justifier of the ungodly. In a word, could a sinner
believe in Jesus, and yet deem his salvation a trifling affair,
he would not go to him for it ; but the promise to faith sup-
poses that this cannot be. It supposes that the man who
believes the gospel sees its unutterable importance, and the
indispensable necessity, as well as the full freeness of that
salvation which it is its glory to exhibit, and that he will
be led to renounce all self-dependence, and to rest all his
hope on the atonement. And being thus joined to the Sa-
viour, as the superstructure is to the foundation on which
it rests, he is treated as one with him in law, inasmuch as
he obtains the benefits of his work, as though he had done
FAITH AS TIIE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 109
it himself. And hence we read that there is no condemna-
tion to them who are in Christ Jesus.
Exhortations to believe in Christ, and to trust in him,
are accordingly given indiscriminately in Scripture. The
attention is not there fixed on truth in the abstract. If a
promise has been made us, we may either say we believe
it, or that we trust it will be fulfilled. These two expres-
sions convey the same idea. The former, strictly speak-
ing, may be said to respect the promise, and the latter the
person who makes it. Abraham had confidence in God
that he would give him the promised seed and inheritance ;
and the Israelites that he would conduct them in safety
through the Red Sea. On the same principle, when we
believe that Jesus is able and ready to save us, we must
trust in him. 2 Tim. i. 12. The latter exercise is, strict-
ly speaking, the effect of the former ; but such logical pre-
cision is not used in Scripture. The two are so connected,
that the one is put for the other. We have access to God
with confidence by the faith of Christ. When the sinner
is led to the Saviour, his mind is not engaged in speculat-
ing on its own operations, so that the whole will appear to
be one exercise. Though he is believing the truth, and
committing himself to his Lord, he is not thinking of these
as exercises of his, an employment which is generally use-
less, and often injurious. Such discussions are superceded
by the attractive and completely absorbing object of his
faith and confidence. He does not dwell with self-compla-
cency on the idea that now he is doing his duty, — at least
in the way of believing and coming to Christ ; and that as he
is doing so in a right manner, he may now expect the di-
vine favor : But he is so engaged with the manifestation of
the divine character in the salvation of sinners through the
Vol. ii. 10
110 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
atonement, that he thinks of himself only as an ungodly
sinner, and of that glorious Deliverer who graciously in-
vites him to come to him for rest. At the same time it
ought to be remembered, that when he finds the truth puri-
fying his heart, he is increasingly sensible that he has in-
deed embraced the genuine gospel of Christ.
The belief of the gospel is connected with an application
of its interesting statements to our own particular case.
" The entire truth is allowed to enter into the mind, and
the believer says — All this relates to me." The discov-
eries of revelation are seen and felt to be realities. When
we hear of another being in the jaws of death, we may feel
little interest in the matter, and may talk of it with indiffer-
ence; but if placed in his situation, cold speculation would
give place to heartfelt interest. Did we hear that the plague
was raging in the opposite hemisphere, we might feel but
little affected ; but were we told that it had entered our own
house, we should at once feel deeply interested. The mat-
ter would then be brought home to ourselves. Now God
does not tell us of another class of beings or of another
world which is under his curse, but that this is the case
with our world, and with ourselves individually. We are
thus made to feel when his testimony is believed that we
are ourselves sinners ready to perish, and that to us is the
mercy of God proclaimed through the sacrifice of his be-
loved Son. Witness the instances of the woman of Sama-
ria, John iv. 28, 29. the Philippian jailor, Acts xvi. 29, 30.
and of the Thessalonians, 1 Thes. i. 5. Such characters
are " convinced of all, and judged of all : the secrets of
their hearts are made manifest ; " and the divinity of the
truth is felt. Whatever part of divine truth does not affect
us is not believed by us, for we are interested in the whole.
FAITII AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. Ill
When the unutterably important statements of the Bible
arc brought home to ourselves, we reap the benefits of its
rich treasures as much as if it had been written exclusively
for us. This appropriation of the truth of God necessarily
attracts the heart to it, and excludes from our thoughts all
interfering subjects. It follows, that he who refuses to risk
his character or interest in the world for the sake of it,
docs not really believe it. Such is the nature of the gos-
pel, that he who is taught its true glory must be convinced
that it is the basis of confidence and hope — of courage and
of joy. Where it is not seen in this light, it is not believed,
whatever may be the confession of the mouth.
It is not enough that a man believes that Jesus is in
some sense a Saviour. He must believe that he is a Sa-
viour in the Scripture sense of the appellation. Now, if
the sense in which he understands him to be a Saviour
does not furnish him with a ground of confidence before
God, his view of his character must be false and defective,
or, in other words, it does not correspond with what is tes-
tified concerning Him. We accordingly find that the hear-
ers of the gospel who, in the parable of the sower, are re-
presented by the good ground, have their faith distinguished
as an understanding of the word. Matth. xiii. 23. The
stony-ground hearers were not hypocrites, for they had at
one time joy in listening to the gospel, which must have
arisen from something they believed. They were self-de-
ceived, for in this something they rested as the real mean-
ing of the divine testimony ; which it was not, and so lulled
themselves into false security. The nature of the error of
such persons it may be impossible precisely to express in
words, but it must consist in some self-righteous depend-
ence. Though in words they admit all that is testified of
112 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
Christ, there is undoubtedly some error held by them
which is inconsistent with, and subversive of the real im-
port of the gospel : Thus the Corinthians, who professed
to believe in the resurrection of Christ, are represented as
overturning that fact by denying its import in denying the
resurrection of his people. 1 Cor. xv. 11 — 19. Similar
is the case with those of whom I now speak.
What should we think of a person who, while he spoke
loudly and strongly of the integrity and resources of
another, would not trust him with the least part of his pro-
perty ; or who, while he boasted of the wisdom and pru-
dence of a friend, would not trust him with the manage-
ment of the smallest concern ? Surely we could not for a
moment suppose that he believed what he said ; and can
we imagine that he who trusts not in the Saviour is really
a believer of the gospel because he says he believes it. He
who does not trust in the Redeemer surely does not believe
in the perfection of his atonement, nor in the freeness of
divine grace, and must be looking for something more to
encourage him to put his confidence in him.
Were a person, on seeing a river one unbroken sheet of
ice, to declare that he believed it might be crossed, and
did he, when brought to the test, refuse to venture on it,
even though he would by this means shorten his journey,
or obtain some considerable advantage, it would be mani-
fest that what he had expressed was not really the convic-
tion, but the careless speculation of his mind. He had not
given the matter that attention which was requisite to his
forming an opinion of it ; though, while there was nothing
to excite his interest in it, he could easily persuade himself
that he believed the river might be ventured on. The case,
however, was very different when his expressed opinion
was to be acted on.
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 113
In like manner the gospel is, with many, a matter of
mere speculation; it is not seen to be a reality, and of
course is not believed, and cannot be confided in. In this
state of mind the transforming power of the gospel, which
ever accompanies the belief of it, is not felt, and neither
safety nor purity can be attained by it. Though in words
the freeness of divine grace is allowed, it is not really per-
ceived.— Something else than the unfettered invitations of
the Saviour is deemed necessary to warrant a confident
approach to him. Faith is sometimes considered as this
something. — It is viewed as some mysterious principle, the
nature of which cannot be defined, but which is quite differ-
ent from the belief of the gospel. When this principle is
supposed to be obtained, the hopes of the man are high,
and great joy is expressed. But when examined, it is
found that this joy does not spring from a conviction that
the genuine gospel of Christ is true, for such do not expect
any comfort from that. — They imagine that of the truth of
the gospel they never had a doubt, because they have re-
ceived it as a tradition from their fathers. The fact is,
that the ground of their joy is not in the testimony of God,
but in themselves. How different is this from the doctrine
of Scripture, which represents peace and joy as the result
of believing the truth. Rom. xv. 13. 1 Pet. i. 8. What,
then, can be more evident, than that where such notions
predominate, the free invitations of the gospel are not un-
derstood, and cannot be accepted?
Were a feast freely provided for a body of people who
were perishing with hunger, and proclamation to be made
to them indiscriminately, saying, "Whosoever will, let him
come and partake of the feast freely," would not every one
who believed this instantly accept of the invitation ? He
10*
114 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
would see that he was described by his necessities, and
that no more particular invitation was requisite to warrant
him to go and partake of what had been generously pro-
vided. Should any one of this body of people lay hold of
the word will, in the proclamation, and say, since the lan-
guage of it is, " whosoever will" I must first inquire if I
am truly willing before I can be entitled to go, it would be
evident that he did not believe that the invitation was to
all, but to a select number, distinguished by a particular
disposition. The consequence would be, that the invita-
tion, describing the whole as perishing with hunger, and
not by any other descriptive name, would be rejected.
They again who believed the proclamation as it stood
would trust in the kindness of the generous benefactor who
had made it, and in this confidence would go to him for
relief. It is true, that if unwilling to go, a person would
not go; but it is equally true, that his willingness, though
necessary to his going, would be no part of the warrant
of any one of this body to go. A mistake aslo this has
been the cause of much perplexity and sin in relation to
the gospel feast. This, like every other similitude, halts
at a certain point, for bodily food is not immediately en-
joyed when the report concerning it is believed. But no
sooner is the gospel believed to be a true saying, than it is
seen to be worthy of all acceptation, so that the person
who believes it immediately enters on the enjoyment of the
precious blessing, inasmuch as he cannot fail to asquiesco
in a plan of salvation, which thus commends itself at once
to his conscience and his heart, and to take the enjoyment
of the peace and the consolation which the message is so
fitted to impart. And what is this but taking of the water
of life freely, or, in other words, accepting the boon which
FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION. 115
the gospel declares to be the gift of God to all who will re-
ceive it? There is no room then for supposing that besides
believing there is required an effort as it were, to excite tho
mind to a particular state of feeling, in order to a cordial
acceptance of the gift of God, for if at the very moment
that the gospel is seen to be true, it is also seen to be wor-
thy of all acceptation , it follows that in the very exercise
of believing, the individual, to use the language of Scrip-
ture, submits himself unto the righteousness of God, and
so places his confidence in the Saviour, on the ground of
the evidence presented in the gospel itself. Thus Abra-
ham and the other Patriarchs, in the very instant that they
were persuaded of the truth of the promises, embraced
them. Heb. xi. 13.
Many an anxious inquirer has felt as if the great diffi-
culty were to believe that Christ is willing to receive him.
Such a difficulty is met by the wondrous fact, that he as-
sumed our nature, and subjected himself to all the many
and varied kind of evils into which we had plunged our-
selves, and bore that curse to which we were liable for the
express purpose that whosoever believeth in him might not
perish, but might have everlasting life. He accordingly,
invites every sinner of every description to come to him
that he may obtain the benefit of his work.
Never question his willingness to receive you at once,
just as you are : — He is exalted a Prince and a Saviour to
give repentance and remission of sins. Go to him then,
that you may obtain forgiveness — that you may be freed
from the fetters of sin — that you may be transformed into
his likeness, and may have all your wants abundantly sup-
plied. Ponder his exhortations to the Laodiceans and you
will be convinced that all his blessings are to be had with-
116 FAITH AS THE MEDIUM OF JUSTIFICATION.
out money and without price. Isaiah iv. 1 — 3. Rev. iii. 18.
You will thus be led to go to him in the confidence that he
is able and willing to receive, and to bless you, whatever
your circumstances may be.
So long as the truth is not understood and believed, it
will not be confided in, but as soon as believed it will be-
come the object of trust. In Scripture, accordingly, faith
is considered as having its immediate issue in coming to
Christ ; and hence is treated as the same thing. A know-
ledge of the unlimited bounty of Heaven, and of Jesus as
the dispenser of this bounty, is necessarily followed by an
application to him. John iv. 10. In coming to Christ we
rest our eternity on him as the foundation which has been
laid in Zion, in opposition to all other grounds of confi-
dence. This calms the mind, and inspires it with the
purest principles of obedience. Having committed all to
the Redeemer, we go forward in the firm persuasion that
our all is safe.
Keep then your heart fixed on the great object of faith,
that you may be carried beyond perplexing questions con-
cerning your own exercises, by the transforming glory of
the gospel. May you experience much of that peace
which passelh understanding, and which keeps the heart
and mind through Christ Jesus.
I am, &c.
LETTER XX.
ON THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY NATURE OF THE
GOSrEL.
The nature of Divine Grace — Mistakes in regard to it — No prepar-
atory work necessary to qualify for it — The Invitations of the
Gospel are addressed to all — Remarks on the history of the bra-
zen serpent — Some improper prayers noticed — Remarks on Isaiah
It. — Mistakes in regard to the object of Faith — The means by
which Faith is produced — Improper inference drawn from the
necessity of it in order to salvation.
Ml DEAR FIUEXD,
In my last letter I called your attention to faith, as the
medium through which we are justified in the sight of
God ; allow me now to direct your thoughts to the gra-
cious and consolatory nature of the gospel.
The name given to the message of reconciliation is ex-
pressive of its joyful import : — it is emphatically termed
the Gospel, that is, the Good News. The heaven-taught
sinner, when, on looking to his past career, he finds that
nothing but matter of anguish and alarm meets him, can
find rest in nothing but in the delightful declaration, that
there is a propitiation with God, that he may be feared.
It gladdens his heart to know that the blessings of forgive-
ness is the gift of Heaven through faith in the atonement.
He hears the gracious call of the Redeemer to come to him,
and that call he obeys. At first, indeed, he may have his
fears as well as his joys, in consequence of the obscurity of
his views, and the feebleness of his faith ; but as he advan-
ces, his way becomes clearer, and his confidence greater.
118 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
There is no need for hesitation in coming to Christ at the
beginning of our course any more than at the end of it.
At no time is there ground for the suspicion expressed in
such language as this, " If I perish, I will perish at his
feet," as if all the confidence we are warranted to main-
tain were like that of the lepers at the gate of Samaria, or
that of Esther, when, in the face of an interdict, she ven-
tured into the presence of Ahasuerus with supplications for
her people. 2 Kings vii. 3, — 4. Esther iv. 16. It is highly
improper to compare the bare probability of escape from
famine on the one hand, or from enemies on the other,
with the certain security of him who flees to the hope set
before him. How derogatory to the character of the God
of mercy to compare the trembling expectation founded on
the possibility of a fit of capricious kindness seizing an
eastern despot, with the peace in which the heart may re-
pose when it rests on the gracious assurances of the gospel !
You will observe that I have repeatedly used the term
warrant in relation to coming to Christ ; and in regard to
this I shall now say a few words : — In strict language, a
warrant means an authority or right to do a thing, but the
gospel does much more than authorize a sinner to come to
the Saviour. It commands, entreats, and beseeches every
one who hears it to come to him, and threatens condemna-
tion on every soul that will not come to him " for life."
All I mean by the expression is, the reason or ground which
a sinner has to expect mercy and eternal life in coming to
Him. I have applied it to coming to Christ only, and not
to Faith, of which coming to him is strictly the effect. In
regard to Faith I would remark, that the evidence of a re-
port's being true is the only thing that can warrant a man
to believe it. The gospel is true whether we believe it or
NATURE OF TIIE GOSPEL. 119
not ; and the evidence of *ts truth is that which warrants
us to believe it, or in other words, it is the ground on
which we credit it. I mention these things to you from a
conviction that tiie term warrant is liable to be misappre-
hended, and that it has often been very improperly em-
ployed. Since the knowledge of the Saviour, by whom
redemption is obtained, and of the grace by which it is be-
stowed, can only be had by means of the testimony of God
it is easy to see how the actual enjoyment of salvation,
comes by faith in that testimony.
I need not say, then, that this method of justification is
illustrative of the exceeding riches of the grace of God.
Much, however, is often said of this grace, while, in fact,
it is viewed rather as a piece of justice than a display of
unmerited favor. Numbers speak as if, in case God had
not extended mercy to man, we had been hardly dealt
with. This is to deny his grace altogether ; for if the de-
mands of the law are not equitable, there can be no justice
in the sentence of condemnation* and to call relief from
such a sentence by the name of grace, were to add insult
to injury. Far from this is the character of Ged. In the
plan of mercy through Christ, the richest blessings are be-
stowed on the guilty and unworthy. To deny the grace
of God we must lower the standard of duty, and to dero-
gate from the perfection of that standard is to lessen the
necessity, and of course the glory of divine mercy. Often
do men overlook the justice of their condemnation, and for-
get that God is infinitely wise in all his procedure, and
hence speak as if his grace were nearly allied to caprice.
This leads to the abuse of it, and has frequently exposed it
to reproach.
Mistaken views of it are at the bottom of the complaints
120 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
of those who say they are willing to receive salvation from
Christ, yea that they are anxious to receive it, and who
virtually complain of him as unwilling to bestow it. The
fact is, they are not willing to receive it as poor helpless
sinners, and as a matter of pure favor. They are averse
to the humbling doctrines of the cross, being too proud to
live on mere alms, and are wishing for something in or
about themselves as a ground of confidence before God.
If willing to receive it in His way, there is nothing that
can exclude them from it. Jesus came to save sinners,
even the chief of sinners. He invites every one to come
to him, and promises that whosoever cometh he will in no
wise cast out. He says whosoever will, let him come and
take of the water of life freely. The gospel feast is pre-
pared, and all are invited, yea even besought to partake
of it.
It often happens that when these precious truths are
stated, the reply is, " I am waiting for a day of power."
Now, though our depravity renders the exertion of divine
power necessary to the renovation of our minds, it is and
always was our duty to give the whole heart to God. How
foolish, then, is it in any to call a mere form of religion by
the name of waiting at the pool for a day of power ! Of
the whole period of Christ's administration in his exalted
state, it may be said that it is the day of his power, as dis-
tinguished from the period of his humiliation. In regard
to each individual, the day on which he first believed may
be called the day on which divine power renovated his
heart : but of the present moment it may be said to every
sinner, "Now is the accepted time, and now is the day of
salvation." If any one is waiting for some imaginary
time when God will be more willing to justify him through
NATURE OF THE GOSPEL. 121
Christ than he is at present, he will find himself greatly
mistaken. The reason of his condemnation, if he continue
in unbelief, will be, that he would not come to the Saviour
for life, but persisted in wishing that God would work in
him something in which he might glory as the ground of
his acceptance. Since in regard to each individual the
day of salvation is limited to his life, every one is called
and entreated to come to the Saviour noiv, in the confi-
dence that in Him God is well pleased, and ready to re-
ceive all who come to him.
The Saviour has been lifted up on the cross as the ser-
pent of brass was upon the pole ; and as the stung Israel-
ites were called to look to the latter in the confidence of
being cured, so the language of Christ is, " Look unto me,
and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth." Now, what
would have been your feelings had you seen the brazen
serpent elevated on the pole, had you known its healing
virtue in numerous cases, and yet had you seen a wretched
Israelite, poisoned in his vitals, and mourning in excru-
ciating torture, turning his eyes from the only object that
could restore his health, applying to this and the other
physician, and using this and the other medicine, in the
vain hope of curing his disorder 7 Would you not have at
once pitied his folly, and have felt indignant at his impiety?
What better had been his case if he had said that he did
not expect a complete cure of his malady by the means he
was using, but only wished that he might get it abated,
and be brought to a state of convalescence before he could
think of looking to the serpent of brass for its total re.
moval 1 If the disease could thus far be conquered with-
out looking as commanded, why might it not be perfectly
removed, and of what use, then, were the brazen serpent
Vol. ii. 11
122 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
at all, and what wisdom or goodness were there in the ap-
pointment of it ?
But when, on the other hand, a stung Israelite aban-
doned all hope of being cured, or even having his disorder
lessened by any human means whatsoever, and turned his
languid eye to the serpent of brass, in the confidence of
being relieved, and found his malady removed, how much
would this honor God, and how much would it gratify
every benevolent heart ! And is it not far more gratifying
to see a sinner abandoning the vain hope of deliverance by
deeds of his own, or even of having his maladies partially
removed by preparatory means, and looking simply to the
cross at once for pardon and for purity ? The heavenly
Physician is able and ready to cure all who come to Him.
They need not endeavor to be somewhat better before they
come to him, for he can cure them as they are.
This blessed truth was preached by the apostles to all
indiscriminately, and every one was called to receive it
guilty as he stood. It is a matter of deep regret when it
is obscured by labored descriptions of certain previous
holy dispositions as necessary in those who would come
to the Saviour. The gospel itself is thus treated as inca-
pable of profiting any but those who are so qualified ; and
to attain these pre-requisites becomes the painful struggle
of many sincere inquirers. They are busy in endeavor-
ing to feel in a particular way, and to act in a particular
manner, in order to prepare themselves for believing the
gospel. They pray often and fervently that God would
enable them to reach the great object of their desire;
which is just praying that God would enable them to do
something which may be to them a ground of acceptance
before him. Is not this to ask that something may be
NATUKE OF THE GOSPEL. 123
wrought in them to procure the divine favor, instead of
looking to that work which the Saviour hath already fin-
ished as the sole foundation of peace with God? Is it not
to ask salvation in a way which supersedes the necessity
of that work? Yet such is the spirit of the prayers of
many, even when praying to be enabled to believe in
Christ ; for what they mean by faith in him is some work
to be performed, on the ground of which they expect ac-
ceptance, or which comes to the same thing, they hope to
be rewarded by the benefit of the righteousness of Christ.
It is a striking proof of the self-righteous pride of the
heart, that the most unfettered proclamations of mercy are
made to bend to its purposes ; as, for example, the follow-
ing delightful invitation of Heaven, "Ho! every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters: and he that hath no
money, come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and
milk, without money and without price."
This thirst is not a holy thirst after spiritual blessings ;
for the persons addressed are represented as "spending
their money for that which is not bread, and their labor for
that which satisfieth not," and likewise as disinclined to
listen to the voice of Cod ; which cannot be the character
of those whose hearts in any measure have been renewed.
Yet many have been deprived of the relief and happiness
which this free proclamation of divine mercy and goodness
is fitted to impart, in consequence of looking into them-
selves in the first instance, and striving to find or to attain
a holy disposition of heart before coming to Christ. They
have mourned the want of a spiritual thirst for the sacred
blessings of the gospel, because they deemed this necessary
to entitle them to acceptance; and have thus perverted
to a self-righteous purpose the very words of mercy and
124 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
of grace. It ought never to be forgotten that it is not of
that hungering and thirsting after righteousness of which
our Lord speaks in his sermon on the Mount, that the pro-
phet is here speaking, but of that natural thirst after hap-
piness which is common to all men. This desire of hap-
piness is in itself no part of our depravity, for it is essen-
tial to the constitution of every rational being ; and even
when it is most sinfully directed — when it seeks gratifica-
tion in the most wicked and impious pursuits, or vents it-
self in the most ungodly opposition to the providence and
will of Heaven, yet, as it is connected with wretchedness,
it is kindly met in this unrestricted proclamation of mercy.
Whatever be the cause of unhappiness, — whether it pro-
ceed from the losses and afflictions so common in life, from
disappointed pride, the misery attendant on the way of re-
bellion, remorse of conscience, the prevalence of the worst
and most hateful of passions, or the torment attendant on
self-righteous courses, — in a word, proceed from what it
may, this proclamation of the gospel is addressed to its un-
happy victims, and graciously calls them to turn from their
vain and wretched pursuits, and invites them to partake of
true, substantial, and permanent blessedness. It says,
" hear, and you shall be happy," — that is, believe the gos-
pel of peace, and ye shall experience that true enjoyment
which is suited to your faculties, which will completely fill
them, and which will free you from all your restless and
tormenting desires. It is not, therefore, merely of con-
vinced, or, as they are often called, sensible sinners, that
the prophet speaks, but of all the family of Adam, who are
universally subject more or less to the pain consequent on
unsatisfied desires. They have all departed from God, the
only spring of genuine happiness, and never can they be
NATURE OF THE GOSPEL. 125
happy till they return to him. Though they feel them-
selves wretched, or at least unsatisfied, they know not the
cause; and even when told it, they are naturally unwilling
to allow it to be what it is, and obstinately cleave to the
broken cisterns which have so often disappointed them.
With much long-suffering, however, the Lord continues in
this and in many other proclamations of love kindly to call
on them to leave the polluted waters after which they are
in quest, and to come to the pure river of the water of life,
clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and
of the Lamb.
Many, my dear friend, put away from themselves the
consolations of the gospel, from the notion that they must
first believe that they are believers, and then only come to
Christ for pardon, as a blessing to which they are entitled.
But the fact that they are believers is not the object of faith.
Forgetful of this, however, they begin, not with believing
the testimony of God, but with ransacking their hearts for
some evidence that they are in a state of salvation ; and if
they fancy that they have found some marks of this kind,
they will professedly thank God that they are not like
others, and sit down at ease, vainly supposing that this
confidence is the faith of the gospel. How preposterous to
look for evidences of faith before going at once to the cross
of Christ, and resting their all upon it ! It is self-evident,
that in the order of nature a person must believe the testi-
mony of God before he can be a Christian, and therefore,
a persuasion that he is a believer cannot be necessary to his
being one, for that would imply a gross contradiction. It
would be to suppose, that a person's believing himself to be
a Christian is prior in the order of nature to his being such.
This notion is allied to the perplexing statement, that the
11*
126 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
first thing which a sinner is called to believe is, that the sal-
vation of Christ is already his in particular. How different
is this from the call to believe the declaration of God, that
the atonement is finished, and is all-sufficient to cleanse
from his guilt every son of Adam who puts his confidence
in it.
Nothing can be more evident than that whatever God
calls us to believe must be already true, and therefore true
whether we believe it or not ; and that, before we can be-
lieve it, evidence of its truth must be given us. But it is
not true that a man is a Christian till he believe the divine
testimony ; and therefore his believing that he is a Chris-
tian, or, in other words, that he is a believer, can be no part
of the faith of the gospel. The gospel itself is absolutely
true ; that is, it is true independently of our faith in it, but
that a particular individual is a Christian, depends on the
reception he has given to the testimony of God. Our per-
suasion or conviction of the fact that we are Christians, is
not properly faith at all — It is rather a knowledge of this
fact, arising from our own immediate perception, or con-
sciousness which springs from the nature of the impres-
sions made upon lis by the general declaration of the gos-
pel, and not from any thing like a direct testimony from
heaven, respecting us in particular. When this conviction
is well founded, it is the fruit of faith, and not faith itself.
The term belief, indeed, is sometimes used to denote the
conviction which arises from sight, or from the testimony
of sense in general, but this is only when our language is
accommodated to the subject of conviction as such, with-
out regard to its cause. The proper import of it is, faith
in a report ; and hence it is called, " the confidence of things
hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen." Things
NATURE OF THE GOSPEL. 127
which we know by nature, by unassisted reason, or by ex-
perience, arc not the proper objects of faith, but simply of
knowledge. It is easy to see, then, that our conviction of
being believers is not faith, because it is not grounded on
the direct testimony of God, but arises from that imme-
diate perception, or consciousness, in our own minds, which
springs from the nature of the impression made upon us by
the means of the truth believed.
I am far from meaning that a certain time must elapse
before a person can be sensible that he is a believer ; for
all who believe a report must be instantly sensible of it in
proportion to the strength of their belief, so that this con-
viction may be so immediate as to be without any discern-
ible process, even as the sight of an object is attended with
the consciousness of seeing it. The impression of sur-
rounding objects on the opened eyes of the blind man made
him instantly sensible that he saw, so that he could say,
"One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see."
A man, when under the influence of terror, is conscious of
fear, yet his mind is so taken up with the cause of his
alarm that he cannot make the passion of fear an object
of reflection. Now, the case is similar when any impor-
tant truth, and particularly the gospel, occupies the heart
We then think of the object of faith, and not of faith itself.
The understanding of the gospel gives an assurance of
its truth, and all who believe it must, in their very believ-
ing it, have a degree of hope concerning their own salva-
tion, for faith is the confidence of things hoped for. The
full assurance of understanding is attained by that pro-
gressive acquaintance with the truth, which is gained by
obeying what we already know of it, and is connected with
the full assurance of faith, that is, a complete and unwav-
128 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
ering conviction of the truth of the gospel ; and this again,
is connected with such effects as produce the full assurance
of hope, or, in other words, the firm assurance that we in-
dividually shall certainly obtain the whole of the blessings
promised in the everlasting covenant. As faith is founded
on evidence, it must be proportioned to the degree of that
spiritual understanding by which it is discerned. And since
there are degrees of spiritual understanding, there must be
corresponding degrees of faith, and degrees of faith, sup-
pose corresponding degrees of the assurance of hope, for
the measure of the latter keeps pace with that of the for-
mer. Were a person to affirm that he was sensible that
he was a believer of the gospel, but that, notwithstanding
this, he had no hope of salvation ; this were certainly to
contradict the promise connected with the divine testimony,
and in certain respects to contradict himself: But if an un-
fruitful professor of religion were told, that he must either
have received for the gospel something different from it, or
have forgotten what he once received, as otherwise he must
have been the subject of its salutary influence ; and were
he so far convinced of this as to be led to doubt whether
lie indeed believed the truth, this were in nowise to call in
question the divine testimony, because God hath no where
testified that he in particular is a believer.
Beware, my dear friend, of concluding from these state-
ments that the gospel must be a very uncertain scheme for
obtaining peace and hope toward God, since many are at
a loss to know if that which they believe is indeed its gen-
uine import. Consider, that if the works of creation man-
ifest that they are the workmanship of God, the gospel in
like manner commends itself to the mind by its own light.
If we can distinguish the writings of one man from those
NATURE OF THE GOSrEL. 129
of another, is it not to be expected that there shall be such
an impress of God upon his word as that all who are open
to conviction shall be able to distinguish its import from the
false and erroneous systems of men? When we find him
saying, " What is the chaff of the wheat?" " Is not my
word like as fire and a hammer that breaketh the rock in
pieces?" Is it not evidently taught that there is a light and
an energy in the truth of his word, which distinguishes it
from the falsehoods of the votaries of error? It exhibits
in perfection the character of God : and while it enforces
and confirms the voice of his law, it reveals to us a way
of access into his presence and family which is altogether
worthy of him. The healing remedy which it provides for
the wounded spirit fully answers every claim and demand
of God in the conscience. The mind, therefore, is not left
in perplexity, or if any thing of this kind is felt, it must
be owing to the influence of some human system obscur-
ing the glory of the truth. Where the light of the know-
ledge of the glory of God, as displayed in the Redeemer,
shines in the heart, we see the difference between it and the
uncertain guesses of men, and we rest satisfied. We thus
obtain a preservative from the errors of the wicked, and
experience that rest of mind which follows the cessation of
scepticism, and the confidence of faith.
Do you ask, what should be said to a person who fears
that he has not believed the gospel, and is anxious for in-
structions on the subject? I would say in reply, that as the
faith of the gospel is to be expected only by an attentive
consideration of its nature, import, and evidence, a fall
statement of these should be given, and the individual re-
ferred to the Scriptures. If at all sensible of guilt and of
danger, will not the importance of the subject commend to
130 THE GKACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
the mind the necessity of examining the divine record itself?
You remember what is said of certain characters in Scrip-
ture, " They received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the Scriptures daily, whether these things
were so : Therefore many of them believed."
Men are accordingly called to hearken and pay attention
to the word of God. They are called to stop in their mad
career, and to consider their ways — to ponder the nature
and issue of their present course — to ask for the old paths
and the good way, that is for the way in which, according
to the Scriptures, the people of God have always walked,
and you know that all of them have lived and died in the
faith of Christ : In this way men are required to walk, and
in so doing they are promised rest. Jer. vi. 16. The mean-
ing of this address is explained by our Lord, when he says,
" Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest."
In quickening a dead body, God uses no means but his
own immediate power, but in quickening the soul, which,
though dead in trespasses and sins, possesses an under-
standing to distinguish between good and evil, a conscience
to approve the one and condemn the other, and affections
which may be wrought upon by rational motives, he em-
ploys means which possess an admirable moral fitness to
produce the effect. In the former case means are out of
the question, because there could be no suitableness be-
tween them and the end ; but there is an aptitude in the
divine evidence which accompanies, and is contained in the
gospel to produce faith in it. When truth of the greatest
importance, and accompanied with the highest evidence,
is placed before the mind, — even evidence, greater and
stronger than that which men proceed upon daily and
MATURE OF THE GOSPEL. 131
hourly in all the concerns of life, — must it not be owing
to wilful blindness if the testimony of Heaven is disbelieved 1
If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God
is greater. We are not required to believe without evidence,
for the most satisfactory evidence of the truth of the gos-
pel is clearly laid before us.
Do any inquire, then, what means arc to be used to ob-
tain faith, it may be replied, the testimony of God is to be
used, for thus saith the Scriptures : " How shall they believe
in him of whom they have not heard ?" " Faith cometh
by hearing," that is, it comes by means of being acquainted
with a report. The careful and candid examination of the
Scriptures, and the attentive consideration of the import
and evidence of the saving truth, are exercises solemnly
required. " If any man," says Christ, "will do his will,"
that is, if he is determined at all hazards, to follow the
truth wherever it may lead him, " he shall know of the
doctrine, whether it be of God."
Subordinate means do not exclude the supreme. If, in
bringing us into being, and in preserving our existence,
God acts by the instrumentality of means, why should not
his influence in regeneration be consistent with this instru-
mentality? The means which I have mentioned are of di-
vine appointment, and are very unlike the means which
are often employed : They present no obstacle — impose no
impossible task — fill with no pride, but directly tend to bring
the mind to the light of divine truth, to convince of guilt
and helplessness, and to persuade the sinner that there
is no hope for him except in the atonement of Christ. The
call to repent and believe the gospel, and the arguments
and motives necessary to produce compliance, come to men
at the same time, and are involved in each other. The ex-
132 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
hortations to seek the Lord, and to call upon his name, to
forsake every evil way, and every unrighteous thought, and
to turn unto God, are connected with the revelation of the
atonement, and with the promise of mercy and forgiveness.
Isaiah lv. 3 — 8. There is, therefore, the greatest pro-
priety in calling on men instantly to consider at once their
guilt, and the way of forgiveness — their danger, and the
adequate remedy, so freely provided ; and in the faith of
receiving the blessings of redemption through Christ, to call
upon the name of the Lord. Such are the means which,
God has appointed : The use of them accompanies the
teaching of his Spirit, and is in fact a part of that teaching,
whether the effect be immediately or gradually produced.
Does a person say, " I question if I have believed the
genuine gospel ; and how shall I ascertain the truth on the
subject?" Let him ask himself what it was that first gave
him any measure of relief from distress. Was it any fa-
vorable change in himself, any good desires, fervent wishes,
or pious resolutions, or something wrought in him, as he
hoped, by divine grace to recommend him to the favor of
of God? What did he receive for the gospel? Is he fully
persuaded in his own mind that God is well pleased in his
Son ; and that such is the glory and the value of his work,
that nothing is necessary to the acceptance of any sinner
on earth, but a belief of the testimony concerning the per-
fection of the atonement ? The grand characteristic dis-
tinction of a Christian is, that he glories in the work of the
Redeemer as the sole ground of his peace. In opposition
to the various ways in which unbelievers are seeking to re-
commend themselves to God, he is persuaded that the only
righteousness through which he can be forgiven and ac-
cepted is already finished by the Saviour. However much
NATURK OF THK GOSPEL. 133
the many systems of error may differ from each other, they
all agree in making the foundation of a man's accept-
ance with God to be cither in whole or in part something
in himself; and from all of them Christianity is distin-
guished by the exhibition of the atonement of Christ, and
the promise of salvation to all who believe in it, as a sanc-
tuary for the distressed, and an anchor of hope to the most
wretched. We are accordingly told in Jeremiah xxiii. 6.
that the name of the Messiah is " the Lord our righteous-
ness," and in chapter xxxiii. 16. that this very name is, as
it were, the great motto of the Church of God, whereby it
is distinguised from other societies; for, says the prophet,
that is the name wherewith she shall be called, " The Lord
our Righteousness." The meaning appears to be that "the
doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Jehovah in
human nature, is the fundamental article in its constitution,
in the charter of its privileges and hopes ; that Jehovah
our Righteousness is the song and the boast of all the fol-
lowers of the Captain of Salvation ; the motto on the ban-
ners of the Church in her militant state — banners which
shall at length be suspended in the temple above, retain-
ing their appropriate inscription, when the warfare of the
church shall terminate in everlasting peace." As the mount
where a lamb was provided for Abraham was called Jeho-
vah-Jireh — the Lord will see or provide ; and as the altar
which Moses built where Amalek was defeated was called
Jehovah-Nissi — the Lord my banner, as memorials of what
God had there wrought ; so the truth concerning the justi-
fication of the Church through the work of Immanuel is in-
scribed upon her in deep and legible characters ; and of
this truth she is a memorial to all generations.
I wish, my dear friend, by dwelling on this subject, to
Vol. ii. 12
134 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
press upon your attention that great truth, with the belief
of which the blessings of salvation are connected, and which
gives importance to all the branches of divine revelation.
If the import of what has been stated is perceived by an
inquirer in its true light, the question will no longer be,
" How am I to believe ?" or " How am I to prepare myself
for an interest in the Saviour 1" No, it will be " What has
God testified concerning the character and work of his Son
what is the proclamation of mercy addressed to the
world ?" That which a sinner is called to believe is the
truth of God, and particularly his testimony concerning the
perfection and all-sufficiency of the atonement of Christ.
It is in believing this testimony, and so becoming the sub-
ject of its influence, that we come to the enjoyment of the
divine favor, and to know that we are the children of God.
The first scriptural consolation received by the believer
arises from his conviction that the gospel itself is true. To
this truth he comes in the first instance, not as a Chris-
tian, but as a sinner ; and he looks for acceptance entirely
through that atonement of which it testifies. His comfort,
therefore, does not, in the first instance, spring from reflect-
ing on the feelings of his own mind towards it, though a
sensible change in these is certainly effected. In believing
the divine testimony, we are conscious of our doing so ;
but this consciousness is not itself the source of our com-
fort ; the source of this is in the nature and the promise of
the gospel, which declares, that all who believe it are the
children of God, and shall ultimately be saved : conscious-
ness is only the medium through which our consolation is
enjoyed. It is the thing believed that influences us, and not
our reflection on what is passing in our minds.
It sometimes happens that a person will allow that sal-
NATURE OF THE GOSPEL. 185
vation is of grace; but can take no comfort from this, be-
cause faith is necessary to salvation. Now, it is evident
that when a man sinks into despondency, and refuses to
apply to the gospel, because he has not, as he thinks, ob-
tained faith, he does not really believe that salvation is
of free favor ; for he is making the necessity of faith an
obstruction to grace. It is true that, till the testimony and
promise of the gospel are believed, no relief can be had ;
for how can a person apply to himself a promise which he
does not believe? But the necessity of believing good
news, before they can give joy, arises from no defect in
the joyful import of the news : it arises from the very na-
ture of things, just as the necessity of a medicine's being
used before it can better the health arises from no defi-
ciency m its virtue, but entirely from the nature of the case.
Suppose a person were to say, " The physician tells me
that the prescribed medicine is able to cure me, but he also
tells me that it cannot cure me unless 1 use it, and there-
fore his words give me no comfort, for I do not think that
I have used it," — would it not be evident that he was under
a strange misapprehension, so much so as even to think
that the application of the medicine was a something that
could and must be done separate from the medicine to be
applied, — that the application of it must precede the appli-
cation of it, — and that, till this indescribable something was
done, and he had thereby become convalescent, he could not
apply it; whereas the very thing to which he was called,
and the only thing which could cure him, was the use of
what had been prescribed. No doubt it is as using the
medicine, or in using it, that a cure is to be expected ; but
how, in the nature of things, could it be otherwise, and
and why then delay the application of it 1
136 THE GRACIOUS AND CONSOLATORY
Now, what is the faith of the gospel, but the belief of
that truth which testifies that salvation is a matter of pure
favor, — being the gift of God through the atonement of
Christ to every one who believes, and not the reward of
any good thing in us, however denominated : And how
can the necessity of believing that a thing is a mattter of
free grace be an obstruction to the freeness of grace? Is
it not evident that the person who views it in this light,
means by faith something quite different from a belief of
the truth, and a something which he must possess, not
merely before the gospel can, in the nature of things, give
him relief, but before he can apply to it at all? Is not this
to misapprehend the call to believe the gospel as much as
the invalid I have been speaking of had misapprehended
the direction to apply the necessary medicine? Men in-
deed do not act thus foolishly in regard to the body ; but
many, alas ! do so in regard to the soul. This is done
when faith is considered to be some principle or habit im-
planted in the heart, independent of the knowledge of the
truth of God. Whenever this idea governs the mind, the
sinner is led to seek for this mysterious principle, in the
first instance, as the main ground of his peace ; and is pre-
vented by its misguiding influence from coming to the gos-
pel for relief. Now faith, 3^ou know, must, in the very na-
ture of things, relate to some declaration, and cannot so
much as be thought of without thinking at the same time
of some report to be believed ; so that it is absurd to speak
of first believing that we are possessed of faith, and then
coming to the testimony of God in order to believe it. It
must be evident that in this case faith is not considered as
the belief of the divine record, but as the performance of
some inexplicable work of a very different nature.
NATUKE OF THE GOSPEL. 137
It is no answer to this to say, as some mistaken friends
of truth have done, that the mode of divine influence is in-
explicable ; for we ought to beware of confounding the
mode in which the Spirit operates with the thing he pro-
duces : The former is inexplicable — the latter is not. The
apostles have taken the veil from the face of Moses, and
have fully declared the gospel with great plainness of
speech, and particularly in exhibiting the way of accept-
ance with God : If their testimony, with its evidence, then,
be once clearly discerned, what is there mysterious in giv-
ing it credit? It becomes us to believe every fact revealed
by Heaven, though the mode of those facts be to us inscru-
table ; or, in the common sense of the term, mysteries ; it
is reasonable to do so, for are we not surrounded with such
things in the natural world 1 But it is quite a different thing
to receive mysteries of human origin, which are often used
as a convenient retreat when all means of scriptural de-
fence have failed. The services of religion are reasonable
services, and not the effect of a blind impulse. The judg-
ment is convinced by evidence so powerful, as has some-
times called forth the exclamation, " This is demonstra-
tion ;" the will is persuasively inclined by appropriate mo-
tives ; the affections are excited and fixed by suitable ob-
jects; and the conscience is impressed by the authority of
Heaven, — all being according to the distinctive properties
of a rational nature.
These remarks are not unconnected with the subject of
this letter, for they relate to things which have kept not a
few from discerning the gracious and consolatory nature of
the gospel of peace. On this subject I have yet some more
observations to make, which I reserve for another letter. —
In the mean time, believe me to be yours, &c.
12*
LETTER XXI.
GENERAL REMARKS ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER.
The renovation of the heart the ultimate object of the Gospel — Dan-
gerous to confine the grace of God to the pardon of sin — Evil of
confining the attention to inward feelings — Importance of uniting
them with practice — A change of character the great promise of
the New Covenant — The divine plan of forgiveness the moral
means of sanctification — This change represented as a being called
and chosen out of the world.
Ill BMAM FBIE>"D,
Having considered the doctrine of Scripture relative to that
change of state which is the privilege of Christians, per-
mit me now to advert to that change of character which is
connected with it ; and the necessity of which I have re-
peatedly mentioned.
We ought never to lose sight of the consideration, that
the joyful import of the gospel does not arise merely from
the pardon it proclaims, but from its comprehending even
higher bless ogs. These are all inseparably connected with
conformity to God, and holy fellowship with him : They
form the grand end of the plan of reconciliation, and the doc-
trine of justification through faith is the moral means by
which it is gained. The grace of God appears not in lower-
ing the standard of duty to the level of our depraved w ishes,
but in raising our nature to the high standard of his immu-
table law. To suffer us to walk in our own ways were not
an act of grace, but an abandonment of us to misery. —
On the same principle, were all to which we are raised but
an imperfect conformity to the law of God, then our bless-
edness would be as far below perfection as our obedience,
GENERAL REMARKS, ETC. 139
and, of course, the exceeding riches of divine goodness
were not in that case displayed. Here the work is imper-
fect, but the day is coming when we shall be completely
assimilated to God, and so, perfectly happy.
It is a most dangerous notion to confine the display of
divine grace to our pardon, and consequent deliverance
from the wrath to come. Where it is thus confined, it is
abused to the encouragement of sin. The corrupt heart im-
agines that it may continue in sin, that grace may abound;
and that Christian liberty consists in the privilege of sin-
ning with impunity. Sometimes it does not appear, in plead-
ing for liberty, to indulge in gross transgressions, but in
pleading against unreserved obedience, and in speaking
lightly of what are termed the minor duties of life. Scan-
dalous sins, it will allow, are to be avoided; but minute at-
tention to every precept is not to be expected. A scrupulous
exactness in the discharge of every duty is supposed to in-
dicate a self-righteous spirit, and is met with the question,
" Do you not expect to be saved by grace?" Often is this
unhallowed temper connected with high pretensions to or-
thodoxy, and to zeal against unsound doctrine. Frequently
does it appear in the habitual neglect of relative and family
duties, as if religion were confined to particular times, and
to public occasions, and snapped asunder the ties of rela-
tionship and domestic life. — Characters of this kind will be
found boasting that they are the chosen of God, and that
therefore they cannot perish. In this way they abuse the
doctrine of salvation by grace. That doctrine they evi-
dently do not understand, and do not really believe. What
is the great thing in this salvation but holiness of charac-
ter? What is the end of religious knowledge, but to sub-
due the corrupt dispositions of the heart, and to cherish and
140 GENERAL REMARKS
direct the principles of love to God and our brethren 1 If
this end is not gained, is not the man whose knowledge
has puffed him up, pleasing himself with empty specula-
tions. For the truth of God we ought doubtless to be zeal-
ous; but, if we really are so, never will that be matter of
laughter or supercilious contempt which excited the com-
passion and commanded the tears of the apostles. It is a
fearful thing for professors of religion to count themselves
" valiant for the truth," when, in fact, they are gratifying
the evil passions of the heart. Such characters, indeed,
will often employ the strongest terms, and the most de-
grading epithets, when speaking of their own hearts and
ways, while their self-confidence, censoriousness, and su-
percilious deportment towards all whose views do not on
every subject quadrate with theirs, betray the fact that they
have affixed such ideas to sin, when found in themselves,
as to divest it of every thing blame- worthy in them. They
seem to think that sin is something that works in them
without their concurrence, and not a thing criminal, and
therefore deeply humbling in the sight of God. By a strik-
ing figure, sin is in Scripture compared to an enemy op-
posed to us, in order to teach us that it tends to our ruin,
and to induce us to watch against and oppose it. But if we
so dwell on this figure as to forget that it is a principle
within ourselves, that it springs from the inclinations of our
own hearts, and that the very essence of it consists in the
consent of the will, we have admitted a principle which saps
the foundation both of the law and of the gospel. It is de-
plorable when men can use the language of Scripture in di-
rect opposition to its spirit. — There is reason to think that
numbers who boast of their orthodoxy, and of the remark-
able clearness of their views, while their spirit and deport-
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 141
mcnt are far from corresponding with their profession, have
deceived themselves by indulging in notions which lead to
this issue. How ready are we to think ourselves rather
pitiable than criminal because of our sin ! Often do men
act upon principles which they would not express in words,
and which they themselves do not fully perceive.
Beware, however, my dear friend, of imbibing a preju-
dice against any part of the truth, because the corruption
of man has abused it. Individuals will, indeed, pervert the
doctrines of the gospel: but deeply lamentable as this cer-
tainly is, I beg you to remember that still more deplorable
consequences will follow any mutilated and defective re-
presentation of the truth which may be adopted from a wish
to guard against abuses which might result from its full ex-
hibition.— Such imperfect exhibitions of the truth afford a
handle to the perverters of it, which they know well how
to employ in their intercourse with professors of the faith,
and thus "by good words and fair speeches, they deceive
the hearts of the simple."
Some who once took pleasure in stating the genuine
gospel of peace, have afterwards become afraid of doing
so fully and plainly, because others have perverted it.
This may have a show of wisdom ; but it betrays a want
of confidence in the energy or the truth, a lurking error as
to its nature, and a want of that singleness of trust in its
Author which is essential to a life of faith in him. It is la-
mentable when, in consequence of a recent or present con-
troversy, the truths of religion are separated, and one of
them set up in opposition to another, to establish a system
in which one is prominently exhibited, and the rest are cast
into the shade. The opposite of error is not always the
truth. There is a point between excess and deficiency —
142 GENERAL REMARKS
between inculcating practice without doctrine, and doctrine
without practice. In order to avoid one extreme, how
ready are we to go to another. This argues not only a
narrowness of mind, which takes only a partial view of
revelation, but also a want of proper reverence for the
truths of the Almighty, which could not be intended to
be opposed to each other, but all in their proper place to be
received and obeyed.
You will perceive, my dear friend, that while it is the
duty of a Christian to hold fast the testimony and the prom-
ise of the gospel, and to look to them exclusively for the
ground of his acceptance, and his hope as a sinner, he
ought to be upon his guard against self-deception. Most
carefully ought he to watch over his heart and his ways,
that he may ascertain the medicinal effect of the truth upon
his character. It becomes him to keep his heart with all
diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Self-exami-
nation is of great importance for the discovery of the evils
that lurk within us, the influence of temptation on the mind,
and the degree in which we are walking in the truth.
When conscience tells us that we have been walking under
the influence of a spirit opposed to that of the gospel, though
nothing may have been committed of which our fellow
men may take cognizance, is it not evident that the truth
has slipped out of our hearts 1 The effect of a proper hold
of the truth is the subjection of the conscience to the au-
thority of God in his word. Not only are its consolations
imbibed, but its precepts, admonitions, and reproofs, are
received with reverence and affection. The latter no less
than the former manifest the kindness and the affectionate
care of our heavenly Father.
But it is cause of regret that while some are filled with
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 143
presumptuous confidence, there are others who make a right-
eousness of nursing melancholy. As for that consolation
which springs from the truth freely and indiscriminately
proclaimed to the world, they care not for it : They are
looking for relief not from the word of God, for this they
think inadequate to their comfort, but from certain fancied
good qualities in themselves. If even the most appropriate
passages of Scripture should be adduced to convince them
of their error, not only will they deem them inconclusive,
but the attempt will excite wonder, and perhaps be treated
as a proof of great ignorance of experimental religion.
What an evidence of the deceitfulness of the heart ! What
is religious experience, but that proof or trial which Chris-
tians have of the truths of God as they pass through the
various vicissitudes of life? The fact is, the characters in
question are not properly convinced of sin. The inquiry
with them, however it may be disguised, is at bottom this,
" What lack 1 yet in order to procure my acceptance with
God ?" A question which, though it allows all deficien-
cies, is quite consistent with a considerable degree of self-
complacency on the ground of fancied excellencies, or at
least of negative goodness. Under this garb of assumed
humility, there reigns the spirit of unsubdued pride.
The change of character effected by the gospel is more
than a mere external reformation, and outward attention to
religious institutions, or the adoption of one class of opin-
ions in preference to another. It is a renovation of the
heart through the belief of the truth. The religion of the
subject of this change is a display of the likeness of the di-
vine perfections as revealed in the gospel : It unites in it that
humility and contrition of heart which become a sinner,
and that holy confidence and happiness which become a
144 GENERAL REMARKS
friend and a child of God. His holiness consists in the dis-
positions which are correspondent with the spirit mani-
fested on Calvary.
I am far from meaning that this change will be equally-
great in every individual. As it is produced by faith in the
gospel, so it must correspond with the degree of its strength.
Nor will it be equally apparent even where faith is equally
strong; for as there is a great variety in the tempers and
dispositions of individuals, the religious principle has more
to contend with in some than in others. Take two Chris-
tians, in whom the positive principle of piety is equally
strong, the one may have to spend his strength in fighting
with unamiable peculiarities of character ; while the vigor of
the other is more employed in such services as will make
him appear to be much beyond his neighbor in religion,
though, upon the whole, he is not. To know what reli-
gion has done for a man, we must consider what he would
have been without it.
In considering and examining what influence the gospel
has upon us, it is wrong to confine our attention to the
thoughts, the feelings, and the desires of the heart. If we
are not actively engaged in obedience to the command-
ments of Christ, as far as we know them, it is in vain to
take comfort from what we may deem warm and pious
feelings. You will easily see this if you consider that,
when our thoughts or feelings are not called forth or exer-
cised by corresponding actions, it is natural for us to judge
of ourselves according to the present impression on our
minds. Witness the case of Peter, who, feeling warmly
attached to his master, said, in the sincerity of his heart,
but with great self-confidence, that he should never forsake
him nor deny him. It is easy for a man, when engaged
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 1 Id
in meditation, and still more when under the excitement of
the accompaniments of a public assembly, and a powerful
appeal to the heart by the truth, to feel in such a way as to
become persuaded that nothing surely can ever damp him
or turn him aside from the right path : who yet is no soon-
er assailed by temptation than he falls. Now, when cor-
responding deeds or sacrifices are called for, and we do not
perform them, it is evident that our hearts have deceived us.
But, on the other hand, as the same works may pro-
ceed from very different motives, we ought not to confine
our attention to actions. It is the relation of actions to di-
vine truth, and the nature of the principles from which
they proceed, that determines them to be good. A man,
you know, may give all his goods to feed the poor, and
even his body to be burned, and yet be destitute of love.
It becomes us then, to examine without reserve, both our
actions, and the principles from which they flow. It is quite
unscriptural to decry warmth of feeling to the exaltation of
internal deeds, for surely the fervor of our feelings ought to
correspond with the excellence, grandeur, and importance
of the objects with which we are conversant. On the other
hand, it is equally unscriptural to decry deeds of obedience
to the exaltation of internal emotions and sensations ; for,
as it is only in as far as actions are known to proceed from
faith in the gospel, that they manifest genuine religion, so it
is only in as far as the excitement of our feelings produces
Christian practices that they are proved to proceed from the
truth. The first Christians were full at once of feeling
and of energy ; their minds burned within them ; but it
was when the truths of the Scriptures were unfolded to
them, and the warmth which was thus enkindled led to
constant and laborious activity. They were not afraid to
Vol. ii. 13
146 GENERAL REMARKS
encourage those inward feelings which necessarily result
from the knowledge of the truth, as if they would interfere
with active obedience, for they found that the joy of the
Lord was their strength ; and they united the great princi-
ples of the kingdom of God, which are " righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
To live by faith is to have the judgment, the affections,
and the whole life regulated by a habitual governing re-
gard to the doctrines of the gospel, and to the invisible
realities which are revealed to us in Scripture. Unbelief is
proved by the want of the emotions or actions which cor-
respond with the objects proposed to our belief. Thus,
because Lot's sons-in-law believed him not when he warned
them of the impending danger, they felt no fear of it, nor
used any means to escape it : And such of the Egyptians
as believed not the declarations of Moses respecting the
plague of the hail, regarded not the word of the Lord, and
left their servants and cattle in the field. Noah, on the
other hand, believed the threatening respecting the flood,
and feeling, in consequence, the corresponding emotion of
fear, he prepared an ark. Gideon was encouraged by the
promise of success, for in the confidence of it he attacked
and discomfited his enemies. The patriarchs, Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, believed the promises : and therefore em-
braced them, and practically confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth. In like manner, faith
in the gospel will still produce such emotions and feelings
in regard to the character of God, the grace and conde-
scension of the Saviour, the character and condition of man,
and the comparative importance of the present and the in-
visible world, as will hallow the affections, will raise above
the fear of suffering, and will impart a character of decision
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 147
and dignity to the mind. See in the Apostle Paul how the
most deep and warm emotions and feelings, were united
with patient suffering, constant self-denial, and the most
indefatigable exertion.
We are in great danger, however, of deceiving ourselves
respecting our religious feelings and emotions in a way
similar to that in which the subjects of an ill-regulated sen-
sibility deceive themselves in regard to benevolence. An
interesting account of human wretchedness will excite in
the latter a kind of pleasurable sympathetic emotions which
soothe the heart, and deceive it into a persuasion of its ten-
derness, but which are very different from genuine and en-
lightened benevolence. Accordingly, such characters are
not the first to enter the abodes of wretchedness, to encoun-
ter the painful and offensive concomitants of misery, or to
devote time and thought, labor and attention, to the victims
of distress.
Now, there is a possibility of living in a world of ro-
mance likewise, in relation to religion. Some do nothing
but dwell on the varieties of their frames and feelings, to
the neglect of those deeds of self-denying labor, and those
practical fruits of righteousness, by abounding in which
Christians habitually adorn the gospel of Christ. They
forget, that if the impressions made upon us do not excite
us to that obedience which the Saviour has enjoined, they
have not profited our hearts. I need not again say, that
warmth of feeling ought not to be decried. He who
does not in some measure feel, has not known the truth.
What so fitted to impress the heart and to animate the feel-
ings as the doctrines of the cross? The degree of their
warmth, and the manner of expressing them, will vary in
persons differently constituted, even with the same know-
148 ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER.
ledge of the truth : but yet a measure of suitable feeling
will in all cases be excited where the glory of the truth is
discerned.
But, my dear friend, the feelings I now refer to are not
produced by the contemplation of the truth. Often are the
subjects of them quite listless when the interesting and sub-
lime, but yet sober and solid doctrines of the Bible, are the
topics of discourse. Instead of endeavoring to advance
from first principles to perfection, or to a full and compre-
hensive acquaintance with the truth, they are content with
a few common-place ideas. There is a strange vagueness
of expression, a want of precision and justness of concep-
tion, in all that they say, as if they rested in mere words,
without having attached to them any definite ideas. Now,
even though the words we employ should in themselves em-
body the most important truths, if they are not accompa-
nied with definite conceptions in our minds they cannot
excite vigorous sensations. If, therefore, notwithstanding
this, powerful sensations are produced, it cannot have been
by the truth. Obedience to the Saviour, I would remind
you, is the test of all right feeling towards him — "Ye are
my friends," says he, "if ye do whatsoever I command
you." In like manner we are told, that " this is the love
of God, that we keep his commandments." We are more
ready to be deceived in regard to our affection for an un-
seen character than for one that is seen ; and hence we are
told, that our love to God is to be manifested by love to his
people. But as we are likewise apt to be deceived in re-
gard to our love to them, because we may love them, not
because they are Christians, but for some inferior reason,
we are guarded against deception as to this, by being told,
" that by this we know that we love the children of God,
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 149
when we love God and keep his commandments." You see
then, that we arc guarded against mistaken views of our
internal emotions on the one hand, and mistaken views of
our actions on the other, both as they regard God and our
brethren. Some are more apt to be deceived in regard to
the former, and others in regard to the latter ; and the same
person may at different times err with respect to both.
There is, therefore, great wisdom in the cautions of Scrip-
ture, by which we are told, "This is the way, walk ye in
it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to
the left."
1 beg you, my dear friend, to remember, that it must be
vain to look for the fruits of conversion to God before go-
ing as we are to the Saviour ; for it is in believing in his
finished work that we become new creatures. You ought
likewise to remember, that it is a mistake to look for great
effects from faith, when it has just commenced. The faith
of a Christian may at first be very feeble ; the degree of
his light may be but an obscure dawning ; and if his views
of the gospel are in many respects indistinct, the result will
be small in proportion. But yet this infant faith will pro-
duce a corresponding measure of obedience, and will, be-
sides this, be itself increased by obedience. The way to
obtain brighter and larger discoveries of the truth is, not to
look exclusively at truth as if it were an abstract thing, but
to act up to what we already know, for " to him that hath,
more shall be given." It is clear, also, from the nature of
things, that the way to increase faith and to purify the heart,
is not to wait in indolent inactivity, as if, independently of
the use of appropriate means, the principle will get more
and more vigorous ; for it is a law in nature, that the ex-
ercise of a principle tends to strengthen it. Besides, this
13*
150 GENERAL REMARKS
were to neglect present duty to the dishonor of God, how-
ever we might seek to justify our inactivity, by pleading
that we were waiting for great ability for obedience. Never
ought it to be forgotten, that the career of that obedience
which flows from faith, however weak, cannot be too soon
begun. The least degree of faith in the gospel will so far
purify the heart, and send forth the streams of a holy de-
portment. Some seem to bend their whole attention to
faith as an abstract thing ; and are so occupied, as they
think, in increasing it, as to forget that the great value of it
arises from its influence in exciting us to deny ungodliness
and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and
godly in this present world, as the means of fitting us for
the services and the joys of the heavenly state.
This holy character is far from being a merely secondary
thing — it is, in fact, the great and ultimate object of the
work of Christ. It is not to be put in the back ground, as
if, though a very good thing, it occupied only a subordi-
nate place. Some, without intending it, have thus misplaced
it. They speak of it chiefly as an evidence of faith in
Christ, and of their consequent interest in his work. It
does indeed manifest faith in him, but does so because it
naturally proceeds from the belief of the truth. It has in
itself a value besides the evidence it affords of the reality
of our faith, and a value higher than this evidence, just as
the health of the body has a value in itself independent of
the evidence it affords of the excellence of the food by
which it is cherished, and of the goodness of our appetite.
In the new covenant God promises to put his law in the
inward parts of his people, and to write it on their hearts ;
that he will be to them a God, and that they shall be to him
a people : and that they shall all know him from the least
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 151
to the greatest of them, for, says he, I will forgive their
iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more. Jer.
.\x\i. 33, 34. The promise of a change of heart, you see, is
mentioned first, because this change is the ultimate though
not the only object of the plan of mercy. You will also
observe that the last promise exhibits both the ground on
which the other promises are made, and the means by which
they are fulfilled. God docs not say, " I will forgive their
iniquity, and will remember their sin no more, for I will
put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their
hearts," — but " I will put my law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts : for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more." This last prom-
ise is a promise, not merely of forgiveness, but of forgive-
ness through a propitiation. This is evidently the interpre-
tation given of the passage in Heb. x. 15 — 18. The re-
membrance of sin intended is the judicial remembrance
of it, in order to punishment, or by requiring additional
sacrifices of expiation. The promise includes then, the
perfect and everlasting removal of guilt through the one
offering of Christ, as the ground on which all the other
promises are to be fulfilled.* But this promise exhibits also
the means by which the other promises are fulfilled. We
are brought into a new relation to God, as our God, through
the mediation of Christ ; it is by the manifestation of the
divine character in his work, that we come to know God ;
and it is by the revelation of the glory of God, in the won-
derful means of our redemption, that the heart is attracted
to him, and becomes the seat of that love which is the ful-
filling of the law. Such is the revelation of his union of
See a Survey of the Old and New Covenants, Chap. ii. Sec. ii.
152 GENERAL REMARKS
justice and mercy in his sacrifice, and of the character of
God as a righteous judge and a kind parent, that when un-
derstood and believed, it produces love to him who has so
loved us, and love to mankind for his sake. Now, as the
sum of the law is love to God and our neighbor, it follows,
that when we are thus influenced by faith in the atonement
to the love of God and of man, the divine law is put in our
inward parts, and written in our hearts. Thus, in the cove-
nant of God there is provision made, but for a change in
our state and a change in our character.
These two blessings correspond with the twofold view
given of the sanctification in Scripture, where it is used in
a legal or sacrificial sense, and also in .a moral sense. In
the former it is generally used in the epistle to the Hebrews,
where it means, that by the atonement Christ hath expiat-
ed the sins of his people, and consecrated them to God, as
his peculiar property. Heb. x. 14; and xiii. 12. In this
sense it is not progressive. When used in a moral sense,
it signifies, to be made holy, by being created after the im-
age of God in holiness and righteousness. Ephesians iv.
23, 24. This work is progressive, and keeps pace with
our progress in the knowledge, faith, and obedience of the
gospel. 1 Thes. iv. 1.
The blessings of forgiveness, and renovation of heart,
though in themselves distinct, invariably go together. In
illustration of this, allow me to refer you to the Mosaic
Law, which figuratively marked both the connexion and
the date of these invaluable benefits. Moses, when speak-
ing of the kindness of God to Israel, in having separated
them from the rest of the nations, and taken them into a
peculiar relation to himself, says, that " the Lord had chosen
them to be a people unto himself above all people upon the
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 153
face of the earth." Now in those words he obviously re-
fers to that separation which had been effected in time : for
lie represents it as the fulfilment of the divine oath to Abra-
ham, and as having been begun in their redemption from
Egyptian bondage, with a view to its being completed, when
as a kingdom of priests, they should dwell in the land of
Canaan within the inclosure of his law. As a people sep-
arated from the world as to privilege, they were also to be
separated as to character, and they were accordingly for-
bidden to walk as did other nations, and commanded to
walk as became a sacred society — " ye shall be holy unto
me," says God, "for I the Lord your God am holy, and
have severed you from other people that ye should be mine."
Now, the separation of Israel was typical of a legal sep-
aration as to state, and a moral separation as to character,
between the Church of Christ and the world. Christians
arc accordingly described as distinguished by those bless-
ings and qualities of which the privileges- and the services
of Israel were figures. They are " a chosen generation,"
inasmuch as they area family derived from one stock, being
born of God through the incorruptible seed of his word, and
thus distinguished from the mass of mankind as his children.
They are "a royal priesthood," as the younger brethren
of Christ, who " is a priest upon his throne," and because
they are consecrated to God by his blood, and by the an-
nointing of his holy Spirit; they are "an holy nation,"
because separated to God by the sacrifice of Jesus, and
because they are sanctified by the implantation of holy prin-
ciples, tempers, and dispositions of heart : and they are a
peculiar people, or a people for a purchase, and therefore
a peculiar treasure unto God, because they are redeemed
from the guilt, the power, and the consequences of sin by
154 GEJNERAL REMARKS
the ransom of the blood of Christ, and accordingly they
are called "his purchased possession."
These privileges are bestowed, and these holy principles
implanted, "that they may show forth the praises," or, by
bearing his image, exhibit in their whole spirit and deport-
ment " the perfections of Him who hath thus called them out
of darkness into his marvellous light." Thus a change of
state and a change of character go together : — The former
is bestowed chiefly for the sake of the latter, and both are
designed to produce that hallowed conduct in Christians by
which the truth is embodied, and the image of God is dis-
played to the world.
In the passage to which I now refer you, the apostle is
speaking of relations into which we are brought, of privi-
leges conferred on us, and of a character formed in us, on
our believing in Christ. It is only then that we are de-
clared to have a particular interest in the blessings of re-
demption. Accordingly, the apostle represents the whole
of these blessings as coeval in their bestowment. And he
adds, what corroborates this, " Which in time past were
not a people, but are now the people of God, which had
not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."
We should beware of confounding the purposes of God
with their accomplishment. As his purpose to create the
world, and the actual creation of it, were infinitely far
from coeval, so his purpose concerning the new and spirit-
ual creation, and its actual existence, ought never to be
treated as if they were of equal date. The purpose of God
secured the advent of the Saviour, and the accomplishment
of his expiatory work secures the bestowment of the bless-
ings of his grace : but till men believe in the atonement
they are children of wrath, being declared by the Scriptures
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 155
to be heirs of condemnation. Eph. ii. 3. John iii. 18. When
sinners believe in the Saviour, they arc considered as one
with him, and are therefore treated as though they had
died when he did, and had been raised and glorified as He
was ; inasmuch as they obtain the benefit of His death and
His glory so far as it can be obtained in the present state.
Ephes. ii. 4 — 9. Rom vi. 8 — 10. But a man can no more
be actually justified while in unbelief, than he can be actu-
ally and personally glorified in heaven before he has left
this world. The Scriptures, accordingly, when speaking
of the justification of such as were to come to the know-
ledge of the truth, represent it as future. And the
Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham,
saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed. " So then,
they which be of faith," that is, those who have believed,
are blessed as was Abraham. To make a thing consist in
the mere manifestation of it, or in a persuasion of its exist-
ence, is utterly inadmissible ; for a thing must exist before
it can appear, and there can be no warranted belief of a
thing unless it be true before our persuasion of it. The
inward feelings of an injured ruler towards the criminal,
are in themselves neither condemnation, nor forgiveness.
The former is his passing sentence, according to the law,
and the latter is the reversal of that sentence. And on the
same principle, the love of God as existing in his heart,
ought not to be confounded with the expression of that love
in the actual forgiveness and acceptance of sinners.
The subjects of that change of mind, which is effected
by the gospel, are thereby separated from this evil world,
and hence it is sometimes expressed by their being said to
be called and chosen from the kingdom of the wicked one.
158 GENES AL REMARKS
into the kingdom of Christ. Thus our Lord told his disci-
ples, that the reason why they were hated of the world
was, that they were not of it, but chosen by Him out of it.
Now, that which provoked the hatred of the world must
have been a thing which was visible and tangible, as it
were, and not something hid among the secrets of God.
He must, therefore, refer to their having been by conver-
sion to God called out of the world by a change in their
principles and character, which change, as it appeared in
its prac tical result, drew down upon them the hatred
of the wicked. It is not any particular sentiments held
by Christians in regard to the divine purposes, that, consi-
dered in themselves, provoke the hostility of the world;
for philosophers are allowed to speculate as they may on
subjects connected with the different theories which have
been held in regard to liberty and necessity without pro-
voking a spirit of the kind. It is the humbling implica-
tions of the gospel, its condemnation of the ways of men,
its holy and spiritual nature, and its sanctifying effects on
believers, which excite the opposition of mankind.
Generally speaking, the world will allow professors of
religion to adhere to what doctrinal sentiments they may,
provided they conform to their spirit, maxims, and ways.
Hold the truth as a matter of mere speculation, and not of
practical interest, and reprove not their ways by what re-
sembles God, and reminds them of him, by what condemns
their pursuits and disturbs their peace ; and though they
may at times smile at the fancied dogmas which are re-
tained, they will not greatly oppose. It is the truth as em-
bodied in the holy deportment of Christians, — in their aban-
donment of the follies, vanities, and sins of this world, — in
their practical separation from its pursuits, and in their
ON RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 157
conscientious adherence to all that can cherish and mani-
fest the power of godliness, that calls forth the hatred of
the ungodly. By these practical means, as well also as
by words, do they testify of the works of the world, that
they are evil. Nor is it merely the practices of those who
make no pretensions to religion that they thus condemn,
but the empty form of godliness that is kept by many who
seek to unite the service of God with that of mammon.
For such things as these arc they hated.
The apostle Paul in 2 Thess. ii. 9 — 13, when speaking of
some who, though they had long heard, and even professed
faith in the gospel, had never received the love of the truth,
that is, had never cordially embraced it, expresses his hap-
piness in the contrast, which was evident in the Christians in
Thessalonica, who had from the beginning received it as the
word of God. The former held the truth rather as a mat-
ter of mere speculation than of practical and eternal inter-
est,— it never sat easily upon them, — its holy nature galled
their sinful hearts, — they wished for a system which would
reconcile the practice of sin with a profession of piety, and
the hope of escaping hell, and getting to heaven at last, and
in this state they were prepared to receive any representa-
tions of the gospol, however false, that met their desires.
In this awful and hardened condition God permitted in right-
eous judgment the most erroneous doctrines to be taught,
and to such delusions they gave themselves up, and so per-
ished in their sins. But the apostle thanked God that his
brethren had not thus continued to hear the truth without
cordially embracing it, but had, on the contrary, through
the grace of God, been chosen or separated from the world,
unto the salvation of Christ ; which is effected through
sanctiflcation of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. The
Vol. ii. 14
158 GENERAL REMARKS, ETC.
Spirit of God had opened their minds to perceive the glory
of the gospel, and had changed their hearts; and so sepa-
rated them from the world, and called them into the holy
and blessed kingdom of the Saviour.
Peter addresses his Christian brethren as " elect," or
chosen, and called out of the world, and brought into the
fellowship of the kingdom of Christ, by sanctification or
regeneration of the Spirit, in order to obedience, and
through the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, in order to a
change of state ; according to the foreknowledge of God.
There are two great fellowships, or communities in the
world : — At the head of one is Christ, and at the head of
the other Satan. All mankind naturally belong to the lat-
ter. The members of the former have been called out of
the kingdom of the wicked one for the purpose of being
conformed to the character of God ; and hence are required
to be holy, as he who hath called them is holy. As a par-
doned people, through the blood of sprinkling, they are
separated from the mass of mankind, who are all in a state
of condemnation. That truth, through the faith of which
they are thus accepted, is accompanied by the influence of
the Divine Spirit, causing it to attract the faculties of the
mind, and to mould them into his own likeness ; so that
they are separated, not only as to state, but also in regard
to character, from " the kingdom of darkness." The ob-
jects which engage the subjects of the latter kingdom im-
part to them their own fleeting nature, and imprint on them
their own image of death and vanity. And the truth be-
lieved by the subjects of Christ dwells within them, and
leaves its impressions and resemblance ; and thus are the
two distinguished.
Indeed, the means and the agency necessary to the com-
ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH, ETC. 159
menccmcnt of this work, arc also necessary to its progress
and completion. Look, then, with a devout mind to the
Father of light, from whom cometh all that is good, and
nothing that is morally evil. — And may you feel the influ-
ence of the powerful motives to obedience which are con-
centrated in the plan of redemption.
I am, &c.
LETTER XXIT.
PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH,
AND OF THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT.
Faith the medium of forgiveness — Connected with salvation, be-
cause it brings under the influence of the truth — The word of
God the instrument by which the Spirit acts — His influence the
fruit of pure Grace — The proper use of the doctrine.
Mx DEAR i niEXD,
You must often have reflected on the necessity of faith in
order to salvation, and on the divine influence by which
faith is produced. These are subjects prominently exhib-
ited in Scripture, and worthy of the most serious attention.
With a view to aid your meditations, allow me to suggest
to you some general reflections, bearing particularly on
certain practical mistakes in regard to them.
Man fell through disbelieving the declarations of God,
and believing the falsehoods of the tempter ; and we are
saved through the belief of a truth, confirmed by evidence
from Heaven, and comprehending all that is necessary for
us in our present situation. There is, therefore, in some
160 ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
respects a correspondence between the way in which sin
was introduced and that in which we are delivered from
its influence.
It is worthy, therefore, of particular attention, that
though the death of Christ is the ground on which the
blessing of forgiveness is bestowed, the faith of the divine
testimony regarding it is the medium through which it is
communicated. It is easy to see how forgiveness is con-
nected with the death of Christ, because it has magni-
fied and made honorable the law of God, and has made
atonement for sin. — But why connect it with faith in it ?
Had all intended been our forgiveness, there had been no
great necessity for connecting it with faith, for as the
atonement is perfectly finished without us, faith cannot
add to it. There is, however, a fitness of wisdom in the
appointment that whosoever by believing in Christ becomes
united to Him, and sets his seal as it were to what was
done by him, when he expiated the sins of many, shall
have his work reckoned to him as though it were his own.
But the great object in view is to deliver us from sin itself,
and to bring us to love the true character of God, to delight
in him, to enjoy what he enjoys, and to place our happi-
ness in the enjoyment of his favor and fellowship ; in doing
his will, knowing and admiring his excellencies, and in
being assimilated to him. Faith, then, is connected with
forgiveness, chiefly because our spiritual health can be ob-
tained in no other way. However important and glorious
the gospel is in itself, it cannot change our views and prin-
ciples unless it be believed. We cannot love God in his
true character without knowing and believing what he has
revealed himself to be. Obedience may, indeed, be yielded
AND OF THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT. 161
under the impulse of fear, or from a regard to character in
the world, but this cannot be acceptable, it must spring
from love.
It is not enough that we love a God of our own imagi-
nation, which is not to love God, but to love an idol of our
own framing. We must be brought to love the character
of God, as revealed by himself; and to this we cannot be
brought without faith in the revelation he has given in the
gospel. We cannot believe in this exhibition of the divine
character till we know it, — we cannot know it in its real
glory without loving and admiring it, — and we cannot love
and admire it without imitating it ; and thus it is that we
become like to it. There is nothing mystical in this, it
is quite analagous to what we see in other things every day.
The influence of faith in divine truth is agreeable to the in-
fluence of belief in common life. In every case faith is a
principle producing some practical effect, and not something
abstract, suspending activity. We are diligent because we
believe that this is the way to success — we labor for knowl-
edge, because we believe it will yield pleasure or profit —
we use medicines when sick because we believe it will
remove or alleviate our disorder — we are attached to a
friend, because we believe in his excellencies, and that he
is attached to us — we esteem a person of worth, because
we are persuaded of the excellencies of his character and
deportment — we fear when we believe we are in danger ;
and in like manner we are grateful to God when we believe
in his love to us; and we esteem and admire the wondrous
and delightful excellencies of his character when the reve-
lation of his kindness and glory, as exhibited in the gos-
pel, is believed.
The principle of true holiness, and its result good works,
14*
162 ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
are the fruit and the token of faith in the gospel. Its doc-
trines are in themselves practical, though such as are blind
to their true glory may treat them as matters of mere
speculation. There were men of old who said they were
fraught with the pernicious sentiment, that evil may be done
that good may come ; but this was opposed most decidedly,
and the holy tendency of the truth most clearly evinced.
Rom. iii. 9; and vi. 15 — 22. It is the power of God to
salvation from the dominion of sin, because therein is God's
method of justification by faith revealed, in order to be be-
lieved. Such is its nature, that when believed, a mighty
influcnce is exerted on the heart, by which it triumphs over
that rebellious principle which rules in our nature. He
who believes it has his eyes opened to its unutterable love-
liness : so that while his affections are captivated, corrup-
tion receives its death-blow, and sinks beneath the power
of the cross.
It is evident from this, that in the very nature of things
the blessings of salvation must be limited to such as be-
lieve in Christ ; for in no other way can the mind be con-
formed to the character of God, and so fitted for the en-
joyment of spiritual blessings. The limitation, then, is not
an arbitrary one, so far as a change of mind is concerned:
And even the connexion between pardon and faith, though
in certain respects arbitrary, is not so in all. This con-
nexion being admirably fitted to illustrate the important
truth, that salvation is not of works of law, but of pure
unmerited favor, Rom. iv. 16, and so to exhibit the nature
of the plan of reconciliation, is of course calculated to bring
us under the transforming influence of the great object of
our belief. We say of a gift, you may have it by asking
for it, or by taking it, and the gospel says, God is already
AND OF Till: WORK OF THE SPIRIT. 163
well pleased in Christ, so you may have the benefit of
his mercy, by believing this declaration of it; 2 Cor. v.
18 — 21. Luke xiv. 17 : and thus it operates on the heart.
This change of mind is what the Scriptures mean by re-
generation. In this great work the spirit of God is the
agent, and the word of God is the instrument. It is equally
unscriptural to affirm, that men may be regenerated with-
out the Spirit, as to say, that they may be so without tho
truth, for it still remains true, that " no man can say that
Jesus is the Lord (in the Scripture sense of the words,) but
by the Holy Ghost. If any obey the truth, they do so
through the Spirit. 1 Cor. xii. 3. 1 Pet. i. 22. On tho
mode of his operations the Scriptures are silent ; but what-
ever may be the way in which he disposes the mind to re-
ceive the truth, in operating directly upon the heart, it is
only by the impressions produced in us then that we feel
ourselves affected. His influence is employed to make the
truth bear upon the mind, — to bring it and the mind into
direct contact, as it were ; and to fix the mind upon it, and
to keep it fixed till its import, nature and excellence are
discerned ; and till, by our thus perceiving its evidence, the
faith of the heart is commanded, and the whole character
of the soul is changed. Divine influence is employed in
connexion with means, and acts simultaneously with them.
Though in itself distinct from the means, and though di-
rect in its operations, it yet so accompanies the means, that
its subject is conscious of no change, but through the in-
strumentality of the truth.
How often does it happen, that on believing the gospel,
and finding himself the subject of new views and sensa-
tions, the individual does not at the time think of the influ-
ence whence they originated, but, on the contrary, is ready
164 ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
to imagine that any person, if he would but look into the
Bible, must see what he sees so plainly in it. He is con-
scious of ideas suggested to him by the word of God, and
he thinks that if others but heard what so deeply affects
him, they would be equally affected. I am far from say-
ing that such a person is ignorant of the depravity of the
heart, or of the necessity of divine influence arising from
this, I mean only, that at the time he is so much struck
with what he sees, that for the
the influence accompanying it
heart, he seeks to point every one to it, in the hope of their
yielding to it likewise. — Thus felt and acted the amiable
coadjutor of Luther ; but he says, " I soon found that old
Adam was too strong for young Malancthon." The Chris-
tian, though he slackens not his diligence in instructing
others, learns to look more to God for his spirit, and to la-
bor with more singleness of dependence upon him. While
he rejoices, as he feels from time to time the effect of the
truth, he remembers the words of his Lord to Peter, "Flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father
who is in Heaven." He is at the same time convinced that
nothing but the depravity of his own heart kept him from
discerning it sooner. The Spirit, as the Saviour has said,
convinces him of having sinned in not believing before.
John xiv. 8, 9. He is now astonished at the forbearance
and long-suffering which God exercised towards him, and
is impressed with the guilt of having so long remained in-
sensible to such a display of love and of excellence. Not
that unbelief is the only sin of which the Spirit convinces
men, for a conviction of the guilt of unbelief supposes a
conviction of the evil of all that led to it. But as our Lord's
object was to state the ultimate object of the Spirit's work>
AND OF THE WORK OF THE Sl'IKIT. 165
and that by which it is distinguished from the mere effect
of the operations of natural conscience, he speaks of it un-
der this comprehensive view.
Now, as the blind man, whose eyes were opened, though
he could not explain the nature of light and of vision, nor
could tell how it was that Jesus opened his eyes, could yet
say, "One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I
see." So when the decisive evidence of the gospel shines
into the heart, by the enlightening influence of the Spirit,
it produces a sensible conviction of its truth, though the
nature of the influence employed we do not understand :
We do not see the wind itself, but we see and feel its effects.
— " So it is as to every one who is born of the Spirit." The
effects of divine influence are seen and felt, but the mode
of it is inexplicable.
The recovery of a sinner from the dominion of sin, is
what mere human agency never can effect ; but he is not
out of the reach of the agency of God. We can easily
conceive that the Almighty can touch the spring of volition,
and without interfering with the laws of mind and of agency,
secure a complete change of choice and of conduct. The
energy of the Spirit on the mind, combining with truth,
gives efficiency to its moral fitness. He thus operates on
the heart in a way of holy influence, which, while it effect-
ually secures the obedience of the will, offers not the least
violence to its natural freedom of choice, but persuasively
inclines it under the influence of an enlightened judgment,
in perfect accordance with the properties of a rational being.
No new faculties are imparted, which were in fact to de-
stroy the identity of the man. To believe the gospel is
perfectly suitable to our natural faculties, for we are by no
means under the fatal necessity of making God a liar.
166 ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
Nothing is taught by the Spirit of God, but what the
Scriptures already contain, and what we should see there
without his special influence, were we not depraved in heart,
and hostile to the pure and humbling doctrines of the cross.
Holy creatures instantly receive and act upon whatever
God is pleased to reveal to them ; and therefore the neces-
sity of the special influences of Heaven in order to the right
perception of the gospel, does not arise from any deficien-
cy in its evidence, or from any obscurity in its statements,
but entirely from the depravity of the human heart. John
iii. 19. The want of a holy inclination cannot excuse
unbelief, for in the want of this inclination the radical
evil consists. If inclination were the rule of duty, it
would follow, that the more a man is disinclined to it the
less is his obligation to perform it. This would destroy
every idea of sin, for men always perform as much ser-
vice as they are inclined to ; and if no more can be re-
quired, they of course have not sinned. Now, if they have
not sinned, there can be no necessity for an atonement, and
the assistance of the Spirit is unnecessary likewise, since,
without his special aid, men will do all that they are in-
clined to do ; and if nothing more be required, why give
the Spirit to produce it? Does not this notion, then, sap
the foundation both of the law and the gospel ? According
to this view of the ground of obligation, the less depraved
a man is, the more criminal is he ; because, upon this prin-
ciple, in order to constitute a bad action, there must have
been some good disposition by which it was performed ;
and then only those things are criminal which were in some
respects inadvertent, or done with reluctance ; for if the in-
dividual had so hardened himself in wickedness, as to have
no compunction remaining, and if the deed were done with
AND OF THE WOKR OF THE SPIRIT. 1G7
deliberate premeditation, and from malignant design, then,
as it proceeded from unmixed depravity, it seems it could
not be criminal, because moral power, that is, some good
inclination, is necessary to moral obligation ! Can any
thing be more absurd, or more contradictory to every prin-
ciple of sound morality than this 1
Would any man, in a matter that regarded his worldly
interest, say of a person who had defrauded him, that as
he had no inclination to be honest, he was not bound to be
so ; or, of a slothful servant, that as he had an aversion to
labor, he was under no obligation to be diligent? It is pass-
ing strange, that men should apply rules of judgment to
the concerns of religion, which they would blush to adduce
in an earthly affair !
This view of the subject is essential to proper impress-
ions of the depravity of man, for there can be no depravity
in the insensibility of a piece of inert matter. The oppo-
site view is inconsistent with all feelings of penitence, be-
cause it furnishes a plea and an excuse for transgression,
for the sinner may say I could not help it. It destroys
also every idea of the rich grace of God. It is no great
matter to save the merely helpless and impotent, but what
a display of grace is afforded in the salvation of such as
were the willing and the determined enemies of God and of
all that is good !
We should beware, on the one hand, of the error of
those who deny an obligation to believe where there is no
will to do so, and on the other that of those who maintain
that divine influence upon the mind is necessary to render
a man accountable for his unbelief. — These extremes, it
will be seen, meet in a very remarkable manner, and both
charge the guilt of unbelief and sin upon God.
168 ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
To advert for a moment to the former, it is true, that, in
point of fact, no sinner will believe till his heart is changed ;
but this does not affect the argument, for the question is
not, whether man will believe and obey, but whether he
could, if he were inclined to do so ; and of course, whether
his unbelief is criminal or not. It is to no purpose to say,
that as man has no inclination to use his natural faculties
in this way, it comes to the same thing as if he had no
physical power, for there is an essential difference between
the character of a servant who would do a piece of service
if he could, and that of one who could do it if he would,
but yet does it not. It is the fact, that the latter is the case
with mankind, that will strike unbelievers speechless at the
bar of judgment.
With regard to the latter error, it is more specious in
appearance, but more inconsistent than the former. It al-
lows that man is depraved, and destitute of all moral pow-
er to obey, but affirms that divine grace imparts to him a
sufficiency of moral power to render him accountable, and
the fit subject of rewards and punishment. But if this
grace be the ground of accountability, then without it they
cannot be guilty ; and if not guilty, what need have they
of the grace of God to save them ? According to this,
grace, instead of being favor to the unworthy, is rather an
act of equity to the unfortunate. The depravity of man is
by this made at once the cause and the effect of the grace
of God. This error would be utterly exploded, did men
consider the proper grounds of accountability, and the dif-
ference between natural and moral power.
It ought never to be forgotten, then, that the disposition
produced by the Spirit of God is nothing more than every
rational creature ought at all times to possess ; for it must
%■
AND OF THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT. 109
always be our present duty to love God supremely, — to
receive what he declares, and to obey what he commands.
Wherever natural faculties are imparted, and means for
and freedom in their exercises are enjoyed, there the pro-
per grounds of obligation are laid to the extent of those
faculties and means. However much the inclinations of
man are opposed to his duty, the latter is not more than
commensurate with the faculties and the advantages he en-
joys ; but to this extent his duty certainly goes, whatever
be the state of his mind. The evidence which accompa-
nies, and is contained in the gospel, undoubtedly imposes
an obligation on all who hear it, to believe it, without any
regard to their inclinations. Accordingly we find, that what
is promised by God, as the God of grace, in one part of Scrip-
ture, is required by him as a Lawgiver in another. Jer.
xxxii. 40. 1 Sam. xii. 24. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. and xviii. 31.
Ought we not, then, my dear friend, to imitate those
who, knowing that they were naturally prone to neglect
or disobey the will of their God, turned his precepts into
prayer, and pleaded that he would, according to his prom-
ise, work in them what his law required. Psalm li. 10. and
cxix. 4, 5. The conviction that the influence of the Holy
Spirit is a matter of pure favor, and not the ground of our
obligation to conform to the will of God, will preserve us
on the one hand from the spirit of self-justification, which
would throw the blame of our sins upon God, and on the
other, from that spirit of self-sufficiency which would induce
us to trust to ourselves, instead of constantly relying on the
promises of heavenly aid. The former is calculated to lull
the heart into a false feeling of security, while indulging
in impenitence and unbelief, but the latter is not less
dangerous, for it leads us to act as if independent of the
Vol. ii. 15
170 ON THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
grace so freely exhibited in the gospel. The true Christian
temper will induce us to improve all the doctrines and
promises, the precepts and expostulations of Scripture, in
the confidence of obtaining in answer to prayer, the aid of
the Spirit of God. We shall feel prompted to pray, by the
overwhelming thought, that as such is the natural opposi-
tion of our heart to the God of all goodness, to his holy
law, to his method of redemption through Christ, and to the
character which it is his object to produce in us, that no-
thing short of almighty power could have brought it to em-
brace the gospel ; and such its insensibility to all the melt-
ing attractions of the cross of Christ, that nothing less
than energy divine could have softened it, so the same in-
fluence is still requisite to maintain the work which has
thus been begun. This is a thought which, when properly
considered, must fill with the deepest contrition. What can
render us more unworthy of the divine favor, than such a
temper of heart as this ? When really convinced that such
is our natural character, the necessity of divine influence
will no longer be mentioned in order to palliate sin, or to
excuse sloth and unbelief, but will be viewed as the ground
of deep humiliation and penitence. No more will we speak
of our inability, or rather our unwillingness to believe in
Christ, with a cold and unimpressed heart, but with shame
and self-loathing, while we will bless God for the change
effected by his grace.
We shall thus be preserved in our Christian course,
from the injurious notion that we ought to feel as if mere
passive instruments in the hand of the Spirit — a notion
which destroys every motive to self-government and activi-
ty. There is a connexion established between means and
ends. The operations of the Spirit are not like those physi-
AM) OF THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT. 171
cal operations of nature that do not admit or require any
agency on our part, but which go on as well when we are
asleep as when we are awake. The Scriptures never lose
sight of the free agency of man, or of his obligation con-
scientiously to exercise the whole of his faculties. 1 Cor.
x. 15. Mark viii. 17, 18. They always address us as ra-
tional creatures, and in the doctrines of the gospel, they
present us with the most powerful stimulus to exertion. 2
Tim. ii. 7 — 14. When we arc first converted to God, the
influence of his Spirit is employed to make the truth and
motives contained in them to bear upon the mind ; and, in
like manner, his influence continues to be employed in
sanctifying us ; for the operation of motives is the only
reason of the actions of free agents, and as such we are
always treated in the dispensations of Heaven. The Spirit
of God deals with us as intelligent creatures, and imper-
ceptibly excites us to consider and receive the declarations
of his word, without our being generally able to distinguish
between his operations and those of our own faculties.
Now, as it is therefore wrong in any man to suppose that
it is proper to delay believing in Christ, till divine influence
is distinctly felt, as the mariner waits for the flowing of the
tide ; so it is likewise wrong for a Christian to neglect the
duties of his place and circumstances, till he feels, as he
thinks, some impulse from heaven, exciting him to obedi-
ence. It is easy to start difficulties on a subject like this;
but let Christians beware of that vain jangling, which would
lead the simple-hearted to perplex themselves with subjects
which belong rather to the science of the philosophy of the
human mind than to the doctrine of Jesus. If not upon
their guard against this, they may be led into a field of
speculation which, in consequence of our ignorance, has
172 CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH
no limits. In vain do we seek to lay our hand on those
secret springs which, in the first instance, move to spiritual
life and activity. What human perspicacity can discern
that hidden work which unites the sovereign influence
of the aids of grace with the fullest scope for the active
faculties of man. It is for us to unite constant watchful-
ness and fervent prayer, and the utmost activity in duty,
with simplicity of dependence on God. The husbandman
knows that God gives the increase, but he does not expect
to reap where he has not sown. It were foolish to com-
plain of not profiting by the word of God, if we never set
ourselves to ponder it, for it does not operate as a charm.
Prayer, when unaccompanied by corresponding activity, is
a trifling with heaven : and activity without prayer, and a
sense of dependence on God, is a practical denial of his
character and of his testimony concerning man.
I am, &c.
LETTER XXIII.
ON THE CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH AND RENOVATION
OF CHARACTER.
The natural fitness of the truth to renovate the mind — Faith a prin-
ciple producing action — The truth believed the cure of the soul —
The importance of Scriptural sentiments — The sanctifying influ-
ences of the doctrines of the Cross.
My deah friend,
In my last letter I suggested some practical reflections on
the work of the Spirit ; permit me now to call your atten-
tion more particularly to the connexion between faith and
renovation of character.
AND RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 173
The truth of God is the instrument by which the Spirit
operates ; and it is by producing faith in it that he makes
its influence to bear upon us.
It is of great importance to remember that there is a na-
tural fitness in divine truth, to produce the efFect designed
by it. If we arc forgetful of God, and presuming that all
is well with us, what so fitted to awaken us from this dream,
as the voice of God declaring that all have sinned, and that
judgment is at hand. Are we brought to sec that we are
guilty and helpless creatures, and do we dread the divine
vengeance, what can be so fitted to give rest to the con-
science, as the cheering declaration of the divine good pleas-
ure in the atonement ? Are our affections alienated from
God, and set on earthly things 1 and arc we, in the ardor
of pursuit, the intoxication of pleasure, or the anxiety of
disappointed hopes, carried away from the spring of true
happiness ? how well calculated are the glorious discoveries
of the gospel to stop us in our mad career, to slay the en-
mity of the heart, and reconcile it to God.
Many things, indeed, we believe, which leave the mind
as it was ; but there are reports which cannot be believed
without afFecting us. The former are things, the truth or
falsehood of which we conceive to be of no moment to us ;
the latter, such as possess particular interest, as for exam-
ple, the death or recovery of a beloved relative. Still, in
the former, as well as in the latter case, there is a corres-
pondence between the thing believed and the result. Now,
what is the intrinsic worth, or the interest, which we can
possibly have in any earthly thing when compared with
the unutterable importance of things divine and eternal?
And must not the belief of their nature and reality power-
fully impress us ? I say their nature, for, as I formerly
15*
174 CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH
stated, faith is a belief of the qualities as well as the reality
of its object. The reason why divine truths do not impress
us, must be, that their glory and their importance to our-
selves are not believed. But when the power of God is
so combined with his word as to enable the mind duly to
regard spiritual objects, the heart becomes embued with
holy principles and affections. Though a sword will not
cut unless some one wield it, yet it possesses a natural
fitness to cut when it is wielded. The Scriptures, accord-
ingly, frequently appeal to living witnesses of their sanctify-
ing energy. 1 Cor. vi. 11. 2 Cor. iii. 3. 1 Thess. i. 6 — 10.
It is very injurious, and fosters prejudices in certain
quarters, to speak in a vague manner of the efficacy of
faith. What good can a person receive by being told, that
faith can effect this or the other great thing, while he is
not told those truths, from the belief of which all Christian
obedience, patience, and comfort arise ? — When we are in-
formed in Scripture of what the ancient worthies did and
suffered by faith, we are also referred to the testimony,
promises, or threatenings, the belief of which influenced
them according to their nature, and in this way effected
what was intended. These examples are designed to en-
courage us in the constant exercise of faith, in order to our
sanctification.
The purification of the heart, and of the life by its means,
is of the utmost moment. When Christ died the work of
atonement was finished for us, but there was much also
to finish in us. He is our sanctification as well as our
righteousness or justification. 1 Cor. i. 30. Isaiah xlv.
24, 25. I need not tell you that he cannot be the former,
by allowing us to live in sin, any more than he can be said
to be made unto us wisdom, if he leave us to our own folly.
AND RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 175
It is not by being a substitute for our sanctification, but by
actually sanctifying us, that he is to us the source of this
blessing. The grand object of the gospel is to assimilate the
heart to God, by assimilating us to its own holy character ;
and hence true religion is called " walking in the truth."
Like a mould which gives its form to a melted substance
when cast into it, the gospel so transforms the believer,
that the principles of his heart accord with the revelation
of God in the Scriptures. When you look to the book, it
endears to you the man, and when you look to the man
he endears to you the book. Religion, then, is not a mere
matter of opinion — it is a practical change of the mind, or
a principle growing out of fixed governing sentiment. —
Hence the following expressive address of Paul to the
Ephesians, — " In whom also after that ye believed," or
rather, in whom also believing, " ye were sealed with that
Holy Spirit of promise." That is, in believing the gospel,
which was accompanied with the demonstration of the
Spirit of God, they received the full impression of the truth,
just as the melted wax receives the impressions of the seal,
when applied to it with sufficient power.
Such is the view given in the gospel of the union of
mercy and justice, in the plan of redemption through
Christ, that the character of God appears at once amiable
and venerable. We there see his abhorrence of sin in the
very means of our forgiveness; and his mercy to be infi-
nitely removed from weakness and partiality, while full of
warmth and of tenderness. Indeed, were it not for the
atonement, our redemption would not clearly appear to be
the fruit of mere favor ; for had not the divine abhorrence
of sin been displayed in the very plan of mercy, it might
have been alleged, that God had no great aversion to it, or
176 CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH
that it did not deserve any particular mark of his reproba-
tion. But the cross of Christ, by exhibiting the guilt of
our rebellion, illustrates the nature and glory of divine
goodness. Here the transgressor enters into the views,
and imbibes the principles of the wondrous sufferer ; and
thus, identifying himself with his Lord, he becomes assimi-
lated to his character. When he takes his station there,
the arguments and demonstrations of the truth effectually
convince the judgment, — the evil nature, and tremendous
desert of sin, deeply impress the heart, — while the sublime,
interesting, and animating: views exhibited in the character
of the Redeemer, captivate the affections. — Yes, it is here
that the melting attractions of the unsearchable riches of
divine grace are most powerfully felt, — that the influence
of the strong and interesting motives of the gospel is found
an irresistible stimulus to perseverance in well-doing, and
patience under suffering ; and that we approach the nearest
to the spirit of the heavenly worshippers, who incessantly
contemplate and adore the Lamb which was slain. In
a word, it is the discoveries made here which produce
and cherish that holy self-denied and subdued spirit
which adorned the Saviour: which in us is connected
with deep self-condemnation, and heartfelt contrition ;
and which makes meet for the inheritance of the saints in
light, while it even here affords an earnest of the heavenly
blessedness.
The truth of God, then, is that mighty instrument by
which the divine Spirit transforms the soul into the image
of God. It is the model of true religion in the mind. By
this standard, and not by our own pre-conceived notions
of what is fit and reasonable, ought we to be guided. By
this means we shall be preserved from trusting to the fan-
AND RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 177
cicd rationality of our views on the one hand, and from
losing ourselves among the extravagancies of a wild enthu-
siasm on the other. To both of these the work of the spirit
is opposed. We ought then to unite a deep sense of the
importance of clear and distinct apprehensions of the great
truths of the gospel, with an equally deep sense of our de-
pendence on the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit, there-
by to purify our souls, and to meeten us for the heavenly
inheritance.
The change of mind which is effected by his agency, is
in its commencement called regeneration, and in its subse-
quent stages it is called sanctification. The latter, there-
fore, is just our progressive recovery from the disease of
sin, and our growth in conformity, in principle, and de-
portment, to the character of God.
The same means by which this change is begun, are
employed in perfecting it. There is a wonderful fitness in
the gospel to produce in us this holy renovating effect.
The Christian can give proper reasons for what he feels,
and a rational account of the influence of the truth. He
is attached to the Saviour, because he sees in his cross the
most free and generous affection for himself when in guilt
and in ruin. Such is the discovery given of the character
of God, as to excite the most delightful and satisfying com-
placency in all and each of the divine perfections. While
we live by faith in the Son of God, and hold fast the sav-
ing truth, we are struck with the manifestation of the di-
vine glory, the beauty and the excellence of Jehovah, as
at once the just God and the saviour, and as the source
and the pattern of all perfection and blessedness. It is
thus that the heart is drawn to him, and captivated by his
glory in the transporting character of the God and Father
178 CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH
of Christ, and our God and Father through him. Here all
that is great, and all that is good meet, and produce in our
hearts the corresponding principles of fear and of love,
which mutually influence, chasten, and temper each other.
Thus are we made to advance in conformity to that which
is the ground of our hope, and the source of our happiness.
As the soul feeds upon its thoughts and desires, its hopes
and affections, and its joys and its sorrows, so when God
and the glories of his salvation engross our hearts, they
become the moulds which give their form and character
to the mind. The stronger the attachment, the greater is
the effect, for affection is remarkably assimilating; like
fire, it reduces every thing it fixes on into its own nature.
We naturally take the likeness of the glories we contem-
plate, and are attracted to the perfections we adore. What
then is this but our sanctification '( And hence Christians
are so often, and so urgently exhorted to continue in the
faith, to hold fast the truth, and to beware of forgetting it.
It is thus that the gospel heals the diseases of the soul,
and nourishes spiritual health. The same effects, you
know, are ascribed to faith, and to the truth. This is done
on the same principle on which we may either say, that
we are cured by a medicine, or by taking it ; — either that
we are nourished by food, or by eating it. All the virtue
is in the medicine, but unless it be taken it can be of no
use — all the nourishment is in the food, but unless it be
eaten it can be of no service. This shows the place which
is occupied by faith in the matter of salvation : It is with
the gospel as with a cure for a disease. — As we are called
to take medicine for the sake of health, and not for the
mere sake of taking it, so we are called to believe the gos-
pel, that it may effect the cure of our spiritual disorders.
AND RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 179
In vain should a physician recommend to his patients to
be in health without giving medicine, and equally vain
must it be to call upon sinners to be holy without declaring
to them the medicinal doctrines of the gospel.
What man was ever delivered from the government of
his sinful propensities but by the influence of these doc-
trines ? Exhortations to love and obey God will never pro-
duce a salutary effect, unless accompanied by a display of
the divine character, as exhibited in Christ, and of the
wondrous discoveries afforded in the gospel. You will,
accordingly, find, on perusing the Scriptures, that it is al-
ways in connexion with the motives furnished by the plan
of redemption that the Scriptures exhort to watchfulness,
diligence, and exertion. Phil. ii. 5 — 13. 1 Cor. xv. 58. 2
Cor. viii. 9. Rom. xii. 1.
I cannot but remark here, that, when we think of the
many and arduous duties which we have to perform, and
the course of difficulty which we have to pursue, we must
feel a deep conviction of the necessity of having the mind
directed to adequate motives and inducements. It will not
do to dwell only in a general way on the importance of
religion, and the vanity of worldly pursuits. We need to
be brought under the influence of the sweet and the power-
ful motives furnished by the doctrines that regard the atone-
ment and intercession of Christ — the nature and perma-
nence of his love — the evil, and dismal issue of sin, as dis-
played in his cross, and the blessed privilege of the aid of
his Spirit to enlighten our minds, hallow our affections,
and strengthen our hearts. If we dwell on the holy, cir-
cumspect, and self-denying nature of Christian obedience,
without adverting to the highly interesting motives, which
alone can form the basis of genuine religious practice, the
108 CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH
result will necessarily be a gloomy and imperfect appear-
ance of piety. An outward decency of life, and an external
compliance with the duties of religion, may follow ; but
how different these from the surrender of the heart to God !
I am here led to make a remark or two on the impor-
tance of holding the sentiments of divine revelation. When
we look into the natural world, we see, that every seed has
a certain specific quality ; and that such is the constitution
of nature, that every seed bringeth forth fruit after its kind.
Now, there is a similar connexion between the principles
and the actions of men, and hence the saying of our Lord,
"by their fruits ye shall know them." You must be
aware that, if we act in a rational manner, we are influ-
enced by our views of things in all our determinations and
pursuits, and that, therefore, if we see things through false
mediums, we shall certainly err in our practice. If, then,
professors of religion embrace, and act upon erroneous
principles, they cannot fail to transgress the law of their
God. Why were divine truths revealed to us at all if they
are not fitted to rectify our principles and conduct? They
cannot have been revealed to furnish us with certain spec-
ulative notions, to afford matter for idle discussion, or to
gratify the silly pride of unprofitable knowledge.
Will not the persuasion, that it is of no moment whether
we hold one religious sentiment or another, check the pro-
gress of inquiry, since, if truth and error are equally safe,
it must be useless to spend time or talent in endeavoring to
distinguish them ? — Does it not lead to contemn the light
which has followed the reformation, and to view with un-
concern the darkness and the errors of the middle ages,
and of those countries where all kinds of superstition and
error abound ? Does it not give the lie to the Scriptures,
AND RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 181
which assure us, that error is fearfully pernicious, and that
truth is pregnant with all that is salutary, and which inva-
riably trace all holy practice to truth as its source? 2 Tim.
ii.16— 18. lTim.iv. 1G. Psalm xix. 7, 8. If truth and
error existed in the mind as mere matters of speculation,
their influence were small; but when they exist in us as
principles of action, the case is very different. When we
read that we shall be judged according to the deeds done
in the body, we must not suppose, that actions apart from
their principles are meant ; for, apart from their principles,
they are neither good nor evil. It is, therefore, as con-
nected with their principles that we shall be judged accord-
ing to them. Both Scripture and experience teach us, that
doctrines, when believed, model the character. Accord-
ingly, all the Churches which depart from the truth, as for
example the Corinthians and Galatians, are repesented as
declining also in holy obedience.
Habits of education, and such like things, may pro-
duce external propriety of deportment, but the gospel alone
can effect a radical and permanent change : By cleansing
the fountain it purifies the streams. The apostle could
look all human systems in the face, and ask with holy tri-
umph, " Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? " Is it so, that
Jesus, who was a man of sorrows, who lived in poverty
and shame, and who at last died the accursed death of the
cross, is indeed the beloved Son of God ! Is it so. that as
the Father's heir, he is now glorified at his right hand as
Lord of all things ? Is it so, that he who suffered at the
hand of the world is the object of the ineffable complacen-
cy of Heaven? And shall I again, after this discovery,
pursue the world as my portion ? No, " God forbid that I
Vol. ii. 16
182 CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the
world."
What do we behold in the world but the lust of the flesh,
or the love of sensual pleasures, — the lust of the eyes, or
the love of wealth — and the pride of life, or the desire of
pre-eminence? Where such principles prevail, there is
certain misery. But the gospel is the power of God to sal-
vation from every disordered passion of the heart, — it leads
us to that exercise of the passions which is suited to their
different objects. The Almighty views every thing as it is,
and estimates it according to its nature and design ; and
what is religion but being of one mind with Him 1 — Now,
faith in his word furnishes us with just sentiments, because
when we credit his testimony we enter into his views, and
imbibe the principles of his character. When we dwell on
the dismal consequences of our love of earthly and sinful
pleasures, as exhibited in the bitterness of the Saviour's
sufferings ; when, in the light of divine truth, we see their
empty, low, and unsatisfactory nature ; and when we taste
of the pure, spiritual and substantial blessings of the gos-
pel, we walk in the Spirit, and so cease to fulfil the lusts
of the flesh. When we contemplate the unwearied com-
passion and unutterable love of God, in providing for the
interests of the soul, the mind is set at rest in regard
to the body. When we look to him, who, though he
was rich, for our sakes became poor, that he might en-
rich us with true substance, we are taught the unutterable
importance of eternity, and have the heart turned to things
heavenly and divine. When we turn to the cross of Christ,
and listen to the judgment which God pronounced upon us,
when he condemned his own Son, as our representative, —
AND RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 183
when we mark the striking contrast which it exhibits be-
tween the dealings of God towards us, and our ungrateful
returns to him, — when we ponder the deep humiliation of
the Saviour, — and when we rise to the true glory to which
it elevates us, the pride of our hearts is subdued, and
genuine humility implanted. Rom. viii. 3. Isaiah liii. 6.
Phil. ii. 5—8.
The gospel of Christ thus reasons with us on the evil of
sin, and the glory of holiness. It likewise addresses the
passions ; for it appeals to our fears, our hopes, and our
love, by the striking exhibition of all that is fitted to excite
them. If it does not profit men, it is because it is not
mixed with faith in them that hear it. If food cannot nour-
ish the body unless it be eaten and digested, neither will
the gospel benefit the soul unless it becomes incorporated
with it. We are influenced by the force of motives, which,
on being apprehended by the mind, affect the passions, and
govern the will. "When the truth dwells within us, as the
object of our faith, our thoughts are purified ; and holy
thoughts, you know, excite holy affections, and holy affec-
tions issue in rectitude of conduct. How admirably fitted
are the discoveries of the gospel to induce us to seek our
happiness, not in the creature, but in God ; to seek, not
the perishing trifles of time, but the important realities of
a blessed eternity ; and to seek, in the day of affliction,
not the cold consolations of the world, but the animating
joys which arise from the character, the glory, and the
promises of the Saviour. — " He has opened the kingdom
of heaven to all believers." In his life we see the nature
of that character to which we are destined to be conformed,
and in which are contained the elements of all true happi-
ness : — In his glory we see these principles producing in
184 CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH
perfection their natural fruits. The doctrines of his cross
thus tend to implant and cherish that piety which consists
in the choice of God, as the portion of our inheritance, —
desire after fellowship with him in the closet, in the family,
and in his public institutions, — supreme regard to his au-
thority,— a sacred and constant regard to his glory, zeal
for his cause — and humble and cheerful submission to his
will. John ii. 17, and xviii. 11.
They are likewise admirably calculated to produce the
love of our neighbor, by the display which they afford of
the interest which our common Father has taken in our
welfare, in the plan of our redemption, from the evil in
which all of us are involved. Titus iii. 3. 2 Cor. v. 14.
We feel that in our fallen state there is a sad companion-
ship of woe ; but in the gospel we see an animating com-
munion of hope. The grace of God excites in us a partic-
ular interest in those who are fellow-heirs with us of the
heavenly inheritance ; but it also produces regard for even
blasphemers and persecutors, by the consideration that they
may yet be changed by the same mercy which we have
experienced. When we remember that some, even of the
worst of characters, may go before us, and others of them
follow us into the heavenly temple, we learn to pity them,
to pray for them, and to treat them with kindness.
You know that friendship formed by fellow-sufferers,
and by the subjects of a common deliverance from a ca-
lamity which threatened to engulph them all, are among
the very strongest on earth. No friendships equal those
which are cemented by tears of sorrow and of joy. When
such a common deliverance has been effected by a particu-
lar character, distinguished by generous and brotherly
kindness, he becomes a bond of union and corresponding
AND RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 185
affection, of the most close and endearing nature. And
will not the consideration of our common ruin, as sinners,
and our common deliverance by the Redeemer, unite us to
his truth, and to one another for his sake ? It is on this
principle that we are exhorted to walk in love, as Christ
also loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering
and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet smelling savor. What
a force there is in these words — " Thy brother for whom
Christ died." Is he dear to the heart which was pierced
for our sins, and is he graven on the hands of him who
achieved our redemption, and shall we not love him?
Nothing in the gospel tends to cherish selfishness. The
joy of the Christian loves to see itself multiplied and re-
flected. Our inheritance admits of participation without
being diminished. It resembles truth, which suffers no
change or diminution how many soever know it. When
the mind is placed at ease in regard to eternity, it must ex-
tend abroad a tenderness of feeling — must experience an
expansion of heart, an outflow of affection, which assimi-
lates it to the God of all love.
Now, since " love is the fulfilling of the law," we are
conformed to it when brought to love God and our neigh-
bor. Our love to the Father of glory is implanted and
cherished by the manifestations of his unutterable and free
love in the gospel. In our helpless guilty condition, a vi-
vid view of the divine majesty and holiness must overwhelm
us with terror and dismay : but the mercy revealed in Christ
commands our confidence. The fear which hath torment
is banished ; but there succeeds to it a sacred reverence for
the character of God, and a holy fear of offending him.
That same cross which exhibits him as the God of love,
exhibits him as also light without darkness ; and while it
16*
186
CONNEXION BETWEEN FAITH
exalts his mercy, it shows him to be a consuming fire.
When we contemplate the history of Emmanuel, and trace
his progress from heaven to the cross, and back from the
cross to heaven, that he might redeem us from the curse,
and elevate us to glory, what must be the effect but over-
whelming admiration, the warmest gratitude, and humble
prostration of Spirit before our Benefactor! — The fear of
which I speak, so far from being opposed to love, is in fact
proportioned to it ; for in the same degree as a child loves
his father, he will fear his frown. Neither is it incompatible
with happiness ; for even in heaven, where there is fulness
of joy, the inhabitants exclaim, "Who shall not fear thee,
O Lord, and glorify thy name, for thou only art holy !"
The gospel detects all those unscriptural notions which
derogate from the majesty and grandeur of Jehovah, and
which are utterly inconsistent with holy and devout reve-
rence ; and it gives us such a consistent and stupendous
manifestation of his peerless glory, that the mind can no
longer raise itself against him, but drops all its high thoughts
and proud imaginations. To bring us back to our original
principle, the love of God and of every creature in him and
for him, is the grand object of the Saviour. In this con-
sists the spiritual health of our nature, and the new heart
which is promised in the covenant of peace. It is the very
element of our life and of our joy. Springing, as it does,
from just apprehensions of the character of God, and from a
sense of his mercies, it cherishes the most honorable senti-
ments regarding his law. Services the most unwearied
are cheerfully performed ; sacrifices of the most painful
nature are willingly made, and sufferings the most distress-
ing are patiently endured, when this principle rules in the
heart. What hath not faith working by love effected ! What
AND RENOVATION OF CHARACTER. 187
a triumph have the doctrines of the cross gained over all
the unhallowed passions of the heart!
These doctrines are the power of God to salvation. Rom.
i. 16. They arc that sound or healing instruction, of which
so much is said in the epistles of Paul to Timothy and Ti-
tus, 2 Tim. i. 13; iv. 3. Titus ii. i. 8. 1 Tim. vi. 3. Psal.
xix. 8 ; and they are to be stated clearly and constantly,
that men may be brought under their salutary influence,
and that such as are Christians may be excited by their
powerful energy to be careful to abound in good works. It
is true, that if stated as a mere theory, without being ap-
plied, they cannot produce the desired effect ; but if taught
in union with the other parts of revelation, they must, by
the divine blessing, prove truly salutary. Agreeably to
this, the Scriptures identify the new creature with the prin-
ciple and the purifying influence of faith. — " Faith, which
worketh by love," is represented as the root of holy dispo-
sitions and behavior, Gal. v. 6, and of course the gospel
believed is the effectual cure of the depraved heart of man;
and from this practical and healing tendency, the Scrip-
tures infer its utility and its importance. 1. Tim. iv. 16.
and vi. 3. 2 Tim. iii. 16. It is not by transient impres-
sions, or incidental visitations of Providence, but by a per-
manent principle, that the heart is drawn out to obedience,
dissolved in gratitude, or blessed with happiness. He who
is born of God overcometh the world, and the principle
which is thus declared to be of divine origin, and to be the
means of our victory, is faith. 1 John v. 4. In a word,
by the truth of God, and the agency of his Spirit, we are
regenerated at first, John i. 11, 12, and by it thus written
upon the heart, we are also progressively sanctified ; John
xvii. 17 ; and when in heaven the change shall be perfected,
188 THE REASONING OF JAMES
although there we shall not stand in need of Bibles, yet
even there it will be by the full revelation to us of that
character now unfolded to us in the Scriptures, that we
shall become completely like to God ; for the word of the
Lord, and the relation into which it brings us, and the cha-
racter which it forms in us, shall endure forever. 1 Pet. i.
23. The nature of the agenc}^ which will then disclose to
us this transforming light, it were vain to inquire after. —
I am, &c.
LETTER XXIV.
THOUGHTS ON THE REASONING OF JAMES, ON THE
JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM.
Justification used to denote two things in Scripture — Is used by-
James to express the means of the renovation of the character,
and the approbation which follows it — The trial of Abraham's faith
exercised and strengthened it — His holy character was formed by
it, and obtained the Divine approbation — The same doctrine taught
by Paul — The forgiveness of Abraham, the pattern of that of be-
lievers— His character, the pattern of that of believers — The rea-
soning of James respecting Faith — The happiness of having the
Divine approbation — The duty of imitating the father of the
faithful.
My
DEAR FRIEXD,
I have dwelt for some time on the ground of forgiveness,
and the means of a change of character. The latter is
connected with every part of the truth ; for the whole of
Divine revelation is designed for practical purposes. He
who has been pardoned by the grace of God, will lament
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 189
his contrariety to the character and will of his Benefactor,
and will he anxious to become like Him, and to obtain his
approbation. These desires are met in the gospel, and pro-
vision is made to gratify them : Allow me, in illustration
of this subject, to call your attention to what I formerly
stated respecting the meaning of the term justification, as
it bears on the reasoning of the apostle James, in regard to
Abraham.
When this term is applied to the acceptance of a sinner,
it signifies his discharge from the condemnatory sentence
of the law, and his being treated as though he were right-
eous, and, so far as the former is concerned, it diners not
from forgiveness, except in this, that the latter may be the
deed of a private as well as of a public character, and may
respect private as well as public offences, whereas the for-
mer is the deed of a ruler in his public capacity, and re-
gards the offences from which the offender is justified, as
committed against the government, of the laws of which
the ruler is the guardian. Considered in this view, the
term justification relates to the honorable medium through
which the blessing of forgiveness is bestowed, and signifies
that it is communicated in a way which supports the claims
of the violated law, while it also signifies the acceptance
of the sinner as righteous for the sake of the righteousness
of Christ.
But though this be its meaning, when it is used to ex-
press the acceptance of a sinner, it properly signifies the
approbation of a man's principles and character as actually
righteous. Elihu accordingly expresses his desire of being
able to approve of the spirit of Job, by saying, " speak, for
I desire to justify thee." And when Job expressed his dis-
approbation of his friends, he said, " God forbid that I
190 THE REASONING OF JAMES
should justify you." David, in confessing his guilt to the
Almighty, said, " That thou mightest be justified when
thou speakest." The lawyer, willing to justify himself,
said, " Who is my neighbor?" In this sense, " Wisdom
is justified of all her children." The Saviour says, " By
thy words, (or by thy account, for it is the word rendered
account in the preceding verse), thou shalt be justified,"
that is, approved, " and by thy account thou shalt be con-
demned." I need not say that in these and similar pas-
sages, the term justify by no means signifies pardon, but,
on the contrary, approbation grounded upon excellence of
character, as made manifest by appropriate actions.
Now, excellence which calls forth praise, cannot require
forgiveness. The meaning of the term in such cases,
must be the same as when it is said, " Not he that com-
mendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord com-
mendeth." And, " Study to show thyself approved unto
God." I cannot help thinking, that it is rather to be re-
gretted, that the term justify has been employed to denote
the pardon and acceptance of guilty creatures. It had
been better, perhaps, if, in translating the phrase expressive
of a change in the legal standing of a sinner, a mode of
expression had been used, different from that which in our
language so fitly expresses the Divine approbation of the
fruits of that new character which results from a change
in the principles of his mind.
It is in this last sense that the term justify is used by
the apostle James, when he says that Abraham our father
was justified by works. He is not speaking of the pardon
of Abraham, or of his legal acceptance as righteous, but of
his actual character as the object of the Divine approbation
and complacency. His pardon was of pure favor; and
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 191
of this the apostle Paul treats, in the fourth chapter of
the epistle to the Romans, and in the third of that to the
Galatians. — But James is speaking of his being approved
of as a righteous character, and of the means by which the
righteousness of his character was formed. Both these
apostles adduce the case of Abraham in illustration of their
reasoning ; but it ought to be observed that they refer to dif-
ferent periods and circumstances in his history. When first
called of God, he believed in the Lord ; and was in conse-
quence of his faith in the promised Messiah, treated as
though he had been righteous, by being forgiven and ac-
cepted, for the sake of the Saviour in whom his faith ter-
minated, and it is of this that Paul treats. But the design
of God was not merely to pardon him and receive him into
his family ; his object was, to train him up for " glory,
honor, and immortality." Now, this could only be at-
tained by the trial and consequent exercise of his faith, in
a course of patient continuance in well-doing. And it is
of the latter that James treats. Paul, then, refers to the
acceptance of a sinner, — James to the approbation of a
saint.
Faith wrought with his works, or was exercised in and
by means of his work of obedience to the commandments
of his God, and by means of works proceeding from and
exercising faith, was faith " made perfect :" that is, it was
gradually invigorated till it was matured. It is a law in
nature, that the exercise of a principle strengthens it ; and
this is explanatory of the whole matter. Though faith
must precede good works, since without it no acceptable
service can be performed, yet, where faith exists, the exer-
cise of it in acts of obedience, will not only manifest its
existence and degree, but will also strengthen it. If faith,
192 THE REASONING OF JAMES
then, is thus strengthened by obedience, it is easy to see
how the assurance of hope is connected with it, without in
the least infringing on the blessed truth, that the gospel,
as soon as it is believed, imparts peace and joy in propor-
tion to the measure of faith in it. For if the assurance of
hope keeps pace with the degree of our faith, does it not
follow that whatever strengthens the latter, confirms the
former? If, then, obedience, by exercising faith adds to
its strength, must not. this increased faith add to the assur-
ance of hope? Can we fail, therefore, to see with what
propriety Christians are called on to make their " calling
and election sure," by adding to their faith all holy dispo-
sitions, and by abounding in the fruits of righteousness ?
2 Peter i. 5 — 11. In believing the gospel, we embrace
not a speculative system, but a system of motives which
daily increase in power by their habitual operation, both
on the understanding and the will. — This operation converts
every event, and every performed duty, whether of doing
or of suffering, into an accession of strength, into a mean of
advancing towards perfect conformity to the will of God.
It is with this as with capital and gain in trade. The
greater a merchant's capital is, the greater, other things
being equal, will be his profits ; and the greater the latter
are, the more will his capital become, and this increase of
capital will produce still greater profits. These two act
and re-act on each other. The faith of Abraham was tried
by a variety of commands which were given him by God;
and it was strengthened by every act of self-renunciation
and of obedience to the will of his Father. The maturity
of his faith, then, was produced by habitual action.
His faith was particularly tried by the commandment to
offer up that son in whom the nations were to be blessed.
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 193
But the trial of his faith in the promise, led him to think
the more on its nature, — on the power, faithfulness, and
love of Him who had made it, — on all that tended to con-
firm the certainty of its being accomplished, and on the
relation which it bore to the spiritual and eternal world.
By being thus led to ponder the promise more closely, he
became the better acquainted with its nature, importance,
and glory ; his faith in it was the more confirmed, and was
indeed so matured, that he lifted up his hand to slay that
very son in whom it was to be accomplished, in the firm
confidence that though he was reduced to ashes, God was
able and ready to raise him from the dead, and to fulfil
every word which he had spoken. His faith was thuswon-
drously exercised in corresponding works, and by this ha-
bit of action was brought to maturity, and by its influence
upon him formed that character of which God expressed
his high and delighted approbation. Now, it is to the form-
ation of this character, and the approbation of it expressed
by the Lord from heaven, that the apostle refers, when he
says, that the Patriarch "was justified by works when he
had offered Isaac his son upon the altar." James ii. 21.
What was that justification ] Not the forgiveness of his
sins, and his legal acceptance as righteous, and a conse-
quent change of state. It was the approbation of his deeds
of faith and of piety, as the means at once of perfecting and
of manifesting that character in which God delighteth.
" Now I know," said Jehovah from heaven, " that thou
fcarest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine
only son, from me." To express still farther his approba-
tion of the principles and work of the Patriarch, he renew-
ed to him the promises formerly made to him, and con-
firmed them by his solemn oath.
Vol. ii. 17
194 THE REASONING OF JAMES
His faith is introduced by James, then, as the means of
producing and maturing those principles of piety by which
he became the object of divine complacency. This ex-
plains his meaning in these words — " Ye see then how that
by work a man is justified, and not by faith only." He is
not speaking of that change of state which takes place on
a sinner's believing in Christ, but of the divine approba-
tion of the principles and fruits of that character which is
formed, not by a single instance of faith merely, nor by
the single act of contemplating abstract truth, but by the
continued practical exercise of faith in that gospel, the be-
lief of which, while it changes the sinner's state, changes
also his mind. He accordingly says, that the Scripture
declaration, that Abraham believed God, and was in con-
sequence treated as though he were righteous, was "ful-
filled," or verified, by his ready obedience to the command-
ment of Heaven. The means of a sinner's pardon and ac-
ceptance are the moral means of his sanctification. While
a sense of unpardoned guilt remains in the conscience, the
enmity of the heart is thereby fostered : but a sense of the
pardoning mercy of Jehovah reconciles the sinner to his
God, and excites to obedience. When, therefore, sanctifi-
cation is effected, it is a proof, as James here teaches, that
the individual has indeed believed the truth, and has expe-
rienced the happy and purifying effects of that temper of
mind which must result from the blessedness of a state of
forgiveness.
Pardon, you know, is connected with faith only, and not
with works of law ; but the approbation of God must of
necessity be grounded on character, as formed and mani-
fested by good works. Now, this character is in this life
gradually formed. It is not the result of one exercise of
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 195
faith only, but of the continual and persevering exercise of
it, in doing and suffering the will of God. The faith of a
man when he first receives the truth, is very imperfect, and
it requires to be strengthened by exercise. As it is imper-
fect, the change upon his character must be so likewise, so
that there can be little in him to call forth the divine ap-
probation. One instance of the exercise of faith brings a
sinner into a state of acceptance with God. On believing
in the work of the Mediator, God in the character of the
Judge and the Lawgiver, pardons his sins, and receives him
into the kingdom of his Son. But if he were to live in
the world without exercising his faith, and so by this means
having it strengthened, he could not make progress in holi-
ness, and of course could not be approved of God as a
righteous character. If a child, on coming into the world,
did not breathe, we should pronounce it dead. Though it
had once been alive, yet without breathing, life could not
continue; for the body without breathing is dead. If faith,
in like manner, is not exercised, not only will it not grow,
but it will decline and die: and the character, instead of
becoming more holy, must be marked by the prevalence
of sin, and will incur condemnation.
When a Christian, from love to the Saviour, performs
acts of kindness to his brethren, his mind is by this very
means kept in contact with the truth, and he grows in the
faith of it. It follows, then, as the Apostle reasons, that
by works, as the fruit of faith, and also as the means of
exercising and strengthening it, is a man sanctified, and
made to attain that excellence of character which calls forth
the approbation of Heaven. The Scriptures, accordingly,
distinguish real faith by the nature and permanence of its
fruit. It is not then, by one exercise of faith merely, that
196 THE REASONING OF JAMES
a man is justified, in the sense of which I now speak, that
is, attains that rectitude of character, on the ground of
which he is approved of as a holy person, — it is by continu-
ing a life of holy obedience — in the performance of works
of faith and labors of love. Heb. vi. 10 — 12.
The notion, that but one exercise of faith secures either
a man's safety, or his meetness for heaven, independently
of his perseverance to the end, is clearly in direct opposi-
tion to the doctrine of Paul. He never calls faith an inert
principle.
It is wrong, therefore, to represent Paul and James as at
variance, for the latter is not treating at all of the pardon
of sin, and of the wa)>- in which this blessing is obtained.
He states, however, in verse 10, of this very chapter, a posi-
tion which establishes the doctrine of forgiveness through
faith, and not by the works of the law, when he says, that
if we have kept the whole law, and have offended in one
point only, we are guilty of all. He has thus declared,
that to the man who has sinned but once, acceptance by
law is impossible. Paul, again, though he has largely treat-
ed the subject of a sinner's acceptance with God, through
faith, without works of law, has also largely treated the
subject of which James is now speaking. He accordingly
says to the Corinthians, " But with me it is a very small
thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment ;
yea I judge not mine own self: For I know nothing by
myself, yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth
me is the Lord." He means, that though his conscience
did not charge him with unfaithfulness, yet the testimony
of his conscience would be of no avail, unless sanctioned
by the approving sentence of his final Judge. There can
be no doubt regarding the sense in which he uses the term
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 197
justified in the 4th verse, for in the one following he ex-
presses his meaning by saying, that in the day of the Lord
every faithful servant shall have praise of God. When
speaking on this subject, he exhorts believers to walk so as
to please God. 1 Thess. iv. 1. He reminds them of the
testimony borne of Enoch, that he pleased God. Heb. xi.
5. He excites to liberality and deeds of kindness, by this
consideration, that with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Heb. xiii. 16. He says, that the circumcised in heart have
praise of God. Rom. ii. 29. He says, that he who serveth
Christ as a subject of that kingdom which is righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, is accepted or approved
of God. Rom. xiv. 17, 18. He declares that he labored,
that, whether present or absent, he might be accepted or
approved of Christ. 2 Cor. v. 9. In the prospect of mar-
tyrdom he exclaimed, H I have fought a good fight; I have
finished my course ; I have kept the faith : Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me in that day : and
not to me only, but to all them also that love his appear,
ing." 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. He dwells with as great zeal on
the practical influence of the faith of Christ as does James.
Who can read the sixth, eighth, and twelfth chapters of
his epistle to the Romans ; the sixth, tenth, and thirteenth of
his first epistle to the Corinthians ; the latter part of his epis-
tles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Philippians, Colos-
sians, and Thessalonians, as well as those to Timothy and
Titus, without being fully convinced that the practical influ-
ence of the gospel was kept steadily in his view, and was
in the most solemn and energetic manner pressed on the
conscience of every one who professed the faith? Is not
the necessity of continuing to abound in the practical ex-
17*
IDS THE REASONING OF JAMES
ercise of faith most strikingly enforced in the third, fourth,
sixth, and tenth chapters of the epistle to the Hebrews 1
Never let one sacred writer be put in the least opposition
to another ; for if we think that there is any difference be-
tween the doctrines of one and those of another, the rea-
son must be, that at least one of them is misunderstood
by us.
The justification or approbation of which James speaks,
is of the same nature with that which shall be pronounced
by the Redeemer, as the ruler of his mediatorial kingdom ;
and it is illustrated by the language of Christ to those who
have improved their endowments. — "Well done," says he,
" thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faith-
ful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things ; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." — "Well done,
thou good servant, because thou has been faithful over a
very little, have thou authority over ten cities." He will
at the last address his benevolent people in these terms, —
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre-
pared for you from the foundation of the world : For I was
an hungered, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in :
Naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited me :
I was in prison, and ye came unto me." Now, even in
the present life, the faithful servants of Christ are approved
of, as is evident from his language to some of the Asiatic
churches ; so that the blessing enjoyed by Abraham on
earth is enjoyed by them likewise.
Time would fail me were I to go over the many pas-
sages of Scripture which refer to the present approbation
of the faithful, and to that applauding sentence which will
be pronounced by the Judge when he surveys his faithful
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 199
disciples from the throne of his glory. We need not be
surprised then, at the zeal manifested by James, (but not
by him only) against all who, under a profession of faith
in the gospel, indulged in the practice of sin. The de-
pravity of man will abuse the most holy doctrines of Scrip-
ture; but while we oppose this abuse, let us beware of ob-
scuring the glory of those doctrines.
An objecting Jew in the days of James might well say to
such a perverter of the grace of God, " Thou hast faith and
I have works, show me thy faith by thy works, (this is the
reading of some copies, as you will see in the margin) and
I will show thee my faith by my works." " Let our re-
spective creeds be tried by their fruits," — a proposal cer-
tainly quite unobjectionable. Vain is the reply which some
suppose made to this, — " Thou believest that there is one
God ; thou doest well ;" (as if to say, « this is a great mat-
ter truly,') — " the very devils believe this and they trem-
ble ; " to them no gospel is preached, and what they be-
lieve can yield them no joy ; but I am a Christian, I do
not merely believe that there is one God, as do the unbe-
lieving Jews ; (for by their belief in the unity of the God-
head, the Jews were distinguished from the idolatrous Gen-
tiles,) I believe in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, and
in the gospel preached by him." To such a man it might
well be said, as is done by the apostle, " But wilt thou know,
O vain man, that faith without works is dead," — or it is
not faith at all. Could we even conceive of faith having
begun to exist in a man, and never to have been called into
exercise by appropriate works, his faith could not survive,
it must necessarily die. In such a man faith, being inert,
could not exist. A profession of faith, therefore, where
no works follow, be it found in whom it may, is a profes-
200 THE REASONING OF JAMES
sion of it without the reality. The fact is, whatever may
be said of his faith, that which he believes is not the gos-
pel, but a thing of such a nature that it can have no salu-
tary effect.
I need not say that the use made by James of what is
said of Abraham's believing in God, and so being par-
doned, as verified by his after conduct, is a striking proof,
that though a change of state and a change of character
are distinct, they are yet closely connected, and both con-
nected with faith. The importance attached to the case of
Abraham arises from this, that, on his being justified by
faith, he was constituted the father, in a spiritual sense, of
all among mankind, who, to the end of time, should be jus-
tified in the same way. It is common in the Scriptures to
call persons distinguished by any quality or acquisition, the
children of those by whom it was first and pre-eminently
possessed. Thus, we read that Jabal was the father of
such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle; and that
Jabal was the father of all such as handle the harp and the
organ. In like manner, they who resemble Abraham in
his faith, are justified as he was, and are called his children.
" Against hope, he believed in hope ;" that is, he believed
and hoped that the promised seed would be given, though
every thing in nature and experience was against such an
expectation. He believed in God as the quickener of the
dead — the creator of life. In like manner, when a sinner
believes unto justification, he sees nothing in himself, on
account of which the blessing should be given him ; but he
believes in the grace of God, who, through the perfect work
of his Son, can honorably justify the ungodly.
These two things illustrate each other ; and hence the
apostle reasons from the faith of Abraham in regard to the
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 201
promised Son, to (brow light on that through which forgive-
ness is obtained. If conformity to the law had been neces-
sary to the latter, then Abraham could not have obtained
it, and the nations could not have been blessed in him. —
But he obtained it by faith in Him, of whom Isaac was a
pledge and a type; and all who believe as he did, enjoy
the same blessing with him, and hence are denominated
his children. Not that Abraham, was the first believer in
the Messiah, and the first who was justified through faith
in him, — for Abel, Enoch, Noah, and many others, were
partakers of the righteousness which is by faith. But
when, after the flood, the knowledge of God was a second
time in a great measure lost, the Lord, instead of again
sweeping at once the ungodly from the earth, by a deluge,
was pleased to separate from the midst of them a people
for himself. To accomplish this gracious purpose, he
called Abraham out from among idolaters, and made of
his posterity a nation, among whom he placed his name,
in order to preserve, by a regular and peculiar system of
typical institutions, the knowledge of his character, and of
the plan of redemption, till the Messiah should come, —
to hold up a figurative representation of the kingdom of
Christ ; and to prepare for the more full manifestation of
the divine glory, in the extension and establishment of this
kingdom among all the nations of the earth.
To Abraham, as the founder or father of this spiritual
family, were the promises of mercy through Christ more
fully unfolded than they had been before: and hence his
faith was fitly exhibited as the pattern of that faith through
which sinners should in every age be justified. The man*
ner in which he was justified was designed to illustrate the
only way in which the guilty can obtain the blessing of
202 THE REASONING OF JAMES
acceptance with God ; and hence the care taken, both in
the Old Testament and the New, to show what was his
original character as a sinner, and the way in which he,
ungodly as he was, obtained that blessing.
There is an evident fitness in the selection of Abraham
to be the pattern of the faith and the blessedness of the
Church of God, because he was the first person in the
world, to whom the promise of being the progenitor of the
Messiah was made; while that event, according to the
order of nature, did not necessarily follow. It was, ac-
cording to the order of nature, necessary that he should
descend from our first parents ; and, on the same principle,
it was necessary, after the flood, that he should descend
from Noah ; but there was no natural necessity that he
should descend from Abraham rather than from any other
of the multitudes then upon the earth.
Since, then, he was the first to whom this special favor
was granted, it was meet that his faith should be so distinct-
ly exhibited in connexion with its great object, the prom-
ised Deliverer, as to be the pattern of faith to the family of
God ; and that his character and blessedness should be the
pattern of the character and blessedness of all the redeemed.
His justification, by faith in the Messiah, is recorded and
attested, not for his own sake alone, but for an example
and assurance to all generations. All are accordingly as-
sured, that they shall in like manner be justified if they be-
lieve on him who raised up our Lord Jesus from the dead,
— who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again
for our justification.
But allow me, dear friend, to advert again to the cha-
racter produced by the faith of Abraham. There is an evi-
dent fitness in making him, whose faith and justification
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABBAHAM. 203
arc the pattern of the faith and acceptance of the people of
God in all ages of the world, a high example likewise of
the sanctifying influence of the faith of the gospel. Im-
perfections and evils do indeed appear in his character:
but considering the comparatively dark dispensation under
which he was placed, it nevertheless exhibits a very strik-
ing display of the power of the truth. One great end for
which the commandment to offer up Isaac was given him,
was, that by this means, there might be a discovery of his
confidence in God — his love to his name; and, in a word,
of that constellation of graces which were thus brought in-
to full and powerful operation. We are not to suppose,
that the benefit of this trial was intended for the good of
Abraham alone, but we must consider it as of standing use
to the church in all ages of the world. Those of the Jews
who openly rejected the gospel of Jesus, boasted that Abra-
ham was their father: and from the reasoning of James it
appears, that some who professed to receive the truth, were
inclined to do ihe same, though in a different way. The
example of the forgiveness of Abraham through faith in the
Messiah, appears to have been wrested by them to their
own destruction. They gloried in the correctness of their
creed, spoke highly of salvation by grace, and confided in
the safety of their state ; while their tongues were unbri-
dled, their tempers ungoverned, and the practical fruits of
righteousness were quite disregarded. The national pride,
which in no small degree led one class of the Jews avow-
edly to oppose the gospel, had in this latter class given
place to, or had become mixed with, spiritual pride, arising
from a supposed connexion established between them, as
Christians, and Abraham, as their father in that character.
— That their errors arose from a perversion of what had
204 THE REASONING OF JAMES
been taught by Paul, in relation to the forgiveness of Abra-
ham through faith, without works of law, is evident, from
this consideration, that the very language and passage of
Scripture which he had employed in illustrating the subject
of the forgiveness of that patriarch are referred to by
James, and are rescued by him from the wilful perversions
of these nominal Christians.
He employs, in the 15th and 16th verses, an illustration
in regard to love, which shows, that he considered the faith
of these licentious professors of religion as a non-entity, —
an empty false profession. What should we say of the love
of that man, who, when asked to relieve a brother or a sister
in distress, would in words express for him or for her the
greatest affection and the warmest wishes, but yet would
refuse to afford even the smallest assistance ? Would we
allow him to be possessed of love because he said he was
so? Would we not rather consider his conduct a com
pound of hypocrisy, meanness, and cruelty ? On the same
principle, if a man say he has faith, but does not manifest
it by corresponding works, must we not conclude, that he
is making a false profession, or, in other words, that he is
utterly a stranger to faith in the gospel ? Works are as
much connected with faith as breathing is with life, which
seems to be the meaning of spirit in verse 26th.
Now, there is not in this reasoning of James the least
degree of opposition to the doctrine of Paul. Surely, when
the latter speaks of faith, he speaks of what is really such,
and not of an empty profession of it, which is no more faith
than a counterfeit piece of money is money, or than a dead
body is a man. No one can for a moment dream, that in
order to establish the doctrine of free forgiveness through
faith, it is necessary to assert, that an empty and false pro-
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 205
fession of it will interest in the blessing. I need not again
say, that this were not faith, but hypocrisy ; and, there-
fore, to suppose that a man could in this way be forgiven,
were to teach, not the doctrine of acceptance through faith,
but the absurd notion of acceptance through hypocrisy.
The great reason why men are pardoned through faith
in the gospel, is, that as the ultimate object of their pardon
is their sanctification, and as this cannot be effected by the
truth, unless it is believed, it is necessary that the gospel be
believed, in order that the object of redemption may be
gained. It follows, then, that as nothing short of a real
belief of the truth can bring a sinner under its hallowing
influence, the confession of the mouth, which is connected
with salvation, must flow from the belief of the heart.
With great propriety, therefore, did James refute the error
of these Jewish professors, by a reference to the history of
their father Abraham.
Addressing the avowed unbelievers among the Jews,
Christ said, " If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do
the works of Abraham." And the reasoning of James
with professed believers is the same. The justification of
the patriarch was an act of free grace and of pure com-
passion ; and great would be his peace and his joy when
called from a state of condemnation to a state of accept-
ance. But his blessedness must have advanced as he grew
in acquaintance with the promises and character of God.
What a view is given us of his happiness in these words, —
" and he was called the friend of God." It was in that
confidential intercourse with God — that cultivation of fel-
lowship with him — that imitation of him — that ready obe-
dience to him — that union with him, in judgment, affection,
and aim — and that entire trust in him which so highly dis-
Vol. ii. 18
206 THE REASONING OF JAMES
tinguished his character, that his blessedness was continued
and advanced. His happiness was still farther heightened
by the delightful sense of the approbation and complacency
with which Jehovah regarded him ; and by the many to-
kens he received of the unceasing care and kindness of his
God. In the day of the Lord all his sins will be declared
forgiven ; but, in as far as his character was righteous,
forgiveness will not be called for. The approbation which
he received when on earth, will then be ratified by his just
and applauding Judge.
This view of the subject gives an edge to those parts
of Scripture which call upon Christians to seek that they
may be found at last of the Judge, " in peace, and without
spot, and blameless ; " and which exhibit even to them,
the solemn nature of his judgment. 2 Peter iii. 14. 1 John
ii. 28. Rom. xiv. 10. 2 Cor. v. 10. — Never let any senti-
ment be admitted which would blunt the admonitions of
Scripture, and reduce to unmeaning sounds the solemn
warnings of Heaven. On the other hand, ever give the
proper place to the doctrines of the cross, and the gracious
promises of the covenant.
When the Christian, dear friend, thinks of the sins that
stain even his religious services, and of the imperfections
that at best mingle with them, he may well wonder that
any of them should be acknowledged by his Lord. Even
when the redeemed are at the seat of judgment declared
the approved servants of Christ, they are represented as
expressing their surprise that they should be thus ap-
plauded. Matt. xxv. 37, 38, 39. — But the Saviour can
separate from what is sinful all that proceeded from love,
out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned.
Many were the errors and the infirmities of his first disci-
ON THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM. 207
pies ; but in his intercessory prayer on the night in which
he was betrayed, he does not mention one of them. All
that was good in their behaviour, he separates from what
was evil ; the latter had been forgiven, and the former he
approves. To his Father he says of them, " They have
kept thy word." " I have given unto them the words
which thou gavest me ; and they have received them, and
have known surely that I came out from thee, and they
have believed that thou didst send me." " They are not
of the world, even as I am not of the world." See in this
a disposition to commend rather than condemn, and learn
to trust in him as one who will not forget our work of faith,
and our labor of love. Job, notwithstanding his occasional
failures, was upon the whole a submissive sufferer ; and
hence God, exhibiting him as an example, says to us, " Ye
have heard of the patience of Job." What a kind Master
do we serve ! Ought we not to be ambitious of high de-
grees of his approbation ? On the resurrection morn, when
on coming forth from the grave, and on viewing all the
grandeur and importance of eternity, our first thoughts and
words will turn upon the atonement of him through whom
we have obtained the victory, — when we shall count it an
unutterable blessing to " find mercy of the Lord in that
day," how transporting to find, that not only are all our
sins declared completely forgiven, but that He who " washed
us in his blood," will kindly and openly declare his com-
placency in our poor services in his cause on earth. Will
not this at once humble and elevate the heart 1 Will it not
make the whole soul to thrill with ecstatic delight ? — Will
it not be joy unutterable and full of glory ?
Let us seek, then, to manifest the tried faith and ap-
proved obedience of the father of the faithful. He is held
208 THE REASONING OF JAMES
up as an eminent example of the supporting and sanctify-
ing influence of faith in the atonement. Let us give glory
to God as he did, by implicit confidence in his word, and
unreserved and persevering submission to his will. The
love of God towards us has been manifested in the merci-
ful forgiveness of our sins ; but his great object in thus dis-
playing his compassion, is to effect our deliverance from
sin, and to advance us to that exalted blessedness which
results from a holy resemblance to him, from union of
heart with him, and from the enjoyment of his complacent
satisfaction in our character and services. May it be justly
said of us, that our spirit and conduct like that of Abra-
ham, make it manifest that, like him, we " have been
treated as though we were righteous," for the sake of the
Redeemer. What a happiness thus to adorn the doctrine
of God our Saviour! Like the patriarch, let us cultivate
the spirit of pilgrims, and look for the heavenly country ;
let us, like him, be decided in the service of God, contented
with our lot on earth, the friends of peace, kind to all men,
particularly attached to the family of God, and distin-
guished by the patient self-denial and perseverance of a
life of faith. And may it be our happiness, as it was his,
to die in the peace and hope of the faith of Christ, and to
be gathered to the assembly above. — I remain, &c.
LETTER XXV.
Olf THE MAINTENANCE OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE.
The doctrine of the gospel, the medicine of the soul — The necessity
of constancy in the faith — The danger of trusting to past attain-
ments— Mistaken views of faith in some — The proper manner of
treating the dejected — The connexion between consolation and
holiness — The influence of disease on the mind — Importance of
uniting jealousy of ourselves, with confidence in God — The ground
of access to God ever the same. Remarks on 1 John iii. 21 — The
necessity of uniting the use of means, with simplicity of depend-
ence upon God.
Mi dear friend,
You will remember the conversations that we have had on
some of the difficulties which are met with in the Christian
course, and particularly on the means of maintaining Chris-
tian confidence. Allow me, with a particular view to the
latter subject, to recall to your remembrance the principal
observations which were suggested on these occasions.
You have often mentioned the medicinal power of the gos-
pel in first restoring health to the benumbed and perverted
powers of the soul, and then nourishing and supporting it.
Now, this spiritual health is not the ground of a Christian's
hope, under a view of guilt. The foundation of our peace
is the same from first to last ; it is the atonement of Christ.
Not only is our cure at best imperfect, but though it were
perfect, it could not expiate sin. The only scriptural con-
fidence which the new character of a Christian can give,
is similar to that of a man who, finding his health improv-
ing by the use of a particular medicine or regimen, is sat-
18*
210 THE MAINTENANCE
isfied of the advantage of the system, and perseveres in its
use. His health, he knows from experience, improves or
declines, according as he follows or neglects the prescribed
remedy, and his growing confidence in its efficacy excites
to the unremitting use of it.
In like manner must we seek deliverance from the dis-
ease of sin, by continuing in the firm faith of the medicinal
truth of the gospel. If faith be the conviction of things we
do not see, the conviction must be ever maintained ; for if
not upon the mind at the moment, we cannot be said to
have it. Forgetfulness then, is, in many respects the same
thing with an opposite conviction. The belief of yester-
day, if confined to it, will not benefit us to-day. He who
believes, feels the power of the truth, not he who merely
has believed.
When the divine righteousness, in the full and free re-
demption of the guilty, through the blood of Christ, was
first beheld by us, the love of God was kindled in our
hearts. Our happiness arose from that truth which an-
swered the painful question, " How can a sinner be justified
before God?" We maintained a holy jealousy of every
thing that threatened to deprive us of our only hope. Faith
wrought by love,"and love produced cheerful and self-de-
nied obedieiice. A deep sense of guilt and unworthiness
endeared to us the love of God, which had met us in all
our wretchedness, and had kindly and freely saved us.
But, alas ! our mutable and fluctuating heart deceived us !
Though, like Israel, we had sung the praises of God at the
Red Sea, we " soon forgat his mighty works." We gradu-
ally lost a proper sense of our sinfulness, pollution, and
danger, and of the love and mercy of our God. Our love
to him naturally declined ; and though the truth was not
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 211
denied, it came to be held as a matter of speculation. The
works which formerly flowed from love to Him who loved
us, and gave himself for us, now proceeded from some self-
righteous principle. Our sufferings came to be considered
as in some sense meritorious, and did not as before spring
from love to the Man of Sorrows, and from the hope of
sharing in his glory. Now, if any thing like this has taken
place, have we not reason to be alarmed 1 Ought we not
to examine into the root of the evil ? If we do so, we shall
find, that it is a ceasing to live constantly by the faith of
the Son of God.
The sacrifice of Christ ought ever to be the food of our
souls. If we withdraw from it, and trust to the degree of
spiritual health which we think we have attained, we act
as a man would do, who, because he is in health and vigor,
should dream of supporting his existence by the stock of
life he already enjoys. The very essence of our spiritual
life is our love to God ; the enjoyment of his favor as our
chief joy; happiness in that in which he delights, and sat-
isfaction in the privilege of fellowship with him, and con-
formity to him. Now this cannot be maintained if we feed
not upon the gospel of Christ. When we leave it, we ex-
clude ourselves from the fellowship of Him who is our life.
We cease to be influenced by the only motives which can
keep in the way of holiness and of peace. Sin, of course,
gains the ascendancy, and the power of temptation is aug-
mented. From this state of declension we cannot be re-
covered, but by returning to the sacrifice of the Redeemer,
and abiding in the faith of the healing doctrine of the cross.
It is unhappily supposed by many, that a declension from
their first love is just what is to be expected in Christians ;
and that, being a thing of course, it therefore need not
212 THE MAINTENANCE
cause fear. That Christians are naturally prone to decline
from God is too true ; but that they ought to be comforted
in such circumstances is false. Many, indeed, leave their
first love ; but is it therefore right to affirm that it merits
little regard ? Some, again, have appeared to be Christians
who never were so in reality, and the fall of such need not
surprise us. Mistakes on this subject have arisen from not
considering, that the lively exercise of the affections, when
newly excited, and accompanied with poignant sensations,
is a different thing from the exercise of the same affections
when settled into a habit, and operating as a principle at
once powerful and tranquil. The effect of the first impres-
sions of the truth may be such, that physical, as well as
moral causes, will not allow it to be permanent. The in-
dividual may be so affected, as for a time to be incapable of
attending to the ordinary concerns of life : and this, I need
not say, is a state which is far from being adapted to our
situation in the world, and therefore it cannot be essential
to piety. There is often too, in such circumstances, more
that is superficial than there is of solid principle. There is
frequently, for example, great ignorance of the heart, and
of the deceitfulness of sin, and very defective views of the
gospel of peace. When the knowledge of these, and of
kindred subjects, continues to advance, the principle of sa-
cred love strikes its roots the deeper, and its fruits become
more mature. There is more simplicity of confidence in
God — more of a filial disposition towards him ; and of a
conscientious regard to his will, accompanied with genuine
contrition, and great self-jealousy. — There is less of a cen-
sorious and inconsiderate temper, — less of an obtrusive and
talkative humor, and more of a candid, humble, and cau-
tious spirit. Love has not declined, but it "abounds in all
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 213
knowledge, and in all judgment." Now, this state ought
not to be confounded with ieligious declension, as, through
an error of judgment, has been sometimes the case.
This is quite a different thing from saying, that what is
really a declension from our first love, is a mere matter of
course. The Bphesians were greatly blamed by our Lord
for having declined in their fervor. Rev. ii. 4, 5. Shall
we then sanction lukewarmness on principle, and flatter
those who ought to be awakened from their false dreams
of security 1 Far be it.
No fancied increase of knowledge, or correctness of
views, will supply the place of genuine love; and care
ought to be taken that we mistake not true and acceptable
fervor for irregular warmth. There are errors on this side
as well as on the other. It becomes us, when at any time
we have fallen, " to remember from whence we have done
so." We ought, like Israel, to remember our original state
of guilt and un worthiness, that we may be humbled. This
Paul never forgot, and the remembrance of it he pressed
upon his brethren. Titus iii. 3. 1 Cor. xii. 2. Ephes. ii.
11, 12. We ought to remember the blessedness we tasted
when first relieved by the atonement, — the mingled emo-
tions of joy and of sorrow which were excited in us when
we looked on him whom our sins had pierced: and how
our hearts were melted when, from a sense of much for-
giveness, we loved much. Gal. iv. 13 — 16. Heb. x. 32 —
34. Such reflections will lead us to remember the tempta-
tions, snares, and deceits which called forth and cherished
a spirit of self-dependence, which darkened our views of
the grace of the gospel, and which sunk us into a state of
coldness, or lukewarmness towards God, nnd things unseen
and eternal. Feeling the instability and deceitfulness of
214 THE MAINTENANCE.
our hearts, we shall be the more eager to keep firm hold of
the divine testimony. In a word, we shall feel that we
must be coming daily to the Saviour. This, it is true, is
humbling, but the more suited it is to our state and charac-
ter. We are apt to think, that in the course of our pro-
gress, a time shall come, when we shall not be under the
necessity of doing so ; but this is an error. — Through life
we shall have to come to the cross as at first. The neces-
sity is far from being incompatible with enjoyment. The
fear of death would keep Noah from leaving the ark, and
plunging into the waters, but would not in the least mar
his happiness while in the place of safety. In the same
way, the fear of perishing keeps a Christian from departing
from Christ, but does not mar his peace or his joy while he
continues in the faith of Him.
The primitive Christians dwelt upon the great truths of the
gospel as the very meat and drink of their souls. When
the attention is turned to ourselves, and to our feelings, ex-
clusive of the things in the truth, which should make us
feel, and which alone can produce proper sensations, we
act very differently from them. Their devotion was not
like that which has a hold of the imagination, or of the
feelings alone, — it was founded on the conviction of the un-
derstanding, and the sanctification of the affections. They
speak of their sensations, but not apart from the revelation
of God, which is the seed of all the true piety, and was the
constant delight of their hearts. Accordingly in the most
animated descriptions of the feelings of the apostles, we
have distinctly set before us the truths which made them
feel. It becomes us to act in spiritual things as we do in
the concerns of this life. We never dream of being nour-
ished by ruminating on the sensations of hunger and thirst,
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 215
or by conversing about them, but have recourse to such
food and drink as are suited to our wants. Neither do we
expect the cure of our bodily maladies by merely brooding
over them, or conversing about them, without having re-
course to the appropriate medicines. On similar principles,
it is by a constant attachment to the great truths of the gospel,
as the bread and the water of life, and the remedy of our souls,
that we shall be invigorated and enlivened. If, through the
power of temptation — the influence of a self-righteous spirit
— the prevalence of sin — the harassing effect of sorrow and
affliction, — in a word, through whatever cause we have lost
the enjoyment of comfort, it can never be recovered but by
the renewed exercise of faith in the atonement. Many in
such circumstances err greatly, in spending that time in re-
flecting on past sensations, which had better be spent in
looking afresh to that truth which is the spring of genuine
purity and happiness. Our inability to decide upon the na-
ture of what is past is no reason why we should not now
go to the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness.
The recollections of past sensations and deeds will gene-
rally be but indistinct, and of course, incapable of yielding
the solid satisfaction which arises from the present active
and constant exercise of the principles of genuine religion.
Besides, were they of the most vivid description; and were
we satisfied that past sensations were the fruit of divine
grace, our reflections on them would only profit us in pro-
portion as they led us at present to look anew from our-
selves to the gospel of peace ; for nothing can supply the
want of a present persuasion of the truth of the gospel,
and present dependence on its blessed import.
I am far from meaning, that we ought not to look back
at all to our past courses. — There is a wide difference be-
216 THE MAINTENANCE
tween reflecting on past sensations, as an inducement to
" repent, and do our first works : " and that we may be
encouraged to confide in that blessed sacrifice which for-
merly gave us rest, and doing so, to calm a sense of guilt,
and to strengthen a hope founded on such sensations. —
The former is salutary, but the latter is deeply injurious.
If we endeavor, by reflecting on what is past, to main-
tain a persuasion that we are the children of God even
when we are lukewarm, or quite cold in his service, his
Spirit confirms not this confidence by his word. The pre-
valence of worldly lusts and indifference towards spiritual
things cannot dwell in the sam eheart with the Spirit of
God. If sin prevail — if carnality and the love of the world
are predominant in the heart, we must greatly dishonor
Him by a fearless assurance that all is safe. If the word
of God is not now abiding in our minds we cannot have
any well-grounded confidence that we are saved by it ; for
we are made partakers of Christ only if we hold the begin-
ning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Heb. iii. 14.
There is nothing in this calculated to induce us to distrust
God ; but there is every thing fitted to lead us to distrust
ourselves. The gospel is not obscure, however beclouded
it may have been to us. — It is still open for our relief and
free for our use. — The merciful language of God is, " Re-
turn, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your back-
slidings." " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unright-
eousness." The Lord will preserve believers to eternal
life, but he does it " through faith." When he restores
their souls, it is not merely their consolation that he re-
news,— it is their spiritual health. When he heals their
backslidings, he makes them fruitful in the works of right-
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 217
eousness, for he is as the dew to their souls, at once re-
freshing and fructifying the heart. I [osea xiv. 4 — 0.
I beg you to take notice, that there is nothing in these
statements at all like to the notion, that when our minds
are lively, and our affections warm, we need not faith, be-
cause we then live by sense ; but that when our hearts are
cold aud lifeless, then is the time to live by faith, as if
Christian feeling and faith were opposed to each other;
as if the latter were a persuasion that we are the children
of God. To say, that however bad the state of our minds
may be, we ought instantly to believe in the atonement of
Christ, and to come to him in the confidence of obtaining
mercy, is quite different from saying, that when we have
no reason to conclude that we arc Christians, we ought
then to maintain the confidence that our state is safe. The
latter is not to believe God, for he has testified no such
thing. Unbelief is not calling our piety in question; it is
calling in question the truth of the divine testimony. If
the Galatians, when Paul stood in doubt of them, had main-
tained the confidence that all was well with them, would
they not have resembled the Jews, who boasted of their
assurance that they were the children of God at the very
time that they were opposing his truth, and rebelling against
his authority? Gal. iv. 20. John viii. 54. This was
not faith, but unfounded presumption. It is true, that our
questioning if we are indeed the children of God, may be
traced to unbelief, because, if our faith in the gospel were
steady and active, it would put and end to hesitation on
the subject ; but it is not on this account unbelief itself,
any more than penitence, is sin, because it cannot be ex-
ercised but in consequence of sin.
It is much to be regretted, that an opposition between
Vol. ii. 19
218 THE MAINTENANCE
faith and sense, or, in other words, between faith and
Christian feeling, should ever have been so stated as to
lead any into the dangerous mistake of supposing that
the latter is unconnected with the former, and even super-
sedes the necessity of it. Occasion has thus unhappily
been given for reproaching Christian devotion and enjoy-
ment as irrational and wild enthusiasm. Nothing can be
more unfounded than such reproaches. The joy of a
Christian is doubtless felt and sensible ; but it is not a mere
sensation, it is rational joy. So far from being separated
from, or unconnected with faith, it springs from it, and is
proportioned to its vigor and steadiness. He who enjoys
it, can give a reason for the hope that is in him. His joy
is " the joy of faith," for every thing in genuine piety is
characteristic of " the spirit of a sound mind." His love
to God is not an unaccountable sensation, but a principle;
implanted indeed by a heavenly influence, but by suitable
means. The faith from which all his comfort springs, is
not like the vain daring of the Egyptians, who, without
any divine declaration to rest on, ventured into the Red
Sea. It is like the confidence of the Israelites, who, in
passing through the waters, rested on the explicit declara-
tion and promise of God. It is proper, however, to state
that the expression sensible comfort, is often used to signify
that enjoyment which a Christian has in a consciousness
of the healing influence of the gospel, as distinguished from
that which a man has when viewing himself as a stranger
to this healing influence ; he goes as a sinner to the Saviour,
on the ground of the infinite merit of his sacrifice, and of
the unfettered invitations he has addressed to all indiscrimi-
nately to come to him for rest. It is also used to denote
that flow of the spirit's, which in certain constitutions and
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 219
circumstances accompanies the influence of the gospel.
But there may be a settled peace and joy possessed, where,
owing to constitutional causes or other things, there is lit-
tle of this kind of excitement. These things then are quite
distinct, and ought not to be confounded.
You ask, my dear friend, how a person should be treated,
who fears, that in his profession of religion he has been
deceiving himself with delusive hopes? When a professor
of religion, who had concluded that he was a believer of
the gospel, comes to question if he has indeed believed it,
his case demands particular attention. In vain do his
friends endeavor to console him, by reminding him of
what they think good about him, of past instances of re-
ligious services and enjoyments, or of the length some
have gone astray who were yet the people of God ; as if
these could form a pillow for repose. Any peace got in
this way, will be like the momemtary ease derived from
opium, which leaves the disease as it was. Let it never
be forgotten, that the indulgence of sin, and departure from
the truth, must deprive of scriptural comfort. An exam-
ple ot the effect of the latter we have in the Galatians,
who, when they departed from the gospel, preached to them
by Paul, lost their former blessedness. And as to the for-
mer, distress must follow the predominance of sin, the con-
scious workings of the love of the world, and the preva-
lence of carnality of heart. He would only aggravate his
sin, and dishonor God still more, by a fearless confidence
that he is living by faith notwithstanding. It were ex-
tremely dangerous to heal his wound slightly, by saying
peace, when there is no. peace. Let him be probed to the
quick, by being seriously called on to consider wherein he
has departed from the truth, and how far he is living in
220 THE MAINTENANCE
the neglect of some known but disagreeable duty, or in the
practice of some known sin. If the truth is not retained
in the mind, or if some error respecting it be embraced,
distress of spirit must as necessarily follow, as darkness
does the setting of the sun, unless the heart be very hard-
ened indeed. Sin again darkens the understanding, and
alienates the affections from things holy and spiritual, sears
the conscience as with a hot iron, and renders the trans-
gressor utterly incapable of enjoying the consolations of
the Comforter. Safety, indeed, may be earnestly desired,
but holy intercourse with God, and spiritual enjoyments,
are not. In such circumstances, let the disorder be fully
exposed, and every false hope shaken to the foundation.
The fear that the divine word will fail, is a very different
thing from the dread of being deceived by our own hearts.
The more that we distrust our deceitful hearts, the more
shall we trust in the divine testimony.
When the cause of distress is, that the truth has been
forsaken, it is of the first importance to direct the distressed
to the only balm for his wound, and to the immediate ex-
ercise of faith in the atonement. Though no particular
known transgression has been indulged in, the faith of the
gospel has been declining. The hopes of the mind cannot
be solid, unless "they are built on the work of the Saviour.
They arc often however too easily raised or sunk, accord-
ing to the pleasant and agreeable nature of our feelings on
the one hand, and their dull and unpleasant nature on the
other. The reason is, that we look more- to our feelings
as such, and apart from the truth, than to the great cause
of all proper feeling, and the foundation of all true confi-
dence. The immutability of the divine faithfulness and
love, as manifested in the gospel, and the absolute perfec-
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 221
lion of the work of Christ, arc not sufficiently perceived.
Error is mixed with truth in our minds, so that the real
glory of the gospel is but partially seen, and of course it
has not that influence upon us which it would otherwise
have. Finding, or at least fearing that we have been de-
ceiving ourselves, we act as if there were no hope. Be-
cause we see nothing good in ourselves-, and so are stripped
of all hope from that quarter, we feel as if there were no
means of relief in another, and our spirits sink into des-
pondency, and all comfort is refused. Often in such cases
the mind is filled with the most tormenting anguish, and
the darkest gloom, because a blow has been struck at its
self-righteous confidence, while the true ground of accept-
ance has not been perceived. In such circumstances, our
immediate duty is to look to the blessed gospel of Christ,
and contemplate the Saviour as he is there exhibited.
The ground of acceptance revealed in the gospel, takes
it for granted, that he who builds upon it has a deep con-
viction, that he needs the full extent of the redemption of
Christ, and that his confidence in it needs not thereby be
shaken. It is easy to maintain that hope which arises,
from slight views of sin, but it requires a conflict to pre-
serve at once a just sense of our guilt, and full confidence
in the Saviour. We are prone to seek a false peace, and
naturally averse to the humbling means by which the gos-
pel imparts consolation. The solidity of our comfort, and
the progress of our sanctification, depend, however, on the
simplicity of our dependence on the cross. This makes
the soul not only to allow its guilt, but to shudder at sin ;
to wonder that ever it could have been guilty of it, while,
at the same time, it is happy in a sense of pardon, and in
the hope of eternal life.
19*
222 THE MAINTENANCE
When distress of mind arises from the indulgence of sin-
ful habits, the subjects of it ought to be affectionately told,
that the indulgence of evil tempers, worldly cares, and
sinful practices and neglects, grieve and quench, and in
fact resist, the spirit of God. Eph. iv. 30, 31. 1 Thess.
v. 19. Acts vii. 51 — 53. David felt this when he said,
" Cast me not away- from thy presence ; and take not thy
Holy Spirit from me." Psalm li. 11. It will not do to
speak of darkness of mind and insensibility of heart, in
relation to divine things, as mere infirmities, and of cold
affections, and slothful and inefficient desires, as mere
matters of course. There is too often a secret feeling, as
if, though it is becoming to complain of such things, there
is no very urgent necessity to endeavor to remedy them.
Christians are called to a life of watchfulness, circumspec-
tion, and diligence, and are warned of the necessity of
pressing forward as through a crowd of opposition, of
striving as in a close combat, and of laboring to enter into
the rest of God. Now if professors of religion shall sub-
stitute for these exercises of self-denial, verbal complaints
of their insufficiency and inability, and call such lamenta-
tions exercises of piety, is it surprising that they should be
strangers to the comfort which the Lord hath connected
with righteousness? if the man who was once serious,
watchful, and diffident, has become the prey of levity,
sloth, and presumptuous confidence, though he may for a
time obtain a delusive peace, he will ultimately find, that
true joy is connected only with holy and humble fellowship
with God, and is utterly incompatible with a life of sin.
It is necessary to sound in such a man's ears the awaken-
ing alarm of the divine threatenings against backsliders,
and to call upon him to " repent and do his first works."
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 223
If these admonitions arc blessed to his soul, care ought
to ho taken that his unbelief do not lead him to distrust
God as to future circumstances, by indulging a distrustful
dread that temptation may arise which will deprive him of
his valued mercies, and plunge him in perdition. It is
true, that the temptations and changes of this ensnaring
world ought to make us jealous of our own hearts, but
they should always be viewed in connexion with the de-
lightful declaration of the Saviour, that " his grace is suffi-
cient for us." We are called, then, in relation to spiritual
as well as temporal things, to mind only the things of the
present day, and to leave the concerns of to-morrow to the
wise and the gracious disposal of our Lord. The heart
will thus rest upon a firm foundation, and will enjoy rest,
while, at the same time, it will be stimulated to the greatest
activity.
I speak, you will observe, of a Christian who, although
he is conscious of daily failures in obedience, is upon the
whole, walking in the light, and so has fellowship with
God. While from day to day, he confesses sin and im-
plores forgiveness through the heavenly Advocate, he does
so with fervor and contrition of spirit, and the renewed
mercy of his God binds him the more to him, and inspires
him with a growing aversion to whatever would offend
him.
It is a sad abuse of the merciful constitution of the gos-
pel, when the prayers and confessions of a professing
Christian become matters of form ; when, on being con-
victed of sin, he says, in cold blood, and with complete
indifference, "There is forgiveness with God," and "the
blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin." Is this the lesson
taught by the condemnation of the angels that sinned, the
224 THE MAINTENANCE
destruction of the old world, and the cities of the plain, the
fall of the Israelites in the wilderness, and, above all, by
the death of the Redeemer 1 To all of these are Chris-
tians pointed in Scripture, that they may learn their God
is a consuming fire. 2 Pet. ii. 4 — 9. Jude i. 5. Heb.
xii. 29. They are thus solemnly told, that God will not
trifle with sin, even in his own people, and that the more
fully they understand the gospel, and the more that they
live by faith in the atonement, the more will they see the
danger of sin, and the more holy and circumspect will be
their deportment. Well, indeed, may we be warned against
departing from the living God, through an evil heart of un-
belief.
When the spirit of God takes the things of Christ, and
discovers their reality and glory to the mind, the faith of
the heart is commanded. We can no more doubt the truth
of the gospel, than we can doubt the existence of the sun
when it shines before us, and our eyes are dazzled with
its beams. The evidence of the truth strikes the mind
with overpowering effect ; and there is a glory and an ex-
cellency seen in it, which transforms the soul into its like-
ness. When the mind is thus absorbed in the contempla-
tion of the Redeemer, the blessed effect is growing and
satisfying gladness. When the heart is thus enlarged,
we go to our heavenly Father with the utmost confidence,
and pour out our hearts before him whom our souls love.
Prayer is felt to be a privilege, and we delight in it as a
means of fellowship with him. Such, however, is the de-
ceitfulness of the heart, that when thus happy we are in
danger of being too much engrossed with our sensations
themselves, and of forgetting their entire dependence on
the gracious truths of the gospel, and the gracious influence
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 225
of the Spirit. Pride is thus excited and cherished. There
is nothing in the communications of divine grace, that is,
of itself, calculated to fill us with pride. On the contrary,
all of them arc fitted to promote humility. But when the
mind dwells only on the gift and on the circumstance that
to us the blessing has been imparted, a spirit of pride may
be engendered. There was nothing in what Paul saw in
the third heavens, that of itself could foster pride, but
when he began to dwell on the mere circumstance, that to
him and not to others this favor had been granted, his
mind would be turned from the objects he had seen, and
so might be lifted up above measure. David said in his
prosperity, " I shall never be moved." He not only ex-
pected that he should always enjoy the same temporal
prosperity, but he preferred the gift to the Giver, the
streams to the fountain. He speaks as if past and present
communications from God would be sufficient to his hap-
piness, without any constant or fresh supply ; as if he
could now stand without additional aid from above. Now,
when a Christian is wholly occupied with his joyful feel-
ings, and dwells only on the circumstances, that now he
sees the truth clearly, or feels its convincing and animat-
ing power strongly, and ceases to keep his eye on the
great object of faith, and to retain a firm hold of the truth
itself, he falls into an error of the same kind. The conse-
quence is, that he declines in faith, and in true joy, for
though a kind of warmth and comfort be felt, they are not
genuine. He has ceased to draw from the fountain, and
the stream is, of course, dried up. It becomes him to pon-
der on the cause of his declension, to be sensible of his sin,
and to seek again his departed joys.
God has promised his people consolation; but, as was
226 THE MAINTENANCE
necessary from the very nature of the thing, he has con-
nected it with our continuing in the faith and obedience of
the gospel. The indulgence of any evil temper grieves the
Spirit of God, and causes him to withdraw. As men ex-
press their displeasure by looking away from one who has
offended them, so the withdrawment of former displays of
kindness because of sin, is signified by the hiding of the
face of God. When the Saviour became answerable for
guilt, even from Him did God hide his face. It is true
that the Church, under persecution for righteousness sake,
says to him, " Wherefore hidest thou thy face V But this
expresses not what was really, but what was apparently
the case, for we find that Paul when he applies this pas-
sage to himself and his brethren, is exulting in the thought,
that nothing whatsoever could separate them from the ac-
tual benefit of the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Rom. viii. 35 — 39. This chastisement then is an instance
of salutary severity used for the recovery of such as have
wandered from God.
If professing Christians habitually neglect what they
ought to observe, if they cleave to what they ought to aban-
don, or do what they ought to shun, what can they expect
but to be void of that comfort to which other things are
preferred ? If their regard to the blessings of divine grace
is not strong enough to reconcile them to that holy, humble,
and self-denied course with which the enjoyment of them
is connected, they may rest assured that they are far from
valuing them as they ought. There is, in such cases, an
evident reluctance to make the sacrifices which are indis-
pensibly necessary to the enjoyment of Christian comfort,
which shows, that much as the want of it is in words la-
mented, the heart is too much set upon the world. The
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 227
Tact is, that the great thing desired by such characters, is
to be able to entertain the assured hope of at last reach-
ing heaven, without parting unreservedly with every idol.
How different their spirit from that of those who find enough
in the favor and fellowship of Christ to occupy the whole
heart, and who, from a sense of happiness in his service,
abandon all that is incompatible with the much valued bless-
ing ! In the very nature of things, we can have no fel-
lowship with the God of light, if we walk in darkness.
I would here remind you, my dear friend, that the want
of enjoyment is sometimes owing to a constitutional ten-
dency to melancholy and to bodily disease. There are disor-
ders which produce great dejection and lowness of spirits,
and which affect the hopes and the fears both respecting
time and eternity. In such circumstances, is it not enough
that the truth is stated ; means must be used to better the
health. A proper attention to all the means necessary to
restore vigor to the bodily frame, is an important part of
Christian duty. The mind gets enfeebled by disease, and
the sufferer becomes incapable of fixing his attention on the
object of faith with any degree of distinctness or com-
posure : he cannot engage with his wanted fervor in the
exercise of devotion, for however animating in themselves,
in his circumstances they are very exhausting ; and his
wavering mind being disturbed by images, perhaps of the
most gloomy description, he is disposed to indulge in dis-
mal apprehensions; and, in particular, to conclude that his
situation is the result of grievous declension from God, and
that he is left to reap the fruit of his transgressions.
Now, all the while nothing has happened to him, " but
what is common to man." The most eminent servants of
228 THE MAINTENANCE
God are not promised exemption from any of the afflic-
tions to which flesh is heir, for "one event is to the right-
eous and to the wicked." If we connect this consideration
with the promises which ensure comfort in the way of
obedience, we shall perceive the consistency between such
afflictions and the faithfulness of God. The gospel could
never be designed to remove physical disorders; and the
promises of consolation while we walk in it, must be under-
stood in a sense agreeable to its nature and object. It is
true, that as " a merry heart doth good like a little medi-
cine," so the joy of the truth may in a measure influence
the health. But as there are maladies which deprive of ordi-
nary mirth, by incapacitating the mind for performing its
proper functions, so there are disorders which impede the
exercise of Christian principles. Though the judgment of
the afflicted allows the truth of all that an enlightened
Christian states from the Scriptures, the heart fails to re-
ceive the comfort of the message. So long as the mind of
Job was unimpaired, he sinned not, nor charged God fool-
ishly ; but when, through the effect of circumstances and
disease, his spirit was broken, and when,, both while asleep
and awake, his wavering mind was disturbed by dismal and
gloomy images, he indulged in the most melancholy
thoughts, and spake unadvisedly with his lips. His infir-
mities, though not in themselves sinful, became an inlet to
evil ; for, though he was not the character which his friends
supposed him to be, he certainly in some measure erred, as
otherwise the Almighty would not have reproved him. It
is matter of great consolation, that He who knoweth our
frame, and remembereth that we are dust, distinguishes
between what is the fruit of infirmity, and what is the fruit
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 229
of sin ; as we see in his address to his three friends, of
whom God says, that they had not spoken of Him the thing
that was right, as his servant Jacob had. Job xlii. 7.
It is possible, indeed, dear friend, that the state of the
mind may be attributed to a bodily cause, when it is not real-
ly owing to it; but what is there about which errors may
not be committed 7 And, therefore, though this is a strong
reason for caution, it is none for discarding a fact, and re-
fusing to learn from it what it is fitted to teach. If the
mind is quite susceptible of impressions from worldly
things, corresponding with their nature, and not so in re-
gard to spiritual objects, then certainly the cause is not an
infirmity, but a morally evil principle. This, therefore,
requires particular attention. I beg you to remember, in
connexion with this, that though, as we advance in life,
Christian principle may become more vigorous, it may not
always produce the same warmth or tenderness of feeling.
A change in the constitution, or the decay of animal nature,
sufficiently accounts for this. A similar effect is produced
in regard to worldly objects ; for even when we are deeply
engaged with them, there is not in advanced life the same
degree of liveliness in our feelings, as was in our early
days. The same principle is applicable to different kinds
of natural temperament. Particular circumstances, when
joined with certain constitutional tendencies, will some-
times cause one part of the truth to impress the mind more
than other parts of it ; and at such times there may, for
example, be such a view had of the all-sufficiency and
faithfulness of God, as will lead to bow submissively to
his will, while there is not that view of his whole charac-
ter which fills with unutterable joy.
The reality and the vigor of our piety are not to be
Vol. ii. 20
2S0 THE MAINTENANCE
judged of, therefore, by the ebbs and flows of our animal
spirits. Love to the trurth may operate at one time with
-more tender and affectionate feelings than at another ; but
in the latter case, it may be as apparent in the solidity of
our attachment, in the cheerfulness and activity of our
obedience, and in our patience under suffering. It were
very wrong to confound the latter state of mind with re-
ligious declension, for it manifests genuine love no less than
the former. In this way is the life of religion often main-
tained to old age, and thus " while the outward man decays,
the inward man is renewed day by day." Frames and
feelings pass away, but the word of the Lord endureth for
ever. The soul may have good hope through grace, and
may be able calmly and peacefully to step into eternity,
though nothing like rapture is enjoyed.
Allow me now to say a few words in regard to the dis-
couragement which arises from the failure of our many ef-
forts against sin. Sin gains no advantage over us so long
as we keep depending on the Saviour, but the moment we
commence a warfare distinct from him, it prevails, and all
our efforts against it are baffled. Feeling this, we bemoan
our case, and get discouraged. But the fact is, that instead
of acting under the influence of love, from a sense of great
forgiveness, we are at bottom engaged in laboring to make
our peace with God. Now, this is not the spirit of a child,
and never can we cleanse ourselves from our filthiness, but
by the influence of the grace and promises of Heaven.
We are very apt to imagine, that we are fighting against
sin, on the principles of the gospel, when in reality we are
struggling to establish some kind of claim on God for its
blessings.
Instead of depending on the Saviour, we wish to add to
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 231
the strength of the foundation of hope, by some additional
security. We dread lest we be deceived in trusting solely
to the declaration of God in his word. In addition to these,
we may secretly wish for a voice from heaven, or some di-
rect revelation to-assure us of our safety; or, which comes
to the same thing, we are busy in endeavoring to work
ourselves up to a particular state of feeling, or to work out
some good thing in ourselves, before going to the cross for
deliverance. Like Peter, who, though he had the word of
his Master to rely on, instead of looking to his Lord, and
simply crediting his word, fixed his eyes exclusively on the
waves, and forgot the encouraging call that had been given
him, we fix our attention exclusively on our guilt and our
danger, and so lose sight of the all-sufficiency of that re-
medy revealed in the gospel, and busy ourselves in seek-
ing relief from some other quarter. The dread which seized
he apostle, arose from his forgetting that his Master's call
to him to venture on the water, implied that it would be
safe for him to do so, since the waves obeyed the word of
the Saviour. In like manner, if, while we do not in words
deny the truth of the gospel, we are afraid to trust it with-
out something of a more direct and tangible nature added
to it, our fear will tend to sink, rather than to save us.
In such a case, when feeling the works of unbelieving
fear, and our consequent insecurity, let us, as Peter did,
cry to the Lord. Let us do so, not only for pardon, but
also for deliverance from an evil heart of unbelief. When
we read that the blood of the Son of God cleanseth from
all sin, let us believe it, and be encouraged to keep his way,
and this will at once calm and purify the heart. We shall
thus be freed from all self-righteous labor, and from all the
disappointments arising from this misgiving foundation. Do
232 THE MAINTENANCE
we read of the number, power, malice, and wiles of our
enemies, — we also read of the love and of the grace of
God, and believing the promises of defence, guidance, and
support, we shall meet our foes, and, relying on the Lord,
we shall overcome them.
The promises are sometimes so clearly seen, that they
cannot but be believed ; and we are ready to think, that our
faith shall be always equally strong, forgetting the neces-
sity of constant watchfulness, and we are thus laid open to
temptation. One cause of this error, my dear friend, is,
that we are apt to make a distinction between what we
were when we first believed, and what we are, now that we
are Christians, in regard to the ground of peace under a
consciousness of guilt, and to the way of access to God.
Now these are the same to a Christian, as to a man who
has hitherto been a stranger to piety. This was taught of
old, by the commandment which required that every new
approach unto God should be made with blood. The per«
fection of Christ's sacrifice has rendered it unnecessary to
offer another, but we ought not to draw near to God, or ex-
pect pardon but by again pleading the worth, and relying on
the virtue of his accepted offering. No doubt a Christian
has advantages which another has not. The fellowship he
has with God, the experience he has had of the power of his
grace, and the progress he has made in the life of religion,
must all be felt an encouragement to go to the throne of
his Father, and may be the means of enlivening his devo-
tion, and of establishing and strengthening his faith. But
these are abused if they are made the ground of his access
to God, or the foundation of his acceptance with him.
Never ought the blessings of his family to be put in the
place of the work of his Son, on account of which alone
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 233
he communicates of his goodness. To do so is not to hold
fast the beginning of our confidence which was nothing but
the atonement. No sooner do we thus err, than the sanctify-
ing power of the truth ceases to be felt, for its true glory is
thereby eclipsed. We feel the difference, and are perhaps
struck with it, but the cause is in ourselves, and our own
backslidings in this way reprove us.
When I speak of the ground of forgiven«ss, and the me-
dium of access to God, as the same in every case, I am far
from meaning that the advancing Christian has no comfort
but what arises from that peace which is preached to all,
and which springs from nothing but the blood of Christ.
Besides the blessing of peace of conscience, under a sense
of guilt, the Christian, while he walks with God, enjoys
comfort in his obedience, and tastes an earnest of the bles-
sedness of heaven itself. These enjoyments doubtless arise
from resting on the proper foundation of confidence ; but
this is very different from their being the ground of that
confidence. When the apostle says, that we know that we
are passed from death to life, because we love the breth-
ren, his meaning cannot be that our love to the brethren is
the cause of our having passed from death to life ; it is
only the fruit and evidence of a change of mind. In like
manner, when he says, if our heart condemn us not as in-
sincere in our profession of faith, then have we confidence
towards God, 1 John iii. 14 — 21, he is not speaking of the
foundation of our access to God, nor representing our con-
sciousness of integrity in our profession of faith as the
ground of our confidence before Him, but. is affirming, that
in this state of mind we approach God with a good con-
science, as opposed to the distrust which must fill the mind
of the man whose own heart condemns him for hypocrisy
20*
234 THE MAINTENANCE
in his profession and worship. If we are really living by-
faith in the atonement, and so have our conscience purged
by it, we can draw near to God with confidence. Of this
state of mind, obedience is a fruit and token ; and hence it
is said, that we shall obtain what we ask, because we keep
his commandments; that is, since in this state of mind, our
desires are in union with the will of God, they shall there-
fore be gratified. John xv. 7.
It is not necessary, surely, that a Christian should be
conscious of hypocrisy in his profession of the faith, in or-
der to his being humble before God, and to his really plac-
ing his confidence in the atonement. Peter, in the integ-
rity of his heart, said, " Lord, thou knowest all things ;
thou knowest that I love thee*" Was this the language of
pride ? Was it not the language of a humbled and a penitent
character ; of one who had been restored, and who was
now called to strengthen his brethren. When a Christian
has the deepest views of his guilt and unworthiness, and is
most deeply humbled before God, he may be able to say,
in the integrity of his heart, that all his hope as a sinner is
on the atonement, that he loves the gospel of peace, and
that having much forgiven he loves much. W7hat is he
conscious of but that he loves that truth which condemns
him before God, strips him of all his fancied righteousness,
and shuts him up to the cross as his only refuge, by con-
vincing him that between him and the pit of perdition there
is nothing but the finished work of the Redeemer ? These
are not the feelings of a man who is engaged in reflecting
on the warmth and the constancy of his love, and is pleas-
ing himself with the thought that he has done well, and
that therefore he is safe. Far from the Christian's mind
are ideas such as these, and yet he cannot condemn him-
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 235
self as destitute of love. Such may be the abundant sense
of the love of God, as revealed in the atonement, that his
soul may be filled with the most ardent affection, and that
he may come before God without the least of that fear
which hath torment, while he worships at the throne of
grace with humble and reverential awe.
If, on the other hand, a man's conscience condemns him,
by testifying that he does not believe in the sufficiency of the
blood of Christ to purge from all sin, it is impossible that
he can enjoy peace with God, or have any comfort in ap-
proaching him. If our heart testifies that we are insincere
in our confession of sin, and that we are resolved not to
forsake it, we cannot in such circumstances enjoy a sense
of forgiveness, for wherever there is a scriptural sense of
pardon, there is genuine contrition, which is followed by
forsaking the ways of iniquity. The testimony of a Chris-
tian's conscience, that he loves the truth and the character
of God, is connected with a deep and a humbling sense of
his sinfulness and imperfections, which leads him to the
atonement as the sole ground of his hope, and to the throne
of grace for mercy to pardon and grace to help him in time
of need.
Forget not, my dear friend, that a deep sense of unwor-
thiness, and of the weakness of our love to the Saviour,
when compared with the glory of his character, and the
greatness of his love to us, is much fitted to cause us to
question if we indeed love him at all, while yet he really
has our hearts. Remember also that genuine affection ap-
pears not only in burning ardor and rapturous delight, but
in a settled complacency, in a readiness to suffer and to act
for our Lord, and in humble and abasing views of our-
selves, when we dwell on his character. The immense
236 THE MAINTENANCE
interest which we have at stake is also fitted to stagger our
confidence. The man who has no interest in a vessel that
is at sea, can easily be persuaded of its safety, but he whose
all is on board, feels many anxieties. Is it matter of won-
der, then, that creatures such as we are should at times
feel perplexed when the unutterable importance of eternity
is vividly before us? What is it, however, that can settle
the mind, but growth in grace, and in the knowledge of
Christ?
It becomes us, then, to hear the voice which says,
" Abide in me, and I will abide in you." We ought to
live by faith, for holiness as well as pardon. " I live,"
says Paul, " yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." And
when he spake of his labors he said, " Yet not I, but the
grace of God that was with me." This language is not
meant by him to discourage the use of means to mortify
sin ; far from it, but to warn against confidence in the
means considered in themselves, and to lead to a life of
prayer to the Lord, and of simple and constant trust in
him. Ever are we dependent on him ; and it is a blessed
thing to be in the constant habit of uniting complete reli-
ance on him with unabating activity. In this case we la-
bor not from any high opinion of our powers, but because
we trust in God, who has graciously promised us his Spi-
rit in answer to our prayers.
We are naturally unwilling to be kept in constant de-
pendence on the communication of aid from above. Too
often do we ask assistance, not only for the present neces-
sity, but that we may have a kind of stock in ourselves,
that we may not need to be daily coming unto God, as
poor and helpless sinners. Our spirit is like to that of the
Israelites, who were averse to the humbling manner in
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 237
which they were fed with the manna, when every day
they were obliged to go and gather of it for their support, in-
stead of being allowed to lay it up in store. They would
not live by faith, but would have a visible God, and visible
means of support and security ; and is not a life of faith
contrary to our natural bias ? How unwilling are we to
look afresh every day for our spiritual provision, and to
trust in God without some visible means of supply ? At
one time they refused to go against the Canaanites, though
God had promised to be with them ; and at another, they
would go against them though they had no promise of his
presence. In the former instance, they would not use the
means of conquest in the faith of the promise, and in the
latter they would use them without expecting their success
from the divine blessing, but from their employment of
them. Now true piety unites faith in God with the use of
means. The assurance of success always leads to activity,
while the dread of a defeat enervates the heart. Of course
the promises of aid and of victory, instead of relaxing dili-
gence, stimulate to it. If we have in any case failed, they
will lead us to blame ourselves, and, at the same time to
say, " Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy, when I fall
I shall arise." It was God's revealing to David that he
would build him an house, which made him find in his
heart to pray so earnestly for the establishment of it. And
in like manner, when we look to the promise of the ever-
lasting covenant, in which the Lord says, he will write his
laws on our hearts, we become the more earnest in watch-
ing and praying, and laboring in the use of appointed
means, that the work may be accomplished.
To neglect duty because we do not feel a particular
degree of warmth in our affections, proceeds either from
238 THE MAINTENANCE
the notion that our disposition for duty is the result of
something which we must effect in ourselves, or from an
idea that the aid of the Holy Spirit is given in an imme-
diate manner. Satan is thus transformed into an angel of
light. While there is an appearance of humility in de-
pressing, with a sense of emptiness, the mind is turned
from the fulness that is in Christ, and to which we have
constant access. The Christian it is true is taught to feel
his insufficiency for any duty, but never to induce him to
neglect what he is called to, but rather to make him the
more careful to go to his Lord for all that he needs. A
great part of spiritual wisdom consists in maintaining
at once a deep conviction of our own weakness, and a
firm persuasion that we can do all things through Christ
who strengtheneth us, in uniting simplicity of dependence
on divine grace with constant activity in the work of God.
We ought, in humility, to act rather than dispute; and
thus to unite in our practice the two doctrines, relative to
the duty of man and the free grace of Jehovah. If the
Lord had barely revealed his goodness in pardoning sin,
and had merely said that he would sanctify us, without
telling us how, or prescribing to us any regimen, or direct-
ing us to any medicine to cure our spiritual maladies, this
had been saying to us, " Stand still and see the salvation
of our God." With regard, indeed, to the work of atone-
ment and the victory of the Saviour, and also our final de-
liverance from the consequences of sin, this language is
strictly appropriate. But with regard to our sanctification,
commands and exhortations have been given along with
manifestations of the grace of God, and promises of his
aid; and we are called to quit ourselves like men, and to
be strong in the orrace that is in Christ Jesus. It is on this
OF CHRISTIAN CONFIDENCE. 239
principle that the apostle calls on Christians to work out
their salvation with fear and trembling. Phil. ii. 12, 13.
He is addressing believers, and not unbelievers of the gos-
pel ; and is calling on them not to work out their justifica-
tion, for they were already justified by faith without works
of law, but to endeavor to be progressively delivered from
the dominion of sinful principles, the influence of tempta-
tion, and the practice of iniquity, by the sanctifying energy
of the unuterable and free love of God, which had already
been manifested towards them in their redemption through
the death of his Son.
The rest which the Lord had promised his people, is not
that which arises from the persuasion that no enemy shall
ever attack us, — it is that which arises from confidence in
the power, faithfulness, and love of the Captain of Salvation,
by whom we have been called to the conflict, and who hath
said that we shall be more than conquerors. We are prone
to seek such a certification of our safety as would supersede,
not merely the fear which hath torment, but that godly and
cautious fear by which we are preserved. We wish to be
assured of our safety in a way which would render it un-
necessary to be daily and constantly coming to the Sa-
viour, and maintaining that watchfulness and holy circum-
spection which the gospel requires. Now such a kind of
safety is quite different from that which is the privilege of
Christians, and it is the unbelief and carnality of the heart
which desires it. Confidence in God is to be united with the
diligent and constant exercise of every Christian p inciple,
in the conscientious discharge of every commanded duty.
It is the union of these things, then — reliance on God, and
activity in the use of means, — that distinguishes a Christian.
Make the word of God, then, your counsellor, and look
240 THE LORDS SUPPER.
to him for guidance and assistance, and expect not too
much from creatures. It has been well observed that
truth is the daughter of calmness, of unbroken meditations,
and of thoughts often revised and corrected. I am, &c.
LETTER XXVI.
ON THE LORDS SUPPER.
The Lord's Supper a commemorative ordinance — A profession of
faith in the atonement — A communion feast — A profession of con-
fidence in the Divine promises — A profession of faith in the second
coming of Christ — General remarks — Conclusion.
My dear friend,
I shall now, agreeably to your request, write you a few
thoughts on the Lord's Supper. The nature, design, and
subject of this ordinance, may easily be learned from the
words of its institution, and from the direct references to it
in the apostolic writings. We are there taught, that it is a
commemorative appointment. " Do this in remembrance
of rne," is the language of our Lord, — language which
refers to the natural depravity, weakness, and instability
of our hearts, through which we are prone to forget him,
and which teaches us that this institution is appointed for
the purpose of counteracting these evils, and keeping him
in our constant, grateful, and affectionate remembrance.
Here our faith and love arc assisted by our senses, for in
various respects it is an emblematical ordinance, in subser-
viency to its commemorative design.
the lord's supper. 241
The bread is an emblem of the body of Christ, and the
wine is a sign of his blood. The breaking of the bread is
a significant action, being emblematical of the body of our
Lord as crucified, and so a representation of his sufferings
when his body was bruised and broken for us. " This is
my body broken for you," was the pathetic declaration of
the Saviour, in which he exhibited himself as the substitute
for sinners, his death as a sacrifice for sin, and the be-
nevolent design of his undertaking, which was to redeem
his people from guilt and from ruin. The wine, as a figure
of the blood of Christ, is a sign of that in the sacrifice
which made the attonement. This, the Israelites were
taught, was the blood of the victim ; for, said God, " The
life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you
upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls ; for
it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul." Lev.
xvii. 11. The blood of the Redeemer was his life, which
he gave up in sacrifice as a ransom for the souls of men.
Hence he is said to have poured out his soul unto death,
and to have made his soul an offering for sin. In allusion
to this, he says, that the wine in the cup represents his
blood as shed, or poured out — of which the pouring out of
the blood of the ancient sacrifices was a figure. This typi-
cal rite in the services of the Levitical sanctuary was no
doubt in his eye, and he here represents himself as the
great antitype of the figures of the law. He appears also
to have had in view the drink-offerings which accompanied
the Mosaic sacrifices, and which were poured out unto God ;
Num. xxviii. 7. as when he speaks of his body as broken,
he seems to refer to certain of the meat-offerings, Lev. ii.
5, 6, 14, which were offered on expiatory occasions. The
latter, when connected with blood-offerings, were typical of
Vol. ii. 21
242 THE LORDS SUFPEH.
his oblation, and in an extreme case, even when offered
without them. Lev. v. 11, 13.
The distinction which he makes between his body and
his blood is not to lead us to separate the two, but to present
to us the same grand subject of the atonement in different
lights, — the breaking of his body being designed to signify
his whole sufferings in our nature, and the pouring out of
his blood being meant to denote their tremendous issue in
his death, their propitiatory nature, and their blissful result ;
even the " remission of the sins of many." For him a
body was prepared, Heb. x. 5, or, in other words, he be-
came a partaker of our whole nature, including flesh and
blood, strictly so called, and a rational soul. By his obedi-
ence to the will of God, which called him to give himself
in sacrifice for sin, we are said to be separated to God,
namely, " through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all." Here, of course, more is meant than his
body literally, even the whole offering of himself. Accord-
ingly, the propitiatory nature of his sufferings, and their
happy effect in taking away sin, are elsewhere distinctly
set before us in reference to his blood as shed for the remis-
sion of sins, and for the same purpose presented in the
heavenly sanctuary. Heb. ix. 14, 15, 22, 23, and x. 19.
Such, then, is the emblematical nature of this institution,
which, as I have said, is in subserviency to its commemo-
rative design. Our faith and our affection are aided by our
senses as we contemplate these external symbols, — our
weakness is kindly met and provided against. This is
one of the many instances of the divine condescention with
which we are graciously favored, and is a striking proof
of the care and affection of our High Priest.
In celebrating this ordinance, we ought, then, to keep up
the lord's surrER. 243
a constant remembrance of the Saviour. We ought to re
member the dignity of his person as God in our nature,
what he hath done for us in coming from heaven to earth,
in veiling his glory, becoming, though rich, poor for our
sokes, and cheerfully stooping to be a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. We ought to dwell particularly on
the rich, the generous, and the amazing love which moved
him for us to become obedient unto death, and to encounter
and sustain all the horrors of the curse. We ought to re-
member the blissful issues and consequences of his propi-
tiatory sacrifices ; his present and constant ministrations
for us in the heavenly temple ; the perpetuity of his attach-
ment, and the sweet tenderness of his regards ; now that
he is alive in the world of light, and there invested with
universal government. With deep interest we ought to
keep in memory the many and valuable blessings which he
hath freely procured for us. The language of our hearts
ought ever to be,
" O thou, my soul, forget no more
The Friend who all thy misery bore."
This institution is appointed to keep up the remembrance
in particular of the death of Christ. It is so, because of
the unutterable importance of this event. It was the death
of the Prince of Life, the Son of God, the Lord of Glory.
It was most voluntary on the part of the wondrous sufferer,
while it was at the same time the effect of the most excru-
ciating anguish. Never was there an act of worship like
to it. Here love and devotedness to God were displayed in
their highest glory ; here his claims were manifested and
answered to the full, and here there was the brightest exhi-
bition of the perfections of his character. The most im-
portant consequences have followed in securing the honors
244
of the divine law : vindicating the rights of the divine gov-
ernment, and "opening the kingdom of heaven to all be-
lievers." Here a perfect expiation is found, and here was
finished that wondrous work which is ever pleaded by the
Saviour, and is most prevalently intercessory. This is the
centre of the ineffable delight of God ; it is the source of
peace, and hope, and joy ; it leads back to God with the
sweetest and most attractive power ; it forms our character
upon his ; and it will be the subject of universal love, ad-
miration, and song, in the heavenly and eternal world. Into
this the " angels desire to look." Long had they contem-
plated the progress of events leading to it, and when it took
place it was like a flood of light bursting forth upon them,
and heaven was filled with joy.
If the mere spectators of this feel thus, how ought we to
feel who are indebted to it for redemption from all evil and
the enjoyment of all good ? Where shall the affections be
engaged if not at the cross of Christ? What can fire the
soul if this is contemplated with coldness ? Ought not our
hearts to be animated and engaged according to the worth
and glory of the object, and the importance of the subject
which attracts them, and the degree of our interest in it 1
And if so, must they not here be elevated indeed 7 Surely,
then, the importance of the Saviour's death is a proper
reason why it has been appointed to be thus devoutly re-
membered.
But the commandment to commemorate the death of the
Redeemer springs also from love to us. It is not issued as
a mere test of obedience, or merely as a display of author-
ity— it is the counsel of a friend — of a brother — of Him
who loved us, and is desirous of our hearts in return, be-
cause this spirit is essential to our happiness. It was fol-
the lord's suiter. 245
lowed by the declaration, that he would not drink the fruit
of the vine till he drank it new with them in his Father's
kingdom. He meant this as a promise, that he would not
forget his friends when in his kingdom, but would impart
to them of its new joys. He entered into joy when he rose
and was glorified: and he made them to taste of it when
he gave then the consolations of his Spirit, who took of his
things and showed them unto them, and particularly as they
did eat and drink at his table. He appointed his supper as
a memorial of his love, and as an outward token that he
would not drink the new wine of the kingdom alone, but
would cause them to drink of it along with himself. He
thus promises that they shall sup with him, and he with
them. It is an ordinance, then, designed for our comfort,
and purity, and joy. He well knows, that when the soul
is conscious of guilt, and filled with the dread of judgment,
if we remember his sufferings and atonement, we shall ob-
tain rest. When we feel that our hearts are cold and in-
sensible, he is aware, that if we look to him whom our sins
have pierced, we shall be melted into tenderness. — The
hard heart will be softened, and we shall cleave to him with
mingled sorrow and joy — sorrow, when we reflect on what
our sins cost him — and joy, when we think of his love, of
his salvation, and of the blessedness of his fellowship. He
knows, that in the path of obedience we shall find, in re-
membering him, the most powerful motives and encourage-
ments to fidelity in duty. He is aware, that amidst all our
sufferings and trials, our perplexities and sorrows, our
weaknesses and distresses, if we but remember him aright,
we shall be encouraged and strengthened — filled with hope,
and with gladness, and enabled to triumph in the view even
of death and eternity. His honor and our profit are thus
21*
246 the lord's supper.
kindly and naturally united. Surely, then, every conside-
ration of duty and of interest should induce us to listen to
his last wish, and to obey his last injunction.
But in the observance of this rite we also profess our
faith in the work of Christ, as the sole ground of our ac-
ceptance with God. "As often as ye eat this bread, and
drink this cup, do ye show the Lord's death." In obedi-
ence to this, we, in celebrating this appointment, publicly
confess Christ crucified as our only Saviour — we exhibit
his death, as the only foundation of our hope towards God,
and we openly glory in our connexion with him who suf-
fered, and died, amidst ignominy and contempt, and who
is in his true character still despised of the world. We
therefore not only declare that the work of Christ is all our
salvation, and all our desire, but we also proclaim to every
one around us, that the redemption of the cross is as free
to them as to us, and we virtually call upon them, not in-
deed to unite with us in the observance of this rite, while
yet in their sins, but certainly to embrace the truth and the
salvation of Jesus. Thus the institution not only edifies
believers, it may also be blessed to all who witness its ob-
servance. It is of course a public and not a private service.
In Scripture it is invariably represented as an open profes-
sion of faith and discipleship, and as always observed with
with an assembly of Christians. The injunction to show,
or exhibit the death of Christ, is a proof that the observ-
ance of the institution was viewed as a very striking man-
ner of proclaiming the gospel to spectators ; and from
being such none were excluded. It formed, accordingly, a
part of the stated services of the Churches for a long pe-
riod, as is evident from Scripture, and from historic testi-
mony of undoubted credit. Acts ii. 42 ; xx. 7. 1 Cor. xi.
the lord's surrER. 247
26. This exhibits an interesting harmony between the
death and the resurrection of Jesus. The latter is com-
memorated by hallowing that day on which he arose ; and
as we cannot think of that delightful event without think-
ing of his death, it is edifying to observe, at the same time,
that institution, the object of which is to assist in this very
exercise. It accords also with the principle of love to the
Saviour, for as we profess to be the friends of Christ, will
not love lead us to ask, how often we may enjoy this de-
lighted privilege ? and the more frequently we can, the more
love will rejoice.
But while none were excluded from witnessing it, it is
self-evident, that none could thus confess their faith in the
one sacrifice of Christ as the only ground of acceptance
with God, who did not believe the gospel. The confes-
sion made in the observance of this institution, necessarily
implies, that we perceive the complete sufficiency of the
atonement of Jesus to take away sin, and to reconcile us
to God. It implies, that we see here an answer to every
perplexing question, as to the way of acceptance, and the
source of peace to a guilty conscience — becanse here God
appears at once, just and merciful in perfection — just, and
yet the justifier of the ungodly. Without this the confes-
sion in question cannot be made in sincerity and truth. It
is the belief of the gospel alone that implants that love to
Christ, and excites that supreme desire to be found in him,
by which Christians are distinguished, and under the in-
fluence of which they gratefully, and affectionately, com-
memorate his death. An indiscriminate admission to this
ordinance were therefore in utter opposition to its nature
and design, dishonorable to the Saviour, and of the most
ruinous tendency to the partakers themselves. On the
248 - the lord's supper.
other hand, how delightful and edifying it is to confess
with the understanding and the heart the important and
precious truth in which is displayed the glory of the divine
character, and the harmony of the divine perfections.
Christians are called to separate themselves from the
irreligious of every class, and to unite in religious society
to partake of this and other institutions. The church of
Christ is as distinct from the world as ever ; and it ought
visibly to appear so. Not that the design of that union,
which ought to exist among Christians is merely that they
may obtain access to the table of the Lord, but that, con-
nected therewith, they may edify one another by walking
in love, as Christ also loved them, and that by exhibiting
the sanctifying, the benevolent, and the gladdening influ-
ence of the gospel, they may recommend it to the world.
When a Church of Christ thus adorns the doctrine of God
their Saviour, they ought also to recommend it to such as
may come into their assembly, "by showing forth our
Lord's death till he come." This is quite a different thing
from indiscriminate fellowship with them.
I am here led to remark, that this ordinance is also a
communion feast. It is called a feast, in allusion to the
Passover, in 1 Cor. v. 8 ; and in chapter x. 15 — 21, it is
illustrated by the feasts which were connected with sacri-
fices, both among the Jews and the Gentiles. It is a re-
presentation of a feast upon a sacrifice, and of our fellow-
ship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, and
with one another, in that blessedness which springs from
the divine glory as manifested in the one offering of the
Redeemer.
In the passages just referred to, the apostle sets the body
and blood of Christ in osposilion to the sacrifices of the
TIIE LORD S SUPPER. 249
Gentiles, and makes a reference to those sacrifices of the
Israelites of which the priests and the people were in cer-
tain circumstances allowed to eat. In eating of the peace-
offerings, there was a representation of that peace and con-
sequent mutual fellowship which subsisted among all who
jointly partook of them. Part of the sacrifice was con-
sumed upon the altar, and was considered as received by
the God of the altar, and of course was his part — part was
eaten by the priest, and part by the people. Lev. vii. 6, 15.
Thus God, the priest, and the people, partook of the same
sacrifice. They all sat, as it were, at one table, partici-
pated in the same enjoyment, and so had fellowship. The
Lord's Supper, then, represents joint fellowship in partak-
ing of the sacrifice of Christ. The bread and wine are
not by any means offered in sacrifice — they are but out-
ward signs of that by which a sacrifice has been made by
the Saviour. Of course, our eating and drinking of them
is not that in which we have fellowship with God and with
his Son, for of these they do not partake with us; but our
eating bread and drinking wine is a sign, or visible repre-
sentation of our spiritually partaking with them in the en-
joyment which springs from the glories of the cross as an
adequate exhibition of the divine character. Since the
happiness of God arises from his own character, and since
the work of the Redeemer gives the fullest and brightest
display of it, here of course his soul dwells — here the ful-
ness of his delight rests, and from his glorious character,
as here manifested, his blessedness springs. Isaiah xlii. 1.
21. Matth. xvii. 5. Eph. v. 2. Now we have fellow-
ship with the Father when we perceive and relish this dis-
play of his glory ; when our hearts are captivated with his
excellencies ; when from this we derive our peace, and
250 the lord's supper.
hope, and joy ; when we imbibe his spirit, enter into his
views, and become one with him in principle, affection,
aim, and pursuit. Then that which delights his soul, not
only calms and delights our guilty and troubled heart, but
fills it with holy and exalted gladness. That which he
contemplates and enjoys we study and delight in. We in
particular judge of the Saviour as he does ; we bless him
for delivering our surety from death, and for crowning
him with glory and honor. In a word, we participate of
his feelings, and we drink at the fountain head of all true
bliss, and the happiness of Jehovah becomes our happiness
through that transformation into his likeness which is ef-
fected by beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord.
This institution also represents our fellowship with the
Saviour, who, as Emmanuel and as our High Priest, is
now blessed in contemplating and enjoying the divine glory
and character as displayed in his work. In allusion to the
privilege granted the Israelites of eating of the peace-offer-
ings, it is said, that " the meek shall eat " of his sacrifice
and be satisfied. Psalm xxii. 26. This is that altar of
which, as Christians, we partake, Heb. xiii. 10, and this is
the meaning of the law which allowed the ancient priests
to partake along with them. The Redeemer, in his priest-
ly character, is blessed in beholding the divine character
as manifested and glorified in his wondrous sacrifice.
When speaking of himself as the bread of life, and, as
such, the antitype of the ancient manna, he refers to his
sacrifice, declaring that he would give his flesh for the life
of the world, and that whosoever did eat of his flesh, and
drink of his blood, had eternal life begun, and should have
it in full perfection at the last day. John vi. 51 — 56. He
who believes in the divine testimony concerning his sacri-
THE LORDS SUPPER. 251
hce, is said to eat of it, because lie continues to contemplate
it, to trust his salvation upon it, to derive from it his peace,
hope, and happiness, to imbibe the spirit it displays, and to
imitate the character it exhibits. Our Lord is not there
speaking of the ordinance of his supper, for many who
have no access to it, and never observed it, are blessed
with his salvation ; but still he is speaking of the great
thing represented in this institution. To be a thing, how
ever, and to be but a sign or representation of it, are very
dillerent, and ought not to be confounded. To apply the
striking metaphors by which the Saviour taught the neces-
sity of faith in his atonement, to the rite which is only
symbolical of the spiritual exercise, is to substitute the let-
ter for the spirit. To such as are living by faith in the
sacrifice of Christ, the outward sign will be of use, and such
ought to improve the privilege when in their power, and
when not in their power, the Saviour can supply the lack.
But those who are strangers to this faith, and of course to
the life connected with it, can derive no benefit from their
eating of the Lord's Supper, but, on the contrary, must be
injured by it.
The life of which the Saviour speaks is not merely ex-
istence, but blessedness; so that when he speaks of "the
living Father," he refers not merely to his being, but also
to his happiness ; and when he says that he " lives by the
Father," he refers to his life and blessedness as Mediator,
the full glory of which is possessed by him as the Great
High Priest of the house of God in the enjoyment of the
manifestation of his Father's glory in his own person, and
character, his work and his kingdom. When, therefore,
he says, that whosoever eateth of his sacrifice " shall live
by him as he lives by the Father," he refers to that fellow*
252 the lord's supper.
ship with him in blessedness, which arises from contem-
plating the divine, character as displayed in his work. Of
this, then, our eating and drinking of the symbols of his
sacrifice is an expressive representation. It is an outward
sign that we drink with him of that new wine, or that ex-
alted joy of which he partakes in his Father's kingdom ;
that kingdom which is founded on his finished work, which
he received on his entrance into glory.
But there is here also a representation of our fellowship
with each other. It is not intended for an individual as
such, but is a social ordinance, as is evident from 1 Cor.
x. 15, where it is said, " The cup of blessing, for which we
bless, or give thanks, is it not the communion (or joint
participation) of the blood of Christ? the bread which
we break, is it not the communion (or the joint partici-
pation) of the body of Christ 1 " The proper reading of
the 17th verse is, " Because the bread is one, we the
many are one body, for we all partake of one bread."
Now, it is evidently the design of the apostle to show, that
the institution is a social one, and that it is a visible repre-
sentation of the close fellowship of those who partake of
it. It could not on any other principle be called a " com-
munion." It is, of course, intended to exhibit the unity of the
church which observes it as one body, united in the faith of
the same gospel, in the hope of deliverance from the evils
common to them all, in the expectation of glory, founded
on the common foundation of the cross, in the enjoyment
of the same blessings and privileges, and in the same fel-
lowship of their exalted Lord, as their common Head, De-
liverer, and Ruler. Eph. iv. 4 — 6. 1 Cor. xii. 12, 13.
They meet as brethren, and unite in celebrating, by one
service, that wondrous event in which they are all equally
the lord's supper. 258
interested ; and thus is the spirit of love, and tenderness,
and liberality, cherished and strengthened. Every par-
ticular church is thus a visible representation of the fellow-
ship of the general assembly and church of the first-born,
with their Father, their Elder Brother, the Saviour, and
with each other. Hence the Corinthians were blamed for
separating into parties, and eating the Lord's supper apart
from each other, and were required to tarry one for another
when it was to be observed. 1 Cor. xi. 21 — 33. It was
only when the disciples " came together" in the assembly
that this ordinance was to be administered. I need not say,
then, that since an individual, as such, cannot represent
the joint fellowship of a body, it follows undeniably, that
the social observance of the right is essenttal to it, as other-
wise it is converted into a thing quite different, and its true
nature is lost sight of.
The apostle, in 1 Corinthians x. 16, shows that the very
external form of the ordinance manifests, that it is the joint
act, not of an assembly indiscriminately collected, but of a
select society. He proves this from their joint participa-
tion in the breaking and eating of the same bread, and in
drinking of the same cup ; and from their jointly blessing, or
praising God by thanksgiving, for the many blessings which,
as Christians, they had actually received through the atone-
ment, and for that love of which it is the fruit and token.
Acts ii. 47, and v. 13, 14. We are called then to con-
sider, not only ourselves, but our fellow- worshippers, as the
first Christians most evidently did. The primitive churches
were societies of (Ephes. i. 1. Article 19lh of the church
of England) " faithful men ;" that is, of such as appeared
to be believers in Christ ; and when any of their number
acted unsuitably to their profession, prompt and appropriate
Vol. ii. " 22
254 the lord's supper.
means were used to bring him to repentance ; and, if the
means failed, separation from their fellowship followed.
Matt, xviii. 15—17. 1 Tim. v. 20. 1 Cor. v. 7—11, 13.
1 Tim. iii. 1—5. Luke xvii. 3, 4. Gal. vi. 1. 2 Cor.
ii. 6 — 8. Their fellowship was just the constant exercise
of the principle of love. And surely the most genuine
exercise of this principle is to guard others, as far as we
can, against being deceived in the important concerns of
eternity ; and great must be the violation of it, when, by
our conduct towards them, we contribute to their deception.
Lev. xix. 17. Gen. iv. 9. To whom but to the friends of
Christ can these moving words be addressed, " This do in
remembrance of me." Can any one either expect or de-
sire to be remembered by such as continue his enemies ?
And can the enemies of Christ be expected gratefully to re-
member him, or cheerfully to obey him? For whom then
is this ordinance intended, but for those who, conscious of
guilt and unworthiness, have fled for refuge to his cross,
and who, as abased and self-condemned sinners, are earn-
estly desirous of expressing their gratitude to him, who
loved them and gave himself for them. It is intended for
such as can say, " We do not presume to come to this thy
table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness,
but in thy great and manifold mercies. We are not wor-
thy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table."
And whose hearts say, Lord Jesus I would remember thee ;
and though my gratitude and love are low and languid, yet
my soul desires to be quickened and excited by the recol-
lection of thy constant and unspeakable love.
But in this ordinance there is not only a joint act of fel-
lowship, but a representation of a mutual act of communion
in giving and receiving. God is exhibited as giving us his
255
Son, and the Redeemer as giving himself for us; while we
ought with the most grateful and delightful emotions, to re-
ceive with humility and joy the unutterably precious bless-
ings of salvation. As meat and drink are the necessary
ingredients in the sustenance of man, so the symbols of
his broken body and shed blood are signs of that full pro-
vision which is made for our redemption and happiness ;
" for his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink in-
deed." As bread and wine nourish our bodies, so do the
communications of the divine goodness, through the atone-
ment of Christ, nourish our souls. The atonement, and
all connected with it, become the objects of our thoughts,
and our affections, and the mind takes the character of its
food. Thus is there exhibited a visible representation of
the family of God, receiving all blessings from the Father
through the mediation of their Elder Brother, and in fel-
lowship with one another, expressing their gratitude and joy.
In the observance of this institution, we profess our con-
fidence in the promises of the everlasting covenant, and
our hope of all the blessings they exhibit. " This is my
blood," said the Saviour, ** of the new covenant." By the
covenant of God, is meant his promise of salvation and all
necessary blessings, confirmed by sacrifice. Thus were
the promises to Abraham confirmed, Gen. xv. 9, 10, 18;
and hence were they called a covenant. Thus were the
promises of the old covenant, Exod. xxiv. 5 — 8, and also
those of the new and everlasting covenant confirmed, Heb.
ix. 15—20; xiii. 20. In Gal. hi. 15—18, the apostle
reasons on the principle, that a promise, or promises, and
a covenant, are one and the same thing, it being under-
stood that a sacrifice has been slain for the purpose of con-
firmation. Indeed, the word in the Old Testament used
256 the lord's suffer.
to signify a covenant, signifies a purifier, or purifying sa-
crifice ; and the phrase, for making a covenant, signifies
to cut a purifier, or to cut a purifying victim. The reason
of this is, that when God made the promise of salvation
and eternal life to the guilty and the unworthy children of
men, he confirmed it by sacrifice, in order to show how it
was to be accomplished through an atonement, and that
the atonement typified should insure its fulfilment. I need
not enlarge on the necessity of confirming promises made
to sinners by such means as shall effect reconciliation and
purification. It was in consequence of this that promises
were ratified by slaying a victim, cutting it asunder, and
passing between the parts of it. It is not then a promise
simply that is a covenant, but a promise to sinners con-
firmed by a sacrifice which is illustrative of the way in
which the bestowing of the blessing promised becomes con-
sistent with the divine character and law. To this there
is a reference in Psalm 1. 5, where it is said, " Gather my
saints together unto me ; those that have made (or cut off,
or solemnized) my covenant by sacrifice."
Men soon came to confirm their promises by a sacrifice ;
and as their engagements were generally mutual, the word
came to be used to denote a mutual compact. But, when
the term refers to the covenant of God, it denotes nothing
of this kind, but his own free and gracious promises to the
guilty, and the unworthy, ratified by a sacrifice : or else
an institution, or system of institutions, founded upon, and
illustrative of, his promises. Thus the Sabbath was in
this last sense called his covenant, because it was a sign
of the rest promised to his people ; and the whole system
of the Mosaic institutions is called His covenant, because
they were founded on his promises, and were signs of the
257
blessings promised. Exod. xxxi. 16. His language ac-
cordingly is, not that of a proposal to enter into a mutual
agreement with any individual whatever, but it is, " with
thee will I establish my covenant ;" and corresponding lan-
guage is employed when a body is in question. A cove-
nant among men, 3'ou know, is a mutual stipulation be-
tween two or more parties, for their mutual benefit. But
as God can receive no addition to his blessedness from his
creatures, it is evident that when he establishes a covenant
with them it must be solely for their advantage. The cove-
nant of peace, then, is just his promises of salvation and
eternal life, as ratified by the death of Christ. When God
is viewed as the king of Israel, and the people as his sub-
jects in that character, the term covenant may be used with
greater latitude ; but this, like the exception to a general
rule, confirms, rather than invalidates what has been stated.
When his people offered the appointed sacrifices, they
were simply celebrating the instituted representation of His
covenant, in the faith of the fulfilment of its promises, with
gratitude to him for his goodness, and an earnest desire
of obtaining the blessings he had graciously promised
them. In like manner, in the Lord's Supper, we drink of
that cup, which is a representation of the blood of Christ,
which hath confirmed all the promises of the new covenant ;
for in him they are all yea and amen. 2 Cor. i. 20. By
his blood, every obstacle in the way of their accomplish-
ment is removed. Great, numerous and precious as
are the blessings they contain, they shall all be bestowed
through this sacrifice. It is thus that our hope in the pro-
mises is confirmed by the death of Christ, and this we ex-
press in commemorating it according to his will. Such is
the value of his sacrifice, that God hath declared that he
22*
258 the lord's supper.
never will again remember sin, by requiring any more
offering for it ; and on this he rests the accomplishment of
all the promises of the new and everlasting covenant, Jer.
xxxi. 31—34; Heb. viii. 10—12; x. 17, 18.
It follows, therefore, that there is nothing required like
entering into a covenant, in the common sense of the term.
The covenant of God, it is evident from the passages I
have just referred to, consists of free promises, ratified by
the work of the Redeemer. In this ordinance we are called
to commemorate that glorious work with devout and thank-
ful hearts, and in the sure and certain hope that not one
good word of all that the Lord hath spoken shall fail to be
fulfilled. Not the most distant hint of any thing like a
vow or oath being of the nature of this observance, is given
in the word of God. It is true that our religious services
include the solemn dedication of ourselves, and of all that
we have, to God, and in the observance of the Lord's Supper
there is much that is fitted to cherish this spirit, but this
is not the same thing as is meant by a vow in its common
acceptation. In every act of worship, Christians express
their resolution or purpose to be the devoted subjects of
the Saviour, and not merely at the Lord's table. Here,
no doubt, they ought, in a particular manner, to feel the
power of those motives which urge believers to cleave with
firm purpose of heart to the Lord ; but different ways of
expressing their fixed resolution in the strength of divine
grace, to abide by him, are adapted to different persons,
which, setting aside every other consideration, forbids us
to insist on any one as particularly enjoined.
No doubt, too, the public confession of the truth which
is there made, must aggravate our guilt, if we afterwards
deny it, or cease to be influenced by it, so that it may be
the lokd's sutpeV 259
said to lay us under great obligations. But so, in a mea-
sure, docs our observance of every other divine appoint-
ment, all of which are connected with the death of Christ.
There is much evidence to prove, that the confining a sense
of obligation so much to one institution, has the effect of
inducing comparative, and often great indifference as to
others. The gospel of Christ, and, in particular, his death,
furnishes the most powerful motives to obedience, and in
vain do we think of adding to them. It is not by formal
engagements at the table of the Lord, that we can increase
the importance of any duty, nor ought such things ever to
give us peace under a sense of guilt, or cause confidence
in our steadfastness. If they do, we shall find, to our cost,
that they are a false foundation.
One view of Christ, in his transcendently glorious cha-
racter, as the dear Redeemer of lost souls, hath more power
and efficacy to break the bonds of sin, and urge to obedi-
ence, than all the vows, promises, and resolutions, where-
with we can bind our souls. (Haweis on the Lord's Sup-
per, chap, vi.) " Think not," says a well known writer,
" to bring yourself to good by vows and promises, as if
the strength of your own law could do it when the strength
of God's law doth it not. The devil will urge you to vow,
and then to break, that he may perplex your conscience the
more." (Marshall on Sanctification, Direct, xiii. p. 244.)
Instead of ensnaring and entangling ourselves with oaths
or formal vows, let us contemplate the cross and character
of Christ. Here there is all that is moving in love, affect-
ing in condescension, and engaging in mercy, — united with
all that can impress us with a sense of the baseness and
desert of sin : and in contemplating and celebrating the
love of God in the gift of his Son, the unutterable conde-
260 the lord's supper.
scension of the Saviour, we shall be powerfully constrained
by the innumerable mercies of the everlasting covenant to
present ourselves unto God as a living sacrifice, and to live
to Him who for us groaned, and bled, and died. Never
let us suppose that the remembering of the death of Christ
can be of little use, or change the design of his Supper,
and turn it into an oath of fidelity ; as if the duties of obe-
dience were more likely to be discharged from a sense of
the obligation of vows, than from the remembrance of the
unutterable glories of the cross. Such ideas will tend to
darken our views of the covenant of peace ; and they in-
vest the institution with a kind of mystery which perplexes
the conscientious, and not seldom excites unfounded con-
fidence in the ignorant and presumptuous. Very different
is the scriptural view of it from this complicated service.
Indeed, even in the services of prayer and praise, in the
name of Christ, and the rehearsal of the gospel, there is a
remembrance of his word. The difference in the Lord's
Supper lies in the advantage of outward signs, and a more
striking display of fellowship. Connected with the air of
mystery which has been thrown around it, is the fear which
many have of frequently observing it. But is it not de-
lightful frequently to express our love to the Redeemer, and
to meet often with our best and our tried friend ? We are
indeed prone to be formal in this, as in other parts of wor-
ship, but it is not the way to cure this propensity to abstain
from the service of devotion. Is the man who prays but
a few times in the year more devout than he who prays
daily? The more frequently, indeed, that unbelievers ob-
serve the Lord's Supper, the more indifferent they will be
about it ; and the more seldom they do so, the more super-
stitious terror will they feel regarding it ; but it never was
the lokd's suiter. 2G1
intended for such at all, and therefore we arc not left to
choose between the evil of constant formality and coldness,
and that of a periodical self-righteous and superstitious se-
riousness, which is as far removed from genuine piety as
the other.*
Once more, my dear friend, we, in the observance of this
institution, profess our faith in the second coming of Christ,
and our hope of that event, — " Show ye the Lord's death
till he come" These words show the permanence of this
ordinance, aud call upon the Churches in all ages to cele-
brate it. But they also teach us to look to the first and the
second coming of Christ, in connexion with each other. He
appeared as a sin-offering when on earth — he is now ab-
sent in heaven ; but this institution is the pledge of his com-
ing again. In looking to our own death, we think of His,
* Dr. Erskine, speaking on this subject, expresses himself to the
following effect .
Does not the Bible speak strongly on the solemnity of prayer, and
the danger of rashness in speaking unto God 1 And does it not tell
us that the word, when heard in an unworthy manner, is a savour of
death unto death 1 Shall we then pray and hear the word seldom,
that we may do it with the greater solemnity 1 Would not this way
of reasoning be fallacious, if applied to prayer and hearing the word?
And is it not equally so when applied to the Lord's Supper 1 Chris-
tians will not quit, their reverence at the Lord's Supper upon any the
greatest frequency, as appears by their uniting frequency and rever-
ence in other institutions. And the show of reverence which the
ungodly bring to it is not worth the preserving. — Dissertations,
p. 319.
The same sentiments are expressed by Mr. Brown of Haddington,
in his Apology for the more frequent administration of the Lord's
Supper; by Mr. Randal of Stirling, in his letter on the same subject;
and by Mr. Willison, in the Preface to his Catechism on this insti-
tution. See also Thoughts on the Present Revival of Religion, by
President Edwards, p. 214.
262 the lord's supper.
— in anticipating his coming to judgment, we contemplate
Calvary ; and in thus connecting events so interesting to
us, and so adapted to our circumstances, we are at once
comforted and purified. This delivers from the fear of
death, dissipates the gloom of the grave, and inspires us
with everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.
We need this ordinance while here; but when we see him
as he is, no such means will be necessary to keep the Lamb
that was slain in our constant and delightful remembrance.
It must be evident from this view of the subject, that
there is nothing like a charm in the influence and effect of
the celebration of this ordinance. There is nothing mysti-
cal, in the common sense of the term, in it. We are, in
other instances, taught the truth of God, by reading or
hearing his word, and here we are taught it by external
signs. It is, in each case, the truth that is brought to view;
but, in the former instances, we are taught it by words,
and in the latter instance, we are taught it by an appeal to
the senses. The benefits arising from the observance of
the institution, must then be in proportion to the degree in
which we are brought to understand and feel the power of
the great truth which it exhibits. As a symbolical repre-
sentation it has many advantages, — it appeals to several of
our senses at the same time — the truth is presented to the
mind by several inlets — and, by the divine blessing, it makes
a deep and powerful impression, and excites a lively inter-
est in its glory.
God has indeed promised to bless, in a particular man-
ner, the institutions of his grace, but he does so by means
of the truths which they teach. Now, as the Lord's Sup-
per is a commemorative ordinance, it can only be of spe-
cial service in so far as it is made the means of bringing and
THE LORD S SUITER. 263
keeping before the mind the objects to be remembered. Gal.
iii. 1. 1 Cor. xv. 2, 3, 4. 2 Pet. i. 12. Accordingly we find,
that the commemorative appointments of the law were de-
signed to profit the worshippers, by reminding them of the
divine interpositions in their behalf, and of the mercies that
were yet in store for them. Exod. xii. 26, 27. Deut. xvi.
3, 12. Heb. x. 1.
Too often do people expect at the Lord's Supper some-
thing of a mysterious and unaccountable nature, quite dif-
ferent from the effect of the influence of truth upon the
mind. When their expectations have, as they suppose,
been realized, they have been delighted, while the whole
has resulted from a heated imagination, and a strong ex-
citement of their feelings, without any discovery of the
glory and excellence of the gospel of Christ. If they have
not obtained what they expected, they are in danger of sink-
ing into despondency. In both cases, the mind is led away
from the truth, and the great design and the true nature of
the ordinance are quite out of view. By fellowship with
God, in such cases, is meant some immediate manifesta-
tion of the love of God, quite different from the knowledge
and sense of his love which arises from feeding on the doc-
trines of the cross, and realizing the glories of the divine
character as there illustriously displayed. These things
ought not so to be among Christians. Genuine enjoyment
is that of the disciples, whose hearts burned within them,
as Christ, in his conversation, kindly opened to them the
Scriptures.
Connected with this is the mistake of confining fellowship
with God, to some period of peculiar enjoyment, in the ob-
servance of this or other ordinances. But the appoint-
ments to be observed by Christians, are designed to cherish
264 the lord's supper.
that state of mind which fits for the right discharge of every
duty, in the various situations and relations in which we
are placed. Religion is not to be confined to public insti-
tutions, the Lord's day, or formal acts of devotion, but is
to be carried into all the business and affairs of other days,
and of common life. The man who has, on the Lord's
day, had his mind directed aright to the things of God,
will be devout throughout the whole week. He will eat and
drink, and transact his affairs in the world, under the in-
fluence of the truths of the gospel, and will breathe the
spirit of a pilgrim and a stranger, whose home is in heaven.
But, as the mind is apt to lose sight of the truth, and to de-
cline from God, he needs the benefits of the institutions of
Christ ; and the return of the Lord's day, and its services,
revive the tone of the spirit : And, when he afterwards
again goes to his lawful engagements in the world, he does
so in a proper state. Thus the institutions of Heaven are
but means to an end ; and if the end, which is the spiritual
health of the soul, is not gained by their observance, they
have not profited us, and cannot have honored God. How
different this spirit from that of those who observe them
chiefly in compliance with custom, or from mere habit, or
who imagine that the penance they have endured in perform-
ing the services connected with the ordinance of the Supper
will atone for their usual carelessness and neglect of God.
It is not merely the warmth which may be felt at the
Lord's table, but the practical and daily exercise of true
religion, that manifests the proper remembrance of the
death of Christ. Warmly, indeed, ought we to feel there,
but not there only. The affections have a high place in
genuine piety ; and deeply, very deeply, must a Christian
feel, when he meditates on the wonders of the cross, and
the lord's supper. 265
the glories of that character which there meets his eye ; but
this ought not to be a transient and occasional thing, but a
habit. The recurrence of public observances will indeed
be of essential service in reviving it, and at such seasons it
will often be stronger than at other times ; but still the ben-
efit of this is to be found in our habitual spirituality, and
our practical subjection to the Saviour, in the exercise of
every Christian principle, and of obedience to every com-
mand of his.
Self-examination is a daily duty, and ought not to be neg-
lected when we are about to partake of the Lord's Supper.
It becomes us to judge of our faith by its fruits, — to ex-
amine the state of our minds, and the reasons which induce
us to observe this institution. Having, however, in the for-
mer letters, considered the subject of self-examination, I
shall not dwell on it now. Suffice it to say, that we ought
to examine what are our views of the gospel — do they in-
deed accord with the testimony of God 1 We ought to ex-
amine our state of mind, for we may have fallen into a very
improper state. Not, however, to find an excuse for ab-
senting ourselves, but that, by means of the import of the
institution, our sin may be mortified. We should examine
our motives for this observance, and seek that, with a pro-
per spirit and with proper views, we may engage in this
act of worship. We should examine our views of the
institution, and form them on the word of God.
Allow me to mention, that the preparation necessary to
the acceptable observance of this ordinance, is just that pre-
paration which the Lord bestows when he called sinners
by his grace to the blood of atonement, and when he ena-
bles them to continue to live by faith in the cross, from a
deep sense of their own guilt and helplessness, and of the
Vol. ii. 23
266 the lord's supper.
mercy and love of the Saviour. In the 1 1th chapter of the
first epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle is speaking to
Christians who had erred in their manner of observing the
institution, and not of personal worthiness or unworthiness,
in order to partaking or declining to partake of it. They
had observed it in an unworthy manner, and he exhorts
them to do it in a worthy, or a proper manner. The word
rendered damnation, in verse 29, means judgment, as you
will see in the margin, and refers to those temporal afflic-
tions which are mentioned in verse 30, and not to eternal
woe. The solemn warning here given arose from the abuses
into which many had fallen as to the observance of this in-
stitution, in consequence of connecting it with a common
meal, and observing it apart from their brethren. Not that
they were guilty of excess, for the word rendered drunken
often means well refreshed, as in John ii. 10; and we can-
not conceive of persons being addressed as Christians who
could indulge in such intemperance. They had mistaken
the design of the ordinance, and were no doubt greatly to
blame, but they were chastened of the Lord, that they
might not be condemned with the world, verse 32, so that
their afflictions were intended to awaken them to a sense of
their sin, that they might be saved ; and we learn in the
next epistle that the end was gained.
No doubt a transgression in regard to this institution,
like every other sin, exposes to the displeasure of God ; but
there is no warrant for that spirit of terror and bondage,
in relation to it, in which many Christians have been held.
The Lord invites his people to a privilege, and there is no-
thing to hinder a Christian from partaking of this feast, pre-
pared for him on his way to the celestial city. The man
who thinks that the character necessary to the acceptable
2G7
observance of this rite may be dispensed with on other oc-
casions, is grossly deluding himself; for what is it but that
very state of mind which results from a life of faith in the
Son of God, and from that habitual keeping of the heart
with all diligence which is essential to the growth of genu-
ine religion, and which is necessary to acceptance at the
tribunal of judgment?
Never ought it to be forgotten, however, that while an
ignorant and superstitious terror ought not to be indulged,
yet God is to be had in reverence in the assembly of his
saints. Special care should be taken that, while free from
the former, we do not decline in the latter. A careless
irreverence, and a rude familiarity, are quite different from
warranted Christian confidence. The former is deeply of-
fensive to God and injurious to ourselves, and that man has
nothing to rejoice in who can look down on his superstitious
neighbors, and bless himself that he can, without fear of any
kind, eat and drink at the table of the Lord. The fear which
hath torment is expelled in proportion as the gospel is be-
lieved, but in the same proportion is there a holy reverence
and a filial fear produced in the heart. It becomes Chris-
tians to be watchful against coldness and indifference, and
to be fervent in prayer and in holy meditation before en-
gaging in the public services of religion, in order that they
may maintain the spirit of sacred devotion in the worship
of God. It is a matter of deep regret, when even the ex-
ternal behavior indicates the want of suitable feelings.
It is deplorable, however, when men act in regard to pre-
paration for this ordinance, as if they meant to qualify
themselves for the favor of God, or at least for an interest
in the work of the Saviour. How different this spirit from
that which distinguishes Christians ? Such characters are
263 the lord's supper.
as far from the truth as are those who regard this ordi-
nance as a fountain in which to wash away sin. How
prone are men to abuse the appointments of God, and the
most salutary exercises !
It is a matter of deep regret too, that the observance of
this institution is often urged chiefly as a thing proper and
becoming, on coming to a certain age, without considering,
that unless possessed of genuine piety, none can accepta-
bly partake of it. The great duty of parents and others is,
in the first instance, to urge upon young people the neces-
sity of a change of mind through the faith of the gospel.
If they give evidence of faith in Christ, by all means earn-
estly exhort them to obey the whole appointments of the
Saviour, in relation to Christian fellowship: but till they
give evidence of this, their admission to the peculiar ordi-
nances of the Churches of Christ will only serve to ensnare
and deceive them. The effects of this profanation are truly
deplorable.
I conclude with reminding you, my dear friend, that we
ought to remember the death of Christ with ardent love
and profound reverence — with heartfelt contrition and ani-
mated joy. Since in this ordinance there is an appeal to
the senses, let us be careful that the frequency of such ap-
peals does not weaken their effect: and, to prevent this, let
us with devout attention dwell upon the great things sig-
nified. In a word, let us have recourse to the remedies
against formality and declension, which the Scriptures point
out, among which we do not find infrequency in observ-
ance of the Lord's Supper so much as once named. The
Spirit of God has prescribed watchfulness, brotherly admo-
nition, and counsel; steadfastness in the profession of the
faith ; the maintenance of a holy and heavenly temper of
THE CONTEMPLATION, ETC. 269
heart, and constancy in the public as well as other duties of
fellowship. Heb. iii. 12, 13 ; x. 19—25, 35 — 39 ; xii. 12
— 29 ; xiii. 5, 6, 9. We shall thus be preserved from su-
perstitious dread on the one hand, and from careless irreve-
rence on the other. While in holy fellowship we confess
our faith in the atonement — in the promises of the ever-
lasting covenant — and in the second coming of the Saviour,
we ought ever to view the exercise as designed to assimi-
late us to the heavenly worshippers, who, while they con-
tinually ascribe salvation to God and to the Lamb, are also
continually employed in active services of obedience. Some-
what, yea much, of their spirit we may attain even here.
Let this be sought for in fervent and importunate prayer. —
I am, &c.
LETTER XXVII.
ON THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE.
Heaven a seat of worship — Was represented by the figures of the
law — Exhibited in visions to the prophets — Christians have ac-
cess to it — The life of Christ a life of office — Importance of Scrip-
tural views of heavenly worship — Christ the great object of attrac-
tion— The view given to the subject in the epistle to the Hebrews
— The benefit of the frequent consideration of it — The priestly
care and sympathy of the Saviour. — Connexion between his rela-
tive and personal glory.
My dear friend,
I have repeatedly reminded you of the duty and the
privilege of approaching the throne of grace with filial con-
fidence and freedom of speech : Allow me now to call your
23*
270 THE CONTEMPLATION
attention to the worship of the heavenly temple, where his
throne is seated. Heaven is not merely the seat of royal
power and grandeur ; it is a temple, and as such is the
seat of exalted and sacred worship. The Redeemer ap-
pears there not only in state displaying his dignity and
greatness, but ministering in his official character. His
life there, no less than his death on earth, is necessary to
our salvation. Rom. v. 10. He does not possess mere
personal glory, but likewise relative glory, as our head and
representative. There, in a peculiar manner, dwells the
God and Father of Christ, — and there all his family are
around him, participating in the blissful effects of his good-
ness— offering up the purest adoration of his excellencies —
and uttering the warmest effusions of gratitude for the
manifold riches of his grace. There the Saviour officiates
as the great mediator in behalf of all in heaven and in
earth who are the children of God, and for the purpose of
adding to the family, by translating sinners from the king-
dom of darkness into his own spiritual and holy fellowship.
Under the ancient dispensation, many representations
were given of this glory and worship, which are often re-
ferred to in the New Testament, and are of much use still
in illustrating this subject. Both the Tabernacle in the
wilderness, and the temple of Jerusalem, exhibited " a pat-
tern of things in the heavens." The holy place, and par-
ticularly the holiest of all, with the ark, the mercy seat,
and the cherubim — the high priest in his sacerdotal robes —
his solemn services in the sanctuary, connected with the
offering of sacrifice, the sprinkling of blood, and the burn-
ing of incense ; in a word, the whole of the Temple, in its
ministers, furniture, and worship, formed a visible repre-
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 271
sentation of the offices, work, and salvation of Christ. The
epistle to the Hebrews contains much interesting instruc-
tion on this important and delightful subject.
Not only was there given in the sanctuary a constant
representation of heavenly things — the prophets had besides
this occasional visions and revelations, illustrative of the
celestial temple and its sacred services. Isaiah had a
vision of God as seated on his throne, above the ark, in
the most holy place, where the glory appeared above the
cherubim. This vision, we are told by John, related to the
kingdom and glory of Christ ; and was designed to exhibit
the exalted and hallowed nature of that sanctuary which
is open to believers of all nations, and in which the earthly
holy place has its end. The prophet Ezekiel had several
visions, in which he saw the grandeur of our Lord in the
heavenly sanctuary, who there unites the priestly censer
with the regal sceptre ; and likewise beheld the cloud of
glory leave the earthly temple, and from Mount Olivet
ascend to heaven, as an expressive representation of the
termination of the Levitical economy — of the ascension of
Christ, the substance of this emblem of the presence from
that very mount — and of the commencement of his media-
torial glory in the heavenly temple, where he dwells as
the antitype of the Shechinah on the ancient mercy-seat.
The ancient sanctuary had no light from without. The
holy place was illuminated by the sacred candlestick: but
the most holy place had not even this light — it was illumi-
nated by the cloud of glory on the mercy-seat. In allu-
sion to this, Isaiah says, " The sun shall no more be thy
light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give
light unto thee ; but the Lord shall be unto thee an ever-
lasting light, and thy God thy glory." The ancient tern-
272 THE CONTEMPLATION
pie was but a small enclosure in Jerusalem ; but the whole
of the heavenly city shall be " a temple for God and the
Lamb," where the glory of Jehovah shall for ever shine
in full effulgence in the face of the Redeemer, illuminating
the whole of the celestial Jerusalem, and transforming every
worshipper into his image.
These representations should be connected with the
view given of the camp of Israel in the book of Numbers.
There stood the tabernacle where God dwelt, and whose
presence made the whole camp holy. The great body of
the Israelites were kept at a considerable distance from
the sanctuary, and the Levites were allowed to pitch their
tents around it ; but none except consecrated priests were
permitted to enter it to minister before the Lord, and even
they were not allowed to enter every part of it ; for the
most holy place could be entered by none but the high
priest, and that only on the annual day of atonement.
These appointments served to impress the minds of the
people with a deep sense of the Divine holiness and great-
ness ; while they served also to show the glory of the
priestly character of Christ, and the dignity and blessed-
ness of that station to which Christians are advanced
through him. They are all kings and priests unto God ;
and, as such, they all have access into the holiest of all.
We are treated as the domestics of the Most High, and are
allowed the most unrestrained and intimate converse with
him. We enjoy privileges which assimilate our station,
not merely to that of the people surrounding the sanctuary,
and praying without in the court; but to that of the priests
who worshipped in the house itself, yea even to that of the
high priest, who exclusively worshipped in the holiest of
all. He who dwelleth between the cherubim hath shone
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 273
forth, and invites us even to his scat. We are admitted
to the very throne of C4od, and are free from that servile
fear which the state of things among the Israelites natu-
rally cherished. We have access at all times, which even
the high priest had not, and may expect a kind and gra-
cious audience in all possible circumstances. And how
precious is a place in the sanctuary of God to the man
who, knowing that his spirit shall survive the wreck of
nature and the crash of worlds, can be happy in nothing
but that which will exercise, invigorate, and completely
fill his renovated and continually enlarging mind ! In pro-
portion to the clearness of our views of these privileges, as
exhibited in the gospel, and to the degree of our faith, our
hope, and our love, will be our freedom from the spirit of
slavish dread, and the measure of our filial, joyful, and yet
humble confidence in God. Such confidence is the delight
of our heavenly Father — it is at once honorable to him,
and profitable to us.
The great object of attraction in the heavenly temple is
the Lord Jesus Christ. He has entered it as our friend and
representative. He has our names upon his breast, and in
his heart — he presents our spiritual sacrifices, and obtains
their acceptance on the ground of his one perfect offering.
He speaks by his blood, and his blood speaks by its worth.
Solemn indeed must be the act of his continued representa-
tion of his sacrifice as the ground of his intercession, and
the sole foundation of our full redemption and blessed-
ness. When conscious that our best services are stained
with guilt, how precious the thought that his offering purges
away all our sins ! When sensible that our best services
are weak and imperfect, blessed is the recollection of the
ample efficacy of his intercession. When bowed down
274 THE CONTEMPLATION
with a sense of our unworthiness, encouraging indeed must
be the remembrance of his dignity, and the merit of his
work. These considerations sweetly incline us to come to
him with freedom, and to cast on him all our cares. They
tend also to cherish the most reverential awe, by the dis-
play which they afford of the holy character of God, and
of the necessity of such a mediator. The self-abasement
which they produce is tempered, however, by the joy of
hope and confidence of love.
Our high priest lives a public as well as a glorious life.
He is, accordingly, denominated the minister of the sanc-
tuary, Heb. viii. 2, and in his character he will officiate
there, till the consummation of the plan of mercy. The
term minister, indeed, has not in this case the same mean-
ing as when applied to the character he sustained on earth,
but it certainly implies official ministration. When kings
are termed the shepherds of their people, this appellation by
no means derogates from their dignity, it only marks its
official nature, and intimates that their powers are exer-
cised in behalf of their subjects, and not merely for per-
sonal pusposes. There is a difference, doubtless, between
them and our Lord ; and therefore it is only to a certain
extent that their character can illustrate his.
On the constant ministrations of the Saviour in the
heavenly sanctuary depends our safety, amidst all the
snares, the temptations, and the perils of this scene of con-
flict. Hence the Scriptures represent him as dwelling and
sitting in the temple of his Father and his God. This
view of his character and his station is fitted to keep and
gladden the heart — to dissipate all gloom and despondency
— and to stimulate to active exertion and patient suffering.
In this exalted glory he exercises the warmest and most
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 275
engaging love, pity, and tenderness, towards his people in
all their difficulties and trials. He is ever attentive to their
returning wants, and liberally supplies them according to
their varied and ever-changing circumstances. — The per-
suasion of this relieves and supports the mind, as it dwells
on him who left the world in the act of blessing his dis-
ciples, and whose affection towards his people is the same
now as in the days of his flesh. In his public and official
ministrations in heaven, he manifests to his brethren in the
great congregation the wondrous character of God. He
leads them to the unveiled glory of Jehovah — enriches
their understanding with inexhaustible treasures of wisdom
and knowledge — stamps the image of his excellencies on
all their faculties, dispositions, and affections — and imparts
to them bliss and satisfaction, the purest and most exalted.
The worship of the sanctuary is a constant and a fervent
adoration of the many and inestimable glories of the di-
vine character ; and as the redeemed advance in the know-
ledge of the transcendent excellencies of the God and
Father of the Saviour, their admiration is enlarged, and
their devotion becomes more profound ; while knowing that
they never can fully comprehend their boundless extent,
they anticipate enjoyment inexhaustible, and prepare for
yet higher strains of animated and heavenly worship. In
that happy land there is necessarily a constant tendency
towards an increase of all that is holy and blissful. The
heavenly temple is the seat of light, order, and love, where
every worshipper and every object has an appropriate
place, and where all add to the general harmony.
In this world we can know but little of the refreshing
and exhilarating pleasure which abounds at the right hand
of God, and of the enjoyment which must result from the
276 THE CONTEMPLATION
blissful communications of the Saviour to his people. Little
do we know of the increasing delight with which a mind,
freed from all spiritual disorders, and elevated to the stead-
fast contemplation of all that is holy and excellent, pursues
the investigation of heavenly and sacred things. Feeble
must be our conceptions of that ardor of affection, and that
immutable cleaving of the heart, with which it must dwell
on the attractive beauties of the Saviour's character.
It is but faintly that we can enter into that holy triumph
and elevation of spirit with which the redeemed rise above
all that is here, and glory in the wondrous issue of that
grace through which they have become more than con-
querors. It is our duty, however, to make these subjects
familiar to us, and to advance in the knowledge of them.
The nearest approach which we can make on earth to the
spirit of the celestial temple, is in the contemplation of the
nature, the exercise, and the happiness of the general as-
sembly and church of the first-born ; in entering into their
views, and uniting with them in the hallowed service of
ascribing glory to God and the Lamb. There must be hap-
piness unspeakable in endeavoring to imitate them in their
holy and spiritual affection, and in seeking to participate in
their estimate of this vain and dying world, and of that
glory with which the evils of time are not worthy to be
compared. It is in thus entering within the veil, and im-
bibing the spirit which there reigns, that we from principle
contemn the boasted glories of time, and rise superior
to their fascinating power. As long as our views of the
heavenly glory are weak and imperfect, our services and
our character must be far beneath what they might be, and
temptations must have an influence of the most perilous
kind.
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 277
Scriptural views of tho heavenly holy place, its high
exercises, and its sacred joys, are at the foundation of all
spiritual worship, and all excellence of character. When
set beside the glory of the Redeemer, and that of his peo-
ple in the world of light, the glory of this passing scene is
completely eclipsed, and the strange spell and bewitching
enchantment which bound us to this poor unsatisfying por-
tion, lose their hold of our hearts. The thought of the
safety and the blessedness of our brethren above, of the
means by which they overcame the difficulties and trials of
life, of the connexion which even now subsists between us
and them, as children of the same family, and heirs of the
same inheritance ; of our interest in that same grace through
which they have weathered the storm, and of the day when
we shall be with them in person, must have a soothing, ani-
mating, and sanctifying effect. Heaven is thus viewed as
the seat of our family, and our final home. There dwells
our Father, who is not ashamed to be called our God, since
he hath prepared for us such an inheritance. There re-
sides our Friend and our Redeemer, who is not ashamed to
call us his brethren. There are the departed spirits of the
just, some of whom were near and dear to us on earth, and
whose memory we cherish still with the fondest affection,
and thither we expect soon to go ourselves. Our citizen-
ship, then, is in heaven, and as denizens of the heavenly Je-
rusalem, we areas pilgrims and strangers here, looking for
the Saviour from heaven, who hath kindly said, that he will
come and receive us to himself, that where he is, there may
we be also.
Surely, then, it becomes us to value our home above all
other places. Is it not at once our duty and our interest to
get acquainted with its nature and its blessings? Ought
Vol. ii. 24
278 THE CONTEMPLATION
we not to get familiar with its enjoyments — to long for it —
to hold such intercourse with it, as the present state will
admit, — to manifest its spirit, and to seek increasing meet-
ness for its pure and spiritual glory 1 In this way we have
fellowship with the heavenly worshippers ; — we enter within
the veil, and have blissful intercourse with God ; we antici-
pate the Avork of heaven, and we taste of its joys ; we feel
ourselves in the presence of our Lord, and we become as-
similated to his glory. This is the very life of genuine
religion, and of spiritual devotion. The most exalted view
which we can form of the blessedness of heaven, and of its
sacred services, is that of dwelling on the glory of God, as
exhibited in the Redeemer, and of progressively advancing
in likeness to his character. We err most egregiously if
we do not habituate ourselves to the contemplation of the
true sanctuaiy, and employ not our thoughts and our cares,
our heart and affections, on the heavenly seat of worship
and of bliss.
I have mentioned to 3'ou, that the great object of attrac-
tion in the heavenly sanctuary, is the Redeemer himself.
He is ever beheld officiating in our behalf, offering up the
services of his people, and procuring for them the blessings
of redemption. There he watches over the least and the
feeblest of his brethren, and the sight of his kindness pro-
duces the sweetest satisfaction and complacency. No one
can touch the members on earth, but He, the Head, feels it
in heaven. When called to scenes of trying duty, severe
affliction, or fearful alarm, we shall find relief and encou-
ragement in him. A view of him at the right hand of
God gladdened the mind of the n artyr Stephen, and en-
abled him calmly and joyfully to commend to him his spirit.
And in that solemn hour, when life is hastening to extinc-
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMFLE. 279
tion, — when human aid is felt to be powerless ; when the
memory of the past is fading away, and the present ceases
to interest, — in a word, when eternity in all its magnitude
is about to burst upon our view, even then, when all is at
stake, the faith of the character and the glory of Christ
can enable us to rejoice in the thought that all is perfectly
safe, and that all before us is inconceivably glorious and
delightful.
The contemplation of this glory should be, not an occa-
sional, but a stated employment. In this delightful exer-
cise we are aided by the scriptural representation of the
sanctuary. Were nothing unfolded respecting its nature,
and had we only general declarations respecting the love
and the care of our Lord, we should be greatly at a loss.
But the particular account given us of the character and
work of our High Priest, of the nature and the services of
the heavenly temple, and of the way in which we have ac-
cess to God, and in which he communicates of his good-
ness to us, is admirably calculated to enlighten, sanctify,
and gladden the heart. He who knows our frame, hath in
this way adapted all to our nature and character. The
description of the Levitical sanctuary is of great service
still in illustrating the glory of the heavenly holy place.
To the former there is a constant reference in describing
the latter. It must, then, be of great moment to under-
stand well the typical economy, for our faith is by this
means assisted by our senses, and the truth takes the firmer
hold of the heart.
Jesus, when on earth, gave or offered himself to be slain
as a sacrifice; and his death, as such, finished the whole
of those positive sufferings which are included in *ftie curse
of the law; but as, under the ancient economy, an impor-
280 THE CONTEMPLATION
tant service remained to be performed after slaying the vic-
tim, namely, that of the priest's taking of its blood into the
sanctuary of God, and sprinkling it before Him ; so Christ,
as the apostle has told us, Heb. ix. 11, 12, 24, had to enter
with his own blood into the celestial temple, and, after pre-
senting it to God, to take his seat " on the right hand of
the Majesty on high." The service of the Jewish high
priest, on the annual day of atonement, was the most sol-
emn and particular of all the Levitical services, and must,
therefore, have something particularly corresponding to it
in the priestly ministry of the antitype.
Permit me to call your attention, for a little, to the inter-
est attached to this subject in the epistle to the Hebrews.
The apostle reproves them for their declension in know-
ledge and in piety. He says, that they needed to be taught
again what were the first principles of the oracles of God,
and had become such as have need of milk, and could not
digest strong meat. He proposes, however, to lead them
forward from first principles to the higher branches of the
Christian faith, though he had great difficulties in doing so,
in consequence of the slothful state of their minds. Now,
in what does he endeavor to lead them forward ? An an-
swer to this will be found in the following part of the epis-
tle, particularly in chaps, vii. viii. ix. x. and xii. We are
there directed to the complete consecration of the Saviour
— to his mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary — to
his investiture with office in his glorified state — to his en-
trance, as the immortal Son of God raised from the dead,
into the celestial temple — to the presentation of his offer-
ing there in the midst of departed spirits and of holy an-
gels— the Divine acceptance of his sacrifice, and the Di-
vine complacency in it — to his session at the right hand of
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 281
power, as a priest upon his throne, accompanied with the
oath of Jehovah, declaring him a priest after the order of
Melchizedec — to his intercession — his government of the
sanctuary and of the Church of God — his lordship over all
worlds in behalf of his spiritual kingdom, — and to his high
ministrations as thus elevated in heaven.
Our attention is particularly directed to the consecration
of the heavenly sanctuary. Having completed the atone-
ment, by appearing in the celestial world with his sacrifice,
and there presenting it unto God, the Saviour thereby con-
secrated heaven for a dwelling place and a sanctuary to
his people. The Levitical tabernacle being defiled by the
sins of the Israelites, had to be purified annually by the
sprinkling of blood. Lev. xvi. 15 — 17. And even before
it became the seat of their worship, the earthly sanctuary
and all its furniture were by this means purified, and so
set apart for the use of the people, in order to show that
the access of the worshippers to God, and their acceptance
in his sight, were solely through the blood of atonement.
In like manner, the appearance of our Lord with his sacri-
fice in heaven was necessary, in order that it might be set
apart for the use, and opened for the admission of sinners,
Heb. ix. 21 — 24. Heaven must have been defiled by their
admission, if an atonement had not been made for their sins.
While the high priest was purifying the earthly sanctuary,
there was no man allowed to be within it but himself. On
other occasions, the priests, Levites, and people, were in it
in their different places, but on this solemn occasion the
whole assembled tribes of Israel were excluded. They
were thus most impressively taught, that sinners can have
no access to God, except through a mediator, the awful
consequences of sin as excluding from the favor and family
24*
282 THE CONTEMPLATION
of God, and that the work of redemption devolves exclu-
sively on the Saviour. In consequence of sin, all men are,
according to their desert, under a sentence of exclusion
from the house and favorable presence of God. But as,
after the propitiatory services of the high priest were per-
formed, the sanctuary was open to all, so now that Christ
hath finished the work of atonement, the very holiest of all
is laid open to every individual of mankind, who chooses to
enter it in his name. The sentence of exclusion is in this
sense reversed. If a man does not believe this, he will re-
fuse or neglect to enter, but the way remains clear, so that
he has himself to blame if he enjoys not the benefit. But
the faith of the gospel has its immediate issue in coming to
him who is within the veil, and taking of the water of life
freely. When the sanctuary was purified, the people had
access to it for the following year, at the end of which it
was again shut, and had again to be cleansed. But Christ
having consecrated the heavenly temple, it never can be
defiled, and from it we shall never be excluded. The
heavenly things which are said to be purified cannot mean
the church and its worship, for we are expressly told in the
verse which immediately follows, that that which answers
to the purification of the earthly sanctuary is Christ's enter-
ing into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God
for us. — Had the guilty been admitted into heaven without
any regard to an atonement for their sins, then heaven had
been defiled, even (supposing it to be possible) although
they had at the time of their entrance been perfect in holi-
ness. The subject in question is not their meetness for
heaven, but the ground on which thay are received into it,
which of course relates to what was their original character.
By the atonement of Christ then, the purity of the celestial
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 283
sanctuary is preserved, while the guilty have access to it.
This, however, is not all that is included in the purifica-
tion in question. Let it be considered, that the sacrifices
were generally not only expiatory, in the strict sense of the
expression, they were designed to be propitiatory ; that is,
they not only cancelled guilt and so freed from punish-
ment, they obtained for the guilty an interest in the special
blessings of the covenant of God. The death of the vic-
tim denoted the former, and the sprinkling of the blood be-
fore God solemnly signified the latter. These two things
were considered by the law as but different parts of the
same sacrificial service ; and accordingly, when the Scrip-
tures speak of the one offering of Christ, they oppose it to
the numerous sacrifices of the Levitical economy, and not
to the different services which were required in regard to
the same sacrifice. By his death he cancelled guilt, and
so obtained " eternal redemption" from the curse, by bear-
ing the desert of our sins " in his own body on the tree,"
because he then finished the whole of those positive suffer-
ings which are comprehended in the curse of the law, as
is proved by his resurrection and glory. But to show
that he had not only ransomed his people from death, or
merely restord them to what they had lost through sin, but
had also by his propitiation laid the foundation of their
access to God as his God and Father, — of their admission
into that hallowed community of which he himself is head
— and of their entrance into that celestial inheritance which
is the reward of his work, he entered into heaven as our
representative and forerunner ; and, as it were, sprinkled
the mercy-seat with his blood, as a solemn demonstration
that all that superabundance of blessing which shall there
be enjoyed is communicated to sinners through the infinite
284 THE CONTEMPLATION
merit of his sacrifice. Thus heaven is said to be purified
in the sense of being set apart for the use of the redeemed
in a way which reflects the highest honor on the character
and government of God. By the appearance of Christ,
then, with his blood in the sanctuary, we are taught to as-
cribe the enjoyment of heaven as well as deliverance from
wrath to his previous atonement. Our participation in the
blessings of the former, was signified by the sprinkling of
the blood upon the people ; and our participation in the
latter was denoted by the sprinkling of the book of the
covenant, of the sanctuary, of the altar, and of all the ves-
sels employed in the divine service. (Familiar survey of
the Old and New Covenant, Chap. iii. sec. v.)
Our attention, dear friend, is also turned to the general
assembly and church of the first born, — to the legal and
blissful perfection of the departed spirits of the just, — to the
union of all saints in heaven and on earth into one body,
— to the union of redeemed sinners and holy angels into
one glorious community under Christ as their common
head ; and in a particular manner to his high character as
a priest, not of an earthly, but of a spiritual and heavenly
sanctuary, — not of one people only, but of all in every
place who come to God by him, — not subject to infirmity
and death, but as the conqueror of the grave, and as pos-
sessed of an everlasting life in an immortal, vigorous, spirit-
ual, and glorious body, — not holding his office for a time
only, but forever ; and as invested with it, not by descent,
but by immediate appointment of God. We are also di-
rected forward to the time when he shall come again ;
not, as at first, to be a sacrifice for sin, but as the great
high-priest, to bless his people with complete and eternal
salvation, and with all the mercies of the everlasting cove-
OF THE IIEAVENLY TEMPLE. 285
nant. As when the Jewish high priest was in the sanctu-
ary, the people stood without, waiting his return to bless
them, so, in regard to actual personal presence, we are
without, while in this world, waiting for the second com-
ing of our Lord. Then he shall appear as the blessed
bond of connexion among the various parts of the commu-
nity gathered into one, the medium of fellowship between
God and his people, and the substance of the dignities and
joys of the glorified creation. Col. ii. 4. 1 John iii. 2.
Rev. vii. 14—17.
We are taught farther, that already we are come to this
blessed assembly, which is cemented by likeness of dispo-
sition and character — sameness of privileges and blessing,
and by corresponding exercises and enjoyments, — that
already we have access by faith into the seat of their bliss :
and that a measure of their joys may even now be posses-
sed. In this way we are led to consider all that preceded
as leading to the establishment of the Church of Christ, —
to view his kingdom as the commencement of heaven, — to
consider the services of Christians on earth as the means of
fellowship with the celestial worshippers ; and to remem-
ber, that this present state of things is a preparation for the
final glory of his name and his people. We thus acquire
a tone of sublimity which elevates us above all low pur-
suits and worldly affections. The power of temptation is
thus neutralized, and we attain that singleness of heart
which consists in having but one object, desire, and pur-
suit ; namely, the glory and the enjoyment of God.
The place given to this subject by the apostles merits
your regard. When they preached to the world, they
dwelt on first principles ; such as the guilt and wretched-
ness of men — their inability to deliver themselves — the
286 THE CONTEMPLATION
love of God, in giving his Son — the love of Christ, in be-
coming obedient unto death — the resurrection and glory of
the Redeemer, as the great proof of the sufficiency and
acceptance of bis atonement, and on the way in which
sinners obtain the benefit of it through faith. On the
subject of the glory of Christ, they, in such circum-
stances, spoke in general terms only, and chiefly for the
purpose of proving the perfection of the atonement, the cer-
tainty of salvation to all who believed, and the certain con-
demnation of the impenitent. But when their object was
to edify believers, and to lead them forward to the higher
branches of the Gospel, they dwelt upon it in the most par-
ticular manner, and exhibited it in its many and various
bearings and connexions. They connected it all in partic-
ular with his cross and sacrifice, and showed how his hu-
miliation and his heavenly elevation mutually illustrated
each other.
Permit me, then, to recommend to you the frequent con-
sideration of this subject. You will find it consoling, glad-
dening, and purifying. It is but little of it that can be
known here, but much more might be known than is, did
we enter into it as we ought. The full light of it we could
not bear, for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God. But when we drop this body, we shall see the Di-
vine glory as it shines in the Saviour, and seeing him as he
is, we shall be like to him. Then, like the priests of old,
we shall feed on the provision of the house of God, and
shall be satisfied in the enjoyment of the blessed fruits of
the sacrifice of Christ. Then shall our happiness be unin-
terrupted and unmingled. In the full enjoyment of bliss,
and an immortality of glory, nothing shall disturb our re-
pose— no shade of grief shall ever be known — no moment
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 287
of uneasiness shall ever pass over us. Our God himself
shall be our light, and he who freed us from guilt and ruin
will with his own hands give us our inheritance: And will
it not add to our joy in the reception and enjoyment of the
crown, that it is bestowed by Him who once shared our
sorrows? In drinking of the fountain of the water of life,
we shall think of his groans and his sorrows when for us
he drank of the bitter cup of tribulation.
Delightful it will be, directly to witness, in the celestial
sanctuary, the workings of that love which, in the height
of his glory, burns as warmly as ever. Sweet to the soul
is the thought, that in the face of the Man of Sorrows,
" whose visage was once marred more than any man, and
his form more than the sons of men," the divine glory
shall for ever illustriously shine. Most consoling is the
hope of entering into that joy, the prospect of which ani-
mated his soul amidst the horrors of the curse. To see
justice done to his character — to see his worth acknow-
ledged and applauded by his God — to witness the reward
of his varied and manifold excellencies ; and to mark the
benevolent and pious exultation of his heart, as he surveys
the glory and the blessedness of the new creation, will
surely fully gratify his redeemed, and swell their songs of
triumph and of joy. John xvii. 24. Rev. v. 8 — 14.
Even now there is much of this enjoyed when the mind
turns to his glory, and remembers that his grandeur lessens
not his love, but is valued by him as the means of blessing
us. Though Christ be in the highest heavens, he is there
as a priest. Now, it is necessary that, in that character,
he should be full of compassion. He, of course, can be no
longer qualified for the place he holds than he continues to
be of a gracious and merciful disposition ; and he can no
288 THE CONTEMPLATION
longer act in it than he shows all kindness and sympathy
towards those who come to him for refuge, and seek for
happiness in his heavenly and holy temple. Heb. v. 2.
In the cause of sinners he suffered and he died on earth,
and never can he forget that for which he endured so
much. Isa. xlix. 15, 16.
Every thing that rends our heart has rent His ; — and
every stroke we bear has been borne by Him. He knows
our trials and wants, not merely because being God he
knows all things, but because he has had actual expe-
rience in our nature of all the difficulties and afflictions to
which flesh is heir. Such is our nature, that this interests
us more than the divine omniscience, simply considered.
On this ground the apostle builds his reasoning respecting
the fitness of our Lord for the tender and affectionate
discharge of the whole of that sympathetic official work
which is necessary in a priest. Heb. iv. 15. He not
only says, that so God appointed it, but that the lot of
Christ was most suited to the close and endearing relation
which subsists between him and his people, as well as
most suited to the great object which he had in view,
namely, to conform them to that glorious character exhib-
ited in his cross. Heb. ii. 10—12. 17, 18.
What is he doing in heaven, but reaping what he sowed
below 1 His reaping this in the celestial temple, is the
very life of his mediatorial bliss, so that our interests are
bound up with the joys of his abundant harvest. The
more that we cheerfully suffer and do for another, the
more ardent does our love for him become. We see this
in parents towards their children, and particularly towards
such of them as have been most weakly and sickly.
These last have most occupied the thoughts and feelings of
OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE. 289
the heart, by which means the principle of affection has
been greatly strengthened. On this principle the peculiarly
warm affection of a mother is accounted for. Let this be
applied to the love of Christ. His affection for us has been
increased and invigorated in the furnace of tribulation, the
most afflicting and severe. In this way we have been writ-
ten upon his heart, and never can the writing be effaced.
Not only is he independently happy as Emmanuel, he
has also a capacity for happiness as the head of his body,
the church. Personally considered, he is complete in
himself, but as the head of his body, he has an additional
relative fulness springing from the blessedness and the
glory of his members. Ephes. i. 22, 23. Now, as hap-
piness is in a high degree the companion and the result of
activity in behalf of our friends, so this is enjoyed by the
Saviour in the constant ministration of the sanctuary, and
in the unceasing exercise of his grace, and his mercy
towards his people. He is blessed himself in imparting to
them the blessings of redemption. In seeing them par-
doned and comforted, sanctified and preserved, his soul is
delighted. The more that they are filled with the good-
ness and the salvation of God, the more happy is he.
He sees in this the first fruit of his labor, and the effect of
his grace ; he sees his word and his character glorified, the
honor of his father promoted, examples of excellence ex-
hibited for the present and future benefit of others, and his
soul is gratified in the prospect of such being one day with
him to behold his glory and to participate in his joys. His
love to God, his benevolence towards men, and his respect
for all that is excellent, are thus strikingly displayed.
These views of his blessedness are included in the saying
of the prophet, " He shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied."
Vol. ii. 25
290 THE CONTEMPLATION, ETC.
Between us and the heavenly Canaan, the seat of the
celestial temple, there runs the river of death ; but as when
the Israelites passed over Jordan, the ark and the priests
went before them, and remained in the midst of the river
till all the people had clean passed over, so the Saviour, of
whom the ark and the priests who accompanied it are types,
will be with us to secure to us both safety and victory. As
the Captain of salvation, he will give them the victory, and
will cause his purchased people all to pass over — he will
bring them in and plant them in the mountain of his inhe-
ritance, and in the place which he has made for his own
abode, even the sanctuary which his own hands have es-
tablished. Ex. xv. 16, 17.
We see, then, how closely the relative glory and bless-
edness of the Saviour are connected with the true interest
and happiness of his people, and how unnecessary are per-
plexing cares and anxieties as to the strength and durability
of his love. There is much in this to lead you with filial
boldness to " the throne of the heavenly grace," and to ren-
der fellowship with the Father and with the Son your chief
joy. What are the ways of Providence, but the doings of
a Friend whose kindness is ever awake and active, and
always most so when we are most in want of it. We may
often be at a loss to sec the wisdom or the goodness of God
in our trials, but when we take our station at the cross,
and contemplate the unutterable tenderness and love, and
the depths of wisdom which are there displayed, we rest
satisfied that he who first loved us can never injure us, and
can never cease to care for us. You will find, that the
hope of this glory cherishes a humble and holy confidence
in God, and "that peace which keeps the heart and the
mind." Nothing but the religion of the cross can quiet the
conscience, without stupifying it, or gladden the heart with-
THE HEAVENLY SABBATH. 291
out degrading or defiling it. The debasing influence of
mere earthly pleasures shows at once the folly and the guilt
of pursuing them. But here the most elevated desires of
the spirit arc gratified, and the most distressing agitations
of the mind are calmed. In view of this, poor indeed are
the trifles of time, and few and light are the trials of life,
even when it is most crowded with cares, and fears, and
sorrows.
Let us, then, fix our hope within the veil, and our hearts
will be kept by it calm and unmoved, like the peaceful
sanctuary of heaven ; or if we are not altogether free from
agitations, it will at least keep us from being lost in the
storm. I am, &c
LETTER XXVIII.
ON THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
Heaven often compared to the keeping of a Sabbath — Design of this
institution — The kingdom of Christ a new creation — Like the
old, it is a gradual work — The happiness of the Saviour in his
heavenly rest — The Lord's Day, appointed in remembrance of his
resurrection — What is implied in keeping it — The superiority of
the heavenly Sabbath — The nature of heavenly bliss — the suita-
bleness of the character of Christ — Conclusion.
Mr DEAR FHIEXD,
To assist your meditations on the celestial world, I pro-
pose, in this letter, to take a view of the bliss of heaven as
the keeping of a Sabbath. Future happiness is frequently
described in language borrowed from the garden of Eden.
Heaven is called Paradise ; and, in allusion to the tree of
life, and to the river of Eden, we are told that a pure river
of water of life flows from the throne of God and the Lamb,
and that, in the midst, and on either side of the river, is the
292 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
tree oflife. Luke xxiii. 43. 2Cor.xii. 4. Rev. ii. 7. Rev.
xxii. 1. 2. On the same principle the Sabbath instituted
in Paradise is in Heb. iv. 9. used as an emblem of the
eternal rest which awaits the people of God. The word
there rendered rest, signifies the keeping of a Sabbath, and
is employed for the purpose of showing the nature of that
rest which God hath provided for his children.
When God, after employing six days in the work of cre-
ation, is said to have rested on the seventh, the meaning
cannot be, that being fatigued he needed repose, but that
he ceased from the work of creating. It denotes also, in a
particular manner, his satisfaction and enjoyment in con-
templating the works of his hands, as illustrative of certain
parts of his character. Accordingly, he declared all his
works to be good, and is said to have been refreshed in be-
holding them, Gen. i. 31, compared with Exod. xxxi. 17.
He was happy, that is, in contemplating them, because they
were a manifestation of his power, wisdom, and goodness.
He blessed the seventh day, or exalted it above other days ;
and he sanctified it, or set it apart for holy purposes, — by
appointing it to be devoted in a particular manner to religious
services. It was designed for the use of man, as a represen-
tation of, and a means of his entering into a participation of
that rest, or enjoyment, which God had in his works; for
the happiness of rational creatures must ever arise from
fellowship with God in his blessedness. Rest from labor
was enjoined on man, then, not merely that he might repose
himself, though this, it is true, was one reason of the ap-
pointment; but chiefly that, being set free from his daily
exertions, he might bend his undivided attention to the con-
templation and enjoyment of God, and might have a certain
portion of time to spend in direct devotion and intercourse
with him. Of course, therefore, it was in certain respects
THE HEAVENLY SABBATH. 293
but a means to an end. While in innocence he would ever
be spiritually-minded ; but it does not follow from this that
it was unnecessary to set apart a particular time for devo-
tion. If this was necessary in a state of innocence, it must
be much more so to us, whose minds are distracted by sin,
and in danger of forgetting the truth, and losing a devo-
tional spirit, amidst the cares of the world. Hence the
observance of one day in seven as sacred to God, is required
now, as well as in former periods, and it is found to be a
sweet and profitable retreat even to those who most fully
unite business with devotion.
The importance of special seasons for devotion, was
taught by the law, which required that the sacrifices
should be doubled on the Sabbath day. Num. xxviii. 3, 9.
Though Christians, whether they eat or drink, are to do
all to the glory of God, they are edified by appointments
in the observance of which their intercourse with God is
more immediate, and their worship is more like that of the
celestial sanctuary.
With an eye to the old creation, the erection of the
kingdom of Christ is called the creation of" new heavens
and a new earth," Isaiah lxv. 17. The Saviour finished
the work of atonement ; he laid the foundation of the
church in his perfect sacrifice ; and he entered into his
rest when he rose from the dead and ascended into glory.
The work of redemption, or the new and spiritual creation
to which the first had been subservient, is that in which
the divine character is fully unfolded. It is in a striking
sense the work of Christ, and the rest into which he hath
entered is no less strikingly his own. He so rests from
his works as to rest in them, Heb. iv. 10. God rested or
enjoyed the manifestation of his character given in the
work of the old creation; and Christ hath entered into bliss
25*
294 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
unutterable in the contemplation and enjoyment of the
divine character, as manifested in the works of the new
creation. The happiness of God arises from the contem-
plation and enjoyment of those principles or perfections
which constitute his character; and hence he delighted
when in the works of creation he saw certain of them visi-
bly displayed. But his character is best displayed in the
work of his Son, and hence he had expressed his highest
delight, and his ineffable satisfaction in that work.
As the pale emanations of the moon walking in her
brightness, are absorbed and lost in the effulgence of the
sun, so the first creation, though certainly glorious, fades
away before the surpassing splendor of the new. Think
of the many moral obstructions which opposed the righteous
and honorable exercise of mercy to sinners, and see how
fully they have all been removed by the Saviour. Con-
template the polluted, depraved, and miserable condition
of mankind, and see an innumerable multitude of them
bearing an image of God, and restored to heavenly know-
ledge, holiness, and love. Consider the power displayed
in the complete command of their minds, in preserving
them through all the temptations of the world, in reviving
them when languishing, recovering them when fallen, and
beautifying them with salvation, till they are presented be-
fore God without spot or blemish. In this moral creation,
there are more grand and decisive displays of the divine
wisdom and power, than in the original production of the
universe ; and in this manifestation of all his moral perfec-
tions, the Father rests with ineffable delight, as the bright-
est effulgence of his glory. Jesus, likewise, as Mediator,
is blessed in enjoying the light of his Father's countenance,
and beholding his character as displayed in his own work.
In the heavenly temple his happiness arises from that in
THE HEAVENLY SABBATn. 295
which Jehovah delights. In like manner do we enter into
the rest of God, because our happiness as Christians arises
from fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ." This high privilege we have, when our enjoy-
ment springs from the knowledge of the divine character
as exhibited in the gospel. " It is life eternal to know God,
and him whom he hath sent ; " or, in other words, to have
a just sense of the divine character, as revealed in the work
of the Mediator, and in the glory that hath followed, 1 John
i. 3. John xvii. 3.
When the Redeemer, by his obedience unto death, had
purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of God,
there to enjoy that blessed rest which hath followed, and
results from his wondrous sufferings and work. This rest
is not merely a cessation from labor, or repose after tribu-
lation, it is perfect complacency in the divine character,
glory, and excellency, as displayed in the building of mer-
cy which is established on his precious atonement ; it is the
complete enjoyment of blessedness in the favor of his God
and Father ; and it is the delightful gratification of his
pious and benevolent wishes in the redemption of sinners
to the family, the love, and the services of Jehovah. His
life is not a life of state merely, but a life of office. Hence
heaven is called a temple; and his blessedness is repre-
sented as arising from what he did when in his representa-
tive or public character he entered it as a sanctuary, with
the blood of the everlasting covenant, and from what he is
still doing there. The new creation, like the old, is a
gradual work. The foundation of it was laid in the atone-
ment of Christ, and considering its nature, this was the
grandest and most important part of it, and hence he is re-
presented as having then entered into his rest. But, as at
the end of each successive day, the Lord said of his works,
296
THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
that they were good, and rested in them, as a partial dis-
play of his character, so the Saviour has satisfaction in
witnessing the successive stages of this spiritual creation ;
and as on the seventh day, when the whole was finished,
God in a particular manner rested and was refreshed ; so
at the final consummation of the plan of mercy, the Re-
deemer, on surveying the glories of the new creation, will
in the fullest sense " rest and be satisfied." How inter-
esting to him, then, must it be, to contemplate the progress
of this moral renovation, as it advances from dispensation
to dispensation, unfolding one part of the divine glory after
another, removing evil after evil, and brightening more and
more until, in its most perfect lustre, it shall exhibit the
meridian sunshine of the divine character and perfections.
The Levitical priests entered the earthly holy place with
the blood of others, but Jesus entered heaven with his own
blood. When they had performed the appointed services
they retired, but the Saviour remains in the heavenly holy
place. There he continues to declare the name, or charac-
ter of God, in the continued representation of his sacri-
fice, which is made by his appearing as a Lamb that has
been slain ; by his continual intercession on the ground of
this atonement ; by the communication of all blessings
through it, by the government of all the affairs of Provi-
dence, in subserviency to his church, and by appointing
and guiding all the worship of the sanctuary of God, in
connexion with his own perfect offering.
The whole affairs of this lower world are connected with
the advancement of his kingdom to his ultimate perfec-
tion. When these heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and this world, and all its works shall be burned up,
the new creation shall remain. The holy and spiritual
principles of the humbled and purified heart, in which all
THE HEAVENLY SAHHATH. 297
th.it assimilates to God will be found to dwell, are destined
to survive the wreck of nature, and to shine forth in their
highest glory in the light of heaven. For what is this
world but a piece of scaffolding, erected for the sake of the
spiritual temple, and to be removed when the building is
completed? Then shall the heavenly structure be re-
vealed in all its beauty, grandeur, and glory. This new
creation, like the old, though it consists of a great variety
of parts, is but one work ; and hence the sacred writers
make the most rapid and apparently abrupt transitions from
one part of it to another ; as, for instance, from the first to
the second coming of Christ, and from some particular stage
of his administration backwards to its commencement, and
forward to its close. In all this great work, the heart of
the Redeemer exults. It is the delight of his heart to unfold
the manifold wisdom, the immaculate purity, the perfect
holiness, justice, and faithfulness of God, in union with the
love, mercy, and grace which distinguish his character.
In looking to the consummation of the plan of redemption,
and to the salvation and blessedness of the general assem-
bly and church of the first born, he sees of the travail of
his soul and is satisfied. This is the rest into which he hath
entered. The nature of it is most honorable to him, and
most interesting and delightful to us.
Fellowship with him in this bliss is the rest set before us
in the gospel, and in fellowship with him is refreshing and
satisfying joy. In this we participate when we unite with
our great high priest in blessing in his official character
" his Father, and our Father, his God and our God," for
his deliverance from the grave, and from all the effects of
the curse, and for the bestowment of all the blessings of
his kingdom. Not that the Saviour is considered as merely
a member of the heavenly community ; far, very far from
298 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
it, He is the glorious head of his body the church, and it is
as such that he communicates life and every blessing to his
members, and also guides them in acts of devotion. To
allude to the language of an eminent writer, the Son, as
the Head of the redeemed, leads the worshippers of the
higher house in their expressions of reverence, love, and
subjection, as a part of his mediatorial glory. (Dr. Ers-
kine's discourses, vol. i. p. 495.) In this worship there is
heard one universal acclamation of praise, on every side
there is seen the constant overflow of gratitude, and in every
heart there is ever felt the most sacred and transporting bliss.
In commemoration of the resurrection and glory of Christ,
the day of rest has been changed from the seventh to the
first day of the week, which is hence termed " the Lord's
day." Rev. i. 10. The mind is thus turned to that great
work, for the sake of which the world was created; so that
the two creations are here, so to say, united. The day on
which he rose, and that on which he ascended, were the
same day of the week, and both events are commemorated
together. Indeed it was not till his ascension into heaven,
that he fully took possession of the throne, as the conqueror
of death ; and hence the high glory into which the Re-
deemer then entered is celebrated, as distinguishing the day
on which it was received, Psalm cxviii. 22 compared with
verse 24, and Acts iv. 11. On that day the first Chris-
tians met for the observance of all the stated institutions of
Christ ; and he himself honored it while on earth by dif-
ferent appearances among his disciples, who even then as-
sembled on it, Acts xx. 7. 1 Cor. xi. 20, compared with
chap. xvi. 1, 2. John xx. 19 — 26. On that day they met,
in particular, for the observance of the Lord's supper, in
which his death is commemorated ; the observance of this
rite on the very day sacred to the memory of his resurrec-
TIIE HEAVENLY SABBATH. 299
tion, beautifully connected the memorial of the one with
that of the other. The contemplation of the resurrection
of Christ necessarily leads to the contemplation of his death,
and indeed cannot be separated from it, and how delightful
then to unite their respective memorials ! — In meditating
on the rest into which he hath entered, it is edifying to ob-
serve, at the same time, that institution which directly
leads us to the solemn scenes of Gathsemanc and Calvary.
When at last we come to the seat of his heavenly rest, we
shall dwell with deep and heartfelt interest on those affect-
ing scenes; and how blessed now to anticipate the enjoy-
ments of heaven !
In commemorating on the Lord's day his resurrection
from the dead, we commemorate an event in which we
have the fullest confirmation of the accomplishment of his
work, and a satisfactory assurance of our own resurrection.
We profess our faith in the perfection of his atonement,
and declare thai all our hope arises from that work from
which he rests, — we express our joy in contemplating the
divine delight in it, as manifested by his life from the
dead, and thus have fellowship with God in his blessed-
ness,— we declare that, viewing ourselves as but pilgrims
and strangers on earth, we look to his temple as our home ;
and that our highest desire is to resemble Him in character,
and to partake with him in his rest, — we express our lov©
to his name, and to his people with whom we unite in the
observance of the day ; and we view it as an emblem of
the heavenly state, as a state of rest, devotion and enjoy-
ment, in which we shall exult at once in the death and the
resurrection of the Saviour, blessing for ever the Lamb
who was slain, and glorying in Him as the resurrection
and the life. This is the spirit which makes such a day
a foretaste of glory. — This is the feast of solemn and
300 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
delightful feeling — the very sabbath of the mind, and the
commencement of heaven.
Heaven is a state of rest. — There we shall rest from all
labor and employments connected with the body. Many
are the cares connected with our bodies at present, and it
is our duty to attend to what they require; for we are not
warranted to neglect them. But though in the necessary
cares and business of life, we serve God, still to an immor-
tal spirit there is much in them that is tedious and unplea-
sant ; and it is not inconsistent with the spirit of piety to
long for a state of higher religious service. Much time is
consumed in what is in itself but irksome to a rational be-
ing, and the attention is often diverted from things of higher
importance, and occupied exclusively by perishing trifles.
This latter circumstance is especially painful. The former
sensation had not been so powerfully felt had man never
known any higher state than that allotted him on earth;
but the stupendous revelation of the divine glory, which is
afforded us in the gospel, has the effect of attracting the
mind to the celestial world, and elevating us to the contem-
plation of those exalted enjoyments which are in the imme-
diate presence of God. Still, the recollection that God
hath placed us here — that it is he who appoints our lot, —
and that he is glorified, when, in the ordinary business of
life, as well as in direct acts of worship, we keep his de-
signs and his glory in view, reconciles the mind to the will
of Providence, and even cheers the heart amidst the cares
of this world. But in the heavenly state there will be no
farther occasion to inquire after supplies for bodily wants.
All the distresses arising from these vile bodies, shall in
like manner terminate. We shall have a spiritual body,
not subject to hunger, thirst, weariness, or disease. Not
only will the soul be no longer engaged in the earthly and
THE HEAVENLY SABBATn. 301
ensnaring concerns that relate to the body, but neither will
it toil, as at present, in the laborious pursuit of knowledge,
which is often a weariness to the flesh, but will acquire
information by a kind of intuition. 1 Cor. xiii. 12.
We shall have rest also from the assaults of enemies.
In this present state we are ever in danger from our spiritual
foes. Many are the attacks made upon us by the objects
of sense — the smiles and the frowns of the world — the errors
and lies of Satan and his emissaries, — and the sinful pas-
sions and affections of the corrupt principle which dwells
in us. Sometimes our spirits languish, and our strength
fails. Frequent and daily struggles, with inward evils, and
outward temptations, sink our hearts; especially when we
have been foiled, or an advantage has been gained against
us. But in the heavenly world no enemy can appear, —
there no error will disturb us, — there we shall be freed from
the entanglements of this earthly scene — our warfare shall
terminate, and we shall enjoy complete and undisturbed
tranquillity. Isaiah lvii. 2. Rev. xiv. 13. Let the hope of
this animate us while yet in the field of conflict.
We shall have rest from all the sorrows and troubles of
the present state. Here we are ever exposed to vexation
and anxiety — to fear and to sorrow. From all these, and
from every thing else which can assail our peace, we shall
rest. Nothing from without, and nothing from within will
disturb us. No desire will be ungratified. — Our enjoyments
will have no sting, and our joy will never disorder us.
But heaven is not only a place of rest from what is dis-
tressing.— It is a state of the most exalted devotion, and of
the highest spiritual enjoyment. Christians are said to enter
into rest in heaven, not only because they there rest from
their labors, but because being set free from the necessary
cares and incumbrances of the present life, they are wholly
Vol. ii. 26
302 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
employed in contemplating, serving, and enjoying God.
The heavenly rest, then, is not a state of inactivity ; for
action is essential to our happiness. Rest, in this case, is
opposed to fatigue and disquietude, and not active service.
It is but one of the many figures employed to illustrate
future bliss, from each of which, some of its diversified
glories may be learned. This rest, then, is entering into
the rest of God ; it is to participate in his bliss : and this
arises from comformity to his character, as manifested in
Christ. Now positive likemindedness to him is connected
with the exercise of our principles and faculties in his ser-
vice. It is so here, and it will be so there. The enjoy-
ments of heaven are not so much different irr kind, as in
degree, from those bestowed on earth. The Sabbath above
is not a mere ceasing from sin, but the exercise of all those
holy principles which form the Christian character. There
we shall for ever contemplate, and progressively advance in
the knowledge of God. We shall observe, and study the ex-
cellencies of his works and character. This will excite the
most ardent love to him, and will cause the most exalted
delight in his favor. There no dulness of apprehension
will ever be felt — no perplexed reasonings or false conclu-
sions will ever mislead. There the perceptions of the
Divine glory will produce the most sublime devotion. How
delightful to turn from this world of vanity to the paradise
above, where every natural and moral imperfection, and
every evil shall be excluded ; where all our faculties shall
be enlarged ; where every object fitted to satisfy them shall
abound, and where, existing in immortal vigor, we shall
rise higher and higher in the scale of excellence and bless-
edness, while the living God shall exist.
Lord's days below are days of solemn convocation, Lev.
xxviii. 3, and in the heavenly temple the general assembly
the heavenly sabbath, 303
and church of the first-born will meet to celebrate for ever
the most sacred worship. Jesus is the centre of their union,
and in this great assembly he acts as their leader, though
not only in this character. He imparts, for instance, all
those principles and dispositions which fit for the service of
the sanctuary, — he directs in the hallowed songs of adora-
tion and thanksgiving which are there incessantly sung, —
he, in particular, "takes the cup of salvation;" and
directs the redeemed family in the delightful exercise of
blessing his Father for all his goodness to him and to them.
He has sat down on the right hand of God in a glorious
eternal rest, not only from, but i/i, his finished work, a3
an adequate display of the divine glory, and as a proper
foundation for eternal and exalted worship. In this rest
all the redeemed partake with him, rejoicing and glorifying
in God with him, and entering into all his devotional feel-
ings and sacred views. — Through him Christians, even
whilst on earth, partake, in a measure, of this rest, when
they assemble together for the observance of the institutions
of the Gospel, in the remembrance that they have access
into the holiest of all, and when they so enter into the views
of the redeemed on high, as to have communion in the
heavenly worship. In the heavenly temple the Saviour is
the object of universal and supreme adoration and praise ;
but this is as compatible with his directing, as Lord of the
sanctuary, its various services in a way corresponding with
their nature, as is his intercession. The services of heaven
are not exactly of one description, and this, together with
the official character of Christ, accounts for the different
capacities in which he there acts and appears.
But in many respects the heavenly Sabbath exceeds the
most delightful of such days on earth. — Here, even on such
days, the necessary cares of life interrupt us, — both mind
304 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
and body require rest ; and sometimes we cannot enjoy the
public institutions of Christ. But in heaven this mortal
shall be clothed with immortality, and the body will no
longer be a clog to the soul. The body of the first Adam
was suited to the old creation, and the body of the second
Adam is suited to the new ; and as we have borne the
image of the former, so shall we bear the image of the lat-
ter. Flesh and blood, in their present state, cannot inherit
the kingdom of God ; corruption cannot inherit incorruption ;
so that these bodies of ours, before we can fully enter into
the sacred joys of the upper sanctuary, must be changed,
and made like the glorified body of the Saviour.
The hope of the resurrection is not the mere expectation,
that our bodies shall again be linked to a piece of matter,
— which were no dignified anticipation ; but that, as the
present body is of essential use to the mind, being the me-
dium through which it holds communication with sensible
objects, so the resurrection body shall be possessed of or-
gans and of senses adapted to the heavenly world, which
will make it a handmaid to the soul — the means of increas-
ing its knowledge, and, consequently, its devotion and bles-
sedness. This is a prospect worthy of a rational being,
and suited to a heart set upon spiritual things.
There will be nothing, then, to distract our attention,
either in ourselves or in surrounding objects. Our facul-
ties here are weak and imperfect, — we comprehend but lit-
tle of God and divine things, — we soon tire in the contem-
plation of the most interesting objects, our minds wander,
and often are they crowded by vain thoughts. But in
heaven we shall no more have a dead, a cold, or a wan-
dering heart ; for the glories thrown open to view will ani-
mate the attention, give a glow to the sentiments of the
mind, and vigor to the spirit. The mind will be purified
THE HEAVENLY SABBATH. 305
from every sinful disposition, and invigorated in every sa-
cred principle ; and having an incorruptible body, as well
as a pure and holy spirit, we shall feel no hindrance to our
hallowed pursuits. There the senses will not, as in this
world, ensnare the affections, nor will the imagination pol-
lute the heart. There all shall see God, and our fellow-
ship with him shall be close and complete.
There will be nothing in those about us, any more than
in ourselves, to mar our exercises or our enjoyments; for
there every one will be active, spiritual, and holy. In this
pure and tranquil assembly we shall be holy and happy;
and in looking to a society perfect in holiness, we shall be
animated and active ; for such is the human mind, that it
assimilates itself to surrounding objects, and catches the
spirit of what is familiar to it. In heaven there will not
be one jarring string. The redeemed from all nations,
peoples and tongues, shall constitute one grand assembly —
shall assist and animate the devotion of each other, and in-
crease each other's triumph and joy.
This sabbatism will be eternal. — Here our sweetest
days soon come to a close ; many of them we have seen
pass away, the remembrance of which is still pleasing,
though, because of our sins, it is in some respects painful.
But in heaven the redeemed will meet never to part ; —
there is no night there; — our sun shall never go down; —
we shall be pillars in the temple of God, and shall no more
go out. Because Christ liveth for ever we also shall live,
and ever be with him to behold his glory. We shall be
like him in body and in mind, in character and condition,
and in glory and blessedness. In this blessed society love
will be perfected. Here there will be no clashing of in-
terests, no opposition of sentiments, or dispositions and
temper. In this hallowed abode Jesus sits as head ; and
26*
306 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
far asunder and scattered as his people once were, they
shall all of them be brought to the heavenly and the eter-
nal temple, where they shall celebrate a jubilee of unutter-
able, yea, inconceivable joy.
This hope should excite our gratitude. We lost happi-
ness by leaving the only fountain of it, God himself; we
can only recover and preserve it by returning and cleav-
ing to him. He hath opened a way for our return to him,
and hath exhibited to us the most pure rind exalted enjoy-
ments as his gift through Christ. We are not left, then,
to weary ourselves seeking rest, and finding none — we
have it clearly set before us. Let us then think of our
great leader, who hath gone before us, and let us labor,
" to enter into his rest." Let us rejoice in the prospect of
being with him, where we shall behold the wondrous char-
acter of God, and shall be the subjects of its transforming
power. Heaven is the presence of Christ and his people,
perfect deliverance from sin, and positive likeness to God.
Is it not the cause of much poignant sorrow to us that sin
still cleaves to us, that it mingles with our most solemn
services, and mars our most sacred joys ? Is not heaven
endeared to us by this, that we shall be holy as God is
holy, and so be the objects of the divine complacency?
We rejoice in the hope of glory, not merely because we
shall be freed from all trials, calamities, and sorrows, and
shall be perfectly happy, but chiefly because there we shall
be purified from all that is base and impure — shall behold
the divine glory in the Redeemer, and shall be perpetually
delighted with new accessions of knowledge, holiness, and
spiritual bliss. It is to this that our highest hopes are
turned, and it is this that hallows and delights our spirits
in the prospect of futurity. The Saviour will present his
church holy and unblamable in the sight of Jehovah, and
THE IIEAVETSLY SABBATH. 307
will thus gratify the desires of his people, and consummate
their joys. How sweet the thought that we shall lie down
at the close of our day below — fall asleep in Christ, and
open our eyes on a Sabbath in which the glories of the
new creation shall be fully displayed, our souls satisfied
with the likeness of God, and our hearts animated with
the spirit of the heavenly family ! It is our duty, and like-
wise our high privilege, to enter by faith into this wonder-
ful assembly, and to join the innumerable multitude of the
redeemed in giving praise to him that sits upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb. The very anticipation of bliss so ex-
alted, feeble as is our highest conception of it, is fitted to
fill with joy inexpressible; and what then must it be to
enjoy it in all its grandeur and spiritual glory ! Here,
even in our highest joys, we see only as in a glass darkly ;
but in the life to come we shall see God face to face. In
the heavenly rest we shall remember all the way in which
we have been led through the wilderness, and there shall
" we be glad according to the days wherein we have been
afflicted, and the years wherein we have seen evil."
This sabbatism will be very different from that enjoyed
in the earthly paradise. Not only have we life, but life
" more abundantly," through Christ, who hath not merely
restored what was lost, but hath raised to bliss inconceiva-
bly higher. In the garden of Eden, Adam contemplated
the divine wisdom, power, and goodness, as manifested in
creation and providence; but the display was but partial,
and the effect on him corresponded to that partial display.
Inadequate as it was, it was the only mould on which his
character could be formed in that state of things. Though
there was no contrariety in his mind to the character of
God, there was not that degree of positive resemblance
which may now be attained, and of course his happiness
308 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
could not be equal to that of the redeemed. The view
which he had of creative beneficial kindness, and unstained
purity, was a very scanty exhibition of him who inhabiteth
eternity. The power, wisdom, and goodness of God, are
much more displayed in the gospel of peace, and there we
see also the divine mercy and grace, of which Adam knew
nothing, in connexion with the holiness and justice of hea-
ven. It is the glory of the gospel that it makes manifest
how the God of holiness and righteousness, — who from the
perfection of his very goodness, must hold sin in utter ab-
horrence, and must, as the Ruler of all things, decidedly
condemn it, — can not only grant forgiveness to sinners,
but elevate them to a state of such grandeur as the earthly
paradise can but very faintly illustrate, and with which it can
hardly be compared. The plan of redemption is expressly
intended to be a comprehensive and adequate exhibition of
the character of God. Here he is seen, not merely as he
appears in the works of nature, even in their highest glory,
in which little can be known of him ; but in a light which
is calculated to satisfy the most enlarged desires, and the
most important cravings of the heart. The views given of
him in the earthly paradise were suited to the state of
Adam, but the exhibition of his character in the gospel is
connected with the glory and blessedness of the Lord from
heaven. The full blaze of his glory will not be seen by
us till we enter the invisible world. We have yet to learn
what is the fulness of the divine character, but the hope of
seeing it fills with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
There is an unspeakable pleasure in contemplating the
glory of God, as manifested in making the entrance of sin
and misery into the world, the occasion of a full display of
his character. His wisdom and goodness have educed
from the fall a more stable and perfect order of things,
THE HEAVENLY BABBATH. 309
both in relation to his own glory and to the spiritual per-
fection and happiness of man, than that which existed
before. From the entrance of sin there arose a series of
actions which, in the scheme of redemption, exhibit the
divine character in a much more definite and endearing
light than it otherwise could have been.
In his first estate, man, as an upright creature, express-
ed the majesty of God, by obedience to his will ; but as
there was no distress to invigorate and display the excel-
lence of piety, so there was no room for a manifestation of
the divine delight in excellence thus tried and displayed.
Had our Lord, supposing it to be possible, been in posses-
sion of the same power to save us which he now has, but
without having had previous trial of our infirmities and
sufferings, neither our present consolations, nor our future
blessedness, could have been what they are. This, how-
ever, could not have been the character of our Redeemer,
not only because in that case our guilt had not been ex-
piated, but also because the character of God had not been
fully manifested. We should have wanted that bright
display, and pattern of every possible excellence, which is
seen in his humiliation and sufferings, and we could not
have been conformed to it, and thus assimilated to the
whole of the divine character. In such circumstances,
heaven had not been what it now is, even had it been pos-
sible for us to have been admitted to it.
If we always enjoyed ease and worldly prosperity, one
important and great mark of resemblance to the Saviour
would unavoidably be wanting in us, as we should be in
a condition which must of necessity preclude us from imi-
tating the transcendant qualities which adorned his charac-
ter as the afflicted one. But when we arc called to partake
of the afflictions of the body of Christ, and to fill up that
310 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
portion of them which falls to our share among all his
genuine disciples, Col. i. 24, ; we are put in a condition to
resemble him more completely than otherwise we could
have done. The meaning of the apostle in the passsge I
have just referred to, cannot be, that the sufferings and
atoning work of Christ were imperfect, or that any thing
could be added to his righteousness ; but, as the Saviour is
the head of his body the Church, so he uses the appellation
Christ, to include the members as well as the head. 1
Cor. xii. 12. Now, as the members are destined to be
conformed to him in glory, it is necessary, in order to this,
that they be previously so in sufferings ; and as when
the members were persecuted, the head complained from
heaven, Acts ix. 4. so here the afflictions of the people of
Christ are called his afflictions, because they are borne by
his members, with whom, as their head, he tenderly sym-
pathises, and also because many of them are endured in
the profession of his truth. Of these afflictions, a certain
measure is allotted to every Christian, and his enduring of
them is necessary to Jill up his proportion of what is ap-
pointed to the whole ; and as each member is designed to
promote the general good, his share is borne for the sake of
the body of Christ, which is the church.
This conformity to him as a meek and cheerful sufferer,
invigorates the great principles of genuine religion, and ca-
pacitates us for more enlarged enjoyment. It is conse-
quently fitted to increase the strength of our hope in this
world of trial, Rom. v. 4, 5, and the measure of our bliss
in the world to come. 2 Cor. iv. 17. Though here we
shall have tribulation, yet in him we have peace; and
amidst all our troubles we have reason to rejoice, since he
hath overcome the world, and hath done so to ensure us
the victory at last. John xvi. 33. This is the blessed
TITE HEAVENLY SABBATH. .'HI
inference to be drawn from his victory over all the
evils that we have to encounter below. Indeed the mere
fact that he overcame the world and all our enemies
whin they attacked him, could not of itself comfort and
encourage us. So far from this, the recollection of his
dignity and power, and of our insignificance and weakness,
if we dwell not on his public character, may damp our
spirits in the prospect of the conflict. But the recollection
that he fought as our leader, that in this character he was
attacked, that it was in our cause he combated and con-
quered, that our enemies are thus enfeebled, that he lives
and reigns that he may be the Captain of our salvation,
and that he hath promised to give us the victory, must
animate and embolden us in our warfare. Surely he who
hath thus conquered may well ask us to confide in him,
and to engage every foe, in the firm persuasion that,
through him that loved us, we shall be more than con-
querors. Since all that happens in the present state leaves
a permanent impression on our eternity, and constitutes it
happiness or misery, how precious the privilege of the
guidance of him who is head over all things for the sake
of his church, and who is making all the occurrences of
this fleeting scene work together for our good. At first by
his creating power he stamped beauty upon that which
before was all confusion and darkness ; but he gives a
more striking display of his character, when in the new
creation he makes disorder and deformity give place to
moral and spiritual harmony and glory.
What a grandeur then, is there in the hope of beholding
the innumerable multitude of the saved united in one holy
and eternal kingdom unto God, and every one of them an
archetype of the splendid glories which shine in the heavenly
Adam ! Is it not most refreshing to mark the gradual
312 THE HEAVENLY SABBATH.
progress of this new creation since the day that the first
promise was made, and to dwell on the glory of that sacri-
fice, which is the foundation and security of the whole.
When the long progressive work shall be finished, then
shall the Godhead shine forth in all the plenitude of beauty,
grandeur, and glory. A new heaven and a new earth,
and a new Jerusalem, shall rise to our \iew as a fit habita-
tion for God, and the everlasting abode of righteousness.
Then shall the glorious author of the whole pronounce all
to be good. Every individual of the redeemed shall reflect
the glory of his image. The whole erection will exhibit
the very perfection of moral and spiritual beauty. Contem-
plating his likeness in multitudes conformed into the very
image of his own excellence, Jehovah will rest in them
with high complacency. He will survey with deep and
delightful interest the character of the head of this hallow-
ed community, and will hear with the most exalted plea-
sure, the songs of admiration and of praise which shall rise
to the Redeemer from every side, as expressions of regard
to worth, and of gratitude for the blessings of mercy, so
freely and richly bestowed through his precious atonement.
The whole multitude of the heavenly host, both angels and
redeemed sinners, shall rest in Jehovah as manifested in
the new creation, as the fountain of ineffable blessedness
and joy, ages without end.
Such shall be the glorious issue of the plan of redemp-
tion. Who, on looking to it, can fail to say, " Happy art
thou, O Israel ; who is like unto thee O people, saved by
the Lord." " The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy
God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord."
I am, &c.
FINIS.
t-2L
;/
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11